Monday, June 15, 2009

No wild celebrations for triumphant Murray

No wild celebrations for triumphant Murray
By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON (Reuters) - In case anyone thought Andy Murray would get carried away after winning his first title on home soil, he marked the occasion with an alcohol-free night before quickly switching his thoughts to Wimbledon.
There were no wild celebrations one might expect from a millionaire athlete who had just become the first Briton in 71 years to win the grasscourt tournament at Queen's Club.
"I went out for an Indian (meal) with all the guys I work with last night. They had a few drinks on me but no alcohol for me and I got to bed reasonably early," Murray said on Monday at the launch of his retro Fred Perry kit for Wimbledon.
The Scot's 7-5 6-4 triumph over American James Blake on Sunday might have been a personal milestone for the 22-year-old but it also started the countdown to the major championship Britain hopes he will win on July 5.
Murray knows he will carry the hopes of a nation that has not seen a home-grown men's champion at the All England Club since 1936.
Perry was the last British male to triumph in the Wimbledon singles and Murray hopes he can follow in the footsteps of the man who was born exactly 100 years ago.
"I'm very excited to play at Wimbledon, I've got a good chance of doing well this year ... I think I can win it but I'm going to focus on my very first match," said the world number three, whose best result at the grasscourt grand slam was his quarter-final showing in 2008.
OFF DAY
"There's no point in me thinking about winning it too much before the tournament has started as I could easily lose in the first round if I have an off day."
Murray has spent hundreds of hours sweating in the gym over the past 12 months to ensure he does not have an off day.
"Since Wimbledon last year, when my game kicked on a lot, I started to improve big time. I learnt I was in better shape but I needed to get even stronger so I could play back to back five-set matches over the whole tournament," he said.
"After Wimbledon last year I went to train in Miami for three or four weeks and it's pretty tough weather to train around this time.
"That made a difference and gave me a lot of confidence going into the hardcourt stretch (of the season) and also in my first slam final (at the 2008 U.S. Open).
"When you spend a lot of time in the gym and are suffering off the court, it makes the tennis matches seem a lot easier.
"I have a lot more belief I can compete for five sets over seven matches. I go on with a clear head and with no excuses or doubts in the back of my mind." Continued...
Source: Reuters

Bryant emerges from Shaq to build golden empire alone

Bryant emerges from Shaq to build golden empire alone
By Steve Ginsburg
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Kobe Bryant proved there was life after Shaquille O'Neal when he led the Los Angeles Lakers to their 15th NBA crown with a convincing win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
Bryant captured his fourth overall title as the Lakers eased to a 4-1 series triumph with a 99-86 Game Five victory, but the success was the first without his 7ft-1in former team mate taking center stage.
"From the standpoint of responding to the challenge, from people saying I couldn't do it without him, that feels good, because you prove people wrong," he said.
"So from that standpoint it feels extremely good to do that."
The 30-year-old Bryant was named the MVP of the finals, the first time he won the championship and not had to watch O'Neal accept the coveted award at midcourt.
Bryant called the criticism that he needed O'Neal to win the title "silly."
"Every team has a dynamic duo," he said. "It's a shame. But it is what it is. I wasn't going to try to argue about it. That does nothing. So you just accept the challenge and try to prove them wrong."
ALPHA MALES
Bryant said, however, the title teams he had with O'Neal were "special."
"We're great as individuals, but then you look at these two teams it's probably the first dynamic duo that had two alpha males on one team," he said.
"We managed to make it work for three championships.
"For me it's about the years that we had but also enjoying the ones to come."
The Magic were in search of their first title but had no answer for Bryant, who averaged 32.4 points a game during the finals.
An 11-times All-Star and 2008 MVP, Bryant said his children had been calling him "Grumpy" during the playoff run because he had been so focused on winning the title.
But he was all smiles after the Lakers emerged victorious with Bryant admitting the six-game setback to the Boston Celtics in last year's finals was a great motivator. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Lakers beat Magic to grab 15th title

