Saturday, June 5, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

Anamika Veeramani and 5 more Indian- Americans in the top 10 of 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee Competition

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 01:05 AM PDT

Anamika

Anamika

The 14 year old girl from, North Royalton, Ohio tookaway the $30,000 prize in 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee Competition. She won the prize by spelling ‘Stromuhr’ correctly, among 293 other competitors. The event took place at Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington D.C. between May 26, 2009, and May 28, 2009.

She said to the media, “I’m really, really, happy — this is one of the best moments of my life,”  “It was pretty intense.”

It’s not only $30,000, lots of other stuffs are also included, like savings bonds, scholarships and books.

The yongest contestant was the 8 year old Vanya Shivashankar. All the participants were in the age group of 8 – 15 year old.

Six of the top 10 spellers were Indian- Americans. Check out the Winning Moments of Anamika Veeramani in Pictorial view

Drogba, Ferdinand Suffer Injuries On Eve Of World Cup; U.S. Striker Altidore Hurting

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 01:08 PM PDT

Cape Town, South Africa (AHN) – Two of the potential stars of the tournament have today suffered injuries which could rule them out of the 2010 World Cup Finals.

Ivory Coast captain, and national striking hero, Didier Drogba was the first star to fall, suffering a broken arm in his country’s friendly with Japan.

An accidental collision with Marcus Tulio Tanaka left the Chelsea striker, who topped the English Premier League goal-scoring charts last season, with a broken bone just above the elbow.

Drogba will see a specialist in South Africa before deciding whether he will be able to play any part in the tournament.

While Drogba maintains slim hopes of playing in South Africa, one man who is definately out is England captain Rio Ferdinand.

Ferdinand, tipped as a key man in England’s quest for World Cup glory, has suffered knee ligament damage after a training ground tackle from Emile Heskey.

Tottenham Hotspurs Micheal Dawson will now fly out to South Africa to replace Ferdinand, who at 31, may now have missed his final chance at World Cup glory.

Steven Gerrard will assume Ferdinand’s captain duties at the Finals.

Meanwhile US striker Jozy Altidore is still unsure of whether he will make the tournament after picking up an ankle injury in training.

The United States meets England in both nations opening game in Rustenburg on June 12th.

For a full run-down of all the Groups, teams, players and analysis, keep an eye on All Headline News.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Tiger Woods Rallies At Memorial, Breaks 70

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 12:10 PM PDT

Dublin, Ohio, United States (AHN) – During Thursday’s opening round of the Memorial, Tiger Woods did something he hadn’t done in eight years. He played 18 holes in a PGA Tour event without making birdie on a par 5.

He took care of that problem during Friday’s second round action at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Woods played early and enjoyed a great start. He ended his par-5 birdie drought on his second hole of the day, No. 11. He added birdies at Nos. 13 and 14, although he failed to birdie the par-5 15th. His bogey at 18 left him 2-under (34) at the turn.

A bogey at the fifth hole dropped him back to 1-under, but Woods rallied coming in with birdies at Nos. 5-7.

He looked to be on his way to a 68 until he bogeyed his final hole, the par-4 ninth. Still, he was in the clubhouse at 3-under, and his 69 was his best score since his final round at the Masters.

Woods wasn’t happy with his Thursday performance. “I played the par 5s terrible. The wedges were horrible,” he said.

That wasn’t the case Friday. He sharpened his game to play on the weekend, his first time since the Masters. He still has a long way, 10 shots off the red-hot pace of rookie Ricky Fowler.

Fowler, the former Oklahoma State star, carded a dazzling round Friday. He was quiet on his first nine (Muirfield’s back nine), until he made an eagle at the par-5 15th. He turned in 34, then went to work on the front. Birdies at Nos. 2, 6, 7, and 8 gave him a 66 and a 36-hole score of 13-under 131.

Still, the morning buzz was Woods’ 69, and the fact that he’ll play the weekend for only the second time since his return to the PGA Tour.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Despite 2-1 Lead, Blackhawks Need Top Line To Produce

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 11:42 AM PDT

Chicago, IL, United States (AHN) – With the Philadelphia Flyers winning Game 3, focus quickly shifted back to the Chicago Blackhawks and their top line players.

