Fan Fest

Just got back from Fan Fest, and I was not able to do a live blog today, just because I could not get net access. I'm currently in Washington D.C. covering the Nationals/Orioles game as part of the press tonight.

Well, posts may be few and far between before Tuesday; thus, you should see a few pieces up by Beatlefanatic and I'll pop in here and there.

More later. Have a good weekend.

O's Lose to Sox, 9-2; The Bucs Come To Town...

Last night, the Baltimore Orioles got shelled by the Boston Red Sox, 9-2. The game was pretty much decided in the fifth inning as the Orioles played the percentages to walk the bases loaded for Mike Lowell.

Lowell took advantage and hit the ball over the Green Monster for a grand slam. By then it was game, set, match.

Not much else happened for Baltimore; however, they are now a game under .500, and finished 5-4 on their current road trip -- a nice little feat considering they had the Twins, Blue Jays and Red Sox in succession.

Now, interleague baseball (for better or worse) starts up again as the Orioles take on the NL Central. They'll take on the Pirates, Astros, Brewers and the Cubs all in a span of two week, and thus will not see any AL action until the end of the month.

I don't know how the Orioles will fare against these teams, but! both the Pirates and Astros are hovering around .500, and the Brewers are above it, and the Cubs have the best record in baseball. This could be a very interesting stretch to say in the least.

But first come the Pittsburgh Pirates, whom the Orioles matchup with this week since the 1979 World Series. For me, it doesn't mean much as I was born in 1978; however, for a segment of older fans, it brings forth a warm nostalgia and reminds fans of cheaper ticket prices, winning baseball, and stars of lore.

At the Yard tonight, Earl Weaver and Doug DeCinces will be in attendance, plus, it will be throwback jersey night -- so, all in all, it should be a memorable night for fans of all ages.

Matchups:

Friday: Phil Dumatrait (3-3, 3.44) vs. Brian Burres (4-5, 4.96)
Saturday: Zach Duke (4-4, 4.10) vs. Radhames Liz (1.0, 3.48)
Sunday: Paul Maholm (4-5, 4.55) vs. Daniel Cabrera (5-2, 4.35)

I'm almost tempted to call the Pittsburgh Pirates the b! izzaro B altimore Orioles, as their records and the state of the their franchises, city, fanbases, and rebuilding stage are virtually identical; however, the Pirates may be slightly ahead.

I've already seen them twice in Washington, and they are perhaps a couple of pieces away from becoming a contender, but they have a lot of young talent. Some of it is waiting to break through, some have hit their peak, and there are quite a few guys (Burnett, Gorzellany, Bullington) who have not lived up to their potential.

The lineup has some pop, and Jason Bay has returned to All-Star form; meanwhile, they are getting amazing production from Ryan Doumit, and Nate McLouth is perhaps the next big thing in waiting.

Well, I think both these teams are evenly matched, although Pittsburgh is 6-4 in their last ten, and took a series from the Washington Nationals yesterday.

The Orioles need to step and take advantage of the Pirates' pitching -- which is really n! ot all that great, but Dumatrait has had a solid season so far, and Duke can be either mediocre or very good depending on how he starts off a game. Malholm, at this point, is just another run of the mill starter; thus, the Orioles match-up against them very well.

I see the Orioles easily taking two out of three depending if the offense can take advantage of the Pittsburgh youngsters on the mound.

Game Five Suspened; World Series Reflections...

It was wet and wild in Philadelphia last night, almost to the point it was beyond ridiculous as to why Major League Baseball allowed Game Five of the World Series to be played.

After both teams played for quite a while in whipping wind and a downpour, the brass in Major League Baseball finally got to their senses and stopped the game in the sixth inning with both Philadelphia and Tampa tied at two.

There was a strong prospect that the World Series could have ended last night when the heavy rains came down; however, in the sixth inning, B.J. Upton -- who beat out an infield single to get on ! base -- stole second and was plated by a Carlos Pena base hit to tie the game.

It looked like Philadelphia would meet up with destiny as they scored twice in the first inning via a single by Shane Victorino that plated both Chase Utley and Jayson Werth; however, Tampa pitching shut down the Phillies and got out of quite a few jams.

Tampa's first run came off an Evan Longoria single that plated Carlos Pena.

Hamels was good -- but not dominant -- thus, you have to wonder if the weather and he getting hit on the hand off a foul tip hindered him in any way. Kazmir started off the game rocky, but settled into his own, and the Rays bullpen got him out trouble in the sixth inning.

Speaking of Longoria -- it's nice that he and Carlos Pena finally broke out of a depressing slump to bring some life back into the Rays. Simply put, if they had continued their drought into Monday night, the trophy would have been driving down Broad Street soon! er rather than later.

In the end, the game got susp! ended -- for the first time ever in Series history. I don't think the game would have been called if the Phillies had the lead, simply because this is the 'World Series' and not any other game. An event of this magnitude should allow both teams every opportunity to play each and every out -- not matter how long it takes.

We will see if both teams can play tonight; however, according to the weather reports, it does not look promising as well.

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Looking More & More That Teixeira Will Not Be Coming to Baltimore...

I don't care where Teixeira goes right now; therefore, if he comes to Baltimore, I would be pleased, but not overjoyed after what I have seen the past few weeks. If he chooses Boston or New York, he's nothing more than a money-grubbing mercenary.

According to a sobering report posted to the Baltimore Sun, it looks like the Orioles may be without their hometown boy unless there's a miracle or there's something we don't know.

