2012年3月21日星期三

Greek football champions Olympiacos to tour Australia

Greek champions Olympiacos will play Melbournefolsom nike outlet
Victory in Melbourne in May, the Australian A-League club said on Wednesday.

Olympiacos, the most successful club in Greek nike store coupon codes
football, will make their first visit to Australia in 34 years to play Victory on May 19.

Melbourne has the third-largest Greek-speaking population of any citynike outlet stores
in the world outside Athens and Thessaloniki, according to Australian government statistics.

Running down the NCAA's regionals

Now it's time for the big dogs to take over the NCAA tournament.

Fourteen of the 16 teams remaining in the bracket are from major conferences, leaving scrappy Ohio and Xavier as the only mid-majors with a shot at following up ononline nike outlet
what Butler and Virginia Commonwealth did a year ago.

Good news, even for you underdog fans, is that the resumes of the 14 big-school programs include 93 Final Four appearances and 33 national titles. Get teams like that together, and there's sure to be some great matchups and games.

Needless to say, it should be sweet.

___

BEST GAMES

If we're going to tout how great the matchups are, we might as well start off by pointing out a few.

Syracuse vs. Wisconsin. The Orange live for creating turnovers; the Badgers hold onto the ball as if it were a pot of gold coins. Should be fun to see how this battle of styles and wills plays out.

Michigan State vs. Louisville. A battle of minds between Cardinals coach Rick Pitino and the Spartans' Tom Izzo. A couple of pretty good teams with some good players, too.

Kentucky vs. Indiana. Don't think the Wildcats have forgotten about that Assembly Hall court storming after Indiana's win in December. Two traditional powers, too; a combined for 12 national titles between them.

Marquette vs. Florida. The Gators can shoot, particularly from the 3-point arc. The Golden Eagles are tough and like to play defense. Another will-inflicting game.

___

UNSUNG HEROES

We know the stars, the big names who get all the attention. But just below the marquee are a handful of under-the-radar players who are there to support the headliner, sometimes even steal the show.

Here's a few who have grabbed the spotlight so far:

Brady Heslip, Baylor. He's open soon as he crosses midcourt and has killed teams that collapse on Baylor's big front line in the NCAA tournament. In case you didn't see it, he hit a 10th 3-pointer on the way to the locker room after demolishing Colorado on Saturday.

Marquis Teague, Kentucky. Once considered Kentucky's lone weak spot, the freshman had 24 points, seven assists and four rebounds against Colorado.

Jeff Withey, Kansas. Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor make the Jayhawks go. Withey becoming more assertive helped take them to the regional semis.

Aaron Craft, Ohio State. The Buckeyes' point guard can score and has great court vision. His biggest contribution could be defense; he can take an opposing guard completely out of a game.

Russ Smith, Louisville. The Cardinals guard can be a difference-maker and was against New Mexico, scoring 17 points. He disappeared a few times this season, which Louisville can't afford at this point.

___

NUMBERS

0 — Losses by 29-7 Baylor outside the Big 12.

1 — Team left from last year's Final Four: Kentucky.

4 — Conference tournament champions in the round of 16:nike outlet allen
Michigan State, Florida, State, Louisville and Ohio.

4 — Teams from the Big Ten and Big East left in the tournament.

10 — Times Michigan State has reached the regional semifinals in the last 15 years.

10½ — Point spread for North Carolina over Ohio, widest among the eight games.

48 — Years since Ohio last reached the round of 16.

50 — Years since Cincinnati beat Ohio State in the national title game for the second year in a row. The Bearcats and Orange play Thursday in Boston.

106 — Miles between Cincinnati and Ohio State, who play each other in Boston in the East Regional.

88,312 — Twitter followers for Kentucky super fan, actress and avid tweeter Ashley Judd, who attended the Wildcats' win over Iowa State on Saturday.

___

HEADING EAST

The initial 68-team bracket had teams from all over the west, from California and UNLV to Gonzaga and St. Mary's.

Now, they're all gone.

Not a single team from the western half of the United States reached the regionals this year, leaving Baylor, in heart-of-Texas Waco, as the last stop in the bracket.

That's 11 states, no teams. Yet Ohio put a record four teams through to the round of 16: Ohio State, Xavier, Cincinnati and Ohio.

___

STUDENTS OF THE GAME

Four of the teams in the round of 16 have coaches who never played college hoops and came through the ranks as student managers.

Tom Crean, Indiana. Didn't play at Central Michigan and got his start as a graduate manager at Michigan State before going on to head coaching jobs at Marquette and with the Hoosiers.

Mick Cronin, Cincinnati. After coaching a local high school while completing his undergraduate degree, he got his first college coaching job as a video coordinator for the Bearcats in 1996-97.

Buzz Williams, Marquette. Before he became Marquette's head coach, the Buzzsaw served as a student assistant at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, under Juco Hall of Famer Lewis Orr. He also was a student assistant at Oklahoma City University.

Scott Drew, Baylor. Started his career as a student assistant at Butler and later moved on to Valparaiso, where he earned his master's degree while working for his father, Homer, the Crusaders head coach at the time.

___

MONUMENTAL MOMENTS

The remaining teams have accounted for some of the greatest moments in NCAA tournament history. Here's a few:

North Carolina State, 1983. Coach Jim Valvanonike coupon
running around looking for someone to hug after Lorenzo Charles' putback is an all-timer.

Kansas, 2008. "Mario's Miracle" — Mario Chalmers' tying 3-pointer — still draws cheers like Kansas won the title all over again during the pregame video at Allen Fieldhouse.

Michigan State, 1979. Magic vs. Bird. 'Nuff said.

North Carolina, 1982. Freshman Michael Jordan hits the winning jumper against Georgetown, becomes one of basketball's — or any sport's — greatest icons.

Indiana, 1987. Keith Smart pulls a Jordan to beat Syracuse.

Now, the question is will there be any moments as memorable as those when the tournament resumes Thursday?

2012年3月15日星期四

Musical harmony: NKorean, French orchestras play

PARIS (AP) — A North Korean and a French orchestra performed a landmark concert on Wednesday, adding a note of harmony to long-standing tensions between the isolated nation andgirl nike air max
the West.

Under the baton of noted South Korean conductor Chung Myung-Whun, North Korea's Unhasu Orchestra and Radio France Philharmonic played to a packed house at Paris' Salle Pleyel music hall.

"We are witnessing a historical moment that I hope will not be an isolated event," Radio France's first violinist Svetlin Roussev said before the concert opened, crediting "Maestro Chung" for making the joint concert possible.

Chung was born in the South but his mother was from North Korea, making the concert a musical bridge toward reconciliation of a divided people.

"For now, this is an experience lived through our hearts with the music expressing our feelings, our emotions," Roussev said, adding optimistically, "This could be the first stone to build on towards something that could be immense, discount nike
for history and the world."

Korea was split at the end of World War II into the communist North and the U.S.-backed South. The two sides fought a three-year war that ended in a truce in 1953 but has left the Korean Peninsula divided by a heavily fortified border.

Relations between North Korea and the U.S. and its allies have been tense over the years, particularly over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. North Korea has tested two atomic devices in the past six years.

France is among Western nations that do not have official diplomatic ties with North Korea, although it opened an office in the capital Pyongyang last year to foster cultural exchanges.

There have been other signs of improving relations between North Korea and Western nations.

Late last month, the United States andnike shoe discount
North Korea announced an agreement that calls for Pyongyang to freeze its nuclear activities in exchange for food aid. Days later, a senior North Korean nuclear envoy traveled to the U.S. to attend a university forum.

Most of the 90 North Koreans musicians — many under age 30 — were performing with a Western ensemble for the first time.

Earlier in the week, they had the chance to do some sightseeing, including a visit to Versailles Palace, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday.

Roussev said that exchanges during the four rehearsals were about typical subjects — fatigue from jet lag, the weather, the beauty of Paris but "no sensitive issues yet."

Roussev hoped for more substantive conversation at the dinner following the concert, but said the North Koreans are "well supervised and quite reserved even if the barriers are falling."

Kwon Hyok Bong, a musical adviser who is leading the North Korean delegation, said he believed the collaboration would boost ties between France and North Korea.

"It's the first time for musicians from our two countries, (North) Korea and France, to be performing a joint concert together," he told reporters. "I believe it's a historical event that will improve bilateral relations between our two countries."

Chung, meanwhile, hoped to also bridge the north-south divide on the Korean peninsula.

He opened the concert with a traditional Korean song and closed it with another, "Arirang," a piece that he said earlier this week "not one single Korean ... would not know."

He dedicated it to his mother.

Big White House do mixes celebs, political money

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wednesday's giant state dinner for British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife — the biggest ever thrown by Barack and Michelle Obama — dished up a potent mix of celebrity glam, corporate heft and political money under an enormous party tent on the South Lawn. It is an election year, after all.