The Stanley Cup Finals took an interesting twist Wednesday, when the Flyers captured a 4-3 overtime win and narrowed their best-of-7 series against the Blackhawks to 2-1. Now, Chicago faces a "must-win" situation of sorts Sunday, although the Blackhawks do still hold home ice advantage.

NHL analysts believe the Blackhawks have been missing dominant performances from Jonathan Toews (7 goals, 20 assists), Dustin Byfuglien (8 goals, 3 assists) and Patrick Kane (8 goals, 14 assists).

Arguably the top line in the postseason, the Toews-Kane-Byfuglien unit has so far failed to take over in the first three games of the finals.

In fact, the only time the trio scored was in Game 3, when Kane scored a breakaway goal off an assist by Toews.

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said he's aware of his star line’s recent slump, but insisted they would eventually find their rhythm in the series.

Quenneville also believed Toews played better in Game 3 and hoped the performance could be the spark he needed.

On the other hand, the Flyers have remained sharp despite the injuries of Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter.

Philadelphia's Ville Leino, Daniel Briere and Claude Giroux – who scored the winning goal in Game 3 — have played well and could be the keys to a Flyers comeback.

After seeing their seven-game playoff winning streak snapped Wednesday, the Blackhawks are expecting another tough battle in Game 6 at Wachovia Center.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Lingerie Football League Brings Its Brand of Fantasy To Orlando

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 11:41 AM PDT

Orlando, FL, United States (AHN) – Perhaps It’s inevitable that controversy follows the Lingerie Football League, which features scantily clad women competing in 7-on-7 tackle games and bills itself as “True Fantasy Football.”

The LFL makes no pretense, and much like Roller Derby, has made inroads as a niche sport in recent years. Naturally, it’s newest team, the Orlando Fantasy, has caused somewhat of a stir when it was revealed the team would play on the University of Central Florida’s state-funded campus.

On its website, local station WFTV reported both sides of the story, saying female students interviewed said they wouldn’t try out for the Fantasy or attend the games, and adding “accidental nudity is common and athletes are fined for wearing anything under their uniforms..”

College students are an obvious target audience, and LFL owner Mitch Mortaza said overall ticket sales surpassed expectations and he expects the Fantasy to draw a good crowd at the UCF Arena this fall, according to WFTV.com.

"Once they see a game, they’re a hooked fan. They’re not coming back for more if it’s just a bunch of bimbo’s running around with no knowledge of the game," Mortaza was quoted as saying.

WFTV also contacted UCF professor Dr. Janet Rasmussen, a former track athlete at Wake Forest, who disagreed with the premise of LFL. "I think it's setting up the stereotypes we have and it perpetuates that within women in sport, looking at a woman’s sexuality as opposed to a woman’s talent," Rasmussen said.

According to its website, the league has teams in 10 cities listed for its 2010-11 season:

Eastern Conference: Baltimore Charm; Philadelphia Passion; Miami Caliente; Orlando Fantasy;

Tampa Breeze.

Western Conference: Chicago Bliss; Dallas Desire; Los Angeles Temptation; San Diego Seduction;

Seattle Mist.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

French Open Semifinals: Soderling Tops Berdych; Nadal Handles Melzer

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 11:39 AM PDT

Paris, France (AHN) – Robin Soderling needed five sets, but prevailed over Tomas Berdych to reach his second consecutive French Open final.

Soderling’s bruising 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory Friday put him against Rafael Nadal, a four-time winner at Roland Garros, who handled Austrian upstart Jurgen Melzer 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 in the following match.

Soderling lost to Roger Federer last year in the final. But it was Soderling who ousted Nadal before that match, and Soderling again appeared to be peaking in his power showdown with Berdych.

After taking the fourth set 6-3, Soderling broke Berdych’s serve in the pivotal seventh game of the last set, before winning the final two games for emphasis.

Berdych seemed on the verge of grabbing momentum at several key junctures, but each time he was turned back by Soderling, who held a 5-3 edge in their previous meetings. Berdych, though, won their last match, 6-2, 6-2, at the Miami Masters in April

“It was really tough to play my game today because he was hitting it so well,” Soderling said to the media of his opponent. “I felt I was a little bit unlucky in the third set, but he played so well when it realy mattered. I had trouble with his serve.

