SB Nation recent General posts

MLB Trade Rumors: Derrek Lee to Braves for Javier Vazquez??

raygu, FakeTeams — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:52 -0000

I was thinking recently of who the Braves will trade one of their starting pitchers to since they will be trading one of them this offseason, or so they say. It's obvious that Derek Lowe will be hard to deal due to his contract (although all the experts thought he was a good value last offseason), and the Braves would be crazy to trade either Jair Jurrgens or Tommy Hanson. So Javier Vazquez is the obvious choice. But to who?

I say they deal him to the Cubs for Derrek Lee. Both Lee and Vazquez are in the last years of their deals with Lee making $13 million in 2010, and Vazquez making $11.5 million in 2010. Pretty even trade salary-wise, and the deal fills a need for both teams.

The Cubs need a starting pitcher after losing Rich Harden to free agency. Vazquez would join Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells in the rotation. With Lee gone, the Cubs could put hitting machine Jake Fox at first base on a full time basis. Fox is limited as to where he can play on the field as he is a poor defensive player, but he can hit and hit for power.

Here are Fox's 2009 stats:

Player	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	KO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
Fox, Jake 1B CHC	216	23	56	11	44	14	47	0	0.259	0.311	0.468	0.779

Fox's HR/FB% was 13.3% in 2009, and he had a LD/GB/FB slash line of 19%/34%/47%, which tells me he hits alot of fly balls. Fox hit 11 HRs in just 216 ABs in 2009, and I think he could hit 25+ HRs if given a full time job in 2010.

But the Cubs have to wonder if they will get the same production out of Lee in 2010 that they got from him in 2009. I think they get something in between his 2009 and 2008 seasons. And Jake Fox can probably give them that for alot less money.

From the Braves point of view they get the big bat they need for the middle of their lineup, and he also fills their need for a first baseman. Lee would probably hit in the middle of the Braves lineup between Chipper Jones and Brian McCann.

Poll

Should the Cubs trade Derrek Lee to the Braves for Javier Vazquez?

King Roger Guillotined by Commoner in Paris

Ben Rothenberg, The Daily Forehand — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:53:59 -0000

There was only one upset in the matches second round matches Wednesday involving top ten players, but it was a big one. Top seed and world #1 Roger Federer fell in his first match at Paris-Bercy to France's Julien Benneteau, who pulled off the upset by the score of 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4.

With his dangerous power game clicking, Benneteau blew through an uncharacteristically listless Federer, obtaining an early break in the third game of the third set and never relented. When, Benneteau collapsed to the ground, overcome by his achievement, and continued the display of emotion into his chair, where he sat crying and bleeding. It was all very French.

Benneteau is one of the most hot-and-cold players on the tour, capable of perhaps more mind-bogglingly bad play than anyone else on the tour. He has all the weapons to beat a player of Federer's caliber (as he displayed yesterday), but also has the inconsistency to lose to someone like #155 Tomas Tenconi, who he lost to a few months ago at a challenger in Scheveningen.

Hopefully this emotional win can translate into some more consistent results for Benneteau. When he's at his best, he plays one of the cleanest power games on the tour, and tennis would be much better off for having him in the mix.

This loss, Federer's second in a row, gives him plenty of time to get back on track before he begins his quest at the year's final tournament, the World Tour Finals in London. Federer obviously has had a great deal of success in the other tournament in the London metropolitan area, and one would think he'd be able to channel some of that same Anglophilia into success at the WTF, even without any momentum from the indoor season.

There were a couple other close calls with the big names on Wednesday. Rafael Nadal had to save five match points against Nicolas Almagro in one of the lowest quality ATP matches I can remember. Andy Murray also had his hands fuller than expected, needing a third set tiebreak to oust James Blake.

After the jump, a nice highlights package from Benneteau d. Federer:

Penalties Issued For Car No. 1 Team (Martin Truex Jr.) In NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

4ever3, NASCAR Ranting and Raving — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:03:16 -0000

Hmmm ... could Earnhardt Ganasi Racing be using the #1 car of Martin Truex Jr. as a test mule for Juan Montoya's Chase run? Or maybe they could be working on some new things for next year. Or maybe they just plain old made a mistake.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 10, 2009) – NASCAR announced penalties for the car No. 1 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for a violation that occurred during post-race inspection last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

The team was penalized for violating Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-I (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-12.8.1B (front of the car did not meet the required height specification; too low in post-race inspection).

