NBey6's Blog

      My little 4 year old son, Malcolm, just told me what he dreamed this morning. He said that he was driving to 'Big Donald's' {code name for McDonald's} and a beaver was hugging him.

I thought I would never stop laughing at this one. All and all, he does pretty good though.............to be 4 years old and remembers his dreams.

............

Paul Shirley Fired Over Haiti Comments

By Sam Brand  Posted Jan 27th 2010 01:46PM

Wednesday 1-27-10

291, 674, 130, 311, 181, 554, 644, 580, 280, 564

880, 887, 685, 908, 348, 907, 060, 173, 716, 548

713, 308, 813, 243, 719, 448, 171, 000, 555, 777

  "Jeongwol Daeboreum"

According to the yin-yang philosophy-based belief in Korea, the light of the first full moon of the year indicates prosperity and good luck. On the night of Jeongwol Daeboreum, people make a wish for good luck while watching the full moon.

Song Lyrics & Words

When I was young I used to wait
On master and hand him his plate
Pass him the bottle when he got dry
And brush away the blue-tail fly

Chorus
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Jimmy crack corn, and I don't care
Jimmy crack corn, and I don't care
Jimmy crack corn, and I don't care
My master's gone away
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

When he would ride in the afternoon
I'd follow him with my hickory broom
The pony being rather shy
When bitten by the blue-tail fly

Chorus

One day he rode around the farm
Flies so numerous that they did swarm
One chanced to bite him on the thigh
The devil take the blue-tail fly

Chorus

Well the pony jumped, he start, he pitch
He threw my master in the ditch
He died and the jury wondered why
The verdict was the blue-tail fly

Chorus

Now he lies beneath the 'simmon tree
His epitaph is there to see
"Beneath this stone I'm forced to lie
The victim of the blue-tail fly"

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Updated: January 27, 9:49 AM ET
Li, Serena to meet in semifinals

---

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams saved some family pride Wednesday at the Australian Open.

 

After her older sister Venus' upset loss to China's Li Na in the previous match at Rod Laver Arena, four-time champion Serena was down a set and 4-0 in the second before she rebounded for a 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

 

 

Venus Williams couldn't make it to an expected sister semifinal, losing in a mistake-filled match against Li featuring a combined 110 unforced errors.

 

The result is that Serena will take on Li, who beat Venus 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5. Justine Henin, playing in her first Grand Slam tournament after coming back from a two-year retirement, will play Zheng Jie in the other semifinal.

 

Serena Williams was far from confident after the first hour of the match, thinking of her sister's loss.

 

"It was obviously on my mind," Serena said of Venus' defeat. "I saw maybe one or two points, maybe three. I don't want to watch too much, I get too nervous watching. Obviously I was incredibly disappointed."

 

So she started off tentatively.

 

"I wasn't playing my best, especially in the first two sets," she said. "I was down the whole match from the first point. I wasn't surprised but I was definitely shocked."

 

Instead of wilting, she fought back from her big deficit in the second set with two service breaks of her own, easily won the tiebreaker and dominated the third.

 

"I think it's impressive the way she does it," Azarenka said. "She's a strong girl. She has very powerful shots."

 

Li and Zheng were the first Chinese pair to reach the quarterfinals at the same Grand Slam. With both in the semifinals, could the final be possible?

 

Serena Williams and Henin, with a combined 18 Grand Slam singles titles (Serena 11, Henin 7) would seem to have the inside edge. But Li, who lost the first set and was twice down breaks in the second, says anything can happen.

 

"In China, we say if you have tough time and then you return back, maybe have good luck," Li said.

 

Venus Williams had more mistakes than luck against Li, who called the win the "best day of my life" and said she might celebrate with a beer Wednesday night.

 

 

"It's important to put the ball in the court," said Venus Williams, who served for the match in the second set. "I felt like sometimes I made some errors."

 

That was an understatement. The pair's unforced error count surpassed 100 midway through the final set, which produced eight service breaks in the first 10 games.

 

"Unfortunately I let my errors creep in, and then I allowed her to dictate too much," Venus Williams said. "But she played really well."

 

Azarenka lost in her fourth-round match with Serena here last year, retiring in the second set with a virus after taking the first set.

