Hear Me Opine About the Baltimore Orioles on MVN Radio...

As some of you know, I also do a lot of commentary on Oriole Magic over the Most Valuable Network aptly known as MVN.com.

For many of you who've never heard my voice, you can hear yours truly opine and analyze the new look 2008 Baltimore Orioles on MVN Radio! I chat about 20 minutes on various topics concerning the team and also on the blog itself.

Looking back now, I probably should have hit on a topic or two, but I was in lull at work ! and trying to get as much content in as possible in a limited amount of time.

A special shout to Brandon Rosage for giving me the opportunity.

Link ---> MVN Radio

Photo Gallery: Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles; May 30th, 2008

Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles; May 30th, 2008 - Baltimore, Md.

The Baltimore Orioles gave last night's game away and lost to the Boston Red Sox, 5-2. Despite the loss, the Birds hung in there with the Evil Empire 1A until the bitter end, as our pitching corps inly allowed two runs in the first and then three — all unearned — in the 13th thanks for errors by Melvin Mora and Freddie Bynum. They were frustrating to see; however, errors are a part a game — but you cannot have that happen against a team the caliber of the Red Sox. Mike Lowell and heads up baseball by Boston late doomed the Orioles.

NLCS Thoughts and Playoff Reflections; Markakis & A New Contract...

The 2008 playoffs resume tonight as game one of the NLCS is played in the City of Brotherly Love.

Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers take on the Phillies; thus, for me, although I am a fan of the Orioles, the NL style of baseball appeals to me a lot more. That being said, I am very interested to see how this series turns out.

Both teams match up well with their lineups, as well as their pitching staffs although I think Philadelphia might have a slight edge with their bullpen (because of Brad Lidge). I think the starters for the first three games are suitable, there's a significant drop-off from there with their starting rotations for both teams.

That's why I see things so even matched up.

Right now, I am picking the Dodgers in seven games for the upset.

Why?

I think the Dodgers have been greatly underestimated, and obviously Manny in that lineup makes the difference; however, I think Joe Torre has also been a calmi! ng influence on this team as well by virtue of his experience dealing in New York.

Again, there's the Manny factor. They look and play like a different team from the one we saw from April to the end of July. If the Dodgers go down 2-0 when they return to California, I think they are as good as done. I don't think the Phillies can stop Manny based on how well he's doing right now -- (but I think Ramirez only has a career batting average of .200 versus the Phillies) -- but shutting down the rest of the offense is ey.

However, if the Dodgers can touch up on Cole Hamels, Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer, the Phillies are in trouble. As well, if Howard and Burrell are shut down, it's too curtains for them.

Although I think the Phillies have the superior hitting lineup, I think there's an upset.

I would so love to see a Dodgers-Red Sox World Series. Just imagine all the story lines, drama, and I'm sure MLB would be happy with the ratings as ! it would be a blockbuster.

***

While a handful of teams are still in the playoffs, teams like the Baltimore Orioles are stuck in watching it from home and face the prospect of a long, hard winter.

That being said, now is the time to sign Nick Markakis to a long term deal. I have said over and over, I have full faith in Andy MacPhail and I more or less said last year that the right fielder not being signed to a long term contract isn't an issue — however, if it's not done this off-season it will be.

After seeing his peers like Ryan Braun, Evan Longoria, and Troy Tulowitzki signed to healthy contracts, after the progress Markakis has shown, he deserves the same.

At this point, if they go through arbitration process, Markakis will get a huge pay day indeed; however, the longer the team waits to sign him to a deal, the higher his price will go and the greater the likelihood that he'll bolt.

Considering the Orioles are rebuilding, and it may be a while before they st! art to win, now is the time to sign Nick.

Let's avoid Pandora's Box from opening when it does not need to be the case.

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Judgment Day For Daniel Cabrera; MASN's Hot Stove Show Returns; Raul Ibanez Signs With Philadelphia

The deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players is at midnight. Right now, I am keeping my eyes on one player -- Daniel Cabrera -- and checking to see if he will be offered a contract, arbitration, or be sent on his way out..

Almost every fan of the Orioles has had their thoughts on Daniel, and considering his *potential* and physical gifts, he's not been able to put it all together. At this point, I'd say it's 50/50 on Cabrera staying. Despite all the negatives one could put on him, he is an innings eater, and when he's focused -! - he pitches like an ace. Also, he has been for the most part reliable heathwise -- until the last month of the season in '08.

However, has his time ran out?

Personally, as much as I get frustrated with him, I don't see anyone else on the horizon who can come in and give the Orioles the innings. I say offer him a contract, and see if he accepts the terms. If not, let him walk.

***

For those of you who will be home this evening, The Hot Stove Show starts up again tonight at 7:00 p.m. on MASN.

The show is hosted by Jim Hunter, Roch Kubatko and Phil Wood. I can surmise that they will discuss what has gone on during the Winter Meetings with Washington and Baltimore; furthermore, what both teams are planning to do until Spring Training.

***
A report on ESPN.com and FOXSports.com on this afternoon ! said the Phillies have agreed to a three-year contract with Raul Ibanez, pending his passing a physical examination. The contract, the report said, is believed to be worth $30 million.

A fair deal for a man who has driven 100 runs in for the past three years; however, do you give a contract like that to man on the wrong side of thirty and is being relied upon pretty much everyday in left field.

His offense is good, but let's see how his body holds up.

The Markakis Press Conference: A Good Day For Baltimore Fans

This afternoon, the Baltimore Orioles held a press conference to announce the signing of Nick Markakis to a 6 year/$66 million extension at the Warehouse. Obviously, now a Baltimore mainstay and one of the best right fielders in all of baseball, Markakis will now be expected to be one of the faces of the franchise and keep up his progress.

Now, with the huge contract, a marriage, the 25-year old can now only focus on baseball until 2014 and be a cog in the rebuilding of the Baltimore Orioles.

Although there are some fans that have mixed reviews on the Baltimore offseason, it's almost universal that fans are happy anout Markakis finally signing an extension with the organization. Despite needing pitching, a sho! rtstop, and perhaps more power when the 2008 season, Andy MacPhail -- president of baseball operations -- made extending Markakis a priority.

>>> Read More

This May Only Be the Beginning of Alex Rodrigez's Troubles...

Alex Rodriguez's mea culpa on Tuesday may not have done any good -- now, he's being summoned by the powers that be in Major League Baseball to explain himself. Ah, I wonder if the beloved sport will protect him, do nothing, or make him walk the plank for his misdeeds that supposedly took place six years ago.

>>> Read More

Here Come The Rangers...

After taking two from three from the Rays, we have the free swinging and powerful Rangers -- who were swept by Detroit this weekend.

Since my girlfriend is a Rangers fan from Dallas who believes the Orioles suck, I'll say this -- Baltimore will once again take two out of three from an opponent and Texas will be the victim. Well, the Rangers have Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and a bunch of other mashers; however, their pitching is suspect -- very suspect. We'll miss ace Kevin Millwood, but we'll have Vicente Padilla, Brandon McCarthy, and old friend Kris Benson.

>>> Read More

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The Brim Reaper Traded

MLB.com is reporting that the "Brim Reaper", George Sherrill has been traded. I have not seen anything from the Baltimore media as of yet, but here's the news:

ST. LOUIS -- The Dodgers shored up their bullpen Thursday by acquiring Orioles closer George Sherrill in exchange for two prospects, third baseman Josh Bell and pitcher Steve Johnson, according to baseball sources.

Sherrill can serve as a set-up man, or share the closer role with Jonathan Broxton.

The Dodgers still are hoping to acquire a starting pitcher and are rumored to still be pursuing Toronto's Roy Halladay.

Sherrill i! s a tad older than 30, but he's damned good reliever and let's hope we got something of value for him. I presume that Steve Johnson is the son for former Oriole and MASN personality, Dave Johnson. That being said, I don't know what I think of the trade right now, but Sherrill will have incredible value to the back end of the Los Angeles bullpen.

>>> Read More

NHL Network Free Preview Starting March 2

Of course I find out this morning that the NHL Network will be offering a free preview from Monday March 2nd until Saturday March 7th after I ordered it yesterday! I know that the NHL Trade Deadline next Wednesday (March 4th) will be a big hockey news today and living in the United States there really is no 24 hour hockey coverage on TV unless you have the NHL Network. So yesterday I added the Sports package to my cable plan so that I would have it for at least a month, just so I could watch it next Wednesday all day....oh well....

From the NHL website:

NEW YORK – The NHL Network will offer a free preview to more than 34 million subscribers of multiple distributors in the United States, such as DIRECTV, DISH Network®, AT&T U-verse, Verizon, Cox Communications, Grande Communications and TVMAX, beginning Monday, March 2 through Saturday, March 7.

As the definitive hockey destination, NHL Network offers viewers a 24-hour all-access pass to complete hockey coverage both on and off the ice, including live NHL games, robust game highlights packages and expert analysis. As a portion of this six-day free-preview period, viewers will be able to watch 52 hours of HD hockey programming including five live games, special Trade Deadline day coverage and 10 premieres of exclusive original NHL Network™ programming.

Games broadcast during the free preview include four live NHL games (blackout restrictions apply) and one live American Hockey League game. The Montre! al Canadiens and the host Buffalo Sabres -- two longtime rival! s lookin g to secure a playoff berth -- go head-to-head on Wednesday, March 4. Then on Thursday, March 6, the Canadiens play the host Atlanta Thrashers. On Saturday, March 7, viewers will enjoy AHL action with the Rochester Americans playing the Lake Erie Monsters, followed by a simulcast of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada doubleheader of the Edmonton Oilers visiting the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the San Jose Sharks traveling to Vancouver to play the Canucks.

On Wednesday, March 4 the NHL Network will provide extensive coverage of the NHL Trade Deadline that will keep viewers up-to-date on the latest trades and their favorite clubs through an special three-hour of edition of NHL Live with Don LaGreca and Bill Clement, and a special three-hour NHL On the Fly Trade Deadline Special.

Also premiering during the free preview are brand new episodes of original NHL Network series including The Hodge Stove League talk show where the guest will be Toronto Maple Leafs head co! ach Ron Wilson; a Day In The Life episode featuring Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris; a Voices profile of St. Louis' announcer Chris Kerber; a Pioneers spotlight on Hockey Hall of Famer Red Kelly; and an all-access special filmed in Montreal at the 2009 NHL All-Star Weekend. Additional programming includes spotlights on NHL legends Ted Lindsay, Al MacInnis and Maurice Richard, and eight programs devoted to 2010 Winter Olympic Games hopefuls Zdeno Chara, Chris Drury, Patrik Elias, Mike Green, Chris Pronger, Mike Richards and Shea Weber.

NHL Network Free Preview Spotlight Programming
(All Times Eastern)

Monday-Friday
12 p.m. NHL Live simulcast

Monday, March 2
9 a.m. Bienvenue a Montreal! All Access at the 2009 NHL All-Star Weekend
10 a.m. NHL On The Fly

Tuesday, March 3
7 p.m. The Hodge Stove League: Ron Wilson
8 p.m. A Day That Changed The Game: November 1, 1959
9 p.m. NHL On The Fly
Wednesday, March 4 -- NHL Trade Deadline
12 p.m. Spe! cial 3-h our edition of NHL Live
3 p.m. NHL On The Fly Trade Deadline Special
7:30 p.m. Canadiens at Sabres
10 p.m. NHL On The Fly

Thursday, March 5
7 p.m. Day In The Life: Derek Morris
7:30 p.m. Voices: St. Louis' Chris Kerber
8 p.m. Captains Powered by Bridgestone (player TBA)
8:30 p.m. Pioneers: Red Kelly
9 p.m. NHL On The Fly

Friday, March 6
7 p.m. Don Cherry's Grapevine -- Al MacInnis
7:30 p.m. Canadiens at Thrashers
10 p.m. NHL On The Fly

Saturday, March 7
1 p.m. ` AHL Hockey: Rochester Americans at Lake Erie Monsters
6:30 p.m. HNIC Pregame
7 p.m. Hockey Night In Canada: Oilers at Maple Leafs
10 p.m. Hockey Night in Canada: Sharks at Canucks
12:30 a.m. HNIC After Hours
1:30 a.m. NHL On The Fly

Crazy Goal: Delayed Penalty = Horror Show for Canucks

Anyone else see this yet? I had my TV on mute and missed the 4th goal while doing something else. So I was looking online to see who scored and thought the boxscore was screwed up - anyone that frequently checks out Yahoo boxscores knows exactly what I'm talking about. I saw that the boxscore looked weird, Viktor Tikhonov of Pheonix was credited with an empty net goal in the 2nd period and also got a hooking penalty at the exact same time.

Then I caught a partial replay of it so I rewinded it via DVR to see a crazy goal being scored.

During a delayed penalty Luongo went to the bench for the extra skater. Viktor Tikhonov was about to get a penalty but he was forechecking and hacked at a pass to Shane O'Brien, it deflected all the way back into the empty net. The CBC commentator said he was the first NHL player to get a goal and a penalty on the same play. Crazy sequence of events! Check it out for yourself below...

Ward Has Possible Broken Orbital Bone After This Punch

According to Bruins coach Claude Julien, Aaron Ward might have suffered a broken orbital bone when he was sucker-punched by Scott Walker at 17:13 of the third period. [Link]



Update (4:10pm): According to Canes Now Walker will not be suspended for the punch, but will be fined $2,500. It was expected that Walker would be suspended at least one game because of the fact that he received an instigator penalty with less than five minutes remaining in the game and in those circumstances a one game suspension is automatic. However, the NHL rescinded that one game suspension. I'm very surprised based on the way the NHL is run nowadays that they decided to rescind that one game suspension. I personally thought that it was a sucker punch, but I actually don't like the stupid instigator rule, so for the first time in a while I'm happy with the NHL's punishment under the circumstances.

NHL.com Hacked By Leaf Fans

Check it out before it's fixed :)

Around 5PM ET anyone that went to NHL.com was forwarded to MapleLeafs.com

A harmless, but pretty funny prank by someone from Leaf Nation

Rangers Send Sanguinetti To Hartford

As was probably expected by most Rangers fans, Bobby Sanguinetti was sent back to Hartford this afternoon.

Ranger Rants analyzed the situation:

Sanguinetti's demotion leaves the Rangers will open the season with a defense corps of Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Matt Gilroy, Michael Del Zotto and Alexei Semenov. Del Zotto can't go to Hartford - he's either a Ranger or sent back to his junior club. My guess is the Rangers take the nine games allotted to further evaluate Del Zotto at the NHL level.

I've been saying for a while that Semenov was going to get a contract offer, pretty much since seeing him play in the first two preseason games. This move pretty much guarantees that. He's played well enough through preseason to consider him for the 6/7 defenseman role for the team. I see Sather offering him a one ! year contract for something less than $800k.

My take on Semenov:

He's not brilliant, he's not flashy, he's not going to get more than 3 goals all year, he's not going to lead any offensive rushes -- but that's not his job. He's a role player, and a big body that the NYRs need on the blue line. Not everyone can be a flashy offensive dman. He'll clear the crease, take up a lot of room on the ice, play when needed and not make many stupid plays.

He also has shown so far that he has a pretty hard shot that he can get on goal and if nothing else that cound leave rebounds (as evidence by the Higgins goal in the 1st game and another goal I believe in the 2nd game).

To me the only question remaining about the defense is will Michael Del Zotto stay with the Rangers all season long, or will he play 9 games as an evaluation and then get get sent back down to the OHL.

Allstate 400 most viewed race ever on ESPN.

NFL preseason numbers game.

Very funny: TBS strikes out on biggest stage.

Week in review.

Mariotti to AOL, Millen to NBC.

(Belated) weekend ratings.

CBS NCAA Tourney 90% sold out.

Another big drop for NASCAR.

(Belated) weekend ratings.

Celtics' loss spells bad news for TNT.

U.S. Open ratings up.

Slight rise for Pats/Broncos

Report: Comcast in talks to buy NBC

Hasil Pertandingan | Serie A 2009/2010 | Juventus Kalah 0 - 2 dari Palermo

Juventus pulang dengan tangan hampa usai melakoni laga tandang ke markas Palermo. Bianconerri yang lebih menguasai jalannya pertandingan tak mampu menyarangkan sebiji gol pun. Hasil 0 - 2 untuk keunggulan tuan rumah menjadi kekalahan pertama bagi Juve.

Pada pertandingan ! yang digelar di Satdion Renzo Barbera, Senin (5/10/09) dinihari WIB, tuan rumah palermo menekuk tamunya Juventus lewat dua gol Edison Cavani di menit 37 dan Fabio Simplicio lima menit sesudahnya.

Dengan hasil ini membuat tim asuhan Ferarra harus turun satu peringkat ke urutan tiga dengan 14 poin. Sedangkan bagi Palermo raihan tiga angka ini mendongkrak posisi mereka ke peringkat sembilan dengan koleksi sembilan poin.

