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5515. alistairConnor - 5/5/2007 2:52:08 PM We are planning to spend a week in Spain in July, but sadly, the Americas Cup final is in June. There is a long weekend coming up, but it's a minimum 9 hours' drive down to Valencia.
The only Cup I've seen with my own eyes was the successful NZ defense in Auckland in 1999. 5516. jexster - 5/6/2007 1:36:01 AM Little Fat Cutie
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Noah Lowry is greeted in the dugout in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, May 5, 2007, in San Francisco. The Giants beat the Phillies 9-4.
Starting tommorrow, replacing the injured Russ Ortiz, microscopic ERA in the hit-happy PCL
Just plain HOTTIE
Tim Lincecum 5517. wonkers2 - 5/6/2007 2:32:09 AM Radio Controlled Model Sailboat Regatta 5518. wabbit - 5/7/2007 2:06:31 PM  Street Sense showed plenty of that, smartly picking his way through traffic while rallying from next-to-last in a 20-horse field to win the Kentucky Derby. With a rip-roaring dash to the finish line at Churchill Downs, Street Sense put a couple of guys in the winner's circle late in their careers. And in beating Hard Spun by 2 1-4 lengths, the colt broke two Derby jinxes under jockey Calvin Borel, who was winless in four tries until now. Street Sense became the first Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner to return in the spring and win on the first Saturday in May, snapping an 0-for-23 skid. He did so on the same track where he won the Juvenile by 10 lengths six months ago. He was also the first 2-year-old champion to win the Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979. The dark bay colt, sent off as the 9-2 favorite on his hometown track, ran 11/4 miles in 2:02.17 and paid $11.80, $6.40 and $4.60 as the highest-priced winning favorite in Derby history. Smarty Jones paid $10.20 to win in 2004. Hard Spun returned $9.80 and $7, while Curlin was another 53/4 lengths back in third and paid $5.60 to show.
This was a hard Derby to predict, there were several horses I thought could have won. I loved the shocked declaration by Tom Durkin that the favorite was in 19th place. The move Street Sense made to come from the back to win the race was just spectacular, John Borel rode a great race. What a treat to finally have the right camera showing the action. The overhead view from the blimp was perfect. You can watch the race here.
The previous day, Rags to Riches made short work of an accomplished field of 3-year-old fillies in the 133rd Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, benefiting from a picture perfect ride under jockey Garrett Gomez to pull away from second-place finisher Octave by 4 ¼-lengths. As expected, Dreaming of Anna and Mistical Plan each broke alertly to rush up and contest the early pace. The duo navigated the field through fractions of :23.25 for the first quarter-mile and :47.89 for the first half-mile, with last year's Eclipse Award winning 2-year-old filly champion Dreaming of Anna asserting a constant measured advantage over Mistical Plan. All the while, Rags to Riches enjoyed a perfect stalking position in fifth as the leaders splashed through six-furlongs in a moderate 1:12.69. Moving into the stretch, the Todd Pletcher trained duo of Rags to Riches and Octave made their moves and sailed past the early leaders, neither of which offered any resistance. Rags to Riches showed a quicker burst of speed than her gray stablemate and extended her margin of victory in the stretch. High Heels came running on late to finish another 3 ½-lengths back in third.
5519. wabbit - 5/7/2007 2:07:33 PM 
Tiger Woods walked with a slight limp toward the 18th green. He was sore and hadn't played his best, yet was minutes away from winning for the ninth time in his last 12 PGA Tour events. Third-round leader Rory Sabbatini had bragged about wanting to be paired with Woods in the final group, but he, Steve Stricker and Vijay Singh couldn't catch him. It seems nobody can - sore knee or not. Buoyed by an eagle on the seventh hole, Woods overcame a double bogey on 13, finishing with a 3-under 69 on Sunday for a two-shot win over Stricker at the Wachovia Championship. And 60 feet. After narrowly missing the water with his tee shot at the seventh, Woods rolled in the long eagle attempt to get to 13-under and take the lead. He then birdied the eighth and ninth for a 31 on the front nine, moving to 15-under and taking a three-shot lead at a windy Quail Hollow.
Mi Hyun Kim won a playoff on the first extra hole with Hall of Famer Juli Inkster to capture the SemGroup Championship on Sunday, the South Korean's first LPGA Tour victory of the year. Kim missed a 5-footer for birdie on the 18th to force the playoff with Inkster, who had birdied the hole minutes earlier. On her second try at No. 18 in the playoff, Kim sank a 4-foot putt for par after Inkster made bogey. Inkster, who will turn 47 on June 24, would have been the oldest player to win an LPGA Tour event. She closed with a 2-under 69 in regulation. Kim, who shot a 71, and Inkster finished regulation one shot ahead of Ai Miyazoto and Angela Stanford. Three others were at 1 under, including Lorena Ochoa and Stephanie Louden, who began the day in a fourway tie for first. Kim, whose last tour win in 2006 came after a three-hole playoff with Natalie Gulbis in the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, hit her second shot in the playoff to the fringe on the back of the green, about 35 feet from the hole, and two-putted. Inkster's second shot sailed over the green. She chipped 8 feet past the hole but missed the par putt right.