The entertainment lineup also included a little something special for both couples: The Obamas are big admirers of Grammy-winner John Legend, and David and Samantha Cameron are huge fans of Mumford & Sons, a British folk rock band that warmed up the crowd for Legend.

Obama, for his part, also is a big fan of "Homeland" actor Damian Lewis, who said on his way in that he planned to ask the president how he ever finds time to watch TV.

Among the 360 people who scored golden tickets to the dinner were actor George Clooney, billionaire Warren Buffett, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, businessman Richard Branson, Apple's Jony Ive and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, a big fundraiser for Obama's re-election campaign.

In fact, more than 30 of the biggest financial backers of Obama's bid for a second term made the cut, according to an Associated Press review of the guest list.

Others who made the list: Hugh kids nike air max shoes
Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern, both of "Downton Abbey" fame, and Rory McIlroy, the new world No. 1 golfer. In advance of the big night, the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland was so excited he tweeted a photo of himself being fitted for his dinner suit.

Apparently, a memo went out that blues were the color of the night. Both first ladies and a healthy share of their guests turned up in the color.

Mrs. Obama wore Marchesa, to the delight of Weinstein and his wife, Georgina Chapman, the designer of the first lady's gown. Both pronounced themselves surprised when reporters told them what the first lady was wearing.

"I'm knocked out," Weinstein enthused.

Obama gave the Camerons a sartorial thumbs-up as they arrived, declaring, "They look better than us."

During his dinner toast, Cameron complimented both wives while joking about his Tuesday night out with Obama at a college basketball game in Ohio.

"We have to have a guys' night out because so often we find we are completely overshadowed by our beautiful wives," the prime minister said.

The White House made sure to save a seat at the table for more than 30 of Obama's top fundraisers — the so-called bundlers who each have helped raise at least $50,000 for the president's re-election effort.

A number of coveted seats went to supporters who have raised between $200,000 and $500,000 for Obama, and at least nine went to donors who have raised more than a half-million dollars for his campaign, according to the AP review. They include Weinstein, New York financier Orin Kramer and Miami public policy consultant Joseph Falk.

The Obama campaign said it had no nike cleats soccer
comment on the donor-heavy guest list.

Big names sat at the head table, Clooney, Buffett and Lewis included. But also Elaine Brye, an Winona, Ohio, mother of four children serving in the military. Mrs. Obama invited Brye after she wrote to the first lady about her campaign to support military families.

Legend's fiance, model Chrissy Teigen, provided running commentary on the night via Twitter, including, "a salad with some stuff in it I dunno" and "J has already stained himself." She helpfully included a photo of Legend with an unidentified smear on his tuxedo shirt.

After passing through the White house, guests had the option of walking or taking a trolley to the tent on the South Lawn. And this was no ordinary party tent: The giant structure featured a 150-foot(46-meter)-wide glass wall overlooking the White House grounds.

Even the rich and famous feel the "wow" factor of a state dinner: Actor Idris Elba said it was like visiting Disney World, where "you don't know what to expect next." British Olympic gold medalist Denise Lewis pronounced herself as giddy as a schoolgirl. Richard Branson, who arrived sans spouse, said his wife was "very jealous" to miss it.

Weinstein, a state dinner veteran, said he was thrilled to attend — and thrilled that Obama's seeking re-election. His only complaint about the president: "He's too humble." The man needs to talk up his accomplishments more, Weinstein counseled.

The entire menu was a U.K.-U.S. blend, featuring bison Wellington, using buffalo tenderloin from North Dakota instead of beef. It also included crisped halibut served on braised baby kale from the White House garden. The salad greens, too, came from the White House backyard.

During an afternoon preview event, Mrs.nike soccer shoes mercurial
Obama told schoolgirls from the U.S. and the U.K. that the dinner emerges from a "little-bitty kitchen," but that the chefs would have a little extra elbow room Wednesday with the dinner taking place outside.

One tidbit that didn't appear on the extremely detailed menu: the specifics of the "American wine" selections. Without explanation, the White House stopped listing the wines after catching criticism for serving some pricey bottles at earlier state dinners.

2012年2月13日星期一

Roberto Carlos: Jose Mourinho told me he will stay at Real Madrid

Anzhi Makhachkala defender Roberto Carlos says Jose Mourinho confessed to him that he will stay at Real Madrid after the end of the season.

Mourinho stated in December that he wished to return to the Premier League in 'a couple of years' and admitted that England was his 'passion' in football.

Reports in Spain have suggested that Mourinho is keen to cut short his stay at Madrid after receiving whistles from the club's fans in the wake of the Copa del Rey exit at the hands of Barcelona.

However, Roberto Carlos, whose club Anzhi has long been credited with an interest in Mourinho, says the Portuguese coach will not step down in the summer.

"He told me he has a running contract and that he will stay," Roberto Carlos told Canal Plus. "I told him that if he changed his mind, Anzhi would be waiting for him with open arms.

"He is the best coach in the world."

The 38-year-old left back stepped onto the Santiago Bernabeu pitch ahead of Madrid's 4-2 victory against Levante to receive an award for his 11-year spell at the club.

"It is always a pride to return to the Bernabeu," Roberto Carlos continued.

"Everything seems to be in place in La Liga and in the Champions League: let us forget about Barca and we will win important titles again.

"I like this team's character, no matter how hard things get, and its winning spirit. This team will make history."

Cavs center Varejao breaks right wrist

For the second time this week, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been hit with an injury to a key player.

Center Anderson Varejao, who is having the best season of his eight-year career, will be out indefinitely with a broken right wrist.

Rookie point guard Kyrie Irving missed his third straight game Saturday night against Philadelphia with a concussion. While it’s hoped Irving will return in the near future, possibly as early as next week, it’s unclear how long Varejao will be sidelined.

The latest injury will be a major blow to the Cavaliers.

Not only is Varejao averaging 10.8 points with 11.5 rebounds, his hustling style of play both inspires his teammates and aggravates opponents as well.

“It’s going to be hard to make up for everything that Andy does,” Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. “He gives us so much on both ends of floor. There’s not a whole lot of guys in the league that play with the energy and intensity Andy plays with. That’s what makes him special.”

Varejao, who leads the league in offensive rebounds per game, was injured in the third quarter of Friday night’s 113-112 overtime loss to Milwaukee and did not return.

The injury occurred while he grabbed a rebound and was slapped on the wrist by a defender.

The results of an MRI performed Saturday revealed a non-displaced fracture of the wrist. Scott said Varejao will be evaluated again Sunday.

A timeline for his return will be established next week after further testing.

Semih Erden started at center Saturday. Scott said Ryan Hollins and Samardo Samuels will also get minutes there. Rookie power forward Tristan Thompson may be another option.

Scott said Irving rode the stationary bike Saturday, but it’s uncertain when he will be cleared to take part in practice drills.

The Cavaliers are following the NBA’s new guidelines on treating head injuries with Irving, who was injured in Tuesday’s game against Miami. He was knocked down in the foul lane while driving to the basket and his head struck Heat guard Dwyane Wade’s knee.

Irving complained of a headache on Wednesday and was diagnosed with the concussion shortly before Cleveland hosted the Los Angeles Clippers that night.

Officials vow loyalty at Kim's supposed birthplace

North Korea's top military and party officials have visited the supposed birthplace of late leader Kim Jong-Il to mark his upcoming birthday and pledge loyalty to the dynasty, state media said on Monday.

The North is planning an elaborate commemoration of Thursday's birthday, dubbed "The Day of the Shining Star", after the longtime leader died of a heart attack on December 17 at the age of 69.

In the ceremony Sunday at Mount Paekdu near the border with China, senior military and ruling party officials as well as workers and troops from "all walks of life" mourned Kim, the Korean Central News Agency said (KCNA) said.

Among those attending were military chief Ri Yong-Ho, leading party officials Kim Ki-Nam and Choe Thae-Bok, and Kim Jong-Gak, who is in charge of military administration and organisation, it said.

They were among eight people -- including Kim's youngest son and successor, Jong-Un -- who walked beside the leader's hearse at the funeral on December 28.

Jong-Un, believed to be in his late 20s, was swiftly proclaimed the "great successor" to his father and has been officially appointed as military commander.

Kim Jong-Il ruled the impoverished but nuclear-armed state for 17 years after his own father and founding president Kim Il-Sung died in 1994.

Ri, in a speech at the event, called Kim's birth "a global milestone" while senior ruling party official Ri Yong-Chol urged young people to "firmly unite" behind Jong-Un in line with Kim's last wishes.

The event ended with fireworks and cheers by participants, it said.

State media has earlier said groups of workers across the nation began trips to the mountain to pay respects to the Kim family, whose "Paekdu bloodline" is trumpeted in official propaganda.

The mountain, the highest on the peninsula, is sacred to both Koreas as the place where, according to legend, their ancestors originated.

Official accounts say Kim was born there. But independent experts say his birthplace was actually a guerrilla camp in Russia, from where his father was fighting Japanese forces who had colonised the Korean peninsula.