Dalam laga ini Juve memang lebih banyak menguasai bola. Namun tim asal Turin ini selalu gagal menembus Palermo yang memperagakan sepakbola efektif.

Situs Soccernet mencatat Juve menguasai bola sebanyak 62% dan melepaskan enam tembakan di mana tidak ada satu pun di antaranya yang menemui sasaran. Sedangkan delapan dari 24 tembakan yang dimiliki Palermo menghujam ke gawang Gianluigi Buffon.

Pertandingan dimulai dengan t! empo lam bat. Palermo langsung mengambil inisiatif serangan.

Menerima umpan dari Mark Bresciano, Fabrizio Miccoli melepaskan tembakan di menit tujuh dari sisi kanan namun masih dapat diselamatkan oleh Gianluigi Buffon.

Tekanan yang dilancarkan Palermo terus berlanjut. Di menit 15 tuan rumah mendapat peluang nyata. Edison Cavani yang menerima umpan dari Micolli melepaskan tandukan yang melenceng tipis di samping mistar gawang.

Sedangkan Juve tidak banyak melakukan pergerakan berbahaya. Marking ketat kepada playmaker mereka, Diego membuat aliran bola untuk Amauri dan Vincenzo Iaquinta terhambat.

Di menit 37 Stadion Renza Barbera bergemuruh. Memanfaatkan umpan Javier Pastore, Edison Cavani melepaskan tendangan dari sisi kanan yang diarahkan ke tiang dekat dan tidak bisa dibendung Buffon.

Tertinggal, Juve belum juga menunjukkan respon. Mereka masih saja mendapat serangan dari Palermo.

Di menit 42 Juve malah harus kembali k! ebobolan. Berawal dari tendangan bebas yang dilepaskan Micolli, Fabio Simplicio berhasil memotong bola yang sudah mengarah kepada Buffon.

Pemain-pemain Juve yang bergerombol di dalam kotak penalti sama sekali tidak melakukan upaya menutup bola dari Miccoli tersebut karena menyangka sudah sepenuhnya menjadi milik Buffon. Skor 2-0 bertahan sampai babak pertama berakhir.

Di awal babak kedua, kondisi tidak banyak berubah. Palermo masih sering melakukan serangan ke jantung pertahanan Juve.

Juve yang belum bisa mengembangkan permainan, sempat mendapat peluang emas melalui tendangan bebas Diego di menit 62. Namun sayang bola yang sudah diarahkan ke pojok kiri gawang itu membentur tiang dan memantul ke arah atas.

Satu menit kemudian pelatih Juve, Ciro Ferrara membuat keputusan yang cukup mengejutkan. Diego ditarik keluar untuk digantikan Paolo De Ceglie.

Perubahan tersebut tidak berimbas banyak. Lini balakang Juve masih saja ke! rap disambangi tusukan-tusukan dari Palermo.

Di men! it 75, d alam sebuah skema serangan balik yang cukup cepat Cavani nyaris menambah keunggulan jika saja tembakan menyilang kaki kirinya tidak menyamping.

Lima menit kemudian giliran Micolli yang mendapat peluang. Menerima umpan dari Antonio Nocerino tendangan kaki kanan dari pemain asal Italia ini membentur mistar gawang.

Juventus sempat mendapat peluang untuk memperkecil ketertinggalan di menit 87. Iaquinta yang menerima umpan dari Felipe Melo, tembakannya masih melebar. Skor bertahan sampai laga berakhir.

Jelang Valencia vs Barcelona | Sebuah Misi untuk Messi

Lionel Messi bisa jadi mengusung misi tersendiri ketika mengawal Barcelona melawat ke markas Valencia. Messi ingin membutikan dirinya tidak seburuk yang dikatakan selama ini.

Beberapa hari terakhir ini hidup Messi tidak lepas dari kritik dan kecaman. Penampilan pemain berjuluk 'Messias' itu dianggap melempem ketika membela tim nasional Arg! entina. Hal itu disinyalir menjadi salah satu penyebab beratnya langkah Albiceleste di kualifikasi Piala Dunia.

Kini tugas Messi bersama Argentina untuk sementara selesai. Tango telah memastikan lolos ke Afrika Selatan tahun depan. Saatnya Messi kembali ke klubnya, Barcelona.

Sekembali dari tugas negara, Messi langsung dinanti kewajiban mengawal Barca bertarung melawan Valencia di Mestalla, Sabtu (17/10/2009).

Untuk laga ini Messi mengaku siap dipasang. Pahlawan Barca di final Liga Champions musim lalu itu mengaku sudah memiliki waktu istirahat yang cukup usai berlaga di kualifikasi Piala Dunia dan menempuh perjalanan panjang melintasi Samudera Atlantik.

Kondisi fisik memang bisa dipulihkan. Tetapi bagaimana dengan kondisi psikologis Messi yang terus diterpa krit! ik dalam beberapa hari belakangan ini? Apalagi Mestalla merupa! kan temp at yang hampir selalu menghadirkan kesulitan bagi Barca.

Terakhir kali Azulgrana menang di Mestalla adalah Desember 2007. Ketika itu The Catalans berpesta dengan skor 3-0.

Barcelona bisa memanfaatkan raihan Los Ches yang sejauh ini sempat dua kali ditahan imbang oleh tim tamu, masing-masing atas Sporting Gijon (20/9/2009) dan Atletico Madrid (26/9/2009). Dua pertandingan itu berakhir dengan skor yang sama, 2-2.

Dukungan untuk Messi menuntaskan 'misi' menepis kritik datang dari bek kanan Daniel Alves. "Menurut saya membandingkan permainan Messi di Argentina dengan di Barcelona adalah tindakan yang tidak pas," ujar Alves seperti dilansir dari situs Barca, sehari sebelum Argentina memastikan lolos ke Piala Dunia.

"Di Argentina Messi berada dalam tim yang tengah tegang karena berada di lubang jarum. Selain itu Argentina juga terlalu banyak bongkar pasang pemain. Kondisi yang tidak ideal untuk sebuah tim. Argentina memang punya problem,! tapi tidak dengan Messi," tuntas Alves.

ATLETICO DE MADRID: SWEDISH REFEREE NOT SURE IT WAS A PENALTY

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2008/09: VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF ATLETICO DE MADRID & FC BARCELONA

CARTOON HUMOUR: REAL MADRID & ROBINHO

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA - ROUND 31/ 2008 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

FC BARCELONA IS THE WORLD´s TOP NEWS GENERATOR

EURO 2008 PREVIEW SPECIAL:GROUP D TEAM PHOTOS - PART IV

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA - ROUND 13/ 2007 SATURDAY RESULTS

REAL MADRID NEWS: LAMPARD & DROGBA

VALLENCIA CF & ATLETICO DE MADRID TRANSFER NEWS

SPANISH FOOTBALL . YOUNGSTERS THAT ARE ATTRACTING ATTENTION

TENNIS. RAFAEL NADAL DEFEATS FEDERER IN THE MONTE CARLO 2007 FINAL

MOTOGP CATALUNYA 2007. SPANIARDS HAVE AN "ORDINARY" DAY

SPANISH CUP 2008/2009 - 1º LEG SEMI FINAL THURSDAY GAME RESULT (SEE VIDEO)

SAMUEL ETO´O BREAKS RECORDS & ENTERS BARÇA HISTORY

REAL MADRID TURN TOWARDS IBRAHIMOVIC & RIBERY - UNDER FLORENTINO PEREZ?

FC BARECLONA: IBRAHIMOVIC 30M & ETO´O?

CRISTIANO RONALDO WILL HAVE THE Nº9 AT REAL MADRID

MOTO GP: CZECH REP - GOOD DAY FOR SPANIARDS EXCEPT FOR LORENZO

U/20 FIFA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: SPAIN 1 - ITALY 3 - SPAIN GO HOME

Alves Wants Swift Departure

Player Ratings: Germany 0-1 Spain

Drogba To Pen New Blues Contract

Cortés: If Kun Plays Badly, I Can Mark Him!

Heinze Pans Fergie's 'Fiction'

La Liga Preview: Deportivo La Coruna - Malaga

Copa Del Rey Round-Up: Espanyol Woes Worsen; Valencia See Double Red

Coupét Keen For Fred To Join Atlético Madrid

FIFA Ranking - Tunisia Drop Eight Places

Allstate CEO calls for federal insurance regulator

Dolphins' Pennington switches sports, tries tennis

Federer accepts wild card for Monte Carlo Masters

Agent admits Silva interest

True Grand Slam possible, Laver says

Ramos recovers from injury

Tiger Woods on Golf

Tiger's Champ

Tiger on his Yacht

Tiger Woods on Golf

Inter Milan, The Perfect Champions

Inter Milan, The Perfect Champions

Last week, Inter Milan Football Club actually became the champions of Italy serie A league. Inter Milan got this victory after AC Milan could'nt won versu Udinese. In that match, Udinese won by score, 2-1. But Inter Milan won in the other match versus Siena, by score 3-0.

