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RICHMOND, Va. — A man who sold a female pit bull to Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation and attended some of the fights escaped prison time Friday because he cooperated with investigators and did not physically harm any of the dogs.

Case Closed

Closure came to the Michael Vick federal dogfighting case on Friday when the last of its five defendants, who was lauded for cooperating with investigators, was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson in Richmond, Va.

Defendants and their punishment   Age* Sentence Michael Vick 27 23 months in prison Quanis Phillips 28 21 months in prison Purnell Peace 36 18 months in prison Tony Taylor 35 2 months in prison Oscar Allen 67 3 years’ probation *Age at time of sentencing

Oscar Allen was sentenced to three years’ probation and fined $500 for his limited involvement in the Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting ring that operated out of Vick’s 15-acre spread in rural Surry County.

Vick, the suspended star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, was sentenced in December to 23 months in federal prison. Three co-defendants also have been sentenced to prison terms.

“Your case is in a clearly different class than the other defendants who’ve appeared before me,” U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson told the 67-year-old Allen. “But for your cooperation the case would not have developed as smoothly and completely as it did.”

Allen, from the Williamsburg area, pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce to aid in illegal gambling and to sponsor a dog in animal fighting — the same charge to which Vick and the other three men pleaded guilty.

Allen faced a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but federal prosecutors recommended that he spend no time in prison because he cooperated with investigators, had no prior criminal record and was a minor player in Vick’s dogfighting enterprise.

“He came in and cooperated without any immunity or protection, knowing he would be charged,” prosecutor Michael Gill said. He said information supplied by Allen was “a significant factor” in obtaining guilty pleas from Vick and the others.

Prosecutors said that while Allen helped conduct test fights to determine which dogs were good fighters, he was not involved in killing the six to eight that performed poorly.

“I see no evidence of any cruel acts toward animals in this case,” Hudson said.

The judge told Allen that the light punishment did not mean he condoned Allen’s behavior. “You clearly aided and abetted this conspiracy,” he said.

Asked if he had anything to say, Allen told Hudson: “I would just like to apologize to the court for my actions and say I am very sorry.”

Allen sold to Vick’s operation a pit bull named Jane, one of dozens of dogs seized by authorities during a raid in April. Hudson appointed Rebecca J. Huss, professor at the Valparaiso University School of Law, guardian of the dogs.

Based on her recommendations, 47 dogs have been sent to eight animal rescue organizations throughout the country. Two previously were euthanized — one for medical reasons, another because of behavioral issues.

Huss said in a telephone interview Friday that she hopes many of the 47 pit bulls eventually can be adopted by families. Some will require lifetime care by the rescue organizations.

“The individual organizations will be following their own guidelines,” Huss said. “The dogs will have to show they are not a danger to public safety. We have to make sure they have the tools they need to be successful in society.”

She said she has interacted with all of the dogs.

“I don’t want to minimize the damage that’s been done because a lot of them have a long way to go,” Huss said. “But what’s amazing is how resilient they are. Most of them want to be with people, but some are still cautious.”

She said Jane was not one of the two euthanized.

“She’s a rambunctious dog,” Huss said. “She entertains herself and, physically, she’s in good shape. She’s a dog that makes a good impression on you.”

Allen was indicted separately from Vick and three co-defendants. Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach was sentenced to 18 months, Quanis Phillips of Atlanta to 21 months and Tony Taylor of Hampton, Va., to 2 months.

Those four men also face state animal cruelty charges in Surry County. Vick’s trial is set for April 2.

Vick, who admitted bankrolling the dogfighting operation and helping execute dogs, entered a minimum-security prison in Leavenworth, Kan., this month.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Source: Fifth defendant in Vick case receives probation

OU tries to knock off a Bears team that is ranked for the first time in 39 years.

 OU (13-5, 1-2) at Baylor (16-2, 4-0)   Date & Tip Time  Saturday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. CST  Location  Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center   Tickets  OU Athletics Ticket Office  TV  ESPN Plus (KOCB 34/Cox 11 in OKC; KJRH 2/Cox 9 in Tulsa); ESPN Full Court  Radio  Sooner Radio Network 
 KOKC AM-1520 in Oklahoma City
 KTBZ AM-1430 in Tulsa
 Sirius 161  Webcast  None  Live Stats  SoonerSports.com / GameTracker  Game Info  Gameday Central | Game Notes (PDF)

GAME PREVIEW
Playing against its sixth ranked opponent of the season, Oklahoma (13-5, 1-2) travels to Waco, Texas, to take on No. 25 Baylor (16-2, 4-0) on Saturday at 3 p.m. CST inside the Ferrell Center.  The Sooners, who are slotted No. 39 in this week’s AP poll, are coming off a 63-61 home win over Texas Tech last Saturday in which they played without leading scorer and rebounder Blake Griffin.  Baylor is ranked this week (No. 25 in the AP poll) for the first time in 39 years.  It has won five straight games, including a 116-110 five-overtime contest at No. 18/16 Texas A&M on Wednesday.  

Saturday’s game will air on the Sooner Radio Network (KOKC 1520-AM in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430-AM in Tulsa) with Bob Barry Sr. and Mike Houck announcing, and on Sirius channel 161 (Baylor’s announcers).  The contest will be televised regionally by ESPN Plus (KOCB 34/Cox 11 in Oklahoma City; KJRH 2/Cox 9 in Tulsa) and ESPN Full Court with Bob Carpenter and Stephen Howard calling the action.

“NOTE” WORTHY
• Oklahoma is 31-5 all-time against Baylor and 14-2 in road games.  OU has won the last 26 meetings, including the last 14 in Waco.
• Baylor’s last win against the Sooners came on Dec. 6, 1977, in Norman (75-67).
• OU is 75-21 (.781) against Big 12 teams from Texas since the league was formed.
• Baylor becomes the sixth ranked team Oklahoma has faced this season.
• Longar Longar has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games and has recorded at least 16 points in eight of those 10 contests.  He is averaging 18.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in the team’s three Big 12 games.
• The Sooners are holding opponents to a .400 season field goal mark.  The last time opponents shot worse for an entire campaign was 47 years ago (.377 in 1960-61).
• Through games of Sunday, the Big 12 leads all conferences in both field goal percentage (.472) and field goal percentage defense (.402).

TEXAS TECH RECAP
• Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Blake Griffin (out with a sprained MCL in his left knee), Oklahoma rallied from a seven-point deficit (45-38) with 9:48 remaining to post a 63-61 home victory over the Red Raiders last Saturday.
• Taylor Griffin scored 13 of his career-high-tying 16 points in the second half, including 11 in the final 8:43.  He also grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the year.
• Longar Longar also scored 16 points while adding nine rebounds and three blocked shots in 35 minutes of action.
• Tony Crocker was 3-for-4 from 3-point range and scored 15 points while David Godbold added 11 points and seven boards.
• The Sooners won for just the second time under second-year head coach Jeff Capel when trailing at halftime (26-23).
• After getting outrebounded in three of their previous four games, the Sooners outrebounded Tech 40-27 and held a 13-2 advantage on the offensive glass.  OU scored 12 second-chance points to the Red Raiders’ none.
• OU won despite Texas Tech owning higher shooting percentages from the field, 3-point range and free throw line.
• At halftime, Stacey King became the fourth former Sooner to have his jersey honored.  The center, who played from 1986-89 and was the Big Eight Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American as a senior, wore No. 33.

OKLAHOMA UPDATE
• OU snapped a two-game losing streak with its home win over Texas Tech on Saturday and now stands 1-2 in the Big 12 (alone in seventh place).  It had won five straight entering league play, including games against Arkansas, Gonzaga and West Virginia.
• Through games of Thursday, Oklahoma sports the Big 12’s fourth best RPI according to www.CollegeRPI.com.  The Sooners (No. 31) trail only Kansas (No. 3), Texas (No. 15) and Baylor (No. 22).
• Oklahoma has scored at least 80 points eight times this season after doing it four times all of last year.
• OU is averaging twice as many offensive rebounds than its opponents in Big 12 play.  The Sooners average 12.7 offensive boards per league outing to their foes’ 6.3 per contest.
• In Big 12 play, OU opponents are shooting .513 from the field, .442 from 3-point range and .839 from the free throw line. 
• OU is 2-2 in road games this year with wins at TCU and then-No. 23 West Virginia, and losses at then-No. 22 USC and then-No. 3 Kansas.  In those four road games, Austin Johnson (9-for-15), Tony Crocker (9-for-16) and David Godbold (6-for-16) are a combined 24-for-47 (.510) from 3-point range.  Johnson boasts a 4.3 assist-to-turnover ratio on the road (17 assists, four turnovers).
• Either Blake (five times) or Taylor Griffin (three times) has led OU in rebounding in each of the last eight contests. 
• OU posted 12 regular season non-conference wins, tied for its most since the 1994-95 season.