Lakers beat Magic to grab 15th title
By Steve Ginsburg
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers captured their 15th championship and first since 2002 with a 99-86 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game Five of the NBA Finals on Sunday.
Los Angeles won the best-of-seven series 4-1, giving coach Phil Jackson his record 10th championship ring and 11-times All-Star guard Kobe Bryant his fourth.
"It's been a long time since he had a champagne bath, and I knew that, so I made sure he became part of our circle and we got him pretty good," Bryant said following the Lakers' locker room celebration.
"He took his glasses off, threw his head back and soaked it all in because this is a special time, and for us to be the team that got him that historic 10th championship is special for us."
The 30-year-old Bryant paced the Lakers with 30 points and was named the most valuable player in the finals, the first time he has received the award.
When he won his three previous titles (2000-2002), team mate Shaquille O'Neal was named the MVP and Bryant said criticism he could not claim the title without the 7-foot-1 center patrolling the paint was "just silly."
"Every team has a dynamic duo," said Bryant, who averaged 32.4 points during the finals. "It's a shame. But it is what it is. I wasn't going to try to argue about it. That does nothing. So you just accept the challenge and try to prove them wrong."
The Lakers took control of the game in the second quarter, scoring 16 straight points to turn a four-point deficit into a 52-40 lead with three minutes left in the first half.
MISFIRING MAGIC
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said "we just didn't handle the ball at all" during the pivotal second quarter.
"I did not think that we handled the frustration really well, and that's why one mistake, one bad play in that stretch kept leading to another," he said.
"We fought hard in the second half, but they just had an answer for everything."
Los Angeles saw their 10-point halftime lead sliced to 58-53, but Lamar Odom hit two three-pointers during a 13-2 run to give the Lakers a cozy 71-55 advantage with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.
"Were they the better team in the series? Yeah, that's why they're the champs," said Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard, who averaged 17 points in the series but lacked consistency.
"What we can learn from this experience is that we have to be able to play 48 minutes, the whole game. They kept the pressure on us, and they played like a team that was hungry for a championship." Continued...
Source: Reuters

Yankees pummel Santana to win series

Yankees pummel Santana to win series
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Yankees pummeled Mets pitcher Johan Santana for a career-high nine runs in three-plus innings and crushed their New York rivals 15-0 to win baseball's interleague Subway Series on Sunday.
The Yankees, playing in their home stadium, scored nine runs in the fourth inning and lashed out 17 total hits, nine of them off Santana (8-4), to take the deciding contest in the three-game series.
Their 15 runs were a season-high and the margin of victory was the largest in the 69 games between the two teams.
"You should have heard us in there (in the clubhouse) -- it was wild," Yankees winning pitcher A.J. Burnett (5-3) told reporters. "It was just a good all-around day. We came out swinging the bats and made a lot of defensive plays."
To add to the Mets' misery, manager Jerry Manuel was ejected in the sixth for arguing over a called third strike on David Wright.
Shortstop Derek Jeter was a perfect 4-for-4 for the Yankees with Robinson Cano and Francisco Cervelli both getting three hits.
The American Leaguers scored four runs in the second inning, then unloaded on the National League Mets for nine more in the fourth.
Hideki Matsui and Cano both hit two-run homers in the big inning as the Yankees collected eight hits while sending 12 batters to the plate.
CAREER WORST
The start was the worst of Santana's career. He left after five batters in the fourth, having been charged with nine runs while striking out three and walking two.
"It shows you he's human," Burnett said. "It happens to everybody. This is a very, very potent lineup. Our job is to keep them in the game as best we can, because they're going to score runs."
Santana offered no excuses and said he was fine.
Reliever Brian Stokes gave up four more runs after Santana left, including Cano's homer, before the Mets finally retired the Yankees in the fourth.
Burnett held the Mets to four hits through seven innings. He loaded the bases in the third on two walks and a single before striking out Alex Cora and Fernando Martinez and getting Carlos Beltran to line out to shortstop.
"You don't want to see someone put themselves in that kind of jam ... but he went to work," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "That seemed to be the difference in the game."
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina, editing by Dave Thompson/Ian Ransom)

Source: Reuters
 

Business

Politics

Incidents

 

Society

Sport

Culture