This victory is the first Scudetto for Jose Mourinho, the new coach of inter Milan after coaching Chelsea FC. For Inter Milan, this Scudetto was the fourth which they got in four seasons continously. Bravo Inter Milan!

Spurs Linked With Ashton

By Jaymes Payten-Marsh
For THBN

Tottenham Hotspur are once again in the hunt for Norwich striker Dean Ashton.

Ashton was watched many times by former Director of Football, Frank Arnesen, whilst he was playing for Championship side Crew.

Crew wanted £2.5 million for the under-21 England international, and with Arnesen viewing that amount as a lot for the striker, Tottenham went with Mido instead.

Dean Ashton went on to sign for Norwich and had a terrific season, nearly keeping the East-Anglian side in the Premiership.

With Arnesen now gone to Chelsea, Martin Jol, Tottenham's head coach, is keen on brining in another striker. This has posed the question on w! hich Spurs striker or strikers are set to leave the club?

With already Defoe, Mido, Kanoute and Keane in the striking department, one of them will have to leave before another striker is brought into the club. Kanoute is being linked with several teams in the Frech league, while Keane is attracting interest from Everton.

Has Juande Persuaded Berbatov?

Training for the up and coming season has finally kicked off with a bang! The Mirror and the Daily Mail are back to their old tricks of poking fun at our superstar, Dimitar Berbatov, and more importantly, belittling Tottenham Hotspur with what I can only categorise as slur.

I suppose there is a sense of irony in their articles. I was under the pretence that Mr. Berbatov was paid by Tottenham Hotspur to train, play, and make other appearances when asked to! .

I find it strange then, that the Mirror Editor asks John Cross (who just happens to be an Arsenal season ticket holder) to write an article on Dimitar Berbatov's return to work. Mr. Cross gleefully put the icing on the cake by titling his article; Dimitar Berbatov set for humiliating return to Tottenham.

Why some sections of the media insist on scorning our side, I will never know? "Dear Richard Wallace (the Daily Mirror Editor), why ask an Arsenal supporter to write the article? Why not select one of your other talented journalists?"

We can discuss the fact that a large section of the media seem to be gunning against Tottenham Hotspur, until the cows come home.

The reason why I submitted this article to THBN was to basically state that I think our manager, Juande Ramos, has done the unthinkable, and persuaded Dimitar Berbatov to stay at the club!

I am not an ITK, neither do! es my wife work in the hospital where David Bentley apparently! had his medical. I am speaking from pure facts.

The man is back in training. Fact! He still has a remaining 22 months left on his contract. Fact! We have strengthened our squad considerably since January. Fact! No club has tabled a bid. Fact!

Unless we receive an offer that's above and beyond what he's worth, I can see Berbatov starting in our home match against Villa (13th September 2008 - after the summer transfer window has closed).

And to be honest, I truly hope he does.

Spurs drawn against Manchester United

Tottenham Hotspur have been drawn away against Manchester United in the 4th round of the F.A. Cup.

The 4th round ties are to be played on the 24th/25th January 2009, although it is likely that the game will be played on Sunday, 25th January 2009 as both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur play their second leg, Carling Cup semi-final ties against Burnley and Derby respectively.

"Yeah, it should be a nice and easy game for us then", chuckled Harry Redknapp when asked about the draw.

"I actually look forward to it and believe that we've got a good chance of progressing through to the next round. In fact, I hope the tie is done and dusted on the day as we could do without a replay."

"Hopefully we'll have a few new faces in the squad by the time we face them", added Redknapp.

We just hope that they're not all cup-tied!

Ronaldinho Akan Kembali Ke Gremio

MILAN - Bintang AC Milan Ronaldinho (foto) disebut-sebut bakal kembali ke klub lamanya Gremio. Kemungkinan Ronaldinho kembali ke Brasil untuk memperkuat Gremio diungkapkan oleh Roberto Assis, saudaranya yang juga bertindak sebagai agen Ronaldinho.
"Ronaldinho kembali ke Gremio pada 2011? Mengapa tidak," kata Assis kepada Globoesporte. "Memang masih terlalu dini wacana tentang hal itu. Namun itu bisa menjadi salah satu opsi," lanjutnya. Menurutnya, Ronaldinho berpeluang kembali ke Brasil bila kontraknya di Milan selesai pada Juni 2011.
Ronaldinho sendiri gagal men! jadi pemain kunci di Milan sejak direkrut dari Barcelona, dua musim lalu. Masa depannya di Milan akan ditentukan pada musim baru apakah mampu bangkit dan menjadi pilar kekuatan Rossoneri atau makin tenggelam.
Presiden Gremio, Duda Kroeff, menyatakan ketertarikannya untuk membawa Ronaldinho ke Brasil. "Pintu selalu terbuka bagi keluarga Assis. Tidak perlu kunci untuk masuk kapan pun Ronaldinho ingin bermain untuk kami," tegasnya.

Ambrosini: Milan Buru-buru Jual Kaka

MILAN — Kapten AC Milan, Massimo Ambrosini, mengkritik keputusan timnya yang menjual Kaka secara mendadak. Ambrosini juga meragukan kemampuan Ronaldinho sebagai calon pengganti Kaka.k Kepindahan Kaka ke Real Madrid bukan saja menorehkan rasa penyesalan di hati pendukung Milan, tetapi juga mengkhawatirkan kondisi klub itu sendiri.
Liga Serie A bahkan bisa tak menarik lagi karena "I Rossoneri" bakal kehilangan taringnya. Presiden Milan Silvio Berlusconi dan wakilnya, Adriano Galliani, bersikukuh bahwa penjualan itu terpaksa dilakukan demi m! enyeimbangkan neraca keuangan klub.
Namun, Ambrosini menyangsikan uang sebesar 65 juta euro yang diperoleh dari transfer Kaka sebagai cara tepat untuk membangun Milan. "Itu semua terjadi sangat cepat. Rasanya merepotkan dan tanpa perencanaan matang," kata Ambrosini kepada La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Itu bisa terjadi ketika klub menutup musim dengan rapor merah, tapi benar-benar sulit bagi penggemar untuk memahami perubahan keputusan secara tiba-tiba ini."
Keraguan Ambrosini itu juga dilandasi oleh ketidakyakinannya terhadap pengganti Kaka musim depan. Sampai saat ini, "Il Diavolo" belum mendapat satu pun pemain bintang yang setara Kaka. Ronaldinho yang digadang-gadang menjadi bintang di San Siro pun belum bersinar terang.
"Ronaldinho menjanjikan kepada kita semua sebuah musim hebat dan aku percaya kepadanya karena kita sedang menatap Piala Dunia dan dia kini tidak dapat melepas tanggung jawab yang dipegangnya setelah kepergian Kaka," tambah Ambro.
"Secara ! personal, Ronaldinho perlu merasakan tekanan agar bisa mengelu! arkan ya ng kemampuan terbaiknya. Dengan begitu, kita harus ingat bahwa dia dapat menjadi elemen penting bagi tim, bukan lainnya," tandasnya. Saat ini Milan sedang berusaha mendekati Luis Fabiano dari Sevilla. Milan sudah mengajukan lamarannya untuk pemain Brasil itu, tetapi Sevilla menolaknya.

Ronaldinho Tengah Kerja Keras

MILAN - Ronaldinho Gaucho mendapatkan kritikan pedas dari pemain, fans dan ofisial AC Milan. Untuk itu, Ronaldinho bekerja keras demi mengembalikan permainan terbaiknya.
Sebelumnya, presiden Silvio Berlusconi menyatakan kepindahan Ricardo Kaka membuat Milan mengandalkan Ronaldinho. Oleh karena itu, Berlusconi meminta kapda pemain asal Brasil itu untuk lebih giat berlatih. Hal yang sama juga dilakukan rekan setimnya Clarence Seedorf.
Gelandang asal Belanda itu meminta kepada Ronaldinho unt! uk kerja lebih keras lagi sehingga performanya bisa maksimal. Tognaccini menilai bukannya merasa minder, mantan bintang Barcelona itu justru mengikuti saran tersebut. "Ronaldinho sekarang bekerja cukup bagus dengan pemain lain," jelas Tognaccini.
"Dia bekerja keras dengan intensitas latihan yang cukup tinggi sepanjang sesi latihan," lanjutnya di situs resmi sebagaimana dikutip Goal, Sabtu (18/7/2009).

