Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category
Esentepe wins Nell Gwyn Stakes
Posted on Apr 21, 2012 05:01:42 PM
Dubai: Long-shot Esentepe ran a cracker under Pat Dobbs to win a thrilling renewal of the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket yesterday.
Dobbs, a regular rider in the UAE, had the three-year-old filly handy throughout the seven furlong contest before taking up the lead in the closing stages and holding on well to score by a neck from top-weight Nayarra, with Lily’s Angel finishing strongly to take third, a half-a-length further back.
Assistant trainer Richard Hannon-Junior said of the winner: "I wasn’t expecting that to be fair but she’s a good filly. She isn’t in the Guineas but I put her in the Musidora at York and we’ll just take her home. There are no plans at this stage."
Richard Fahey was thrilled with Lily’s Angel effort under a strong Paul Hannagan ride and commented: "She’s run a cracker. She’s just got stuck out on a limb a bit down the middle of the track but Paul was pleased with her and she’s come home very well.
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Hussey’s role change gives Australia the advantage
Posted on Apr 21, 2012 05:02:04 AM
Port of Spain: A week after he smashed the West Indian bowlers around Barbados to lead Australia to a thrilling victory in fading light, Mike Hussey was back in a completely different role, grinding his way to a crucial half-century that could deliver another victory for his team.
On a Queen’s Park Oval pitch that was offering plenty of turn to the spinners and sideways movement for the seamers, Hussey held firm against the West Indian bowlers to make a watchful 73 in Australia’s first innings total of 311.
In a low-scoring match, Hussey’s knock could turn out to be the difference although he was cautious about making any early predictions on a difficult batting surface.
"I think we’ve still got plenty of hard work to do. If they want to get stuck right in and grind them out as we did, it will be hard, particularly as the ball gets softer," he told reporters after the second day in Trinidad.
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Australian teenager Tomic savours first victory on clay
Posted on Apr 20, 2012 08:02:04 PM
Monte Carlo Australian teenager Bernard Tomic unleashed his new-found claycourt tactics on Monday as he chalked up his first win on red dirt to reach the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
The 19-year-old, who has been tipped to join Australia’s long line of grand slam champions since making his ATP debut in January 2009, beat Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin 6-4 6-3 to end his barren run on clay.
"I’m starting to learn how to play on clay," Monaco-resident Tomic, who has been searching for his first win on the slow surface since losing in the 2009 French Open first round, told reporters.
"A lot of clay court players play behind the line. But I think my tennis is something different. If I play my tennis, they struggle with my game even on clay… And I think I can do pretty good."
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Luke Winn: Cody Zeller, James Michael McAdoo among impact sophomores returning next season
Posted on Apr 20, 2012 02:02:04 PM
The 2011-12 chapter of Kentucky basketball closed on April 17, when all five of its starters appeared at a joint press conference in matching blue polo shirts, and announced they were turning pro. The only player comment that drew a rise out of coach John Calipari, who was sitting among them in a black suit, came from Anthony Davis, the 6-foot-11 freshman who was the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player and also swept every national player of the year award. When Davis humbly thanked the coaching staff for "helping me become the great player that I am," Calipari interjected and said, half-incredulously, "Did you just say ‘the great player that I am?’"
It may have been presumptuous — Davis did shoot 1-of-10 in the title game and has plenty of room for offensive development — but my most indelible memories from this season will be of him making great, not-of-this-world plays. I suspect that in 10 or 20 years, what the Wildcats did will be remembered almost exclusively as the "one-and-done" championship. Their freshmen were their most memorable players, and they made a historic breakthrough, establishing a new model for title-team construction. The narrative will probably exclude the fact that Kentucky’s title wasn’t possible without two key sophomore returnees. Power forward Terrence Jones, who could have been a first-rounder in the 2011 draft, was a wildly underrated defender — and the highest possession-user in the nation’s second-most efficient offense. Shooting guard Doron Lamb’s floor-stretching ability took the Wildcats’ offense to another level, and he was their leading scorer (with 30 points) in the championship game. An all-freshman team would have been fun to watch, but it would not have been cutting down nets in New Orleans.
