Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Nadal's Wimbledon title defense still in doubt

Nadal's Wimbledon title defense still in doubt
By Iain Rogers
MADRID (Reuters) - Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon defense remained in doubt Tuesday after the world number one said he faced a tough two weeks of treatment to overcome knee problems before the grasscourt grand slam.
The Spaniard was forced out of this week's traditional Wimbledon warm-up at Queen's Club with tendonitis and said he would do everything in his power to get fit for the All-England club starting on June 22.
"I will give 200 percent to be at 100 percent for the most important date in world tennis and the tournament that has always excited me the most," the Spaniard said in a statement after undergoing tests at a clinic in Barcelona.
"I have been playing with pain in my knees for several months and personally I cannot continue like this," he added.
"The pain was limiting me physically in certain movements which meant I was also suffering mentally. I will not take to any court, and certainly not the Wimbledon center court, unless I know I am 100 percent."
After his shock defeat by Robin Soderling at the French Open nine days ago, Nadal said he had been advised to rest by doctors and pulled out of Queen's in London, where he was also defending champion.
He said he would undergo physiotherapy and Spanish tennis federation (RFET) doctor Angel Ruiz Cotorro said the treatment would include anti-inflammatory drugs and intensive muscle work.
Nadal has blamed his injury problems on the overloaded tennis calendar and last year missed the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai and Spain's Davis Cup victory over Argentina.
He said he would travel to London next Tuesday.
ALL EFFORT
World number six Andy Roddick said he did not believe Nadal's problematic knees would threaten his career and he was sure the Mallorca native would defend his Wimbeldon title.
"I've had tendonitis for years and years and years," the American said after brushing aside Belgian Kristof Vliegen 6-1 6-4 at Queen's Tuesday.
"Rafa has had tendonitis for a long time and he's won grand slams while he's had it," he added.
"I'm certainly not going to under-estimate Rafa. I think he's going to be there. I think he's going to be fine and I think he's going to put forth all the effort he has. He's certainly proven that in the past."
World number four Novak Djokovic, who lost to Nadal in last year's Queen's Club final, said he hoped the Spaniard would be back for Wimbledon. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Roddick the King of Queen's still a class act on grass

Roddick the King of Queen's still a class act on grass
By Kevin Fylan
LONDON (Reuters) - Andy Roddick needed just 55 minutes to swat away Kristof Vliegen at Queen's Club on Tuesday and remind everyone what a class act he is on grass.
The American is a four-times champion at Queen's and he took no time to make the adjustment from clay as he swept past his Belgian opponent 6-1 6-4 in the second round.
"Coming from clay to grass is one of the happiest days of my year," Roddick told reporters. "I don't have to make a lot of adjustments to my game to play on this surface."
Roddick comes into the grasscourt season on the back of his best performance at Roland Garros, having made it into the second week before losing to Gael Monfils in the fourth round.
The 26-year-old left Paris complaining about poor visibility and the conditions were scarcely any better on a drizzly, overcast day in London.
It must have been the bright green grass then that lifted Roddick's mood as he swept past Vliegen, returning beautifully and passing the Belgian seemingly at will.
The second set was scrappier but Roddick's serve was never troubled and he eventually broke for 5-4, thanks to a bad volley from Vliegen, before serving out for the win.
"I just wanted to get it done before it had a chance to rain," smiled Roddick, the world number six.
He will next face either Australian Lleyton Hewitt, another four-times winner at Queen's and Wimbledon champion in 2002, or the unseeded Portuguese Frederico Gil.
Roddick has never won Wimbledon, with two defeats in the final against Roger Federer the closest he has come.
"I'm playing a lot better now than in years past," Roddick said. "I've been getting deeper into tournaments more consistently. And I do love this surface."
Britain's Andy Murray, the top seed at Queen's, will play his opening match against Italy's Andreas Seppi on Wednesday.
(Editing by Clare Fallon)

