NBey6's Blog

Sunday, May 30, 2010
Petrova rocks No. 2-seeded Venus

ESPN.com news services

PARIS -- So much for the thought that this might be the year Venus Williams would make a strong showing at the French Open.

 

So much for the thought that she and her younger sister Serena Williams, the tournament's two top-seeded women, could deliver another all-Williams Grand Slam final.

 

Displaying little of the spark or strokes she regularly produces on grass and hard courts, and playing little like someone with the tour's best 2010 winning percentage, Williams stalled on the red clay of Roland Garros yet again Sunday, exiting in the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-3 loss to No. 19 Nadia Petrova.

 

 

"I don't think the conditions are always ideal here. ... You might not be used to it or you might not get a good bounce," said the No. 2-seeded Williams, who began the day 29-4 this season, including 15-2 on clay. "That's just the way this tournament goes."

 

For her, anyway. The American's seven major titles all came at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open, and only once has she made it to the semifinals in 14 French Open appearances -- back in 2002, when she lost to Serena in the championship match.

 

Williams complained about the temperatures in the 50s and swirling winds that reached 15 mph, and wore a long-sleeved top over her much-discussed black lace dress. She didn't exactly heap praise on Petrova, now a win away from reaching her third French Open semifinal.

 

"I don't think she did anything super special," Williams said, "but she just played a little bit more consistently."

 

Actually, Petrova concurred with that assessment, calling her own play "solid."

 

"I came up with the good shots when it was necessary," she said. "That's it. I don't think I've done anything spectacular today."

 

Petrova will face No. 5 Elena Dementieva in an all-Russian quarterfinal. Dementieva ended the surprising stay of 131st-ranked qualifier Chanelle Scheepers, the first South African woman in the fourth round at Roland Garros since 1997, by winning 6-1, 6-3.

 

No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark will play No. 17 Francesca Schiavone of Italy in another quarterfinal. Wozniacki, runner-up at last year's U.S. Open, scraped together a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-2 victory over No. 14 Flavia Pennetta of Italy, and Schiavone eliminated No. 30 Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-4, 6-4.

 

None of those encounters featured the big names or big-stage experience of the third-round match between four-time champion Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova, which resumed Sunday after being suspended because of darkness a night earlier.

 

Sharapova began the third set strongly, taking 11 of the first 15 points. But when facing an 0-2, love-40 deficit, Henin began playing more aggressively and swung the momentum, taking four consecutive games on the way to winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, her 24th consecutive victory at the French Open.

 

The Belgian will be forced to play for the fifth day in a row Monday, against No. 7 Samantha Stosur of Australia.

 

 

 

"I know it's going to be difficult," Henin said.

 

On the first of what would be four break points for Sharapova in the final set's key third game, the Russian put a backhand into the net to lose a 16-stroke exchange. Henin began rushing forward, and two volley winners erased two more break points, while a 109 mph service winner took care of yet another.

 

"I came to the net, and that gave me my confidence back. I really needed that game," said Henin. "After that, everything was easier."

 

The best news of all for Sharapova is that she wasn't hampered by her surgically repaired right shoulder or the injured right elbow that kept her off tour earlier this season.

 

"I've been serving much better, and my arm has been feeling good," she said. "I feel, like, physically, nothing really bothers me."

 

Petrova was 0-4 previously against Williams, and had developed a reputation for having trouble closing out matches. But she derived confidence from two recent victories: against Serena on clay at Madrid this month, and against No. 15 Aravane Rezai in the third round at Roland Garros.

 

In the latter, Petrova wasted three match points before eventually coming through 10-8 in the third set, something the Russian called "a big step forward."

 

On Sunday, Petrova finished with a 22-15 edge in winners and saved six of the seven break points she faced. Most impressively, she steeled herself after getting broken to fall behind 2-0 in the second set.

 

"I kept my nerves calm," Petrova said.

 

For the most part. Two points from victory, she took aim at what appeared to be an easy overhead putaway. Instead, she shanked it off her racket's frame, sending the ball into the seats behind the baseline. A point later, Petrova netted a forehand.

 

Uh, oh.

 

But she recovered, and two points later, she smacked a forehand winner to end it.

 

Williams is still in the women's doubles tournament with her sister, but it seems likely that her participation in this French Open will be remembered more for a sartorial statement than any spectacular strokes.

 

Even Petrova weighed in.

 

"I must say: The dress that Venus wore -- you must have a little guts to do that," she said.

 

Williams designed the corset-like outfit that drew so much attention, and said she'll "retire" it after this event. That doesn't mean she won't come up with something else buzz-worthy.

 

"Each and every day, on and off the court, on the match court and the practice court, I'm always pushing the envelope," Williams said. "But, you know, I have to wait until next year."

 

A familiar refrain for her at Roland Garros.

"It is the heart that makes a man rich. He is rich according to what he is, not according to what he has."

 - Henry Ward Beecher -

Storm Agatha kills 99 in Central America

by Edgar Calderon Edgar Calderon

46 mins ago

GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) – The first tropical storm of the season has left at least 99 people dead across Central America, triggering flash floods and mudslides that swept away homes and destroyed roads, officials said.

Tropical Storm Agatha also forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes as it whipped heavy rains across Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.

"The storm has caused 82 deaths," Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom told reporters. Among the dead were four children in a house that was swept away in a landslide, officials said.

In neighboring El Salvador, floods and landslides accounted for nine deaths, authorities there said.

And in Honduras, emergency management officials reported at least eight storm-related deaths as Agatha lashed the country, forcing the government to put five of the territory's 18 departments under a state of emergency. As many as 2,289 people were forced in that country to leave their homes.

Agatha slammed into Guatemala overnight with 65-kilometer (40-mile) per hour winds and was soon downgraded to a tropical depression as it dissipated over higher ground, but the damage caused by heavy rains and high winds prompted the government in El Salvador to declare a state of emergency.

Guatemala had been under a state of emergency since Saturday, while Honduras declared a nationwide state of emergency Sunday and established a crisis management committee to address heavy flooding and other effects from the storm.

Guatemalan President Colom said flash floods and mudslides forced nearly 112,000 people to flee their homes.

He said schools would remain closed until next week.

The worst storm-related disaster in Guatemala occurred in a village in Solola department where a landslide swept away 25 homes killing 15 people, with another 10 missing, according to San Antonio Palopo Mayor Andres Cumes.

To prevent an outbreak of disease, the bodies will be buried at once, he told reporters.

Colombia and the United States offered to send aircraft to ferry aid or help with evacuations of storm-hit areas, and Colom said six US military aircraft were en route from a base in Honduras.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon, at Colom's behest, has offered the airport in the border city of Tapachula for emergency flights in and out of Guatemala, Calderon's office said.

Guatemala City's La Aurora International Airport has been closed since Friday after being showered by volcanic ash from the eruption of the Pacaya volcano two days earlier. Two people were killed and three missing after the eruption on Wednesday.

Vulcanologists at Guatemala's national seismological institute said activity in the volcano was within a normal range, but its director Freddy Sanchez said "it's very possible there could be more violent explosions in the coming days."

Colom said that even though the storm had eased, authorities remained on an emergency footing, adding that there were dozens of towns and villages that were still inaccessible because of roads severed by landslides.

Friday, May 28, 2010
Sisters, Henin, Sharapova advance

---

ESPN.com news services

PARIS -- Serena Williams waited a day to play and then won before lunch Friday at the French Open.

 

With almost mistake-free tennis, the top-ranked Williams won nine consecutive games and advanced to the third round by beating Julia Goergess 6-1, 6-1.

 

Venus Williams had little trouble, too, reaching the fourth round of the French Open for the first time since 2006 with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 26 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, who was a semifinalist at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament last year.

 

Venus again wore the black lacy corset that has created the tournament's biggest buzz, and she said she'll retire the outfit after the tournament.

 

"I may be wearing all the same boring underclothes as the other people," said Venus, who designed the corset. "I mean, as great as the design is, I really want the focus to be on the tennis. So obviously wearing lace on the court will still be an amazing innovation, but I'll have to find a way to try to make it a little less noteworthy."

 

Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova was upset by 30th-seeded Maria Kirilenko. Kirilenko edged the sixth-seeded Kuznetsova 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in an all-Russian match to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time.

 

Kuznetsova narrowly averted a loss in the previous round, when she saved four match points. She delayed her departure briefly Friday, too, saving two match points before Kirilenko converted her third when Kuznetsova pushed a backhand wide.

 

The loss means Kuznetsova will drop out of the top 10 in the rankings for the first time in more than four years.

 

A schedule backlog caused by rain forced Serena and others to wait until the sixth day of the tournament for their second-round matches.

 

Serena won in 55 minutes and said such a rout can help her in later matches.

 

"I can learn a lot, like, 'OK, what am I doing today? How can I get them to all be like that?'" Serena said. "Those are the questions that I ask and I try to answer."

 

Venus hit six aces, and her 20 winners were twice as many as Cibulkova's total. Venus lost in the third round at the French Open from 2007 through 2009. She hasn't reached the semifinals since 2002, when she was beaten in the final by Serena.

 

Maria Sharapova and four-time champion Justine Henin won suspended matches and advanced to a third-round showdown.

 

Henin, seeded 22nd, needed just four games to close out her victory, beating Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-3. Play was stopped Thursday because of darkness, with Henin leading 3-2 in the second set.

