Jan 06
LIVERPOOL were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup third round as League One Luton rose above their status to give Rafa Benitez’s side an almighty scare.
Although Peter Crouch put Liverpool ahead late in the second half at Kenilworth Road, Luton snatched an equaliser through John Arne Riise’s own goal.
A money-spinning replay at Anfield was the least Kevin Blackwell’s team deserved for a heroic display and it can’t come soon enough for a club teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
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Jan 06
The two programs are dead-even record-wise over the last five years, and after Monday night, one team will be the first to own two BCS championships. How do the two teams match up? Here’s the unit-by-unit breakdown of the two powerhouses.
BCS Championship Breakdown
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Jan 06
Former Miami head coach Cam Cameron may not be out of work for long.
Cameron, fired as the coach of the Dolphins on Thursday, will be in demand as an offensive coordinator for at least two teams — the St. Louis Rams and the San Francisco 49ers — team and league sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
San Francisco has an interview scheduled Monday with former St. Louis head coach Mike Martz, who was recently let go as the offensive coordinator in Detroit. Cameron, sources said, is also on the 49ers’ mind.
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Jan 06
Gilbert Arenas
WASHINGTON – Gilbert Arenas said he hopes he’ll return from a second knee operation and be back in the Washington Wizards’ lineup within two months.
"I don’t really know. I keep pushing it back," the all-star point guard told the team’s website on Saturday. "Hopefully, I will be able to come back sometime between the middle of February to the middle of March."
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Jan 06
Mike Weir
KAPALUA, Hawaii – Three days into a new season was enough to get the attention of a dozen players at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, starting with Mike Weir and his tenuous one-shot lead at Kapalua.
The Bright’s Grove, Ont., native kept firing at flags Saturday and making his share of birdies, only to see a leaderboard and realize just about everyone else was doing the same thing. Only after a delicate chip that he played to near perfection on the 18th hole did he get one last birdie for a 5-under 68 that put him atop the leaderboard.
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Jan 06
Stoke City v Newcastle United
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Proper
6pm, Sunday 6 January 2008
Britannia Stadium
Live on BBC
Winning clubs receive £40,000
The FA Live TV fee is £150,000 per club.
Click here for fixtures
If under-pressure Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce needs any reminder of the danger that lurks in Sunday’s FA Cup Third Round tie at Stoke City, he should speak to Viv Busby.
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Jan 06
The Good: Canada Golden Again at World Juniors
Congratulations to Team Canada for winning its fourth consecutive gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. A couple of days ago, I questioned whether Canada’s mental focus was where it needed to be heading into a potential final with the Russians. Of course, that never materialized, although it easily could have, as it took overtime for Sweden to oust Russia in the semi-finals.
Today’s gold medal game could also have gone to Sweden, which racked up a 14-3 shots-on-goal edge in the third period to tie it up at 2-2 before Matt Halischuk’s in-tight OT winner. This Canadian team was probably not as strong as any of the four national teams that preceded it (including the 2004 edition that fell to the USA on Marc-Andre Fleury’s own goal), but it found a way to win, as Canada proverbially does.
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Jan 06
Aston Villa
0-2
Manchester United
Ronaldo 80, Rooney 88
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Proper
5.15pm, Saturday 5 January 2008
Villa Park
Winning clubs receive £40,000
The FA Live TV fee is £150,000 per club.
Click here for fixtures
Manchester United continued their impressive record at Villa Park with two late goals from Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney sending them into the hat for the Fourth Round on Monday.
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Jan 06
Aston Villa
0-2
Manchester United
Ronaldo 80, Rooney 88
The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON
Third Round Proper
5.15pm, Saturday 5 January 2008
Villa Park
Winning clubs receive £40,000
The FA Live TV fee is £150,000 per club.
Click here for fixtures
Fabio Capello has spoken of his delight after visiting Villa Park for The FA Cup clash between Manchester United and Aston Villa.
Watching his first game on these shores as England Manager, Capello was particularly pleased to be able to observe at first hand so many English players involved in a high profile match.
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Jan 06
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In a rather odd side story to this hockey game, Wild Head Coach Jacques Lemaire may have mixed feelings about this game. If the Wild win this game and San Jose loses their game against Columbus the head coach would have to work the NHL All Star Game in Atlanta as an assistant coach.  With so few breaks in a season, many players and coaches look at the All-Star Game as a rare opportunity to get a rest. So would the coach wish to see the Blue Jackets lose? Probably not, and knowing Jacques Lemaire he probably doesn’t care either way. Either way, its an unusual story to a game that normally brings out the best in both teams.Â
The Wild started the game with good speed and energy, and this would have the State of Hockey generating some early pressure on Nashville’s Dan Ellis. Including a great backhand chance by Brian Rolston off a great pass by Pavol Demitra but his bid would clank off the crossbar. Penalties would put the Wild on their heels a bit, but Minnesota’s penalty kill was able to keep the puck out of their net.  Soon after the early penalty kill, a Predators’ flip pass bounced on the ice as Petteri Nummelin tried to play it but could not seem to get a handle of it and the puck would be stopped by Josh Harding.  Nummelin attempted to clear it, but his pass would go right off the shin guards of Nashville’s Martin Gelinas and into the Wild net giving the Predators a 1-0 lead.  The bleeding would not stop there, as the Predators would add another goal just 2 minutes later. The Predators would work the puck to the point to Dan Hamhuis who managed to fire a shot just prior to taking a big hit from Aaron Voros but Josh Harding did not see it until it was in the back of the Wild net.  It was a frustrating start to a game where the Wild were hustling well, and offensively were moving the puck well in the Nashville zone. The newly formed 2nd line of Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston were doing an excellent job of cycling the puck creating offensive chances. Penalties also played a role in making it tough for the Wild to create and sustain momentum.  Making Minnesota’s comeback chances slimmer was another Predators goal when Alexander Radulov skated down the slot and gave a quick pass to Jean-Pierre Dumont who fired a snap shot by Harding to put Nashville up 3-0. Minnesota would try to add a goal late, but the Predators’ defense was stout and they would take their 3-goal lead to the 2nd period.
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