Mercenary Links Roundup for Tuesday, April 12th (below the jump).

04-12 Tuesday

Australia Housing Cracks Emerge Across Queensland Coast – Bloomberg

Economy Faces Test With End Of QE2, Rising Oil Prices, Debt Limit Fight

“Deja Vu All Over Again” – Jeff Gundlach’s Latest Set Of Contrarian Observations

Van Hoisington Eviscerates QE2: Full Q1 Review And Outlook | zero hedge

Rising Railroad Shipments Reflect Increasing Momentum in U.S. Expansion

Japan Sees Greater Hit to Economy Than First Estimated on Nuclear Crisis

Japan government downgrades economy view on earthquake | Reuters

Geiger Counters to Find Radiation in Meals May Be ‘Meaningless’ – Bloomberg

Taiwan Halts Plans to Build Atomic Reactors After Japan Crisis – Bloomberg

US deficit up 15.7% in first half of fiscal 2011

Obama Deficit Speech Will Be Lightning Rod – WSJ.com

Why Europe’s debt crisis isn’t over Brett Arends’ ROI – MarketWatch

Portugal Bailout Clouded by June General Election – NYTimes.com

California to Jolt Renewable Power – WSJ.com

When Will Fed-Created Inflation Melt-Up Turn Into A Meltdown?

Falling Commodities Spook Investors – WSJ.com

Saudis Adjust Oil Production as World Demand Fluctuates – NYTimes.com

Higher Oil Prices Are Seen Curbing Demand – WSJ.com

Higher Gas Prices Dig Into American Prosperity

BP Scrambles to Save Rosneft Deal – WSJ.com

BP’s Costly Arctic Dream – WSJ.com

Sources: Predator drone may have killed US troops – Yahoo! News

Syrian soldiers shot for refusing to fire on protesters

Pakistan Tells U.S. It Must Sharply Cut C.I.A. Activities – NYTimes.com

Pace of Attacks in Libya Conflict Is Dividing NATO – NYTimes.com

Rebels Hijack Gadhafi’s Phone Network – WSJ.com

Egypt Sentences Blogger to 3 Years – NYTimes.com

Five Stocks Top the Rest in My Elite 30-30 Club: John Dorfman – Bloomberg

Weaker Yen Lifts Tokyo – WSJ.com

Euro struggles against Swiss Franc

Strong Australia Dollar Imposes Burden on Economy, Swan Says – Bloomberg

UK housing market in ‘two-tier’ dilemma – Telegraph

Heard on the Street: U.K. Economy: Suffering From Consumption? – WSJ.com

King Wins ‘Breathing Room’ to Keep BOE Rate on Hold After Data – Bloomberg

Inflation Rate Declines in Britain – NYTimes.com

Risk Rule Riles Main Street – WSJ.com

Deutsche Bank Maneuvers Around New Capital Rules – WSJ.com

World Economic Forum Tech Study Shows U.S. Lagging – NYTimes.com

Kangaroo Meat Producers Weigh Chinese Market – NYTimes.com

India’s Tata Finds Home Hostile – WSJ.com

SAC’s Cohen Bids for Mets Stake – WSJ.com

Schneider Makes $30 Billion Tyco Bid – WSJ.com

Ceglia Presses Facebook Case, Adds Emails – WSJ.com

‘Soul Surfer’ Bethany Hamilton’s Fitness Workout – WSJ.com

Washington DC first to offer internet gambling in US

~

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April 11 (Bloomberg) - What do Apple Inc. and baseball Hall-of-Fame star Willie Mays have in common? They are both members of an elite group known as the 30-30 Club. In baseball, the club is for ballplayers

April 11 (Bloomberg) - What do Apple Inc. and baseball Hall-of-Fame star Willie Mays have in common?

Yesterday, we published the results of the staff and guest media predictions for this coming season. Today, it is the readers turn to make their voices heard. In less than 24 hours, 116 of you submitted your answers to the survey and as promised, one lucky winner was selected from that pool to receive a copy of TPR11. We used Random.org to generate a random number and the system spit out 65.

The 65th result we received came from user ZBW, so he's our winner. ZBW - email me to let me know if you want the paperback version or the PDF version. 

Without further delay, here are the results of the 2011 DRaysBay Readers Predictions Survey

How many games will the Rays win?

1. 92 games - 16.4%
2. 90 games - 12.9%
3. 89 games - 12.1%
4. 88 games - 9.5%
5. 91 games - 8.6%
6. 85 games - 7.8%
7. 87 games - 6.9%
8. 93 games - 6.9%
9. 94 games - 6.0%
10. 84 games - 2.6%
11. 97 games - 2.6%
12. More than 97 games - 2.7% (78 lowest)
13. Less than 83 games - 2.7% (100 highest)

1. Evan Longoria - 67.3%
2. Manny Ramirez - 17.3%
3. Ben Zobrist - 6.9%
4. B.J. Upton - 1.7%
5. Casey Kotchman, Dan Johnson, Elliot Johnson, Matt Joyce, Sean Rodriguez - 0.9% each

 

• Kelly Shoppach hits 15 home runs
• Rays win wild card, Price is awarded Cy Young, Sternfan1 hosts playoff party
• Dan Johnson  hits 35 homers
• Wade Davis celebrates his new contract by throwing a no-hitter
• Ben Zobrist put up a .280/.380/.430 slash line
• Sonnanstine hits 2 homers in interleague play
• Jeremy Hellickson wins the Cy Young
• Upton goes 30/30
• Rays go all the way
• Upton wins AL MVP
• Ramirez makes the all-star team
• Yankees finish 4th in the AL East
• Sean Rodriguez has a breakout season and secures full-time playing status
• Niemann has 2nd best ERA on team
• Sean Rodriguez steals 30 bases
• Manny wins team MVP
• The Rays will trade Manny and Damon for Crawford - with Boston eating the entire remaining salary of Crawford's contract
• Upton joins the 30-30 club
• Reid Brignac makes the all-star team
• Hellickson becomes the closer
• B.J's R, HR, RBI, and SB totals > Crawford's totals
• B.J. hits .305, 25 homers, 40 steals, and steals home five times including 3 for walk-off wins
• In April, Stu Sternberg announces he's selling his rights to MLB in order to purchase control of the Mets
• Hellickson wins 15 games
• Brignac will have more homers than Joyce
• New stadium deal is finalized
• Niemann's ERA will be 4.50
• Yankees finish below .500
• McGee leads the AL in saves
• Dan Johnson is released
• Elliot Johnson steals 30 bases
• Manny Ramirez is not with the team by August 1st
• Casey Kotchman is the league MVP 
• Shields wins the AL Cy Young

The Daily Caller staff went hunting this weekend and bonded over blue skies, cigars, smiles and dead birds – and a lot of them there were. At the helm was Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson, an avid hunter, who led them to a hunt club in West Virginia. Sadly, reporter (and our favorite Daily Baller) Mike Riggs did not partake in the weekend shoot.

When the partridge chose which field to seek cover in on Saturday morning, they were dead birds walking. Executive Editor Megan “Oakley” Mulligan, and Director of Business Development Peter Burns won the day, with over ten birds between them.

Guns shot by The Daily Caller family:

AK-47
AR-15
30-30 Winchester
Colt .45 semi-auto pistol
scoop 22
The judge
.22 rifle

Among those who fled to the woods on Saturday…White House reporter Jon Ward, and reporters Jeff Winkler, Alexis Levinson and Amanda Carey.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As the clock ticked toward midnight on Friday the Twitter accounts of NBA writers across the country gradually began to shift toward one topic. Kevin Love? Really? Of all the potential players to join the NBA's 30-point, 30-rebound club -- a club that hasn't seen a member since Moses Malone joined in 1982 --Love seemed like an unlikely candidate.

I don't know about you, but on draft day, I, like most, like to target hitters who can provide solid stats in 3-4 categories. The guys I like to target are the hitters who hit for power and steal some bases. Coming into 2010 drafts, Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Ryan Braun were all first round, or early second round picks due to their power/speed talents.

Well, only one of these 3 hitters went 20-20 this year, and I thought Kemp could go 30-30 this year. He didn't even go 20-20, due to his terrible SB success rate. And Braun didn't approach 20 SBs either, but I think that changes now that Ken Macha won't return in 2011. 

Here are the hitters who DID go 20-20 in 2010:

Alex Rios- CHW-21 HRs, 88 RBIs, 89 runs, 34 SBs, .284 BA

Hanley Ramirez-FLA-21 HRs, 76 RBIs, 92 runs, 32 SBs, .300 BA

Drew Stubbs-CIN-22 HRs, 77 RBIs, 91 runs, 29 SBs, .254 BA

Chris Young-ARI-27 HRs, 91 RBIs, 94 runs, 28 SBs, .257 BA

Carlos Gonzalez-COL-34 HRs, 117 RBIs, 111 runs, 26 SBs, .336 BA

Bobby Abreu-LAA-20 HRs, 78 RBIs, 86 runs, 23 SBs, .256 BA

Shin-Soo Choo-CLE-22 HRs, 90 RBIs, 81 runs, 22 SBs, .300 BA

The Mets David Wright, Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and Astros outfielder Hunter Pence all came within one or two SBs from joining the 20-20 club in 2010. And Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Shane Victorino came a few HRs shy of the 20-20 club as well.

Hanley Ramirez and Carlos Gonzalez will both be top 5-10 hitters in 2011 fantasy drafts, and should be first round picks. My concern with Hanley is that his power output has dropped in each of the last two years. Can CarGo repeat his tremendous 2010 season for fantasy owners? I think he can be a 20-20 hitter, but 30-30 may be pushing it. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if he does go 30-30 in 2011.

Bobby Abreu stole 20+ bases for the 12th straight season. Talk about consistency. He joined the 20-20 clubs for the 9th time in his career as well. Choo made the 20-20 list for the second straight season. My question is if this is the best we can expect from Choo, or can he increase his HR total in the future?

So only 7 hitters joined the 20-20 club in 2010, with 3 of the 7 hitting in the .250 BA area. Not good, but most fantasy owners may look the other way and take on the 20-20 hitters like Drew Stubbs, Chris Young and Bobby Abreu for the 20-20 potential.

Poll

Which hitter in the 2010 20-20 club is least likely to repeat in 2011?

• Stubbs
• Young
• Abreu
• Rios

  0 votes | Results

15-0

Saluting the US Open Singles Winners









Rafael Nadal Completes Career Golden Slam with US Open Win and Joins "Magnificent Seven"



15-15

Bad Ratings - Boo of the week

Seems the castastrophe that was in viewing the US Open Men's final produced horrible ratings, even worse than the Women's final. No surprise there. You had to hop from CBS to ESPN to ESPN Classic to watch the entire men's final. ESPN - next time please air the complete trophy ceremony.


30 -15

Nadal's NYC Media Tour





GVTN was on hand for Nadal's visit to Niketown




Rafael Nadal Photos From his visit to New York City%sq243%s NikeTown



Q & A at Niketown New York with Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe - GVTN Podcast


30-30

Hope Rafa Does Not Have Bed Bugs

There has been an epidemic of bedbugs in New York City recently in not just homes but stores as well and Niketown NYC has just been closed down for a few days to clean out bedbugs from the store. Nadal was just in at Niketown on Tuesday.


40-30

GVTN in Bogota for Davis Cup




Davis Cup: Fish Keeps U.S. in World Group By Junior Williams

Gracias, Bogota by Junior Williams

Bogota Bonus: Some Observations on Davis Cup by Junior Williams

Switch to Fish Completes a Winning Dish by Junior Williams

"Uncle Sam is in Trouble" - USA and Colombia at 1-1 on Day One of the Davis Cup World Group Play-offs by Junior Williams

Deuce
Qualifying for Year-End



DULKO AND PENNETTA FIRST DOUBLES TEAM TO QUALIFY FOR WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS – DOHA 2010

Melzer & Petzschner Join Top Two Doubles Teams In Qualifying For Barclays ATP World Tour Finals


Deuce
Serena Photos Ops this week



Serena made the rounds during fashion week in New York City from walking the runway to helping to announce a new non profit foundation.

Athletes Including Serena Williams Help Debut MISSION Skincare's Non-Profit Arm - The M Foundation

Ad Out

Tornado Hits Historic West Side Tennis Club

Tornado causes damage at West Side Tennis Club


Disadvantage
Spanish Ladies to Boycott Fed Cup

Maria Jose Martinez, AnabelMedina, Arancha Parra, Carla Suarez, Nuria Llagostera and LourdesDominguez have let the Spanish Tennis Federation know they won't be playing Fed Cup this year. They are upset at the reduction in prize money and the poor medical services in their own country's tourneys.



Deuce
Ins and and outs

In - Former Andy Murray coach MilesMaclagan is the new coach of Philipp Kohlschreiber

Out - of action Jie Zheng with wrist surgery - recovery anywhere from 3-6 months

Out of Quebec City - with a new baby on the way, Ashley Harkleroad

In - a second child for Anastasia Myskina

In - with another contract extension - BNP Paribas

ITF and BNP Paribas extend sponsorship through 2016

Out - of a job Richard Gasquet's coach - Gabriel Markus

In - ESPN the Magazine's Body issue - Venus Williams


Advantage Ladies



 Guangzhou - Jarmila Groth wins her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title

Game, Set. Match - Davis Cup  Round-up

WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS

 

FRANCE defeated ARGENTINA 5-0

Venue: Palais des Sports de Gerland, Lyon, France (hard - indoors)

 

Michael Llodra (FRA) d. Juan Monaco (ARG) 75 46 75 63

Gael Monfils (FRA) d. David Nalbandian (ARG) 64 26 64 63

Arnaud Clement/Michael Llodra (FRA) d. Eduardo Schwank/Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 64 75 63

Gilles Simon (FRA) d. Eduardo Schwank (ARG) 76(5) 67(6) 63

Arnaud Clement (FRA) d. Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 75 61

 

SERBIA defeated CZECH REPUBLIC 3-2

Venue: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia (hard - indoors)

 

Radek Stepanek (CZE) d. Viktor Troicki (SRB) 46 62 64 64

Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) d. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 75 62 26 76(5)

Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (CZE) d. Novak Djokovic/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) 36 61 64 61

Novak Djokovic (SRB) d. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 46 63 62 64

Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) d Radek Stepanek (CZE) 60 76(6) 64

 

Serbia rallied from a 1-2 deficit to overtake the Czech Republic. France had no problems with Argentina shutting them out. Serbia and France advance to the final which will take place in Serbia December 3-5.


