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GLASGOW, Scotland - Celtic was held to a 1-1 tie at home by Hibernian on Saturday, giving Rangers a great chance to take over the lead in the Scottish Premier League.

David Murphy put Hibs ahead after 20 minutes at Celtic Park, and Jiri Jarosik captured a point for the defending champion with a tying goal in the 78th.

Although Celtic is in the second round of the Champions League, where it will play FC Barcelona, Gordon Strachan’s team has won only one of its last six domestic league and cup games. Rangers now goes to Aberdeen on Sunday only three points behind with three games in hand.

Third-place Motherwell wasted a great chance to go second when it was beaten 3-0 at home by Falkirk. Michael Higdon scored twice for the visitors and Patrick Cregg added a third.

Last-place Gretna, playing its first-ever season in the top flight, won 2-1 at fourth-place Dundee United. Gretna now has nine points, its only two victories being against the same team.

Gretna went ahead through Kenny Deucher in the 12th minute and, although Noel Hunt tied it in the 29th, Nicky Deverdics scored a second three minutes before halftime.

Despite the victory, Gretna is seven points behind St. Mirren which was held 0-0 at home by Kilmarnock.

Graham Bayne’s winner in injury time gave Inverness a 3-2 victory at Hearts which had come back from two goals down.

Russell Duncan and John Rankin’s penalty kick in the 53rd minute put Inverness in charge at Tynecastle. Christophe Berra replied and, even though Hearts had Eduardas Kurskis sent off for a second yellow card, Andrius Velicka made it 2-2 from the penalty spot in the 90th. But there was still time for Bayne to fire home with the ball loose in the Hearts area.

Seven of the 14 games scheduled in the three lower divisions were called off because the playing surfaces were frozen and dangerous for play. Another was abandoned in the second half because of fog with Alloa leading Berwick 2-1 in the Second Division.

Source: SCO: Celtic draws with Hibernian

All that mattered was that they played. At noon, two hours later than scheduled but still remarkable in the circumstances, they took the field. There was a carnival atmosphere. People were excited, genuinely happy. There was nothing forced about it.

What had been a cross between a quagmire and a building site 48 hours earlier had been transformed into a festive scene. Flags were flying, bunting was evident, comfy seats had been placed under bright canopies. The old fort looked down on the resplendent scene. Cosmetic perhaps but there was nothing cosmetic about the smiling faces. Life was going on.

England won the toss and bowled. Dampness in the pitch tilted the balance. They felt the mood. Maybe the mood got to them without their realising it. The tourists were a little flaccid in the first session despite taking two wickets thanks to generous interpretations of the lbw law.

This was Galle Stadium yesterday, the first Test match here since the devastating tsunami of 2004 which cost so many lives and changed thousands of others forever. “You could sense the occasion,” said Stephen Harmison, who finished the day with three wickets. “What happened three years ago was a horrendous time for these people. What happened in the last 48 hours probably isn’t the best preparation for Test cricket but it had to be played, no matter what.”

The cricket was going Sri Lanka’s way until late afternoon. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, were at it again, taking wily advantage of England’s seamers.

The bowlers had a chat at lunchtime, Harmison and his fellows, Ryan Sidebottom and Matthew Hoggard, who was returning in place of Stuart Broad. “We had bowled full but floated it and we needed to hit the deck a bit more, or if we were going to bowl full we needed to do it with some purpose. I think sometimes when you see the amount of rain we have had here, the time it has been under cover and how damp the wicket was, bowlers with a brand new ball start clapping their hands and thinking wickets. But sometimes that can go the opposite way.”

Harmison’s day, England’s day, their supporters’ day, was made by the dismissal of Sangakkara. It is a delight to watch Sangakkara bat, but for England to have any chance of levelling this series he had to go. Shortly after tea, Harmison bounced him and Sangakkara hooked it down Monty Panesar’s throat at deep square leg to conclude what seemed a skilfully executed plan.

“I was stiff,” said Harmison, “and when you’re a bit stiff probably the best thing to do to get unstiff is bowl a short ball. That’s all it was, no plan, just bowl a short ball and he hit it straight down square leg’s throat.”

There’s one for the coaching manuals.

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Source: Better late than never as patched-up Galle passes first test

There were several reasons why the Football Association moved so swiftly to recruit Fabio Capello but one of them was definitely its preoccupation with the media. Having been involved in England squads for the past few years, I have got to know the people behind the scenes of the governing body and had a small insight into how they work. What has struck me after winning a game is the sense of relief within the emblazoned suits of the staff. On a plane coming home from one away victory, I remember turning to one official and saying it had been a good week for all involved. “Yes, the press will be off our backs for a month at least, great,” he replied. Given the fiasco surrounding the attempted appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari last year, they would have been acutely aware of the pressure to get it right this time.

I think they have. Obviously, as someone who wishes to catch his eye, you would expect me to say that but I genuinely believe he is an inspired choice. The level of success that Capello has had will demand respect from all England footballers, who I am sure will be as eager to impress as I am. There is no doubt in my mind that although effort has never been an issue from the squad, new levels may well be reached under Capello.

Dealing with the country’s press is one of the many difficulties that face any manager of England. In the Premier League there is an enormous focus on the managers. The bigger the club, the bigger the pressure. When Alan Curbishley became manager at my team, West Ham, a year ago he was amazed by the amount of press interest there was in this club compared to during his time at Charlton. The step from club level to international level is much, much greater.

One man I thought was excellent in dealing with the media pressures was Sven Goran Eriksson. As England manager he had an ability to shrug off criticism and laugh off personal attacks. Once, after an international match at Old Trafford we had a Saturday evening to spend by ourselves in the team hotel before the next game on the following Wednesday. Players were allowed to bring their wives, partners and children to the hotel for the night, with them returning home the next day. A meeting was called for the single players, like me, who did not have family present, and who would be visiting the busy hotel bar. It involved a very brief chat from the manager who wanted to get his point across. “Boys, you like what I like, but tonight please come back to your rooms alone!” For months he had had his personal life probed and pulled apart by the press and public, but he was still able to laugh it off and use it to his advantage.

Capello and Eriksson have both managed successfully in Italy. Italians, like the English are passionate about their football. Not only do they have large amounts of their daily papers devoted to the game, they have newspapers almost solely dedicated to football. The pressure in Italy must be close to that of England.

The contrast between managing club and country are not solely based on the interest and pressure. Capello’s record speaks for itself, winning league titles at every club he has managed, with success in Europe as well. But he has never managed at international level and I am sure he will notice differences. One is the degree of access he will get to players, which can affect performance.

A lot has been made about previous managers being unable to get the best from England players, who are then criticised for being overpaid and not caring. As someone who has been in England squads, trained and played with the England team, I can say categorically that this is simply not true. I can remember perfectly making my debut for England against Colombia two years ago and realising a boyhood dream. Not once did it enter my head that I was not really bothered about the result, nor how much I was getting paid. And I don’t think I could find a capped player who would say otherwise.

But of course, caring about playing well does not mean you automatically will. Many circumstances make it difficult for an England manager to get the best from his players and a crucial one is training. The week’s training is a key time for the manager to get to know and work with his players, but in my experience this training time has been short, a lot less than at club level, with the coaching team scared of overworking players and sending them back to their clubs fatigued or injured. The problem is, it is a long week with a lot of rest time and little to do other than sit about the team hotel. On the day of an England game I have often sat watching and asked myself ‘If I was playing, would I feel as sharp in myself as if I had spent the week training with my club?’ I was never sure if I would.