Crew chief Kevin Manion was fined $50,000 and remains on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31, 2009. Car owner Teresa Earnhardt and driver Martin Truex Jr., were penalized with the loss of 50 championship owner and 50 championship driver points, respectively.

Two NASCAR Nationwide Teams Fined, Penalized For Rule Violations At Texas Motor Speedway

4ever3, NASCAR Ranting and Raving — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:56:32 -0000

Oops! I can't believe that the 18 team would try and do that while running for a Championship, unless of course it was really a mistake/oversight on their part.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 11, 2009) –NASCAR announced today that two NASCAR Nationwide Series teams have been fined and penalized due to rule violations discovered during this past weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway.

Jason Ratcliff, crew chief of the No. 18 Toyota driven by Kyle Busch, has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31, 2009 for violating Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-I (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules) and 20A-2.3A (improperly attached weight) of the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series rule book.

Busch also was penalized with the loss of 25 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driver points while Joe Gibbs was docked 25 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship owner points.

The infractions were discovered Nov. 5 during opening-day inspection.

Additionally, Brad Parrott, crew chief of the No. 09 Ford driven by John Wes Townley, has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31, 2009 after he was found to be in violation of Section 12-1, 9-4-A (crew chief assumes responsibility for the actions of his/her driver, car owner and crew members) and 12-4-I (unapproved panhard bar adjustment during impound by a team member).

The infractions occurred on Nov. 7 during pre-race inspection.

New Book Alert!

Andrew Heffernan, Male Pattern Fitness — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:49:09 -0000

Hey Readers! Just dropping by for a quick plug!

Typically I'm not in the business of recommending products sight unseen, but with this book I'm going to have to make an exception.

A couple of years ago I walked into Alwyn Cosgrove's Results Fitness studio, just to sniff around the place and get a sense of how a pro of Alwyn's caliber makes it all happen. At the time the studio wasn't all that impressive looking (they've duded the place up significantly since), but the people working out there certainly were. This was around 11 am, and most of the folks there were 30's-40's women, but I'd never seen so many six-packs on so many women in my life.

Although she hasn't been quite as visible, Alwyn's wife Rachel Cosgrove is every bit the pro--and every bit equal partner in the Results enterprise. Moreover, she's completed an Ironman (!), successfully competed as a figure competitor (!!) AND put up some serious powerlifting numbers in competition (!!!). If that doesn't make her one of the most impressive all-around athletes you've ever encountered...well, I just don't know what planet you're living on.

Well, Rachel has a new book out and I don't care if it's for women--I'm picking it up, and I'm suggesting everyone reading this does too, just to see what this absurdly talented athlete and trainer has to say about getting in shape.

Okay--now I'm really outta here till Monday.

Andrew

My crazy, unbelievable, ridiculous story that even I don't believe

Randy Booth, Male Pattern Fitness — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:14:14 -0000

I wish I knew where to start this story. I really do. It'd make telling the story that much easier. But telling this story won't be easy and I guess it won't have a beginning, to boot. The best I can offer is to throw out as much information (as I want to divulge) as possible and you can put the pieces together. That'll have to do.

Let's get this beginning-less story started.

Let's start by me telling you what this story is, generally, about. It's about my weight-loss goal. Or, to put it more simply, my challenge to lose weight. Y'all have heard stories like this, right? Well let me throw you a few twists to really spice it up.

I've always been overweight. I never, ever remember being skinny. I don't remember it because it never happened. I was always the big kid in class. Or if you'd prefer, the "fat" kid. I've never liked that term. I don't call other people fat either, for obvious reasons. But that was me and I can't deny it or hide it. Hell, I'm still the fat kid -- but I'm starting to shed that label day by day.

To give it all some context, I'm 22 years old and I just graduated from college in May. I drank a lot of beer in college, too, just like most college students. That was my thing every weekend. I wasn't as bad as a lot of buddies of mine, but I admit to binge drinking. Haven't we all done/do it?