Source: Reuters

Lind homers twice as Jays beat Rangers 6-3

Lind homers twice as Jays beat Rangers 6-3
ARLINGTON, Texas (Reuters) - Adam Lind belted two home runs to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-3 victory over the American League West-leading Texas Rangers on Monday.
The Blue Jays (33-27) jumped on top when Lind hit two-run shots in the second and fourth innings as Toronto handed Rangers pitcher Scott Feldman his first loss of the year.
Right-hander Feldman allowed four runs in six innings to fall to 5-1 and break a string of six wins for the Rangers from his last six starts.
Feldman had enjoyed a hot streak since moving from the bullpen to the starting rotation in late April, but served up two soft pitches to Lind, who has already equaled a career-high 11 home runs this year in his first season as a regular starter.
"Both of those pitches were up in the zone," Feldman told reporters of Lind's two homers. "I'm not too good up in the zone. Those two pitches were the game right there."
Lind, who played left field against the Rangers, has gone 18-for-40 for a .450 batting average in his last 10 games.
"When he's locked in, he's as good as I've ever seen," said team mate Vernon Wells.
Lind's offense provided ample support for Rangers (33-24) starter Casey Janssen, who was charged with three runs in 5 1/3 innings before being relieved by Jason Frasor and Scott Downs, who handled the final 1 1/3 innings.
Texas scored three times in the fifth, including a run off a Marlon Byrd single, but the Blue Jays made two clutch outs to preserve a 4-3 advantage.
Toronto shortstop Marco Scutaro finished 3-for-5 with an RBI single in the ninth where the Blue Jays added two insurance runs to collect their third win in their last four contests.
In the process, the Blue Jays ended a nine-game losing streak, all on the road, that dropped them to third place in the AL East.
Janssen, who missed last season with a severe shoulder injury, improved to 2-2 for the Rangers, who have been largely carried by pitching ace Roy Halladay's 10 wins.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Ian Ransom; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Source: Reuters

Bethpage joy for Duval and Lehman, woe for Olazabal

By Mark Lamport-Stokes
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former major champions David Duval and Tom Lehman had cause to celebrate on Monday while fellow American Davis Love III and Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal missed out on qualifying for next week's U.S. Open.
Duval, who has not won on the PGA Tour since the 2001 British Open, was among 17 players in a field of 120 at Brookside and The Lakes courses in Columbus, Ohio who secured spots.
The former world number one carded rounds of 66 and 69 to qualify for his first U.S. Open since 2006.
"I've made no bones about it, I think the two Opens (the U.S. and British) are the two most important tournaments of the year," the 37-year-old Duval told reporters. "I am excited about how I'm playing... so I'm looking forward to it."
Lehman, British Open champion at Royal Lytham in 1996, also advanced in Columbus after shooting successive scores of 67.
American George McNeill (65, 67) and amateur Kyle Stanley (62, 70) led the way in the 36-hole qualifier with South Africans Charl Schwartzel and James Kamte among those also earning spots.
Australian James Nitties sealed the final place available at Brookside and The Lakes by squeezing through a nine-way sudden-death playoff.
There was disappointment, though, for former major winners Love, Olazabal and American Lee Janzen who all failed to qualify in Columbus.
OPEN RUN
Love, whose only major victory came in the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot, ended up two strokes short of joining the playoff for the last spot, ending a run of 18 consecutive U.S. Open appearances.
Janzen, a twice U.S. Open champion, was a further two shots back, one ahead of double U.S. Masters winner Olazabal.
U.S. Ryder Cup player J.J. Henry and Britain's Martin Laird were among 13 players who made it through from a field of 112 at Germantown and Ridgeway courses in Memphis, Tennessee.
Long-hitting John Daly, a twice major champion, and Germany's Alex Cejka failed to advance there.
Eight-times PGA Tour winner Fred Funk, aged 52, became the oldest qualifier for this year's U.S. Open when he booked his place along with six others at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland.
Sixty-three spots were up for grabs in sectional qualifying at 13 venues on Monday for the second major of the season. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Down but not out, Magic look to defy odds again

