THE new Bulldogs board took initial steps towards club reconciliation, addressing players and staff for the first time at Belmore and drawing a “line in the sand to move forward.”
Led by chairman George Peponis, the club hierarchy spoke with players and staff about moving on from a spiteful election.
Peter Cassilles and newly elected board member Andrew Farrar were the only absentees from the meet and greet.
EAMON Sullivan says becoming the world’s fastest swimmer will count for nothing if he doesn’t back it up with a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.
The sprint sensation has targeted next month’s Olympic trials for his next world record assault following his remarkable showing at the NSW titles.
“You don’t swim to swim a world record where no-one sees it and not get a gold medal at an Olympic Games,” the 22-year-old said.
David James
LONDON – Portsmouth needed an injury-time own-goal to beat stubborn Preston 1-0 Sunday and reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and Middlesbrough was held to a 0-0 draw.
Portsmouth scored when Preston midfielder Darren Carter kicked the ball into his own net during a scramble in the box after a corner kick from Niko Kranjcar.
Hamilton Bulldogs
Mikhail Grabovski scored one goal and three assists to lead the Hamilton Bulldogs to a 4-1 over the Rochester Americans in American Hockey League action Sunday.
Marvin Degon, Eric Manlow and Duncan Milroy also scored for Hamilton (26-21-1-5).
OHL
Sean O’Connor scored three times while Akim Aliu had two goals and set up another Sunday to lift the London Knights to a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over the Ottawa 67′s in Ontario Hockey League action.
The Knights (33-19-3-2) rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the third period with four unanswered goals.
After a week of intense training with 35 players at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage has released 11 players, re-assigned one to the U-23 Women’s National Team, and called up three additional players, making for a group of 26 players that will train from Feb. 9-17 at The HDC. Following the completion of training camp, Sundhage will choose a 20-player roster for the 2008 Algarve Cup, which will be held March 5-12 in southern Portugal. The four matches at Algarve Cup are the next international games for the USA and the final official matches before the USA enters the CONCACAF Final Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament being held April 2-13 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Here’s a videomercial w/ some of the new faces:
PRISTINA, Kosovo, Feb. 17
Kosovo declared its independence today from Serbia.
And that my friends should be another welcome addition to the soccer world.
Kosovo follows in the footsteps of Montenegro which broke off from Serbia weeks before the 2006 World Cup although the soccer team played under the unified banner of Serbia- Montenegro.
Kosovo will be FIFA’s 209th member. They have a long standing team as yet unrecognized by FIFA and UEFA because Kosovo was occupied initially by Yugoslavia before NATO forces intervened in the Balkan crisis in 1999 and handed its administration to the UN. The most visible way to announce to the world that Kosovo is a independent entity is to get ratification from UEFA and FIFA and become eligible for the Euro and the World Cup.
Japanese teenager Kei Nishikori stunned American top seed James Blake 3-6 6-1 6-4 to win the Delray Beach International in Florida on Sunday.
The 18-year-old qualifier, ranked 244, is the first Japanese man in nearly 16 years to win an ATP event.
The Bucknell softball team wrapped up the final day of play on its opening weekend of the 2008 season Sunday at the Longwood Lancer Leadoff Classic. The Bison opened the day with their first victory of the year, defeating Pittsburgh 4-1. They followed with a 3-1 loss to Morehead State.
Bucknell finished the weekend with a 1-4 record, but its win over the Panthers was impressive, given the Panthers’ victories over then-No. 16 Virginia Tech and then-No. 25 Missouri last week.
Oklahoma has 10-day layoff before traveling to Tulsa
Feb. 17, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY - No. 33 Oklahoma (4-2) lost 4-3 to the Arkansas Razorbacks (6-3) on Sunday at Willow Creek Golf and Country Club in Oklahoma City.
OU jumped out to the early lead as the Sooners won all three doubles matches to earn the doubles point. Andrei Daescu and Federico Chavarria, playing No. 1 doubles, defeated the Hogs duo of Colin Mascall and Blake Strode, 8-5, to begin the night.