Also during a training week there is little time to prepare the side for the match. With players needing to rest after a Sunday game, maybe not being able to train at all with knocks and bruises, it gives the manager only a couple of training sessions to look at possible options. Because of this lack of bodies, I have, somewhat bizarrely, played more training sessions with England at left-back than in goal. Many an hour has been spent with me petrified of making one of my trademark clumsy tackles on David Beckham or Shaun Wright-Phillips and being hounded out of the country for ruining England’s chances of progressing.

A big issue that faces any England manager is the problem of incorporating the strengths of the Premier League into a tactically-minded international side. The pace and power of the English top flight are rarely brought into European Championship and World Cup qualifiers. Often I have played in league matches when if a team does not start at a hundred miles an hour then they can be blown away by the opposition within the first 20 minutes. In the 30-odd games I have been involved with England, I think there has only been a handful of goals scored in the opening 10 minutes of a game. It is more like a game of chess, slowly working spaces in the opposition’s defence to then exploit. This style of play is suited to Italy, Capello’s home country. He has won numerous scudettos with different clubs there. Success like this does not come through being tactically naive.

With the lack of English managerial talent available and willing, I feel that the FA were right to go for a man who has spent his life working, and winning, in environments in which pressure and controversy are never far away. It may even take the weight off their own shoulders.

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Source: Robert Green: Capello is right man for England - and to make better use of our training time

ADELAIDE enhanced their National Basketball League finals prospects and dented West Sydney’s with a 122-100 away win over the Razorbacks at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre.

The 36ers started the night on 7-10 in 10th position, one place below West Sydney on 8-11, but were too offensively potent for the struggling Pigs to subdue.

Sparked by a match-high 27 points from in-form forward Adam Ballinger and some deadly three-point shooting, Adelaide dominated the second half.

The 36ers nailed 18 of their 35 long bombs.

A breathless first quarter included a double digit amount of lead changes and ended with Adelaide holding a 39-37 advantage.

The Razorbacks were levelled at 47-47 early in the second quarter, but nine straight points gave the visitors an advantage they never surrendered.

The Pigs trailed by nine at half-time and weren’t able to reduce the deficit below eight for the remainder of the game.

The 36ers blew their lead out to 27 halfway through the final quarter before the home team staged a slight rally.

Ballinger, who last week produced one of the season’s best individual scoring performances with 46 against Singapore, had totted up 13 by quarter-time.

He got plenty of support in the scoring department.

Veteran Lanard Copeland supplied 20 points off the bench, drilling six of his 10 three-point attempts.

Guards Brett Maher and Darren Ng and centre Axel Dench, all scored 16 points, while forward David Cooper contributed 15.

Guard Troy DeVries topped West Sydney’s scoresheet with 21 points while forward Liam Rush was another sound contributor with 18 points and seven rebounds.

West Sydney hit 14 three-pointers of their own, five by DeVries and four from Rush and out-rebounded Adelaide 52-39.

It was West Sydney’s eighth loss in their last 10 games.

AAP

Source: Sixers stay in finals hunt

Starace has won two doubles titles but none in singles

Italian number one Potito Starace and countryman Daniele Bracciali have both been suspended for betting on matches.

Starace, ranked 31 in the world, was banned for six weeks from 1 January and fined 21,400 by the sport’s governing body for making five bets in 2005.

Bracciali, ranked 258, was banned for three months and fined 14,300 for making around 50 five-euro bets.

Italian Alessio Di Mauro was banned for nine months in November, the first player caught in a betting crackdown.

He has said he would appeal against his ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

However, the Italian Tennis Federation has complained that the Association of Tennis Professionals was making scapegoats of its three players.

“The penalties are out of proportion with the size of infringements committed by the two players,” said a spokesman. “Obviously, neither player betted on their own matches.”

And Bracciali, 29, claims he and Starace have been hung out to dry because they are not big names.

“We were the sacrificial lambs. That is why they have got upset with us,” he said.

“We are not champions and we are not important at a high level. But I cannot believe that we Italians were the only ones that placed the odd little bet.

