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BALDWIN HARBOR, N.Y. -Between them, they had more than 150 years of experience. But in the end, seniority might still have been an advantage when a 93-year-old pitcher took on an 86-year-old rival in a seniors' softball game.

The elder pitcher, Mickey Werner, gave up just one run in three innings, helping his Long Island Senior Softball League team to a 9-6 win Wednesday. Opposing pitcher and relative youngster Paul Rotter allowed nine runs in six innings.

Each faced the other only once at the plate. Werner drew a walk, and Rotter singled. Pinch runners replaced both on the basepaths.

"Not only do I have fun — it's good for me," said Rotter, of Woodmere. A retired special education teacher, he has played ball since 1936 and said he had no intention of giving up the game anytime soon.

Nor does Werner, a retired New York City physical education teacher who has played since 1927.

"They don't care how old the pitcher is, as long as they get the bat on the ball," said Werner, of Baldwin. "You're never too old."

The senior league, sponsored by The Bristal Assisted Living Communities, is made up of players at least 68 years old. Founded two decades ago, the league counts a record 106 players this year, said Commissioner Joe Friedman.

5584. wabbit - 6/2/2007 3:55:49 PM

Two-time Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo was upset in the third round of the French Open on Saturday, losing to Lucie Safarova 6-3, 7-6 (3). The fifth-seeded Mauresmo, who won Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2006, also lost to Safarova while trying to defend her title at Melbourne in January. Mauresmo led 3-0 in each set. But she double-faulted for the eighth time to fall behind 2-0 in the tiebreaker, and a long backhand gave Safarova three match points. Safarova won when Mauresmo returned her serve into the net.

Maria Sharapova reached the fourth round of the French Open for the fourth time in her career, rallying from 4-1 down in the second set to beat Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-4 despite a bothersome right shoulder. Sharapova needed only 28 minutes to win the first set, breaking her opponent three times. But Sharapova was broken three consecutive times in the second set before winning five straight games. Third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, a finalist last year, beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-3. Also, No. 7 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia advanced to the fourth round after beating qualifier Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania 6-2, 6-0.

On Friday, Serena Williams advanced to the fourth round by beating Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-4. Williams' sister, Venus, is one of 18 American men and women who have come and gone from the tournament. She lost to fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. Top-seeded Justine Henin, trying to capture her second straight French Open and third overall, defeated Mara Santangelo of Italy 6-2, 6-3.

Top-ranked Roger Federer eased into the fourth round of the men's draw by beating Potito Starace of Italy 6-2, 6-3, 6-0.

French Open

5585. wabbit - 6/2/2007 3:56:05 PM

LeBron James grimaced, limped up to the podium and plopped into a chair behind a microphone. It was the only time he looked human all night. James had already used every ounce of energy to put together one of the most spectacular performances in playoff history, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to the verge of their greatest season. James' career playoff-high 48 points -- including his team's final 25 and 29 of its final 30 -- carried Cleveland within a win of the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history with a 109-107 double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. After the breathtaking display of talent and will gave the Cavs a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals, the 22-year-old star said he felt terrible. "I'm banged up. I'm winded. I'm fatigued," he said. "I've got all day tomorrow. It's going to be tough to get some rest when you got a crazy, 2-year-old running around the house. So hopefully, I can take him to one of his grandma's house." James has the playoff-tested Pistons on the brink of going home. Game 6 is Saturday night in Cleveland and if necessary, Game 7 will be Monday night back at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

NBA scores

5586. wabbit - 6/2/2007 3:56:26 PM

Now the Chicago Cubs are really getting beat up -- by each other. Carlos Zambrano and catcher Michael Barrett shoved each other in the dugout, then the pitcher busted his teammate's lip in the clubhouse so badly that Barrett wound up in a hospital. Oh yeah, the Cubs lost again, 8-5 to the Atlanta Braves on Friday.

John Lackey has received plenty of run support this season, which helps explain why he leads the major leagues in victories. He's also winning the low-scoring games. Lackey became the majors' first nine-game winner with help from Gary Matthews Jr., whose seventh-inning single drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in the Los Angeles Angels ' 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. Lackey (9-3) allowed two runs and five hits in 7 1-3 innings to win his career-best fifth consecutive start. He struck out four in ending Baltimore's six-game winning streak. Scot Shields got two outs in the eighth inning and Francisco Rodriguez finished up for his 19th save in 20 attempts.

The New York Yankees are trying to break another one of baseball's unwritten rules, the one that says a double-digit deficit on Memorial Day is insurmountable. One game after Alex Rodriguez offended some baseball purists by distracting a fielder during a popup (even Joe Torre says A-Rod was out of line.), the Yankees built on that victory by beating the Red Sox 9-5 on Friday and climbing out of the AL East cellar. No longer tied for last with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York still trails Boston by 12 1/2 games. Tim Wakefield (5-6) lasted 3 2/3 innings -- the shortest outing for a Red Sox starter this year -- and saw his ERA balloon from 3.36 to 4.24. He gave up eight runs on five hits with six walks, a wild pitch and a hit batsman while striking out two. Manny Ramirez had four hits and Dustin Pedroia three for Boston, which lost both third baseman Mike Lowell and right-fielder J.D. Drew to apparently minor injuries during the game.

MLB scores

5587. alistairConnor - 6/3/2007 2:34:48 PM

Ooooh match over?

The third race in the first-to-five Lous Vuitton Cup final is under way. And Emirates Team New Zealand is completely dominating Luna Rossa.

Yesterday, James Spithill won the right hand side at the start. But Kiwi helmsman Dean Barker made him pay a price for it : and TNZ got a faster start, and managed to get their nose ahead and control a close race from the left. Today, the scenario was inversed, Barker won the right but paid the price. But the boat is simply faster, at least in these nine-knot conditions... and they have a 150 metre lead at the first mark.

So we're looking at 3-0, and Luna Rossa has practically no chance of coming back into the match.

TNZ are going to need to be this good and better, to take on the Swiss in the Americas Cup...

5588. wabbit - 6/3/2007 7:41:33 PM

The European Championship qualifier between Sweden and Denmark was abandoned at 3-3 Saturday after a Danish fan tried to attack the referee for giving a late penalty. Danish soccer officials initially said German referee Herbert Fandel had awarded Sweden a 3-0 win, but UEFA later said the result would have to be confirmed by an investigation. Denmark had rallied from 3-0 down to level at 3-3 before Fandel sent off Denmark defender Christian Poulsen in the 89th for punching Sweden striker Markus Rosenberg in the stomach. After Fandel pointed to the penalty spot at Parken stadium, the spectator charged onto the pitch and tried to punch the referee, but was intercepted by Danish defender Michael Gravgaard.

At least 12 soccer fans were crushed to death as a crowd rushed from the stadium after Zambia's victory in an African Cup qualifier, official media said Sunday. Fans were in a hurry to leave because the match against Congo Brazzaville, which Zambia won 3-0, started an hour late -- the Sudanese referee arrived only three hours before kickoff, the state-owned Sunday Times reported. The newspaper said three women and nine men were killed, all of them Zambian team supporters, and five fans were hospitalized after the accident Saturday at Konkola Stadium in the northern town of Chililabonbe in Zambia's Copperbelt province.

Alexander Kerzhakov scored a hat trick and Russia beat Andorra 4-0 Saturday in a European Championship qualifying match. Russia dominated the game and never allowed Andorra to come close at Petrovsky stadium in St. Petersburg. I have a question - what qualifies someone to play for, say, Andorra? Must you be a resident or citizen? I would guess not, since with a population of less than 75,000, Andorra doesn't have a large pool from which to draw talent.

5589. wabbit - 6/3/2007 7:42:06 PM

Mike Lowell homered to start a Red Sox comeback and also flattened two Yankees in a pair of basepath collisions on Saturday as Boston beat New York 11-6. First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz was taken from the field on a cart after banging his head on Lowell's hip while trying to one-hop a bad throw from shortstop Derek Jeter. The Yankees scored four in the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead, but Boston tied it in the bottom half on back-to-back homers by Lowell and Jason Varitek. Jeter homered in the seventh to give New York the lead before committing errors on consecutive plays during Boston's five-run seventh. The Red Sox loaded the bases with nobody out against Scott Proctor (0-3) before Lowell hit a grounder to second. Robinson Cano flipped to second for the force, but Jeter spun around and threw an 85-footer that Mientkiewicz tried to backhand on the outfield side of the bag. As his momentum pulled him into the baseline, Lowell ran through the base and sent Mientkiewicz sprawling. The ball bounced off his glove and into foul territory as Manny Ramirez scampered home with the second -- and go-ahead -- run.

Roger Clemens was scratched from Monday's start against the Chicago White Sox because of a fatigued right groin. Clemens first experienced the pain during his last minor league outing, for Triple-A Scranton on Monday. Rather than risk additional injury, he decided to be cautious, the Yankees confirmed during Saturday's game against the Boston Red Sox.

It took six tries, but the Detroit Tigers finally got a win over the Cleveland Indians. Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez had four hits each as the Tigers beat the Indians 9-5 on Saturday night. Tigers manager Jim Leyland and pitcher Justin Verlander were ejected in the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Tigers apparently thought starter Chad Durbin didn't get a strike call while pitching to Travis Hafner. After Hafner struck out, Leyland raced onto the field to argue with home plate umpire Tony Randazzo and was quickly ejected. While that was going on, second base umpire Greg Gibson ejected Verlander, who was yelling from the dugout.

Over and over, Cole Hamels threw his baffling change-up until even Barry Bonds couldn't handle it. Backed by timely situational hitting, Hamels pitched his second complete game to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Francisco Giants 5-2 on Saturday night. The Phillies had lost four straight at home after sweeping a three-game series in Atlanta to move a season-best two games over .500. Hamels (8-2) allowed two runs and five hits to become the NL's first eight-game winner. Relying on a sharp fastball and his trademark change-up, the second-year left-hander kept the Giants off-balance all night. He struck out five and didn't allow a walk.

MLB scores

5590. wabbit - 6/3/2007 7:42:24 PM

Roger Federer matched John McEnroe's record streak of 11 straight-set wins in grand slam matches by beating Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 6-4 6-4 on Sunday to reach the French Open quarterfinals. Top seed and world number one Federer, whose run dates back to the first round of this year's Australian Open, equals the best mark in the Open era set by McEnroe in 1984 from the second round at Wimbledon through to the U.S. Open quarterfinals. Chasing victory in the only grand slam tournament to elude him so far, Federer turned on the style after a sluggish start to extend to 10-0 his perfect record against Russia's Youzhny, seeded 13th here. The 25-year-old Swiss, bidding to become the third man after Don Budge and Rod Laver to hold all four grand slam titles at the same time, next meets Spaniard Tommy Robredo, seeded ninth.

Robredo beat Italy's Filippo Volandri, the 29th seed, 6-2 7-5 6-1 in an earlier fourth round match. Argentina's Guillermo Canas, the 19th seed, beat compatriot Juan Monaco 6-0, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals for the third time. Canas, playing his first grand slam for two years after serving a 15-month doping ban, will face either Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko or David Nalbandian of Argentina, the 15th seed, for a place in the semifinals.

World number two Maria Sharapova had to stave off two match points before beating Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 3-6 6-4 9-7 in an enthralling fourth round match at the French Open on Sunday. Schnyder served for the match three times in a topsy-turvy deciding set and held match points at 5-4 and 7-6 but found her Russian opponent at her most stubborn. Sharapova, who was given a hostile reception by a Roland Garros crowd who had taken the underdog to their hearts, finally held her own service to go 8-7 ahead and did not waste the opportunity when presented with a matchpoint of her own. She will play fellow Russian Anna Chakvatedze, who beat Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-4 0-6 6-2, for a place in the semifinals.

Earlier, Serena Williams reached the 19th grand slam quarterfinal of her career on Sunday with a comfortable 6-2 6-3 defeat of Russian Dinara Safina. The sole American player remaining in either singles draw surged into a 4-0 lead and was always in control. Only briefly in the second set did 10th seed Safina, one of four Russians in the last 16, threaten to make a contest of it when she broke the Williams serve for the first time. She had another chance at 2-2, but Williams snuffed out the danger and sped away to victory in one hour and 17 minutes.

Justine Henin beat Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-2 6-4 in a later fourth round match on Sunday. Henin took a 4-0 lead at the start of the second set, but the 20th-seeded Bammer won four straight to even the set. Henin immediately broke back in the ninth game, and then won the match when Bammer hit long. World number five Jelena Jankovic ended the host nation's presence at the French Open when she sent Marion Bartoli packing with a 6-1 6-1 thrashing. Serbia's Jankovic, the women's tour sensation this year with three titles, needed just 64 minutes to brush aside Bartoli and set up a quarterfinal meeting with Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova.

French Open

5591. alistairConnor - 6/3/2007 10:01:01 PM

Andorra : the players are all local, and they are all amateurs. The Faeroe Islands is the other great soccer nation that comes to mind. These are places that don't have a big enough economy to run a professional football team, let alone hire foreigners. In any case, it generally works the other way around in soccer : the smaller nations can't keep their top players gainfully employed, they work for foreign clubs and come home for international matches.

And what a buzz it must be for those amateurs. The Faeroes scored a goal against world champions Italy last night -- they lost 2-1, but still!

In other news : France beat the Ukraine, 2-0, goals from Franck Ribéry and Nicolas Anelkha. On Wednesday they play Georgia. But I doubt that they're leavin' on the midnight train... probably they will fly there.

5592. wabbit - 6/4/2007 4:26:37 PM

Thanks, AC, that's how I thought it must work. Good for the little countries, that they have enough natives to play for the national team.

5593. wabbit - 6/4/2007 4:26:56 PM

Twenty years separated two images of Jack Nicklaus, both meaningful in their own way to K.J. Choi. Nicklaus was the champion who filled every page of a pictorial instruction book that Choi studied religiously as a teenager in South Korea, a gift from his physical education teacher who encouraged him to pursue a career in golf. Nicklaus was the tournament host at the Memorial who stood behind the 18th green Sunday afternoon with a proud smile and hearty handshake for Choi, who closed with a 7-under 65 for a one-shot victory over Ryan Moore. Choi finished off his string of four birdies on the front nine with a 7-iron he carved around the trees lining the right side of the ninth fairway into 8 feet.

Loren Roberts won The Boeing Championship for his first Champions Tour victory of the year, closing with a 6-under 65 on Sunday for a three-stroke victory over Argentina's Eduardo Romero. Roberts finished with a 16-under 197 total on the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort's Raven Golf Club. He earned $247,500 for his sixth victory in three seasons on the 50-and-over tour. Romero finished with a 69.

Nicole Castrale chased down the world's No. 1 player for her first LPGA Tour victory, beating Lorena Ochoa with a par on the first hole of a playoff Sunday in the Ginn Tribute. Castrale closed with a 1-under 71 to match Ochoa (74) at 9-under 279 on the RiverTowne Country Club course. Castrale earned $390,000. Ochoa, 0-for-4 in playoffs, was up by six shots Saturday and was still ahead by two shots with three holes to play Sunday. However, bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes dropped the Mexican star into a tie and a wayward tee shot into a marsh on the playoff hole, the 18th, cost her the title. Castrale, who watched Ochoa's bad drive, kept it simple and straight on the extra hole. She two-putted from 25 feet for par, then waited until Ochoa's 18-foot try to extend the playoff slide left.