Down but not out, Magic look to defy odds again
By Steve Ginsburg
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Orlando Magic have defied the odds throughout the postseason and have every intention of doing it one more time in the NBA Finals.
Orlando defeated defending champions Boston and Eastern Conference favorites Cleveland during the playoffs despite lacking the coveted home-court advantage.
Trailing 2-0 in the Finals after losing their first two games away to Los Angeles, the Magic face an even tougher task to reel in the Lakers, but can breathe new life into their sagging campaign with a win in game three at home on Tuesday.
"The bottom line is we knew we were going to have to win here in LA in this series, just like we had to in the Boston and Cleveland series," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said after the Lakers beat the Magic 101-96 in overtime on Sunday.
"From a mental standpoint it was a little easier in those series because we won game one. Bottom line is we came here for two games and we didn't get the job done.
"Now we have to go home and have a great game three."
Only three teams have recovered from an 0-2 deficit to win the NBA Finals, but the last time was only three years ago when Miami won four straight after losing their first two to Dallas.
A win on Tuesday would at least guarantee the Magic two more chances to rebound against Los Angeles, with game four and game five also to be held in Orlando.
Magic guard J.J. Reddick said: "We can't rely on the crowd, we can't rely on the notion that we're going home so we're going to get game three."
"As hard as we fought tonight, we've got to fight even harder in game three.
"Let's be honest, the Lakers are going to be better, they're going to make improvements, they're going to make adjustments, so we've got to be even better just to be in the game."
Orlando forward Rashard Lewis said being down in the playoffs is just another day at the office.
"This is nothing new for us," he said. "The next game is very important. It's a must win. You definitely don't want to dig a three-game hole for yourselves.
"We'll look at the film. But we're a team that bounces back."
(Editing by Ian Ransom)

Source: Reuters

Man pleads innocent in death of Angels pitcher

Man pleads innocent in death of Angels pitcher
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A 22-year-old California man pleaded innocent to three counts of second-degree murder on Monday stemming from the car crash that killed Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two of his companions.
Andrew Thomas Gallo, who is being held in lieu of $2 million bail, entered his not guilty pleas during a brief hearing in Orange County Superior Court and was ordered to return on July 31.
His attorney, Randall Longwith, said after the hearing that he would seek to have the trial moved elsewhere.
"Generally the emotion here, it's so heated," Longwith told reporters. "The threats are coming to (Gallo) and a whole lot to me as well."
An Orange County Grand jury indicted Gallo in April on three counts of second-degree murder and one count each of fleeing the scene of a scene of a fatal traffic collision and drunk driving.
Prosecutors say Gallo had almost three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system when he ran a red light at 65 miles per hour and slammed his minivan into the car carrying Adenhart and three others.
The Angels pitcher, who had just pitched six shutout innings in his season debut against the Oakland Athletics, was killed along with Cal State Fullerton student Courtney Stewart, 20, and law student Henry Pearson 25.
A fourth passenger, 24-year-old Jon Wilhite, was critically injured. Wilhite was in court for the hearing.
Gallo faces more serious charges because he has a prior conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol and was on probation at the time of the crash.
He faces up to 54 years in prison if he is convicted on all of the charges.
Adenhart spent four years in the minor leagues, compiling 37 wins and an earned run average of 3.87 before playing three games for the Angels last season.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)

Source: Reuters

Lakers dispel Magic in overtime to open 2-0 lead

Lakers dispel Magic in overtime to open 2-0 lead
By Steve Ginsburg
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers pulled out a gritty 101-96 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points but he and Los Angeles were nowhere near as dominant as they were in a Game One 100-75 thumping of the Magic, who could have won in regulation had Courtney Lee's lay-in attempt at the buzzer not rimmed out.
"We just drove ourselves through the game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson told reporters. "I didn't think Kobe had a good game at all as far as his standards go.
"They double teamed him, they trapped him, they came on all his drives, and we didn't adjust to it."
Pau Gasol, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds, scored seven of the Lakers' 13 points in the overtime to key the victory. He hit seven-of-14 shots overall and 10-of-11 from the line.
The best-of-seven series now shifts to Orlando for the next three games, if necessary. Game Three is Tuesday and Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy is looking for a turnaround.
"You know, series can change," he said. "You've got to take it one game at a time. It's extremely frustrating not to have gotten tonight's game because I thought we fought hard.
"I didn't think we played great because we had 20 turnovers but we fought hard. We had chances to win. We didn't get it done."
LEE'S CHANCE
Both teams had chances to win the game in regulation, Bryant squandering an opportunity when his short jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining was blocked by Hedo Turkoglu.
After a timeout, the Magic delivered an alley-oop pass to Lee, whose potential series-tying shot at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
"I was obviously relieved when he missed that shot because it could have been a heartbreaker, and right now we could be in a totally different situation," Gasol said.
"I was surprised he was kind of wide open."
The Lakers outscored Orlando 13-8 in the extra session to remain on track for their 15th NBA title and first since 2002.
Orlando was paced by Rashard Lewis's 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting, while Turkoglu added 22. The pair hit a combined five-of-21 shots in the opener but nailed 20-of-38 Sunday. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Animated Woods relishes Federer's French Open breakthrough