From the Baltimore Sun: Not wanting to get into a bidding war they knew they wouldn't w! in, the Orioles' hope all along was that Teixeira, who grew up in Severna Park, wanted to come home and become the face of a franchise that he grew up cheering for. If that indeed was the case and Teixeira had stated an interest in playing for the Orioles several times. Team officials expected Boras to get back to them with an idea of what it was going to take to make it happen.

Boras and MacPhail have had several conversations since the seven-year contract offer between $140 and $150 million was made to Teixeira at baseball's winter meetings, but there has been very little movement in the negotiations. The Orioles, as of yesterday, had not upped their offer, and with Teixeira reportedly set to make his decision today, it's becoming more and more clear that the Orioles will be also-rans in the sweepstakes.

Sorry, I think he's headed to Boston, and if there's a dark horse in the whole saga -- it's Washington.

Perhaps the Orioles didn't try h! ard enough or up their offer if they don't win; however, I fig! ured all along he'd go to a winner, and a place where he could also be set financially.

That place is Boston, and boy do they have some shrewd business men up there. I do feel a little bad for Mike Lowell -- assuming this all happens -- as he took a less than market value (favoring the team) to remain with the Red Sox. Yes, he did expand his horizons and test out the market after the '07 World Series -- however, he did stay loyal to the organization and now will face the fate that many have had before.

And he may not be heading to the Nationals according Chico Harlan of the Washington Post:

One Nationals spokesman I just talked to said that, as far as he knows, the Nats have no plans for an announcement today regarding Teixeira.

More to come as the baseball world finds out more.

I expect anything to happen today, although all signs have him in a Boston uniform.

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Rich Hill an Oriole; Burres DFA'ed

The Baltimore Orioles have officially announced that they have acquired Rich Hill in a trade with the Chicago Cubs.

From the Baltimore Sun: In a move to add another option to a crowded but unproven rotation, the Orioles acquired left-handed starter Rich Hill from the Chicago Cubs today for a player to be named later.

Hill, a 28-year-old lefty who just a year ago was considered one of the better young pitchers in baseball, has been in deep decline since the start of last season. He was sent to the minors after just five starts and his control problems followed him there, and then to the Venezuelan winter league this offseason.

To make room for Hill on their 40-man roster, the Orioles have designated left-hander Brian Burres for assignment.

>>> Read More

Uehara Impresses; O's Lose to the Marlins, 3-2

The Baltimore Orioles lost to the Florida Marlins, 3-2, down in Jupiter, Florida; however, the story of the day had nothing to do with the game, but with the amazing work of Koji Uehara in his first appearance on the mound stateside.

Uehara went two solid innings, gave up a hit and struck out three. According to what I heard on the radio broadcast, his control was excellent, and his assortment of pitches kept hitters off track.

This is obviously the first look we have had with Uehara, but if can pitch like this in the regular season, their investment will pay off big time. His start was highly anticipated by fans, the organization and the Japanese media; therefore, one could assume that he made quite a favorable impression.

>>> Read More

O's Split Series With Royals, the Return of Rich Hill to the Majors...

The Orioles this weekend took two of four from the suddenly tough Kansas City squad, as they won on Thursday and Saturday, while they lost on Friday and Sunday. Baltimore's offense had some bright spots, but struggles late Koji Uehara (he definitely hits a wall during the mid-point of a game) and by the bullpen on Sunday caused them to split the series.

If there was a bright spot from the weekend, it's definitely Rich Hill. The southpaw -- who made his first start in well over a year -- was not lights out, but was solid as he went 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits, while striking out. He could have been better, but a bloop double down the left field line by Alberto Collaspo in the fifth inning led him to yield those runs.

>>> Read More

Under Armour Event in Annapolis

On Saturday morning, fans that got up early enough got a chance to meet Oriole outfielder Nick Markakis, Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman and the Marlins Jeremy Heremdia at the Under Armour store at the Annapols-Westfield Mall.

The event in Annapolis was a meet-and-greet autograph session, plus to prove that video games and professional athletes indeed go hand-in-hand, both Zimmerman and Heremida participated in a video game Home Run Derby by playing MLB 2K8.

Being that the city of Annapolis is within proximity of both Washington and Baltimore, fans of both the Orioles and Nationals got to meet their young franchise icons, while getting valuable autographs on postcards provided at the event and whatever memorabilia fans could bring with them.

During the event, Under Armour provided parting gifts for fans who came out as they gave out complimentary batting gloves, sweat ! bands and stickers.

The autograph session ran for an hour, and fans were waiting inside the store for the athletes starting at around 9:45 and once it started, about 200 or so fans filed in. Although Markakis had to leave the event at noon to participate in the Rangers-Orioles game, Heremida and Zimmerman went head-to-head in the video game Home Run Derby; in the end, Zimmerman completely smashed Heremida for the title.

As well, the Home Run Derby event was interactive as kids were invited to play along with the major leaguers – which made quite a memorable day for everyone in attendance.

>>> Read More

Ranger Quotes from Avery, Prucha, Tortorella and Sather

Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants has some interesting quotes from several members of the New York Rangers and their staff. A discussion with Petr Prucha regarding Sean Avery and the trade sending him to Phoenix can be found here. Quotes from "Mr.Invisible" (Glen Sather) can be found here. Plus, further quotes from Sean Avery and John Tortorella regarding Avery's return can be found here.