Milan Juga Buru De Silvesteri

MILAN - AC Milan masih punya selera berburu dibursa transfer. Saat ini mereka digadang-gadangkan tengah mejajaki kemungkinan mendapatkan jasa wing bek Lazio Lorenzo De Silvestri bersaing dengan Fiorentina.
Seperti disitat FirenzeViola.it, Senin (3/8/2009) De Silvesteri yang sudah lama menjadi incaran La Viola kini juga dilirik Milan. Bahkan kabarnya, Rossoneri sudah sangat siap memboyong pemain 21 tahun tersebut begitu mereka mendapatkan bayaran transfer gelandang Andrea Pirlo nanti.
Diya! kini, hubungan baik yang telah dijalin wakil presiden Milan Adriano Galliani dengan presiden Lazio Claudio Lotito bakal dijadikan senjata oleh Rossoneri untuk memuluskan keinginan mereka itu. Bahkan, kabar yang lebih mengejutkan lagi sempat muncul.
Tidak hanya Di Silvesteri yang ingin dibajak oleh Milan, salah satu diantara Goran Pandev dan Christian Ledesma juga akan dibawa serta ke San Siro. Sudah bisa ditebak, mereka mengingginkan Pandev untuk mengisi barisan depan skuad yang kini lebih banyak di huni pemain udzur. Sedangkan Ledesma adalah pemain yang dipromosikan menjadi suksesor Pirlo.

Pato: Ronaldinho Tetap Terbaik

SIENA - Striker AC Milan, Alexandre Pato, memuji seniornya, Ronaldinho. Menurutnya, dia tetaplah gelandang terbaik. Dia merasakan kehebatan Ronaldinho, saat dua gol yang dia cetak berkat assistnya. AC Milan mengawali Liga Serie-A di kandang Siena.
"I Rossoneri" sempat tertinggal 0-1 lebih dulu. Namun, dua gol Pato membuat Milan akhirnya menang 2-1. "Aku harus berterima kasih kepada tim yang bermain sangat bagus dan banyak membantuku. Dua gol ini untuk tim. Aku bermain untuk Milan, untuk pelatih, dan untuk semua anggota tim," jelas Pato.Terkhusus, dia harus memberi pujian kepada Ronaldinho. "Semua orang membicarakan Ronaldinho. Tapi, dia tetaplah pemain hebat, pemain nomor satu. Dia banyak memberiku umpan manis untuk bisa mencetak gol. Kami semua sangat bahagia, karena dia telah kembali pada permainan terbaiknya," puji Pato.
Ditanya apakah Pato dan Ronaldinho akan kembali dimainkan pada pertandingan pekan depan, pemain muda asal Brasil itu menjawab, "Yang bermain adalah Milan. Kami di sini untuk bekerja. Aku seorang pemain Milan dan bermain untuk tim."

Ambrosini Perpanjang Kontrak Dengan Milan

MILAN - Setelah melalui negosiasi yang alot, akhirnya manajemen AC Milan dan Massimo Ambrosini, menemui kesepakatan mengenai status gelandang Italia tersebut.
Milan secara resmi mengumumkan tetap mempertahankan Ambrosini hingga tahun 2011 mendatang. Negosiasi antara Milan dengan Ambrosini sebetulnya sudah berlangsung sejak awal musim panas lalu. Namun kesepakatan antara kedua belah pihak baru terjadi belum lama ini. Ambrosini diproyeksikan menjadi kapten tim Rossoneri menggantikan Paolo Maldin! i yang telah pensiun.
"AC Milan ingin menyampaikan bahwa kontrak Massimo Ambrosini telah diperpanjang hingga 30 Juni 2011," demikian pernyataan Milan, tanpa merinci nilai koktrak terhadap pemain tersebut. Ambrosini memulai karirnya bersama Milan pada tahun 1995 setelah dibeli dari Cesena.
Bersama Milan, Ambrosini mengoleksi tiga gelar juara Serie A Italia, satu tropi Coppa Italia dan Piala Super Italia, serta dua tropi Liga Champions.

Milan Mandul, Ditahan Bari Tanpa Gol

MILAN — AC Milan hanya mampu bermain imbang tanpa gol ketika menjamu Bari dalam lanjutan Serie A di Stadion Giuseppe Meazza, Minggu (27/9). Milan pun melanjutkan rekor buruk mereka, tak mencetak gol dalam dua laga terakhir.
Pada duel Serie A terakhirnya, Milan juga tak mencetak gol saat menghadapi Udinese. Mereka akhirnya dipaksa menyerah 0-1. Pelatih Leonardo pun memahami masalah tumpulnya lini depan Milan.
Menghadapi Bari, ia mencoba formula baru, yaitu menduetkan Klaas-Jan Huntelaar dan Ronaldinho di lini depan dengan didukung Cla! rence Seedorf sebagai penyerang lubang. Dukungan pendukung juga diharapkan memberikan energi lebih untuk Massimo Ambrossini dkk. Sayang, mimpi Leonardo tak menjadi kenyataan.
Bermain di kandang sendiri, AC Milan malah tertekan. Usaha untuk membangun koordinasi permainan solid kandas oleh lugasnya permainan Bari, yang rajin mengejar dan memotong alur umpan Milan. Ketika mendapat peluang pun, mereka tanpa pikir panjang langsung melepas ancaman.
Permainan ngotot Bari mengganggu aliran suplai bola Milan ke depan. Tak jarang, Ronaldinho dan Klaas-Jan Huntelaar terpaksa berjuang sendirian untuk mendapatkan dan mempertahankan bola. Fokus mereka untuk mengeksekusi bola pun terbengkalai. Gangguan fokus juga dirasakan oleh barisan belakang.
Mereka sering terlambat menutup ruang Bari yang rajin melakukan serangan balik. Selain itu, ketika mendapat peluang melakukan serangan balik, barisan belakang dan tengah Milan bergerak terlalu lambat sehingga lawan keburu menutup ru! ang. Untungnya, bagi Milan, Bari mampu mengimbangi dominasi me! reka den gan penyelesaian yang akurat.
Dari delapan usaha di babak pertama, Bari hanya mampu menciptakan satu ancaman serius ke gawang Milan, melalui Paulo Vito Barreto pada menit ke-16. Saat itu, tembakannya dari luar kotak penalti mengarah lurus ke dalam dekapan Marco Storari. Alotnya pertandingan terpaksa diakhiri oleh peluit tanda turun minum.
Kedua kubu meninggalkan lapangan dengan angka 0-0 tertera di papan skor. Memasuki babak kedua, Milan mencoba menggebrak dengan permainan cepat. Mereka pun, untuk pertama kalinya, berhasil menciptakan tembakan tepat ke gawang melalui Andrea Pirlo di menit ke-49. Sayang, bola masih bisa ditepis oleh Jean Francois Gillet.
Bola kemudian memantul ke arah Ronaldinho, yang mencoba menanduk bola ke sudut kiri atas gawang Bari. Sayang, bola masih melambung di atas mistar gawang. Ancaman itu langsung direspons oleh Bari.
Melalui Emmanuel Rivas, mereka berhasil membangun serangan balik cepat yang tak terhalau barisan belakang Milan! . Sayang, aksi Rivas yang mengeksekusi bola dari luar kotak penalti masih bisa dikandaskan Storari. Milan belum bangkit ketika Bari berhasil menciptakan dua peluang beruntun melalui Donati dan Rivas di menit ke-62 dan ke 64.
Namun, peluang kembali terbuang percuma karena buruknya eksekusi mereka membuat bola melenceng dari sasaran. Memasuki menit ke-70, Milan kembali terancam kebobolan. Dalam sebuah serangan balik, Barreto berhasil mengirim umpan terobosan kepada Salvatore Masiello, yang langsung menembakkan bola ke sudut kiri bawah gawang Milan. Lagi-lagi, Storari mampu menyelamatkan gawangnya.
Di tengah derasnya serbuan Bari, Milan menemukan kesempatan unggul melalui Ignazio Abate di menit ke-76. Memanfaatkan bola liar di tengah kotak penalti Bari, ia mencoba menembakkan bola ke sudut kiri bawah gawang. Namun, bola datar nan pelan itu dengan mudah diamankan Gillet dalam dekapannya.
Permainan Milan mulai membaik ketika pertandingan memasuki menit ke-90. Mema! nfaatkan turunnya stamina Bari, Milan berhasil memberikan teka! nan bera rti kepada lawan. Namun, beberapa kali menembus kotak penalti lawan, Filippo Inzaghi dkk juga tak mampu membobol gawang Gillet. Bari sendiri, meski lemah, masih berusaha mencari gol.
Namun, Marco Storari bisa mengamankan gawangnya dengan baik dari serbuan Massimo Donati dkk. Pertandingan pun berakhir dengan skor 0-0. Sepanjang pertandingan itu, Milan menciptakan lima peluang emas dari 12 kali usaha. Sementara itu, Bari melakukan lima tembakan ke gawang dari 17 percobaan.
Dengan hasil ini, Milan masih tertahan di peringkat ke-11 dengan delapan poin. Bari sendiri berada persis di bawah Milan dengan koleksi tujuh poin.