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER UPDATES
• Freshman Blake Griffin is out of action for multiple weeks after sustaining a medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee five minutes into the Jan. 14 game at Kansas.  Griffin, who is the team’s leading scorer (14.5) and rebounder (8.6) on the year, had averaged 23.7 points and 10.0 rebounds over the three games prior to the Kansas outing. 
• Despite not scoring and grabbing just one rebound in his five minutes against the Jayhawks, Griffin ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring (14.5 ppg), third in rebounding (8.6 rpg) and third in double-doubles (six).  He also ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (.593) and still leads OU with his 22 steals. 
• Griffin was named the Dec. 31 Big 12 Player of the Week after registering 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in OU’s 88-82 double-overtime win at West Virginia.  He also earned Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors on Jan. 14. 
• Senior center Longar Longar has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games (he finished with six points off the bench Jan. 5 against Rice playing with a shoulder sprain).  Over those 10 games, Longar is averaging 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots while shooting .560 from the field and .714 from the free throw line.
• Longar has scored at least 16 points in eight of the last 10 games. 
• Longar has registered three games of at least 20 points this year, two of them in the last six outings.  He scored 22 at West Virginia Dec. 29 (all after halftime) and 21 on Jan. 14 at Kansas.   
• Seeing a major increase in minutes due to the injury suffered by his brother, junior forward Taylor Griffin is averaging 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting .833 (10-for-12) from the free throw line over the last two games.  Prior to the last two outings, he was averaging 5.4 points and 3.2 boards while shooting .667 (20-for-30) from the foul line.
• Taylor Griffin tied a career high with 16 points Saturday against Texas A&M and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Tony Crocker, OU’s best 3-point shooter at .493 (34-for-69), has made at least three treys in a game seven times and is 26-for-39 (.667) in those contests.
• Crocker, who scored a career-high 26 points at TCU on Dec. 2 (he netted 20 points in the first half with the help of 6-for-7 3-point shooting), ranks third on the team in scoring and rebounding (11.6 and 4.6 averages) and first in assists (2.8).
• After scoring at least nine points in eight straight games (averaged 12.1 during the span), junior guard Austin Johnson is averaging 3.8 points over the last four outings.  He is 5-for-23 (.217) from the field and 1-for-10 (.100) from 3-point range over those four contests.
• Johnson tied a career high with nine assists Dec. 29 at West Virginia and set a career high with six steals Jan. 5 against Rice (he had 10 steals on the year entering the Rice game).    
• After averaging 4.5 points in OU’s first six games, senior guard David Godbold is averaging 8.5 over the last 12.  Over three Big 12 games, Godbold is averaging a quiet 10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a team-high 1.7 steals.
• Godbold is 8-for-19 from 3-point range (.421) over the last four games.

PREVIEWING BAYLOR
• Baylor enters Saturday’s game with a 16-2 overall record and a 4-0 Big 12 mark (tied for first place with Kansas).  A winner of five straight, BU is 9-1 at home with its only loss in Waco coming to Washington State, 67-64, on Nov. 30.  It is ranked No. 25 in this week’s AP poll, the program’s first national ranking in 39 years.
• The Bears are coming off a quintuple-overtime win at No. 18/16 Texas A&M on Wednesday, the longest game in Big 12 history.  They won despite shooting .361 from the field and .206 from 3-point range (7-for-34) for the contest.  Baylor trailed by as many as 14 in the first half and led by as many as nine with 5:00 left in the second half.  The score was tied at 64 at the end of regulation.
• Baylor has already won more games this year (16) than in any complete season since the 2000-01 campaign (19 victories).
• Junior guard Curtis Jerrells scored a career-high 36 points at Texas A&M on Wednesday (he was 20-for-24 at the foul line) and is one of five Bears to average double figures in points.  He leads the team with his 14.3 points and 3.6 assists per contest .
• Junior forward Kevin Rogers averages 12.3 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting .517 from the field and .804 from the free throw line.  He notched his second straight double-double on Wednesday with 19 points and 18 boards.
• Another junior, guard Henry Dugat is averaging 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and a team-high 1.4 steals per outing.  He has made 27 3-pointers and is shooting .375 from beyond the arc.
• Freshman guard LaceDarius Dunn comes off the bench to average 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.  He has made a team-high 41 treys and is shooting a team-best .451 from long range.  He was 7-for-8 on 3-pointers against Brown on Jan. 8.
• Senior guard Aaron Bruce averages 11.3 points and 2.2 assists per game while shooting .420 from 3-point distance (34 makes).
• Scott Drew is in his fifth season as Baylor’s head coach and owns a 52-71 (.423) record there.  He is in his sixth year overall and owns a 72-82 (.468) career mark (he posted a 20-11 record in 2002-03 as the head coach at Valparaiso).

SERIES WITH THE BEARS
Oklahoma owns a 31-5 series advantage against Baylor and has won the last 26 meetings.  The Sooners possess a 14-2 series lead in games played in Waco and have won 14 straight there.  The last Baylor win against OU came on Dec. 6, 1977, in Norman (75-67).  OU is 22-0 against the Bears since the inception of the Big 12 Conference and has won its 11 series road games during the span by an average of 9.9 points.

MORE SERIES NOTES
• Oklahoma and Baylor first met during the 1916-17 season in Norman with the Sooners prevailing 42-28.  The next meeting didn’t occur until the 1945-46 campaign.
• OU split its first 10 games against the Bears but has won 26 in a row since.
• The Sooners posted consecutive one-point wins in Waco in 1998 (61-60) and 1999 (59-58).  Two of the last four meetings at the Ferrell Center have been decided by four points (65-61 in 2005 and 68-64 last year).
• OU’s school record for field goal percentage in a game (.661) came against Baylor in Norman on Feb. 26, 2005 (a 103-60 win).

LAST YEAR AGAINST BAYLOR
Oklahoma swept Baylor last season, winning 91-51 at home on Jan. 20 and 68-64 in Waco on Feb. 10.  In the meeting in Norman, Baylor staked itself to a 10-2 lead before OU finished the first half on a 43-17 run.  The Sooners shot .576 for the game, their second best performance of the year, and held the Bears to a .309 figure (.233 over the game’s final 31 minutes).  OU, which owned a 42-30 rebounding advantage, was led by Nate Carter’s 22 points and nine rebounds (he was 10-for-10 from the free throw line).  Longar Longar added 10 points and nine boards in 23 minutes off the bench.  Curtis Jerrells and Aaron Bruce paced Baylor with 15 and 12 points, respectively.  No Bear had more than five rebounds.

In the rematch three weeks later, Carter again scored 22 points and Longar notched a double-double with 12 points (all in the second half) and 12 boards in the four-point triumph.  The victory served as OU’s only road win of the season.  The Sooners, who held a 28-27 halftime lead before falling behind 39-32 early in the second half, shot .521 for the game and held Baylor to a .390 performance.  Jerrells registered a game-high 23 points and seven rebounds for the Bears while Kevin Rogers finished with 20 points and seven boards.

OU’S BIG 12 HISTORY
Oklahoma boasts a 118-61 (.657) record in Big 12 Conference regular season games, third best in the league (Kansas is 148-31 while Texas is 126-54).  No other team has won more than 108 conference contests.  The Sooners earned a regular season league title in 2005 and also won Big 12 Tournament crowns in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

ROAD SCHOLAR
Junior Austin Johnson performed considerably better in home games than road contests during his first two years as a Sooner.  That trend has reversed itself this season.  In OU’s four road games this year, Johnson is averaging 10.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting .571 from the field and .600 from 3-point range (9-for-15).  In 10 home games, the combo guard is averaging 7.4 points, 2.4 boards and 2.4 assists while shooting .342 from the floor and .205 from long range (8-for-39).  Johnson has made more than one trey at home just once this season (two against Arkansas).

DOMINATING THE LONE STAR STATE
OU has had more than its share of success against Big 12 Conference teams from Texas.  The Sooners own a 127-48 all-time record against Baylor (31-5), Texas (45-24), Texas A&M (25-3) and Texas Tech (26-16).  Since the inception of the Big 12, OU is 22-0 against Baylor, 16-10 versus Texas, 20-3 against Texas A&M and 17-8 versus Texas Tech for a combined 75-21 record (.781).

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WINNING AND LOSING
The following notes compare Oklahoma’s stats in its 13 wins and five losses this year…

• In its 13 wins, OU is outrebounding its opponents by 7.0 a game.  In its five losses, it is getting outboarded by 3.6.
• OU is shooting .497 from the field and .401 from 3-point range in its wins.  In losses, it is shooting .395 and .270, respectively.
• OU’s assist-to-turnover ratio in its victories is +1.2 (202 assists and 160 turnovers).  The ratio in losses is 0.7 (47 and 71).
• Tony Crocker is averaging 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting .550 in the Sooners’ wins.  In losses, those numbers fall to 7.0 points, 3.6 boards, 1.8 assists and .316 (12-for-38), respectively.  Crocker is also shooting .585 from 3-point range in OU’s victories (31-for-53), but just .188 in defeats (3-for-16).

“SOONER HOOPS WITH JEFF CAPEL” NOW AIRING
Hosted by Bob Carpenter, the 2007-08 version of the “Sooner Hoops with Jeff Capel” television show began airing on Dec. 6.  The 30-minute program, which is taped at OU’s SoonerVision studio, will be seen across the state and on regional and national stations this year.  In Oklahoma City, the show will air on Cox Cable Channel 7 on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., on KWTV Channel 9 on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. and on KAUT Channel 43 on Sundays at 8:30 p.m.  In Tulsa, it will be shown on Cox Cable Channel 7 on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and KQCW Channel 19 on Saturdays at 3:30 p.m.

“Sooner Hoops with Jeff Capel” will also air this year in the Enid, Guymon, Lawton, Ponca City and Woodward markets inside the state of Oklahoma, as well as in Sherman, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo.  It will be carried regionally by FSN Southwest and nationally by CSTV (beginning Jan. 12) and Fox College Sports.  Check local listings for air dates and stations.

Source: Sooners at Red Hot Baylor Saturday

No. 18 Oklahoma hosts No. 9 Iowa State in Norman Friday evening  Wrestling vs. Iowa State  Date  Friday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. CT  Location  Norman, Okla. | McCasland Field House  Tickets  Admission is Free  Online  Webcast Live on All-Access at SoonerSports.com  Promotions  First 50 fans receive OU wrestling t-shirt
NORMAN, Okla. - No. 18 Oklahoma looks to get back on the winning track this Friday, Jan. 25, versus No. 9 Iowa State (11-3) at 7 p.m. at the Howard McCasland Field House in Norman.

The Sooners (11-2, 0-1 in the Big 12) are coming off a defeat by No. 13 Wisconsin in last weekend’s ESPNU Wrestling Invitational in Oklahoma City. Battling back after a 9-0 deficit and tying the match at 15, OU came up short in the last bout, losing 18-15.

“Our team is looking forward to getting back to Big 12 competition against an extremely talented Iowa State squad,” head coach Jack Spates said. “The Big 12 has proven to be the toughest conference in the country. Our team has to be hitting on all cylinders going into this weekend.”

Last season, the Cyclones defeated OU by a 27-9 final. The Sooners last beat ISU in Norman by a 27-19 margin in 2002.

The most anticipated dual of this year’s matchup will be at 184 pounds, pitting undefeated Joshua Weitzel (19-0), ranked No. 7, against No. 1-ranked Cyclone Jake Varner (17-0).

Five other Sooners are ranked this week, including 157-pounder Chad Terry, who is ranked for the first week at No. 20. Brian Shelton is ranked No. 13 at 133 pounds, Zack Bailey is No. 14 at 141 pounds and Will Rowe is ninth at 149 pounds. Senior Joel Flaggert rounds out the list ranked No. 5 at 197 pounds.

Iowa State boasts seven ranked wrestlers in its lineup, including Varner. Cyclones Nick Gallick and David Bertolino are ranked No. 20 at 141 and 197 pounds, respectively. Tyler Clark is No. 17 at 125 pounds and Cyler Sanderson at 157 pounds and Jon Reader at 165 pounds are both sixth. Heavyweight David Zabriskie is No. 5.

“The Cyclones and the Sooners have two of the premiere traditions in the sport and we expect it to be a battle,” Spates said. “There are going to be some great matchups, with both schools having numerous wrestlers ranked. Iowa State dominated us last season, and this team wants to ensure that does not happen again.”

The matchup will be broadcasted nationally to a radio audience by Takedown Wrestling Radio at Takedownradio.com. Scott Casber and WWE icon Jim Ross will be providing coverage of the dual between the two Big 12 foes.

Admission is free to the public and doors open at 6 p.m. First 500 fans entering the match will receive a free OU wrestling T-shirt. It will also mark 50-cent hot dog night from the concessions, while supplies last. The marketing department has also declared it “WWE Night.”

Source: OU Home to Host Cyclones Friday

Forty-four US players got called into camp yesterday as the US MNT gets ready for their ‘friendly’ against Mexico on 6 Feb and the U-23s get ready for Olympic Qualification. Both camps are stocked full with MLS players (35 in total).

Here is Bob Bradley’s list for the Mexico match:

GK (4) – Steve Cronin (LA Galaxy), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Will Hesmer (Columbus Crew), Zach Wells (D.C. United)

D (8) –Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Todd Dunivant (Toronto FC), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)

M (5) –Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pat Noonan (Aalesund FK)

F (4) – Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution), Jeremiah White (AGF Aarhus)

Every one of these players were also in camp ahead of the Sweden match, so none are that great of a surprise. The only difference between this list and the Sweden list is four players as Jozy Altidore, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan and Marvell Wynne were not called to this camp. Instead, they got a trip to Florida to train with the U-23s.

Here is Peter Nowak’s roster:
GK (3): Dominic Cervi (Chicago Fire), Tally Hall (Esbjerg fB), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

D : Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Chance Myers (Kansas City Wizards), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Mike Randolph (LA Galaxy), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

M :Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas)

F: Josmer Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Adam Cristman (New England Revolution), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

Of these 23 players, 17 have already been in a US training camp this year. The name on this list that pops out at me is Michael Orozco, who plays in Mexico. I haven’t really kept up much with his progress so it will be interesting to see how he does.

I’m sure there are a few, such as myself, who would love to see Altidore and Edu on the Mexico roster, but the way this has panned out makes sense for a couple reason. First, the U-23s are getting ready for matches that actually matter and second, just because a player is not on the training camp roster doesn’t mean he won’t make the game roster. Just as Bradley is sure to call on a number of European players not in camp, so could he call on younger players there are in a different camp.

One last thing, the Houston Dynamo have five players in the two camps, more then any other team. The Chicago Fire, FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake tie for second with four players while LA, Toronto and New England each give three.

Labels: 2008 Olympics, Bob Bradley, Mexico, MLS, Peter Nowak, US MNT, US Soccer, US U23 MNT

Source: US players called in for Mexico/Olympic Qualification matches

Novak Djokovic

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Novak Djokovic ended Roger Federer’s amazing run of Grand Slam success with a stunning straight-set victory over the world’s top-ranked player in the semifinals of the Australian Open.

The third-seeded Djokovic earned a 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) triumph to reach his second Grand Slam final, while also putting an end to Federer’s streak of 10 consecutive appearances in a Grand Slam championship match.

Djokovic, a 20-year-old Serbian, avenged a loss to Federer in last year’s U.S. Open title match and will next face French upstart Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Sunday’s final. Tsonga pulled off a huge upset on Thursday with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 semifinal rout of second-seeded Rafael Nadal.

A Grand Slam final will take place without the great Federer for the first time since the 2005 French Open, when the Swiss superstar lost in the semifinals to Nadal.

Federer, a three-time Australian Open champ and 12-time Grand Slam winner, had a 19-match winning streak in Melbourne halted. He hadn’t lost in straight sets at a Grand Slam since falling to Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil in the third round of the 2004 French Open.

"I’ve created the monster, so I know I need to win every tournament," Federer stoically stated about the pressure of being the favorite. "If you lose a set, people say you are playing bad."

Federer won this tournament last year without losing a set, but had his troubles this year and was nearly eliminated in the third round when he pulled out a 10-8, fifth-set triumph over Janko Tipsarevic. Instead, it was Djokovic playing at a tremendous level, entering the semifinals without dropping a set in his first five matches.

However, with a 5-3 lead, Federer appeared to be in control early. He was actually two points away from capturing the opening set, with Djokovic serving down 0-30, but the momentum completely shifted from there.

Djokovic rallied to win four straight games to close out the opening set, then built a 5-1 edge in the second. Federer broke serve and held for a glimmer of hope, but Djokovic won the next game to wrap up the set for a commanding lead.

Federer needed to save four break points in the third game of the third set, then had a pair of set points in the 12th game, but couldn’t capitalize as Djokovic forced a tiebreaker.

A mini-break early in the tiebreaker gave Federer a 3-1 edge, but he again could not take advantage. Djokovic battled back and took a 6-5 lead, then completed the upset when Federer drilled a forehand into the net.

"He made the more important points today and played really well when he had to," Federer remarked. "It’s no doubt, I’ve played better in my life. It happens. He covered the court well and didn’t give me much."

Djokovic beat Federer for just the second time in seven lifetime matchups. Before last year’s U.S. Open final, which Federer won in straight sets, Djokovic claimed the Masters Series crown a few weeks earlier in Toronto with a three-set triumph over Federer.

The two also played last year at this event, with Federer capturing a round of 16 victory in straight sets.

This time, however, Djokovic had the better of the play. He ripped 50 winners, compared to 38 for Federer, and saved seven of the nine break-point chances Federer had.

"I am just very amazed I coped with the pressure today," Djokovic said after the match. "In the most important moments, I played my best tennis."

Djokovic will now go into Sunday’s final with a different kind of pressure, as the favorite against the 38th-ranked Tsonga. Djokovic has seven career ATP singles titles, while Tsonga has never even played in a final, let alone on the Grand Slam stage. The two have never met in an ATP-level match.

Tsonga, though, dominated Nadal even more impressively than Djokovic did Federer. Only in one game did Nadal manage to even gain a break point against Tsonga, who broke the three-time French Open champ’s serve five times.

The big-hitting Tsonga has already taken out his share of top players this fortnight, beating eighth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet, ninth-seeded Brit Andy Murray and 14th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny before his shocking semifinal triumph.

Tsonga is the first French Aussie Open finalist since Arnaud Clement in 2001 and the first player to reach his first-ever ATP-level final at a Grand Slam event since Kuerten turned the trick at the 1997 French Open.

Sunday’s winner will take home a first prize of $1.2 million.

Source: Djokovic upsets Federer at Aussie Open

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Melbourne, Australia (Sports Network) - Unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stunned world No. 2 Rafael Nadal on Thursday to reach the men’s final at the 2008 Australian Open.

The 38th-ranked Tsonga trounced the second-seeded Nadal 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 at Rod Laver Arena, as the surprising Frenchman will now appear in his first Grand Slam final against either top-seeded Roger Federer or No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic, who will clash in the other semifinal here on Friday.

Tsonga routed Nadal in just under two hours, as the talented Frenchman launched 17 aces among a whopping 49 winners on Day 11 at Melbourne Park. He broke Nadal’s capable serve five times, while the Spaniard failed to record even one break in a mere three break-point chances, which all came in one game in the final set.

The excitable Tsonga had the crowd roaring in his favor by displaying a mix of power and deft touch at the net.

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• Australian Open - Day 11

The big-serving Frenchman jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set and never looked back. He broke Nadal at love to close out the opening stanza and continued to roll from there.

Tsonga sent Nadal packing with one final ace to end the match and then proceeded to jump around the court in celebration.

"It’s unbelievable, just amazing," the 22-year-old Tsonga said. "Nothing can stop me today. It’s like a dream. Every day is like a dream. I can’t believe it’s true."

The helpless Nadal recorded only 13 winners in the lopsided setback.

"He played unbelievable," Nadal said of Tsonga afterwards. "Congratulate him."

The 6-foot-2 Le Mans native Tsonga is now 1-1 lifetime against the three-time French Open champion and two-time Wimbledon runner-up Nadal, who beat the Frenchman in the third round at last year’s U.S. Open.

The big-hitting Tsonga has also beaten the likes of eighth-seeded fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, ninth-seeded Brit Andy Murray and 14th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny here in Melbourne.

Tsonga is the first French Aussie Open finalist since Arnaud Clement in 2001 and the first player to reach his first-ever ATP-level final at a Grand Slam event since Gustavo Kuerten turned the trick at the 1997 French Open.

On Friday, Federer will try to extend his Aussie Open winning streak to 20 matches when he battles Djokovic, who has yet to lose a set at this fortnight.

Federer is 5-1 lifetime against Djokovic, as the Swiss superstar won three-of- four meetings last season, with the Serb’s lone victory coming in a final in Toronto. Federer prevailed against Djokovic in the fourth round at last year’s Aussie Open and the final at the U.S. Open.

The amazing Federer will play in a record 15th straight major semi and will try to land in his 11th straight Grand Slam final, another record. The reigning Aussie Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titlist owns 12 Grand Slam titles and is two major victories away from equaling the record held by the great Pete Sampras.

Djokovic, the runner-up at last year’s U.S. Open and a semifinalist at Wimbledon and the French Open, will appear in his fourth straight Grand Slam semi.

The men’s final will be staged here on Sunday night, with the winner taking home $1.2 million.

Source: Unseeded Tsonga upsets Nadal

Shaquille O’Neal on Thursday denied speculation that he planned to walk away from the Heat after 2008, telling ESPN Radio’s Jack Ramsay that he will play out his contract despite his current injury-riddled year.

O’Neal suffered an acute hip injury while diving for a loose ball against Utah on Dec. 22 and re-aggravated the injury Monday against Cleveland. He will miss at least six games, barring a change in the rehabilitation schedule.

In the interview Thursday, O’Neal strongly disputed media reports this month that reportedly characterized the All-Star center as being prepared to walk away from the last two years of his five-year, $100 million contract.

“I’m the son of an army drill sergeant and when we enlist, we go out full-term. So I got two years left on my term and then, after that, I’ll be looking to do other things,” O’Neal said on the show.

“I’m not the type to say every game, ‘my leg is hurt, my leg is hurt.’ I just tried to do it the old-school way for so long, just play on … rather than try to get healthy,” he added. “I’m not even playing at 50 percent right now. I just got to focus on getting that leg back strong.”

When asked if he could get back into form this season, O’Neal said: “We’re going to be trying to do it. I just have to get through it.”

O’Neal has missed an average of 20 games over the past six seasons because of an array of injuries. The earliest he could return from the current injury, under the timetable released by the team, is Feb. 6 at Detroit.

He’s averaging a career-low 14.2 points this season, and his string of 14 straight All-Star Game selections — which matches a league record — almost seems certain to end because of his latest malady.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Source: Injury-hit Shaq firmly denies retirement reports

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Mirai Nagasu’s mouth dropped open when she saw her scores. And that was before she realized she’d knocked off former world champion Kimmie Meissner.

“Wait, it’s 12 points?” Nagasu said, her eyes widening when she heard how big a lead she had on Meissner. “Wow. That’s exciting.”

Get used to it, kid. If the 14-year-old keeps skating like this, there’s going to be lots more excitement to come.

Nagasu pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Thursday night. In her very first senior nationals — heck, her very first competition as a senior — the teenager won the short program with a spectacular performance that showed amazing flexibility, strong jumps and a presence on the ice well beyond her years.

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AP Photo/Nati Harnik

Mirai Nagasu used her spins and spirals on Thursday to catapult her to a 70.23 score and one of the biggest upsets ever at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Her score of 70.23 is the second-highest ever by an American woman in a short program, and it would stack up against anyone in the world. She had a 12.65 lead over Meissner, and it will be almost impossible for the defending national champion to beat her in Saturday’s free skate.

About the only one with a real shot at catching Nagasu is Ashley Wagner, second with 65.15 points. Rachael Flatt was third with 62.91 points. Even if Nagasu wins, though, she can’t go to the world championships because she’s too young.

“It was just fun out there,” Nagasu said. “I’m not going to let any of the pressure from being in first bother me.”

Reigning junior world champ Caroline Zhang said she wasn’t bothered by the expectations of her, but she sure didn’t live up to the hype with an uncharacteristically conservative program that has her in seventh place. She stepped out of the second jump on her triple flip-triple toe combination, and was so slow going into her double axel she almost came to a complete stop.

“I just wasn’t skating well for me,” Zhang said. “It just was a pretty slow performance.”

Nagasu’s precociousness is nothing new. She came to the national championships last year as a complete unknown — she’d never even made it to the final qualifier — and skated off with the junior title. She then finished second to Zhang at junior worlds, part of a 1-2-3 American sweep with Ashley Wagner.

But while Zhang and Wagner moved up to the senior ranks this fall — and right into the world spotlight — Nagasu stayed at the junior level to get more experience internationally. She routed the competition, winning everything she entered.

There’s a big difference between juniors and seniors, though, and no one quite knew what to expect from her here. She was so excited Wednesday night she couldn’t sleep, getting her in trouble with her mother.

“I think Mirai had a lot of nerves,” said her coach, Charlene Wong. “I just think she’s learning how to make it work for her.”

She had everything working Thursday night.

Skating to “I Got Rhythm,” she was a delight, a reminder of how beautiful and fun skating can be. She danced across the ice with playful footwork, and her bright smile made the entire audience feel as if it was dancing right along with her.

Her triple lutz-triple toe loop jump combination had exquisite flow, and her triple flip was effortless. But her most impressive elements were her spins and spirals, with a flexibility that would make Gumby look stiff. Other skaters may contort themselves into the same positions, but she does it with such grace it looks pretty, not painful. And she’s got some serious speed going, buzzing across the ice.

“My goal right now is to skate my best and have fun,” she said.

The goal for everyone else? To try and catch her.

It wasn’t that long ago that Meissner was the up-and-comer, tailing after Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen. Now she’s the grand dame of U.S. skating and a former world champion, trying to hold off the pack of youngsters who want to take her spot on the podium.

“I feel more mature. Let’s not say old or anything,” the 18-year-old said, smiling.

But being the favorite hasn’t always been easy for Meissner. She finished fourth trying to defend her world title last year, and has struggled since then. She had a disastrous outing at the Grand Prix final last month, finishing dead last in the six-woman field.

“I feel like I want to come back after the Grand Prix final. I don’t even want to talk about that,” she said. “That was just a bad day.”

This was better.

She got off to a rough start, falling on her first jump, a triple flip. But she recovered with a nice triple lutz-double toe loop combination, and her double axel was so smooth she easily could have thrown in another rotation. Her footwork was nice, its lightness the perfect match to Peter Gabriel’s “The Feeling Begins.”

“That was such a silly mistake,” she said. “I was like, `Come on, Kimmie, that’s not right.’ There’s no falling in figure skating.”

But the fall and the fact she did a less-difficult combination than the top three means defending her title is no longer in her control.

Earlier Thursday, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto all but wrapped up their record-tying fifth straight dance title with a number that would be huge with the country crowd. The Olympic silver medalists won the original dance with an entertaining hoe-down number that scored 64.29 points and gave them a total score of 106.15.

And that was even with Agosto making an obvious error in his footwork near the end of the program.

“What was really frustrating was, aside from that, it was a great performance,” Agosto said. “You hate to end it on that note.”

They get a do-over in Saturday’s free dance, when they are virtually assured of winning the title and tying four other couples for most U.S. titles. Training partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White were three points behind, but it may as well have been 50 for as much movement as there is in dance.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Source: Nagasu builds lead at U.S. skating championship

SHARK attack survivor Bethany Hamilton has secured the best result of her professional surfing career by advancing into the semi-finals of the Roxy Pro World Qualifying Series event at Phillip Island, Victoria.

The 17-year-old Hawaiian, who lost her left arm to a tiger shark off Kauai just over four years ago, is now one of just four surfers in the international six-star tournament.

The natural footer recorded 8.25 and 6-point wave scores to defeat fellow American Erica Hosseini in 1.5 metre waves of Woolamai Beach.

She will now take on Brazil’s rising star Bruna Schmitz in the semi-finals.

The other semi-final is an all-Australian affair with world junior champion Sally Fitzgibbons taking on world No.8 Jessi Miley-Dyer.

Fitzgibbons, 17, advanced with the day’s highest heat score of 17.80, which included a near perfect 9.80.

AAP

Source: Shark attack survivor into semis

Undefeated Baltimore light heavyweight Mike “The Persecutor” Paschall has a new opponent scheduled for the Ballroom Boxing card on Thursday, January 31 at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD.

Instead of Andre Hemphill, Paschall will now face Philadelphia, PA veteran Tyrone “Sugarfeet” Glover in an eight-round contest. Glover (11-9-3, two KO’s) has been inactive since September of 2006 and is trying to break a four-bout losing streak. This will be the fourth straight boxer who was undefeated at the time Glover faced him. His last three losses (all by unanimous decision) have come to Beltway Boxers Corey Cummings and Henry Buchanan and Max Alexander from the third season of “The Contender.”

Paschall comes into the bout with a record of 14-0-1, two KO’s.

The co-feature bout remains the same: Ishmail “The Arsenal” Arvin (14-1-3, six KO’s) will take on Jesse Orta (7-11-1, four KO’s) in another eight-round bout.

Source: Paschall Has New Opponent in the Ballroom!