I also suspect that sophomore returnees will be playing an even more prominent role in next year’s championship picture. Kentucky has two good ones in seventh man Kyle Wiltjer (a stretch four-man) and N.C. State transfer Ryan Harrow (a point guard), but the five who figure to be the biggest factors play for other schools, and (in most cases) had to make hard decisions about passing on this June’s NBA draft:
Staying Impact: With Cody Zeller, the Hoosiers are SI.com’s very early preseason No. 1 for 2012-13. In the statement Zeller released announcing his return, he said that his experience at IU "has exceeded my expectations," and he exceeded almost everyone’s expectations as a freshman, emerging as one of the college game’s most efficient big men — one who made crafty plays well beyond his years. He ranked the highest of any returnee in Ken Pomeroy’s POY formula and should be a frontrunner (along with Creighton’s Doug McDermott) for the Wooden and Naismith Awards.
Had He Left: Zeller would likely have been a top-10 pick, ahead of his older brother Tyler, a North Carolina senior. The Hoosiers would have lacked an impact post player, and slid to No. 3 in Big Ten preseason projections, behind Ohio State and Michigan.
The Next Step: For Indiana to meet the media’s lofty expectations for 2012-13, it’ll need to make big strides on defense after ranking 64th last season in adjusted points allowed per possession. That starts in the middle: Zeller’s block percentage of 4.3 was glaringly low for a 6-11 center, and 6-9 forward Christian Watford had a better defensive rebounding percentage (18.8, to Zeller’s 16.8).
Staying Impact: With C.J. Leslie returning, N.C. State may be the preseason favorite in the ACC, but with McAdoo in the middle, the Tar Heels will be a formidable challenger. He’s the league’s best pro prospect for 2013, and his spurts of offensive brilliance off the bench during the NCAA tournament were signs that he’s ready for a huge sophomore breakout. UNC will be playing small, but will any opponents be able to match the athleticism of fast-breaking lineups in which McAdoo is surrounded with returning guards Dexter Strickland, Leslie McDonald, Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston?
Had He Left: McAdoo might have been drafted ahead of John Henson or Tyler Zeller, and Carolina’s only returning post player would have been 6-10 sophomore Desmond Hubert, who averaged 4.9 minutes per game and did not see the court in the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight. The frontcourt situation would have been ugly.
Next Step: The Henson-Zeller combo made UNC a dominant rebounding and shot-blocking team in ’11-12. McAdoo will need to put up respectable numbers in those departments; he blocked just 2.1 percent of opponents’ shots last season, and his defensive rebounding percentage was a meager 15.6. Was that just because the elder big men were hogging all the glass-cleaning opportunities, or does McAdoo need to make gains in getting rebounding position?
Staying Impact: His return makes the Bears the Big 12 favorites, just ahead of Kansas, which has huge leadership holes to fill after losing Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson to the draft. We didn’t see the full version of Miller in 2011-12, as he entered the season still showing some of the aftereffects of a December 2010 ACL tear. Baylor belonged to the trio of Pierre Jackson, Perry Jones III and Quincy Acy, but with the latter two gone, Miller should emerge as one of the country’s best inside-outside scoring threats. In the summer before his injury, he was just as valuable to the U.S. Under-18 team as Kyrie Irving and Austin Rivers were, and has lottery pick potential.
Had He Left: Miller would have had a tough time cracking the lottery in a loaded 2012 draft, and Baylor would have been forced to play three-guard lineups with a frontcourt of freshman 7-footer Isaiah Austin and junior reserve Cory Jefferson. The Bears wouldn’t have been bad — they still would have had an elite scoring backcourt in Jackson and Brady Heslip — but they wouldn’t have been a real threat to break through to the Final Four.
Next Step: Miller is a crazy-athletic slasher whom opposing bigs struggle to guard, but he needs to add bulk in order to finish more effectively in the paint. He made 47.5 percent of his two-point attempts as a freshman; that figure needs to be over 50 if he’s going to be a true scoring star.
