| TV ratings for Redskins-Cowboys best in 13 years Sunday night's game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins has drawn the best overnight rating for a prime-time season opener in ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Ryan Sidebottom announces retirement from international cricket • Sidebottom retires before England's Ashes squad is named• 'It is time to hand over the ball to those a little younger'So long Sexual Chocolate. Ryan Sidebottom announced his retirement from international cricket today, and so the England squad lost its best barnet and the nickname that it inspired. Sidebottom was pre-empting the announcement of the Ashes squad this Thursday, presumably after being told by the England management that he was not going to be selected.Given that he has played one Test in the last 18 months Sidebottom never was more than an outside bet to make the squad, and had admitted he did not expect his central contract to be renewed next year. But he was still a key part of England's limited overs plans, having opened the bowling in all seven matches during the World Twenty20. He took 10 wickets at 16 runs apiece in that tournament, finishing as England's joint-highest wicket-taker."It is time to hand over the ball to those a little younger," said Sidebottom, in an incongruously softly polite and erudite statement issued on his behalf by the England and Wales Cricket Board. It was only two years ago that he was named as England's player of the year, after carrying the attack almost single-handedly through 2007 and early 2008. But at 32 he has been usurped by younger, sharper bowlers, notably Steven Finn, another man who is constantly mocked by his team-mates because of his hairstyle. James Anderson and Graeme Swann have a running joke on Twitter about how Finn stole it from a Lego man.England will take five fast bowlers to Australia. Anderson and Finn are certain to go, as is Stuart Broad. The young Tyke Ajmal Shahzad is likely to take the fourth slot, leaving the fifth and final space open to debate. Sidebottom was called up to the Test squad as recently as June, for the second match against Bangladesh, but now he is out of contention.The place would certainly have gone to Graham Onions were he fit but he has not bowled a ball since the third Test of England's series against South Africa last winter. The back injury he suffered then let Sidebottom back into the team for the final time for the fourth Test at the Wanderers. Tim Bresnan played three Tests against Bangladesh earlier this year – he was the man Sidebottom was called up to cover for in June – but fit and willing as Bresnan may be, the impression he gave then was that his bowling lacks the bite to trouble the better Test batsmen.Chris Tremlett has taken 48 wickets at 20 runs each for Surrey in the County Championship this year, and has been attracting plenty of praise. If anyone ousts Bresnan, it may be him. He played all three of his previous Tests in 2007, alongside Sidebottom, but lost his way between then and now. He has not played for England since a one-day international against New Zealand at Bristol in 2008, and has been dogged by the suggestion that he does not have enough heart or guts for international cricket, rather as though he combined the worst qualities of the Tin Man and the Lion from the Wizard of Oz. A season under Chris Adams at Surrey – Tremlett moved from Hampshire at the start of the season – has cured any ills he had and brought him back to his best.With the England Performance Programme being based in Australia this winter, the selectors are likely to have several names on standby for a call-up regardless. Two old faces from England's last Ashes tour down under, Liam Plunkett and Sajid Mahmood, are likely to be involved in the EPP, having been on the fringes of the team last winter. Chris Woakes is another likely lad, having taken 54 wickets at 21 for Warwickshire in the First Division of the County Championship. Like Plunkett, Woakes has been a regular for the England Lions this summer.As for Sidebottom, he ends his career with 79 Test wickets at 28, a far better record than it looked as though he would finish with after he played his first Test back in 2001. He did not play another Test for six years, before Peter Moores whistled him up from the county circuit in 2007. Plenty were sceptical at the time but he took eight wickets in the match and for a little over a year he was England's leading bowler, a spell culminating in the tour to New Zealand in 2008 when he took 24 wickets in three Tests.Injuries began to hamper his bowling, and his Test performances flickered in fits and starts from that summer on. He obviously believes he has several seasons left in him yet, as he turned down several contract offers from Nottinghamshire this summer because they would not commit to a deal that lasted more than three years.England cricket teamAshesCricketAndy Bullguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Sanford Health gets big sign overlooking Target Field The Minnesota Timberwolves and Sanford Health have agreed to a multi-year corporate partnership that will put the rural Midwestern health system's name on sign outside of Target Center, where it will be visible to fans at Target Field. feeds.bizjournals.com |
Adlington wins second gold medal • Swimmer adds 400m freestyle title to 800m triumph• Liam Tancock and Andy Turner also claim gold for England• Follow all the action with Steve Busfield's live blogRebecca Adlington claimed her second Commonwealth title in 24 hours after she dominated the 400m freestyle to secure an emphatic victory in Delhi.The double Olympic champion added victory over eight lengths to the 800m freestyle title she claimed last night at the Dr SP Mukherjee Aquatics Complex.The 21-year-old led from the start and was a body length ahead at the halfway stage. The win was never in any real doubt and Adlington touched in 4min 05.68sec, breaking Sarah Hardcastle's 1986 Games record by exactly two seconds. Kylie Palmer of Australia was second with Wales' Jazmin Carlin third.Liam Tancock also won his second title of the Commonwealth Games when he triumphed in the 100m backstroke in Delhi. The 25-year-old dominated from the off and was coming away at the end to touch in a new Games record of 53.59sec to add the 100m title to the one he won in the 50m event.The world 50m backstroke champion has now won three gold medals over two Games and owns five in total so far with the 4x100m medley relay to come.Andy Turner, meanwhile, added Commonwealth Games gold to his European title in a hurdles clean sweep for England in Delhi today. Turner, who won European gold in Barcelona in July, triumphed in the 110metres hurdles in 13.38sec ahead of his England team-mates William Sharman and Lawrence Clarke. Sharman was second in 13.50sec and Clarke third in 13.70.Commonwealth Games 2010Rebecca AdlingtonSwimmingguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Colts TE Clark gone for season with wrist injury By 2010-10-22T17:03:35ZINDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The number of go-to targets for Peyton Manning is shrinking.... hosted.ap.org |