Susunan pemain:
Milan: Storari; Kaladze, Nesta, Zambrotta, Abate; Pirlo, Ambrosini, Gattuso, Seedorf (Pato 56); Ronaldinho (Oddo 71), Huntelaar (Inzaghi 65).
Bari: Gillet; Bonucci, Ranocchia, S Masiello, A Massielo; Gazzi, Donati, Rivas (Meggiorini 71), Alva! rez; Barreto (Langella 86), Kutuzov.

sumber : kompas.com

Mark Huges Merasa DIcurangi Saat Melawan Manchester United di English Premier |Bola Lover

Ini dia football news untuk kali ini...!!Bola lover masih ingatkah kamu terhadap pertandingan MU vs Manchester city? yup, kemenangan 4-3 yang diperoleh manchester united ini ternyata tidak bisa diterima begitu saja oleh pelatih manchester city,sang pemimpin club OKB,"MARK HUGES". ia merasa manchester city telah dicurangi tim sekotanya itu.B! eberapa hal yang diungkapkan huges adalah:

• Provokasi oleh pemain MU dari bangku cadangan
• Provokasi yang dilakukan suporter MU
• Tambahan waktu yang over limit

Hal ini yang diungkapkan huges,dan bukan itu saja..TERNYATA IA JUGA MERASA DI CURANGI WASIT bola(kasihan sekali .....). ia mengatakan hal itu karena pada saat ia mengajukan protes kepada wasit,ia malah disuruh kembali ke tempatnya. Sedangkan saat fergie mendekati wasit dan para asistennya mereka berbicara dengan sangat akrab sekali. inilah asumsi huges.namun para wasit sendiri membantah kedekatan itu serta memberi penjelasan tentang over limit extra time,bahwa waktu yang di luar batas normal "4" menit tersebut diambil dari selebrasi gol ke-3 para pemain city.

yup,ini adalah sebuah pelajaran bagi kita untuk bisa menghargai kemenangan orang lain.memang sulit untuk menerima kekalahan,namun kita harus mencob! a untuk menerimanya dengan lapangan dada.Ya kan ! om google?? (sok bijak banget bahasa gwe kali ini,jadi malu ~.~...hehehehheee) demikian berita Bola hari ini.sekian

Leave me a Comment.....no spam ,sara,and komentar aneh.haha...

Torres - I won't join a rival

Torres has made a stunning impact since joining Liverpool from Atletico Madrid in 2007 and has scored 58 goals in 93 appearances for the club.

He has also enjoyed an impressive start to the new season, netting eight goals to date, including a hat-trick in last week's 6-1 thrashing of Hull City.

Reds boss Rafa Benitez recently admitted that rival Premier League sides had enquired about the Spain ace over the summer, with Manchester City and Chelsea rumoured to have shown an interest.

However, the 25-year-old would not countenance leaving Anfield for another English club, particularly old adversaries United.

"I can understand the feelings between Man Utd and Liverpool," Torres told Sport magazine when asked about the chances of playing for the Premier League champions.

"I'm a foreign player, but I know how the Liverpool fans feel and I remember the welcome I had when I arrived - it was amazing.

"I hope to play a! lot of years or maybe even finish my career here.

"I don't know, but Liverpool is my English team and I don't think about playing for another one."

Yang ke-13 Untuk Wenger

London,-

Arsene Wenger dan Arsenal adalah sesuatu yang tak bisa terpisahkan. Kini kebersamaan keduanya sudah memasuki tahun ke-13 yang sekaligus menjadikan Wenger manajer terlama dalam sejarah The Gunners.

Tepat hari ini (1/10/2009) adalah hari bersejarah bagi seorang Wenger di mana ia menggeser rekor George Allison yaitu 12 tahun 11 bulan padaJuni 1934-Mei 1947. 13 tahun lalu, ia yang bukan siapa-siapa direkrut Arsenal untuk menggantikan Bruce Rioch yang dipecat pada Agustus 1996. Saat itu pria Prancis itu berstatus pelatih klub Liga Jepang, Nagoya Grampus Eig! ht........


Laga melawan Blackburn Rovers, (12/10/1996) adalah debut Wenger dan Arsenal menang 2-0. Di musim pertamanya itu, Arsenal dibawanya finish di urutan ke-3, dibawah sang juara Manchester United dan Newcastle United.

Barulah di musim keduanya, Wenger menunjukkan sentuhan tangan dinginnya dengan membawa Arsenal meraih titel Liga Inggris dan Piala FA dan gelar double winners kedua klub tersebut. Untuk selanjutnya hingga kini, Wenger pun menjelma sebagai salah satu manajer top Premieship maupun di dunia.

Arsenal disulapnya jadi tim yang memainkan sepakbola indah dalam dekade belakangan ini dan itu berpuncak pada musim 2003/2004 ketika menjuarai liga tanpa terkalahkan semusim. Rekor tersebut bertahan hingga laga ke-49 sebelum kekalahan 0-2 dari Manchester United menghentikannya.

Total Wenger memberikan tiga titel Liga Inggris, di mana musim 2001-2002 ia meraih yang keduanya. Selain itu ada empat gelar P! iala FA (1998,2002,2003 dan 2005) serta empat kali Community S! hield, h anya minus Piala Carling saja.

Meraih hampir segala kesuksesan di kasta kompetisi lokal, Wenger seperti tak bertaji jika membawa Arsenal berlaga di Eropa. Prestasi terbaik pria 59 tahun itu hanyalah membawa 'Tim Gudang Peluru' melaju ke final Piala UEFA 2000 dan Liga Champions 2006. Di kedua partai itu, Galatasaray dan Barcelona memupuskan harapan Wenger untuk merebut titel kejuaraan Eropa pertamanya.

Kini setelah empat musim tanpa gelar, tampaknya kecintaan Arsenal kepada Wenger tak akan luntur. Sepertinya klub London Utara itu sudah identik dengan sosok Frenchman itu. "Aku tidak pernah berpikir kalau aku bisa hidup tanpa sepakbola," ucap Wenger yang seraya mengatakan kalau eksistensinya di Emirates Stadium sepertinya masih berlangsung dalam waktu lama.

Musim ini Wenger dihadapkan pada pilihan, apakah merebut titel Premiership keempatnya atau memberi gelar Eropa pertama bagi klubnya? Jika melihat perjalanan Arsenal sejauh ini, keduanya bisa ! seiring berjalan dengan baik, walaupun sudah ditinggal dua bintangnya, Emmanuel Adebayor dan Kolo Toure.

Namun, alangkah indahnya jika titel Liga Champions bisa direbut musim ini untuk makin mengukuhkan kehebatan Wenger sebagai manajer bertangan dingin. Apalagi laju Arsenal hingga laga kedua masih lah baik dengan menempati posisi puncak Grup H.

Bisa, Wenger? (*)

EURO 2008: PER LA GERMANIA NEW-ENTRY DALLA SECONDA DIVISIONE

Ecco i convocati della Germaniacomunicati dal ct Low che ha deciso di convocare anche due giocatori della Seconda divisione tedesca.
Portieri: Jens Lehmann (Arsenal FC), Robert Enke (Hannover 96), René Adler (Bayer 04 Leverkusen).

Difensori: Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid CF), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München), Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC Berlin), Marcell Jansen (FC Bayern München), Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen), Heiko Westermann (FC Schalke 04).

Centrocampisti: Michael Ballack (Chelsea FC), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Simon Rolfes (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), T! orsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen), Jermaine Jones (FC Schalke 04), David Odonkor (Real Betis Balompié), Marko Marin (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach).