Staying Impact: Burke was the nation’s best freshman point guard last season; having him back alongside Tim Hardaway Jr. in the Wolverines’ backcourt should give them an outside shot at making a Final Four run. They were the team’s two highest possession-users by a wide margin in 2011-12, and figure to dominate the ball again, even with the addition of elite freshman power forward Mitch McGary, the highest-ranked recruit ever to sign with coach John Beilein.
Had He Left: Michigan survived the early departure of its previous point guard, Darius Morris, when Burke emerged as a star. The Wolverines weren’t going to repeat that feat; they also lost their other primary ballhandler, senior Stu Douglass, and would have been stuck with late-signing freshman Spike Albrecht, a three-star prospect from Massachusetts, taking over the offense. They would have been a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team … and Burke may not have been a first-round pick, either. Him returning is the best-case scenario for all parties other than Michigan opponents.
Next Step: Like Indiana, the Wolverines need to lock down on D to become a real title contender. Burke was part of a defense that ranked 60th overall, including 289th in steals and 208th at defending the three-point line. His defense will have to progress, and on offense, will he be able to draw more fouls off of penetration? Beilien’s five-out offenses have historically been near the bottom of Division I in free throw rate, but Burke is quick enough with the ball that he should be able to post a higher rate than 30.6. He averaged just 4.1 free-throw attempts per 40 minutes last season.
Staying Impact: The Cardinals are SI.com’s No. 2 team in the preseason, in large part because their Behanan-Gorgui Dieng frontcourt is one of the best in the nation. Behanan started from Day 1, but didn’t play his best basketball until the NCAA tournament, when he was named Most Outstanding Player of the West Regional after going for 15-and-9 against Michigan State and 17-and-7 against Florida. He looked to be on the verge of an All-Big East-level season as a sophomore. Fellow McDonald’s All-American Wayne Blackshear, whose freshman year was plagued by injuries, could have a similar breakout while starting at small forward.
Had He Left: Behanan is so undersized for a power forward that he was never a real threat to declare for the draft, which is good for the ‘Ville: he was their best rebounder on both ends, and that production would’ve been difficult to replace. The Cardinals roster has a few serviceable backup bigs in Stephan Van Treese (a 6-8 senior) and Zach Price (a 6-10 sophomore), but the one experienced fill-in for Behanan, Jared Swopshire (a 6-8 senior), opted to transfer to Northwestern as a graduate student.
Next Step: Free-throw accuracy should be Behanan’s primary focus this offseason. He had the highest foul-drawing rate (48.3 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts) of any Cardinal, but shot the lowest percentage from the stripe (59.4 percent). He’s their most effective scorer around the basket, making 56.0 percent of his two-point attempts, and has a nice mid-range jumper, but won’t be a star until he gets more reliable from the line.
Five other sophomore returnees who could impact the ’12-13 title race: Adonis Thomas, Memphis; Jerian Grant, Notre Dame; Otto Porter, Georgetown; Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse; Wayne Blackshear, Louisville.
A Breather, For Openers
Posted on Apr 14, 2012 02:02:07 AM
NEW YORK (AP) — Marian Gaborik and Brian Boyle scored minutes apart in the second period to break open a tight game, and
the top-seeded New York Rangers opened their first-round Eastern Conference series with a 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators
on Thursday night.
The Rangers, the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time since they won the Stanley Cup in 1994, shook off their 1-2-1 regular-season
mark against the Senators and easily dispatched them in Game 1.
Ryan Callahan scored in the first period, Gaborik and Boyle pushed the lead to 3-0, and Brad Richards added a goal in the
third for the Rangers. New York will host the No. 8 Senators again on Saturday night before the best-of-seven series shifts
to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4.
Henrik Lundqvist was sharp early, stopping Jason Spezza on a partial breakaway and then turning aside Jim O’Brien, who weaved
his way through the New York defense before getting off an in-close drive that was knocked away.
Lundqvist’s only blemishes came in the third period. Daniel Alfredsson wrecked his shutout bid at 10:05, and Erik Condra made
it 4-2 with 2:19 left. Lundqvist finished with 30 saves.