“The regulations of the ATP lend themselves to numerous interpretations of the rule ‘not necessary to bet on tennis’.

“Plus, if I had wanted to be sly, I certainly wouldn’t place bets in my own name.”

Source: Italian duo hit with betting bans

Stephon Marbury has filed a grievance with the NBA over a $195,000 fine assessed by the New York Knicks when he left the team during a road trip, allegedly without permission, the New York Post reported.

The newspaper said according to a source, the Knicks intend to waive the fine against Marbury, who has been grieving the death of his father. But Marbury had to file the appeal within 30 days of receiving notice of the fine to preserve his right to fight the fine.

The fine dates back to the Knicks’ game against the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 13, which Marbury missed — reportedly after was told he would not be starting and confronted coach Isiah Thomas on the plane to Phoenix.

Marbury, who told the Post he had permission from Thomas to leave the team, rejoined the Knicks for their next game in Los Angeles against the Clippers. At the time, ESPN.com reported that Marbury intended to appeal the fine.

Since the incident, Marbury has had to deal with the death of his father.

Don Marbury died Dec. 2 during the Knicks’ home loss to the Suns. He was taken from Madison Square Garden to St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center during halftime, reportedly because of chest pains, but a family member advised a Knicks official not to inform Stephon Marbury at the time.

Marbury learned of his father’s death from a family friend minutes after the game.

Since his father’s death, Marbury has missed seven of the Knicks’ last 10 games, including Friday night’s loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Thomas said Marbury’s status for Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers was uncertain.

“Emotionally he’s indicated to us he’s just not ready. I think we should all be respectful of that,” Thomas said. “I know myself and our organization will be. We’ll give him as much time as he needs.”

Source: Report: Marbury appealing Knicks’ $195K fine

Josh Hamilton

Center Field
Cincinnati Reds

Profile

2007 Season Stats GM HR RBI R OBP AVG 90 19 47 52 .368 .292 ARLINGTON, Texas — Josh Hamilton proved he had overcome his demons in Cincinnati, and now he wants to conquer his future in Texas.

One of baseball’s best comeback stories during his breakout rookie year, the 26-year-old center fielder whose career was nearly derailed by alcohol and drug abuse was traded Friday from the Reds to the Rangers for pitchers Edinson Volquez and Danny Herrera.

Hamilton batted .292 with 19 homers and 47 RBIs in 298 at-bats this year. He fills one of the biggest needs for the Rangers, who parted with one of their top pitching prospects in Volquez.

“The second season after being out for 3 1/2 years is an important season,” said Hamilton, who has gone through eight rehab programs for addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine. “This is maybe where I start becoming an established big leaguer.”

The Rangers also appear close to landing free agent reliever Eddie Guardado, who pitched for the Reds this year. General manager Jon Daniels said he expected the club to sign the left-hander but would not commit to a timetable.

Daniels was eager to commit to Hamilton, calling him a sorely needed “impact bat.”

Hamilton’s rookie season was interrupted by an inflamed digestive track and a sprained wrist, but he still received 151,000 write-in votes for the All-Star Game, the top total in the NL.

Edinson Volquez

Starting Pitcher
Texas Rangers

Profile

2007 Season Stats GM W L BB K ERA 6 2 1 15 29 4.50

Daniels said a physical and battery of tests gave him confidence in Hamilton’s health.

“We’ve done about everything we could have done with him without moving in with him in Raleigh,” said Daniels, referring to Hamilton’s hometown in North Carolina.

Volquez, a 24-year-old right-hander, was 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in six starts for the Rangers last season and is considered one of their top pitching prospects. He was honored as their top minor league pitcher this year.

In 26 minor league starts, Volquez went 14-6 with a 3.67 ERA, holding batters to a .190 average. The Reds need another pitcher to fill out a rotation headed by Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo.

“The numbers he put up in Double-A and Triple-A were impressive,” Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky said. “The trade would not have been done unless we felt he was ready to compete and win a job in the rotation in ‘08.”

Hamilton was out of baseball from 2003-06. He has been clean more than two years, allowing him to get his life in order and resume his career.

The Reds got him in the Rule 5 draft before last season. Hamilton was warmly received in Cincinnati, where he readily shared his life story and became a fan favorite. He was expendable because the Reds already have outfielders Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Norris Hopper and Ryan Freel.

The Rangers had been looking for a center fielder. Even last week after the club signed Milton Bradley, manager Ron Washington talked about looking for a “natural center fielder.”

Bradley, coming off knee surgery, will be a right fielder and designated hitter.

Krivsky said Hamilton’s injuries last season didn’t play a role in the Reds’ willingness to trade him.

“When you haven’t played for four years and haven’t gone through a 162-game schedule, you’re bound to have a few more injuries than the next guy,” Krivsky said. “It was a learning experience for him. He went through the grind for the first time in his career.”

Daniels said because of the holiday, he wasn’t sure when the Rangers might complete a deal for Guardado. The 37-year-old former closer is coming back from reconstructive elbow surgery in September 2006. The Reds declined his 2008 contract option, which would have paid him $3.5 million, allowing him to become a free agent.

The 23-year-old Herrera spent most of last season at Double-A, going 5-2 with a 3.78 ERA in 34 relief appearances.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Source: Rangers acquire Hamilton from Reds for Volquez

I have been told that former USBA Cruiserweight champion Emmanuel “Chukwu” Nwodo of Baltimore will return to ring action on Saturday, January 19 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Nwodo (21-4, 17 KO’s) will take on perennial cruiserweight contender Ezra Sellers, who is originally from DC, but now makes his home in Florida. The bout will be on the undercard of the Roy Jones-Felix Trinidad card. No word yet on whether the bout will be part of the pay-per-view telecast.

This will be Nwodo’s first bout since losing the USBA title to Darnell Wilson by stunning 11th round knockout on June 29 in Staten Island, NY. Sellers (29-7, 26 KO’s) who was the IBO Cruiserweight champ and lost bouts for the IBF and WBO titles, is fighting for the third time since taking a three-year sabbatical from the sport. Since his return, Sellers has won two straight bouts.

Source: Nwodo Returns January 19 in New York!

If you’re looking for someone who knows as much about, say, Frolunda defenseman Ronnie Sundin as Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mats Sundin, Peter Westermark would be a great bet. The 32-year-old native of Skelleftea, Sweden blogs for HockeySverige.se, and is a longtime contributor to outlets such as McKeen’s Hockey, Hockey’s Future, and IHWC.NET, the official Web site of the IIHF World Championship. Westermark, who teaches mathematical statistics at the Lulea University of Technology, took time out of his schedule to offer his opinionated analysis of contemporary Swedish hockey with HockeyAdventure.com.

1. What has been the biggest surprise in the Elitserien so far this season?

I must say that the performance of Brynas has been the biggest news. At the start of the year, the team was hailed as a potential candidate to win the championship. Head Coach Leif Boork had a revolutionary idea where he carried 28 men on his roster, but intended to use only three units in the games, and rotate the units that would sit out. Top players would get into 40 to 45 of the 55 regular season games. He said he’d gotten the idea from the squad rotation systems in top European football, and wanted to make sure players were well rested come playoff time. After winning his first two games, Boork rested some of his best players in the third game versus Sodertalje, an anemic 2-1 loss. After that, the team was criticized heavily in the press for resting guys just three games in–who’s tired at that point? Anyhow, it started a seven-game losing skid for Brynas. The players lost belief in the system, and the club fired Boork. They shrunk their squad and now play like any other team, using four lines. They have made a recovery lately under new Head Coach Olof Ostblom, an unknown 28-year-old blond babyface, but are not much more than an average Elitserien team.

2. What is the general sentiment among the public and media about Sweden’s potential withdrawal from the NHL-IIHF player transfer agreement next year?

Everybody wants a better deal. Frolunda executive Mats Ahdrian said recently that since football club Malmö FF got 80 million kronor (USD 12.2 million) for star Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he signed with Ajax Amsterdam, Brynas should get at the very least 10 million kronor (USD 1.5 million) for Nicklas Backstrom. The idea of transfer fees is very strongly rooted in Swedish sports, even though we have lived under the Bosman ruling (that makes every player not under contract an “unrestricted free agent”, to use NHL parlance) for 15 years or so. So, maybe the deal that the IIHF has negotiated is the best possible. But I would say that the feeling is that NHL clubs are viewed as predators on European hockey, more than as equal partners. I’m certain the lack of adequate compensation for players has created a lot of antipathy towards the NHL.

3. Ken Campbell recently wrote in his blog for The Hockey News: “Ask anyone who has scouted Europe extensively and they’ll tell you that the big ice surface with no red line has created games that often have the spectators looking for knitting needles to poke into their eyes.” Would that be a fair or unfair appraisal of the style of Elitserien hockey this season?

I think removing the red line has been a good move. Looking back to the 90’s, games were not any more offensive than they are now. Quite the contrary. Removing the red line has opened up games, and the lack of scoring in the Elitserien is not due to the red line being out. It’s more because of the defensive style that most teams in the league employ. If you watch Mora play Sodertalje, for instance, you might want to kill yourself afterwards. These are two depressing teams trying to boil down hockey to its simplest form and repeat it, over and over. But if you go see HV71 play Farjestad, you’ll see two teams with many excellent skaters with excellent playmaking ablities, which makes for interesting games.

4. You’ve followed Skelleftea AIK for years as your hometown team. The club secured promotion to the Elitserien for 2006-07, but is hovering near the bottom of the standings this year. What’s your take on the team as it stands now?

The team is stronger than last season. Lee Goren and Kent McDonell, two Canadian imports, have generated a good secondary scoring threat behind the first line with wingers Anders Soderberg and Mikael Renberg. But the team is weak at center, and injuries to any of the centers really hurt, which is what happened in November when the team endured a five-game losing streak. The top two centers were injured at the same time and there was no one to replace them. Adding another center for the final push would do wonders. The league is so tight that one player could make all the difference. Skelleftea was in the relegation round last year and survived, but it’s like hell on earth. I think it will be someones else’s hell this year. The recent win on home ice versus a top team in HV71 and a big 3-1 road win versus Lulea, which is also in the bottom third of the league, gave the club a big boost.

5. How would you describe the impact Ed Belfour has had on the Leksand franchise to date?

It has sparked a lot of interest around the club, that’s for sure. Leksand had the wildly inconsistent Dane Peter Hirsch in nets last year, but they’re now more solid and are considered a better bid to earn promotion to the Elitserien. In the top games, Belfour hasn’t been that impressive, to be honest, and at this point, it’s impossible to be sure whether he’ll be a star or just a star name. Just as interesting as the hockey aspect is how Belfour is spending his days in Leksand. It’s a small place–only a few thousand people live there, and there’s not much to do. He said he likes hunting and stuff, but now that he has killed his moose and done all the visits to the local businesses and hospitals, what’s left? I imagine him sitting alone on a couch in a rented apartment with a can of beer, watching re-runs of Days of Our Lives.

6. Let’s talk about another 42-year-old. Fans of the now-defunct Minnesota North Stars and Quebec Nordiques may be shocked to learn that Tommy Sjodin is still playing pro hockey, currently in his ninth consecutive season with Brynas. What’s your evaluation of this veteran defenseman? Can he keep playing as long as Chris Chelios?

He has been an absolute key player for Brynas throughout the years, but his play this season hasn’t been as good as in previous years. Sjodin has been promised a position with the club when he retires, and he’s approaching the end, but apparently wants to keep playing. This spring, his wife sent an open letter to the local press complaining about how badly Sjodin has been treated by the club — the position he was originally promised (GM) has been filled, and if he was to retire now he would be given some marketing position, which he wasn’t happy about. But Sjodin negotiated a new contract, and now he’s back on the ice yet again, the only player in the league without the mandatory visor due to a grandfather clause, always chewing his gum.

7. At age 17, MoDo defenseman Victor Hedman (eligible for the 2009 NHL Draft) has received lots of attention for playing in the Elitserien. How much of the hype is justified?

He is certainly an exciting prospect with his blend of size and skill. In a game a month ago, he went coast to coast and nearly scored what could have been the Elitserien goal of the season, but his shot was stopped. However, MoDo has a strong blueline with a lot of veterans ahead of him–including Mattias Timander, Hans Jonsson, and Pierre Hedin, among others–so it’s tough for Hedman to get a good amount of ice time.

8. Who are some Elitserien or Allsvenskan players that are underrated right now and deserve more attention, either as future NHLers or as potential new stars at the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Canada?

Tony Martensson failed in his attempt to crack the NHL with Anaheim a few years back, but has taken his offensive game to another level this season with Linkoping. He’s leading the scoring race with 38 points in 29 games. Not many players are at a point-per-game-pace in the goal-starved Elitserien. He’ll certainly get a chance to perform at the 2008 IIHF World Championship. One new player that’s surfaced as a real threat this year is Farjestad’s Fabian Brunnstrom, who has made the jump from the lower amateur leagues to the Elitserien seem like a small one. He has 20 points in 28 games so far. I also think that Lulea’s Johan Harju is ready to make the jump to the NHL. He’s a big forward with a nose for the net who has 12 goals in 28 games so far. Harju’s been drafted by Tampa Bay and could be even better suited for the gritty NHL game than, say, Fredrik Modin. Even though Harju hasn’t got a big shot like Modin, he’s just as “goal-horny,” to use a Swedish term.

9. What are Sweden’s chances for success at the upcoming World Juniors?

Head Coach Par Marts has said that the team is gunning for gold, but that might be a bit too ambitious. If they get a medal, that would be a big success. The good thing is that Sweden’s best player is the goaltender, Sodertalje’s Jhonas Enroth. He’s put up a .925 save percentage so far in his first Elitserien season and is very mature in his game. He is definitely a future NHLer. Offensively, much will fall on the shoulders of promising Vasteras center Patrik Berglund. He’s scored 23 points in 21 Allsvenskan games, which is impressive. One downside for the junior team is that many players picked from Elitserien clubs have failed to earn regular spots in that league.

10. What are some other interesting, humorous, or memorable things you’d like to share with our readers about the state of Swedish hockey today?

Well, speaking of Par Marts, he visited Canada to watch Swedish players currently in major junior hockey, and he came away unimpressed. He stated that the hockey was “macho and hierarchic” and that there was too much focus on benching players, which he believes is old-style management. Another bit of surprising news is that Niklas Sundstrom currently leads the league in PIM (104). Most of those come from whining to the referees and earning 10-minute misconducts. There’s just something in the MoDo atmosphere that makes it impossible for players to shut up. They have a tradition of whining and their games always take the longest. It goes all the way from the coaches to players like Sundstrom. It’s a never-ending conference.

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Source: The wild world of Swedish hockey with Peter Westermark

Roscoe Parrish

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish is questionable for Buffalo’s game Sunday against the New York Giants because of a shoulder injury.

Coach Dick Jauron said Parrish hurt the shoulder after falling on it late in Thursday’s practice. He did not participate in Friday’s workout after he developed some soreness in the area.

Parrish, Buffalo’s third receiver, leads the league with a 17.5-yard punt return average. He also has 33 catches for 307 yards, and has scored a rushing, receiving and return touchdown.

Tight end Robert Royal (knee) practised Friday and is probable.

Source: Bills’ Parrish questionable for Giants