 

Competing at Roland Garros for the first time since 2007 following a retirement, Henin extended her French Open winning streaks to 23 matches and 39 sets.

 

"It's going to be an interesting match," Henin said. "Comes very early, of course, third round, but I expect a big fight as we always had in the past. It's going to be very exciting to play her again in the second career. The motivation is going to be really high just to keep going in this tournament."

 

Sharapova defeated Kirsten Flipkens 6-3, 6-3. The score was 2-all in the second set when play resumed following an overnight stoppage.

 

Seeded 12th, Sharapova is bidding for the only Grand Slam title she has yet to win.

 

"We've had some great matches in the past," Sharapova said. "I've had some tough losses and great wins. I look forward to this one."

 

Serena, bidding for her first title at Roland Garros since 2002, played aggressively and still committed only four unforced errors to 20 for Goerges. Serena often moved two steps inside the baseline to smack returns, and she won 15 of 19 points on Goerges' weak second serves.

 

Serena held every service game and sprinted forward several times to finish off points with swinging volleys.

 

The 12-time Grand Slam champion has won 41 consecutive second-round matches in major tournaments since losing in that round in her Grand Slam debut in 1998 to her sister Venus. Serena and Venus are seeded 1-2 in the tournament.

 

"We're having so much fun at this time of my career, and you know, we just feel good," Serena said. "We're doing the best we can, and we're enjoying every moment."

 

In other matches, Russian qualifier Anastasia Pivovarova, ranked 187th, upset No. 25-seeded Zheng Jie of China 6-4, 6-3. No. 13 Marion Bartoli also won. Unseeded American Jill Craybas lost to No. 29 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-1.

May 28, 2010

TRENDING: Paul: No citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants

Posted: May 28th, 2010 03:07 PM ET

From CNN's Charles Riley

Rand Paul said he opposes citizenship for U.S. born children of undocumented immigrants.

Washington (CNN) - Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul is once again making waves, this time for saying he opposes citizenship for U.S. born children of undocumented immigrants.

In an interview posted Wednesday on RT.com, a Russian television station that broadcasts in English, Paul said he favors modifying current law.

"We are the only country I know of that allows people to come in illegally, have a baby, and then that baby becomes a citizen," Paul said. "And I think that should stop also."

Paul, a Tea Party movement favorite, captured the Kentucky GOP primary last week, defeating establishment candidate Trey Grayson.

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees citizenship to individuals born in the United States, but Paul's position is not an unpopular one in Congress.

Legislation referred to as the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009, a bill that has 91 co-sponsors, would modify the Immigration and Nationality Act to prevent U.S. citizenship for individuals born to undocumented immigrants.

Paul campaign chairman David Adams confirmed to CNN that Paul stands by his comments.

Paul also suggested that immigration policies favored by Democrats are politically motivated.

"I'm not opposed to letting people come in work and labor in our country, but I think what we should do is, we shouldn't provide an easy route to citizenship. A lot of this is about demographics," Paul said. "If you look at new immigrants from Mexico, they register three to one Democrat. The Democrat Party is for easy citizenship for allowing them to vote."

On his campaign website, Paul explains his position on immigration in terms of incentives and subsidies.

"I realize that subsidizing something creates more of it, and do not think the taxpayer should be forced to pay for welfare, medical care and other expenses for illegal immigrants. Once the subsidies for illegal immigration are removed, the problem will likely become far less common," Paul says.

"I think there is only one quality worse than hardness of heart and that is softness of head."

 - Theodore Roosevelt -

TGIF 5-28-10 TGIF

696, 431, 123, 657, 743, 403, 280, 109, 880, 303

674, 486, 177, 881, 322, 263, 182, 186, 693, 990

3708, 2467, 1755, 4667, 2449, 3388, 2277, 1166

Midday & Evening

** until 5-31-10 **

012 017 026 035 039 048 057 089 125 129 134 138 147 156 179 237 246 269 278 345 359 368 458 467 489 579 678 003 008 116 224 228 233 336 044 449 255 557 066 566 669 377 188 588 399 899

 

Paper: Woman left on plane sues United

Cleaning crew found passenger; airlines probe why jet wasn’t cleared

updated 11:37 a.m. ET, Thurs., May 27, 2010

 

PHILADELPHIA - The woman left sleeping for four hours on a United Express jet after landing in Philadelphia is suing United Airlines, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday.

 

The lawyer of Ginger McGuire, 36, of Ferndale, Mich., said the lawsuit claims false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress and negligence, the paper said.

 

According to police and the Transportation Security Administration, the passenger didn't wake up when her United Express flight from Dulles airport outside Washington landed shortly after midnight Tuesday.

 

At about 4 a.m., a cleaning crew found her and locked her back in, the newspaper reported. Federal officials concerned about terrorists later questioned her.

 

“We are working closely with our partner Trans States Airlines to investigate the cause and remedy the situation with the customer,” United spokesperson Sarah Massier told the Free Press.

 

On Wednesday, United said it was working with a regional partner carrier to determine why the plane wasn't cleared upon landing.

If you're a sci-fi devotee like myself, then you're in for a treat this Memorial Day weekend. It's a movie marathon all weekend long and if you missed some of the good ones, you'll have your chance in about 16 hours to catch up on them. I can not wait!!!!

         

Is the new American Idol, but it appears fans are starting to call foul on the decision. A large portion, including myself, felt that Crystal Bowersox was and is the better Artist, but the tween group of America went with the rocker dude. I'll buy that for now, after-all it really is a kids/teenagers show and X-Factor should fix this little problem.............right?!

Anyway, here is the winner of American Idol 2010

 

Thursday, May 27, 2010
Perkins won't be suspended for Game 6

---

By Chris Forsberg
ESPNBoston.com

The NBA on Thursday rescinded one of the two technical fouls assessed to Celtics center Kendrick Perkins in Boston's loss to Orlando in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night, meaning Perkins will be available to play in Friday's Game 6.

 

The NBA took back the second of the two technicals, which occurred with 36.1 seconds remaining in the first half and resulted in Perkins' automatic ejection. Referee Eddie F. Rush tagged Perkins with the technical for arguing a foul call.

 

 

That call had also given Perkins seven technical fouls in the playoffs, which by league rules resulted in an automatic one-game suspension. The rescinding of the technical left Perkins at six, which makes him eligible for Game 6 but nevertheless leaves him on the threshold of a suspension.

 

Perkins picked up his first technical Wednesday for what appeared to be an inadvertent elbow to the body of Marcin Gortat in the first half. Both players were assessed with technicals.

 

The ruling by the NBA has to come as a relief to the Celtics, who face the possibility of playing Game 6 without forward Glen Davis, who suffered a concussion Wednesday.

 

The NBA also upgraded Paul Pierce's foul on Magic guard J.J. Redick with 8:12 remaining in the fourth quarter to a flagrant foul 1. Pierce appeared to push Redick after fouling him.

 

Perkins wasn't in the locker room following the game, but Rivers expressed his dismay at the technical calls on his behalf.

 

 

"I didn't think he deserved either one, but he got them," Rivers said. "You know what happens, it's amazing. We talked about this before the game, the double technical thing. Perk was bending down, picking the ball up, and got a tech for being around. I don't know how he got that tech.

 

"The other tech, listen, when you're arguing, it was awful quick, but they called it. I did think Eddie Rush realized once he called it, he couldn't rescind the tech because he forgot they had given him the other one. I don't think Perk would have gotten that one, but that happens.

 

"Listen, we've put ourselves in that position, and like I told our guys, you can't make any excuses. If they don't stand, then somebody else just has to step forward for you and that's just the way it is."

 

Even Gortat seemed uncertain if the first call warranted a technical for either party.

 

"I was trying to listen to what [Pierce] was saying because he was complaining about something," Gortat said. "I know that Perkins got the technical foul for an elbow, he elbowed me in the chest. It was in the middle of the game, it was OK."

 

So was the double-technical justified?

 

"That's a referee's decision," Gortat said. "I don't have anything to say about it. We knew it was a pretty tough referee [crew], so it's OK."

 

Perkins, who didn't earn his first technical until Game 5 of a first-round triumph over the Miami Heat, has now been tagged as part of five double technicals, the majority coming in the conference semifinals when it often got heated between him and Shaquille O'Neal.

 

"I have talked to him," Rivers said before Wednesday's game. "The double technical is what's getting most guys in trouble. The flagrants, I can understand, if you had a ton of glaring flagrants, at some point, you should get suspended. Or if you have a ton of techs for arguing with the refs, just plain back-and-forth with the refs. But the double-technical thing has to be resolved. That's where two players, getting physical, and officials are just trying to clean the game up. The easier way is the double-technical, it calms the game down.

 

"If you look at Kendrick, four of them are [double-technicals]. Those are the ones we have to figure out a better way. I'm a typical guy -- I don't have a solution, but I can point out the problem."

 

The Celtics have been assessed a whopping 20 technical fouls this postseason, continuing a trend of donations to the league that happened often during the regular season.

 

Perkins finished with 15 technical fouls for the 2009-10 regular season, tied with Dwight Howard for the most in the league and one shy of the mark when one-game suspensions begin.

Thursday 5-27-10 Thursday

456, 437, 485, 529, 701, 923, 145, 367, 263

181, 219, 011, 828, 733, 172, 422, 657, 333

283, 813, 308, 387, 487, 869, 430, 444, 777