Posts Tagged ‘place’

« Older Entries

British Open Golf 2010: Sunday Tee Times, TV Schedule, & Live Streaming

July 18th, 2010

It appears that the final round of the Open Championship will become a two-man race between Louis Oosthuzien and Paul Casey. Oosthuzien leads by four shots over Casey, and Casey is three shots clear of third place.

Although both players have put themselves in great position to win Sunday, rounds like Dustin Johnson's 82 at the U.S. Open and Jean Van de Velde's collapse at Carnoustie should serve as a reminder to all players that anything is still possible, especially at a major championship.

 

TV Schedule (All times are EST.)

6 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Round 4 on ESPN
3-6 p.m. - The Open Championship Today on ABC
9 p.m. - midnight - Best of the Open Championship on ESPN2

ESPN3.com will be live streaming coverage of the final round.

Tee Times (All times are EST.)

2:25 a.m. — Richard S. Johnson

2:35 a.m. — Thomas Aiken, Ian Poulter

2:45 a.m. — Jason Day, Zach Johnson

2:55 a.m. — Danny Chia, Scott Verplank

3:05 a.m. — Colin Montgomerie, Hirofumi Miyase

3:15 a.m. — Peter Senior, Edoardo Molinari

3:25 a.m. — Heath Slocum, Steven Tiley

3:40 a.m. — Toru Taniguchi, Darren Clarke

3:50 a.m. — Vijay Singh, Y.E. Yang

4 a.m. — Trevor Immelman, Andrew Coltart

4:10 a.m. — John Senden, Simon Dyson

4:20 a.m. — Kyung-tae Kim, Colm Moriarty

4:30 a.m. — Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar

4:40 a.m. — Tom Pernice Jr., Ryo Ishikawa

4:50 a.m. — Bradley Dredge, Alvaro Quiros

5:05 a.m. — Marcel Siem, John Daly

5:15 a.m. — Simon Khan, Marc Leishman

5:25 a.m. — Zane Scotland, Steve Stricker

5:35 a.m. — Hunter Mahan, Soren Kjeldsen

5:45 a.m. — Graeme McDowell, Robert Allenby

5:55 a.m. — Stewart Cink, Mark Calcavecchia

6:05 a.m. — Tom Lehman, Fredrik Andersson Hed

6:15 a.m. — Bo Van Pelt, Jeff Overton

6:30 a.m. — Adam Scott, Kevin Na

6:40 a.m. — Phil Mickelson, Stephen Gallacher

6:50 a.m. — Luke Donald, Steve Marino

7 a.m. — Charl Schwartzel, Peter Hanson

7:10 a.m. — Miguel Angel Jimenez, Ignacio Garrido

7:20 a.m. — Tiger Woods, Lucas Glover

7:30 a.m. — Camilo Villegas, Ross Fisher

7:40 a.m. — Robert Rock, a-Jin Jeong

7:55 a.m. — Robert Karlsson, Shane Lowry

8:05 a.m. — Sergio Garcia, J.B. Holmes

8:15 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Ricky Barnes

8:25 a.m. — Retief Goosen, Sean O’Hair

8:35 a.m. — Nick Watney, Dustin Johnson

8:45 a.m. — Lee Westwood, Alejandro Canizares

8:55 a.m. — Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer

9:05 a.m. — Paul Casey, Louis Oosthuizen

Comments Off »

Posted in Golf, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Phil Mickelson, Preview/Prediction, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods

Tags:

More Soccer!: Analyzing the Chances of a U.S. World Cup for 2018 or 2022

July 18th, 2010

With the 2010 World Cup wrapped up and American football, the odds are that soccer will retake its place behind the four major sports in terms of popularity in the U.S.

Until December 2nd that is.

On that date, FIFA will announce the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Other candidates for 2018 are England, Russia, and joint bids of Spain & Portugal, as well as Belgium & the Netherlands. These same teams are eligible in 2022 along with Australia, Japan, Qatar, and South Korea.

