| Ben Foden senses his chance to embark on another break for the limelight For too long now, Ben Foden has been a wandering soul. In the past 18 months, he has moved clubs, drifted in and out of England squads and vacillated over whether he preferred to play at scrum half or full back. The advent of a new year, though, will find this gifted attacking player finally attempting to put down some roots. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Rose scores 30 as revived Bulls bop Magic for 4th straight win Derrick Rose scored 30 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic 101-93 on Saturday night for their season-high fourth straight wi ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Bryant stars as Lakers edge Mavericks • LA Lakers top table after 100-95 win over Dallas• Boston trounce New Jersey in Eastern ConferenceKobe Bryant produced the match-winning score as the LA Lakers edged Dallas Mavericks 100-95 in a clash of the Western Conference's top two. Bryant had a quiet night overall but despite limited involvement he was on target with 28 seconds left to put the table-topping Lakers 97-95 ahead. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki had earlier became the 34th player in NBA history to reach a total of 20,000 points and collected 30 points on the night.Eastern Conference high-fliers Boston Celtics picked up another win as they trounced hosts New Jersey Nets 111-87, a performance that saw them notch up 71 first-half points.Denver Nuggets continued their impressive recent form with a 115-97 win over Orlando Magic, their fourth success in five games. Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points and Chauncey Billups picked up 24 on the road to victory.San Antonio Spurs edged Oklahoma City Thunder by a single point in a thrilling 109-108 overtime finish.New York Knicks also triumphed by a solitary point with a 93-92 win over Philadelphia 76ers. Tim Duncan's stand-in, DeJuan Blair, was on fire with 28 points and 21 rebounds, setting the scene for Richard Jefferson's decisive score.Indiana Pacers upset Phoenix Suns, winning 122-114 with a sterling comeback having been 24 points behind during the second quarter.Joe Johnson (24 points) and Jamal Crawford (22 points) were at the fore as Atlanta Hawks beat Washington Wizards 94-82, while Houston Rockets notched up a triple-overtime 120-114 win over Minnesota Timberwolves, with 43-point Aaron Brooks dominating proceedings.The other winners were Portland Trailblazers (120-108 v Milwaukee Bucks), New Orleans Hornets (108-94 v LA Clippers) and Miami Heat, who defeated Golden State Warriors 115-102.NBAUS sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Minority firms vie for Marlins ballpark work Minority-owned Road Runner Electric is just one of dozens of local companies vying since October for more than $124 million in contracts to make the Florida Marlins’ new ballpark a reality. feeds.bizjournals.com |
Kevin Mitchell: Murray resists weight of history Talk of Fred Perry and Britain's long wait since 1936 means little to the world No4 as he focuses on the task in hand in AustraliaWhat Andy Murray carries with him into every grand slam are the weary expectations of a nation waiting for a successor to the last British male to win a major, Fred Perry, in 1936. It is one of sport's most tiresome statistics.Again he is close. Again he deflects the expectations.Murray has said in the past and rightly is not inclined to return to the subject that he doesn't feel this weight of history, that it is irrelevant to his efforts.Mats Wilander, who won seven slams himself in the 80s, contributed to the subject clumsily on Friday when he said: "Well, hopefully he doesn't give a shit about Britain. I don't think he does, I really don't. I don't think there's pressure from the outside ... I think he has pressure to win a slam at some point in the next two years [only] to validate the fact that he was world No2 at some point. He is a work in progress. He is far from being fully developed."Perhaps. But Murray does not see his career unfolding to someone else's timetable or expectations. For him (as for every pro), the only match is the next one. His next one happens to be against the American John Isner, who stands 6ft 9in and weighs 17st 7lbs. He is generally regarded as having one of the biggest first serves in the game, averaging 125mph, occasionally nudging 140mph.But, however tall the order, literally and metaphorically, Murray will come up with his own solutions. His independence of thought is perhaps his most impressive trait, a player destined to be remembered alongside the likes of John McEnroe and Rod Laver as a brilliant court strategist.If he does break through, Murray will be doing the game a service in more ways than one.For maybe 20 years, the men's game has been locked into a cycle of big serve followed by heavy, thumping work from the back of the court, with rare excursions to the net. Increasingly, however, the most successful players are engaging in old-fashioned tennis-chess, not quite like it was in the days of wooden rackets and normal muscles, but getting there. The trend towards thinking tennis has been evident at these championships, where players have gone against stereotype - even the giant Isner.He is no mere big-serve bully. He had to call on his wider game to come back in two tie-breaks against GaĂ«l Monfils, and said, "I kept coming forward. I didn't play not to lose, I played to win. I kind of forced the issue in those tie-breaks. I was real proud of that."What he will meet on Rod Laver here tomorrow is a player who will stretch his tennis intellect as much as those stork-like legs.Born to flyOn one of the approaches to Melbourne Park, the walkway outside the MCG, stand two fine sculptures, one of Dennis Lillee midway through his delivery stride, the other of Bill Ponsford just after he has made one of his neat, cultured scoring shots.What is striking about the images - and is testament to the skill of the sculptor - is the sense of perfect balance. Athletes who can hold their poise like this at the most stressful moment of high performance are set far, far apart from the rest of us. It is their gift. They rarely can explain it, and some times not rediscover it if it goes missing.All great athletes - cricketers, footballers, boxers - are blessed with the ability to move with poise.But few sports make such consistent demands on a player's talent for balance as tennis. And not many give the illusion of defying gravity with such ease as does Rafael Nadal.For the rest of us, grounded to earth, it is still a wonder to behold.Balancing actNot quite so well balanced - at least in his young head - is the supremely talented Australian Bernard Tomic, whose other gift is for finding a way up most people's noses.The only excuse trotted out for his churlish objection to playing after midnight this week (on Rod Laver on national television, it has to be said) was that he is only 17.Well, cast your mind back. Just how big a prat were you at 17? Right. Not quite that big.Australian OpenAndy MurrayTennisKevin Mitchellguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |