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5545. alistairConnor - 5/15/2007 11:31:06 PM Louis Vuitton cup semi-final is well under way.
I expected Oracle to be on top of Luna Rossa, probably winning the first-to-five match in 7 or 8 races. Now I think they'll go the whole nine rounds. One all so far.
I still think that Oracle will win, just as soon as they stop making mistakes. Larry Ellison should hire me as his tactician : sitting behind my computer yesterday I picked the wind shifts better than they did on the water... either that or the Italians got lucky. Or perhaps the shifty wind conditions suited their characters.
Today, Luna Rossa had them beaten several times... James Spithill is the meanest helmsman on the seven seas, he humiliated them at the start and then again at the third mark. But the Oracle boat is so fast with the wind behind her, she stole the race.
The other match, Team NZ / Desafio Espanyol, is as unappetising as I feared, and will almost certainly end in a 5-0 whitewash. It's nice for the Spaniards to be there, but they are not yet in the same class as the big boys.
The final is scheduled for the first half of June. Then the winner (Team NZ or Oracle?) gets to take on the Swiss team in the actual Americas Cup, in the second half of June. 5546. robertjayb - 5/18/2007 3:51:46 AM LeMond accuses Landis camp of blackmail...(HouChron)
MALIBU, Calif. — The Floyd Landis hearing took a chaotic twist Thursday when fellow American Tour de France champion Greg LeMond revealed he had been sexually abused as a child and claimed the Landis camp tried to use it as blackmail to keep LeMond from testifying.
5547. jexster - 5/18/2007 5:37:10 PM Ten Strikeouts!!
05-18) 04:00 PDT Houston -- Roy Oswalt is Tim Lincecum's role model and body double. In his third big-league start Thursday night, Lincecum engaged Oswalt in a duel worthy of the best gunslingers who yelled "Draw!" in these parts a century and a half ago, and the kid did not blink.
Lincecum had just one "wow" moment.
"The only time I really thought about it was when I was hitting against him," Lincecum said after the Giants scored a fluky run in the 12th inning and beat the Astros 2-1. "I thought, 'God, it's coming in pretty quick.' I didn't think I was going to touch it. I fouled two off. That's points for me."
HAPA Cutie!! 5548. wonkers2 - 5/18/2007 7:50:21 PM 5-18 Luna Rossa led BMW Oracle all the way in race #4 giving the Italian boat a commanding lead in the Louis Vuitton semi-finals. The Emirates New Zealand team won decisively over Desafio, the Spanish boat. Emirates New Zealand also has a 3-1 lead. 5549. wabbit - 5/18/2007 9:52:12 PM The Floyd Landis case is turning into a major soap opera. Time will tell whether or not team Landis can recover from what happened on Thursday. Geez Louise.
David Brower is blogging about the case at Trust But Verify. Lots of info and links. 5550. wabbit - 5/20/2007 2:35:59 AM  Postseason underachievers no more, Daniel Alfredsson and the Ottawa Senators are in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time. The Senators captain scored 9:32 into overtime to seal a 3-2 win over the top-seeded Buffalo Sabres, sealing the Eastern Conference finals in five games on Saturday. The Senators rallied from a 1-0 deficit and rebounded after Maxim Afinogenov forced overtime with a power-play goal with 9 minutes left in regulation. Dany Heatley had a goal and two assists, and Jason Spezza also scored for the new and very improved Senators that had known only frustration in nine previous postseason appearances.
The Presidents' Trophy-winning Sabres were knocked out in the semifinals for the second straight year. Ottawa will now wait to face Anaheim or Detroit, and will start that series on the road. The Western final series is tied at 2, with Game 5 at Detroit on Sunday.
NHL scores
5551. wabbit - 5/20/2007 2:37:32 AM  No triple crown winner this year. Curlin nipped Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense on the final stride and won the Preakness Stakes in a riveting finish Saturday, ending a chance of a Triple Crown for this racing season. Street Sense seemed to have the race won after another of his patented rallies, taking the lead in the stretch. But the colt was unable to hold off Curlin's late charge thanks to an expert ride by Robby Albarado.