Attaccantiwards: Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern München), Lukas Podolski (FC Bayern München), Mario Gómez (VfB Stuttgart), Kevin Kuranyi (FC Schalke 04), Oliver Neuville (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach), Patrick Helmes (1. FC Köln)

LAMPARD E' DELL'INTER

Frank Lampard è un giocatore dell'Inter. Secondo quanto riporta 'France Football' il Chelsea e il club nerazzurro avrebbero raggiunto l'accordo sulla base di 9 milioni di euro. Sempre secondo il sito francese, il centrocampista inglese avrebbe firmato un quadriennale a 7,3 milioni l'anno. E così Lampard (che firmerà settimana prossima) ha eliminato gli ultimi dubbi. A Milano tornerà a lavorare con il suo tecnico preferito, Mourinho, che comunque non si accontenterà dell'antipasto.Infatti, Branca continua a lavorare per strappare Quaresma al Porto. Sembrava mancasse pochissimo alla chiusura dell'affare, ! invece la società lusitana ha sparato alto (35 milioni) e rifiutato la contropartita Pelè. Resta Suazo al club nerazzurro per cercare di limare la cifra ritenuta eccessiva dalle parti di via Durini. Da Quaresma a Mancini, altro affare da condurre in porto al più presto. La trattativa, in questo caso, è più complicata. Oriali ha sondato una volta ancora il terreno. Un nuovo incontro con i giallorossi per provare ad avvicinare domanda e offerta è previsto a inizio settimana. Siamo fermi ai 10/12 milioni che offre Moratti e i 15 che vuole Sensi. Chi cederà per primo?

IL TROFEO PIRELLI E' SU TV CALCIO

Mercoledì in differita alle 16 potrete seguire sul nostro sito Bayern Monaco-Inter.

LIPPI MOTIVATO, BUFFON SMENTISCE L'OFFERTA DEL CITY

FIRENZE, 5 Settembre 2008 – "Inizio io con un proverbio toscano". Prego: "I discorsi li porta via il vento, ora dobbiamo agire". E' la seconda vol! ta che Marcello Lippi parte all'attacco. Stavolta vuol dire che "servono i fatti, non più le parole. Non sono ammessi errori di sottovalutazione dell'avversario e dell'ambiente. Ma sono sbagli che persone intelligenti non commettono e il nostro gruppo è maturo".

MARACANA' – Continua il c.t.: "Solo il nome, Cipro, non stuzzica la fantasia. In più giocheremo in uno stadio che avrà poco a che vedere con l'Olimpico o il Maracanà. Ci sarà un manto poco erboso come poche saranno le persone sugli spalti. Ma noi vogliamo ! i primi tre punti, la difesa del titolo di campioni del mondo ! passa an che da qui. Non faremo l'errore di non considerare abbastanza l'avversario, vorrebbe dire non aver capito nulla".

ZERO ANTICIPAZIONI – Lippi non si sbilancia sulla formazione: "Prima la devo comunicare ai giocatori", lasciando aperto uno spiraglio sulla disponibilità di Del Piero che "potrebbe" essere tra i convocati. "Vogliamo sfruttare tutte le nostre armi a disposizione" continua. Poi conclude: "Ripeto, i discorsi li porta via il vento. E le biciclette i livornesi. Via, è l'aggiunta che mettiamo noi a Viareggio,! non me ne vogliano a Livorno".

BUFFON E IL MERCATO - Dell'imminente impegno con Cipro ha parlato anche Gigi Buffon subito dopo l'allenamento. Fa una telefonata privata, ancora prima della doccia, e poi si "consegna" ai giornalisti, per oltre 30'. Come sempre disponibile. Parla di tutto Gigi Buffon, bandana in testa e occhio vispo. Parla di mercato, perché gli chiedono cosa succederebbe in caso di offerta folle per lui, tipo quella del Chelsea per Kakà. "Anzitutto stiamo parlando di fantacalcio, perché si parla ta! nto di offerte principesche, ma io le vorrei sempre toccare co! n mano p er capire quanto sono vere. Poi non so se qualcuno potrebbe davvero offrire 100 milioni per me, non credo, sono sei anni più vecchio di Kakà. E mi accontento di essere stato il portiere più pagato quando passai dal Parma alla Juventus. Le bandiere nel calcio di oggi esistono sempre meno - continua il portiere bianconero -, ma non so se la Juve mi lascerebbe partire. La vecchia dirigenza bianconera sì, questa è diversa. E io sono consapevole di essere un giocatore importante per i bianconeri, ne sono fiero".

BUFFON E LA JU! VE - Juve, dunque, che torna a puntare ai massimi traguardi. "Siamo tornati a grande livello. Se l'Inter con Quaresma fa paura? La faceva pure prima, ma noi ci siamo". Gilardino, che gli ha fatto gol con la Fiorentina: "Bravo lui, perché incolpare la nostra difesa?". Cannavaro, che ritrova in Nazionale e ritroverà da avversario in Champions League: "Ci capiamo con un respiro: con il suo carisma è un giocatore importante per la retroguardia". Juve che costituisce un nucleo importante per la Nazionale: "Siamo tanti, e manca Chiellini".

BUFFON E LA NAZIONALE - E di Nazio! nale chi ede di parlare: la partita con Cipro di domani sera non avrà un super appeal, ma vale tre punti in chiave qualificazione al Mondiale 2010. "Lippi è sempre il solito, abbiamo voglia di confermarci campioni, e curiosità nel misurarci con questa nuova sfida. Lo scudettino iridato sulle maglie azzurre che sfoggeremo a Larnaca? Mi sa che è la prima volta che succede. Vedi che fortuna (ma non dice così) che ho". Come quella di Nazionale e Juventus che possono contare su di lui.

da www.gazzetta.it

INSTANCABILE MOU:"NON SONO IL PAPA' DI ADRI.SONO FELICE PER BECKHAM"

Un Mourinho come sempre a tutto campo nella conferenza pre-Genoa: da Adriano ("Non è vero che lo controllo,  se lo chiamo al telefonino non è per questo"), a Vieira, con tanto di stilettata alla Federazione francese ("! Ogni volta noi rimettiamo in sesto Vieira, Patrick va a giocare in nazionale e torna sempre con  qualche problema") per finire al Milan e a Beckham: "Se viene  a Milano per me è un vero piacere: è molto  educato e tranquillo".

Nei pre-partita Mourinho è sempre un fiume in piena. Il portoghese tocca diversi a! rgomenti , a partire da Adriano: "Lo conoscevo da tanto tempo. E' un giocatore che mi è sempre piaciuto e mi domandavo perché non giocasse nell'Inter - ha detto -Quando sono arrivato ho capito perché e ho cercato di stargli vicino e aiutarlo. Non sono suo padre, ma un allenatore che vuole dargli una seconda possibilità. Parlo con lui come parlo con gli altri, senza la volontà di controllare. Controllare è impossibile, educare è possibile".

Mourinho si fa polemico quando deve parlare delle condizioni di Vieira. Nel mirino lo staff tecnico e medico della Nazionale francese. "Ogni volta noi rimettiamo in sesto Vieira, Patrick va a giocare in nazionale e torna sempre con qualche problema, non so perché ma è così- ha proseguito - Quello che mi succede adesso con Vieira, mi è successo anche al Chelsea, avevo un giocatore francese e succedeva la stessa cosa. Adesso la Francia avrà un'amichevole, ma il prossimo impegno ufficiale è nel 2009, spero non lo chiamino, ma vedrai che lo convocheranno, sono pronto a scommetterci".

Beckham a Milano? Mou dice che sarebbe contento ma non vuole entrare nella polemica a distanza tra Moratti e Galliani: "Non è un problema mio se questa scelta andrà bene per lui o se Carlo sarà contento o no. Io penso al Milan solo due volte all'anno o magari tre o quattro se giochiamo contro in Coppa Italia". Sul prolungamento di contratto a Ibrahimovic fino a 2013 con adeguamento dello stipendio: "Sono cose che non mi competono".

Nessun anticipazione sulla formazione che affronterà il Genoa ("Mi sto italianizzando"). Venti i convocati: nella lista c'è ancheMaxwell, che torna dopo l'infortunio.

MOU ATTACCA MIHAJLOVIC:"SE UNO CHE SPUTA A UN AVVERSARIO..."

Ci si aspettava un chiarimento sul "caso-Adriano", è arrivata un risposta piccata agli attacchi di Mihajlovic. Mourinho stupisce ancora e replica duramente all'ex vice di Mancini: "Tutti meritano una seconda opportunità - ha detto riferendosi ad Adriano -. Se questa società ha dato la possibilità di allenarsi a uno che ha sputato in faccia a un avversario, perché non concedere un'altra possibilità di giocare ad Adriano?".