They are 3 different links, but I think that they are all interesting reads, especially since today was a big day for the NHL and the New York Rangers with the NHL Trade Deadline being today at 3pm ET. New York making several trades bringing in Derek Morris and Nik Antropov. Leaving the Rangers a! re Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes and Dimitri Kalinin.

2009 NHL Draft Lottery

According to TSN, the Islanders have won the draft lottery and will select first overall this summer at the NHL Draft.

The order of selection for the first 14 drafting positions in the first round, only, of the 2009 Entry Draft is as follows:

1. New York Islanders
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Colorado Avalanche
4. Atlanta Thrashers
5. Los Angeles Kings
6. Phoenix Coyotes
7. Toronto Maple Leafs
8. Dallas Stars
9. Ottawa Senators
10. Edmonton Oilers
11. Nashville Predators
12. Minnesota Wild
13. Buffalo Sabres
14. Florida Panthers

The remaining drafting positions will be determined at the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Gaborik Buys House In Vancouver - Sign?

If this is true, then it certainly looks like Gaborik is going to be a Canuck in a few weeks.

According to a newspaper report of out of Vancouver:

Marian Gaborik has bought a house in the Vancouver area, The Province has learned.
What this means come July 1, when he is set to become an unrestricted free agent, is speculation at this point but it's a safe bet the Slovak likes the city and could be angling for a contract here.
So far, it's not unlike last year when Gaborik's former Minnesota Wild linemate Pavol Demitra was seen visiting Vancouver weeks before he became a free agent. Demitra eventually signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Canucks.

Demitra and Gaborik are close friends.
The Wild have apparently been desperately trying to keep Gaborik. Minny has ! replaced the coach and GM with people vowing to play the run-and-gun game Gaborik has long craved to play but never could under Jacques Lemaire.
There are plenty of questions about Gaborik. He has had a history of injuries and only played 17 games last year. In those 17 games, he scored 13 goals and put up 10 assists for 23 points.

Ducks Acquire Artyukhin From Tampa

It's Official, according to the Lightning Twitter feed:

The Lightning have acquired LW Drew Miller and a 3rd rd pick in 2010 from Anaheim in exchange for Evgeny Artyukhin.

Discuss this trade over at the Forums

Video of the day.

Olympics win gold, CBS silver, football bronze.

Exec suggests UGA/Alabama be postponed due to gas shortage.

NASCAR ratings down.

College football numbers game.

Week in review.

Week in review.

Comcast customers could lose NFL Net.

CBS happily sings the Carolina blues.

Time change fails to lift NFL Draft ratings.

Big jump for Bridgestone Invitational.

Question of the day

Weekend ratings predictions

Info Sepakbola | Posisi Pemain Sepakbola

Dalam sepakbola untuk melakukan permainan kita butuh teman. Satu tim sepak bola terdiri dari 11 orang pemain yang memiliki posisi dan tugas yang berbeda-beda. Secara umum..... ada 4 posisi pemain dalam sepak bola.

1. Penjaga gawang
Bertugas menjaga daerah gawang agar tidak kemasukan.

2. Bek
Bertugas menjaga daerah pertahanan sendiri agar lawan tidak bisa membobol gawang yang dijaga oleh penjaga gawang.

3. Gelandang
Untuk posisi ini mempunyai tugas ganda, yaitu sebagai penyeimbang. Artinya saat sebuah tim mengawali serangan, seorang gelanda! ng adalah sebagai penyambung bola dari bek untuk diarahkan ke penyerang, sedangkan waktu diserang seorang gelandang adalah orang pertama yang harus merebut bola dari kaki lawan, sebelum bek.

4. Penyerang
Bertugas untuk mencetak gol. Untuk posisi ini, seorang pemain harus mempunyai naluri dan penempatan posisi yang bagus. Penyerang juga harus bisa memaksimalkan peluang sekecil apapun untuk menjadi sebuah gol. Karena dalam permainan yang sebenarnya, seorang penyerang akan mendapat kawalan dari pemain bertahan lawan.

Tetapi pada permainan sebenarnya seorang pemain terkadang sering melakukan improvisasi, artinya pemain melakukan perubahan posisi yang tidak sesuai dengan posisi aslinya untuk membantu serangan atau pertahanan. Hal! ini bol eh saja dilakukan tetapi yang perlu diperhatikan adalah segera kembali ke posisi semula setelah melakukan improvisasi. Karena cara ini bisanya akan menguras tenaga.

Sebenarnya secara spesifik ada 7 posisi dalam permainan sepak bola:

1. Bek sayap
Bertugas menjaga daerah pertahanan sendiri di sisi (pinggir) lapangan. Seorang bek sayap biasanya melakukan improvisasi ikut membantu serangan menyisir sisi lapangan.

2. Stoper
Bertugas menjaga daerah pertahanan sendiri di sentral daerah pertahanan. Tugas utama seorang stoper adalah merebut bola atau pressing-pressing kepada pemain lawan yang coba memasuki daerah pertahanan sendiri.

3. Libero
Bertugas menjaga daerah pertahanan! sendiri di sentral daerah pertahanan. Seorang libero adalah pemain terakhir sebelum penjaga gawang. Tugas utama seorang libero adalah membaca arah serangan lawan dan mengorganisir rekannya di daerah pertahanan. Seorang libero dan stoper sering melakukan improvisasi dengan maju kedepan gawang lawan saat sepak pojok atau tendangan bola-bola mati.