Three races earlier, Albarado was thrown from his mount but walked away unhurt and came back for the ride of his life. Mending Fences was euthanized on the track after breaking down in the Dixie Stakes, a preliminary to the Preakness Stakes that was Barbaro's downfall a year ago, said Dan Dreyfuss, a Maryland veterinarian who also treated Barbaro. Mending Fences, a 5-year-old stallion with seven wins in his career, had sustained a compound fracture of his right front leg.
Curlin came into the Preakness with just four career starts, including a third-place finish in the Derby just two weeks ago. Still, trainer Steve Asmussen was confident in his lightly raced colt, and believed the 3-year-old son of Smart Strike would improve after his first defeat. Did he ever. Curlin won his first three races by a combined 28-1/2 lengths, and was well back in the field of nine.
As Hard Spun swung into the lead with a three-wide move, Street Sense started to roll under Calvin Borel. Street Sense went to the outside in the stretch and moved into the lead, and the crowd began to cheer in anticipation of a Triple Crown bid in the making. He passed Curlin at the 1/8 pole and looked like the winner. But Curlin came back along the far outside, and took dead aim at the Derby winner. He caught him on the final jump and, just like that, Street Sense was a beaten horse. But just barely. Hard Spun, the Kentucky Derby runner-up, finished third, four lengths behind Street Sense.
It was a very good race, the early fractions were blazing and Curlin and Street Sense tied the race record of 1:53.4. Now let's see who shows up in NY in three weeks.
Earlier in the day, Michael Matz, the trainer of Barbaro, won the inaugural Barbaro Stakes on Saturday and was presented the trophy by the co-owners of the horse. On Dec. 20, officials at Pimlico Race Course renamed the Sir Barton Stakes (the first winner of the Triple Crown) to the Barbaro Stakes. The plan was to have Barbaro parade on the track before the race, but he never got the chance. The symbolic moment Saturday instead occurred afterward, when the Jacksons presented Matz with a trophy for winning the race named in honor of the horse all three cherished. The bittersweet reunion occurred after Chelokee, arguably the finest 3-year-old in Matz's stable, won easily as the overwhelming favorite. Edgar Prado, aboard Barbaro in the Preakness last year, finished second on Silver Express. Minutes after the race, Matz entered the winner's circle, smiled and hugged Roy and Gretchen Jackson.
5552. wonkers2 - 5/20/2007 1:47:18 PM Louis Vuitton Cup Report 5-19 Luna Rossa leads 4-1 over BMW Oracle 5553. wabbit - 5/20/2007 6:19:52 PM  Finally! Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 Sunday to win his fourth Hamburg Masters title and end Nadal's record winning streak on clay at 81 matches. Nadal, ranked No. 2 in the world behind Federer, had been unbeaten on the surface since April 2005, a run that included 13 titles. "If I have to lose against anyone, then he is the man," Nadal said. Federer's come-from-behind win was his first over Nadal on clay in six matches. Nadal leads the overall series 7-4. The win ended Federer's drought after he failed to win a title in his last four events, his worst run since he became world No. 1 in February 2004.
Jelena Jankovic defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-1 Sunday to win the Italian Open and join Justine Henin as the only three-time winners on the women's tour this year. Jankovic also won at Auckland, New Zealand, to open her season in January and took a clay-court title in Charleston, S.C., last month. This title -- also on clay -- established her as one of the favorites for the French Open, which begins next weekend. Kuznetsova dropped to 0-4 in finals this year. She was also runner-up in Doha, Qatar; Indian Wells, Calif., and Berlin last week. Both players struggled to hold serve -- Jankovic because her serve deserted her for long stretches and Kuznetsova because she committed too many baseline errors once she put the ball in play. Jankovic's foot speed enabled her to make Kuznetsova play more balls than she wanted in several long rallies.
Martina Hingis, a runner-up at Roland Garros in 1997 and '99, pulled out of the French Open because of a hip injury. The five-time Grand Slam winner will be replaced by Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, said French Open organizers on Wednesday. The French Open is the only major the 26-year-old Hingis hasn't won. Evgenia Linetskaya withdrew for personal reasons and was replaced by Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland. On the men's side, Nicolas Kiefer of Germany and Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand are out because of wrist injuries. They will be replaced by Chris Guccione of Australia and Andreas Seppi of Italy, respectively. The clay-court tournament runs from May 27 to June 10.
5554. jexster - 5/23/2007 6:02:55 AM Another AWESOME performance!
Just back from the game. It is a joy to watch this boy pitch. 22 years old...nothing rattles him...two wins against his idol - Roy Oswalt...
SAN FRANCISCO - MAY 22: Tim Lincecum #55 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates at the end of the eighth inning against the Houston Astros during a game on May 22, 2007 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) 5555. wonkers2 - 5/23/2007 2:36:52 PM The U.S. was eliminated from America's Cup competition by Luna Rossa, the Italian boat 5-1. Chris Dickson BMW Oracle CEO and skipper was broomed by Larry Ellison and watched the last race on Television. Dickson's starting line screw-ups aside, it appeared to me that Luna Rossa was significantly faster upwind than the Bruce Farr designed BMW Oracle.
Meanwhile, Desafio Espagnol held on against Emirates New Zealand with a win on Sunday? leaving the score 4-2 in favor of Emirates. Nevertheless, the final match-up is likely to be Luna Rossa versus Emirates. 5556. jexster - 5/23/2007 3:58:18 PM Pretty damned pathetic. what do we have to do to convince the world we don't sail like girls? 5557. jexster - 5/24/2007 4:26:14 PM It all went to script. As Rice left the park in the eighth inning mostly to jeers -- she should have walked out with Mays --
Giants Sweep Astros 5558. wabbit - 5/25/2007 1:01:05 AM This shit really fries me. If you want to go out and get drunk off your ass, fine, it's your brain (or lack thereof), but don't get behind the wheel of a car. If you do, and you kill yourself, too damn bad, and thanks for taking yourself out of the gene pool. If you get pulled over and fail a breathalizer, your ass should be thrown in jail. There is NO excuse for driving drunk. NONE. I will not entertain anyone's bullshit about how they are an alcoholic and can't help it. Turn in your friggin driver's license. You do not, DO NOT, have the right to put anyone else at risk for your own problems. I have not one whit of sympathy for anyone who finds themselves in a bind because they CHOSE to drive drunk, or to get into a car with someone who was intoxicated. Boo hoo. What a load of crap. The father of Josh Hancock filed suit Thursday, claiming a restaurant provided drinks to the St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher even though he was intoxicated prior to the crash that killed him.
The suit, filed in St. Louis Circuit Court by Dean Hancock of Tupelo, Miss., does not specify damages. Mike Shannon's Restaurant, owned by the longtime Cardinals broadcaster who starred on three World Series teams in the 1960s, is a defendant in the case along with Shannon's daughter, Patricia Shannon Van Matre, the restaurant manager... WTF? Does nobody have the character and integrity to accept responsibility for their own choices and actions? I am so sick of people who blame everyone and anyone for their own mistakes, who refuse to stand up and be accountable and accept the consequences of their actions, who spend every waking moment whining and feeling sorry for themselves and complaining and lying to anyone they can con. I can only hope that their lousy karma comes back to bite them in the ass. You'll notice that the lawsuit doesn't include anyone who can afford to hire an expensive lawyer. Scumbags who think they've won the legal lottery. Where were they the last time Josh Hancock was driving under the influence? May they reap what they sow. 5559. jexster - 5/25/2007 2:43:32 AM David Welles, serial DUI, actually BRAGGED the other day that, during his prime, he often pitched when three (maybe 2) sheets to the wind
Just like Wonk sails! 5560. jexster - 5/25/2007 2:44:19 AM Now Jason Giambi, meth-head
and they dare lynch Barry Bonds 5561. alistairconnor - 5/26/2007 9:03:08 PM Well jeez Wonk, my Americas Cup semi-final predictions in Message # 5545 were about as wrong as they could possibly be.