World Group Play-offs


Comeback of the Weekend

INDIA defeated BRAZIL 3-2

Venue: SDAT Tennis Stadium, Chennai, India (hard – outdoors)

 

Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) d. Rohan Bopanna (IND) 67(2) 76(7) 75 46 108

Ricardo Mello (BRA) d. Somdev Devvarman (IND) 46 62 67(3) 62 64

Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes (IND) d. Marcelo Melo/Bruno Soares (BRA) 64 76(5) 61

Somdev Devvarman (IND) d. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 76(4) 40 ret. (heat)

Rohan Bopanna (IND) d. Ricardo Mello (BRA) 63 76(2) 63

Drama

USA defeated COLOMBIA 3-1

Venue: Plaza de Toros La Santamaria, Bogota, Colombia (clay – outdoors)

 

Mardy Fish (USA) d. Alejandro Falla (COL) 46 61 64 36 64

Santiago Giraldo (COL) d. Sam Querrey (USA) 62 64 75

Mardy Fish/John Isner (USA) d. Robert Farah/Carlos Salamanca (COL) 64 64 67(5) 63

Mardy Fish (USA) d. Santiago Giraldo (COL) 36 63 75 46 86

Alejandro Falla (COL) v Sam Querrey (USA)

 

AUSTRIA defeated ISRAEL 3-2

Venue: Nokia Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel (hard – indoors)

 

Dudi Sela (ISR) d. Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) 64 61 63

Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Harel Levy (ISR) 64 63 63

Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR) d. Jurgen Melzer/Alexander Peya (AUT) 76(2) 64 64

Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Dudi Sela (ISR) 64 60 63

Martin Fischer (AUT) d. Harel Levy (ISR) 26 63 60 63

SWEDEN defeated ITALY 3-2

Venue: Sparbanken Lidkoping Arena, Lidkoping, Sweden (hard – indoors)

 

Potito Starace (ITA) d. Andreas Vinciguerra (SWE) 62 62 62

Robin Soderling (SWE) d. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 61 63 62

Simon Aspelin/Robert Lindstedt (SWE) d. Simone Bolelli/Potito Starace (ITA) 57 67(0) 76(4) 63 75

Robin Soderling (SWE) d. Simone Bolelli (ITA) 63 63 63

Fabio Fognini (ITA) d. Andreas Vinciguerra (SWE) 61 63

 

Beatdowns

GERMANY defeated SOUTH AFRICA 5-0

Venue: TC Weissenhof Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany (clay – outdoors)

 

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Rik de Voest (RSA) 64 64 64

Florian Mayer (GER) d. Izak van der Merwe (RSA) 63 36 61 76(6)

Andreas Beck/Christopher Kas (GER) d. Rik de Voest/Wesley Moodie (RSA) 64 36 63 64

Andreas Beck (GER) d. Izak van der Merwe (RSA) 75 62

Florian Mayer (GER) d. Rik de Voest (RSA) 63 67(8) 62

 

KAZAKHSTAN defeated SWITZERLAND 5-0

Venue: The National Tennis Centre, Astana, Kazakhstan (hard – indoors)

 

Andrey Golubev (KAZ) d. Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 64 64 64

Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) d. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 36 61 64 16 63

Andrey Golubev/Yuriy Schukin (KAZ) d. Yves Allegro/Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 64 63 63

Andrey Golubev (KAZ) d. Michael Lammer (SUI) 63 62

Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) d. Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 62 64

ROMANIA defeated ECUADOR 5-0

Venue: Centrul National de Tenis, Bucharest, Romania (clay – outdoors)

 

Victor Hanescu (ROU) d. Ivan Endara (ECU) 62 62 62

Adrian Ungur (ROU) d. Giovanni Lapentti (ECU) 67(2) 46 63 64 61

Victor Hanescu/Horia Tecau (ROU) d. Ivan Endara/Giovanni Lapentti (ECU) 62 62 62

Victor Crivoi (ROU) d. Giovanni Lapentti (ECU) 62 64

Adrian Ungur (ROU) d. Emilio Gomez (ECU) 63 64

 

Postponement

AUSTRALIA leads BELGIUM 2-1 (play to resume at 10:00 on Monday)

Venue: Cairns Regional Tennis Centre, Cairns, Australia (hard – outdoors)

 

Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d. Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 76(4) 75 26 64

Olivier Rochus (BEL) d. Carsten Ball (AUS) 64 64 76(5)

Paul Hanley/Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d. Ruben Bemelmans/Olivier Rochus (BEL) 61 62 64

Peter Luczak (AUS) v Olivier Rochus (BEL) 4-4 suspended (due to rain)

Carsten Ball (AUS) v Ruben Bemelmans (BEL)

Zonal Ties:

EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP I SECOND ROUND PLAY-OFFS

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC defeated BELARUS 4-1

Venue: Republic Olympic Training Center for Tennis, Minsk, Belarus (hard – outdoors)

Uladzimir Ignatik (BLR) d. Martin Klizan (SVK) 76(9) 62 62

Lukas Lacko (SVK) d. Siarhei Betau (BLR) 60 64 64

Michael Mertinak/Filip Polasek (SVK) d. Uladzimir Ignatik/Max Mirnyi (BLR) 76(5) 76(6) 36 46 64

Lukas Lacko (SVK) d. Uladzimir Ignatik (BLR) 61 36 61 67(7) 64

Martin Klizan (SVK) d. Siarhei Betau (BLR) 76(2) 62

POLAND defeated LATVIA 3-2

Venue: Olympic Sports Centre, Riga, Latvia (carpet – indoors)

 

Michal Przysiezny (POL) d. Andis Juska (LAT) 63 64 64

Ernests Gulbis (LAT) d. Jerzy Janowicz (POL) 64 64 36 62

Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski (POL) d. Andis Juska/Deniss Pavlovs (LAT) 63 64 76(4)

Ernests Gulbis (LAT) d. Michael Przysiezny (POL) 67(5) 61 62 75

Jerzy Janowicz (POL) d. Karlis Lejnieks (LAT) 75 64 76(3)

AMERICAS ZONE GROUP I SECOND ROUND PLAY-OFF

 

CANADA defeated DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 4-0

Venue: Rexall Centre - Grandstand Court, Toronto, Canada (hard – outdoors)

 

Peter Polansky (CAN) d. Jhonson Garcia (DOM) 76(4) 46 63 63

Milos Raonic (CAN) d. Victor Estrella (DOM) 57 62 36 76(3) 97

Frank Dancevic/Daniel Nestor (CAN) d. Victor Estrella/Jhonson Garcia (DOM) 63 64 63

Peter Polansky (CAN) d. Victor Estrella (DOM) 61 62

Milos Raonic (CAN) v Jhonson Garcia (DOM)

 

 

ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP I SECOND ROUND PLAY-OFF

 

PHILIPPINES defeated KOREA, REP. 3-2

Venue: Chanwon Municipal Tennis Courts, Changwon, Korea, Rep. (hard – outdoors)

 

Yong-Kyu Lim (KOR) d. Treat Huey (PHI) 67(8) 62 76(7) 76(4)

Suk-Young Jeong (KOR) d. Cecil Mamiit (PHI) 06 16 63 60 62

Cecil Mamiit / Treat Huey (PHI) d. Hyun-Joon Kim/Jae-Min Seol (KOR) 63 64 64

Cecil Mamiit (PHI) d. Yong-Kyu Lim (KOR) 36 46 64 11 ret.

Treat Huey (PHI) d. Suk-Young Jeong (KOR) 75 75 63

 

EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP II THIRD ROUND

 

SLOVENIA defeated LITHUANIA 3-2

Venue: SEB Arena, Vilnius, Lithuania (hard - indoors)

 

Richard Berankis (LTU) d. Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 36 62 76(9) 64

Grega Zemlja (SLO) d. Laurynas Grigelis (LTU) 63 76(4) 63

Richard Berankis/Laurynas Grigelis (LTU) d. Grega Zemla/Luka Gregorc (SLO) 57 46 61 63 63

Grega Zemlja (SLO) d. Richard Berankis (LTU) 76(2) 64 63

Blaz Kavcic (SLO) d. Laurynas Grigelis (LTU) 64 76(4) 76(5)

 

PORTUGAL defeated BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 3-1

Venue: Centro de Tenis Do Jamor, Cruz Quebrada, Portugal (clay – outdoors)

 

Frederico Gil (POR) d. Amer Delic (BIH) 63 64 67(14) 36 97

Aldin Setkic (BIH) d. Rui Machado (POR) 64 63 16 61

Frederico Gil/Leonardo Tavares (POR) d. Amer Delic/Aldin Setkic (BIH) 61 64 46 64

Frederico Gil (POR) d. Aldin Setkic (BIH) 64 63 63

Rui Machado (POR) v Amer Delic (BIH)

 

 

AMERICAS ZONE GROUP II FINAL

 

MEXICO defeated VENEZUELA 4-0

Venue: Rafael El Pelon Osuna, Delg. Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico (clay – outdoors)

 

Daniel Garza (MEX) d. Roman Recarte (VEN) 62 62 62

Cesar Ramirez (MEX) d. Jose De Armas (VEN) 61 63 63

Bruno Rodriguez/Miguel Angel Reyes Varela (MEX) d. Jose De Armas/Piero Luisi (VEN) 76(2) 63 62

Daniel Garza (MEX) d. Luis David Martinez (VEN) 64 61

Cesar Ramirez (MEX) v Piero Luisi (VEN)

 

 

ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP II FINAL

 

NEW ZEALAND defeated THAILAND 3-2

Venue: National Tennis Development Centre (LTAT), Nontheburi, Thailand (hard – outdoors)

 

Michael Venus (NZL) d. Weerapat Doakmaiklee (THA) 63 62 76(1)

Jose Statham (NZL) d. Kittiphong Wachiramanowong (THA) 46 76(5) 61 76(2)

Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchat Ratiwatana (THA) d. Daniel King-Turner/Michael Venus (NZL) 06 67(6) 60 63 64

Kittiphong Wachiramanowong (THA) d. Michael Venus (NZL) 75 76(6) 62

Jose Statham (NZL) d. Sanchai Ratiwatana (THA) 61 64 63

 

The North American Hunting Club had this article about a classic deer hunting load for the growing class of hunters using AR style rifles.A lever-action .30-30 Winchester is an all-time classic deer rifle. But wouldn't it be cool if it shot farther, hi...

Londres.- La defensora del título de Wimbledon, la estadounidense Serena Williams, despertó a los quince minutos de comenzar la final para arrollar con su saque a la rusa Vera Zvonareva, por 6-3 y 6-2, y dejar a su rival decepcionada por su derrota, tras verse incapaz de jugar como quería en su primera asalto a un Gran Slam.

La estadounidense recogió hoy su cuarto trofeo en Wimbledon después de un duelo disputado con sus habituales pendientes largos y con una gargantilla prestada por su hermana Venus, eliminada en los cuartos de final de esta edición.

"Venus me lo dio para ganar y ahora no se lo quiero devolver", dijo Serena Williams, número uno del mundo, recién terminada su sexta final en el All England Club, donde saludó y dio las gracias a toda su familia que la seguía desde las gradas y al resto de su público.

Su imponente presencia no apareció hasta el minuto 17 de partido en el césped de la "Central", abarrotada bajo un tímido sol. Se disputaban el quinto juego, con el servicio para la estadounidense, y un 30-30 le hizo reaccionar.

Sus inconfundibles gritos empezaron a acompañar el saque en el quinto juego y así se supo en las gradas que la número uno había decidido dar rienda suelta a su poderío. Por supuesto, se llevó el punto de ese juego y continuó el combate.

En el siguiente surgió la primera opción de rotura para Serena y la compasión del público por una rusa recién estrenada en la "Catedral" de Wimbledon motivó expresiones de apoyo dirigidas a Zvonareva.

Las ganas de una jugadora que, a sus 25 años, se encontraba por primera vez a sólo un paso del título de un Gran Slam, dificultaron a Serena Williams la tarea para efectuar su primera rotura y retrasaron ese punto hasta el octavo juego.

Allí la norteamericana, que produjo 89 "aces" en todo el torneo, se vio con dos puntos de rotura pero no pudo beneficiarse de esa ventaja hasta el segundo, cuando su rival y toda la grada eran ya conscientes de lo que estaba por llegar.

Aunque en el noveno y último juego del segundo set, con el servicio para Williams, la moscovita encontró su primera ocasión de rotura, Serena Williams puso sobre la mesa su experiencia en su curtida carrera para salvar ése y todos los puntos importantes del partido.

Los únicos desaciertos que se le vieron a la defensora del título fueron varias pelotas rasas que dejó sin superar la red, sencillas para la complejidad que se le exige a una campeona y que permitieron sumar algunos bonitos puntos a la rusa.

Zvonareva felicitó a pie de pista a la campeona y sólo dedicó elogios a su contrincante de hoy. "Es una gran jugadora y una gran campeona, realmente se mereció ganar", dijo.

A punto de derramar alguna lágrima, la jugadora de 25 años, apenas salida de una grave lesión, reconoció que no pudo demostrar lo mejor de su tenis, pues no se lo permitió la gran rival que tenía delante.

"Dentro de un par de horas me daré cuenta de lo importante de estar aquí, pero ahora estoy decepcionada", expresó sin ningún reparo.

En el segundo set del partido las cosas fueron más rápidas, pues ya el sexto juego resolvió el marcador.

La superioridad de Williams se vio claro desde que en el arranque de esa manga, en el primer juego, rompió el servicio de Zvonareva. Lo volvió a hacer en el quinto, sin dejar entre medias a su contrincante beneficiarse de ninguna opción real para remontar el encuentro.

Sin embargo, la rusa, estudiante de diplomacia, no se dejó vencer en ningún momento y sacó su garra siempre que tenía algo de lo que lamentarse o de lo que alegrarse, golpeando el suelo con su raqueta, como hace habitualmente.

En ese quinto juego de la segunda manga Zvonareva salvó dos puntos de rotura que podrían haber adelantado la victoria de Williams. Aunque el nombre de la campeona se vislumbraba ya desde lo lejos, esto permitió a la número vigésimo primera en el ránking mundial -hasta ahora- evitar una derrota más amarga.

Vera Zvonareva mejorará su posición en la clasificación de la WTA al término de este torneo, pues su llegada hasta la final del Gran Slam sobre hierba le reportará una plaza entre las diez mejores tenistas, con el número nueve.

Su última adversaria en la competición, la campeona Serena Williams recogió satisfecha y con el guión aprendido un trofeo que conoce ya bastante bien después de los logrados en 2002, 2003 y 2009 y salió para firmar autógrafos a todo el que lo deseara.

Celia López

THIS WEEK IN BRITISH TENNIS FRIDAY 2^nd JULY 2010

Andy Murray reached the semi-finals of the men’s singles draw at Wimbledon before bowing out 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-4 to world No. 1 Rafael Nadal.

 

Read the Andy Murray vs. Rafael Nadal match report

 

The British No. 1 was in impressive form all week, reaching the quarter-finals without dropping a set and then coming from a set down to defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets in the last eight.

 

Catch all of the Wimbledon action ‘As It Happens’

 

It has also been a successful Wimbledon for British juniors as a British boy and British girl reached the semi-finals of their respective singles events for the first time since 1972.

 

British junior No. 1 Oliver Golding defeated world No. 1 and top seed Jason Kubler in three sets in his third round match before falling to Benjamin Mitchell in the semi-finals.

 

Read about Golding’s progression to the semi-finals

 

16 year old Laura Robson, who won Junior Wimbledon in 2008, also reached the semi-finals, before narrowly falling to Sachie Ishizu of Japan 7-5, 7-6.

 

Read the match report from Robson’s semi-final

 

Robson, ranked at 234 in the senior world rankings, came through the draw in style, winning every set until the semi-finals, including a quarter-final victory over Briton’s Tara Moore. She also put up a good fight against the No. 4 seed and world No. 3 Jelena Jankovic in the first round of the ladies’ singles before going down 6-3, 7-6.

 

In the boys’ doubles there are two British pairings in the semi-finals as Lewis Burton & George Morgan and Liam Broady & Tom Farquharson both came through their quarter-final matches today.There was also an excellent effort by Richard Gabb & Ashley Hewitt who won an epic second round match 7-6, 4-6, 16-14 against the No. 2 seeds Dzumhur & Pavic only to bow out in the last eight 6-4, 6-4.

 

In the women’s wheelchair doubles event British No. 1 Lucy Shuker has reached the final alongside her Australian partner Daniela di Toro after beating Alix-Gravellier & Griffioen 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.In the final they will meet the Dutch combination of No. 1 seeds Esther Vergeer & Sharon Walraven.

 

Follow the progress of all the British players in every event in Brit Watch

 

Wimbledon has also been a good tournament for British officials as James Keothavong has been selected to umpire the men’s doubles final and Lucy Grant will umpire the mixed doubles final. This is a big achievement for British Officiating, as the men’s doubles final has not been umpired by a British official since 2004.

 

In addition to these selections, Alison Lang was selected as the chair umpire for a ladies’ singles semi-final and Kim Craven and Fiona Edwards were selected as the chair umpires for the ladies’ doubles semi-finals. Two members of the British International Development Group, Ben Anderson and Richard Haigh, have been selected to umpire the mixed doubles semi-finals and next week Ben will be joined by Matthew Porsz as the chair umpires for the GB Davis Cup tie against Turkey. It will be their first Davis Cup tie.

 

Catch up with all the news from Wimbledon in the LTA Watch Area – The Championships

 

Away from Wimbledon at the AEGON GB Pro-Series at the Manchester Northern Club the final will be contested between Davis Cup duo and the top two seeds Jamie Baker and James Ward. In two all British semi-finals, Baker, the top seed, defeated David Rice in a very close two set match and James Ward came past Dan Evans 7-6, 6-2.

 

In the Baker match, after an exchange of breaks early on, the first set looked to be heading for a tie-break; however the 23 year old British No. 2 seized on a double fault at 30-30 to take the set on his 3^rd set point. Rice, who recovered from a set and a break down in his quarter-final, was in a similar mood for this match when he recovered from 4-1 to take the match to a tie-break. But it was Baker who took the tie-break 7-4 to close out the match 7-5 7-6(4) after 2 hours 8 minutes of play.

 

In the Dan Evans versus James Ward match, 3^rd seeded Evans took the early initiative to take a 3-1 & 5-3 first set lead. However, Ward fought back to take the set to a tie-break, which he then won 7-2. The Londoner took early control of the second set by breaking the Evans serve in the second game, and then broke twice more to win the match 7-6(2) 6-2.

 

Friday also saw the Indian pairing of Divij Sharan & Vishnu Vardhan defeat the Irish/American combination of Barry King & Ashwin Kumar 6-2, 7-5 to win the Men’s Doubles event. Having won the first set 6-2, the Indian pair had to recover from 5-4 down to win the final three games for the title.

 

In Nottingham the AEGON British Tour men’s final will be contested between the third seed, 19 year old James Turbervill from Bristol and the sixth seed, 18 year old Scott Whitbread from Loughborough. In the semi-finals Turbervill eased past Adam Thornton-Brown 6-1, 6-3 whereas Whitbread had a real battle against Chris Anguelov before winning through 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(6) .

 

The women’s final will be between the top two seeds Anna Fitzpatrick and Yasmin Clarke. Fitzpatrick, the No. 1 seed came past third seed Holly Richards 7-5, 6-3 in her semi-final whilst Clarke defeated Amy Askew 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final.

 

Next week the AEGON GB Pro-Series Tour moves to Ilkley for the ‘JM Glendinning Group International Tennis Tournament, part of the AEGON GB Pro-Series’ and the British Tour event in Felixstowe begins.

 

Catch up with the latest draw sheets and results in the LTA News area.

 

On the men’s senior tour in Bologna, Italy, Morgan Phillips reached the semi-finals of the ITF $10k event. Playing with Andrea Arnaboldi of Italy they lost out to Italians Capone and Viola 6-1, 6-4 in the last four. Phillips is on good form having also won a title in Aosta last week.

 

At the ATP Futures event in Gausdal, Norway, Alex Ward is into the quarter-finals after a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win against world No. 641 Carl Bergman of Sweden in round two. He now plays Fabrice Martin of France, the eighth seed, for a semi-final spot.

 

Ward has been named as a reserve in the AEGON GB squad ahead of their Davis Cup tie against Turkey next weekend in Eastbourne. The AEGON GB Davis Cup team to face Turkey in the tie at Devonshire Park, Eastbourne from the 9^th-11^th July, will be Jamie Baker, James Ward, Colin Fleming, and Ken Skupski, with Alex Ward as the reserve.

 

Read about the Davis Cup team announcement by captain Leon Smith

If you're enjoying the grass court tennis why not show your support for team GB against Turkey in Eastbourne. With every adult ticket a junior (16U) gets in free.

Read about the Davis Cup ticket details and buy yours now

In the women’s event in Gausdal Lisa Whybourn is also into the quarter-finals of the singles. The Briton, who is the top seed, is yet to drop more than three games in any set and next plays fifth seed Victoria Larriere of France in the last eight.

 

In the doubles in Norway there is a guaranteed title coming to a British player as Whybourn has teamed up with Nicola George to reach the final where they will take on Mhairi Brown, from Edinburgh, and her partner Karen Barbat of Denmark.

Elsewhere, on the junior tour, at the ITF Grade 4 in Tunisia, James Hignett is into the boys' doubles semi-finals. Playing with Kamil Khalil of Lebanon the third seeds now face Damian (ROU) & Faber (CRO) for a place in the final.

At the ITF Grade 4 in Germany Joshua Ward-Hibbert and his Dutch partner Dean Tjin-A-Ton are into the boys' doubles quarter-finals. They are the only non-German team in the last eight and will play Hobgarski & Schmitz for a semi-final place.

There is another British semi-finalist in a boys’ doubles event as Samuel Williams is in the last four at the ITF Grade 5 in Denmark. Playing with Christopher Heyman of Belgium they now face the Swedish fourth seeds in their semi-final. Alexandra Clark reached the quarter-finals of the girls’ singles at the same tournament before falling 6-1, 6-3 to the Danish No. 2 seed Cecilie Lundgaard.

On the Tennis Europe tour at the 14U tournament in Kyst, Denmark, Natalie Syme is into the girls' doubles final. Playing with Margaux Deagostini of Switzerland they defeated the top seeds in the semi-final by virtue of a final set match tie-break victory 10-8. In the final they meet the No. 2 seeds from Belgium Kempen & Van Der Sypt.

At the Tennis Europe 14U tournament in The Netherlands Ceire Mullins has reached the girls' doubles quarter-finals. Playing with Alessandra Gisonna of Italy they now play home favourites Basten & Verwerda for a place in the semi-finals.

In Latvia, at the Tennis Europe 14U tournament, Joshua Paris & Lucas Taylor reached the boys' doubles semi-final before narrowly losing out to the Polish second seeds Dembek & Zielinski in a final set match tie-break, going down 3-6, 6-4, 10-8. Both India Sanders and Joshua Paris reached the quarter-finals of their respective singles events in Latvia and Sanders also reached the same stage in the doubles event before bowing out to the Russian second seeds.

Read more on junior tennis in GB through Junior Watch

LA Dodgers defeat LA Angels 10-6. Dear Jesus Lord the Dodgers and Angels play never-ending games. After manager Joe Torre reported went on a tirade after Wednesday night’s awful loss, the Dodgers seemed to be revived using a five-run fourth inning to help them get their first win over the Angels this season. After the Dodgers ran themselves out of the game last night, the Angels had their turn tonight with runners getting picked off left and right including your run of the mill 1-4-3-2-5 pick off. A bank of lights went out in the seventh inning delaying the game for 18 minutes, but that’s no excuse for the game ending past 11 pm. Jeff Weaver got the win for the Dodgers and Angels starter Scott Kazmir was tagged for the loss.

NOTABLE NOTES

• CLASSIC IN LONDON. A list of endurance sports would probably include running marathons, participating in a triathlon or being subjugated to The Hills marathon. But until American John Isner’s and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut’s epic 11 hour, five minute classic at Wimbledon that finally saw an end on Thursday, tennis normally wouldn’t be included in that list.

  
  On Tuesday at 6:18 pm London Time when the first round match began, nothing seemed to be out of ordinary. The 23rd seeded Isner despite not having won a match on the grass courts of the All England Club was expected to advance over the qualifier Mahut who went 24-22 in the last set of his second-round qualifier match. As the sun was setting that Tuesday night Isner won the fourth-set tiebreaker and at 9:07 London Time it was decided to suspend the game.

  So everyone came back to Court 18 Wednesday 2:05 pm London Time to begin the fifth and deciding set. Since the US Open is the only Grand Slam that uses a tie break, the winner would have to win by two games in order to win the match. With hindsight this should have been foreseen since neither player had broken since Mahut did it earlier in the second set. So on and on they went. Serve, return in the net, repeat. It didn’t make for beautiful tennis by any means. But by 20-20 it had become a spectacle. However the magnitude of the spectacle was then unknown.

  They went on and on. Hardly a chirp from either player complaining about calls despite replay unable to be used (the technology is only deployed on Centre Court and Court 1, the big show courts on the premises.) There were no bathroom breaks and no gamesmanship with calling out a trainer. Simply it became an endurance match between two players who displayed the best in sportsmanship.

  At 47-47 the scoreboard froze.

  At 58-58 they finally took a bathroom break, but by then they had already eclipsed the longest tennis match in history and most aces in a match.

  Finally at 59-59 at 9:13 pm they suspended the game yet again.

  So at 3:40 pm they returned and continued much of the same. Serve, botched return, repeat. Just to spice things up they would toss in an ace, but it was hardly exciting tennis.

  With Isner leading 69-68 and Mahut serving, there was no indication this would be the game that would end things. But a poor drop shot by Mahut made it 15-30 and got people wondering. Mahut calmed things down with a volley winner to make it 30-30. But Isner whose forehand came alive in the final hour of the previous day hit a forehand winner for his fifth match point. And unlike the four other match points, Isner hit a backhand down the line to win it.

  
  John Isner and Nicolas Mahut posing in front of the scoreboard after their historic match. AP Photo/Alastair Grant

  The official score for Isner was 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68. But in between all of that were 980 points, 711 in the fifth set alone. Actually Mahut led Isner in total points 502-478 and in fifth set points 365-346. But at the end Isner stood victorious with his first victory at Wimbledon. And most importantly Isner will on to the second round to face Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands on Friday.

• NBA DRAFT. The Clippers picked Al-Farouq Aminu with the eighth pick of the first round, a strong forward from Wake Forest University and point guard Willie Warren in the second round. The Lakers selected forwards Devin Ebanks of West Virginia and Derrick Caracter of UTEP in the second round. But I guess the Clippers are also going to get 18th pick Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for a future first round pick.

TONIGHT’S ACTION

NY Yankees (45-27) at LA Dodgers (39-33). CC Sabathia (8-3, 3.68 ERA) vs. Vicente Padilla (1-1, 6.67 ERA). 7:10 pm FS Prime Ticket, AM 790 KABC.

Colorado Rockies (38-34) at LA Angels (41-34). Jeff Francis (2-2, 3.43 ERA) vs. Jered Weaver (7-3, 3.04 ERA). 7:05 pm FSWest, AM 830 KLAA.

This is all fun and games, as I have given up sports gambling since moving from Las Vegas. If you are going to gamble, remember a few things:

 

1. Don't pick your own team to win (we are all homers.)

2. Watch out for hooks (a push is better then a loss)

3. Five picks should be your maximum for any parlay.

 

Here are five MLB picks for Friday, June 11th 2010.

 

1005 ET: Seattle Mariners (+131) @ San Diego Padres (-141)

Over/Under: 6.5

The opening games of an inter-league match-up between the two west coast clubs. Seattle (23-37) has lost three straight and gave up 31 runs during those defeats to Texas.

San Diego (35-25) returns home after a cross-country flight Thursday night after losing to the Mets 0-3.  Lefty Jason Vargas (4-2, 3.06 ERA) will meet right-handed pitcher Kevin Correia (5-4, 5.03 ERA).  

Seattle has gone 10-1 in their last eleven meetings with the Padres in San Diego and lost two of three to the Padres earlier in the 2010 season.  

Correia is 3-0 with a 6.59 ERA during his last three starts, including 8.7 in run support. 

Free Pick: Seattle to win as an underdog. The Mariners don't want to lose four straight and who doesn't want to be in San Diego? 

 

7:05: Pittsburgh Pirates (+225) @ Detroit Tigers (-245)

Over/Under: Eight

The Detroit Tigers return home after a six game road trip for an inter-league contest with Pittsburgh.  

The Pirates have lost five straight , and will send Ross Ohlendorf (0-3, 4.30 ERA) to the mound.  With Ohlendorf starting, the club is 1-10 on the road. Right handed veteran Justin Verlander (6-4, 3.65 ERA) gets the start for Detroit which are 11-4 during his last fifteen starts.  

During there last three starts, Ohlendorf has received 2.3 in run supports, and Verlander has been backed with 2.7.  

The Pirates are 9-22 on the road in 2010, and 23-37 overall. 

Free Pick: Even though it doesn't pay well, I am going with the Tigers and Verlander.

 

9:10 ET: Toronto Blue Jays (+175) @ Colorado Rockies (-190)

Over/Under: Seven

The Blue Jays travel west to Coors Field in what should be the best pitching match-up of the day. Lefty Ricky Romero (5-2, 3.06 ERA) will face Colorado ace Ubaldo Jiminez (11-1, 0.93 ERA).

Colorado has lost three straight and Toronto defeated Tampa Bay yesterday.  

The under is 7-2 in Toronto's last nine on grass and the under is 7-1 in Colorado's last eight as the favorite.

The Rockies totaled nine runs in there last three games, and Toronto scored four over there last three.

Toronto is 34-27 in 2010, and 17-13 on the road. Colorado is 16-12 at home and 30-30 on the season.

Free Pick: A low over/under at seven, but great pitching will keep the game under.

 

10:10 ET: Los Angeles Angles (+153) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (-163)

Over/Under: Eight

The Angels return to Los Angeles for a road game after spending the last 11 days away.

Chad Billingsley (6-3, 3.80 ERA) will start for the Dodgers against Joel Pineiro (46, 5.23 ERA) of the Angels. Over the last three games, Pineiro is 1-1 with a 5.85 ERA and an average of six runs in support.  

Billingsley's has gone 1-1 with a 4.19 ERA and an average of 5.3 in run support. The over is 4-1 during the teams last five meetings. The Angels are 7-2 during there last nine games and the Dodgers are 23-7 in there last thirty overall. 

Free Pick: Both teams are playing well, and both pitchers get run support. The over.

 

7:05 ET: New York Mets (+105) @ Baltimore Orioles (-115)

Over/Under: Nine 

The Mets follow a victory over San Diego to meet the Orioles for the opening game of the inter-league series.  

The Mets have won seven of their last 10, and the Orioles are 6-25 at home with an overall record of 17-43.

Two right handed pitchers will meet as the Mets R.A. Dickey (3-0, 3.20 ERA) takes on Jeremy Guthrie (3-6, 3.71 ERA).  Dickey has received an average of 7.3 in run support over the past three games with a 3-0 record.  

Baltimore is 2-6 in their last eight as the favorite, and the under is 6-1-1 in the Mets last eight overall. 

Free Pick: The Orioles as the favorite, go with the Mets. 

Odds are due to change and courtesy of Las Vegas Hilton

 

One of the benefits the Washington Redskins get after acquiring Donovan McNabb is an direct insight from him on which players he feels a comfort zone with. Complying to this opinion may help the team have an inside edge on re-signing the veteran who will be a free agent at the conclusion of the season.



There is perhaps no player in McNabb's pro career who has sat in this comfort zone better than Brian Westbrook. The 30 year old running back is hoping to play a ninth season after being cut by the Philadelphia Eagles at the conclusion of 2009 after having spent his entire career in the backfield beside McNabb. The two know each other better than most backfield mates in the NFL.



Westbrook is a small back, standing 5'8", who has battled injuries virtually every year of both his professional and collegiate career. When healthy, he is dynamic and especially dangerous in the passing game. He is one of only seven players in NFL history to have at least 30 rushing touchdowns and 25 receiving touchdowns in a career. With 29 touchdown catches, he is one away from the rarefied air of the "30-30 club".



Westbrook also was born in Washington D.C. and is was a star at DeMatha High School, which has helped develop innumerous professional athletes. This includes his younger brother, Byron Westbrook, who is entering his fourth season as a cornerback for the Redskins.



One thing the Redskins have done this offseason is stuff their roster with running backs most pundits considered washed up. Incumbent Clinton Portis is now joined by veterans Larry Johnson and Willie Parker. Graybeards by NFL standards at the position, and both Portis and Parker have been battling injuries themselves the last few years.



None of the trio are considered excellent receiving backs, so their offering Westbrook a contract says that the role of third down back is unfilled. Though he has yet to agree to terms, Westbrook can clearly see the role the Redskins have planned for him. One of few carries and many receptions. With Johnson recently seen working on the teams short yardage unit, carries will be scarce regardless.



Critics are wondering why the team is so intent on getting guys with seemingly bald and flat tires for the 2010 season. It seems dubious any of these men will be able to carry the load at this junction of their careers, and there are questions if any will stay healthy an entire season.



There is no truth to the rumor that the team has placed feelers to Redskins legends John Riggins nor Larry Brown to see what they have left. Though the paychecks might be bigger than what either received as players, it is doubtful either will be tempted to run behind an offensive line full of questions at every position.



It appears Westbrook may be weighing his options, though no other teams have reportedly even offered him a chance to workout for them. Considering he has never played a full season his entire career, it is dubious that he will get a better offer than what the Redskins are currently presenting to him.



The familiarity with McNabb also has to be a major factor, as the two will know where each other are on virtually every play as they have most of their careers. If healthy, Westbrook could get thrown to upwards to 50 times on a team that has a wide receiver corps that most experts deem the weakest in the NFC East.



There is also a chance the other three running backs get injured or are ineffective, thus thrusting Westbrook back in the role of featured back. There are few teams left in the league he has this opportunity, so it will be interesting to see if the two-time Pro Bowler comes home to reunite with his brother, McNabb, and his hometown.

Featured matches

No. 2 Rafael Nadal (ESP) v No. 24 Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)

No. 3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) v Robby Ginepri (USA)

No. 7 Fernando Verdasco (ESP) v No. 19 Nicolas Almagro (ESP)

No. 22 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) v (Q) Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS)




 NO. 2 RAFAEL NADAL (ESP) v NO. 24 THOMAZ BELLUCCI (BRA)

Head-to-head: Nadal leads 1-0
2008   Roland Garros   Clay (O)   R128   Nadal   75 63 61

This is the only men’s match in the round of 16 between 2 left-handed players. In total, 4 of the 14 left-handers to start the tournament have reached this stage.

Nadal and Bellucci are two of 5 men to reach the round of 16 who have won a clay court title in 2010, alongside Fernando Verdasco, Stanislas Wawrinka and Mikhail Youzhny.

NADAL   v   BELLUCCI

23*   Age   22
2   ATP Ranking   29
39   Titles   2
102-17   Career Grand Slam Record   7-7
34-1   Roland Garros Record   3-2
435-95   Career Record   50-46
199-16   Career Record - Clay   35-21
34-4   2010 Record   25-12
18-0   2010 Record - Clay   19-7
12-3   Career Five-Set Record   1-2
3   Comebacks from 0-2 Down   0
101-73   Career Tiebreak Record   22-17
4-4   2010 Tiebreak Record   3-5
Nadal turns 24 on 3 June

NADAL defeated wild card Gianni Mina 62 62 62, Horacio Zeballos 62 62 63 and No. 28 seed Lleyton Hewitt 63 64 63 to book his place in the round of 16.

Nadal is one of 5 male players to reach the round of 16 without dropping a set. This is the 8th time he has achieved this feat at a Grand Slam.

Nadal is bidding to reach the quarterfinals for the 14th time in his last 16 Grand Slams, dating back to 2006 Roland Garros (NB: he missed 2009 Wimbledon through injury).

Nadal is one of 3 Spanish men to reach the round of 16 here, the highest representation of any nation.

Nadal is one victory away from recording his 200th career win on clay. He is currently in 40th place on the list of all-time Open Era clay court wins, which is led by Guillermo Vilas (631-159). For active players, he is in 4th place.

Clay court wins (active players)
Carlos Moya   337-143
Juan Carlos Ferrero   230-81
Gaston Gaudio   211-109
Rafael Nadal   199-16
Tommy Robredo   188-81

If Nadal wins, he will be playing an all-Spanish quarterfinal against either No. 7 seed Fernando Verdasco or No. 19 seed Nicolas Almagro. It would be the first quarterfinal between two Spanish male players at Roland Garros since Nadal defeated Almagro in 2008.

Nadal (23 years, 11 months) became the 3rd youngest player to reach 100 Grand Slam wins – after Bjorn Borg (23 years, 2 months) and Mats Wilander (23 years, 9 months) – following his 1st round victory over Mina. In total, 21 players have won 100 matches or more at Grand Slams.

Nadal has won 6 Grand Slams titles, having been crowned champion at Roland Garros (2005-08), Wimbledon (2008) and Australian Open (2009).

Nadal is playing at his 6th successive Roland Garros and 24th Grand Slam overall.

Last year, Nadal lost his first ever match here in the round of 16, losing to Robin Soderling 62 67 64 76.  This is his only defeat to date in a best-of-five set match on clay.

Nadal is bidding to become just the second man in history to win 5 or more Roland Garros titles, after Bjorn Borg.

Roland Garros title leaders
Bjorn Borg   6 (1974-75, 1978-81)
Henri Cochet   4 (1926, 1928, 1930, 1932)
Rafael Nadal   4 (2005-08)


Nadal owns 28 clay court titles, placing him joint 5th on the list for most tournament victories on clay in the Open Era.

Nadal has won 3 titles on clay in 2010, triumphing at Monte Carlo-1000, Rome-1000 and Madrid-1000. His win at Madrid saw him claim the record for the most ATP-1000 titles with 18.

ATP-1000 title leaders
Rafael Nadal   18
Andre Agassi   17
Roger Federer   16

Nadal has been coached by his uncle Toni since the age of 4.

BELLUCCI advanced to the round of 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time after overcoming Michael Llodra 64 62 62, qualifier Pablo Andujar 16 63 26 64 62 and No. 14 seed Ivan Ljubicic 76 62 64.

Bellucci is the first Brazilian male player to reach the round of 16 at a Grand Slam since Gustavo Kuerten was a quarterfinalist at 2004 Roland Garros.

Bellucci is the No. 24 seed at Roland Garros. It is the first time he has been seeded at a Grand Slam.

If Bellucci wins, we will face either No. 7 seed Fernando Verdasco or No. 19 seed Nicolas Almagro. He has never previously defeated either player.

Bellucci’s victory over Ljubicic was just his 2nd win in 16 attempts against Top 20 opposition. He has never defeated a Top 10 player.

This is Bellucci’s 3rd straight Roland Garros and 8th Grand Slam. Previously, he had not won a match here, but had reached the 2nd round at the other 3 majors.

With 19 match wins in 2010, Bellucci is 4th on the list of male players to have won the most clay court matches this season.

Clay court leaders in 2010
David Ferrer   29-6
Fernando Verdasco   21-5
Juan Carlos Ferrero   20-5
Thomas Bellucci   19-7
Rafael Nadal   18-0

In 2010, Bellucci won his second career title at Santiago, defeating Juan Monaco 62 06 64 in the final. His first tournament victory was at 2009 Gstaad. Both titles were recorded on clay.

Bellucci is coached by Joao Zwetsch.

 NO. 3 NOVAK DJOKOVIC (SRB) v ROBBY GINEPRI (USA)

Head-to-head: Djokovic leads 4-0
2005   Roland Garros   Clay (O)   R128   Djokovic     60 60 63
2007   AMS Indian Wells   Hard (O)   R64   Djokovic   64 64
2007   Vienna   Hard (I)   R32   Djokovic   63 64
2008     Beijing Olympics   Hard (O)   R64   Djokovic   64 64

DJOKOVIC   v   GINEPRI

23   Age   27
3   ATP Ranking   98
17   Titles   3
73-20   Career Grand Slam Record   30-30
20-5   Roland Garros Record   6-7
292-96   Career Record   175-179
82-29   Career Record - Clay   12-31
24-7   2010 Record   4-7
11-3   2010 Record - Clay   3-2
9-4   Career Five-Set Record   6-7
1   Comebacks from 0-2 Down   1
102-59   Career Tiebreak Record   67-83
4-6   2010 Tiebreak Record   3-4

DJOKOVIC defeated Evgeny Korolev 61 36 61 63, Kei Nishikori 61 64 64 and No. 31 seed Victor Hanescu 63 36 63 62 to reach the round of 16 at Roland Garros for the 4th time.

Djokovic is playing his 6th Roland Garros. His best performances here have been semifinal finishes in 2007 and 2008. Last year, he reached the 3rd round (l. Philipp Kohlschreiber).

Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open title, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 46 64 63 76 in the final. He also recorded a runner-up finish at the 2007 US Open. This is his 22nd consecutive Grand Slam appearance. He is one of 6 players into the round of 16 that have contested each of the last 20 Grand Slams from the 14 to start in the men’s draw.

Djokovic is one of 3 former Grand Slam champions at this year’s Roland Garros from the 6 to start to reach the men’s round of 16, along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic’s only title so far in 2010 was won on hard courts at Dubai. This was his 17th career victory, which places him in 7th place on the active player list of tournament champions. The all-time list is led by Jimmy Connors (109).

In the lead-up to this year’s Roland Garros, Djokovic played three clay court events, reaching the semifinals at Monte Carlo-1000 (l. Fernando Verdasco), and quarterfinals at Rome-1000 (l. Fernando Verdasco) and Belgrade (l. Filip Krajinovic).

On his way to winning the 2008 Australian Open title, Djokovic became the youngest male player in the Open Era to reach the semifinals at all four Grand Slams. In 2007, he was a semifinalist at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and runner-up at the US Open.

Djokovic has won 6 of his last 7 five-set matches. His only defeat during this run, which dates back to 2006, was a quarterfinal loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at this year’s Australian Open.

Djokovic has a 24-6 win-loss record against Americans and has never lost to an American on clay.

If Djokovic reaches the quarterfinals he will face No. 22 Jurgen Melzer or qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili. He holds a 2-0 lead over Melzer and has never played Gabashvili.

In 2006, Djokovic was named ATP Most Improved Player.

Djokovic has been coached by Marian Vajda since June 2006. His wider team includes physios Milan Amanovic and Gebhard Phil-Gritsch.

GINEPRI defeated No. 18 seed Sam Querrey 46 76 64 62, Potito Starace 36 64 63 63 and No. 16 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero 75 63 36 26 64 to progress to the round of 16 for the first time in 2 years.

Ginepri’s 3rd round win over Juan Carlos Ferrero was the first time an American defeated a Spaniard in five sets here since Pete Sampras overcame Sergei Bruguera in 1996. It was also the first time an American knocked out a former Roland Garros champion here since Vince Spadea defeated Albert Costa in the 1st round in 2005.

Ginepri is making his 8th appearance at Roland Garros. By reaching the round of 16, he has equalled his best performance, which he also achieved in 2008 (l. Fernando Gonzalez). He lost in the 1st round on his six other appearances.

Ginepri’s best Grand Slam performance was a semifinal finish at the 2005 US Open, losing to Andre Agassi 64 57 63 46 63. He is making his 31st singles appearance at a major.

Ginepri has won three career titles, with his most recent victory coming at 2009 Indianapolis. He has never won a clay court title.

Ginepri’s 3 victories at Roland Garros are his only clay court wins this year. He lost in the 1st round of the Bordeaux Challenger and lost both his matches as part of the USA team that reached the final at last week’s ATP World Team Championships (l. Argentina 2-1).

Ginepri is the only male player from USA to reach this year’s Roland Garros round of 16 from the 11 to start.

Ginepri has never defeated a Top 3 opponent in 14 attempts. The highest ranked players that he has defeated were No. 4 seeds Andy Roddick and Marat Safin in 2005.

If Ginepri advances to the quarterfinals he will face either qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili or No. 22 seed Jurgen Melzer. Ginepri hasn’t lost to either potential opponent, having defeated Gabashvili in their only previous meeting (2007 US Open) and Melzer in each of their four encounters.

Ginepri does not currently have a coach. His fitness trainer is Jamie Gabel.



