Sports Info and Highlights

Soccer - Premier League: Manchester City seal title at the last as Sergio Agüero sinks QPR

2012-05-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

"The only word to describe it is bedlam. Manchester City are the champions, but that tells only part of the story of a day when it was difficult to know if there were enough superlatives in existence to describe what happened in the final, dramatic moments of the title race.

There can be only one other moment to compete with this and it was Michael Thomas's winner for Arsenal at Anfield in 1989. Roberto Mancini's team had been 2-1 down going into stoppage time, on the verge of a defeat that would have gone straight in at No1 in their portfolio of harrowing City stories. There were supporters leaving the ground in tears, scarcely believing the team could have been so reckless.

But then Edin Dzeko equalised and, suddenly, there was one last assault of the opposition goal. Four of the five minutes of extra-time had elapsed when the ball fell to Sergio Agüero. His finish was clinical and this was the moment football blurred with pandemonium.

City had played with their supporters' nerves to the point of brutality.

Pablo Zabaleta's 39th-minute goal really ought to have made this a far easier assignment but the entire complexion of the game changed two minutes into the second half when Joleon Lescott's mistimed header allowed Djibril Cissé to run clear and drive in the equaliser.

Joey Barton was then sent off for tangling with Carlos Tevez and, in the most remarkable scenes, quickly made it apparent he was not going to go quietly, felling Agüero with a knee to the back of his legs and trying to prolong the argument with any City player in his proximity.

What followed was extraordinary even before the game reached its conclusion. A man down, QPR went into a 66th-minute lead when Jamie Mackie headed in the substitute Arman Traoré's cross and, after that, there were periods when City seemed totally devoid of ideas. The title was heading Manchester United's way until the final, dramatic flourish and a celebration that will never be forgotten." @ guardian.co.uk

Manchester City 3-2 Queens Park Rangers por fasthighlights-2012

NHL - Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 3

2012-05-13T08:48:00.003-07:00

We already know the brackets for the round 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the biggest surprise on this playoffs are the LA Kings because they already defeated the #1 and #2 seed of their Conference.

#8 LA Kings vs PHX Coyotes #3
Series Tied 0-0

#6 NJ Devils vs NY Rangers #1
Series Tied 0-0

Soccer - Real Madrid win BBVA League

2012-05-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

Real stars savour Liga triumph

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo savoured his team's La Liga success on Thursday evening, claiming the title was fully deserved for their performances this season.

The capital club clinched their first La Liga crown since 2008 last night with a 3-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao. Coach Jose Mourinho and his players celebrated in customary fashion this evening by the Cibeles fountain, where thousands of Real Madrid fans were waiting to greet them after their open-top bus ride from the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo said: "I feel incredibly happy. This is my first Spanish league title and I'm delighted about it. We've had a spectacular season and the fans deserve this. The team also deserves the title because we've played phenomenally well. I am very happy.

"I wish to thank everyone here. We're having a lot of fun and we want to win again next year to return. There are two games left in the championship and we've achieved our objective of winning the league. I'm not too worried about not winning the Pichichi (top scorer in La Liga) this year. We'll see what happens in the end."

Real Madrid's success ended a run of three straight titles for bitter rivals Barça, and striker Karim Benzema now wants Mourinho's men to embark on a streak of their own. "This is a dream come true for me and we will keep up the good work to win many more titles," the French international said. "We thank the fans for this."

Full-back Marcelo added: "I am very happy. This is an incredible team. Our fans are also extraordinary and we want to enjoy this with them. The atmosphere in the squad is marvellous. We all help each other and that helps us grow constantly."

More success for Mourinho
The title was a seventh domestic crown for Mourinho, and the Portuguese earlier insisted it was the toughest of his career. Mourinho has now won titles in four different countries following previous successes with Porto in his native Portugal, Chelsea in England and Inter Milan in Italy. But the 49-year-old believes holding off the threat of Barcelona lends extra weight to the achievement.