4. Gelandang bertahan
Bertugas sebagai penyeimbang lini tengah sebuah tim. Artinya seorang gelandang bertahan bertugas merebut bola dari kaki lawan sebelum lawan meamasuki daerah pertahanan, selain itu gelandang bertahan juga sebagai penyambung bola dari bek untuk diarahkan kedepan dalam mengawali serangan.

5. Gelandang serang
Bertugas membantu serangan. Artinya seorang gelandang serang bertugas memberikan umpan kepada penyerang atau juga bisa melakukan pergerakan-pergerakan tanpa/dengan bola memasuki daerah pertaha! nan lawan dengan tujuan untuk mencetak gol.

6. Second striker
Tugas utama seorang Second striker adalah tetap sebagai pencetak gol. Tetapi ada sedikit pembeda tugas yang diemban seorang second striker. Pemain ini sekaligus juga bertugas untuk melakukan pergerakan-pergerakan yang sifatnya membongkar pertahanan lawan dengan tujuan memecah konsentrasi pemain bertahan lawan.

7. Striker murni
Sebagai target man atau pencetak gol utama. Seorang striker murni biasanya hanya menunggu umpan-umpan matang dan menyelesaikannya dengan tendangan kegawang.

Hasil Pertandingan | Kualifikasi Pilala Dunia 2009/2 010 | Selamat Tinggal Terim

Tidak ada ucapan "Selamat datang di Afrika Selatan" untuk Turki. Salam yang ada adalah "selamat tinggal" yang disampaikan pelatih Fatih Terim kepada tim berjulukan "Si Bintang Sabit" itu.

Turki dipastikan masuk kotak dari kualifikasi Piala Dunia setelah kalah 0-2 dari Belgia dinihari tadi, Minggu (11/10/2009), yang membuat mereka tertancap di peringkat tiga klasemen Grup 5. Spanyol telah menjuarai grup ini, sedangkan jatah playoff direbut Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Terim, yang punya dua periode membesut timnas Turki, mengatakan bahwa laga melawan Amernia tiga hari mendatang adalah pekerjaan terakhirnya di posisi yang sekarang. Iamemutuskan berhenti alias mundur.

"Rabu malam, dengan semua suporter di Bursa, saya akan mengucap selamat tinggal pada semua fans sepakbola Turki," demikian pelatih berusia 56 tahun itu seperti dikutip dari Reuters.

"Pertandingan melawan Armenia di Bursa akan menjadi game terakhir saya. (Presiden Federasi Sepakbola Turki) Mahmut Ozgener dan ofisial federasi meminta saya jangan berhenti, tapi keputusan saya sudah final."

Terim pertama kali melatih Turki pada 1993 dan meloloskan neg! ara tersebut untuk pertama kalinya ke putaran final Piala Erop! a (1996 di Inggris). Setelah itu ia melayani berbagai klub seperti Galatasaray, Fiorentina, AC Milan, dan kembali ke Galatasaray pada 2002.

Ia kembali dipercaya menukangi timnas pada 2005 dan polesan tangannya mengantarkan Halil Altintop dkk ke Euro 2008, di mana Turki finish di peringkat tiga.

A tutti...

.... coloro che tirano i piedi all'Armata volevamo dire che nonostante un ottimo Di Natale (voto 10) e un pessimo Kakà (voto 4) l'Armata ha vinto ancora. E visto che la seconda in classifica ha 'abbuscato' la compagine di Mister Raf Lamb si porta a +11 (o forse a +12)... E se ne va... La capolista se ne va... la la la... Ciao, R

REAL MADRID TRANSFER RUMOURS 2008/09: KEIRRISON JOINS THE LIST

REAL MADRID 2008: CANNAVARO CELEBRATES HIS 35TH BIRTHDAY

U/19 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008: SPAIN ELIMINATED

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Q/FINAL 1º LEG 2008: SCHALKE 04 0 - FC BARCELONA 1

FIFA THREATENS TO BAN SPAIN FROM EURO 2008

REAL MADRID TRANSFER NEWS 2008: DANIEL OPARE SIGNS FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS

EURO 2008: SPAIN 1 - NTH.IRELAND 0. SPAIN QUALIFIES GROUP WINNER

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2007: LAZIO 2-REAL MADRID 2 & VALENCIA CF 1-CHELSEA FC 2

ATLETICO DE MADRID & RIQUELME COME TO AN AGREEMENT.

FC BARCELONA & ATLETICO DE MADRID NEWS

SPANISH FOOTBALL. NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & A PODCAST TO CHECKOUT

SPANISH FOOTBALL. TRANSFER QUICKIES

THE PROBLEM WITH SERGIO "KUN" AGUERO IS DIEGO

FIFA RANKING: SPAIN MAINTAINS TOP SPOT & BREAKS RECORD

SFS FLASHBACKS: 1994 EUROPEAN CUP FINAL - FC BARCELONA 0 AC MILAN 4

SFS FLASHBACKS:1998 WORLD CUP - SPAIN 2 NIGERIA 3

INTER MILAN: TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH ETO´O: CIAO GOODLUCK IN ITALY

IFFHS NAMES REAL MADRID THE EUROPEAN & WORLD TEAM OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Hildebrand: Barça One Of The World's Best

Villarreal Aim For Porto Ace

Blues Reject Eto'o-Drogba Swap

Nihat Not Going To Rush Back

Inter Plan Crespo - Banega Swap Deal - Reports

UEFA Cup Spot Is Not Our Goal - Damiá

Sneijder: Real Madrid Can Still Win The League

Kaká: Either I Stay At Milan Or I Join Real Madrid

Valencia Always Go Out To Win - Unai Emery

Kanoute Wins It For Sevilla At Espanyol

Why the world's biggest insurance company is still getting taxpayer funds

Serena voted player of the year

Hazard flattered by interest

Davydenko pulls out of Austrian Open with injury

Milan must up offer - Agent

Silva leaves exit door open

Brazil Women's Beach Volleyball

Brazil Women's Beach Volleyball

fifa confederations cup 2009: spain wins again!