 NO. 7 FERNANDO VERDASCO (ESP) v NO. 19 NICOLAS ALMAGRO (ESP)

Head-to-head: Verdasco leads 3-0
2005   Stuttgart     Clay (O)   R64   Verdasco   76(4) 60
2007   Kitzbuhel   Clay (O)   R16   Verdasco   62 76(6)
2009   Roland Garros   Clay (O)   R32   Verdasco   62 76(4) 76(8)

VERDASCO   v   ALMAGRO

26   Age   24
9   ATP Ranking   21
5   Titles   5
55-27   Career Grand Slam Record   27-22
14-6   Roland Garros Record   12-6
272-182   Career Record   169-131
115-66   Career Record - Clay   129-77
33-9   2010 Record   27-13
21-5   2010 Record - Clay   18-9
11-8   Career Five-Set Record   7-7
2   Comebacks from 0-2 Down   1
98-101   Career Tiebreak Record   61-81
12-9   2010 Tiebreak Record   13-5

VERDASCO defeated Igor Kunitsyn 64 62 62, Florent Serra 62 62 06 64 and No. 30 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 26 63 63 67 64 to reach the round of 16 for the 4th straight year.

Verdasco is bidding for a place in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for first time. He is playing his 7th successive Roland Garros.

Verdasco is one of 4 male left-handers through to the round of 16 from the 14 to start.

Verdasco is one of 6 players to reach the men’s round of 16 here who has played in each of the last 20 Grand Slams. In total, this is his 28th consecutive appearance at a major.

Verdasco became one of 11 men to have won a clay court title this year by triumphing at Barcelona, defeating Robin Soderling 63 46 63 in the final. Only 5 of the 2010 clay court title holders have made it to the round of 16. This was his 5th career title and 3rd on clay.

In 2010, he also won the title at San Jose on hard courts (d. Andy Roddick) and finished runner-up at Monte Carlo-1000 (l. Rafael Nadal) and Nice (l. Richard Gasquet).

Verdasco’s best Grand Slam performance is a semifinal finish at the 2009 Australian Open, losing to Rafael Nadal 67 64 76 67 64.

If Verdasco advances to the quarterfinals he will face either Thomaz Bellucci or Rafael Nadal. Verdasco holds a 2-0 lead over Bellucci but has never defeated Nadal in 10 previous meetings.

In 2009, Verdasco reached at least the round of 16 at all four Grand Slams. The only other players to achieve this were Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

Verdasco is coached by the Adidas team.

ALMAGRO defeated Robin Haase 64 36 46 76 64, Steve Darcis 63 60 75 and Alexandr Dologopolov 63 63 64 to reach the round of 16.

This is Almagro’s 7th Roland Garros and 23rd Grand Slam. His best result here – and at a Grand Slam - is a quarterfinal finish in 2008 (l. Rafael Nadal). Almagro is one of 6 men through to the round of 16 here who have played in each of the last 20 majors.

This year, Almagro’s best result is a semifinal finish at Madrid-1000 (l. Rafael Nadal).

Almagro has 5 career titles, all of which have come on clay. His most recent tournament victory came at 2009 Acapulco (d. Gael Monfils).

Almagro has lost 10 of his last 11 meetings against Top 10 opposition. His most recent victory came over No. 7 Robin Soderling at 2010 Madrid-1000.

Spanish men have won 8 of the 14 claycourt titles on offer this year. Almagro is one of 3 Spaniards into the round of 16 here, all 3 Spanish players are in the bottom half of the draw.

Almagro will face either Thomaz Bellucci or Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals if he wins today. Almagro defeated Bellucci in their only previous meeting but trails Nadal 6-0.

Almagro lost to Stanislas Wawrinka, who also reached the round of 16 here, in the boys’ singles semifinals at 2003 Roland Garros.

Almagro has been coached by Jose Perlas since September 2009. He has been with his fitness trainer Martin Gonzalez for over 10 years.




 NO. 22 JURGEN MELZER (AUT) v (Q) TEIMURAZ GABASHVILI (RUS)

Head-to-head: first meeting

MELZER   v   GABASHVILI

29   Age   25
27   ATP Ranking   114
2   Titles   0
34-31   Career Grand Slam Record   6-11
11-7   Roland Garros Record   4-2
224-209   Career Record   48-89
88-71   Career Record - Clay   18-30
23-12   2010 Record   4-6
9-4   2010 Record - Clay   3-2
8-10   Career Five-Set Record   2-1
0   Comebacks from 0-2 Down   0
89-96   Career Tiebreak Record   23-24
6-8   2010 Tiebreak Record   1-4

MELZER is making his debut in the round of 16 at a Grand Slam, having defeated Dudi Sela 75 62 64, wild card Nicolas Mahut 61 36 76 64 and No. 9 seed David Ferrer 64 60 76.

Melzer is the first Austrian male player to reach the round of 16 at Roland Garros since Stefan Koubek in 1999. He is bidding to become the first Austrian to reach the men’s quarterfinals here since Thomas Muster in 1998.

Melzer has never lost to a qualifier at a Grand Slam. He has a 2-0 record, having defeated Jesse Levine at 2008 Wimbledon and Andres Beck at the 2009 Australian Open.

At 29, Melzer is the oldest player remaining in the men’s draw.

Melzer is seeded No. 22 at Roland Garros. This is the highest Grand Slam seeding of his career.

Melzer is one of 4 left-handed men to reach the round of 16 here, alongside Rafael Nadal, Thomaz Bellucci and Fernando Verdasco. There were 14 at the start of the tournament.

If Melzer wins, he will face either No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic or Robby Ginepri. He has failed to defeat either player in 6 previous attempts.

This is Melzer’s 8th Roland Garros. Last year, he reached the 3rd round here, losing to Gael Monfils 62 46 63 61.

Melzer is making his 32nd appearance at a Grand Slam. Before this campaign, his best performance was reaching the 3rd round, which he had achieved at all 4 majors.

Melzer played 4 clay court tournaments before coming here. His best result on clay this year is a quarterfinal finish at Madrid (l. Nicolas Almagro).

Melzer’s 2 career titles were won on clay at 2006 Bucharest (d. Filippo Volandri) and on hard court at 2009 Vienna (d. Maric Cilic).

In 2009, Melzer was one of only 2 players, alongside Tommy Robredo, to finish the season ranked inside the world’s Top 30 in both singles and doubles.

As a junior, Melzer was crowned the boys’ singles champion at 1999 Wimbledon, and also won the boys’ doubles title at the 1999 Australian Open (with Kristian Pless).

Melzer has been coached by Joachim Nystrom since November 2007.

Qualifier GABASHVILI is making his first appearance in the round of 16 at a Grand Slam, having defeated Daniel Koellerer 62 62 61, qualifier Grega Zemlja 63 61 61 and No. 6 seed Andy Roddick 64 64 62.

Gabashvili is the first male qualifier to reach the round of 16 at Roland Garros since Martin Vassallo Arguello in 2006. He is also the first man to achieve this feat here without losing a set since Marcelo Filippini in 1999.

Gabashvili is one of 5 male players to reach the round of 16 without dropping a set. He had never previously won a match in straight sets at a Grand Slam.

At No. 114 in the world, Gabashvili is the lowest ranked player remaining in the men’s draw.

If Gabashvili wins, he will play either No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic or Robby Ginepri. He has never faced Djokovic and lost his only previous match against Ginepri at the 2007 US Open.

This is the first time in 2010 that Gabashvili has won back-to-back matches at tour-level. His best performances this year had previously come on the Challenger circuit, having reached the semifinals at Saint Brieuc, San Remo and Biella.

Gabashvili is playing at Roland Garros for the 3rd time, having lost in the 2nd round (2009) and 1st round (2007). He is making his 12th appearance at a major.

Gabashvili’s best career performances at tour-level have been quarterfinal finishes, which he has achieved 7 times.

In 2008, Gabashvili finished the season ranked No. 65, the only time he has achieved a year-end ranking inside the Top 100.

Gabashvili is coached by Francisco Roig and Alvaro Margets from Barcelona Total Tennis Club.

©Kourtin' Karen's Tennis News Scoreboard - Week Ending April 25, 2010



0-15
Banged  Up From Fed Cup


Reuters

Kim Clijsters will be out up to six weeks with torn muscle in left foot suffered from her match against Maret Ani

Justine Henin broke her pinky in practice when attempting to catch a speeding tennis ball.


15-15
"Trains, planes and automobiles" Award...



goes to Jelena Jankovic. Her trip back home from the US took her from Tampa to Atlanta to Tel Aviv to Larnaca to Belgrade. That's a ton of frequent flyer miles!


30-30
Baby-Daddy, Baby Momma News?

Feliciano Lopez and Girlfriend Maria Jose Suarez Expecting a Child ?

Russian press is reporting that Anastasia Myskina is expecting her second child.





30-40
Say no to the "Holly Hobbie" outfits


Anyone notice a striking resemblance between the US Fed Cup team's dinner outfits and the Holly Hobbie doll dresses?

Official Fed Cup Dinner

Deuce
Splitsville

Leizel Huber officially announced that she and Cara Black have parted ways as a doubles team. From her Fed Cup blog on USTA.com :"Cara Black and I are taking a mutual break from being exclusive doubles partners. Do not be surprised to see us playing with each other or with someone else in the next couple of months. It was not an easy decision.We have had a great partnership and we are appreciative of all the fan support."


Advantage 700 Club and Elite Club

Mark Knowles notched his 700 win in doubles last week. Other members of the doubles "700" win club include Todd Woodbridge, Daniel Nestor, Sherwood Stewart and Jonas Bjorkman.

Serena Williams also set a milestone. She became only the seventh player to reach 100 weeks at number one in the history of  the WTA Tour

Deuce
Arrivederci Roma and Potpourri

Withdrawals from the Rome Masters this week include Andy Roddick, Fernando Gonzalez, Juan Martin Del Potro and Nico Davydenko.

NotesFrom "The Championships" (Wimbledon) Press Conference

KaterinaSevcikova and Nikita Kryvonos Win USTA Eastern Section QualifyingTournament

Hewitt to play Davis Cup in Brisbane

Tretorn®and ATP Renew Partnership

USTA TO CONDUCT PLAYER DEVELOPMENT TENNIS CAMP IN CONJUNCTION WITH FED CUPBY BNP SEMIFINAL

Advantage Sisyphus

Sisyphus match of the week award goes to the Elena Dementieva - Melanie Oudin match from the USA vs Russia Fed Cup. In Greek mythology Sisyphus was a king punished by being cursed to roll a huge boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this over and over for eternity.  Well this match felt like the boulder constantly rolling back down and felt as though no one wanted to win.

First 10 games in the contest  - all service breaks! Of course the first set ends in a tiebreaker going to Dementieva. Second set - Oudin feeds Dementieva a bagel 6-0. Final set, more breaks Dementieva pulls it out 6-3. It was a painful match to watch - totally error ridden.


Deuce
Upset of the week

Alber Ramos-Vinolas of Spain ranked 161 in the world stunned Fernando Gonzalez in Barcelona
Game, Set, Match and Fed Cup Results


Advantage "Hot Sauce"


Getty

WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS

 

Getty

ITALY defeated CZECH REPUBLIC 5-0

Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, ITA (clay - outdoors)

 

Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Lucie Hradecka (CZE) 64 75

Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 60 62

Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 76(3) 62

Sara Errani (ITA) d. Lucie Hradecka (CZE) 64 62

Sara Errani/Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Lucie Hradecka/Kveta Peschke (CZE) 62 64

 

AP

USA defeated RUSSIA 3-2

Venue: BJCC Arena, Birmingham, AL, USA (hard - indoors)

 

Melanie Oudin (USA) d. Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 63 63

Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 64 63

Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. Melanie Oudin (USA) 76(4) 06 63

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 64 26 63

Liezel Huber/Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. Elena Dementieva/Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 63 61

Mattek became the first US player to win back-to-back matches onfinal day to clinch a Fed Cup tie. The USA will meet Italy in the Fed Cup final in November. The USA will host the tie.

WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS

 

BELGIUM defeated ESTONIA 3-2

Venue: Grenslandhallen-Ethias Arena, Hasselt, BEL (clay – indoors)

 

Kim Clijsters (BEL) d. Maret Ani (EST) 64 62

Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Kaia Kanepi (EST) 62 46 61

Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Justine Henin (BEL) 67(6) 64 63

Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Maret Ani (EST) 26 61 61

Maret Ani/Margit Ruutel (EST) d. Kirsten Flipkens/Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 26 64 63

 

AUSTRALIA defeated UKRAINE 5-0

Venue: Palace of Sports “Lokomotiv”, Kharkiv, UKR (clay – indoors)

 

Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) d. Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 06 63 75

Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Mariya Koryttseva (UKR) 63 60

Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Lyudmyla Kichenok (UKR) 76(4) 63

Alicia Molik (AUS) d. Mariya Koryttseva (UKR) 26 62 75

Anastasia Rodionova/Rennae Stubbs (AUS) d. Lyudmyla Kichenok/Nadiya Kichenok (UKR) 62 67(2) 61

 

FRANCE defeated GERMANY 3-2

Venue: Frankfurter TC 1914 Palmengarten, Frankfurt, GER (clay – outdoors)

 

Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 63 62

Aravane Rezai (FRA) d. Tatjana Malek (GER) 26 63 60

Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Aravane Rezai (FRA) 61 76(2)

Pauline Parmentier (FRA) d. Julia Goerges (GER) 76(4) 64

Julie Coin/Alize Cornet (FRA) d. Kristina Barrois/Andrea Petkovic (GER) 63 61

 

SLOVAK REPUBLIC defeated SERBIA 3-2

Venue: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, SRB (clay – indoors)

 

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 76(5) 63

Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 62 62

Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 76(2) 75

Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) d. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 61 76(4)

Daniela Hantuchova/Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. Jelena Jankovic/Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 64 63

 

WORLD GROUP II PLAY-OFFS

 

SPAIN defeated POLAND 4-1

Venue: Sopot Tennis Club, Sopot, POL (carpet – indoors)

 

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 63 61

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) d. Marta Domachowska (POL) 76(4) 62

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) d. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) 63 64

Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) d. Marta Domachowska (POL) 63 62

Nuria Llagostera Vives/Arantxa Parra-Santonja (ESP) d. Klaudia Jans/Alicja Rosolska (POL) 62 64

 

SWEDEN leads CHINA, P.R. 2-0 (to be played on 25-26 April)

Venue: Idrottens Hus, Helsingborg, SWE (hard – indoors)

 

Johanna Larsson (SWE) d. Shuai Peng (CHN) 62 64

Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. Shuai Zhang (CHN) 64 63

Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) v Shuai Peng (CHN)

Johanna Larsson (SWE) v Shuai Zhang (CHN)

Sofia Arvidsson/Johanna Larsson (SWE) v Shuai Peng/Shuai Zhang (CHN)

 

CANADA defeated ARGENTINA 5-0

Venue: Uniprix Stadium, Montreal, CAN (carpet – indoors)

 

Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 64 62

Valerie Tetreault (CAN) d. Jorgelina Cravero (ARG) 64 63

Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. Jorgelina Cravero (ARG) 64 64

Valerie Tetreault (CAN) d. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 67(6) 61 61

Sharon Fichman/Marie-Eve Pelletier (CAN) v Jorgelina Cravero/Aranza Salut (ARG) 64 62

 

SLOVENIA defeated JAPAN 4-1

Venue: Ljudski VRT, Dvorana Lukna, Maribor, SLO (clay – indoors)

 

Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) d. Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) 75 61

Polona Hercog (SLO) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 36 61 63

Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) d. Polona Hercog (SLO) 64 62

Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 61 64

Tadeja Majeric/Masa Zec-Peskiric (SLO) d. Rika Fujiwara/Yurika Sema (JPN) 64 67(1) 63

Winners announced for 2010 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Award

 

 

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Last time we heard from Long Island City address 30-30 Northern Boulevard, it was an undeveloped plot of land (once home to the Runway 69 strip club) owned by developer Edward Minskoff, who was trying to make up his...

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• Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News: "LeBron James playing for the Lakers next year is such a far-fetched, preposterous, outlandish fantasy we have no other choice but to completely and utterly embrace it. And we have every right to, every reason to, because this is Hollywood. Crazy, whimsical dreams like this come true all the time for the Lakers. Just look at their history. They acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the greatest player in the game at the time, from Milwaukee for four players in 1975. They lucked into Magic Johnson and James Worthy after acquiring draft picks (which turned out to be No.1s overall) from lowly Utah and Cleveland. The Lakers have always been fortunate like that, and probably always will be. It's part of their charm, and the main reason they've been the most glamorous team in the NBA since arriving here in 1960. ... The rumor has been out there for a few months now, with longtime NBA reporter Sam Smith floating it out of Chicago back in November. It picked up steam this week when a source close to Phil Jackson told Hoopshype.com that James had expressed interest in playing for the Lakers next year. Within hours, talk radio and Internet message boards were buzzing with the possibility. Some people dismissed it as far-fetched. The Lakers are too far over the salary cap, they argued, and there is no way James and Bryant can possibly coexist on the same team. Details, I say, details. Not only can it happen, if James really wants it to, it will happen."
• Howard Beck of The New York Times: "It has been a good week for the LeBron James tea-leaf-reading club, chock full of hints, innuendo and breathless intrigue. LeBron is changing his jersey number! LeBron attended the Jay-Z show at Madison Square Garden! A disgruntled Nets guard whose agent also represents LeBron said LeBron might have already decided where he will sign this summer! For those keeping score, the jersey change means James is staying in Cleveland; the Jay-Z concert means he is coming to New York; and the commentary by the disgruntled Nets guard means nothing discernible, but may mean that James will not sign with the Nets. Amid all of this winking, nodding and subtle plotting, James found time to rout the Knicks and Nets, presumably his two greatest suitors in July. On Wednesday, James made his final trip to the soon-to-be-vacant Izod Center and scored 26 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 111-92 victory. With that, he completed a 7-0 season sweep of the New York market’s two salary-purging, star-hungry franchises."
• Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News: "Perhaps it was because of all the losing they've had to endure and the ill effects it is known to cause on a basketball fan's brain. Or maybe they already know that they're never going to see LeBron James put on a Nets uniform, whether the team is headquartered in Newark, Brooklyn or Moscow. Unlike Knicks fans, Net fans last night didn't plead for James to sign this summer with the worst team in the NBA. They booed him. They taunted him. For all that, they deserve a round of applause. In a league that's gone totally soft, starting with the Garden fans who show up for games to cheer for James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and other visiting superstars, the boos were good to hear at the Meadowlands during the Cavs' 111-92 win."
• Woody Paige of The Denver Post: "The utmost 1-2 punch in sports history belonged to John L. Sullivan, the last bare-fisted heavyweight champion. But who possesses the best pair of knockout sledgehammers in the NBA today? The topic was discussed on ESPN's 'Around the Horn' on Wednesday, and the responses were varied — Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, LeBron James and anybody. Yet, two of the superior dynamic duos, legitimate contenders for the title, converged at The Can on Wednesday night. In the blue trunks were Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, playing out of Oklahoma City, and wearing white were Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, the locals. Let's get readeeee to rumble! But the Thunder crumbled. The Nuggets won by KO in the third quarter. No más, the Thunder said, and threw in the towel and Kevin Ollie."
• Michael Wallace of The Miami Herald: "The shot still burns the Heat. It matters little that three months, 42 games, dozens of ups and several downs have transpired since then. But when it comes to heartbreaking moments that have defined Miami's season, Kobe Bryant is the undisputed king of the Heat's coronary collapse. If time typically heals all wounds, not enough of it has passed for Miami's comfort. 'That one hurt,' Heat co-captain Udonis Haslem said Wednesday in a hushed and reflective tone. 'Still does hurt. But there's still nothing you can really do about it.' Actually, there is. The Heat (30-31) can't erase its memory of the 108-107 loss against the Lakers on Dec. 4 in Los Angeles. But Miami can avenge the most gut-wrenching defeat of its season Thursday when the Lakers (46-15) visit AmericanAirlines Arena. The last time the Heat saw Bryant, the superstar guard was buried beneath a celebratory pile of teammates on that fateful night at Staples Center after he hit the shot Googled around the world.That three-point, buzzer-beating dagger is almost as difficult to describe as it is painful for the Heat to recall."
• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: "As if the Lakers didn't already pay enough dues in January for a home friendly schedule in November and December, now comes the really fun part. It's commonly known as the month of March, but in Lakers circles, it's just The March. The rest of this month will show 11 road games surrounding three home games, the fun beginning Thursday in Miami, part of a three-game trip that also runs through the surprisingly treacherous confines of Charlotte and the Orlando arena where the Lakers won their 15th NBA championship nine months ago. The Lakers are ready to roam … they think. 'On the road it's a different style of play, a different game entirely,' Kobe Bryant said. 'We can't take the game we play here at home and take it on the road. We'll have to adjust a little bit. You've got to keep your energy up, obviously keep the intensity, but on the road you really have to execute.' "
• Frank Iosla of the New York Daily News: "Tracy McGrady carries himself like a superstar, talks like a superstar and acts like a superstar. Whether McGrady can return to superstar status remains to be seen, but its hard not to pull for such a class act. McGrady had his best game since joining the Knicks two weeks ago. He scored 21 points with eight assists and seven rebounds in a 128-104 win over Detroit on Wednesday. His performance was overshadowed by Bill Walker, a throw-in in the Nate Robinson deal who scored 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting in his first start. But it was McGrady who set the tone on both ends of the court. He dug in defensively and was typically unselfish with the ball."
• Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News: "Here's a good quote from Kevin McHale, a TNT analyst on last night's broadcast, regarding the Pistons: 'A cautionary tale of all GMs that have a few bucks in their pocket: sometimes its better not to spend it. They spent it on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, two nice players but not players who are going to probably be able to carry your team. They are nice complementary players.' Granted, McHale was a lousy GM himself. But it's a fairly accurate statement regarding the Pistons and Joe Dumars as things stand right now."
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: "Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle called it a preventative decision that shouldn't be misconstrued as disrespect for the night's opponent. Yeah, right, tell the Wolves that. Jason Kidd watched on a night his team persevered and extended its winning streak to nine games -- longest currently in the NBA -- because the Mavericks had just played five games in seven days and nine in the last 15 and Carlisle wanted to give Kidd's 36-year-old legs a break. Before the game, someone asked him if Kidd would be sitting if the Mavericks were playing the Lakers. 'We're not playing the Lakers,' he said. Precisely. 'Defintely, definitely, that's a disrespectful thing,' said Wolves center Ryan Hollins, who started alongside Darko Milicic with Jefferson missing and played 36 minutes (14 points, seven rebounds) against his former team. 'But they've got a loaded team, and they have the ability to do that.' "
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "If nothing else, the Rockets won't have far to look to know where the season went wrong. The playoff idea had drifted to long shot a while ago, and with the latest demoralizing home loss, the Rockets are back at .500, 30-30, in 11th place in the Western Conference and five games removed from eighth-place Portland. Maybe they can keep things respectable. The three game-road trip and home game against New Jersey ought to get them a few wins. But with just 22 games remaining, it is difficult to imagine they are going to catch the Blazers, who show no signs of slowing down and have a pretty soft schedule coming up, too. It's a long season, with many issues, including the recent injuries to Kyle Lowry and Trevor Ariza. But the games that cost them most are obvious, and perhaps even telling. Pick the Rockets best wins -- either by opponent or performance -- since mid January and every one is followed with a bad, demoralizing loss among the season's worst."
• Sam Amick of The Sacramento Bee: "Tyreke Evans had no answer for Shane Battier, the veteran who showed why he is arguably the league's best defender. Battier simply wouldn't let Evans penetrate, forcing him into a long night of missed jumpers and more deferment than usual. '(Evans) learned a good lesson,' Paul Westphal said. 'Battier was fantastic. He legitimately did a super job on Tyreke, and it'll be interesting to see what Tyreke brings next time he plays Battier. I think he'll learn some things and hopefully Shane won't have his way with him (next time).' "
• Ken Sugiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "What about Marvin Williams’ shoes? They were a weird light shade of blue. Something tells me they didn’t come off the rack. Speaking of which, Josh Smith left the locker room in purple shoes that matched a nice purple tie with a pinstriped shirt. I asked him where he got the shoes. Said Josh, 'I can’t kiss and tell.' "
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: "A Rocky Mountain High School senior attended the Nuggets' shootaround Wednesday morning, and the primary person he wanted to meet was coach George Karl. 'I wasn't focused on meeting the players as much as meeting him, because we're going through the same things,' Garrett Karp said. G.K. met G.K., and the two fighters shared stories about their bouts with cancer. Karl is undergoing treatment for throat cancer, while Karp is in remission with Hodgkin's lymphoma, and will undergo a bone marrow transplant today at Children's Hospital. 'He's got a serious surgery coming up, and cancer is an incredible foe for all of us,' Karl said. 'I wish him the best. He looks like a tough, strong kid, and I think I'm a tough, strong guy, so hopefully in six months we'll celebrate us both being cured from cancer.' "
• Steve Luhm and Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: "Othyus Jeffers might have been just the fourth-leading scorer on the Iowa Energy, but when the Jazz solicited opinions on the NBA Development League's toughest player, Jeffers' name was at the top of the list. Now Jeffers can claim a spot on their roster. The Jazz signed the 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard/forward -- a former NAIA Player of the Year at Robert Morris in Chicago -- to a 10-day contract Wednesday. 'He sure plays with a chip or two on his shoulder, like he's got something to prove just about every single second he's on the floor,' Iowa coach Nick Nurse said. According to a March 2008 story in USA Today , Jeffers was shot in the left thigh while coming to his sister's defense in a dispute with her boyfriend the previous year. Two of Jeffers' older brothers also were murdered while he was growing up."
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: "Funny sight in the locker room before last night's game when rookie Jrue Holiday was downing chicken nuggets and french fries at his locker about 1 1/2 hours before the game. While he walked to his locker, located next to Holiday's, vet Willie Green could only look and shake his head. 'Must be nice to be 19,' said Green, he all of 28."
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "Tony Parker says he's discovered the culprit for the bout of food poisoning that kept him out of Friday's loss at Houston -- a bad bowl of tortilla soup he had the night before. That delicacy now joins crème brulée, the French dessert responsible for keeping him out of Game 6 of the 2003 Western Conference finals, on Parker's 'do not eat' list. 'I'm only going to eat Eva's tortilla soup,' Parker said, referring to his wife, Eva Longoria Parker."
• Todd Archer of The Dallas Morning News: "Back in their high school days, Caron Butler and Tony Romo shared the same basketball court, growing up in Wisconsin. They were two-fifths of the All-Racine County boys' basketball team in 1998. Butler averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds at Racine's Park High School. Romo averaged 24.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. 'We actually did great against them,' Butler said. 'We were 2-0 against them.' Butler was named a first-team All-State player. Romo was a third-team pick. 'He was a great scorer,' Butler said. 'His IQ for the game was unbelievable. He set you up, put you in great situations.' "
• Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times: "Baron Davis, Internet sensation? A new YouTube video hawking a replica Davis beard -- 'the ultimate swag booster' -- is the first of several online skits starring the Clippers guard planned for release this year. The video has generated nearly 35,000 web hits and might have sparked sizeable sales ... if it weren't a spoof. 'It's just kind of showing a lighter side, a fun side and trying to bring some fun and entertainment to the team,' Davis said."

The AL Central needed 103 games before it was determined the past two years.  In 2008, the White Sox won the one game playoff with a stellar outing from John Danks. Last year, the Twins beat the Tigers to win the AL Central and pull off an amazing run to win the AL Central.

I'm not sure if we will a see a three-peat of one-game playoffs but I am sure that we will see another amazing race that will come down to the wire in 2010. The AL Central is a very exciting division and it shouldn't disappoint this year. 

 

Projected Rankings

1.) Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are currently a very proud organization. They have a fantastic core of players, highlighted by Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. Both of those players are significantly talented and young. The Twins are also opening up their beautiful new ballpark, Target Field, this year. 

Twins fans have every right to be excited about the upcoming season. The Twins have a very well rounded team. If their pitching can pan out, then they will be extremely tough to beat. 

They have a young pitching rotation with plenty of question marks. I think that their rotation will produce, though. All the pitchers have solid stuff, and Joe Mauer behind the plate will help each and every one of them.

The most interesting pitcher for the Twins is going to be Francisco Liriano. Liriano has had an up and down career. He has tremendous stuff but it seems that he isn't consistent enough to be an ace. 

If he can fix himself, then he will be a fantastic ace for the Twins. Liriano performed fantastically in the Caribbean Series this winter. He played for a Dominican Republic team and tossed a lot of gems.

The Twins batting is fantastic. Whenever Joe Mauer is your number three hitter, you have a pretty good lineup. Mauer isn't the only great hitter on the Twins: Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span, Delmon Young, JJ Hardy, and newcomer Orlando Hudson all have tremendous hitting upside.

The Twins also added Jim Thome this offseason to be their DH. Thome still has his freakish power and will hit plenty of dingers in Target Field's inaugural season. If all of the people in the Twins lineup perform to at least fifty percent of their abilities the Twins should be fine. The Twins hitting should be fun to watch in 2010. 

The Twins bullpen is also a big plus. Joe Nathan and Pat Neshek have the ability to cut all of the Twins games to seven innings.

The AL Central is a talented division, but I just can't see the Twins placing anywhere other than first. They have a fantastic team, period.

Key Pitcher: Francisco Liriano

Key Batter: Joe Mauer

 

2.) Chicago White Sox

Ever since the White Sox acquired Jake Peavy, they seemed like a different team.  Peavy and Mark Buehrle give the ChiSox a very nice one-two punch. The other three pitchers behind Peavy and Buehrle are also not too bad: Gavin Floyd, John Danks, and Freddy Garcia all have a lot of talent.