Il tecnico portoghese ha poi rincarato la dose: "L'allenatore in seconda dell'Inter è Baresi, ma Mihajlovic parla più di lui, sembra che sia ancora qui anche se in realtà così non è".

E, chi! uso il capitolo Mihajlovic, Mourinho ha ovviamente calato il sipario anche sulla questione Adriano: "L'equivoco è vostro, non nostro. Il giorno dopo la partita con Werder il dottor Combi mi ha informato del problema muscolare di Adriano, giovedì sempre il dottore mi ha informato che non si poteva allenare e che sarebbe andato a Pavia per gli esami. Nulla di più. Oggi (sabato, ndr) ha fatto i trattamenti ed è andato a casa, visto che non può giocare, come gli altri infortunati".

Insomma, niente Adriano, ma non solo, perché Mourinho un paio di sorprese le tiene sempre in serbo e, tra i convocati, esclude questa volta Mancini e Quaresma. Contro il Chievo, invece, ci sarà regolarmente Maicon e rientrerà Chivu. Solo tribuna, quindi, per il giovane Santon. Ma ecco la lista completa dei convocati: Julio Cesar, Orlandoni, Belec; Cordoba, Maxwell, Maicon, Burdisso, Samuel, Chivu; J. Zanetti, Stankovic, Figo, Jimenez, Cambiasso, Muntari; Ibrahimovic, Crespo, Obinna, Balote! lli.

SHOW AL SAN PAOLO:FINISCE 2-2

E' un match equilibrato quello che al San Paolo consegna un punto a testa a partenopei e friulani: è 2-2. I primi veloci e frizzanti, i secondi sempre presenti e precisi. A concretizzare le speranze degli azzurri sono Lavezzi e Hamsik al 24' e 27' del primo tempo. A riagganciare e rialzare l'orgoglio di Udine, sempre nella prima frazione, il rigore di Di Natale al 32' e una prodezza in girata di Quagliarella al 45'.


Napoli-Udinese 2-2

PANDEV E ROCCHI STENDONO LA JUVE

Nell'andata della semifinale di Coppa Italia, all'Olimpico la Lazio batte la Juventus 2-1. Bianconeri in vantaggio nel primo tempo con Marchionni. La Lazio non ci sta e, dopo un primo tempo un po' sottotono, nella ripresa trova il pareggio con Pandev al 20'. Poi, al minuto 33 i biancocelesti vanno in vantaggio con Rocchi che scatta in contropiede si beve Chiellini e trafigge Manninger.

LA PARTITA
Una gara vivace e ricca di occasioni. Meglio la Juventus nel primo tempo che trova il vantaggio con Marchionni al minuto 34. Sullo 0-0 anche Jaquinta va in gol, ma la rete è nnullata dall'arbitro per un fuorigioco dubbio. Nei primi 45 minuti la Juve gioca meglio, è padrona del campo e rende difficile la vita ai biancocelesti. Nella ripresa, invece, qualcosa cambia. La Lazio entra in campo diversa, motivata. E il cambio Manfredini-Mauri si rivela azzeccatissimo. La Lazio vola, la Juve soffre a centrocampo e in difesa e soltanto uno strepitoso Manninger limita il passi! vo. I biancocelesti, infatti dopo il gol di Pandev, arrivato dopo una respinta del portiere juventino su Lichtsteiner, trovano il vantaggio con Rocchi che scappa a Chiellini e trafigge l'incolpevole Manninger. E il finale è un vero assedio alla porta della Juve. Manninger salva su Kolarov, Matuzalem, Rocchi. Foggia colpisce la traversa e Mauri sfiora il palo. E nemmeno l'entrata di Trezeguet cambia le carte in tavola. La Juve lascia l'Olimpico con una sconfitta.

Lazio-Juventus 2-1 (Marchionni,Pandev,Rocchi)

Napoli, ufficializzato Mazzarri

Dopo le indiscrezioni, ecco l'ufficialità.Walter Mazzarri è il nuovo tecnico del Napoli. Lo ha comunicato il club partenopeo attraverso una nota. "La SSC Napoli - è scritto - comunica di aver sollevato dall'incarico di allenatore della prima squadra Roberto Donadoni e di aver affidato la guida tecnica a Walter Mazzarri". "Una decisione indispensabile - spiega de Laurentiis - per dare nuovo impulso a! lla stag ione azzurra".

"La Società - continua la nota - ringrazia Roberto Donadoni per il lavoro svolto in questi mesi, formulandogli un sincero augurio per il prosieguo della carriera! ".

Con Walter Mazzarri, per il quale è previsto un compenso di un milione e mezzo di euro a stagione, arriveranno al Napoli anche Giampaolo Montali, ex ct dell'Italvolley e membro del Cda della Juve, che ricoprirà il ruolo di direttore generale, e, come ds, Riccardo Bigon, figlio di quell'Albertino che, da! lla panc hina, portò il Napoli allo scudetto '90.

Il calcio in tutte le lingue del mondo.

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Pronostici Serie A - 7 giornata

Sabato 18 Ottobre

Fiorentina – Reggina: 1, OVER

La squadra di Prandelli dopo l'ottima vittoria esterna di Verona si appresta ad affrontare in casa i calabresi. Il bel gioco mostrati contro gli scaligeri fanno ben sperare. La formazione ! di mister Orlandi cercherà in tutti i modi di portare a casa almeno un punto, ma l'impresa si presenta alquanto ardua.

Napoli – Juventus: X, Goal

E' il big match dell'anticipo serale e i fuochi d'artificio sono assicurati. Il Napoli, nonostante la sconfitta di Genoa con i rossoblu, è una delle squadre che gioca il più bel calcio d'Italia e oramai non è più una sorpresa. La Juventus, invece, cerca ancora conferme e i punti buttati via in questo inizio di stagione possono bastare. Ma un pareggio al San Paolo non sarebbe un dramma.

Domenica 19 Ottobre

Bologna – L! azio: X, Under

Obbligo di vincere per gli emiliani, se non altro per Arrigoni è davvero l'ultima spiaggia e la vittoria sarebbe un ottimo modo per scacciare via gli scheletri dall'armadio. La compagine biancoceleste vuole continuare la sua corsa ma Bologna è sempre un campo difficile anche se è stata terra di conquista da parte di tutti fin ad ora.

Catania – Palermo: X, Goal

Il derby di Sicilia è da sempre tra i più infuocati della Serie A. Il Catania fin ora in casa ha sempre vinto e un successo in questo match manderebbe in delirio il già entusiasta pubblico catanese. Il Palermo è reduce dalla vittoriosa trasferta di Torino e vuole continuare la sua sca! lata alla classifica, certo con un Miccoli così non è difficile segnare.

Chievo – Atalanta: X2, Under

I clivensi probabilmente non sono ancora entrati nell'ottica del massimo campionato e al Bentegodi si presenta una formazione tra le più in forma in questo avvio di stagione. La squadra di Del Neri è infatti riuscita a portare a casa ben dodici dei diciotto punti a disposizione. Un'altra vittoria le confermerebbe il posto in Uefa.

Genoa - Siena: 1, Over

Diego Milito e company possono sfruttare il nuovo turno casalingo per cercare di ot! tenere l'intera posta in palio anche se questo Siena è una squ! adra ost ica. I toscani infatti sono riusciti a costringere allo stop anche la Roma di Spalletti, e non è cosa da poco.

Lecce – Udinese: X, Goal

Dopo aver fermato la cosa della Lazio i giallorossi cercheranno di fare altrettanto con l'undici di Marino. Ma i friulani non sono certamente gli ultimi arrivati e comandano la classifica insieme a Inter e Lazio.Lo spettacolo è assicurato.

Milan – Sampdoria: 1, Over

In netta ripresa i rossoneri che nonostante il pareggio! a reti bianche di Cagliari faranno di tutto per mantenersi in corsa per lo scudetto. La Samp in profonda crisi è ancora in cerca della prima vittoria stagionale. Di certo non sembra questa l'occasione adatta.

Torino - Cagliari: 1X, Under

Torino in crisi di risultati ma non di gioco, viene fuori dalla sconfitta di Udine. La squadra di De Biasi vuole portare a casa i tre punti. Dall'altra parte troverà un Cagliari che tutto è tranne che un avversario abbordabile, anche se la classifica direbbe il contrario.

Roma - Inter: X, Goal

Roma in ! coma orm ai da alcune settimane e riprendersi sembra davvero molto difficile. Le assenze si sono fatte sentire e anche in questo match mancheranno rilevanti titolari. L'Inter vuole confermare il primato in classifica e tentare la prima fuga del campionato. Si preannuncia una sfida ricca di colpi di scena.