Spain Got The Third

Spain wins again in FIFA Confedarations Cup 2009. Spain Against Republic of South Africa to win the third position in that tournament. Spain gets the victory after beating South Africa 3-0. this victory can amuse all of Spain football players after being beaten by USA ini semifinal.

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Super-Fit Spurs in Talks with Blackburn

The BBC has stated that Tottenham Hotspur are in talks with Blackburn chairman John Williams over the possibility of bringing David Bentley to Spurs. As yet, David is still a Blackburn player.

What I am fairly confident with is that Daniel Levy does not value Bentley anywhere near the £17 million valuation Blackburn have bestowed on him. If anything, if we sign the player, it will be nearer the £13 million mark.

If we do sign him, I just hope he's up for the hard fitness regime Juande Ramos has got the players working on.

For those of you that watched the friendly game against Norwich last night, I am sure you saw just how fit the players looked. All of them look in optimum condition.

As Gus Poyet said after the match, "! The players still need to get 90 minutes under their belts. We are very happy with the way the players have responded, in Spain and at Spurs Lodge".

Keep up the hard work lads.

COYS!!

Why Jones?

So many rumours float around White Hart Lane that it's sometimes too difficult to stay on top of them all.

The one I found interesting was that Darren Bent had stopped working hard in training and his performances had dropped when he knew Defoe would be returning. I didn't find the accuracy of the story strange, but that it had gotten out.

For me, the above was no mere rumour, but looks to be leaning towards fact. Bent clearly has a problem at the moment, and Harry wants shot of him.

It troubles me though to think just how bad the dressing room is for Harry to want to have to swap Bent for another striker? After all, Bent is now third in the pecking order and so shouldn't be so high on the transfer priorities of Harry, or should he?

Something tells me that all is not well in our club's dressing room at the moment. If Bent is the cause of the unrest, then yes, get rid of him. But if not, surely the Spurs si! de needs strengthening in other areas?

Dengan Rp 408,7 M, Milan Bisa Bawa Rossi

MILAN - Agen Giuseppe Rossi mengaku kalau kliennya adalah fans AC Milan sejak lama dan akan bahagia bisa memperkuat Rossoneri. Untuk bisa mendapatkannya Milan butuh dana Rp 408,7 miliar.
Musim panas ini Rossi santer diberitakan bakal pindah ke klub yang lebih besar. Striker yang kini masih terdaftar sebagai pemain Villarreal itu disebut punya peluang besar pulang ke Italia bersama Juventus atau AC Milan.
Kalau benar-benar menginginkan, Rossoneri bisa dibilang lebih unggul untuk ! bisa mendapatkan pesepakbola 22 tahun itu. Soalnya menurut agen si pemain, mantan pesepakbola Manchester United dan AC Parma itu adalah fans Milan dan akan sangat senang bisa berseragam "Hitam Merah".
"Setelah di Villarreal, dia ingin bermain untuk tim besar. Dia akan sangat gembira jika membela Milan karena itu merupakan tim yang dia dukung saat masih muda," ungkap agen Rossi, Federico Pastorello, seperti diberitakan Goal. Soal harga jual Rossi, Pastorello menyebut nilai yang cukup tinggi.
Andai Rossoneri berniat memboyongnya ke San Siro, maka uang sebesar 28 juta euro atau sekitar Rp 408,7 miliar harus disiapkan untuk diserahkan pada The Yellow Submarine. "Rossi bernilai sekitar 25-28 juta euro, untuk pemain seusianya dan hasil yang telah dia raih sejauh ini," sambung Pastorello.
Meski mengaku peluang Rossi ke Milan terbilang besar, namun Pastorello tak menjamin itu bakal terjadi dalam waktu dekat. Rossi disebutnya masih betah tinggal di El Madrigal, meski ! saat ini telah dapat tawaran dari Juventus yang bersedia menuk! ar denga n David Trezeguet. "Ada kemungkinan besar di pulang ke Italia, tapi dia tak terburu-buru untuk bisa melakukannnya. Dia baik-baik saja di Villarreal.
Juventus tertarik pada Rossi, tapi belum ada tawaran terhadap dia. Mereka mencoba memasukkan (David) Trezeguet sebagai bagian kesepakatan dengan Villarreal, tapi kloub Spanyol itu tak menyetujuinya," pungkas Pastorello.

Misi Galliani ke Spanyol Gagal

MILAN - AC Milan tampaknya masih harus bekerja keras untuk mendapatkan tim yang lengkap seperti diharapkan. Misi Wakil Presiden Milan, Adriano Galliani untuk memburu pemain di Spanyol, semenetara ini masih gagal total. Galliani sampai memperpanjang keberadaannya di Spanyol.
Dia berharap bisa menyelesaikan transfer Luis Fabiano dari Sevilla dan Klaas-Jan Huntelaar dari Real Madrid. Namun, akhirnya Galliani harus pulang ke Italia dengan tangan kosong. Menurut Sky Sport 24, Galliani menjadi tamu Presiden Real Madrid di kapal pesiarnya.
! Dia mencoba berbagai hal untuk membuat Perez merelakan Huntelaar ke Milan dengan harga murah, atau dengan cara peminjaman. Namun, upayanya gagal merayu Perez. Milan ingin meminjam Huntelaar dengan opsi akan dibeli di akhir musim.
Tawaran ini tak membuat Perez tertarik, karena Madrid juga sedang butuh uang, setelah mengeluarkan sekitar Rp3 trilun untuk membeli Ricardo Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul Albiol, dan Karim Benzema. Galliani pun kemungkinan akan melaksanakan rencana B. Tapi, dia harus mendiskusikannya lebih dulu dengan pelatih Milan, Leonardo.

Demi Milan, Fabiano Siap Perkarakan Sevilla

RIO DE JANEIRO - Penyerang Sevilla, Luis Fabiano, mendesak klub untuk menjualnya ke AC Milan seharga 12,5 juta poundsterling atau sekitar Rp 206 miliar. Bila tidak, dia akan menyeret Sevilla ke pengadilan. Fabiano memang kecewa dan kesal melihat pelitnya Milan memenuhi permintaan harga Sevilla untuk dirinya.
Toh, hal ini tak mengurangi ambisinya pindah ke San Siro. Kebetulan, Fabiano punya kekuatan untuk mendesak Sevilla menerima tawaran murah Milan. Dalam salah satu klausul kontraknya tertulis bahwa Sevilla harus melepaskan Fabiano bila ! ada tawaran bernilai lebih besar dari sembilan juta poundsterling atau sekitar Rp 148 miliar.
Fabiano berniat menggunakan pasal tersebut untuk memaksa Sevilla membuka negosiasi dirinya dengan Milan. Bila Sevilla masih ngotot menolak, dia akan menggunakan jalur hukum. Fabiano akan menyewa pengacara Graham Shear untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini.
Seandainya masalah jadi dituntaskan jalur hukum, sidang perkara akan digelar di Pengadilan Tinggi London. Pengadilan ini memiliki seksi khusus yang menangani masalah pelanggaran kontrak.

Lepas Pirlo Demi Fabiano?

MILAN - Proses transfer Andrea Pirlo semakin rumit. Pasalnya, AC Milan punya rencana matang. Milan berniat melepas Pirlo demi mendatangkan bintang Sevilla Luis Fabiano ke San Siro. Benarkah? Ya, Rossoneri dikabarkan bekerja keras mewujudkan transfer jitu; menjual Andrea Pirlo ke Chelsea tunai ditambah Claudio Pizzaro, sebagai alat tukar.
Pizzaro sendiri rencananya akan dijadikan alat tukar demi mendapat striker Brasil Fabiano. Ini kejutan kedua buat Milanisti, yang dibikin shock akibat penjual! an Kaka ke Real Madrid senilai 56 juta poundsterling. Diyakini, kepergian Pirlo terhitung sebagai bagian dari strategi tim.
Rossoneri dipastikan dapat memperkuat lini depan bila Pizzaro benar-benar mendarat di San Siro, meski sekejap. Karena striker yang membela Werder Bremen dengan status pinjaman ini dimanfaatkan untuk mendatangkan Fabiano dalam skuad. Seperti dilansir football-italia.net, Rabu (5/8/2009), Chelsea bersiap menaikkan harga Pirlo sekira 10 juta poundsterling.
Artinya, Milan terpaksa merogoh lebih banyak kocek meminang Fabiano. Milan belum memutuskan. Namun, Silvio Berlusconi akan bertemu Leonardo Araujo dan Adriano Galliani membicarakan kebijakan transfer tim.

Oddo Tolak Gabung West Ham

MILAN - Ide menukar Julien Faubert dengan Massimo Oddo mendapat penolakan dari pemain yang disebut terakhir. Fullback Milan itu menolak untuk pindah dari Italia.
Keluarga menjadi pertimbangan utama penolakan Oddo untuk menggagalkan kesepakatan antara Milan dan West Ham United itu.
"Saya harus mempertimbangkan keluarga saya terkait hal ini dan dengan anak yang masih kecil, saya tak ingin mengalami pengalaman yang sulit seperti di [Bayern] Muenchen," ungkap Oddo kepada Sky Italia."Saya tidak merasa saya akan dipinjamkan ke klub lain yang bermain di luar Italia," paparnya.

Jelang Livorno vs AC Milan : Milan Diminta Tenang dan Sabar

MILAN - Clarence Seedorf masih menyimpan keyakinan kalau AC Milan akan bisa bangkit usai kekalahan menyesakkan atas Inter Milan. Berdasar pengalaman, Rossoneri harus lebih bersabar untuk bisa keluar dari kesulitan. Kemenangan atas Livorno dalam laga pekan ketiga Seri A menjadi harga yang tak bisa ditolak Milan.
Meski sukses menundukkan Siena di pekan pertama, kekalahan telak dalam Derby Della Madoninna membuat Rossoneri mulai benar-benar dikesampingkan dari persaingan menuju scudetto. Untuk bisa memetik t! iga poin dari lawatan ke Livorno, Minggu (13/9/2009) mendatang, Seedorf meminta rekan-rekannya bermain tenang dan sabar.
Dengan cara itulah masa suram yang kini mendatangi Diavolo Rosso disebutnya bakal hilang. "Kami semua tahu kalau ini adalah fase transisi dan jalan yang harus ditempuh masih panjang. Tapi selama bertahun-tahun Milan selalu membuktikan bagaimana cara keluar dari periode kegelapan," ungkap Seedorf seperti diberitakan Goal.
Setelah melawat ke Livorno, dalam selang empat hari Milan kembali akan menjalani laga tandang saat menyambangi Olympique de Marseille di fase grup Liga Champions. Jika berhasil memetik kemenangan dari dua laga tersebut, gelandang internasional Belanda itu optimistis kalau Milan benar-benar siap untuk bertarung di papan atas.
"Kami selalu bisa bereaksi dengan baik saat menghadapi kesulitan. Karena itulah saya merasa sangat optimistis," pungkas Seedorf.