The only thing I got right : Team NZ did indeed beat the Spaniards. But 5-2, not 5-0 as I confidently predicted. The Spanish have come a long way, and in the 6th race, which they won, they looked every bit as good as any other team on the water.
The 7th and last race had a lot more wind : 16 to 17 knots. Desafaio are obviously the home team, but those were Auckland conditions, and experience won the day. I'll bet TNZ are praying for that sort of weather against the Italians, and against the Swiss.
I got the other semi-final even more completely wrong... I said Oracle would start winning when they stopped making mistakes... they made no more obvious mistakes, and won no more races. Wonk, I think you're being a bit harsh in Message # 5555 talking about Chris Dickson's starting line screw-ups... he was up against the young Australian James Spithill, who is the voodoo helmsman. Best in the world. Luna Rossa also have Torben Grael, the Brazilian voodoo tactician. He goes off chasing puffs of wind, gets half a mile separation, and gains a boatlength... Instinct and genius.
So the Italians are definitely the form team. The Louis Vuitton Cup final is going to be very tight.
Luna Rossa and Team New Zealand have had four match-ups in the past two years, the score is 2-2. Each time, the race was won by the boat which entered the starting box on starboard tack. This is rather like the advantage of playing white in chess.
Did I mention, it's going to be close?
Given my record of predictions, it'll probably be 5-0.
5562. alistairconnor - 5/26/2007 9:15:51 PM Oh boy. I haven't been following the Landis circus...
I am glad that Bjarne Riis has come clean about cheating (EPO) to win the Tour de France in 2006. That was so obvious to everyone who followed sport at the time.
As for Floyd : It doesn't matter how sloppy your lab procedures are, you can't invent synthetic testosterone if it isn't there. Bye bye. 5563. wonkers2 - 5/27/2007 1:08:39 AM Dickson was very gracious in his statement upon being replaced for the last race and his statement upon leaving the Oracle syndicate. 5564. wabbit - 5/27/2007 6:40:37 PM  The Duke lacrosse team has taken its season of redemption to the brink of a championship. The top-seeded Blue Devils blew a seven-goal lead, then got the winner from Zack Greer with 3 seconds left to beat previously unbeaten Cornell 12-11 Saturday and advance to the NCAA Division I title game. Duke will seek its first championship Monday against Johns Hopkins, which defeated Delaware 8-3 in the lowest-scoring Final Four game in NCAA history. The women's champion will be decided at 7pm May 27, when Virginia will play Northwestern.
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the Men’s Basketball Rules Committee’s proposal to move the three-point line to 20 feet, 9 inches effective with the 2008-09 season. The men’s three-point line shall be a contrasting color to the current three-point line. The women’s distance will remain at 19 feet, 9 inches.
Percy Sonn, the president of the International Cricket Council who was instrumental in fighting racial segregation in the sport, died Sunday of complications following colon surgery. He was 57. Sonn became president of world cricket's governing body in 2006 and had been in critical condition in a Cape Town hospital since May 21. Sonn, a lawyer, helped guide South Africa back into the international fold after years of isolation because of apartheid.
In a break from Floyd Landis news, a former massage therapist for cyclist Jan Ullrich claimed he gave the 1997 Tour de France winner and former Team Telekom rider an EPO shot. Jef d'Hont, who worked from 1992-96 as a massage therapist for Team Telekom, now known as T-Mobile. He said he never gave Ullrich a blood-boosting EPO shot in Germany - only once at an undisclosed race in France.
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