PGA news

5594. wabbit - 6/4/2007 4:27:27 PM

As confetti danced in the electrified air around him and a feverish hometown crowd rocked and rolled the night away, LeBron James was handed a new baseball cap and T-shirt. Perhaps a tasseled cap and gown would have been more appropriate. Four years after skipping college to play in the pros, James earned his NBA degree in superstardom.

Lugging an entire region's hopes with him on every trip to the basket, James had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and unflappable rookie Daniel Gibson added 31 points -- 19 in the fourth quarter -- to give the Cavaliers a 98-82 victory in Game 6 against the Detroit Pistons.

"This is the first step to greatness," a dazed James said during a quiet moment sitting in front of his locker. "It feels like a fantasy."

But Sunday dawned with a startling reality: Cleveland, where kids learn at an early age that rooting for the local sports teams can lead to a lifetime of pain and suffering, is finally on top.

At least until Thursday, when the Cavaliers will face the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the finals.

NBA scores

5595. wabbit - 6/4/2007 4:27:58 PM

Mocked all weekend by the Red Sox passionate backers, A-Rod hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning against the star closer for the Yankees' biggest rival. His solo shot through the rain off Jonathan Papelbon gave New York a 6-5 win Sunday night and the rubber game of the series. The Yankees' comeback from a 5-4 deficit kept them out of last place in the AL East and left them 12-1/2 games behind the first-place Red Sox.

Jeremy Bonderman and the Detroit Tigers seem to thrive on adversity. Bonderman stayed unbeaten despite another shaky first inning and the Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians 9-2 to gain a four-game series split Sunday. Gary Sheffield hit a two-run homer for Detroit, which pulled within 2-1/2 games of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central with a second straight win after going 0-5 against the Indians. That included what could have been a disheartening 12-11 loss Friday night in which closer Todd Jones allowed five ninth-inning runs for Detroit's seventh setback in eight games.

With one powerful swing, Vladimir Guerrero gave the Los Angeles Angels another pulsating victory. Guerrero hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off Chris Ray, and the Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Sunday after being held to one hit through the first seven innings by Jeremy Guthrie. Chone Figgins greeted Ray (3-4) with a leadoff single in the ninth, and the right-hander went to a 1-1 count on Guerrero before the 2004 AL MVP drove a hanging slider to left-center for his 350th career homer and 12th this season.

MLB scores

5596. prolph - 6/7/2007 8:38:11 AM

wabbit-thanks for telling what emirate means, i watched the races but fretted
over the nz name.

5597. wabbit - 6/7/2007 9:31:16 PM

Patsy, I'll say you are most welcome, as I'm certain that is what Alistair would say - info was in his Message # 5582.

5598. wabbit - 6/7/2007 9:31:44 PM

Maria Sharapova lost her French Open semifinal to Ana Ivanovic, a Serbian teenager who soared to a 6-2, 6-1 victory Thursday to reach her first Grand Slam final. Ivanovic, seeded seventh, neutralized Sharapova's power and kept her on the run. Sharapova was looking to advance to her third consecutive final in a major after winning last year's U.S. Open. Sharapova's defeat was reminiscent of her 6-1, 6-2 loss to Serena Williams in the Australian Open final in January. Playing in her first French Open semifinal, Sharapova struggled to chase down Ivanovic's pinpoint strokes.

ustine Henin beat Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-2 in the other semifinal. The Belgian will become the first woman to win three consecutive titles at Roland Garros since Monica Seles in 1990-92 if she defeats Ivanovic on Saturday. In their only previous meeting two years ago, Henin beat Ivanovic in straight sets on clay in Warsaw, Poland. Henin improved to 6-0 against Jankovic head-to-head, including a win in the semifinals of last year's U.S. Open. But it was the first time the Serb had lost in straight sets to Henin, who also won in Paris in 2003.