Milan Loyo, Ditekuk Zurich di San Siro

MILAN - Stadion San Siro tak lagi memberi kekuatan bagi tuan rumah AC Milan. Dalam matchday kedua Liga Champions Grup C, "I Rossoneri" dipaksa menelan pil pahit, kalah 0-1, oleh FC Zurich.
Akhir pekan lalu Milan juga gagal mencetak gol di kandang sendiri dan ditahan seri tanpa gol oleh Bari. Namun, janji pelatih Leonardo untuk tampil beda di Liga Champions malah tak membawa hasil positif.
Dalam laga kandang perdananya di Liga Champions, Rabu (30/9), Massimo Ambrosini dkk justru dipermalukan oleh gol tunggal kapten Zurich, Hannu Tihin! en. Gol bermula dari tendangan sudut di menit ke-10 dan Tihinen menaklukkan kiper Marco Storari lewat tendangan tumitnya. Penyerang Milan Filippo Inzaghi yang mencetak dua gol ke gawang Marseille dua pekan lalu tak mampu mengeluarkan timnya dari kekalahan.
Berkali-kali Pippo mendapat peluang emas di babak pertama, tapi selalu meleset dari sasaran. Satu peluang emas Pippo lahir di menit ke-57. Namun, kiper Johnny Leoni bergerak cepat menepis sundulan striker gaek tersebut. Masuknya Ronaldinho di babak kedua juga hampir membuahkan hasil positif bagi "Il Diavolo".
Sayangnya, gocekan striker asal Brasil itu juga tak menembus gawang Leoni. Meski kalah, Milan tetap berhak di posisi kedua karena perolehan angka bagi Zurich tak cukup membantu menggeser Milan, yang unggul selisih gol. Real Madrid masih memimpin Grup C dengan nilai sempurna 6 usai menaklukkan Marseille dengan skor meyakinkan 3-0.

Susunan pemain:
AC Milan: ! Storari; Kaladze, Nesta (Onyewu 60), Jankulovski, Abate; Pirlo! , Seedor f (Ronaldinho 46), Ambrosini, Flamini (Zambrotta 46); Inzaghi, Pato
FC Zurich: Leoni; Tihinen, Barmettler, Rochat (Stahel 80), Philippe; Aegerter, Margairaz, Gajic, Okonkwo; Djuric (Alphonse 85), Vonlanthen (Nikci 75)

sumber : kompas.com

Premier League round-up

Saturday's final game was arguably its most entertaining as Liverpool came away from Upton Park with a 3-2 win over West Ham.

Portsmouth continue to look up at the rest of the division as they slipped to their sixth successive league defeat at Aston Villa, while Matthew Taylor's late penalty secured Bolton a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City.

At the KC Stadium a header from substitute Garry O'Connor was enough to earn Birmingham a priceless three points at Hull City.

Arsenal had numerous chances to take the lead against Wigan prior to Vermaelen's third goal of the season on 25 minutes. Robin van Persie's wicked delivery from a corner begged to be headed home and the impressive Belgian did just that with aplomb.

While his first goal was befitting of a centre-half his second, after half-time, was a strike any centre forward would have been proud of. After striding forward from the halfway line he exchanged passes with Emmanuel Eboue be! fore sweeping a majestic left footed drive into the top corner from 18 yards.

Arsenal's dominance was rewarded further when Eduardo reacted quickest to his own shot that came back off the post to make it 3-0 with the aid of an Emmanuel Eboue deflection. Gloss was put on the most polished of displays in the final minute when Cesc Fabregas netted from close range.

Liverpool's Fernando Torres was once again his side's hero as a well taken brace inspired them to victory in a pulsating encounter in East London.

It was the Spaniard that opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a stabbed near post finish after a driving run, before West Ham levelled from the penalty spot as Alessandro Diamanti just about beat Pepe Reina after slipping when striking the ball.

Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool back in the lead from close range but West Ham restored parity before half-time as Carlton Cole rose highest to head in a corner.

The pace hardl! y relented after the interval as both sides created chances bu! t it was Liverpool who stole the spoils with 15 minutes left as Torres powered home substitute Ryan Babel's hanging cross.

Fortress Turf Moor claimed its third top flight success in as many attempts as Nugent inspired Burnley to a 3-1 defeat of Sunderland.

The much maligned Portsmouth striker, on loan at the Clarets for the rest of the season, stepped off the substitutes' bench with just over half an hour left to play with the game poised at 1-1.

Darren Bent's smart finish just before half-time for his fifth goal of the season had cancelled out Graham Alexander's penalty, awarded following Anton Ferdinand's reckless challenge on Wade Elliott.

Nugent's first saw him rise majestically at the near post to head in the impressive Elliott's pinpoint delivery, before in the dying minutes he capped a brilliant home debut with a sumptuous turn and curling effort from just inside the box.