If those three guys can put up some decent numbers, then the White Sox rotation should be fine. 

The White Sox have all-or-nothing hitting. They have so many guys who can either do really bad or really good. Alex Rios will be a huge asset to this club if he can find his old stroke. It should be interesting to see how Jun Pierre takes on his role with the White Sox. 

I like Pierre a lot, but I think that he will either be really good or really bad for the White Sox. I am also excited to see how Gordan Beckham will fare in his second major league season. Beckham is now playing second base, and it should be interesting to see the transition in progress. Beckham has no ceilings, and I expect him to continue to blow away the baseball world. 

The White Sox also have an abundance of big boppers in their lineup. Alexie Ramirez, Paul Konerko, and Carlos Quentin all have the ability to easily hit 20 home runs. Those guys can change the complex of any game with just one swing of the bat. 

The ChiSox have a bullpen similar to the Twins. JJ Putz and Bobby Jenks will make for a nasty team in the 'pen. Those two should be very successful and close the door on many games this season. 

Even though I like the White Sox a lot, I think that they will fall just short of the AL Central title in a close race with the Twins. 

Key Pitcher: Mark Buehrle

Key Batter: Alex Rios

 

3.) Detroit Tigers

The Tigers have so much talent, but I just don't see them winning the division. The Tigers have looked fantastic on paper for the past three years, but things just haven't clicked. Last year, they looked like they will be in the playoffs, but the Twins started to play great baseball and stole the Tigers spot in what came down to a one-game playoff. 

The Tigers have nice pitching; Justin Verlander is one of the best pitchers in the game and Rick Porcello has a very bright future ahead of him. Those two pitchers are talented and I expect them to put up stellar numbers, but I don't see any other sure pitchers in their rotation. 

Max Scherzer, Jeremy Bonderman, and Armando Galaragga are all huge question marks for the Tigers. I can see one of those three having a decent year. but not much else. Those three guys just don't look like they can overcome their problems. 

It's going to be hard to predict how they will do. What I'm trying to say is that I don't see them just putting up average numbers. 

The Tigers have a very powerful lineup. Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, and Magglio Ordonez can all pop plenty of long balls out of Comerica Park. Johnny Damon should also hit a decent amount and be a valuable part of the lineup. 

The Tigers are most likely going to start rookie centerfielder, Austin Jackson, in order to replace Curtis Granderson. I like Jackson a lot, he has a whole lot of upside and great tools. Granderson can be a 30-30 guy and he wil be missed by the Tigers. Even though I think Jackson is going to have success in the bigs, I don't think that the Tigers are going to play well without Granderson. In the future, though, Jackson will more than make up for Granderson's loss.

I just noticed that the AL Central has a lot of great setup men and closer duos.  The Tigers have Joel Zumaya setting up Jose Valverde. If Zumaya gets back to his dominant self, then the Tigers will also have the ability to lock down many games early.

The Tigers don't have a bad team, but I think that there are too many problems and question marks that might be unanswered. I don't think they are going to win the AL Central, but there will be a good amount of bright spots for them in 2010.

Key Pitcher: Jeremy Bonderman

Key Batter: Magglio Ordonez

 

4.) Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians organization has really took a hit in the past couple of years. They went from being legitimate contenders with Cy Young winners at the helm of their starting pitching, to a team with low expectations. 

Last year just didn't work out for the Tribe. They had a rough beginning, and things continued to be tough for the rest of the season. I think that the Indians are going to have another awful time this season. 

The Tribe has an interesting pitching rotation. Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona have great stuff; Westbrook is listed as the Indians ace, but I definitely do not see him as an ace. I think that he can be solid number three starter at best. 

I do think that Fausto Carmona can be an ace. He has had an up-and-down career but we know that he can be great. If he can get his stuff back, then he should act as the Tribe's ace. He could be one of the Indians bright spots this season.

The Indians lineup is just as interesting as their pitching. They are looking for guys like Grady Sizemore and Johnny Peralta to rebound and have a great season.  Both of those guys saw a dramatic decrease in production last year.

Other than those two, the Indians lineup is average. They have a decent amount of speed, contact, and power, but it is not enough to compete in this division. 

The Indians are also continuing the trend of solid bullpens in the AL Central. There 'pen might not be as good as some others in their division, but it is not bad. It will definitely win them some games this season. 

This is not the Indians year. It's going to be tough for them to get back to how they once where, but they can do it.

Key Pitcher: Fausto Carmona

Key Batter: Grady Sizemore

 

5.) Kansas City Royals

The Royals have been the cellar-dwellers for some time now in the AL Central.  They haven't had much to be proud of until 2009. In 2009 they saw their ace, Zack Grienke, pitch his way to an American League Cy Young.

It will be interesting to see how Grienke pitches this season. I think that he will have another great year, but there are some doubters out there. 

The Royals had a very busy offseason. They didn't necessarily make any moves for big name players, but they made a lot of small moves. The Royals look like they don't know what they want to do with organization. 

That is not a hit on the team, but the way that they are building the team doesn't look like they are rebuilding at all. They are taking older, above-average players, and I don't get it. Unless they're using these guys only for a season or two, then replace them with young players, I don't get it. 

I think that the Royals' best recent move was getting Yuniesky Betancourt.  Betancourt isn't too old and he can become a very solid hitter for the team. 

Their pitching rotation is a little shaky behind Grienke. I like Luke Hochevar, though. I think that he can be a solid pitcher for the team in the years to come. 

Everybody else in that rotation won't help the team in the future. Gil Meche might, but he will need to have a significant improvement this future. Another bright spot for the Royals is their closer. Joakim Soria was amazing last year. He has plenty of talent and will make the most out of his save opportunities this season. 

If the Royals can get a general idea of what they want to do with the organization, then they might be up and running sooner than later.

Key Pitcher: Gil Meche

Key Batter: Alex Gordon

 

I hope you are enjoying my predictions for the 2010 MLB season.  If you have any questions please ask in the comment section, I will be more than happy to answer them.

 

Hope springs eternal at Spring Training. But in Rangers camp, someone appears to have spiked the Gatorade with Prozac. Because players are throwing out pie-in-the-sky predictions like no one's business.

Just so we're clear, this is a team that probably overperformed last year, and still missed out on the playoffs. So last week when Josh Hamilton predicted 96 wins, it turned a few heads. Really, adding Rich Harden and Chris Ray is going to give you a shot at homefield advantage through the playoffs?

But now that individual players have begun to weigh in with their own predictions, it starts to make sense. Hambone says to expect a full season from him, rather than the 89 games he played in last year. Add to that a 30-30 year from Nelson Cruz:

Asked if he was capable of having a 30-homer, 30-steal season, Cruz wholeheartedly said he was. Then, when asked if he cared to guarantee it, he thought for a moment before saying he would, in fact, become the second Ranger in as many years to join the 30-30 club.

That sounds like a lot to ask, but then you consider the fact that Cruz won't even lead the team in stolen bases, not by a long shot.

Earlier in camp, I asked [Gary] Pettis what he thought was a realistic range of steals for [Julio] Borbon to reach in his first full season in the majors.

Pettis said he'd be disappointed if Borbon failed to reach 30.

"He ought to be disappointed if I don't get to 50," Borbon said.

Other things the Rangers will accomplish in 2010:

•Become the first team to send all 25 players to the All-Star Game.
•Go 161-1, but only out of humility.
•Start a home run conga line, like in that Bugs Bunny cartoon.
•Cure cancer.
•Make C.J. Wilson's Twitter more entertaining than Ozzie Guillen's.
•Fit Jarrod Saltalamacchia's name comfortably on a uniform.
•Once and for all establish that their dancers are not whores.

Hamilton 'ready,' expects 96 wins [MLB.com]
Morning briefing: Nelson Cruz's bold guarantee, the Tao of "B" games and, um, Lady Antebellum [Dallas Morning News]
Could Julio Borbon break Texas Rangers' steal record? [Dallas Morning News]

Juan Carlos Ferrero ganó el torneo de tenis ATP 250 de Buenos Aires al derrotar en la final a su compatriota David Ferrer por 5-7, 6-4 y 6-3, una semana después de adjudicarse el de Costa de Sauipe, en Brasil.

Esta es la cuarta vez que el título de la competición que tiene lugar en las pistas de tierra batida del Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club queda en manos de un tenista español, tras las conquistas de Carlos Moyá (2003 y 2006) y Tommy Robredo (2009). También ha sido la primera final en la que se han enfrentado los dos tenistas valencianos en siete partidos disputados en el circuito profesional, de los cuales Ferrer ganó cinco.

Ferrer, primer cabeza de serie, quebró el servicio de Ferrero en el primer juego del encuentro y pasó a dominar la situación con velocidad e intensidad, pero Ferrero se rehizo, echó agua al fuego de su rival y dio batalla hasta el 5-5.

En el tramo más parejo del primer set destacó la presión de Ferrer y la forma de neutralizarla por parte de Ferrero en un choque que, por la actitud de ambos y por varios pasajes de alta técnica, provocó aplausos de los 2.500 espectadores que asistieron a la final.

La segunda manga, disputada a un gran ritmo, no daba demasiado lugar para las sorpresas. Ambos mantuvieron sus servicios casi sin riesgos hasta que en el décimo juego, con un 5-4 para Ferrero y el saque de Ferrer, aquel lo liquidó tras un 30-30, primero con dos remates consecutivos paralelos sobre la derecha, y después con una bola abierta inalcanzable del otro lado.

El 'Mosquito' Ferrero, al terminar el set, se tocó la cabeza e hizo un gesto a uno de sus colaboradores, como diciendo "lo gané con la cabeza".

El capítulo decisivo fue muy luchado, con aciertos y errores de ambos, lo cual elevó el atractivo que ofrecía el partido. Otra vez Ferrero acertó más que su rival, rompió su servicio en el octavo juego (5-3). Y nuevamente sus remates abiertos, sobre los límites, le dieron la victoria.

Ferrero ha ganado en su carrera dos títulos con una semana de descanso entre ambos torneos, pero esta es la primera vez que lo logra de manera consecutiva.

Buenos Aires.- El español Juan Carlos Ferrero ganó hoy torneo de tenis ATP 250 de Buenos Aires al derrotar en la final a su compatriota David Ferrer por 5-7, 6-4 y 6-3, una semana después de adjudicarse el de Costa de Sauipe, en Brasil.

Esta es la cuarta vez que el título de la competición que tiene lugar en las pistas de tierra batida del Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club queda en manos de un tenista español, tras las conquistas de Carlos Moyá (2003 y 2006) y Tommy Robredo (2009).

También ha sido la primera final en la que se han enfrentado los dos tenistas valencianos en siete partidos disputados en el circuito profesional, de los cuales Ferrer ganó cinco.

Ferrer, primer cabeza de serie, quebró el servicio de Ferrero en el primer juego del encuentro y pasó a dominar la situación con velocidad e intensidad, pero Ferrero se rehizo, echó agua al fuego de su rival y dio batalla hasta el 5-5.

En el tramo más parejo del primer set destacó la presión de Ferrer y la forma de neutralizarla por parte de Ferrero en un choque que, por la actitud de ambos y por varios pasajes de alta técnica, provocó aplausos de los 2.500 espectadores que asistieron a la final.

La segunda manga, disputada a un gran ritmo, no daba demasiado lugar para las sorpresas.

Ambos mantuvieron sus servicios casi sin riesgos hasta que en el décimo juego, con un 5-4 para Ferrero y el saque de Ferrer, aquel lo liquidó tras un 30-30, primero con dos remates consecutivos paralelos sobre la derecha, y después con una bola abierta inalcanzable del otro lado.

El 'Mosquito' Ferrero, al terminar el set, se tocó la cabeza e hizo un gesto a uno de sus colaboradores, como diciendo "lo gané con la cabeza"

El capítulo decisivo fue muy luchado, con aciertos y errores de ambos, lo cual elevó el atractivo que ofrecía el partido. Otra vez Ferrero acertó más que su rival, rompió su servicio en el octavo juego (5-3). Y nuevamente sus remates abiertos, sobre los límites, le dieron la victoria.

Ferrero ha ganado en su carrera dos títulos con una semana de descanso entre ambos torneos, pero esta es la primera vez que lo logra de manera consecutiva.

The Facts –

1993 - Impressive in his 91 PA debut with 4 homeruns, and a deep bomb in everybody’s favorite 1993 game on October 3.

1994 – Ran away with unanimous ROY honors while batting .304 with 16 homeruns. (123 OPS+)  Raul was on pace for 22 homeruns in that strike shortened season.  Klesko and the great John Hudek had no chance in that vote.  With 16 putouts in only 112 games, he was opening eyes around the league with his defense. 

1995 – NL All-Star and Gold Glove.  Another great season batting .285/.328/.496.  We will not discuss his Homerun Derby appearance. 

1996 – Near duplicate season from 1995.  Third year in a row with OPS+ of 123. Smashed 24 homeruns and 40 doubles.  .297/.334/.495

1997 – What a breakout season.  Another Gold Glove.  Batted .310/.360/.541 with 42 doubles, 30 homeruns and 32 stolen bases.  140 OPS+, and became the first and only Dodger to join the 30-30 club. 

1998 – Overall production was slightly down but his power was the only constant during this forgettable season.  30 home runs and another 90 RBI’s.   

1999 – More power, more steals, but even less overall production?  Another 30-30 season.  33 home runs, 99 RBI’s and 36 steals.  He finally learned to take a walk with 71 total.  OBP of .332 made up for his falling average. 

6+ Seasons – Very solid numbers and a very solid player.  Career dodger totals of .288/.334/.504 with 163 Homeruns, 140 SB and an OPS+ of 122.  He brought home hardware, and played an exciting brand of baseball. 

El Cañon was by far the most exciting player I ever saw in a Dodger uniform.  Time does fly, and it is hard to imagine that he was here for over 6 seasons.  Or is it only 6 seasons? I just wish we had the chance to see more of Raul playing at his best in a Dodger uniform.  Mondesi was hailed by Lasorda as the ultimate 5 tool player.  Speed, Power, Hit for average, plus arm and great fielding skills.  He was Matt Kemp before there was Matt Kemp. 

Mondesi became my favorite player on April 23, 1994.  The Dodgers had a struggling 2B named Delino.  He was only batting .210 and was just terrible.  Raul saved the day for all Dodger fans by knocking Delino unconscious with his rock solid chest during a collision of which Mondesi caught the ball.  Mondesi’s heroics propelled the Dodgers to a three game winning streak where Jeff Treadway and Cory Snyder played a great 2B in Delino’s absence.

Opening Day 1999 was the huge matchup between free agent pitchers Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson at Dodger Stadium.  The pitching matchup did not live up to expectations as the game became the Raul Mondesi Show.  Trailing 6-3 in the 9th, Mondesi crushed a 3 run homer into left to tie the game and followed in the 11th with a dramatic walk off 2 run bomb to win it.  He finished 4 for 5 with 6 RBI on the day.