He told RealMadridTV: "I won the league title in Portugal, Italy and England, but this one has been the toughest. I've won seven league titles overall and I know what it feels like. Barcelona won all their games, as befits the great team that they are. They've been winning to the very last day. They are a club with great tradition that knows we deserved to win this title."

Real visit Granada this weekend before completing their league programme at home to Real Mallorca. Mourinho added: "We have to celebrate this championship (but then) we have to continue working after tomorrow because next season will also be tough and we have games to play still in this campaign. This team deserves even more emotion and affection, and I expect the Bernabeu to give it to them in our match against Mallorca."

Midfielder Xabi Alonso was another who felt edging out Barça was a significant achievement. The Spanish international said: "We finally managed to win La Liga. It's been a long season and there's a lot of merit in winning the title with two games left in the championship. We have to enjoy it now.

"We competed all season with a great opponent like Barcelona, and that's why there's so much merit in winning the title before the campaign ends. We've had a great run. We've been regular and consistent. I dedicate this to my family, friends and all Madridistas." @ fifa.com

NBA - Playoffs: Round 1 [Updated]

2012-05-04T06:03:00.003-07:00

SA Spurs vs UTA Jazz
SA Spurs wins Series 4-0
UTA 91 - 106 SAS
UTA 83 - 114 SAS
SAS 102 - 90 UTA
SAS 87 - 81 UTA

OKC Thunder vs DAL Mavericks
OKC wins Series 4-0
DAL 98 - 99 OKC
DAL 99 - 102 OKC
OKC 95 - DAL 79
OKC 103 - DAL 97

LA Lakers vs DEN Nuggets
LA wins series 4-3
DEN 88 - LAL 103
DEN 100 - LAL 104
LAL 84 - 99 DEN
LAL 92 - 88 DEN
DEN 102 - LAL 99

LAL 96 - 113 DEN

DEN 87 - LAL 96

LA Clippers vs MEM Grizzlies
Series Tied 3-3
LAC 99 - 98 MEM
LAC 98 - 105 MEM
MEM 86 - 97 LAC
MEM 97 - 101 LAC

LAC 80 - 92 MEM

MEM 90 - 88 LAC

CHI Bulls vs PHI 76ers
PHI wins Series 4-2
PHI 91 - 103 CHI
PHI 109 - 92 CHI
CHI 74 - 79 PHI
CHI 82 - 89 PHI

PHI 69 - 77 CHI

CHI 78 - 79 PHI

MIA Heat vs NY Knicks
MIA wins Series 4-1
NYK 67 - 100 MIA
NYK 94 - 104 MIA
MIA 87 - 70 NYK
MIA 87 - 89 NYK

NYK 94 - 106 MIA

IND Pacers vs ORL Magic
IND wins Series 4-1
ORL 81 - 77 IND
ORL 78 - 93 IND
IND 97 - 74 ORL
IND 101 - 99 ORL

ORL 87 - 105 IND

ATL Hawks vs BOS Celtics
BOS wins Series 4-2
BOS 74 - 83 ATL
BOS 87 - 80 ATL
ATL 84 - 90 BOS
ATL 79 - 101 BOS

BOS 86 - 87 ATL

ATL 80 - 83 BOS

NHL - Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 2 [Update]

2012-05-04T05:55:00.001-07:00

With 3 games played in each series, almost all of them are very hard-fought. The LA Kings are again the most surprising team, because they are already winning the series by 3-0 and, after defeating the #1 seed, they are 1 victory away to defeat the #2 seed.

----Update
The LA Kings already clinched the series with a 4-0 result. The Kings already defeated the #1 and #2 seed of their conference.

The PHX Coyotes won the series too (4-1).

#8 LA Kings vs ST Louis Blues #2
LA Kings wins Series: 4-0
Game 1 at STL:
Kings 3 - 1 Blues

Game 2 at STL:
Kings 5 - 2 Blues

Game 3 at LA:
Blues 2 - 4 Kings

Game 3 at LA:
Blues 1 - 3 Kings

#4 Nashville Predators vs PHX Coyotes #3
PHX Coyotes wins Series: 4-1
Game 1 at PHX:
Predators 3 - 4 Coyotes

Game 2 at PHX:
Predators 3 - 5 Coyotes

Game 3 at Nashville:
Coyotes 0 - 2 Predators

Game 4 at Nashville:
Coyotes 1 - 0 Predators

Game 5 at PHX:
Predators 1 - 2 Coyotes

#6 NJ Devils vs PHI Flyers #5
NJ Devils leads Series: 3-1
Game 1 at PHI:
Devils 3 - 4 Flyers

Game 2 at PHI:
Devils 4 - 1 Flyers

Game 3 at NJ:
Flyers 3 - 4 Devils

Game 3 at NJ:
Flyers 2 - 4 Devils

#7 WSH Capitals vs NY Rangers #1
NY Rangers leads Series: 3-2
Game 1 at NY:
Capitals 1 - 3 Rangers

Game 1 at NY:
Capitals 3 - 2 Rangers

Game 3 at WSH:
Rangers 2 - 1 Capitals

Game 4 at WSH:
Rangers 2 - 3 Capitals

Game 5 at NY:
Capitals 2 - 3 Rangers

NHL - Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round 2

2012-04-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

The Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs started yesterday with victory of Phoenix against Nashvilee (4-3).

Here's the Playoffs bracket for the Round 2:

West
LA Kings vs ST Louis Blues
Nashville Predators vs Phoenix Coyotes

East
Washington Capitals vs NY Rangers
NJ Devils vs PHI Flyers

NBA - Playoff Bracket

2012-04-27T14:02:00.001-07:00

With the "mini" regular season over, it's time to the playoffs. The regular season was very difficult because the players average only 1 day of rest between games. We saw a lots of injuries because of the intensity and the huge amount of games played with so little days. Every game was important, a 4th seed team could lose the playoff spot with just one loss. I'm a Lakers fan but it will be difficult to win the championship. I think that the semi-finalist will be the SA Spurs, OKC Thunder, CHI Bulls and MIA Heat. I would love to see the Thunder win the championship (if LA is already eliminated) because they have such a young an great team built with the draft and I think that Kevin Durant deserves a championship.

Here's the Playoff Bracket:

NFL - Draft 2012: 1st Round

2012-04-27T04:14:00.003-07:00

With the 1st round of the nfl 2012 Draft, We got plenty of surprises like the 1st DT drafted: Dontari Poe, David DeCastro sliding to 24, Melvin Ingram only to the 18th pick and a record of trades.

Here's the picks in the first round:

1. Indianapolis -- Andrew Luck, quarterback from Stanford
2. Washington -- Robert Griffin III, quarterback from Baylor
3. Cleveland -- Trent Richardson, running back from Alabama
4. Minnesota -- Matt Kalil, offensive tackle from Southern California
5. Jacksonville - Justin Blackmon, wide receiver from Oklahoma State
6. Dallas - Morris Claiborne, cornerback from LSU
7. Tampa Bay - Mark Barron, defensive back from Alabama
8 . Miami - Ryan Tannehill, quarterback from Texas A & M
9 . Carolina - Luke Kuechly, linebacker from Boston College
10. Buffalo - Stephon Gilmore, cornerback from South Carolina
11. Kansas City - Dontari Poe, defensive tackle from Memphis
12 Philadelphia - Fletcher Cox, defensive tackle from Mississippi State
13. Arizona - Michael Floyd, wide receiver from Notre Dame
14. St. Louis - Michael Brockers, defensive tackle from LSU
15. Seattle - Bruce Irvin, linebacker from West Virginia
16. New York Jets - Quinton Coples, defensive end from North Carolina
17. Cincinnati - Dre Kirkpatrick, cornerback from Alabama
18. - San Diego - Melvin Ingram, defensive end from South Carolina
19. Chicago - Shea McClellin, linebacker from Boise State
20. Tennessee - Kendall Wright, wide receiver from Baylor
21. New England (acquired from Cincinnati) - Chandler Jones, defensive end from Syracuse
22. Cleveland - Brandon Weeden, quarterback from Oklahoma State
23. Riley Feiff, offensive tackle from Iowa
24. Pittsburgh - David DeCastro, offensive guard from Stanford
25. New England (from Denver) - Dont'a Hightower, linebacker from Alabama
26. Houston - Whitney Mercilus, defensive end from Illinois
27. Cincinnati - Kevin Zeitler, offensive guard from Wisconsin
28. Green Bay - Nick Perry , defensive end from USC
29. Minnesota (from Baltimore) - Harrison Smith, defensive back from Notre Dame
30. San Francisco - A.J. Jenkins, wide receiver from Illinois
31. Tampa Bay (from Denver, New England) - Doug Martin, running back from Boise State
32. New York Giants - David Wilson, running back from Virginia Tech