Craig Anderson stopped 27 shots, but it wasn’t enough for him to maintain his perfect mark at Madison Square Garden.
The Senators dominated play throughout the second period, but a couple of late lapses turned a tight game into a virtual runaway.
Ottawa kept up constant pressure in the New York end. It just didn’t produce any results. The Senators hemmed in the Rangers
several times and forced a handful of icing calls. It got so bad in the middle of the second that New York coach John Tortorella
was forced to use his lone timeout just to give his guys a breather after back-to-back icings.
Even with three straight power plays that spanned the first and second periods, the Senators were frustrated by either Lundqvist
or players in front of him who dived to block shots from ever getting through.
After the Rangers killed a questionable tripping call against defenseman Ryan McDonagh, while they nursed a 1-0 lead, Gaborik
gave his club a bit of insurance.
The Rangers’ leading scorer got the puck along the right wing boards, after the Senators turned it over in their own end,
and drove toward the net. He stopped short in front of Anderson, shifted the puck to either side of his stick while looking
for an opening, and then slid a shot into the net to make it 2-0 with 3:36 left in the second.
Gaborik, who scored 41 goals in the regular season, had another in-close chance earlier in the period, but elected to pass
instead of shoot. He did it all himself this time in netting the unassisted goal.
The Rangers spent much of the two off days before the series opener working on their anemic power play. It didn’t click late
in the second, while Filip Kuba served a hooking call, but New York connected 13 seconds after the defenseman left the box.
Pressure continued to mount in the Ottawa end after the power play expired, and Artem Anisimov lunged to nudge a bouncing
rebound in the slot back to Boyle in the right circle. He got just enough of it to set up Boyle, who snapped in a shot with
just 53.8 seconds left in the second – 2:42 after Gaborik’s goal – to push the lead to 3-0.
The Senators were outshot 12-11 in the second, but it seemed much more one-sided in Ottawa’s favor until the Rangers’ late
strikes.
Callahan was itching to play in the postseason after being forced to miss New York’s first-round loss to Washington last year
because of a broken ankle. He made his presence felt throughout the spirited first period.
Callahan netted the first goal of the series when he got to a rebound of Anisimov’s shot from the right point at the bottom
edge of the right circle and whipped the puck around Kuba along the ice and between Anderson’s pads with 7:59 left in the
first.
The Rangers captain also stepped up at center ice and thwarted a Senators rush when he laid a crushing hit on Ottawa forward
Jesse Winchester and sent him flying to the ice with just over two minutes left in the first. Chants of “Call-ie, Call-ie”
echoed through the towel-waving crowd at Madison Square Garden, that hosted Game 1 of a playoff series for the first time
since the first round in 1996 against Montreal.
NOTES: Boyle, who had 11 goals in the regular season, scored five of them in the final nine games. … The Rangers outshot
Ottawa 8-2 in the second period after the timeout with 10:02 remaining. … Lundqvist, who has never advanced past the second
round, is 16-20 in 36 postseason games. … Anderson had been 6-0 with a 1.13 goals-against average and two shutouts in his
previous Madison Square Garden starts.
Budding cricketer eyes IPL
Posted on Apr 13, 2012 02:01:50 AM
Dubai Be it any junior tournament, inter-school, inter academy or the UAE Under-19 team, Chirag Suri has made it a habit to bag the most coveted individual awards for the last few years. This right-handed top order batsman and leg spinner is now aiming higher.
"My ambition is to play in the Indian Premier League [IPL] one day," Suri told Gulf News after a coaching session with UAE’s new coach Aaqib Javed. Suri has just been appointed the captain of the UAE Under-19 team based on his string of brilliant allround performances, while he also captains the Emirates Cricket Board Green team.
Suri’s latest century came two weeks ago. Representing the Repton School and Dubai College Combined XI against Sherborne School team from England he cracked a fine 111 in the British Schools League. Suri is the captain of the Repton School and had recently hit two hundreds in three games which included an unbeaten 102, reaching the ton in style, flicking the ball over mid wicket for a six.