Unfortunately, that was not a sign of things to come.  The Dodgers stunk in 1999 and finished 23 games behind Arizona.  That seemed to be the story of the 90’s for this franchise.  Some great players, and great performances but it never came together.  I personally blame Karros or whoever decided he was good enough to ever play on this team, but we can leave that for another discussion.

I think that with more victories and any post season success, we would see Mondesi’s Dodger career in a different light.  Bhsportsguy makes a case for Guerrero with a lot of flashy numbers that is compelling, but Mondesi is right there with him.  If you compare Pete’s best 6 years 82-87 with Raul’s 6 years one could argue Mondesi was better.  Pete could take a walk, and had a better average, but Mondesi had him beat across the board elsewhere.  More homeruns, doubles, triples, SB, RBI and runs. We don’t even have to bring up the glove.  Mondesi was also a much more durable player when comparing games played.

The shame is that Raul flamed out at such a reasonably early age.  He had many documented personal struggles throughout his career that obviously affected his playing shape and led to his diminishing skills.  The Dodgers traded him at the right time for the right player after the 1999 season.

I will always remember spending my teenage years at Dodger Stadium screaming Raaauuuuul every time he made another great play.  He is not the automatic Lords of the Ravine pick like Koufax or Piazza, but the discussion is yours.

ED - Image from the excellent baseball card blog "Garvey Cey Russell Lopes"

David Wright had a very bizarre 2009 season for a few reasons, mainly his low HR and RBI numbers, his extremely high strikeout number, and his first stint on the disabled list.

In 2007 and 2008, Wright had 30 and 34 home runs, respectively, but he only had 10 in 2009.  He joined the 30-30 club in September of 2007 and had a career high HR total in 2008, but both years saw the Mets eliminated on the last day of the season.

Citi Field and its dimensions may have had something to do with the HR decline, but he hit the same amount on the road in 2009 as he did at home.  The two things that stand out about the home runs that Wright hit were that three of them had significance. 

Wright had the first Met home run against the Florida Marlins at the first game at Citifield, a game that the Mets would lose. 

The last two home runs he hit were at Citizens Bank Park on September 12th, and they were the difference in the second to last game that the Mets had against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Mets won that game 10-9  and Wright had six RBI on the day with three hits—a two-run double in the first inning, a two-run homer in the eighth to bring the Mets within one run, and a two-run homer in the ninth to give the Mets a one run lead they did not relinquish.

Due to the injury that kept Jose Reyes on the disabled list most of the season, scoring opportunities in front of Wright were minimal and he did not have substantial support down the lineup.

In prior years, especially early in the game, Reyes would get on base, steal or advance to second or third base, and would score on a groundout, hit, or sacrifice fly by Wright. 

The Mets were injury plagued all season and Wright battled his own fair share of nagging leg problems, namely a strain behind his right knee and a balky left groin. However he only missed two games until August 16 with a concussion which resulted from a 94 mph Matt Cain fastball.

Howard Johnson told Bob Ojeda of SNY that he has been working with Wright on getting himself into hitting position earlier to be able to attack the fastball better.  Wright was swinging very late and was not able to get around on fastballs, he hit breaking balls with greater authority.

With the Mets hopefully getting their full lineup healthy again, along with the acquisition of Jason Bay, Wright should have better protection and the tweaks made in his approach and swing should pay dividends.

The other day, I published a piece about the first-year eligible players on this year's Hall of Fame ballot (seen here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/319445-among-first-timers-alomar-mcgriff-martinez-stand-out ). In that article, I stated that Roberto Alomar, Fred McGriff, and Edgar Martinez should be inducted to the Hall of Fame this year.

In addition to those three, I believe four more players who have hung around on the ballot for several years also belong in Cooperstown.

Here now is a look at each player who has been on the ballot for a while, and my take on whether or not they belong in the Hall.

Tim Raines: It's easy to be impressed and to forget about Raines, all at the same time. This is due in large part to the flamboyant personality and dominant play of Rickey Henderson. It's also due to the fact that Raines' best years were played out of the spotlight in Montreal.

Raines is fifth all-time in stolen bases (808), and he scored over 1,500 runs in his career. He was a seven-time All-Star, and he also led the NL in hitting in 1986.

Raines' numbers were dwarfed in many ways by Henderson, but they compare favorably to another Hall of Fame leadoff hitter: Lou Brock.

From 1981-1990, Raines' average season looked like this:

.302 batting average, .391 on-base percentage, 93 runs scored, 63 stolen bases, park-adjusted OPS+ of 132.

From 1965-1974, which includes his then-record 118 stole base season of 1974, Lou Brock's average season looked like this:

.298 batting average, .351 on-base percentage, 104 runs scored, 67 stolen bases, park-adjusted OPS+ of 116.

While Brock hung on longer as an everyday player, Raines' decade with Montreal trumped Brock's 10 best consecutive seasons with St. Louis.

Does Raines deserve to be penalized for being reduced to a part-time player in the mid 1990s? Should his post-Lupus return to the game in his 40s tarnish what he did in the 1980s?

No. Tim Raines should be in the Hall of Fame.

Harold Baines:   Baines has 1,628 career RBI, ranking him 29th all time. Every player ahead of Baines is either in the Hall of Fame, recently retired and a likely Hall of Famer (Frank Thomas, Sammy Sosa), still active and adding to their RBI total (Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jr., Gary Sheffield, Manny Ramirez), or a known steroid user whose Hall of Fame induction is less likely (Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmiero).

Based on that lone stat, Baines should be in the Hall of Fame, some might argue. Of course, those who argue this point would conveniently leave out the fact that Baines was a full-time player for 20 years and had only three 100 RBI seasons.

Or they would ignore that Baines finished in the top-10 in league MVP balloting twice in those 20 full seasons.

I don't mean to pick on Harold Baines. He compiled some impressive statistics over the course of his career and certainly deserves consideration for baseball's ultimate honor. However, he was not an impact player and does not belong in Cooperstown.

Mark McGwire : Leaving aside the steroid issue, Mark McGwire has Hall of Fame numbers.

He hit 583 HR, and was the first player in league history to hit 70 HR in a single season. Four times in 11 full,healthy seasons, McGwire led his league in each of the following categories: HR, slugging percentange, and OPS+.

Injuries kept McGwire out of action for significant amounts of time in 1993, 1994, 2000, and 2001. He never reached 2,000 hits, and for all those prodigious blasts, McGwire fell short of 1,500 RBI.

McGwire did make 12 All-Star teams in his career, and he finished in the top 10 in MVP balloting five times. He topped 30 HR in 11 seasons, 100 RBI in seven seasons, and finished with a career OBP of .394.

Right now, steroid and preformance-enhancing drug use is a hot-button issue. In 20 years, we may all look back on the wait McGwire faced before entering Cooperstown as a giant mistake in judgement, because advances in medicine and/or biotechnology will have changed the face of professional sports.

I used to believe McGwire and others who used steroids didn't belong in the Hall of Fame. However, I've changed my stance and believe Mark McGwire is a Hall of Famer .

Lee Smith : Lee Smith retired as the all-time leader in saves, with 478. At the time, no one else was within 50 saves of the record.

Smith led his league in saves four times during his career, and finished second on four other occasions. He was a seven-time All-Star, finished in the top 5 in Cy Young voting three times, and had one top-10 MVP finish.

Trevor Hoffman, the current all-time saves leader who many believe will sail into Cooperstown, led his league in saves just twice (with five second place finishes). He has also made seven All-Star teams, finished in the top 5 in Cy Young voting three times, and twice finished in the top-10 in MVP ballotting.

Hoffman's career ERA+ is 147, while Smith's is 131, and that's a significant difference. Besides that, their careers are very similar. To me, if Hoffman is a Hall of Famer down the road, Lee Smith should be one now .

Andre Dawson : Before it became fashionable to compile 30-30 seasons, Andre Dawson had five seasons with at least 20 HR and 20 SB, including the 1981 strike year, when Dawson hit 24 HR and swiped 26 bags in just 103 games.

Dawson also had nearly 1,600 RBI for his career, to go with 438 HR, 2,774 hits, eight Gold Gloves, and the 1987 NL MVP award.

From 1980-1983, Dawson's average year was: .302 with 24 HR, 87 RBI, 31 SB, 94 runs scored, and an OPS+ of 140. Dawson made three All-Star teams during this stretch, won Gold Gloves in each of the four seasons, finished second in MVP ballotting twice, and seventh one other time. In these four years, Dawson was a great baseball player.

From 1987-1990, Dawson averaged the following numbers: .290, 30 HR, 98 RBI, 76 runs, OPS+ of 130. He won the MVP in 1987 and made the All-Star team in each season. Dawson also won two Gold Gloves during this period.

Dawson's admittance to the Hall of Fame would mean that other borderline candidates such as Dave Parker and Dale Murphy would need to be inducted as well. While Dawson had a very good career with some excellent seasons, he remains on the outside looking in, in my opinion.

Alan Trammell : Alan Trammell's career is similar to Barry Larkin's in many ways. The biggest similarity is the fact that both Larkin and Trammell were overshadowed to some degree by Cal Ripken, Jr's many accomplishments.

The fact that Trammell was able to earn three Silver Slugger awards and four Gold Gloves during the prime of both he and Ripken's careers is a testament to the quality of player that Trammell was. He nearly won the 1987 AL MVP award (he had three top-10 finishes in MVP voting overall) and made six AL All-Star teams.

Also, like Larkin, injuries played a role in Trammell's career. Three straight seasons (1991-1993) late in Trammell's prime were cut short by injuries. By age 36, he was no longer an everyday player for the Tigers.

When I wrote about the first-year eligible players, I mentioned that Hall of Fame players usually have a combination of excellence, consistency, longevity, and good health. Trammell had some excellence and longevity, but there were some ups and downs in his statistics, as well as the injuries later in his career, that damaged his chances at Hall of Fame induction, in my view.

Don Mattingly : Growing up, Mattingly was my favorite player.

His average season, from 1984-1989: .327, 27 HR, 114 RBI, 97 runs scored, and an OPS+ of 147. In those six years, Mattingly made the All-Star team in each season, won five of his nine Gold Gloves, won the 1985 AL MVP award and had three other top-10 finishes in the ballotting, and won three Silver Slugger awards.

In 1990, Mattingly missed nearly half the season with a severe back injury, and was never the same player:

His average season, from 1990-1995: .286, 10 HR, 64 RBI, 65 runs scored, OPS+ of 104.

I would love for Don Mattingly to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he's not worthy of induction, and he's not really worthy of being in the conversation.

Jack Morris: Here's a statistical look at two pitchers from the same era. One is Jack Morris. The other shall remain nameless for the time being:

Mystery Man: 245-193 record, 3.70 career ERA, career ERA+ of 106, led league in complete games two times and led league in innings pitched, shutouts, and ERA once apiece. Made four All-Star teams, and had two top-5 finishes in Cy Young balloting.

Morris: 254-186 record, 3.90 career ERA, career ERA+ of 105, led league in wins twice, and led league in innings pitched, complete games, shutouts, walks, and strikeouts once apiece. Made five All-Star teams, and had five top-5 finishes in Cy Young balloting.

The only major difference between Jack Morris and the Mystery Man is the top-5 finishes in Cy Young balloting. On the strength of three 20-win seasons, Morris put together more Cy Young caliber seasons than the other player. Other than that, there isn't a lot to distinguish Morris from the Mystery Man.

The Mystery Man? Dennis Martinez, who received 3.2% of the vote in the lone year he was eligible for the Hall of Fame. Jack Morris is closer to Dennis Martinez than he is to a Hall of Famer.

Dale Murphy : Murphy had six wonderful years in the early-to-mid 1980s, and then his statistics dropped considerably at age 32. By age 35, Murphy was done as an everyday player, although if he hadn't won two MVPs earlier in his career, the plug would have been pulled on him before that.

Murphy's average season, from 1982-1987: .289 average, 36 HR, 105 RBI, 110 runs scored, 18 SB. He was an All-Star in each of those six years, won two MVP awards (1982 and 1983), won five Gold Gloves, and four Silver Sluggers.

If he could have sustained that pace for another two or three years, Murphy would be a lock Hall of Famer. Instead, he's on the outside looking in.

Bert Blyleven :  Blyleven is 5th all-time in strikeouts and 9th all-time in shutouts. The only pitcher ahead of Blyleven on both lists is Nolan Ryan. That's it.

Blyleven is also 14th all-time in innings pitched. One doesn't get the opportunity to throw nearly 5,000 innings without being a quality pitcher. Blyleven does has a tough case, largely because he didn't hit any "magic numbers."

He didn't hang on to reach 300 wins (missed by 13). He won 20 games just once. He led the league in losses once, and had seven season with 15 or more losses, unheard of among great pitchers playing today. In fact, Blyleven is 10th all time in losses (250).

Not helping his case are his paltry All-Star team selections (2) and top-5 Cy Young finishes (3) in his 22-year career. Also, his career 3.31 ERA is solid, but pedestrian compared to other Hall of Famers.

Blyleven's pitched mostly for bad teams though, which is why he lost so many games. To overcome this, 20.9% of his career wins were shutouts and, when given the chance to play for winning ballclubs, he was a big reason for his teams' successes.

Blyleven is 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 8 postseason appearances (6 starts). While that won't place him among the postseason legends, it does prove that, when given the opportunity in the playoffs, Blyleven was at his best.

Bert Blyleven's induction wouldn't mean that lesser players would also need to be elected in subsequent years. The pitchers whose careers were most comparable to Blyleven were Don Sutton and Gaylord Perry. They're in the Hall of Fame. Bert Blyleven should be in the Hall of Fame, too.

Dave Parker : Like Dale Murphy, Dave Parker had a tremendous peak period during his career.

From 1975-1979, Parker won two batting titles, an NL MVP award, and three Gold Gloves. His average season during that span was: .321 average, 23 HR, 98 RBI, 95 runs scored, OPS+ of 147.

Parker only had one more season of that quality: 1985, when he hit .312 with 34 HR, 125 RBI, and finished second in the NL MVP balloting.

So, like Muprhy, Parker had six truly great seasons. Parker was a good player for the remainder of his career, a career that was longer than Murphy's and in some ways more productive (more career hits and RBI).

I view Parker and Murphy as similar players in many respects, including the fact that neither sustained excellence long enough to be considered Hall of Fame-worthy.

For more, visit my site: http://masterprocrastinator.wordpress.com/

©Kourtin' Karen here. GVTNews has had a very successful 2009 and by popular demand we are doing a countdown of the site's "Greatest Hits" as we enter into 2010. The rankings were determined by the number of actual hits for each article.

In January our site will be upgraded and will change its URL to GVTNews.com.

As Casey Kasem would say, "on with the countdown!"

At number 19, we have a three way tie between:

©Kourtin' Karen's Wimbledon Scoreboard for Day 13- Roger Federer Wins Wimbledon