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5261. alistairconnor - 10/27/2006 10:03:38 AM 11 November. Lyon. Rugby. France/New Zealand.
I've got tickets. (ok, my girlfriend has. I'd better be nice to her for the next couple of weeks.)
I have followed them since I was four, I have watched most of their matches on TV, I have torn down fences and locked shields with riot police trying to prevent them from playing.
But oddly enough, I've never been to a match before...
On current form, this match prefigures the final of next year's World Cup. Which happens to be in France. 5262. wabbit - 10/27/2006 6:24:49 PM  Helped by a soggy field, St. Louis' scrappy shortstop David Eckstein delivered two key doubles that gave the Cardinals a firm grip on a World Series that's quickly slipping away from Detroit. Eckstein's tiebreaking double to left field glanced off the glove of a diving Craig Monroe in the eighth inning, and the Cardinals capitalized on Detroit's sloppy defense for a 5-4 victory Thursday night in Game 4. Jeff Weaver can wrap it up Friday night at Busch Stadium when he pitches against rookie Justin Verlander. Each lost his first Series start.
One word of caution, Cardinals rooters: St. Louis had a 3-1 lead in '68, too, before Detroit rallied to win behind lefty Mickey Lolich. The decisive hit that time came when Flood, a Gold Glove center fielder, slipped on Jim Northrup's two-out, two-run triple off Cardinals ace Bob Gibson to break a scoreless tie in the seventh inning of Game 7 -- right across the street, where the old Busch Stadium stood.
5263. jexster - 10/27/2006 7:31:51 PM Pray for rain Wonk 5264. jexster - 10/28/2006 5:31:17 PM Shoulda prayed for rain 5265. wonkers2 - 10/28/2006 5:38:10 PM The Tigers'll be back in the World Series next year. So, watch out. 5266. jexster - 10/28/2006 6:47:28 PM After their pitchers take fielding practice 5267. wabbit - 10/30/2006 2:30:41 AM  Until Oregon State's fans descended onto the field in droves, the third-ranked USC Trojans believed they were headed for another victory. Southern California couldn't find a way to win this close game. USC (6-1, 4-1) had also won 18 straight road games. But the mighty Trojans had shown cracks in their last three games, each a victory by seven points or less. Oregon State capitalized on four turnovers to upset the Trojans 33-31 on Saturday, snapping USC's 27-game Pac-10 winning streak and breaking the national championship race wide open.
Dantrell Savage ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns, and Nathan Peterson returned a fumble for another score to lead Oklahoma State to a 41-29 upset of No. 20 Nebraska on Saturday. Savage scored his second touchdown on a 20-yard run on the second play of the fourth quarter, capping the Cowboys' comeback from an early 16-0 deficit. It's the just fourth win for Oklahoma State in 41 games against Nebraska but the second straight for the Cowboys in Stillwater.
Every four years for the past 12, Texas had left Lubbock a loser. It looked like that trend might continue Saturday night when Texas Tech jumped out to a three-touchdown lead in the first half. But the No. 5 Longhorns overcame four turnovers and erased the big deficit to beat the Red Raiders 35-31.
NCAA Football
5268. wabbit - 10/30/2006 2:34:56 AM  Roger Federer beat Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (3) Sunday to win his fourth straight title and 11th of the year at the Swiss Indoors. The top-ranked Federer hit a forehand return for a winner on the first point of the third-set tiebreaker and cruised from there to win his hometown tournament for the first time in seven attempts. Federer overpowered the defending champion, hitting 14 aces and breaking Gonzalez's serve three times.
Maria Sharapova won her fifth title of the season Sunday, beating defending champion Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-2 in the Generali Ladies final and advancing to No. 2 in the rankings. Sharapova has won 16 straight matches and has not lost since before the start of her successful run to the U.S. Open title. The top-seeded Russian overtook Justine Henin-Hardenne in the rankings and now trails only Amelie Mauresmo. Sharapova needs to win the season-ending WTA Championship in Madrid, Spain, to finish on top.
5269. wabbit - 10/30/2006 2:35:17 AM  K.J. Choi seized control of the Chrysler Championship with a 3-wood into 20 feet for eagle on the opening hole, closing with a 4-under 67 for a four-shot victory at Innisbrook that got him into the next two tournaments -- the Tour Championship next week, and the winners-only Mercedes-Benz Championship that kicks off the 2007 season. Paul Goydos can cancel that trip to Q-school. He was 160th on the money list until he picked a good time to have his best week, closing with a 70 to tie for second with Brett Wetterich. Goydos earned $466,400, the largest paycheck of his career, and moved up to 97th to secure his card for next year.
A wretched start cost Els any hope of winning for the first time this year, and after more blunders along the back nine, he suddenly was in danger of falling out of the top 30 and missing the Tour Championship. He had to finish with two pars, or he would have wound up at No. 31 on the money list by $852. He hit into a bunker on the 17th, then saved par by blasting out to 2 feet. Then came the 18th, and a tee shot he hooked so far to the left that it cleared a bunker and the gallery ropes before settling under a cluster of trees. Els hit a terrific punch shot just to find the short grass some 50 yards in front of the green, the pin protected by a steep bunker. He made it easy with a pitch that checked up behind the hole, inches away for a tap-in par to shoot 72 and send him to East Lake.
Troy Matteson was 172nd on the money list six weeks ago until he went on a tear, finishing in the top 10 every week and winning in Las Vegas. He tied for ninth at Innisbrook and wound up 36th on the money list to earn his first trip to Augusta National. Also earning a Masters invitation was Camilo Villegas, the rookie from Colombia, who closed with a 69. Missing out was Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman, who was No. 40 going into Innisbrook but shot 76-75 on the weekend and slipped to No. 42. Mark Calcavecchia moved into the top 125, and while he was exempt next year because of his '05 Canadian Open victory, this puts him into The Players Championship next year. Darren Clarke finished at No. 125 by $2,673 over Rich Beem, who is exempt from his '02 PGA Championship. Except for Goydos, the only player who could have knocked out Clarke on the last day was Duffy Waldorf, who was No. 131. He needed at least a 67 but shot 72.
5270. wabbit - 10/30/2006 2:35:35 AM  Michael Vick has found a balance. His passer rating is just as impressive as his 40-yard dash these days. Vick threw three more touchdown passes on Sunday, leading the Atlanta Falcons to a 29-27 victory over a Cincinnati Bengals team that had never seen anything quite like the show he put on. The mercurial quarterback has led the Falcons (5-2) to consecutive wins over the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers and the defending AFC North champion Bengals by throwing the ball. Vick has thrown seven touchdown passes in the last two games, proving his point.
Brian Urlacher's one-handed interception was headed to the highlight reel as soon as he tumbled to the ground after somehow batting the ball to himself. Urlacher's stellar play symbolized what kind of afternoon it was for the refreshed and still unbeaten Chicago Bears -- and how frustrating the day was for the San Francisco 49ers. Wearing bright orange uniforms and showing their speed on defense and special teams, the Bears overwhelmed the 49ers from the outset. They jumped to a 24-0 first-quarter lead and 41-0 halftime cushion before coasting to a 41-10 victory Sunday. At 7-0, Chicago is off to its best start since the 1985 Super Bowl champions won their first 12 games.
The Philadelphia Eagles had a dropped pass, a penalty and a sack on their first three plays. It only got worse for the NFL's top-ranked offense against a Jacksonville defense missing three starters. Fred Taylor keyed a strong running attack, backup quarterback David Garrard was efficient and the Jaguars shut down Donovan McNabb in a 13-6 victory Sunday.
NFL scores
5271. wabbit - 10/30/2006 2:35:58 AM 
His genius was building a basketball dynasty in Boston, his gift was straight talk, his signature was the pungent cigar he lit up and savored after every victory. Red Auerbach, the Hall of Famer who guided the Celtics to 16 championships -- first as a coach and later as general manager -- died Saturday. He was 89.
Auerbach died of a heart attack near his home in Washington, according to an NBA official, who didn't want to be identified. His last public appearance was on Wednesday, when he received the Navy's Lone Sailor Award during a ceremony in the nation's capital.
Auerbach's 938 victories made him the winningest coach in NBA history until Lenny Wilkens overtook him during the 1994-95 season. Auerbach's nine titles as a coach came in the 1950s and 1960s -- including eight straight from 1959 through 1966 -- and then through shrewd deals and foresight he became the architect of Celtics teams that won seven more championships in the 1970s and 1980s. Phil Jackson matched those record nine championships when the Los Angeles Lakers won the title in 2001-02.
5272. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 10/30/2006 3:00:57 AM There was a nice piece on NPR about him this morning. Auerbach asked his friend, a Boston bishop, if he thought that his high-school basketball players were helped by God when they made the sign of the cross at the foul line. And the bishop responded: "Sure they are–if they can shoot!" 5273. jexster - 10/30/2006 4:48:52 AM I was a HUGE Celtics fan when I wuz a yung un! RED RIP 5274. wabbit - 11/5/2006 2:11:27 AM A 20-year-old nephew of former heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick and another man have been charged with beating him to death and leaving his body in a church courtyard, police said Friday. Harold Berbick, who had been involved in a land dispute with his uncle, allegedly killed him as part of the long-running feud, police Sgt. Jubert Llewellyn said. The retired fighter died from multiple blows to the back of his head, police said. A 2-inch-thick metal pipe recovered from the scene was believed to be the weapon used. The nephew and Kenton Gordon, an 18-year-old from the same eastern region of the Caribbean island, were detained earlier this week and charged late Thursday. At a court hearing Friday, they were ordered to remain in custody in Portland parish, about 80 miles east of Kingston. They confessed to the crime during an interrogation, said Detective Sgt. Kenneth Bailey of the Port Antonio police. A telephone call seeking comment from Berbick's lawyer was not immediately returned; Gordon does not have an attorney. Their next court appearance is set for Nov. 7.
The body of Berbick, who was believed to be 51, was discovered Oct. 28 outside a Portland church. Berbick grew up in the area and returned to live there following his deportation from the United States in 2002. Berbick was the last boxer to face Muhammad Ali in the ring and briefly held the WBC heavyweight title before losing it to Mike Tyson in 1986. 5275. wabbit - 11/5/2006 2:11:47 AM  Trailing by just eight, Ball State Cardinals quarterback Nate Davis threw incomplete on fourth-and-goal with 2:46 left and couldn't connect on a final-play desperation heave, allowing the second-ranked Michigan Wolverines to escape with a 34-26 win on Saturday.
Receiver Maurice Purify threw a touchdown pass and caught another and Nebraska took sole possession of first place in the Big 12 North with a 34-20 victory over Missouri on Saturday. The Cornhuskers (7-3, 4-2) beat Missouri for the 15th straight time in Lincoln and can clinch a berth in the conference championship with a win over either Texas A&M next weekend or Colorado on Nov. 24.
79-year-old coaching icon Joe Paterno had to leave the sideline after hurting his knee in the second half of Penn State's game at No. 17 Wisconsin on Saturday, and his team couldn't stand up to the Badgers in a 13-3 loss. Wisconsin (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) scored the first touchdown given up by Penn State's defense in more than two games, and kept the Nittany Lions offense under control for most of the afternoon.
NCAA Football
5276. wabbit - 11/5/2006 2:13:04 AM  Invasor pulled alongside Bernardini in the stretch and went past the mighty colt for a stunning victory in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. The victory Saturday in America's richest race was the ninth in 10 career starts for the 4-year-old Invasor, who was bred in Argentina and is Uruguay's Horse of the Year. With Brother Derek setting the pace, Bernardini made a bold move for the lead around the far turn, and took seemed to take charge entering the stretch as a cheer went up from the Churchill Downs crowd of 75,132. But Invasor, with 18-year-old Fernando Jara aboard, wouldn't let Bernardini get away. He went eyeball-to-eyeball with the even-money favorite, then moved ahead for a one-length victory. Premium Tap was third, followed by 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, Brother Derek, George Washington, Lava Man, Perfect Drift, Lawyer Ron, Sun King, Flower Alley, Suave and David Junior.
Five months ago, in the Preakness, Michael Matz watched his Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro pull up with a life-threatening injury as the favorite in the Preakness while Bernardini galloped to a rousing 5 1/4-length victory. Saturday, in the $2,070,160 Breeders' Cup Distaff, the Matz-trained Round Pond galloped to a 4 1/4-length victory while the two favorites in the race suffered injuries. Pine Island, the leading 3-year-old filly in the country and the 5-2 second choice, suffered a dislocation of the fetlock joint in her left foreleg and had to be euthanized. Fleet Indian, the leading older mare in the country and the slight 5-2 Distaff favorite, suffered injuries to the suspensory ligament in her left front fetlock joint, but, according to Dr. Wayne McIlwraith, the injury is repairable. The Distaff also included the disqualification of runner-up Asi Siempre for interference in the stretch. Asi Siempre, who came over on fourth-place finisher Balletto, was placed fourth by the stewards. Happy Ticket, who finished third, was moved to second while Balletto was moved up to third.
 Ouija Board staked her claim as one of the great racehorses in the 23-year history of the Breeders' Cup, winning the Filly and Mare Turf for the second time in three years, with a second-place finish last season sandwiched between triumphs in 2004 and this year. Just as she did in 2004 at Lone Star Park, Ouija Board beat tough-luck Film Maker - a bridesmaid yet again - to take home the $1,188,000 winner's share of a $2.2 million purse. Beaten 2 1/2 lengths by Ouija Board, Film Maker was a neck better than Honey Ryder, with Wait a While, the strong second choice, coming home fourth. Satwa Queen was fifth, and five longshots rounded out the order of finish.
Breeders' Cup
5277. jexster - 11/5/2006 2:40:01 PM Tigers come through with defining moment
LSU offensive tackle Ciron Black (70) and head coach Les Miles celebrate along with the rest of the team after the Tigers’ 28-24 come-from-behind-victory over Tennessee on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn. 5278. arkymalarky - 11/5/2006 5:12:27 PM Pig Sooie 5279. jexster - 11/7/2006 9:31:24 PM A's On the Move!
A's ready to move to Fremont / Team expected to announce plan next week to get rights to land for a baseball-only stadium -- Cisco likely to be big sponsor
The stadium that the Oakland A's plan to build on the west side of I-880 in Fremont is shown in an architect's rendering. The arena would seat 36,000 fans on land near the old Baylands Raceway.
The A's have repeatedl threatened to move to the South Bay/San Jose/Santa Clara and bazeball threatened to block because that is Giant's territory
Fremont is in the East Bay but close enough to be competitive to the Giants' base 5280. wonkers2 - 11/9/2006 3:21:32 AM Championship Racing on San Francisco Bay
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