Animated Woods relishes Federer's French Open breakthroughNEW YORK (Reuters) - Tiger Woods enjoyed watching good friend Roger Federer finally win his first French Open tennis title.
A few hours before Woods was scheduled to tee off in Sunday's fourth round of the Memorial tournament in Dublin, Ohio, he made time to view television coverage of Federer's emotional breakthrough in Paris.
"I was pulling for him," American world number one Woods told reporters after clinching his 67th PGA Tour title with a one-shot victory at the Memorial tournament.
"You know, it's fun to watch your friends go out there and play and compete. I get just as nervous doing that because they're my friends."
Federer, who had lost the previous three French Open finals to Spaniard Rafael Nadal, crushed Swede Robin Soderling 6-1 7-6 6-4 in Paris to complete the full set of grand slam crowns.
The Swiss equaled Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slams, becoming only the sixth man to win all four major tournaments.
"I was as nervous as can be for him," said Woods, who has piled up 14 major titles in golf to trail only Jack Nicklaus (18) in the all-time listings.
"A couple of times there, Soderling had break point in the third set. Roger is off a break, and I'm like: 'Don't lose this break!' I was yelling at the TV, the whole deal."
Woods, who played 18 holes with his swing coach Hank Haney at Bethpage's Black Course in New York on Monday in preparation for next week's U.S. Open, has always enjoyed watching Federer.
"It's just truly remarkable when he gets it going," Woods said. "He hits shots that nobody else can hit. It's fun to watch."
The pair have been close friends since Woods watched the Swiss win the 2006 U.S. Open.
(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Clare Fallon)

Source: Reuters

Ex-First Boston CEO to run UFL's NY football team

By Ben Klayman
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The United Football League named on Monday the former head of First Boston Corp as the owner of its New York team, ahead of the American football league's October launch.
William Mayer, co-founder of Park Avenue Equity Partners, is the latest investor and owner in the smaller rival of the National Football League that is scheduled to begin play with four teams playing in seven cities.
The league announced in February plans to kick off its inaugural season with a smaller slate of teams -- it had initially targeted six to eight teams -- due to the U.S. recession.
"Bill's business acumen and leadership skills will be an incredible resource to the league and the New York team," UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue said in a statement.
Mayer has been involved in private equity investing for more than 35 years, including 23 years at the former investment bank First Boston Corp, where he was chief executive. He also was dean of the College of Business at the University of Maryland from 1992 through 1996.
Mayer is a board member of BlackRock Kelso and Lee Enterprises.
Park Avenue Equity Partners is a New York private equity firm focused on investing in middle-market companies. It has invested about $340 million since its founding in 1999, according to the firm's website.
The Park Avenue Equity Partners portfolio includes financial services firm W.R. Hambrecht + Co, whose CEO, William Hambrecht, founded the UFL, according to Park Avenue's website.
"Affordable and accessible entertainment is paramount in today's economic climate and this is what the UFL is offering," Mayer said. "Having worked with Bill Hambrecht for many years and even housing the league offices in its infancy, I knew the United Football League was a fiscally sound investment and one that showed great potential."
Other UFL investors, who are putting a combined $30 million into the league, include Google executive Tim Armstrong and Paul Pelosi, the husband of Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The UFL is the latest in a series of leagues to compete with the NFL since the 1970s. Its predecessors -- the World Football League, the United States Football League and, most recently, the XFL -- all failed.
However, UFL officials have vowed not to overspend or set unrealistic expectations -- mistakes of past NFL rivals. Huyghue said the UFL will complement the NFL and not try to compete for top players.
UFL games will air on Versus, a Comcast-owned network, and will take place primarily on Thursday evenings. The season will end with a championship game over Thanksgiving weekend.
The initial UFL teams include New York/Hartford, Connecticut; Las Vegas/Los Angeles; San Francisco/Sacramento, California; and Orlando, Florida. Huyghue previously said the league will expand by at least two to four teams in 2010.
(Reporting by Ben Klayman, editing by Matthew Lewis)

Source: Reuters
 

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