5520. wabbit - 5/7/2007 2:08:01 PM  With blood spewing from a cut on his nose, Steve Nash could only watch from the bench while the San Antonio Spurs put away Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Tim Duncan had 33 points and 16 rebounds -- eight offensive -- and Tony Parker added 32 points to lead the Spurs to a rugged 111-106 victory Sunday over Nash's Phoenix Suns. Nash scored 31 but missed a crucial 45 seconds in the final minute because of the bloody cut on his nose, the result of a head-on collision with Parker with 2:53 to play. The cut required six stitches after the game.
LeBron James' stuffy nose was nothing compared to the congestion New Jersey dealt with. With their superstar slowed by a nasty head cold, the Cleveland Cavaliers turned up their defense to beat the Nets 81-77 on Sunday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Cavaliers clogged up passing lanes, pushed bodies around under the basket and generally made life miserable for the playoff-tested Nets, who rarely got off a shot without a hand waving in their faces. James, who came down with a cold while the Cavs waited around for a second-round opponent, sniffled his way to 21 points and Larry Hughes added 17 as Cleveland remained unbeaten so far this postseason. The Cavs came in well rested after their four-game sweep of Washington in the first round, and they needed every ounce of energy to hold off the Nets, who pulled within 79-77 on Vince Carter 's two free throws with 19.5 seconds left.
The young Utah Jazz are moving on in the NBA playoffs with a new point guard and power forward combination. With fresh faces - but the same, old coach - the Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 103-99 on Saturday night to clinch their first playoff series victory since 2000 - when John Stockton and Karl Malone were still running the pick-and-roll. Carlos Boozer is the new inside force and Deron Williams is the guy running the offense. In Game 7, the results looked awfully familiar. Boozer had 35 points, 14 rebounds and five assists and Williams had 20 points and 14 assists as the Jazz became only the seventh team since 2001 to come back from a 2-0 deficit and win a series.
NBA scores
5521. wabbit - 5/7/2007 2:08:29 PM  Pete Sampras hadn't played competitive tennis since winning the 2002 U.S. Open for his record 14th Grand Slam title. Retired at 31, he didn't pick up a racket or watch tennis on television for almost three years before deciding to play a limited schedule of exhibitions and Champion's Cup events. His presence was a coup for the seniors tour and reminder for his opponents -- Petr Korda, Tim Mayotte, John McEnroe and Martin -- of why he dominated the regular tour when they were in their prime. "Adding Sampras has certainly added some extra buzz," said Jim Courier, a competitor and organizer of the tour. "There's no question that when you bring in 14 major titles in one body, it's going to get tougher." In a nod to the players knees, the matches are best-of-two sets, with a 10-point tiebreaker in case they split the sets. Sampras won the first set 6-3 and it was 5-5 in the second when Martin broke Sampras' serve, then held serve to tie it.
Her muscles aching when she gets out bed, Kim Clijsters is done with tennis at 23. The former U.S. Open champion, once ranked No. 1, initially planned to quit after the season. Now, with injuries having exacted too much and her thoughts turning to family and a "new life," her retirement is immediate. "Health and private happiness are so much more important," she said on her Web site Sunday. Still ranked No. 4, Clijsters said she was wary of the injuries that have led to fatigue, lack of motivation and a decline in play.
5522. wabbit - 5/7/2007 2:08:56 PM  Josh Phelps slid hard into Kenji Johjima, throwing an arm into the Seattle catcher while scoring the first run in New York's 5-0 victory over the Mariners on Sunday. Jarrod Washburn hit Phelps in the back with the first pitch to him in the sixth inning, and umpires warned both dugouts for the second time in three days. Yankees reliever Scott Proctor followed with an inside pitch to Yuniesky Betancourt with none on and two outs in the seventh. Betancourt pointed his bat toward the mound, catcher Wil Nieves grabbed him, and the benches and bullpens emptied - but no punches were thrown. Proctor and Yankees manager Joe Torre were ejected. Phelps singled leading off the fifth and advanced when Washburn (2-3) walked Johnny Damon with two outs. Phelps, whose left arm hit Johjima's left shoulder, said he was running hard on Derek Jeter 's single to beat a throw from center fielder Ichiro Suzuki and put the Yankees ahead. Roger Clemens announced his return during the seventh-inning stretch, speaking to fans from the owner's box as a crowd of 52,553 at Yankee Stadium and hundreds of thousands watching on television looked on. Clemens agreed to a minor league contract on Sunday and expects to be pitching for the Yankees within a month. With an injury-depleted pitching staff, the Bronx Bombers definitely need the seven-time Cy Young Award winner after starting the season a disappointing 14-15 and falling 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox in the AL East.
The Minnesota Twins limped into Sunday's series finale with the Boston Red Sox struggling to field a healthy team and put a few runs on the board. Curt Schilling prolonged the offensive misery, and things only went downhill for Minnesota from there. Boston's ace tied a season high with seven strikeouts and the Red Sox hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Twins, who placed All-Star catcher Joe Mauer on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left quadriceps. Schilling (4-1) allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings, and Dustin Pedroia went 3-for-4 with two doubles for the Red Sox , who took two of three from a Twins team that scored just five runs in the series.
A determined Prince Fielder was one big problem for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Fielder homered twice and scored the go-ahead run in the Milwaukee Brewers ' 6-4 win over Pittsburgh. The Brewers, a major league-best 21-10, are 11 games over .500 for the first time since 1992. They have won three straight and seven of eight. Fielder led off the eighth inning with a single to right off Grabow (0-1) and advanced to second on Johnny Estrada 's sacrifice, the fifth of his career and first this season. Matt Capps came in and got pinch-hitter Tony Graffanino to fly out before pinch-hitter Bill Hall drove in Fielder with a single to put Milwaukee ahead 5-4.
MLB scores
5523. alistairconnor - 5/7/2007 2:17:51 PM Vital day in the Americas Cup challenger series. The Spanish boat have seen off two rivals for the fourth semi-final place, beating the South Africans and the Latin Rascals. The only rivals now are the Swedes of Victory Challenge. The Swedish team needs to win its three remaining races, and needs the Spanish to lose its three races, to get the fourth spot.
This is not as unlikely as it sounds. The Spaniards' last two races are against two of the Big Three, and the Swedes have two opponents that they logically should beat. And then there is the head-to-head race, which is now under way... 5524. alistairconnor - 5/7/2007 2:37:01 PM The Swedes are out in front... halfway through a closely fought race.
The other close match of the day is Team NZ against Luna Rossa. The three major teams are fighting for first place in the round-robin phase, which gives them the privilege of choosing their opponent for the semi-finals. Team NZ in front so far... 5525. alistairconnor - 5/7/2007 2:41:45 PM Oh the Swedes panicked at the downwind mark and dumped their spinnaker in the sea. This happens, if it touches the water during the drop it can be impossible to haul it back aboard in race conditions. But the Spaniards have raised a protest flag, claiming they did it on purpose, to ensnare the pursuing boat in a 490 square metre high tech jellyfish... 5526. alistairConnor - 5/8/2007 1:32:26 PM So the Swedes beat the Spanish boat and stay alive. The Spaniards have to face Oracle, today, and Luna Rossa, tomorrow, and will probably lose both.
But I got one thing wrong : the Swedes have not only to beat the Latin Rascals tomorrow, but Team NZ today. Which is a bit of a long shot. TNZ beat Luna Rossa yesterday.
5527. alistairConnor - 5/8/2007 1:33:49 PM But goddam! the Swedes won the start! Not sure what happened there... they have a 50 metre lead. They are capable of avoiding mistakes to cover the Kiwis, but have they got the boat speed to stay in front? 5528. alistairConnor - 5/8/2007 1:45:09 PM So far, the Swedes are impeccable in the tacking duel with the Kiwis. When two boats come together on opposing tacks, the leading boat will tack right on the nose of the other. This is the sailing equivalent of farting in their face -- it fouls their air, they are obliged to tack away to clear it.
The Kiwis have crept back a bit, they are only a dozen metres behind... 5529. alistairConnor - 5/8/2007 2:11:21 PM Tactical error from the Swedes on the run! Gybed too early, opened up a passing lane and the Kiwis storm through... it's going to be very close rounding the top mark! 5530. wonkers2 - 5/8/2007 3:37:36 PM AC, thanks for the report. The Vuitton Cup races aren't available on my cable service. Here's a link to today's NYT report on the racing yesterday. Vuitton Cup Report 5531. jexster - 5/8/2007 8:16:42 PM I haven't followed NWord Ball for some time for reasons that to Wonkers at least should be obvious. I didn't even know that the NBA removed the ban on zone defense fer crissakes!
So I must admit to pleasant surprise when I tuned into the Warriors Jazz game last night...
Who says white men can't jump!
Only one nappy hair in sight Wonk!!!
And THAT is beautiful 5532. alistairconnor - 5/9/2007 2:25:21 PM Last day of the round-robin phase of the Louis Vuitton cup. We already know the four semi-finalists, the other esven teams will be going home.
The substantial match of the day is Team NZ vs Oracle, for the first place. The winner gets to pick their semi-final opponent. Presumably that will be the Desafio Espanyol, clearly the weakest of the four, currently getting hammered by Luna Rossa, the fourth semi-finalist.
And the big surprise of the NZ/Oracle match up is that it looks completely one-sided : NZ correctly picked a big wind shift on the first beat, and they are now defending an advantage of more than a minute, which is rare at this level. 5533. wonkers2 - 5/9/2007 8:43:33 PM Full ThrottleFrance's Francois Brenac is tied for first with Italian, Nicola Celon in the Melges 24 Worlds in Santa Cruz. 5534. alistairConnor - 5/9/2007 10:01:30 PM Cool!
That would be more my size of boat, to tell the truth... I could do that...
Only one French entry, and they are tied for first place!
I didn't know the class -- I see it's rather in the spirit of the Americas Cup boats.
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