 

Why The U.S.?

Some may wonder why the U.S. is so favored with other more soccer-centric nations also in the running. Well the main reason is that it makes business sense. For better or worse, money talks in sports—and the U.S. is certainly one of the loudest.

Thought I loved watching the 2010 World Cup, some news outlets reported that it didn't meet FIFA's financial expectations. They invested a lot of money to get the venues built in time but once they were up, ticket sales were slow.

And with the issue still looming about a month before the tournament, FIFA may be hesitant to take that risk any time soon.

With South Africa fresh on the minds of FIFA members, they will look for a host nation with pieces already in place—a nation that won't need to scramble to get stadiums built and tickets sold. America would have no problem with either.

Our 1994 World Cup still holds the World Cup records for average and overall attendance. To host it a second time would undoubtedly shatter both marks for two reasons: For one, the 1994 Tournament had 52 games as opposed to 64 games in the past four Cups. The other reason is the proposed venues for 2018/22 vs. the venues of 1994. Our proposed venues for the 2018/22 Cup all expect to seat in the upper 60,000s, which means more revenue for everyone.

So which year is the U.S. more likely to host? Let's break each of them down.

 

2018

The U.S. is putting forth a strong overall bid, but the European nations may to have the advantage for 2018.

The frontrunner seems to be England. Their infrastructure is on par with that of the U.S. and their passion for soccer is certainly stronger. Based on the 2006 host selection, they are also "the next in line" to host the Cup. They finished third in the vote, which took place in 2000, behind Germany and South Africa (the last two hosts), but I don't look too far into that logic.

Russia, on the other hand, is reportedly ready to spend $10 billion on the tournament and many believe that FIFA president Sepp Blatter favors a Russian World Cup. After all of the money put into South Africa, a Russian World Cup seems like a home run financially.

But the European domination doesn't stop there. Two of the joint bidders (Spain and Holland) just met in the World Cup final, giving an added boost to their respective bids. 

Host nation success could be a problem with a Belgium-Netherlands World Cup. The Netherlands will probably make another tournament run, but can the same be said for Belgium, who have failed to qualify for the last two Cups? It may not be the deal breaker when voting, but after South Africa failed to advance out of the group stage FIFA may think twice before awarding a less successful nation the 2018 Cup.

The Spain-Portugal bid is greatly benefited by Spain's World Cup victory and Portugal also has one of the top-ranked squads and in the world. They also have a strong bid in place, but it will be tough for either joint bid to top England and Russia. 

What makes Europe the favored World Cup destination is their universal love for the game. The president of the European confederation, Michael Platini, recently called soccer in the U.S. "a relatively weak sprout" compared to the "sequoias that are American football, baseball, basketball, and ice hockey." While these comments may not sit well with American soccer fans, he's telling the truth. 

While soccer could someday supplant ice hockey as our fourth sport, it will never hold a candle to our three powerhouses.

There is the possibility that the European vote gets split between all of the nations and the U.S. comes out on top, but even that is unlikely.

 

2022

Assuming that the 2018 World Cup will be held in Europe, is the U.S. favored to host in 2022?

Probably.

All of the European bids would be ineligible for 2022, leaving only Australia, Qatar, Japan, and South Korea in our way. 

Let's eliminate Qatar right away. 

Though an Arab World Cup is a great idea for the future, they won't be ready by 2022. At the moment, they lack World Cup-capacity stadiums and their national team has yet to qualify for a World Cup.

The weather in Qatar would also be a problem. The average temperature in June and July? 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Not exactly ideal playing temperatures. Though they've discussed using cooling technologies for indoor stadiums, it could still be a problem.

Japan and South Korea, joint hosts in 2002, are both putting in separate bids to host the 2022 Cup. Both have the infrastructure and the stadiums since they hosted in 2002, but the fact that they just hosted eight years ago will probably hurt them more than it helps them.

