| Padres rally in 9th inning to regain NL West lead Ryan Ludwick snapped a ninth-inning tie with a three-run homer, helping the San Diego Padres beat his old team and end an 11-game losing streak ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Harvick, Hamlin exchange words in garage By DAN GELSTON 2010-09-25T19:45:55ZDOVER, Del. (AP) -- Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick tangled on the track, then got into a heated exchange in the garage during the first practice Saturday at Dover International Speedway.... hosted.ap.org |
State of the Series: Phillies lead Reds 1-0, look to Roy Oswalt for an encore PHILADELPHIA -- No one was expecting this. rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Rebecca Adlington Olympic double gold medal-winning swimmerI haven't really thought about what it will be like to compete at the London Olympics, I am just concentrating on experiencing what I am doing now and enjoying the process of building up to it.The Commonwealth Games are a big part of that so I have had a great couple of weeks; to win medals in all four races has given me a lot more confidence. It was what I needed. It was a positive step and I'm so happy to come away with those results. We knew going into it that there would be [Delhi] belly issues but I wasn't going to let anything get in the way once the main competition started.We have got the world championships coming up next year so it would be nice for me to go there [Shanghai] and do well for once. I know there will be pressure to perform in London, but I think anything like that will be overridden by the excitement of competing and the atmosphere. Hearing people cheering your name makes it more exciting and gives me a buzz. That will take me away from feeling pressure, no matter what. Having support like that is so important.When I'm on the starting blocks before a big race I always look for my family and support team, they are usually easy to spot. Then I just try to keep concentrating, keep relaxed and enjoy the experience. When I step on to the podium I feel relief more than anything. I feel confident at the moment. I am comfortable with where I am.BiographyBorn 17 February 1989, MansfieldEducated Brunts School, MansfieldLearned to swim Sherwood Colliery Swimming ClubClub Nova CenturianFavourite film Dirty DancingFavourite food Mum's Sunday roastOutside swimming Away from the pool, I love shopping, meals and walking the dogs. I'm absolutely addicted to Twitter. I'm friends with all the other swimmers so it's good to chat to each other on there and just be nosyTrainingAt the moment I am doing 10 sessions a week, so 6am to 8am and 5pm to 7pm. I get Sundays off and have gym work to do in between that. That does not really change in the run-up to a major championships like the Olympics, the only thing that will change is the work we do within those sessions. We will keep it interesting and try different stuff It won't be any more intense, just the quality of what we are doing will improve.Key statisticsMajor honoursOlympic champion in 400m and 800m freestyle – Beijing 2008, Commonwealth champion in 400m and 800m freestyle – Delhi 2010, European champion 400m freestyle 2010, short course world champion 800m freestyle 2008, Laureus world breakthrough of the year award winner 2009, European swimmer of the year 2008Personal best8min 14.1sec, world-record for women's 800m freestyle set at Beijing Olympics in 2008World rankings 800m1 Rebecca Adlington (GB)2 Kate Ziegler (US)3 Katie Goldman (Aus)4 Lotte Friis (Den)5 Ophélie-Cyrielle Etienne (Fr)Olympic countdown25 November 2010European short-course championships, Eindhoven15 December 2010World short-course swimming championships, Dubai5 March 2011British championships, Manchester16 July 2011World championships, Shanghai8 December 2011European short-course championships, venue to be confirmed3 March 2012British championships – will also double as Olympic trialsJuly 2012Members of Great Britain swimming team gather for their pre-Olympics training camp in EdinburghIn numbers6Swimming medals won by Great Britain at the 2008 Olympic Games. Adlington won both Britain's golds37Swimmers who represented the Great Britain team at the Beijing Games in 2008460Price, in pounds, of the pair of shoes that the mayor of Mansfield gave Adlington following her successVenueThe Aquatics Centre boasts a 160m-long, wave-like roof and will seat around 17,500 spectators• Speedo Ambassador, Rebecca Adlington achieved Commonwealth Golds wearing the Speedo LZR Racer Elite. For more details visit www.speedo.co.ukSwimmingRebecca Adlingtonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
David Lacey: City's success usually fleeting History suggests United have eras of dominance whereas City have merely interludes of successJust now Manchester United supporters of a certain age must be feeling that they have been here before. United have hit a sticky patch in the league and some of the team are getting on a bit. The player most likely to keep things going as the side is turned around went broody amid reports of problems off the field. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Manchester City are threatening to steal their thunder.In short, for 2010 read 1972 and for Wayne Rooney read George Best, to whom United were looking for continuity as Bobby Charlton and Denis Law approached the twilight of their careers. Old Trafford looked in vain. Already haunted by alcoholism, early in 1972 Best failed to report for training and was dropped by Frank O'Farrell, then the United manager, for a home game against Wolves, who won 3-1.Best soon returned to the team but could do little to halt a slide in which O'Farrell's team lost seven matches in a row. Having led the league at Christmas, United steadily slipped out of the reckoning while City, under Malcolm Allison, headed towards their second title in five seasons. Maine Road was cock‑a‑hoop at the prospect, but then Allison signed Rodney Marsh from Queens Park Rangers to give his team an extra swagger down the home straight and they promptly stalled, leaving the league to be won by Brian Clough's Derby County.Most of these comparisons are superficial. Best was an alcoholic whereas Rooney, in form, is a workaholic. Allegations about Rooney's private life pale behind Best going awol to shack up for a week with Miss Great Britain. At his peak Best was a footballing genius, perhaps the greatest player ever produced by the British Isles. Rooney is gifted, but not that gifted. He may have chosen to stay at Old Trafford but Manchester City still have a chance to put one over their neighbours. The process may have already started given that City are lying second in the Premier League, three points ahead of fourth-placed United, and are at present taking their cue from Carlos Tevez, a former United player.For all the millions spent on it, however, Roberto Mancini's team do not yet look the finished product. Tevez's ebullient form and his sharp eye for a scoring chance prevented them dropping points needlessly at Blackpool last Sunday. The attack is functioning well but the defence still has flat spots. Money can buy good players but it cannot buy the tactical discipline and understanding good defences need.Tomorrow's game against Arsenal will provide an early guide to the direction in which City's season is heading. Mancini's heavy spenders will be meeting Arsène Wenger's more prudently assembled product. Arsenal are largely foreign seeds which have blossomed in English soil, City are more about expensive potted plants seeking to put down fresh roots. How things change. At the start of the 1971-72 season all but seven of Manchester City's squad of 33 players had come through the club's youth system and well over half were born locally. City still grow their own occasionally but there was a Manchesterness about the team that achieved success under Allison and Joe Mercer which United have also had, though rarely to the same extent.Once it was known that Rooney wanted to leave Manchester United it was assumed, wrongly as it turned out, that he would join City simply because they are the biggest payers around. Certainly they do not lack the ambition he claimed was missing at Old Trafford. Yet is the ability not only to achieve success but build on it long term really in Manchester City's genes? History suggests that whereas United have eras, City have interludes. They won the league in 1937 but were relegated in 1938. Even the Mercer‑Allison period was fleeting.With only Chelsea of the recent elite still looking indomitable, there is room for another nouveau riche club to join the Premier League's plutocracy and City are the obvious candidates. Four straight league wins, including a victory over Carlo Ancelotti's champions, suggest that they are starting to achieve some sort of consistency.Sunday's performance against Arsenal may show whether or not such thinking is just more pie in the sky blue.Manchester CityManchester UnitedCarlos TevezDavid Laceyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |