Archive for the ‘Deportes’ Category

Posted on July 16, 2010 - by OP40

Pain comes in bunches

The ART of the “Bionic Elbow”.

Posted on November 11, 2009 - by OP40

Jimmy and the Newsman

On the day after watching the ESPN “30 for 30” series’ episode, “The Legend of Jimmy the Greek”, I thought it prudent to write regarding Dan Rather’s appearance in this documentary, and more to the point, his commenting on Jimmy’s “fall”. Dan spoke from a perch high above all, looking down with a form of “pity” on Jimmy and commenting on his “fall” and the tragedy that it was. Never mentioning the even more tragic downfall which was his own.

The major point to note regarding Dan’s fall, was that it came by way of what amounted to the total corruption of his craft. Falsifying and creating “news” where it did not exist, all with a political agenda.

Now regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, the fact remains that his commenting on The Greek seems out of place and comical to some degree. I’m sure if Jimmy were alive he’d tell that blow-hard sham of a newsman how he felt about his being judged by such an imperfect man, who’s demise came not from a slip in judgment and old world racism so common to men of Jimmy’s generation, but from a blatant effort to deceive, lie and manipulate public opinion using a medium entrusted to him by the American people, and which he so thoroughly desecrated.

In the end, both men were fired from CBS, one by the slip of the tongue, the other, got caught.

Posted on March 31, 2009 - by OP40

“La Liga” regresa, con carne fresca, y peloteros gastados…cuidate Fish.

“La Liga del Tomoate” de nuevo comiensa esta primavera con una temporada exitante. Pero como siempre, se espera golpes y sangre, junto con alegria y dolor. Uno nunca sabe lo que trae…mantenganse al dia con “La Liga” y disfrute de la miseria y humliacion de los “puppies” a las manos de los perros dominantes.

The Player

Posted on February 6, 2009 - by OP40

Long makes Pro-Bowl

Posted on February 2, 2009 - by OP40

Steelers grasp title out of thin air…

Sixth sense: Steelers do it the right way

From ESPN.com

TAMPA, Fla. — I don’t know if the Pittsburgh Steelers are America’s Team. But Sunday night at Heinz Field South, they were Raymond James Stadium’s team. They were President Obama’s team. Most of all, they were the Vince Lombardi Trophy’s team.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to win a Super Bowl? The Steelers have now won a record-breaking six of them, two in the past four years. Fifteen of the NFL’s 32 franchises have never won one. Five have never even advanced to the game.

So trying to put an Iron City six-pack into perspective is like trying to comprehend Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel or Rod Blagojevich’s hair. Some things are beyond explanation.

But I know this: Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, who played this game on a knee and a half (“I can’t even describe the pain,” Ward said), had to squeeze away tears when talking about team owner Dan Rooney. You think Terrell Owens would get teary-eyed about Jerry Jones?

“I saw Mr. Rooney today and I just broke down,” said Ward, who started to cry again as he remembered the meeting with the 76-year-old owner.

Safety Troy Polamalu, holding his infant son on his knee, said the Steelers call Rooney “Pops.” Turns out Pops makes sure all of his players have his cell phone number — just in case they ever need him for something. Imagine that.

This is why the Steelers are unlike any other professional sports franchise. They win in ways you can respect. They beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in arguably the best Super Bowl game ever, and the Steelers spend the postgame complimenting the other team as much as they compliment their own.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found Cardinals QB Kurt Warner on the field and told him, “It was an honor to play against you.” Little-known fact: The first sports autobiography Roethlisberger ever read was Warner’s book.

Roethlisberger arrived at the postgame interview room holding the football he used during the final kneel-down of the game. In 2005, when the Steelers won Super Bowl XL, Roethlisberger gave the game ball to teammate Jerome Bettis.

“I’ll hold on to this one,” Roethlisberger said this time.

Can you blame him? Unlike the 2005 championship, when he played in full upchuck mode (9-of-21 for 123 yards and two interceptions), Roethlisberger distinguished himself in XLIII with a game-winning, last-minute touchdown pass to Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes. Perfect throw. Perfect catch. Asked to describe the play, Roethlisberger kept it simple.

“Scramble right. Scramble left. Find somebody open,” he said. “Somebody got open.”

Humility.

If America is looking for a team, this is it. What’s not to like?

The Steelers have won those six Super Bowls with three different coaches. Unlike the Cowboys, the Rooneys don’t give their ATM password to big-name free agents. Instead, they draft well (Holmes and Roethlisberger were first-rounders). They sign undrafted free agents well (NFL defensive MVP James Harrison). They hire coaches well (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin in the past 40 years). And they never, ever pretend they invented the game.

“I think what makes America’s Team is that anywhere you go in America, that’s your home stadium,” said safety Ryan Clark. “It’s called Steelers Nation for a reason. [The Cowboys] may be called ‘America’s Team’ because they have reality shows. They like to be in the headlines, things like that. … But it felt like we were in Pittsburgh tonight.”

I’d be stunned if Tomlin and the Rooneys ever let a “Hard Knocks” film crew into their training camp. They don’t need the attention. They don’t need to grow their “brand.” Winning Super Bowls, not being on HBO, is what grows a franchise.

There were no in-betweens in Sunday evening’s game. It was a strange combination of penalties (18 total) and hair-on-fire moments.

Harrison, cut four different times during his seven-year career, delivered the most amazing play in Super Bowl history — better than David Tyree‘s ball-on-helmet catch of a year ago. Harrison’s 100-yard, get-me-an-oxygen-tank interception return in the waning seconds of the first half proved to be a 14-point swing: as many as seven lost points for the Cardinals (who had first-and-goal at the Steelers’ 1 with 18 seconds remaining) and seven found points for Pittsburgh. An exhausted Harrison collapsed in the end zone after the runback.

“I probably shouldn’t have chased him so far trying to block, because I couldn’t breathe,” Clark said. “I wanted to lay down next to him, but I figured since I didn’t score, nobody was going to give me any sympathy.”

There was Warner completing 31 of 43 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns, including a 64-yarder to the amazing Larry Fitzgerald with 2:37 left to play. That put the Cardinals ahead 23-20. You could almost feel 70,774 people in the stadium inch toward their seat edges.

And then there was Roethlisberger and Holmes on the final Steelers scoring drive. Earlier Sunday morning, Ward had told Holmes that it was games like this in which players made names for themselves. Ward would know; he was the MVP of Super Bowl XL.

Roethlisberger threw eight passes on the drive, four of them to Holmes. Of the 78 yards covered on the drive, Holmes caught 73 yards’ worth. But it was his final catch — that 6-yarder in the corner of the end zone, where his toes somehow stayed put on the turf — that won him the MVP, and the Steelers their sixth Super Bowl.

“Where is the celebration?” Clark shouted after the game. “I am done being dumbfounded that we won.”

The celebration will be in Pittsburgh. America’s Parade Route.

Gene Wojciechowski is the senior national columnist for ESPN.com. You can contact him at gene.wojciechowski@espn3.com.

Posted on January 31, 2009 - by OP40

No surprise: Obama shows weakness/inexperience, Iran ready to pounce

From Breitbart.com

Iran says Obama’s offer to talk shows US failure
Jan 31 08:16 AM US/Eastern

US President Barack Obama’s offer to talk to Iran shows that America’s policy of “domination” has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday.

“This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed,” Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

“Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change,” he added.

After nearly three decades of severed ties, Obama said shortly after taking office this month that he is willing to extend a diplomatic hand to Tehran if the Islamic republic is ready to “unclench its fist”.

In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh tirade against the United States, demanding an apology for its “crimes” against Iran and saying he expected “deep and fundamental” change from Obama.

Iranian politicians frequently refer to the US administration as the “global arrogance”, “domineering power” and “Great Satan”.

Tensions with the United States have soared over Iran’s nuclear drive and Ahmadinejad’s vitriolic verbal attacks against Washington’s close regional ally Israel.

Former US president George W. Bush refused to hold talks with the Islamic republic — which he dubbed part of an “axis of evil” — unless it suspended uranium enrichment, and never took a military option to thwart Tehran’s atomic drive off the table.

The new administration of Obama has also refused to rule out any options — including military strikes — to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Iran denies any plans to build the bomb and insists its nuclear programme is solely aimed at peaceful ends.

Posted on January 30, 2009 - by OP40

Wade almost falls, then recovers, then actually falls and in between, reinforces “PimP” status…

Posted on January 28, 2009 - by OP40

Whipple is de’ O Man at da’ “U”

Mark Whipple has been named the new offensive coordinator at the University of Miami. A veteran of 27 seasons as a coach on both the collegiate and professional levels, Whipple inherits a unit that returns nine starters, an experienced young quarterback, one of the top running back tandems in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a talented group of receivers and an offensive line that returns three starters.

“Mark has been successful in every phase of his career,” Miami head coach Randy Shannon said. “He developed a Super Bowl quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, won a national championship as the head coach at UMass and created an effective and potent offense most recently for the playoff bound Philadelphia Eagles. Aside from being innovative at his craft, Mark is a tremendous individual who will positively impact our student-athletes on and off the field.”

Whipple, 51, spent the 2008 season as an offensive assistant coach with the Philadelphia Eagles helping the team to an appearance in the NFC championship game. Before joining the Eagles, he served as the quarterbacks coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2004-06 where he was instrumental in the development of Ben Roethlisberger, who became the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. In 2004, Roethlisberger became the first NFL quarterback to finish a season undefeated with a 13-0 record in games he started.

“I am excited to work with Randy Shannon,” Whipple said. “I feel like we’re going to be a great team. Coach Shannon and I have been on the same page from day one. Our goal is to win a national championship. The one thing I haven’t done is win one at the I-A level. It’s been a goal of mine for a while now. I couldn’t think of a better place to work toward that goal than the University of Miami.”

Prior to his move to the NFL, Whipple coached 16 seasons as a head coach at the collegiate level compiling an overall record of 121-59 (.672) at stops at the University of Massachusetts, Brown and New Haven.

While at UMass, he posted a 49-26 (.653) record in six years (1998-2003) leading the Minutemen to a Division I-AA National Championship in his first season with the team in 1998. He also won a pair of conference championships. His 1998 national championship team finished with a school record in wins finishing the season 12-3. He was named National Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association and Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette in 1998 and earned Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors in 2003. He was selected as the New England Coach of the Year by the New England Football Writers and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston in both 1998 and 2003. He posted five winning seasons in only six years as head coach. He coached nine different players who won first team All-America honors.

Whipple also served as a head coach at his alma mater Brown from 1994-97, where he accumulated a 24-16 (.600) record without a losing season. He also was the head coach at New Haven from 1988-93 where he went an impressive 48-17 (.738) and led the team to two straight NCAA Division II playoff appearances in 1992 and 1993. His 1992 team finished 12-1 and ranked No. 5 nationally. His 1993 squad ranked as high as No. 2 nationally.

At every stop in college, the trademark of a Whipple-coached team was a high-powered offense. His UMass teams rewrote the record books, setting more than 40 team records. In 1998 his national championship team posted school records in points scored (524), touchdowns (73), total yards (7,074), passing yards (4,050), completions (306) and first downs (354). While at Brown, his 1997 squad set Ivy League and school records for total offense (474.3 yards per game) which included a single-game record of 629 yards against Yale. His 1995 team set several single-season records including most points (282), total offense (4,165 yards), passing offense (2,502 yards) and first downs (227). While at New Haven, his 1992 squad led all NCAA divisions in scoring offense (50.5 points per game) and total offense (587.7 yards per game). His 1993 New Haven team was named Sports Illustrated’s “Best Offense in College Football” while averaging 52.5 points and 557.6 yards of total offense per game.

The Tarrytown, N.Y., native’s coaching career began in 1980 as an assistant at St. Lawrence University. Whipple made four more stops over the next seven years (Union College, 1981-82; Brown, 1983; Arizona Wranglers of the USFL, 1984; New Hampshire, 1986-87) before landing his first head coaching appointment.

A 1979 graduate of Brown, he was the Bears starting quarterback from 1977-78, leading the team to a 13-5 record as a starter. He was inducted into the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. Whipple earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He was a member of the school’s first-ever Ivy League championship team in 1976. He was also a four-year letterman on the Bears baseball team.

He and his wife, Brenda, have two sons, Spencer, a redshirt freshman quarterback on the UMass football team, and Austin, a high school freshman.

“Miami is a tremendous university with great academics and great athletics,” Whipple said. “It has been one of the most successful football programs in the country winning five national championships. So many players have gone on to the NFL. I haven’t worked with too many of them, but the thing I always admired about them is how much pride and respect they have for the school.”

Posted on January 26, 2009 - by OP40

Margarito agrees to marry Mosely, love, honor and obey his B-smacking a$$

A roundup of the past week’s notable boxing results from around the world:

Saturday at Los Angeles
Welterweight Shane Mosley TKO9 Antonio Margarito Wins a welterweight title
Records: Mosley, 46-5, 39 KOs; Margarito, 37-6, 27 KOs
Rafael’s remark: One of the gazillion reasons why boxing is so great: Because you never know what’s going to happen. Case in point is this fight. Margarito, a significant favorite for a reason, had smashed Miguel Cotto in July, Cotto had previously beaten Mosley, and yet Mosley took Margarito to the woodshed, delivering a shockingly one-sided beatdown. Go figure. At 37, Mosley turned back the hands of time in such overwhelming fashion that it was perhaps even more stunning than seeing his Golden Boy Promotions partner, Bernard Hopkins, roll past the prime Kelly Pavlik in October at age 43. Clearly, Mosley has a lot left in the tank as he regained the welterweight title in violent fashion. He won it the first time in the first-ever fight held at the Staples Center on June 17, 2000, when he closed strongly against Oscar De La Hoya in his career-defining fight. But on this night, Mosley added a second-career defining performance. He and Margarito, both Southern California-based fighters, both came to fight, but Margarito was never in it. We all knew Mosley was faster, but did anyone think he was stronger? Well, he was. And that indestructible Margarito chin? Not anymore. Mosley hammered him with left hooks and laser-like overhand rights that couldn’t miss. Mosley rocked him in the sixth, dropped him in the eighth and stopped him 43 seconds into the ninth with a massive closing onslaught that saw him out-land Margarito a stunning 21-0, according to CompuBox statistics. It was a fantastic night for the sport of boxing, once again proving that the dopes who insist boxing is dead have no clue. The fight drew 20,820 — the most ever to see any event of any kind at the Staples Center. And these were not casino guests or a late-arriving crowd. These were folks who paid their hard-earned cash to see a real fight in an electric atmosphere. If there was anything of a downer, it is the possibility that Margarito tried to cheat by entering loaded gloves. Fortunately, Mosley trainer Nazim Richardson — who, by the way, also trains Hopkins, so he knows a thing or two about guys turning back the clock — objected to the way Margarito’s hands had been wrapped, and during the removal of the tape, a “plaster-like substance” was found and removed. The California commission is investigating, but it stands to reason that if Margarito, 30, did try to cheat, it wasn’t the first time. It casts a huge shadow over his victory against Cotto, whom he is supposed to meet again in June despite the loss. That is, if he’s not suspended, which he should be if he did try to cheat. Mosley, meantime, is the new 147-pound king. He’d love a rematch with Cotto, but that seems unlikely right now. Maybe Floyd Mayweather will exit retirement and finally fight the fight so many of us have always wanted to see for so many years.