Australia is the wild card for 2022. They have experience in hosting big sports events (2000 Olympics) and have yet to host a World Cup.

Their national team has had a bit of success in recent years, making the Round of 16 and losing to the eventual champions 1-0.

There has been lots of uproar from Australia's other big sport (Australian rules football), over their season possibly being interrupted by a World Cup. How big of a role will that play in FIFA's voting?

Regardless, the U.S. is still the better choice financially and that may be the deciding factor come December. We have everything in place to host the tournament today, if necessary, and the economic gain for both the U.S. and FIFA would be massive—much needed on this end.

Our national team is also making huge strides in international soccer. It's impossible to gauge how good a team will be twelve years down the line, but the U.S. team should continue to get better.

So who has the edge in the bidding? It's tough to say, but the U.S. should like its chances of hosting a World Cup in the near future.



Comments Off »

Posted in FIFA World Cup, Opinion, United States (National Football), World Football

Tags:

NBA Power Rankings 2010: Pacific Division After Free Agency

July 18th, 2010
In years past, the NBA's Pacific Division has been among the weakest. A division with no real depth after second place. A division that sends three teams to the lottery on a regular basis. That stigma might come to pass in the 2010-2011 season. With each of the bottom three teams improving immensely (on paper at least), the Pacific figures to bounce back in a big way this upcoming fall.

Begin Slideshow

Comments Off »

Posted in Amare Stoudemire, David Lee, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Monta Ellis, NBA, Preview/Prediction, hedo turkoglu

Tags:

What’s Going On At Hispania Racing?: Yammamoto In, Chandhok Out!

July 18th, 2010

A miraculous game of musical chairs seems to be taking place at Hispania Racing.

With Japanese driver Sakon Yammamoto taking place of Bruno Senna in Great Britain and Karun Chandhok in Germany, the trend of substitutions looks to continue as former Red Bull driver and Hispania test driver Christian Klien also waits in the wings for a few Grand Prix appearances.

Hispania Racing have cut their losses and are using the remainder of their first season in the sport to increase in their knowledge and potential.

You may have heard of a test session, but this is set to now be a test season!

In one respect the team ought to be commended. They are using their initiative to search for an optimum in performance and will look to use this to push forward next year. They want to be competitive and are aiming for it.

They are also giving themselves the opportunity to choose the best two drivers for future seasons. With all four of their drivers able to prove their worth by the seasons end, the team are setting themselves up nicely.

Austrian driver Christian Klien is certain to relish the chance. He exited the sport after failing to deliver as a permanent driver at Red Bull.

Yet the Austrian was never the worst the sport had to offer. He just seemed to lack the confidence that would edge himself deep into the limelight.

He will now know the urgency required to produce a credible collection of performances when he takes to the wheel.

The season's main drivers for Hispania, Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok have been slow but consistant at the same time.

We have to remember that it is difficult to determine just how good or bad they are when the car beneath them affords little room for success. They are permitted to nothing more than a back row seat to the season's events.

You have to wonder consequentially whether this gifts them a greater respect for the continuation of drivers who manage to grace the sport for years on end. That is their challenge to achieve, and they will no doubt tackle it head on.

Sakon Yammamoto seems on a level playing field with both Senna and Chandhok. He is another driver who has already had a hand in the sport.

His appearances have been somewhat sporadic up until this point. With only a small dose of Grand Prix at both the Super Aguri and Spyker teams, he has yet to taste the delights of Formula 1 on a regular basis.

This is his chance to gain that exposure. He seemed a fair match to Chandhok in Great Britain and will look to build upon these solid foundations.

One downside there may be to the musical chairs that has developed at Hispania Racing is the lack of momentum that could be carried from keeping the same two drivers in racing seats.

Virgin Racing and Lotus, unlike Hispania, have stood firm on their driver choices. What is to stop them from etching out a widening gap to the Spanish team?

You have to wonder what armour the Hispania would have in reserve for such an occurrence. Would a one in, one out rule really be able to compete with their improved rivals, or would they just become an even larger embarrassment?

Luckily, it would appear that neither of their rookie counterparts look able to move ahead as the season progresses.

All three teams are placing their bets on a more fruitful 2011 campaign.

The gamble taken by Hispania remains to be seen in its outcome. At least they are attempting to catapult the miserable scenes that have unfolded at the back of the grid.

They are trying to undo the damaged reputation that has befallen upon themselves, their rookie rivals and also the FIA who gave each team their spot.

And in a sport where forgiveness is hard to come by and where failure is even harder to overcome, they are proving their spirit by not admitting defeat.

Comments Off »

Posted in Bruno Senna, Formula 1, Hispania Racing, Karun Chandhok, Opinion

Tags:

IZOD Indycar Series Honda Indy Toronto Preview and Writers Picks Pool

July 17th, 2010

The men and women of the IZOD IndyCar Series return to the streets this weekend as their Honda-powered Dallaras go screaming around Exhibition Place in Toronto.  This is part one of the two-part swing into the Canadian frontier for the series, which will be followed by the race in Edmonton.

The 11 turn, 1.755 mile (2.824 km for you metric lovers in Canada) race was a traditional track under the old USAC/CART series,with events running on the streets of Toronto since the 1986 event won by Bobby Rahal.  The IZOD Indycar Series returned to the track in 2009 after the unification of open wheel racing, with Dario Franchitti taking the checkered flag.

The past history gives us several former winners in the field this weekend.  Paul Tracy, Justin Wilson, Will Power, and Dario Franchitti all won at the track during their years in Champ Car.  Michael Andretti was the master of the track throughout his career, capturing seven titles at the track.  In addition to all this, Helio Castroneves captured a race win while in the Indy Lights series in 1997.

The track through the streets of Toronto features an unique element in street racing, the ability to pass. There are several passing zones at Exhibition place that will allow the drivers to really mix it up on the track.

Turn one features a full right hand, right angle turn which is a major passing zone on the track.  The most exciting corner however, might be turn three this weekend.  It features the longest approach straightaway for the drivers to gain speed, and many drivers has misjudged the turn in practice already.  This has caused them to lock the brakes, and slide off the track. 

Turn eight also features an opportunity to gain position, with a tight right turn before entering an S-turn and heading back to the start-finish line.  Drivers who can gain speed and position through turn eight will be able to overtake in the S-turn.

Three drivers will return to the series this weekend.  Paul Tracy will be driving the fourth car for KV Racing Technologies, with sponsorship by the Canadian Make a Wish Foundation.  Tomas Scheckter will be filling in for Mike Conway at Dreyer and Reinbold Racing again, as the No. 24 car will feature the Mona-Vie sponsorship. 

Graham Rahal also returns to Newman Haas Racing in the No. 02 car with sponsorship from QuickTrim borrowed from his efforts with Rahal Letterman Racing.  Rahal is expected to compete in the majority of the remaining events with Newman Haas after being a true journeyman in the first half of the 2010 season.

In addition to all our new drivers this weekend, several cars will also feature new liveries.  Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, and Alex Tagliani will all feature very different cars.  Tagliani has a new Hot Wheels livery that is a must-see this weekend.

All the action gets under at 12:30 ET on the ABC network.  Qualifying will be Saturday afternoon starting around 12:30 and can be seen on Indycar.com.

So without further previewing, we bring you our Writer's Picks for the Honda Indy Toronto.

 

Christopher Leone

Win : Will Power – The series’ only multiple winner is also a former Toronto winner, and has been the class of the field all year.

Place : Dario Franchitti – Defending race winner will again be chasing Power to the checkers, except this time without Ryan Briscoe slipping by him in the late stages of the race.

Show : Justin Wilson – Four top-fives, including one win, in five career Toronto starts suggest that he has the track figured out.

Dark horse : Ryan Hunter-Reay – Fast in practice, pumped about his full-season deal, will be looking for another street course win at a track where his team owner, Michael Andretti, won seven times.

First to crash : Mario Moraes – Sorry Jimmy Vasser, just an unfortunate hunch about more torn up KV equipment (hey, Justin Wilson’s contract only runs one year and you guys have the Lotus sponsorship, how about assembling an all-British team next year?).

 

Chad Smith

First to Crash : Alex Lloyd
Of course this one is always a crapshoot. I think this one will go to a car in the middle of the pack, or near the rear of the field, just about where Alex will be.

Dark Horse : Alex Tagliani
I think Alex has what it takes to win, both from the driver’s talent side of it, as well as the right equipment. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Alex on the podium at the end of the day.

Third Place : Scott Dixon
Scott has been here for awhile, he knows this track and he will certainly be towards the top of the leader board most of the day.

Second Place : Ryan Hunter-Reay
Ryan has proven he is a great road course driver, and he is consistently at the top of the speed charts. Toronto will be no different.

Race Winner : Helio Castroneves
I think it’s about time Helio gets his act together and starts contending for wins. The season is more than halfway through, and if he wishes to be in contention for the championship, he needs to find some good finishes.

 

Ryan Worden

Win: Ryan Hunter-Reay.  Hunter-Reay has been outstanding on the temporary street circuits all year long.  With his announcement at Watkins Glen that he will be granted a full season ride with Andretti Autosport, Hunter-Reay will be looking to show that he was worth the effort.

Place: Justin Wilson.  Justin has also been a beast on the street courses, but has come up short every time.  This will be another instance of that, as he will just miss the race win.  Wilson has won here before and is very confident on non-oval tracks.

Show: Will Power.  He has been the best driver all year long, but especially on road and street courses.  I don't think he will be up front this weekend because I think he won't be taking as many chances as other drivers.  Power has a 32-point season lead over second place Dario Franchitti and will look to protect that lead while being more conservative than normal.

Dark Horse: Marco Andretti.  Marco is the true up and down racer this year, managing a great finish followed by an awful one.  He will appear to have the right setup but after the first pit stop things go horribly wrong.  Look for that to change this weekend.  The combo of his three teammates gives Andretti a great set of data to work with, and his finishing order is likely to improve.

First to Crash : EJ Viso.  Unfortunately for KV Racing, the only thing they are leading in this year is Dallara replacement part orders.  Viso has been very fast in practice so far, but he is a very young driver that has a hard time containing his emotions.  I'm thinking he's going to lock it up going into turn three and KV will have another repair bill.

 

Control Pick Josh : Josh is my buddy who is studying for the BAR exam with me.

Win: Helio Castroneves.  The first race I ever saw was the 2009 Indy 500.  Helio dominated all month, so he is my pick.

Place : Alex Taglianni.  Ryan showed me the new Hot Wheels paint job on the car and that just looks fast.

Show: Paul Tracy.  Mexican wrestling masks return to pit lane?  Yes please.

Dark Horse : Takuma Sato.  The Lotus car paint job is pretty cool.  Also, wasn't this guy in F1?  He should be better at road racing.

First to Crash :  Milka Duno.  She is pretty much awful (note: What Josh doesn't seem to know is that Milka is likely to be parked well before she will even have a chance to wreck).

 

That'll do it for us today, pop a big bowl of popcorn, grill some brats and enjoy the great race from Toronto on your Sunday afternooon.

 

Who do you got?  Feel free to comment below with your picks and predictions for this week's race and beat our writers!  The author can be reached at [email protected] .

Comments Off »

Posted in Helio Castroneves, IndyCar Series, Marco Andretti, Motorsports, Preview/Prediction, dario franchitti, team penske

Tags:




eXTReMe Tracker