On Wednesday, Novak Djokovic advanced to the men's semifinals by beating Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, setting up a match against two-time defending champion Rafael Nadal. Nadal impressed friend and mentor Carlos Moya by winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-0.

Roger Federer lost the second set of his quarterfinal against No. 9-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain on Tuesday, but quickly returned to his customary level of play for a 7-5, 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory, reaching the semifinals at a record 12th major tournament in a row. Next, Federer takes on No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko, who reached his second French Open semifinal by beating No. 19 Guillermo Canas of Argentina 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

French Open

5599. wabbit - 6/7/2007 9:32:12 PM

After throwing more than 1,000 pitches in a week to lead Arizona to its eighth NCAA softball title, Taryne Mowatt finally admitted the obvious. "Now that the week is over, I can admit I'm extremely tired now," said Mowatt, who set a Women's College World Series record by pitching 60 innings. "My arm, it's felt better." But it was well worth it.

Mowatt (42-12) finished what she started and Arizona's batters broke loose against Tennessee ace Monica Abbott for a 5-0 victory Wednesday night. The top-seeded Wildcats (50-14-1) lost the opener in the best-of-three championship series, then bounced back to win the final two games. Mowatt (42-12) pitched every inning of the tournament for Arizona. Michigan's Jennie Ritter held the previous record for innings pitched with 53 in the 2005 World Series.

5600. wabbit - 6/7/2007 9:32:27 PM

The Anaheim Ducks were born on the silver screen and came of age by capturing the shiniest of silver cups. They dropped the mighty from their name, but not their game and skated off with the first Stanley Cup championship in California history.

The 14-year-old Ducks captured the NHL title with a 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night, ending the series in five games in front of the home folks again.

For the first time, the Stanley Cup can enjoy an NHL western home, and the Ducks' victory came at the expense of Canada. The cherished trophy was born in Ottawa, but no team north of the border has won it since Montreal in 1993.

NHL Stanley Cup Final

5601. prolph - 6/11/2007 3:00:16 AM

as for the belmont--girls rule; patsy

5602. wabbit - 6/11/2007 3:58:14 PM

Rags to Riches is queen for a day. The fabulous filly outdueled Preakness winner Curlin in a breathtaking stretch run and won the Belmont Stakes by a head Saturday, becoming the first of her sex in more than a century to take the final leg of the Triple Crown.

No one was happier with the victory than trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez, who both ended long droughts in Triple Crown races: Pletcher was 0-for-28, Velazquez 0-for-20.

Despite a slight stumble at the start, Rags to Riches turned the Belmont into a sensational showdown -- a true battle of the sexes. When the field of seven 3-year-olds turned for home, four horses were up front, Rags to Riches on the outside and Curlin sneaking in between the other rivals. In an instant, it became a two-horse race -- a quarter-mile to the finish of the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, the longest and most grueling of the Triple Crown races. And when Rags to Riches won, it was a great day for ladies as racing had it's first filly to win a Triple Crown race since Winning Colors took the 1988 Kentucky Derby.

Rags to Riches became the third filly to capture the Belmont -- Ruthless took the first running in 1867 and Tanya won in 1905. Only 22 fillies have tried the Belmont, with Rags to Riches the first since Silverbulletday finished seventh in 1999. Rags to Riches won in 2:28.74, well off Secretariat's track record of 2:24. Rags to Riches was sent off as the 4-1 second choice and returned $10.60, $4.40 and $3.20. Curlin, with Robby Albarado aboard, paid $3 and $2.30. Tiago was third and returned $3.70. Hard Spun finished fourth, followed by C P West, Imawildandcrazyguy and Slew's Tizzy.

Carnations are for girls.

Sports News