To produce a match-winning performance is a habit for Suri even when he was representing Modern High School until 2008. In the Sandeep Bhatavia tournament in 2008 he bagged the man of the final award. He cracked two centuries in the tournament and one of his centuries came off just 28 balls. He scored six centuries that season, which was the most by a school cricketer in one year.
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Idol Dravid inspires Rahane to come up with royal innings
Posted on Apr 9, 2012 05:01:51 AM
Dubai: Ajinkya Rahane, who cracked a brilliant 98 to ensure a 31-run victory for Rajasthan Royals over Kings XI Punjab on Friday, is delighted with his performance mainly because it was performed in front of Rahul Dravid, who is his idol.
Dravid is not only the captain of his team but is also his opening partner. "Dravid was a source of inspiration. It is proud moment for me to bat with him as he has been my idol," remarked Rahane after his knock.
"Dravid kept on motivating me from the other end. We have a good understanding and he had prompted me to play full 20 overs," added Rahane, who lost Dravid for 28 runs, but not before putting on 77 runs in 9.3 overs to set the platform for the huge score of 191 for 4 in 20 overs.
Rahane has always been a match winner and whenever he has hit a big score the team he represents wins the match. He is Mumbai’s top order batsman and has scored 1,089 runs in only his second season and guided Mumbai to its 38th Ranji Trophy title victory.
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Targeting Wahoo When Booking Key West Fishing Charters To Go Open Ocean Fishing
Posted on Apr 6, 2012 06:01:18 AM
For catching wahoo You’ll require a quite sturdy rod and reel. You would like to use 30 to 50 lb. test line and about a 4′ 80 to 100 lb. steel leader. Don’t attempt to use a leader made of mono, those sharp teeth will rip it to bits. Use a brief shank 10/0 or 12/0 hook. Some swear by a substantially smaller hook, as compact as 4/0. A wahoo’s teeth are razor sharp and its mouth is tough. Be sure your hooks are sharp so they can penetrate his mouth. In the event you depend on the captains operating the Key West fishing charters for offshore fishing, they’ll care for all that, which includes the fishing licenses for you. Anglers complain about losing wahoo all the time.
Lures are especially well known with anglers who fish for wahoo. They appear to prefer dark red and black blends. Don’t use light colors such as blue, white or pink, and so on.
You are able to attract wahoo by casting teaser lines with baits on them. You would like to troll quite rapidly, 10 to 15 knots if the sea isn’t too choppy, make certain your speed is consistent though. The problem with true fish teasers is the fact that trolling that rapidly will tear them apart. Many people swear by Coke cans on lines about 8 apart. Run 2 to 4 lines out about 60 feet out. When the wahoo commence hitting the cans get your baits or lures around. The Coke cans will not last long.
When that fish hits your line he’s gonna hit it tough, like at as high as 60 mph. He’ll run appropriate up behind it and hit it true fast. In the event you get a hit but do not hook it, he could have Key West fishing ripped your bait in half. Cease the boat and open the free drag to let the bait fall. Generally he’ll know he ripped it in half and go back for the second half. When he realizes he’s hooked he’s gonna put up more than a sporting fight. He will not dive like a marlin or a tuna but he will run. Keep the boat in gear and moving to make sure he cannot get slack in the line. You do not want him to shake the hook out of his mouth.
After you get him for the boat be careful. Those teeth are true sharp and he’s true Key West fishing rapidly and strong. Pull him through a door or gaff him but maintain his mouth below control.
You’ll have much more fun and will not have to get all that gear should you book a private charter on among the optimum Key West fishing charters for deep sea fishing. Make sure you ask how a number of instances they’ve caught wahoo. If they say 2 or three or less, appear for one more fishing charter.
Concerning Tarpon Out With Key West Fishing Charters To The Flats Of Key West
Posted on Apr 5, 2012 06:01:19 AM
With tarpon timing is in some cases an concern. They show up inside the flats of Key West among March and June to spawn. It is easy to Key West fishing quite often see them rolling in large schools which churns the water. It is easy to in some cases cast at them for hours as well as even though you possibly can conveniently see them they will not strike. The trick would be to just realize that when they do get hungry they are going to strike, even on a fly.
Tarpon will strike on flies. They also eat pinfish, little crustacians, shrimp a particular sea worm known as palolo worms. Tarpon prefer reside bait to cut bait. They are predators not certainly scavengers. The palolo worm lives inside the channels and flats. They hatch in large numbers for the duration of a falling tide inside a complete moon. Tarpon appreciate palolo worms.
When tarpon strike a lure or bait, they normally strike challenging from behind. That implies when they strike they lunge directly toward you given that you’re pulling the lure or bait toward you and push the hook toward you. In the event you yank the line proper then you will most likely yank the hook out of the fish’s mouth. Wait till the fish begins to turn away and its body is at the very least partially among you and the hook. Wait till you possibly can really feel the fish tugging in the hook just a little. Then yank challenging adequate to set the hook but Key West fishing not snap the line.
As soon as you’ve hooked him, be prepared for a fight. The problem is, you’re normally making use of really light tackle and you’ve got a very large fish on it, a fish built for speed. Tarpon are long and lean. They are anything but sluggish. It is easy to snap the line conveniently. If he’s operating, let him run. You have gotta tucker him out. When he stops or slows patiently nudge him toward the boat. It’ll take patience and if you’re too hasty, you will snap the line. In the event you reel him in although he’s tired and let him run when he’s got strength, eventually you will get him into the boat.
The easiest strategy to study the right way to fish for tarpon would be to book one of several Key West fishing charters that specialize in flats fishing. There are a couple of and the captains are really effective at what they do. They’re able to get you to the proper spot and coach you on the right way to reel in that major tarpon.
How To Catch Bluefin Tunafish When Going On Key West Fishing Charters On Deep Sea Tours
Posted on Apr 5, 2012 06:01:18 AM
The bluefin tuna which can be found about Key West is called the atlantic bluefin tuna or the northern bluefin tuna. They’re fairly big Key West fishing fish, typically 6′ to 8′ lengthy, weighing a bit over 750 lbs. They’re able to be found anywhere inside the Atlantic Ocean and can travel thousands of miles inside a year.
Bluefin tuna rival swordfish and blue marlin for size and speed. They’re able to travel over 40 mph. so they’re impressive fighters. They are fairly deep water fish and can go as deep as a thousand feet down. Key West fishing Bluefin tuna are seldom found closer to shore than five miles out. They travel in schools, regularly a hundred fish or a great deal more.
If you happen to intend to catch a bluefin fishing charters tuna using a rod and reel, realize that this is not a sport for the faint of heart. You can spend days searching for a school of bluefin tuna, and not uncover any. You can spend hours and even days wanting to reel a single of these monsters for the boat. They are fairly large and fairly robust. You will have to have the equipment, which includes the boat which can handle a war like this. You also have to have to know the laws pertaining to bluefin tuna fishing. You will need a special permit to catch them. The easiest technique to handle all of the demands of a quest like this is to book a private charter on a single in the Key West fishing charters and specify that you are large game fish, in particular bluefin tuna. They’ll be able to set you up in the correct time of year, using the correct licenses and permits plus the correct gear. They’ll also have the boat you will need.
They come for the Gulf of Mexico to spawn among April and June. This is the very best time of year to fish off Key West for bluefin tuna. You can normally uncover them off the deeper reefs and ship wrecks, about oil rigs or anywhere there are structures among 120′ and 300′ feet deep, in particular exactly where bait fish is often found.
Bluefin tuna eat herring, whiting, mackerel, flying fish and mullet. They’ll also eat squid, eels, and crabs. You can attract the tuna with absolutely free chunks of bait not on hooks. Just throw a bunch of fish chunks around. Watch how speedy they sink. You would like your bait to mimick the absolutely free chunks. Frozen chunks will sink slower. Tuna bite fairly quickly so it should not be too tough to convince them that its feeding time. They’ll bite on cut bait fairly readily.