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5681. jexster - 7/25/2007 6:54:31 PM This means war....
Savafids to Meet Saudis in Asia Cup Final 5683. robertjayb - 7/26/2007 2:28:50 AM Rasmussen pulled from tour over doping suspicions...
GOURETTE, France (AP) -- Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen was removed from the race by his team after winning Wednesday's stage, the biggest blow yet in cycling's doping-tainted premier event.
''Michael Rasmussen has been sent home for violating (the team's) internal rules,'' Rabobank team spokesman Jacob Bergsma told The Associated Press by phone.
The expulsion, which Bergsma said was ordered by the Dutch team sponsor, was linked to ''incorrect'' information that Rasmussen gave to the team's sports director over his whereabouts last month. Rasmussen missed random drug tests May 8 and June 28.
The 33-year-old rider, who won Wednesday's stage, had looked set to win the race, which ends Sunday in Paris.
''We cannot say that Rasmussen cheated, but his flippancy and his lies on his whereabouts had become unbearable,'' Tour director Christian Prudhomme told the AP.
The leader of cycling's governing body applauded the decision.
''My immediate reaction is, why didn't they do this at the end of June, when they had the same information,'' Pat McQuaid said. ''The team decided to pull him out; that's their prerogative. I can only applaud that. It's a zero-tolerance policy, and it's a lesson for the future.''
With Rasmussen out, Spanish rider Alberto Contador of the Discovery Channel team moved into the race lead.
''It's in no way a celebration on our end. It's the third piece of bad news,'' said Discovery Channel spokesman P.J. Rabice. ''It reflects badly on our sport.''
5684. wabbit - 7/26/2007 1:20:09 PM I deleted a couple duplicate posts.
Sports Illustrated is running a series on cheating in sports. None of the writers has taken on cycling. 5685. wabbit - 7/26/2007 1:26:55 PM RIP Bill Flemming
Bill Flemming, a longtime ABC sports broadcaster who covered events as varied as the Olympics, college football and cliff diving, has died. He was 80.
Flemming died Friday of prostate cancer in Petoskey, a Lake Michigan town near his summer cottage, his daughter, Lindy Flemming of Larkspur, Calif., said Tuesday.
In addition to football and golf play-by-play announcing, Flemming reported on more than 600 events for ABC's "Wide World of Sports" program.
He followed 11 Olympics and the showdown between chess titans Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in 1972. He grew up in Ann Arbor, graduated from the University of Michigan and considered the Michigan-Ohio State football matchup one of his choice assignments.
Flemming's other speciality was bringing little-known sports such as parachuting and hurling -- an Irish game similar to hockey and lacrosse -- to American audiences.
Flemming entered broadcasting in 1949. He worked for WWJ-TV in Detroit and appeared on NBC's "Today" show before joining ABC's "Wide World" in 1961... 5686. iiibbb - 7/26/2007 5:23:15 PM Michael Rasmussen is out of the TDF!!!! 5687. alistairConnor - 7/28/2007 10:38:13 PM The Tour will survive. This is a watershed year. Talking tough and acting tough on dope. Some people were still convinced they
Vinokourov and Team Borat got booted, no surprises there.
The Rasmussen case is pretty interesting.
I didn't follow today's stage, a time trial. It seems to me that the Australian Cadel Evans had a good chance of taking the yellow jersey in this stage. Or it could be the Quiet American. But never underestimate the motivational power of that yellow jersey, Contador could hang on and win the Tour. 5688. alistairConnor - 7/28/2007 10:46:43 PM Not a bad call... Leipheimer won the stage, Evans was second, and Contador is still in front overall... with 23 seconds on Evans and 31 on Leipheimer, he's assured of overall victory tomorrow barring accidents. It will apparently be the closest Tour in history.
And that's fitting. Incredibly, a week into the race, there were still 10 riders who could have won it... it's been a real sporting competition, a rare thing in the 20 years I've been following the Tour. Most years, it's been dominated by a Boss (Indurain, then Armstrong). I like it more like this. I may be wrong, but I don't think we'll see those days again soon. 5689. alistairConnor - 7/28/2007 10:59:27 PM The Rasmussen thing is interesting because he was inadvertently ratted by a TV commentator.
When he did his big number in the Alps last week, this Italian commentator threw in an anecdote about how he saw Rasmussen training in Italy in June in very tough conditions, and had talked to him briefly. He was just doing his job, trying to build up the myth. But as it happens, Rasmussen, who missed drug tests during that period, had claimed he was in Mexico at the time... It all unravelled after that.
Moral of the story? You can't run, you can't hide, the drugbusters will get you. Well, that's my optimistic version. 5690. jexster - 7/29/2007 3:37:56 PM FINAL: Iraq 1, Saudi Arabia 0 5691. wabbit - 7/29/2007 4:53:25 PM  Skipper Younis Mahmoud's thumping headed goal crowned Iraq as the Asian Cup champions for the first time with a stirring 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the final here Sunday. Mahmoud powered home the 71st-minute header off a Hawar Mohammed corner for the only goal in the fiercely-contested all-Arab final over the three-time champion Saudis in a seething Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The huge roar inside the stadium was no doubt bettered by wildly celebrating supporters back in their war-ravaged homeland where Iraqis risked death to rejoice the unifying triumph of their national football team.
Iraq blunted the resistance of the Saudis, who could not counter the determination and steel of their Gulf rivals in the crackling decider to the three-week continental tournament.
Saudi Arabia, which has appeared in five of the last six finals, is a three-time champion. Iraq had never been to the finals and last played in the semifinals 31 years ago.
5692. wabbit - 7/29/2007 4:54:03 PM  The verdict was never in doubt when Lawyer Ron hit the top of the stretch in the $750,000 Whitney Handicap. The chestnut colt came roaring around the final turn and pulled away for a 4 3-4-length victory over Wanderin Boy on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, breaking a 33-year-old track record in the process. Ridden by John Velazquez, Lawyer Ron charged to the front and took the lead from Wanderin Boy, then the 4-year-old colt turned on the afterburners and covered 1 1-8 miles in 1:46.64, bettering the track record of 1:47 set by Tri Jet on Aug. 3, 1974. The victory earned Lawyer Ron an automatic berth in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park on Oct. 27, thanks to a new "Win and You're In" qualifying format created this year.
In other races that carried automatic Breeders' Cup berths:
- My Typhoon ($8.10) surged to the lead on the far turn and won the $500,000 Diana Handicap by three-quarters of a length over Argentina, clinching a spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
- -- Diabolical ($7) moved past Attila's Storm in the final strides and captured the $250,000 Albert G. Vanderbilt Handicap by a half-length. Trained by Steve Klesaris, the 4-year-old colt clinched a berth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint with his second win in four starts this year. Diabolical covered the six furlongs in 1:08.67.
- -- Ginger Punch ($4.50) took charge in the stretch and pulled away for an easy victory in the $250,000 Go for Wand Handicap, earning a spot in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
5693. wabbit - 7/29/2007 4:54:25 PM  Rookie Brian Burres took a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning, Miguel Tejada had four RBIs and the Baltimore Orioles beat Roger Clemens and the New York Yankees 7-5 Saturday night for their sixth straight victory. New York's Alex Rodriguez, needing a home run to reach 500 for his career, struck out three times and went 0-for-4. He also made an error, botching a grounder to third that led to an unearned run. Brian Roberts scored three runs for the Orioles, whose six-game run matches its best of the season. Baltimore has won eight in a row at home, its longest such streak since 2003, and improved to 6-2 against New York. Tejada hit two-run doubles in the first and seventh innings. The last time he had as many as four RBIs in a game was on Aug. 23, 2005, against the Los Angeles Angels. Burres (5-4) allowed one run and four hits in six-plus innings. He struck out the side in first and finished with seven strikeouts.
After Jonathan Papelbon blew a win for Jon Lester, the Red Sox bounced back. Boston scored six runs in the 12th inning to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 12-6 on Saturday night, moving the Red Sox nine games in front of the New York Yankees in the AL East. Jonny Gomes spoiled Lester's bid for his second straight win since rejoining the team with a two-run homer in the ninth, Papelbon's second blown save in 25 chances. But Julio Lugo drew his second bases-loaded walk and Kevin Youkilis followed with a three-run double in Boston's big 12th inning.