Portsmouth continue to look destined for the Ch! ampionship as Aston Villa shrugged off a training ground bust-up between Nigel Reo-Coker and Martin O'Neill to claim a comfortable 2-0 win.

Villa took the lead from the penalty spot in the first half when James Milner rammed the ball past David James after Nadir Belhadj had carelessly brought down Stiliyan Petrov.

Paul Hart's woes were exacerbated just before half-time as the in-form Gabriel Agbonlahor rolled a far too tight Tal Ben Haim thirty yards from goal before making inroads and lashing past James via the far post.

Dave Kitson's clever opener at the Reebok Stadium was out of keeping with much that had gone before it as neither Stoke nor Bolton played with too much fluidity.

The in-form front man is really starting to fire after a miserable debut campaign at Stoke, as he got the better of Bolton defender Tamir Cohen before curling the ball past Jussi Jaaskelainen on 54 minutes.

Taylor's leveller from 12 yards c! ame a minute from time after Cohen was clipped in the box by D! anny Col lins.

Hull and Birmingham were both guilty of profligacy in front of goal before in the second half Blues front man O'Connor rose highest from Keith Fahey's corner to plant a near post header beyond Boaz Myhill.

As Hull pressed for a leveller the closest they came was when Ibrahima Sonko's late header came back off the bar.

Terry Berharap Duo mengikuti Jejaknya

Kapten Chelsea, John terry berharap Ashley Cole dan Didier Drogba mau mengikuti jejaknya untuk memastikan masa depan mereka bersama Chelsea.

Pemain 28 tahun ini menjadi target utama Manchester City di musim panas ini. Namun pada hari senin yang lalu, Terry baru saja mengumumkan bahwa dia tetap akan bermain di Stamford Bridge.

Kapten Chelsea ini menjelaskan ! "Saya saat itu sedang berlibur ketika Peter (Chief executive, Kenyon) mengatakan kepada saya mengenai Manchester City."

"Saya telah 14 tahun di sini, saya ingin bertahan di sini lebih lama dan memenangkan lebih banyak trofi."

"Saya merasa sangat tersanjung dan terhormat atas keinginan City. Dan saya juga menginginkan kepastian pemain kunci lain di sekitar saya untuk bertahan di Chelsea yaitu Ashley Cole dan Didier."

"Kontrak saya masih tersisa 3 tahun lagi dan bila saya melewatinya dengan baik maka mereka (Chelsea) akan membicarakan kontrak baru baik dalam waktu dekat maupun di kemudian hari."

Di samp! ing itu, pemain bertahan Inggris ini juga mengatakan sangat te! rkesan d engan manager baru Chelsea yaitu Carlo Ancelotti.

Terry berkata "Saya merasa sangat terkesan. Saya melakukan beberapa pembicaraan dengan dia mengenai latihan di lapangan dan pengetahuannya membuat saya terkesan."

"Dia adalah orang yang sangat sukses baik sebagai pemain maupun manager dan dia mampu berinteraksi dengan para pemain sekarang. Saya rasa itu akan menjadi kunci kami ke depan."

"Kami beruntung memilikinya dan setiap orang berjuang keras untuk dapat berjuang bersamanya. Untuk orang-orang yang tersingkir di musim lalu, ini merupakan kesempatan untuk membuktikan diri dan berebut menjadi pemain utama di tim."

NBA Terus Ekspansi

London,-

Kompetisi bola basket paling bergengsi NBA terus melakukan ekspansi. Mereka akan memperbanyak kantor internasionalnya termasuk tiga di benua Afrika dan dua di kawasan Asia....


Berbicara menjelang pertandingan pramusim di London antara Chicago Bulls versus Utah Jazz, Komisioner NBA David Stern mengatakan bahwa pihaknya terus merekrut sekitar 80 karyawan untuk ditempatkan di kantor-kantor cabang baru tersebut.

"Kami telah membuat sejumlah perekrutan terkait kantor-kantor internasional kami sejak tahun lalu," tutur Stern ! dalam jumpa pers seperti dilansir Reuters, Rabu (7/10/2009).

Kantor baru yang dimaksud Stern adalah tiga di negara Afrika, India, dan Timur Tengah, yang dijadwalkan bisa dimulai mulai 2012. Sebelumnya kantor yang sudah beroperasi antara lain di China, Jepang, Meksiko, dan Brasil.

"Kami sangat intens fokus ke Afrika … Saya takkan heran kalau kami punya tiga kantor di benua itu saat Olimpiade (2012)," tambahnya.

Stern juga mengatakan bahwa NBA akan memainkan sebuah game reguler di London sebelum ibukota Inggris menghajat Olimpiade 2012. "Mungkin di tahun 2010 atau 2011," tukasnya.

VENDETTA GIALLOROSSA

Allo stadio Olimpico di Roma,la squadra capitolina batte i campioni d'italia dell'Inter 2-1.
Intraprendente la Roma,che sfiora più volte il gol del vantaggio spinta dalla grande voglia di vendetta dei tifosi. Nei minuti finali del primo tempo,Mexes si improvvisa goleador e porta in vantaggio la squadra di casa. Nel secondo tempo, la Roma raddoppia grazie a una splendida giocata confezionata dal trio Giuly-Vucinic e Perrotta.
I campioni d'Italia non ci stanno a perdere così:negli ultimi minuti Pelè fa partire un gran tiro e porta il risultato sul 2-1. Inutili gli altri tentativi. La Roma vince la Coppa Italia e rende meno amara una stagione illusoria.