But beer isn't really the story here. It's a factor, I guess, but the bottom line is I've been overweight my entire life. And no, I was not drinking Bud Light when I was 5 (well, maybe I was. My dad liked to give me beer, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't getting drunk on it every Friday night. No, I definitely wasn't).

I've always been a very determined guy. That probably stems from me being overweight as well, because people always doubted me. People never thought I could do anything. I would always tell people, "I am the most athletic big man you'll ever see." And I believed it. I still believe it. I could move, man. I played almost every sport and I was pretty good, too.

And when it came to the classroom? Eh. I wasn't the best student in middle school and high school. I just kind of sucked. Bottom line. No excuses. But in college I graduated cum laude. Something just clicked, I guess.

So what does this have to do with weight loss? Well, since I loved to prove people wrong, I did it all the time. But the only thing I couldn't prove people wrong was about losing weight.

I tried. I failed. I tried again and I failed again. I could do whatever I put my mind to, it seemed, except lose weight. I have been playing this failing game for years on end. Too many to count, really.

But that all changed in April ... and January, too.

Let's start with January. My friend Janet* (name changed to protect the innocently guilty) told me she was going to be a vegetarian. I laughed at her. I told her there was no way she could do it. She told me that she could. So I said something that would forever change my life: "I bet you I could be a vegetarian longer than you."

The birth of a bet. Isn't it a beautiful thing? Our friends put money down on who would last longer. Since we are both stubborn people, I knew this would go on for awhile. But "a while" was what I expected to be a couple of months. That was a severe understatement. To this day, I am still a vegetarian (the first meat I ate was Halloween weekend. It was two "insanely hot" chicken wings that I had to have).

Becoming a vegetarian -- something I want to keep up for the rest of my life -- was big event No. 1. Big event No. 2 came in April.

Four days after my 22nd birthday, my family came down to visit me at school. My whole family -- father, brothers, sisters in laws. Everyone except my mother. My father told me she died early that morning of a heart attack. At 57 years old.

My mother wasn't a very healthy woman. She was overweight and she had other health issues. But no one expected this. It came as a shock to me and everyone else. It's still a shock, actually. It's been more than six months and it's hard for me even to put the words together.

Now what I'm going to tell you next is something I still don't believe.

Just 11 days after my mother died, my father died, too. Of a heart attack. At the age of 62.

No words.

My dad was a little overweight, but also unhealthy. He drank (not too much), he smoked (he cut back), he was a border-line diabetic and he didn't eat that well. When he was told by his doctors that he could become a diabetic, he started exercising and eating much better. It was too little, too late, unfortunately.

So now I stand here as an "orphan," as someone mentioned to me the other day. As weird as that sounds, I guess it is true. An orphan whose two parents died due to heart attacks at ages that are way too young.

How do you think I feel now?

Besides the obvious, I knew I had to get healthy. I had to lose weight and I had to get it off for good. This has led me on a great journey.

The weight loss really started when I became a vegetarian. I ate more salads, and just cutting out meat alone did wonders. I lost a good portion of weight pretty quickly. It was a great feeling. I wanted to push it more, but after I got home, I sort of stalled. I was still a vegetarian, but I wasn't working out. I was still losing weight, it just wasn't very significant.

In January, I weighed in around 318. That's the number I date my weight loss to. I was as high (I believe) as 345 a few years ago. I just looked at a photo of myself from back then and I can't believe it. It truly is unbelievable.

Now, I am proud to say, I have lost almost 73 pounds. I am at 246 now and shedding more fast. A lot of the 73 has come in the last two months or so, when I really buckled down. I cut down my intake of beer, I haven't had soda in more than a year now and I'm eating a lot of salad and brown rice-veggie combinations. Steady, consistent and boring, but it is working.

But I'm not nearly done. My goal is to lose 100 pounds in one year. If I go at my pace in the last two months, it's completely doable. My obstacles will be holidays, however (Thanskgiving and Christmas are killers on the stomach) and getting out to exercise. I do a damn good job in my tiny apartment, but being outside is definitely nice -- but not in a New Hampshire winter.

That's my goal. That's my challenge that lies ahead of me. This, for the first time, will be something that I will conquer. I am determined to do it.

And it's all for the right reasons: specifically two reasons that will forever influence my life.

Arizona Fall League: Wednesday's Roundup

raygu, FakeTeams — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:38 -0000

Getting back to the AFL action as the MLB trade rumors kept me busy yesterday. Let's take a look at Wednesday's action in Arizona:

Trayvon Robinson, OF, LAD-1-4, RS, BB. K, 2 SB (.273)

Andrew Lambo, OF, LAD-2-4, 3 RS, 3 RBI, BB, K (.353)

Casper Wells, OF-2-4, 4 RBI (.362)

Chris Heisey,OF, CIN-0-3, SB, BB, K (.320)

Yonder Alonso, 1B, CIN 0-3, BB, 2 K (.273)

Brandon Laird, 3B, NYY-2-5, 2 RS, HR, 2 RBI (.321)

Ike Davis, 1B, NYM- 2-4, RS, HR, 4 RBI (.348)

Taylor Teagarden, C, TEX-0-5, 2 K (.182)

Daryl Jones, OF, STL-1-3, 22, 2 K (.194)

David Cooper, 1B, TOR-3-4, RS, 2B (.294)

Ryan Kalish, 1B, BOS-2-4, 2 RS, HR, 3 RBI (.291)

Josh Vitters, 3B, CHC-2-5, RS, RBI (.364)

Jose Iglesias, SS, -4-4, 2 RS, SB, RBI (.269)

Ian Kennedy, SP, NYY-4.1 Inn, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 K (4.74)

Andrew Cashner, SP, CHC-3 Inn, 7 H, 4 ER, 5 K (4.32)

Nevin Ashley, C, TB-3-5, 3 RS, 2B, 2 3B, RBI (.400)

Danny Espinosa, SS, WAS-1-5, HR, 2 RBI (.306)

Josh Bell, 3B, BAL-2-5, 2B, RBI (.317)

Jose Tabata, OF, PIT-2-4, RBI, BB (.355)

Domonic Brown, OF, PHI-2-4, 3B, 2 RBI (.266)

Brandon Allen, 1B, ARI-1-4, 2B, 3 K (.166)

Willin Rosario, C, COL-0-4, 3 K (.250)

Buster Posey,C, SFG-1-3, BB, K (.230)

The Wednesday Session

gavia, Podium Cafe — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:23:19 -0000

Welcome to the Wednesday Session. Yes, it is still Wednesday here in California. Time zones, bah humbug! It’s a short Sesh this week, as the news trickles slowly in the offy. Next week, I’m thinking crayons. And let’s make it dress-up.

In the meantime, I have travelled the length and width of the internet in search of stories to share. I nearly fell off the edge. There wasn’t a warning sign or anything. Someone needs to look into this dangerious situation. It’s only a matter of time before some unwitting soul falls over the edge of the internet. Then there’ll be hell to pay, what with the lawyers and such. Fortunately, I escaped this desperate fate and I’ve returned to bring you the Sesh.

This week, more Contador, change at the Tour de France, a win for Marianne Vos, two tours for The Team The Shack, and an episode of doping dumbassery.

The Contador Cunundrum continues this week. At this point, does anyone other than Contador care? Alas, here at the Sesh we are required to care about such things. In this week’s episode of As Astana Turns, the Belgian press reported that Astana had offered the Spanish Tour winner a four year contract paying an estimated value of 8 million euros annually. That’s just silly money right there. Contador’s older brother, who serves as his agent, denied the story, but confirmed that it was very likely that Contador would ride for Astana for one more season. Yo Franny, end this thing already! The ending looks as inevitable as it ever was, thanks to the revelation that Contador can only end his contract with Astana by paying a 2 million euro buy-out fee. According to Cyclismag, this buy-out clause remains in force, despite the passing of the 20 October pro tour deadline. So crafty, those Kazakhs. At this point, the question is not whether Contador will ride for Astana, but for how long and for how much.

In the meantime, Contador has asked the team to go shopping, though that effort has not met with uninterrupted successs. One notable failure: At Contador’s request, Astana tried to hire Ivan Basso away from Liquigas. The Spanish talent wanted Basso to ride in his support. In a shocking turn of affairs, neither Basso nor Liquigas showed any interest in this proposition. Really, I can’t imagine why. At the same time, it appears that there is no room at the inn for Andrei Kashechkin. Alexandre Vinokourov revealed - or claimed - that the UCI warned the team against hiring the Kazakh who is returning from a doping suspension. The Vinokourov-Kashechkin combo is not the sort of pairing to bring smiles to the high-sticklers at the ASO. Astana proved more lucky on the management side and has added Dimitri Sedun as a sports director. Sedun formerly directed the Acca Due women’s team and is married to Nicole Brändli. Reportedly, an announcement about further hirings is imminent. I quiver in anticipation.

Worried that your team might not get an invite to the Tour de France? Spent ridiculous money hiring a major rider, but not sure you’ll actually see him race in July? Afraid that your French sponsor will not see its brand in France in July? Worry no more. The ASO is here to save the day. Christian Prudhomme confirmed today that the Tour might add two more teams to the race and bring the total to 22. This move would avoid the hard choices and hurt feelings when someone is inevitably left out. We would not want cycling to be even more like junior high than it already is. Team Sky, BMC Racing Team, and The Team The Shack all stand to benefit from the change, as all three teams have made big money investments, but do not currently carry the iron clad guarantee of a pro tour license.

On the subject of Team The Shack, the new American team may only race two of cycling’s three grand tours next season. Jaroslav Popvych confided in an interview that the team is currently debating between the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. Apparently, they are quite confident in their Tour invite. Lance Armstrong has already announced his intention of skipping the Giro d’Italia in favor of riding the more funner Tour of California. The American is going full-on for another Tour win, which may rule out a team trip to Italy in May. Twitter will be so quiet in May. I'm not sure how we will survive.

In women’s news, World Champion Marianne Vos ended the season-long winning streak of American Katie Compton today at Jaarmarktcross in Niel. Vos went hard from the start, and a group of four which included Compton, Daphne van den Brand, and Sanne Cant rode away with the race. Compton slid out in a sharp left-hand turn and the two Dutch women, Vos and van den Brand, left her behind. Vos won the two-up sprint against van den Brand, while Compton finished third. In the men’s race, Sven Nys won ahead of Niels Albert. But do we care about that? No, no we don’t. Boys are stinky.

Someone has a bad case of the stupids, and it isn’t me. Masters track racer Kenny Williams tested positive for the banned substance DHEA in a test taken at United States masters nationals in Colorado Springs. In a letter first published at cycle-smart.com, Williams called the decision to take the drug a mistake and said that he had only taken it once. Right, because we’ve never heard that story before. But hey, maybe this time it’s true. And maybe the earth is flat. First time or no, doping for masters racing is stupid. ‘nuff said.

Moving on to better things. Ivan Dominguez has signed with Jamis-Sutter Home for next season. The U.S.-based team also includes sprinters Lucas Haedo and Alejandro Borrajo. The announcement marks the third team change for Dominguez in the last twelve months, after he ended his contract with Fuji-Servetto to ride for Rock Racing on the North American circuit. With Dominguez on board, the team looks ready to scoop up some serious cash on the crit circuit.

Basque company Ampo - and no, I don’t know what they make, but it doesn't sound edible - served as co-sponsor to Contentpolis this last season and brought four Basque riders to the roster, Aitor Perez, Dioni Galparsoro, Mikel Gaztanaga, and Gorka Izaguirre. It’s not clear whether Contentpolis will continue as a sponsor, and if they don’t, Ampo may make the switch to sponsoring Footon-Servetto. Presumably, Ampo would bring their Basque riders with them and might bring David Herrero of Xacobeo-Galicia to Footon-Servetto and renew the contract of Iker Camano. The deadline for Contentpolis to make the sponsorship decision is 15 November. Mark your calenders.

Gilberto Simoni may retire after all. The Simoni contract saga has waxed and waned through this transfer season. Yes, I do think that is the worst sentence I’ve ever written. Rumor connected the two-time Giro d’Italia winner with Lampre-Vini Farnese, which promised endless humor value as he lined up with former arch-enemy Damiano Cunego, and Astana, which promised very little humor, but no doubt considerably more money. No announcements have come from either team and the latest news suggests that Simoni will retire. In somewhat related news, Lampre-Vini Farnese has signed Danilo Hondo. The signing reportedly comes at the request of Alessandro Petacchi. Maybe they can swap What I Did While I Was Suspended stories, as both sprinters have served doping suspensions. Apparently, Pat McQuaid could not be bothered with warning Lampre about hiring their second post-suspension rider, as he did with Astana. Busy man, that McQuaid.

The Sports Arbitration Court is also busy these days. Far, far, far too busy to consider the case of Alejandro Valverde. Yes, the Court has postponed consideration of the Valverde case yet again. They might look into it after the first of the year. Or, they might not. Really, I’m running out of things to say about this story. So I'll just stop. Someone let me know when it's over.

And that’s all for the Sesh, this week. Next week, more Sesh, because more is better.

Lates!
~Gav.

Beltgate Update: Ric has a very good explanation for all this, he swears...

Bix, Cageside Seats — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:44:24 -0000

According to Dave Meltzer in the newest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Conbraco, the plumbing and heating valve company that rightfully owns the old NWA World Heavyweight Title belt pictured about is owned by a good friend of Ric Flair. Apparently, Flair borrowed $300,000 from Conbraco using all of his wrestling memorabilia as collateral "partially" so said memorabilia would be in the hands of a friend of his, as his now ex-wife Tiffany sold one of his ring robes and he wasn't aware of that fact until the buyer explained it to him at an appearance (while wearing the robe).

As far as Highspots goes, they are hoping that Flair will pay back the Conbraco loan soon, making them the legal owners of the belt, since he used it as collateral to get a loan from them after the Conbraco deal, freeing them to sell it to the highest bidder. That said, Flair disputes the amount that Highspots says he owes them because he's done autograph sessions for them "above and beyond" what they paid him for.

The Ric Flair Divorce Pool Starts Today

Bix, Cageside Seats — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:07:02 -0000

Yes, he's getting married for the 4th time today to a lass named Jackie Beems. Here they are earlier this year:

She follows in the footsteps of the Jewess that gave birth to David (and Meghan) whose name I don't know, Beth, the mother of Reid (and Ashley), who accused Ric of blading when they got into fights so it would look like he attacked her (leading to Ric quickly agreeing to her terms when they divorced so more wouldn't come out), and Tiffany VanDeMark, the very comely "fitness competitor" who separated from Ric within months of their wedding. There's no word yet as to what Ric is planning to pawn when they split.

---

Edited to add BREAKING NEWS:

This photo just went up at People of Walmart:

Marat Safin Bids Adieu in Paris

Ben Rothenberg, The Daily Forehand — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:21:12 -0000

Another Marat who met his end in Paris. Image via wikimedia.org

View full size photo »

In his last ATP match, wild card Marat Safin fell 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to fifth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, in a valiant effort befitting the great tennis abilities he showed over his career.

The story of the middle part of this match was mostly about nerves, surprisingly more del Potro's than Safin's. It can't be an easy thing to be charged with terminating a colleague's career, which was exactly the task set before del Potro. Del Potro completely choked away the second set, breaking himself at 5-6, but obtained and held onto an early break in the third that gave him the win.

Safin was pretty thoroughly outplayed throughout the entire match, but managed to keep things uncomfortable for del Potro with some aggressive serving and go for broke groundstrokes, always aiming for the lines constantly with little if any margin for error. He fired 15 aces during the match, and threw in another dozen or so service winners, including some on match points late in the third to force del Potro to serve it out.

As the PA played "Crimson and Clover," Safin gathered for photos with a collection of some nice names from the recent past of tennis (Younes El Aynaoui, Marc Rosset, Albert Portas, Cedric Pioline) as well as some current tournament entrants who didn't have anything else going on at that time in the afternoon (del Potro, Novak Djokovic, Gilles Simon, Ivo Karlovic, Tommy Robredo). Safin was presented a key to the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, though it was mounted to a glass stand so it's unclear how it would actually open any doors.

I'll have more of a big-picture retrospective on Safin's time in tennis during his profile in the upcoming series on the top ten ATP players of the decade, which will run on The Daily Forehand during the off-season (along with a parallel series for the WTA). There were as many big downs as big ups in Safin's relatively short career, but it's better to have burned brightly and quickly than never to have shone at all, I suppose.

Skil-Shimano 2010 Roster

Chris..., Podium Cafe — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:14:47 -0000

Courtesy of Radsport:

Piet Rooijakkers, Albert Timmer, Tom Veelers, Roy Curvers, Kenny van Hummel, Koen de Kort, Floris Goesinnen, Robin Chaigneau, Job Vissers (NED), Thierry Hupond, David Deroo, Steve Houanard, Yann Huguet, Alexandre Geniez (FRA), Robert Wagner, Simon Geschke (GER), Bert De Backer, Dominique Cornu (BEL), Yukihiro Doi, Fumiyuki Beppu (beide JAP), Feng Han, Long Jin, Cheng Ji (alle CHI), Frederik Wilmann (NOR), Mitchell Docker (AUS).

Not many changes from last year, when they threw a mix of sprinters and classics guys into the field with the odd nice result. Kenny van Hummel is the folk hero, along with being a solid sprinter. Some young talent in guys like Veelers for the classics. The biggest news is the arrival of Dominique Cornu from Quick Step. Cornu is a stage racer with a solid rep against the watch. At 24, there's time for him to add the climbing piece, though whether that ever gets him beyond the middlin' one-week events to the bigger stuff remains to be seen.

Oh, and the Asian cyclists... having some connections to that part of the world, I find it cool that they are investing in Japanese and Chinese riders. It's a beachhead. Check back in a decade or so.

Introducing Guest Blogger Randy Booth!

Andrew Heffernan, Male Pattern Fitness — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:02:56 -0000

Hey there, readers: I'm out of town through the end of the week and only intermittently online...but fear not--I have arranged to have a fellow SB Nation blogger, Randy Booth, sub in for me (check out his Red Sox blog, "Over The Monster."). Randy contacted me a few weeks ago to tell me about an impressive weight-loss venture he's recently undertaken, and I asked if he'd be willing to share some of his experiences on MPF...he was, happily, game! So...enjoy, and I'll be back in the blogging saddle on Monday.

Andrew

The Daily Forehand Talks to Tomas Berdych (Part 2)

Ben Rothenberg, The Daily Forehand — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:36:59 -0000

Tomas Berdych, via The Daily Forehand's Tomas Berdych Gallery

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As promised, here is the second part of the interview I did a little while back with Tomas Berdych. Since making some waves with his comments about Nicole Vaidisova in the first part of the interview, Berdych has had a pretty decent run through the Asian swing and European indoor circuit, making the quarterfinals in Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo, then notching two big wins in Shanghai before crashing out to Gilles Simon, who would also take him out last week in Valencia.

Along with the rest of the upper echelon of the ATP Paris Bercy Masters 1000 this week, a tournament he won in 2005. Berdych won his first round match on Monday over Vincent Millot, and faces #14-seed Tommy Robredo in the second round later today. Should he win that match, it lines up a potentialthird-round match with Rafael Nadal, a player against whom Berdych has had a very decent amount of success in his career.

After the jump, the second (and final) part of my interview with the current ATP #20.

TDF: You’ve won a lot of close matches in your career. You won three third set tiebreakers in Munich on your way to winning the title there this year, so you know how to close out long, tough matches. But you’ve also had times when you’ve had leads and then lost, most famously against Federer at the Australian Open this year. What do you think it is you’re doing right when you are able to close out those matches, and what happens when you let leads slip? Is it all mental?

Tomas Berdych: It could be. It could be mental when I’m winning the close matches, like those three in Munich, and a couple others. I’m not giving up until the last point.

For the other side, like the match with Federer—I started so good. I was playing my best tennis. I took two sets lead, then it was 3-all. I just lost a really close game on my serve, so it was 3-4. And then…yeah. You’re playing with the best player ever, and if you just give him one chance he’s going to take it. That’s what happened in that match, and really in the end it was really close. There was no chance to step up and take advantage of something. He just took his chance, and he won it.

TDF: Do you think once he got that break in the third set it was over?

Tomas Berdych: Well, of course, yeah. I lost my serve. And nothing happened after. And then OK, yeah, I lost the set. I think my mistake was that I was not able to stay with him on my serve. I always lost my serve in the beginning of the set, and that gives him so much confidence.

If you stay and you are close to him—3-all, 4-all, 5-all—he can be under pressure and can make mistakes.

But if you give him the chance to make a break in the first game, he’ll stay ahead. So it’s tough.

TDF: You’ve had a lot of success on a lot of different surfaces. You’ve won titles on carpet, grass, clay, and hard court, one of the few players who has been able to do that. What do you think is your best surface, and which grand slam do you think you have the best chance of making a good run in or winning?

Tomas Berdych: I would say that it’s because of the country where I was born. In the Czech Republic, when you are young, you play half of the year indoors on the fast surface in winter, and then the other half of the year you play outdoor clay. That’s why I think I can play on every surface.

But my favorite I would say it’s hard court, or maybe something a little bit faster, like grass. Something faster, like when I won the title in Tokyo. But then my best result in a grand slam, quarterfinal, was at Wimbledon. So yeah, something fast, like US Open, maybe Wimbledon.

TDF: You’ve finished the year as the Czech #1 for three years in a row now. Is that an important title for you, something you take particular pride in?

Tomas Berdych: Well, it’s not too bad (laughs). It’s good to have it, but I think it would be a little bit better if there was more Czech players, and if it wasn’t so much only about me and Radek [Stepanek].

The others, they still need a little bit more experience, and some other things. If there is going to be, you know, competition between four, five, six players, then it would be a really good thing for me.

But anyway, it’s still good (laughs).

TDF: Of all the matches you’ve played in your career, which one are you most proud of?

Tomas Berdych: Well I think my best, the one that stays in my memory…it’s tough to say. I think it was the first big victory against Roger [Federer], at the Olympic Games in Athens. Because I was really coming up, and until that time I was playing challengers, and really small tournaments. I was around #80-90, I was one of the last players in the draw. So I had just gotten in, and in the second round I was facing the #1 seed. So for me it was the best match ever.

But then, for the finals in Paris Bercy, I was two sets up, and the match was looking pretty good for me. Then I lost two sets, and then I found out what it’s like to have a big chance to win that tournament. So these two would be it for me.

TDF: Because you had a bunch of big wins like that early in your career, a lot of people were expecting that maybe you would get to top five quickly, and maybe make some grand slam finals. Do you think you’ve had as much success as you should have, and are you happy with how the last five years have gone?

Tomas Berdych: I would say it’s OK. Of course, it could be better, definitely. But in tennis, it’s a very close sport. You’re facing so many good players every week. You have to travel. All of the tennis life is very tough to be a professional.

So far, the most important thing is that I am staying healthy. No bad problems, or long injuries, which is the most important thing.

I’m trying to do, every day, 100%, even if I’m resting or practicing. In my mind I’ve done everything that I could, and that’s it. I hope it’s going to get better—that’s why I’m playing.

TDF: One last question--what would you like to accomplish in the rest of your career? Is there anything you think you need to accomplish to make your career a success?

Tomas Berdych: Yeah, of course. You build up experience every year. Every year, that gives you more. And after winning a couple of matches, losing matches, you just take that together in your experience, and it moves you a little bit up.

So yeah, I hope the consistency of my game, the main thing my coach and me are trying to work on, gets better. If I can keep it for longer periods of time, that’s going to be the best thing that I can do for my future.

I think it’s going to come together with consistency. If you ask a player "do you want to win the US Open?" of course he is going to say yes. If you beat all the players that you think can win the tournament, it can build up your confidence. But really, you need the consistency to make it work.

Pensburgh Gives NESN the Primer on the Pittsburgh Penguins

Tyler Bleszinski, Blog Huddle — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:00:36 -0000

New England Sports Network knows where to go to get the inside view on one of the Boston Bruins opponents. They turned to Frank Della Femina from SB Nation blog Pensburgh for the insight on the Pittsburgh Penguins.