“When I came here I was just thinking about the first round and seeing what happened and now two weeks later I am in the final again. It’s unbelievable.”

Nadal, meanwhile, mammered Melzer in the opening two sets before being tested in the third.

Nadal had enough, ultimately, to prevail despite Melzer’s growing confidence and improved play in the final stanza.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Lakers’ Brown, Farmar Befuddle Celtics From Off The Bench

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 08:39 AM PDT

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – Los Angeles Lakers reserves rose to the challenge Thursday night as guards Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown made their necessary contributions in a 102-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Brown and Farmar provided valuable minutes off the bench, combining for 10 points and 3 assists. And their intensity and hustle plays keyed several rallies.

Farmar, who’s averaged 5.2 points and 1.6 assists, has been a solid backup for Derek Fisher throughout the playoffs.

Although he’s only played 14 to 15 minutes per game, Farmar still boasted the Lakers with his activity on both ends of the court.

Farmar also made a great play in Game 1, when he dished out a full court pass to Pau Gasol after Ron Artest blocked Celtics forward Glen Davis’ shot. Gasol’s basket stretched the Lakers lead to 91-76 late in the fourth quarter.

Brown, averaging 5.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 15 minutes per game, has been the Lakers spark plug throughout the season. With his defensive prowess, Brown is usually assigned to guard opponents’ top scorers.

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant also recognized Farmar and Brown as keys to beating the Celtics and winning the championship.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved

Reports: Legendary UCLA Basketball Coach Wooden Gravely Ill

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 08:38 AM PDT

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – College basketball great John Wooden is reportedly in critical condition at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, a reliable source disclosed Thursday.

Wooden, who led the UCLA Bruins to 10 national championships as head coach, has been dealing with issues in the past several months.

Sources reported the legendary basketball head coach was also hospitalized for a short period a month ago.

KCAL reported Wooden is experiencing weakness after not taking food in the last two days

The 99-year-old Wooden has epitomized college basketball over the years, being the first individual to be inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach and player at Purdue.

Wooden (664-162) also guided notable NBA legends such Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton during his tenure at UCLA from 1948 to 1975.

His ex-players remain close to Wooden, appreciating Wooden’s knowledge and class on and off the court.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Watch the action on video online and on TV as Boston Celtics takes on Los Angeles Lakers

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 05:17 AM PDT

The two teams are meeting in the finals for the 12th time.

To watch them live, we always have internet where we can catch them live on video streaming. This time, we’ll we can also catch them on TVs.

Till now, the Lakers have looked good playing at their home pitch. They have already won the first game 102-89. For the second game of final, the two teams will clash on 5th of June. And the game will be broadcast live on the TVs.

And if you are not having a TV, the case may be that you are on a move. In that case, you can log on to justin.tv to see the game for free.

Ex-Lions’ End Dewayne White Drafted By UFL’s Omaha Franchise

Posted: 04 Jun 2010 04:19 AM PDT

Omaha, NE, United States (AHN) – Defensive end Dewayne White, who most recently played for the NFL's Detroit Lions, was selected No. 1 overall by the expansion Omaha Nighthawks in the 2010 United Football League Draft Wednesday.

White, 30, who was released by the Lions in March with two years left on the five-year, $29 million contract he signed in 2007, is one of several NFL veterans tapped by the independent pro American League.

The Nighthawks, the league's newest franchise, now has the rights to 12 potential contributors, most of whom have spent considerable time with NFL teams during the past decade.

Among the recognizable names called out after White for Omaha were: 10-year NFL veteran Chike Okeafor (No. 6 overall); former Eagles Shawn Andrews (No. 11) and ex-Oakland wide receiver Ronald Curry (No. 26).

Also picked by the Nighthawks were DeMarcus Faggins (No. 35), who spent most his NFL career with Houston and Frank Walker (No. 47).

Meanwhile, former Bengals wide receiver Antonio Chatman was selected by Sacramento in the sixth round at No. 28.

The top five selections in Round 1 consisted of White (Omaha) followed by running back Andre Dixon (Hartford), quarterback Justin Goltz (Sacramento) and linebackers Weston Dacus (Florida) and Dominic Payne (Las Vegas).

Each of the five UFL franchises received one pick per round in the 12-round draft.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.
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