Barry Bonds went hitless a night after connecting for his 754th home run, leaving the San Francisco star one shy of tying Hank Aaron's record in the Giants' 4-3 win over the Florida Marlins. With his mom in the stands, Dontrelle Willis overmatched the slugger he admired growing up in the Bay Area. In the end, Bonds could only stand at home plate -- right in the way of the catcher, actually -- and watch a popup on his final swing. Sunday will be Barry Bonds' last shot at breaking the record at home until Aug. 6 against the Nationals.
MLB scores
5694. jexster - 7/29/2007 5:17:05 PM Lions of the Two Rivers
 5695. jexster - 7/29/2007 5:25:43 PM 
5696. jexster - 7/29/2007 11:15:26 PM 
5697. jexster - 7/31/2007 1:04:57 AM Bill Walsh
RIP 5698. jexster - 7/31/2007 2:58:06 AM San Francisco's in mourning...Keith Olbermann ran the stats
8 Walsh assistants became NFL head coaches
8 of their assistants 5699. wabbit - 8/4/2007 9:41:19 PM  Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player in major league history to hit 500 home runs, sending the first pitch he saw Saturday just past the foul pole in left field. Rodriguez stood at home plate for a second, waiting to see if his first-inning drive off Kansas City's Kyle Davies would stay fair. He threw his hands in the air after the ball landed in the seats and began trotting around the bases with a wide grin on his face as the Yankee Stadium crowd cheered wildly. When he reached the plate, he hugged Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu, who both scored on the landmark home run...
Detroit Tigers' infielder Neifi Perez was suspended for 80 games Friday after testing positive for a third time for a banned stimulant, a penalty that finishes his season. Perez was suspended for 25 games on July 6 when he tested positive for a second time. Under baseball's labor contract, a player who tests positive for the first time is sent for counseling. Perez has been the only player suspended by baseball for stimulants since they were banned before the 2006 season.
Barry Bonds once called Petco Park "baseball proof." Greg Maddux made sure it was homer proof, too. Playing in perhaps his least-favorite ballpark, Bonds extended his homerless streak to one week and remained at No. 754, one shy of tying Hank Aaron's record. The San Francisco slugger was hitless in three tries against the wily Maddux in a classic matchup Friday night, and finished 0-for-4 overall. Both stars were long gone when Scott Hairston homered for the second time, a solo shot with one out in the 10th inning that gave the San Diego Padres a 4-3 win over the Giants.
MLB scores
5700. wabbit - 8/4/2007 9:54:15 PM
The slam of the skateboarder's body against the ramp caused a collective shudder among X Games spectators and had Web video watchers gasping Friday morning. Jake Brown fell flailing and helpless for about 40 feet on the skateboard big air mega ramp during his fifth and final run Thursday night. Brown was recovering in the intensive care unit at California Hospital Medical Center on Friday night, said hospital spokeswoman Katreena Salgado.
Equestrian rider Tina Richter-Vietor died Saturday after falling from her horse at the German Championships. The 32-year-old German, who won one gold and three bronze medals at the military European championships, was thrown from her horse Paulchen Panther. The event was canceled, except for one jump competition on Sunday. A South Korea rider competing in the individual cross country competition at the Asian Games died on Thursday after his horse hit a fence and he fell off, organisers said. The 47-year-old man, believed to be a Seoul resident, was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. It is the eighth death linked to the Asian Games, although the first of an athlete.
Two-time Olympian Michael Phelps came within a whisker of setting a world record in the 100 backstroke Friday night, winning twice in about an hour at the U.S. National Championships. His time of 53.01 seconds was the second-fastest ever, just three-hundreths of a second off Aaron Peirsol's mark set in March at the world championships. Perhaps a more ominous message to the swimming world is this: Phelps thinks he can go faster. Phelps set a meet record in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:44.98, then regrouped and still had enough energy to swim what Bowman called his best closing 50 ever in the 100 back. The two wins were his third and fourth of the week and put him within one victory of becoming the first American man to win five titles in back-to-back summer nationals. He had also won five events in 2003 and 2006. No other American man has even done it once.
5701. jexster - 8/5/2007 4:58:27 AM 
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