Here's the list of the 1st Round Traded Picks:

# 2 and # 6 - Washington receives the St. Louis's 2012 1st round pick (# 2) for a 2012 (# 6), 2013 and 2014 1st round pick, as well as a 2012 2nd round pick (# 39).

# 3 and # 4 - Cleveland receives Minnesota's 2012 1st round pick (# 3) for Cleveland's 1st (# 4), 4th (# 118), 5th (# 139), and 7th (# 211) round pick.

# 5 and # 7 - Jacksonville receives Tampa Bay's 2012 1st (# 5) round pick for Jacksonville's 2012 1st (# 7) and 4th (# 101) round pick .

# 6 and # 14 - Dallas receives St. Louis's 2012 1st (# 6) round pick (via Wash.) for Dallas' 1st (# 14) and 2nd (# 45) round pick.

# 12 and # 15 - Philadelphia receives Seattle's 2012 1st (# 12) for Philadelphia's 1st (# 15), 4th (# 114) and 6th (# 172) round picks.

# 17 - Cincinnati receives Oakland's 2012 1st round pick and a 2013 conditional pick (1st round pick if Oakland wins a playoff game this year, a 2nd round pick if they don't) for QB Carson Palmer.

# 21 and # 27 - New England receives Cincinnati's 1st (# 21) round pick for New England's 1st (# 27 via NO) and 3rd (# 93) round pick .

# 22 - Cleveland receives Atlanta's 2012 1st and 4th round pick, 2011 1st (#27 - Jonathan Baldwin - Cleveland traded up to #21 - Phil Taylor ), 2nd (#59 - Greg Little) , and 4th (#124 - Owen Marecic) round picks for a 2011 1st round pick (#6).

# 25 and # 31 - New England receives Denver's 2012 1st (# 25) for New England's 1st (# 31) and 4th (# 126) round draft pick.

# 27 - New England receives New Orleans 2012 1st round pick and a 2011 2nd round pick (#56 - Shane Vereen) for 2011 1st round pick (#28 - Mark Ingram).

# 29 - Minnesota receives Baltimore's 2012 1st (# 29) round pick for Minnesota's 2nd (# 35) and 4th (# 98) round draft pick.

# 31 - Tampa Bay receives Denver's 1st (# 31 - via NE) and 4th (# 120) round draft pick for Tampa Bay's 2012 2nd (# 36) and 4th (# 101) round draft picks.

NFL - Schedules released

2012-04-22T05:41:00.001-07:00

The 2012 NFL Regular Season Schedules were already released. You can check them at:

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17

Soccer - Borussia Dortmund assured Bundesliga Championship

2012-04-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

"Borussia Dortmund retained the Bundesliga title when it beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0 Saturday. It was Dortmund's eighth German league championship.

Ivan Perisic scored in the 23rd minute and Shinji Kagawa got the celebrations under way in the 59th.

Dortmund has an unassailable eight-point lead over Bayern Munich with two rounds to play. The team also sealed the title at the same stage last season.

Dortmund stretched its record unbeaten run in a season to 26 games. It became the first team other than Bayern to retain the title since it last did so 16 years ago.

Franck Ribery kept Bayern's slim hopes alive hours earlier when he scored in the 90th minute to earn his team a 2-1 win at Werder Bremen.

Elsewhere, U.S. under-23 player Andrew Wooten scored his first Bundesliga goal for Kaiserslautern, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead in the 38th minute of a 2-1 win at Hertha Berlin." @ espn.com

NHL - Playoffs

2012-04-17T06:27:00.002-07:00

The battle for the Stanley Cup has started. Some teams are already well underway to move to the next round as the LA Kings and PHI Flyers that are already winning 3-0. The biggest surprise is the LA Kings who were the eighth seed from the west and are winning the series 3-0 against the first seed: Vancouver Canucks.

NBA - Standings @ 17th March

2012-04-17T06:26:00.001-07:00

With just six games to finish the NBA regular season, there are still some places in dispute to the access of the playoffs. With the regular season reduced to 66 games, every defeat has an even greater value, a team that is on the top seed can be out of the playoff's place with just one loss.

Soccer - BBVA League Standings after 32 fixtures

2012-04-13T11:14:00.004-07:00

Spanish BBVA Soccer League Standings after 32 fixtures:

Soccer - Premier League Standings after 33 fixture

2012-04-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

English Premier Soccer League Standings after 33 fixtures:

Soccer - Eredivisie League Standings after 29 fixtures

2012-04-13T11:13:00.001-07:00

Soccer - Bundesleague Standings after 30 fixtures

2012-04-13T11:11:00.001-07:00

Soccer - Serie A Standings after 32 fixtures

2012-04-13T11:10:00.002-07:00

NCAA - Basketball: Kentucky Wins National Championship

2012-04-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

NCAA Basketball: Kentucky Wins the National Championship Game. Video with some of the highlights of the game:

NFL - Mock Draft [Updated]

2012-04-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

With the NFL Draft approaching, I leave with some of the expert predictions of the 1st Round:

NCAA - Basketball: March Madness [Updated]

2012-03-30T16:52:00.003-07:00

NHL - Standings @ 31st March

2012-03-30T16:49:00.003-07:00

NBA - Standings @ 31st March

2012-03-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

NFL - Saints penalized for "bounty" violations

2012-03-21T13:08:00.002-07:00

"The NFL announced Wednesday that New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton will be suspended for one season without pay for his involvement in the team's bounty program. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended for eight games. Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely.

The team has also been fined $500,000 and will have to give up its second-round picks in the 2012 and 2013 NFL Drafts.

The league said in a news release that the involvement of individual players in the program is still being reviewed, and that any discipline will be announced at a future time.

In addition, Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt has been suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2012 season.

Payton's suspension will begin April 1 and last for the entire 2012 season. Loomis' suspension, which is also without pay, will be for the first eight games of the 2012 season.

Williams, who was hired to be the St. Louis Rams' defensive coordinator earlier this year, will have his status reviewed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after the 2012 regular season has ended, according to the release. Goodell will then decide if Williams should be reinstated.

Sources close to Williams told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora that they were shocked by the news. The sources said they had been expecting a shorter suspension, something like a month or six games, and had been hoping for something that would last less than half a season.

The release spelled out Williams' involvement in the program, which was extensive. According to the release, he helped fund the pool that rewards came from, in addition to being the architect of the scheme.

Saints quarterback reacted very strongly to Payton's punishment.

"I am speechless," Brees wrote via his Twitter account. "Sean Payton is a great man, coach, and mentor. The best there is. I need to hear an explanation for this punishment."

Williams and Vitt also "misled" the league in its attempts to investigate the program, and Williams kept the program going in 2010.

It had already been known that Brett Favre and Kurt Warner had been among the quarterbacks targeted by the program. On Wednesday, the league's release revealed that the Panthers' Cam Newton and the Packers' had also been targeted.

The NFL also issued a news release in which it announced that the rest of the teams in the league have been told by Goodell that they must ensure bounty programs are not in place. Owners and head coaches are required to provide a written guarantee to Goodell by March 30.

"Bounty programs have no place in our game," Goodell said in that release. "They are incompatible with our efforts to promote sportsmanship, fair play, and player safety."

The NFL revealed March 2 the findings of a lengthy investigation into a Saints "bounty" program that gave thousands of dollars in payoffs to players for hits that knocked opponents out of games. The program, administered by Williams, reached its height in 2009, the season the Saints won the Super Bowl.

The program ran in violation of league rules, and the investigation showed that Saints players received $1,500 for a "knockout" hit and $1,000 for a "cart-off" hit, with payouts doubling or tripling during the team's three playoff appearances.

The NFL Players Association formally requested that the league not punish the 22 to 27 players it cited in the scandal until the union had completed its independent investigation, which is underway, an NFLPA source told NFL.com's Steve Wyche." @ nfl.com

NFL - Hines Ward announces retirement

2012-03-20T11:54:00.001-07:00

NFL - Peyton Manning chooses Broncos

2012-03-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

Peyton Manning chooses Broncos over Titans, 49ers.

"Peyton Manning is finalizing a contract with the Denver Broncos, a league source told NFL Network's Michael Lombardi on Monday.

Manning called Broncos vice president of football operations John Elway on Monday to inform him of his decision.
The Broncos already have looked into a trade of quarterback Tim Tebow and currently are looking for a trade partner, a source told NFL Network's Albert Breer.
Broncos wideout Eric Decker, who had 44 receptions for 612 yards with eight touchdowns in 2011, told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora that he expects the offense to change with Manning now under center and that Manning would run the system from the line of scrimmage.
"More of the offense will be in Peyton's hands," Decker said.

The Broncos were one of three finalists for the four-time NFL MVP, as the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers fell just short of the Broncos in the race to sign Manning. The Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins also were in the hunt and earned meetings with Manning but ultimately did not make the final three.
Manning and Titans head coach Mike Munchak hit it off during the quarterback's meeting with the team. It was very hard for Manning to call Munchak this morning and inform him of his decision to go to Denver, a source close to the situation told NFL Network's Michelle Beisner.
Manning personally called Titans owner Bud Adams, who had offered Manning a lifetime contract with the Titans, to let him know of his choice, according to The Tennessean. The newspaper reported that Adams was disappointed, but he was glad his team made a run at the quarterback.

"I was hoping we would win out," Adams told The Tennessean. "I thought we'd be ahead of Denver. I thought he'd want to stay in Tennessee."

Adams told the newspaper that he jokingly told Manning, "He was going into high altitude, so he better start getting in shape."

The Broncos flew to Durham, N.C., to watch Manning throw at nearby Duke University last Friday. The Broncos' contingent was led by Elway, coach John Fox, general manager Brian Xanders, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, quarterbacks coach Adam Gase and medical personnel.

"We enjoyed visiting with Peyton today in N.C.," Elway tweeted after the session. "He threw the ball great and looked very comfortable out there. Watching him throw today was the next step in this important process for our team and Peyton. It was a productive visit and went well."

The Indianapolis Colts released Manning on March 7, ending a 14-year relationship between the team and its franchise quarterback.

The Colts' decision to part ways with the four-time MVP, who has thrown for over 54,000 career yards with 399 touchdowns, did not come as a surprise. Manning missed all of 2011 after undergoing neck surgery the week before the start of the regular season. He was due to receive a $28 million roster bonus if he had been with the Colts, a team currently in rebuilding mode with a new coach and general manager, at the start of the league year." @ nfl.com