 

This time, the 20-year-old Belarussian was undone by a trademark comeback by Williams, who is the only player to save match points on the way to three Grand Slam titles. She did it at Wimbledon last year and at the 2003 and 2005 Australian Opens.

 

Initially, Azarenka looked as if she'd continue the Williams family woes. She broke Serena in the opening game and then, after fending off three break points, held her own opening serve in a game that lasted more than 15 minutes and went to deuce nine times.

 

It was mostly one-way until Williams started her comeback in the second -- winning five straight games, then getting on top again at the end of the tiebreaker. She dominated the third set, converting both her break-point chances.

 

Li, who is forecast to go into the WTA's top 10 rankings after the tournament ends, was dominant in the third set when it counted against Venus Williams, who has five Wimbledon titles and two at the U.S. Open.

 

"I don't like losing at all," Venus Williams said. "No one does. I put in a lot of hard work to come out here and get a win [I'm] not at all pleased."

 

She didn't take kindly to suggestions that grass might be her only Grand Slam title option in the future.

 

"Like I said so many times before, if I would have, kind of gotten involved in what people said I would have never left the ghetto," Venus Williams said. "So here I am playing pro tennis, playing well. The sky's the limit in this sport. I'm looking for that."

South Carolina's Downey scores 30 as No. 1 Kentucky suffers first loss

 

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Top-ranked Kentucky found out it's got some growing up to do. And college basketball will most likely find a new No. 1.

 

Devan Downey scored 30 points and South Carolina sent Kentucky to its first loss of the season 68-62 on Tuesday night.

 

The Wildcats (19-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) moved atop the rankings this week for the first time since 2003. They were cautioned by no less a fan than President Barack Obama earlier Tuesday to keep their focus and play with the same passion that brought them to the top.

 

The president or Kentucky didn't count on Downey, the SEC's leading scorer to break the 30-point mark for the fourth time in six league games for South Carolina (12-8, 3-3).

 

"This is what happens when you have young guys who think we're going to win at the last minutes of the game," Kentucky coach John Calipari said.

 

 

Fast Facts

• Devan Downey scored 30 points as the Games beat the No. 1-ranked team for the first time in school history. It was the second straight game a player has scored 30-plus against the top-ranked team (UConn's Jerome Dyson scored 32 against then-No. 1 Texas on Saturday).

• Downey took 28 of the Games' 64 shots as the team was playing without two of its best three players (Dominique Archie and Mike Holmes).

• South Carolina won despite finishing with only six assists.

• DeMarcus Cousins scored a career-high 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for Kentucky, whose first No. 1 ranking since the 2003-04 season will likely end after this week.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

 

It has been Wildcat youngsters such as John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins that have fueled the program's best start in 44 years. South Carolina showed there's still a place for a couple of smart, savvy senior guards such as Downey and Brandis Raley-Ross.

 

Raley-Ross had 17 points, the most he's scored in an SEC game this season, as South Carolina won its third straight over Kentucky.

 

"Those guys are very talented," Downey said of the Wildcats. "But they're also freshmen and this was a hostile environment."

 

The president said as much earlier Tuesday when he called to congratulate the Wildcats on raising more than $1 million to help earthquake victims in Haiti, reminding Kentucky that South Carolina was a difficult place to play.

 

Obama, though, also thought -- like most everybody else who follows the game -- that the Wildcats would have little trouble with undermanned South Carolina.

 

"Yeah, I'm aware of it, but I'm kind of scared to mention something about this president," Downey joked. "I don't want anybody knocking at my door. I don't have anything to say about Obama."

 

Cousins matched his career best of 27 points to lead Kentucky, which had been the nation's last unbeaten team.

 

Fans rushed the Colonial Life Arena floor when the buzzer sounded, Downey hugging whomever he could and screaming, "I told you so!"

 

Giddy fans came up to South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman, handing him dollar bills to pay the anticipated fine the SEC levies for swarming the court.

 

 

First offense is $5,000, escalating to $50,000 for repeated violations.

 

"I'll handle this one," Hyman said.

 

With Downey, there could be more upsets and celebrations ahead.

 

He had seemingly hit a game-winner at Florida on Saturday, scoring on a driving layup with 5 seconds left until the Gators' Chandler Parsons outdid him with a winning 3-pointer.

 

This time, though, Downey and the Games would not be stopped -- even after the Wildcats' fabulous freshmen of Wall and Cousins seemed to take things over.

 

The pair combined for 13 points during a 14-3 run midway through the second half that put the Wildcats up 47-42. That's when Downey took over.

 

South Carolina's senior had a three-point play and two foul shots to tie it up.

 

Downey had another three-point play with 4:06 left to give the Games the lead for good at 54-51.

 

"It's been my thinking all year," South Carolina coach Darrin Horn said. "If it's close, we've got No. 2 [Downey] and we've got a shot."

 

Wall's three-point play with 40.1 seconds left brought Kentucky within 62-61. But Raley-Ross followed with two free throws to restore the edge.

 

Cousins had 12 rebounds to go along with his points, which tied his best performance set earlier this season against Seton Hall.

 

Cousins said the Wildcats needed to learn from their mistakes in time to reach their ultimate goals.

 

"I wanted to be undefeated, and No. 1 was all good, but No. 1 is not a championship," Cousins said. "And we're playing for a championship."

 

Maybe the Wildcats were distracted by their head-in-the-clouds moment earlier Tuesday when President Obama called.

 

How else to explain this one?

 

The Wildcats were ragged and out of sync. They were outrebounded 41-35 by the Games. They missed from close range, Darnell Dodson even missed an all-by-himself layup after a midcourt steal.

 

Wall, who Obama greeted with "What's going on all-star?" when they spoke by phone, was 6 of 16 from the field with four of Kentucky's 15 turnovers.

 

Wall ended with 19 points.

 

"What I keep saying," Calipari repeated, "we may have been undefeated, but we were lucky to be undefeated. I was being truthful."

 

No Wildcat could corral Downey.

 

While the Games' senior didn't have his shooting touch (9 of 29), he went 10 of 11 at the free throw line.

 

"Lets be honest," Downey said. "No one gave us a chance."

 

They will now, especially with Downey in the lineup.

Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.

- Peter Drucker (1909 - 2005)

Evening 1-26-10 Evening

** until 1-31-10 **

016  061  106  160  601  610  061  601  026  062  206  260  602  620  062  602  036  063  306  360  603  630  063  603  046  064  406  460  604  640  064  604  056  065  506  560  605  650  065  605  127  172  217  271  712  721  172  712  137  173  317  371  713  731  173  713  147  174  417  471  714  741  174  714  157  175  517  571  715  751  175  715  167  176  617  671  716  761  176  716  238  283  328  382  823  832  283  823  248  284  428  482  824  842  284  824  258  285  528  582  825  852  285  825  268  286  628  682  826  862  286  826  278  287  728  782  827  872  287  827  349  394  439  493  934  943  394  934  359  395  539  593  935  953  395  935  369  396  639  693  936  963  396  936  379  397  739  793  937  973  397  937  389  398  839  893  938  983  398  938  006  060  600  060  600  066  606  660  066  606  117  171  711  171  711  177  717  771  177  717  228  282  822  282  822  288  828  882  288  828  339  393  933  393  933  399  939  993  399  939 

Midday & Evening

** until 1-29-10 **

0128 0129 0137 0138 0146 0147 0156 0169 0178 0179 0236 0237 0245 0246 0259 0268 0269 0278 0345 0349 0358 0359 0367 0368 0389 0457 0458 0467 0479 0489 0569 0578 0579 0678 1235 1236 1245 1249 1258 1259 1267 1268 1289 1348 1349 1357 1358 1367 1379 1389 1456 1457 1469 1478 1479 1568 1569 1578 2347 2348 2356 2357 2369 2378 2379 2456 2459 2468 2469 2478 2567 2568 3458 3459 3468 0029 0038 0039 0047 0048 0056 0057 0079 0089 1109 1127 1128 1136 1137 1145 1146 1159 1168 1169 1178 2207 2208 2216 2217 2234 2235 2239 2248 2249 2257 2258 2267 2279 2289 3305 3306 3314 3315 3319 3324 3328 3329 3359 3368 3369 3378 4403 4408 4409 4412 4413 4417 4418 4426 4427 4439 4458 5501 5502 5506 5507 5516 5519 5524 5528 5529 5538 6604 6605 6608 6609 6613 6614 6617 6618 6623 6627 7702 7703 7706 7712 7715 7716 7724 7725 8801 8804 8805 8813 8814 8823 9902 9903 9912

  Midday 1-26-10 Evening

** until 1-29-10 **

045, 415, 245, 435, 445, 554, 564, 457, 548, 495

064, 146, 264, 643, 464, 546, 664, 674, 684, 649

000, 111, 222, 444, 555, 666, 777, 999

Midday & Evening

** until 1-31-10 **

016 017 025 026 029 034 035 038 039 047 048 056 057 079 089 124 125 128 129 134 137 138 146 147 156 169 178 179 236 237 245 246 259 268 269 278 349 358 359 368 389 458 479 489 569 578 579 678 007 008 115 116 119 223 224 227 228 133 233 044 448 449 155 255 066 668 669 277 088 188 488 588 889 299 399 799 899

Nadal retires with knee injury, Roddick out

By DENNIS PASSA, AP Sports Writer

Tue Jan 26, 8:52 am ET

MELBOURNE, Australia – Defending champion Rafael Nadal retired from his quarterfinal against Andy Murray with an injured knee, then predicted the Scottish player would end his Grand Slam title drought by winning the Australian Open.

"For Andy, I think he deserves to win his first Grand Slam. And I think he's going to do it," Nadal said after a right knee injury forced him to concede Tuesday's quarterfinal while trailing 6-3, 7-6 (2), 3-0.

"There's a very good chance for him. First thing, he's playing very well," Nadal said. "Second thing, he's already in the semifinals. He's only two matches away."

Andy Roddick also went out of the Australian Open on Tuesday, struggling with a shoulder injury before going down in five sets to Marin Cilic.

Nadal said he didn't want to risk more damage by playing and potentially having to spend long periods off the tour with knee tendinitis.

"Similar thing that I had last year," Nadal said of the pain. "It was impossible to win the match."

Murray will play a semifinal against Cilic, who beat No. 7 Roddick 7-6 (4), 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 earlier Tuesday.

Nadal struggled with knee tendinitis and was unable to defend his Wimbledon title last season after beating Roger Federer in the Australian Open final. He received on-court treatment from a trainer for his knee after losing the second set.

Three games later, the Spaniard decided he couldn't keep playing.

"I didn't know when he hurt his knee, when he started feeling it, but from my side, I played very well," said Murray, who is hoping to end a seven-decade British drought at the majors. "I deserved to be up when the match stopped."

The 22-year-old Scot can hardly wait to play his semifinal against Cilic.

"I lost to him at the U.S. Open in straight sets, so I'm looking for a little revenge," Murray said. "If I play like I did tonight, I have got a good chance. Obviously, nerves are going to be there with an opportunity to make a final of a Slam."

Murray's only Grand Slam final appearance ended in a loss to Federer at the 2008 U.S. Open.

Roddick struggled through a right shoulder injury that impaired his movement, but he expects no long-term damage.

Still in the equation at Melbourne Park is three-time champion Federer, who plays Nikolay Davydenko in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Novak Djokovic, the 2008 champion, takes on the same year's runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the other quarterfinal.

Roddick's only major has been the 2003 U.S. Open, the last time an American man has won a Grand Slam singles title, marking the country's longest drought in men's majors.

Despite playing strongly in the third and fourth sets to level the match, Roddick fell apart in the final set, allowing No. 14 Cilic to break twice and send the last American man out of the singles draw at Melbourne Park.

Roddick said he didn't practice Monday after feeling a twinge in his shoulder during Sunday's fourth-round win over Fernando Gonzalez.

"The trainer said it was stemming from the neck down," Roddick said. "By the end of the first set, I was pretty numb in the bottom two fingers. I could still hit it pretty hard; I was just having trouble controlling it."

Seven-time Grand Slam singles winner Justine Henin hasn't won a major in two years — because she hasn't played in one. Henin, who returned from 20 months in retirement, advanced by beating Nadia Petrova 7-6 (3), 7-5 to take out the last seeded player in her half of the draw.

Henin, unranked and playing on a wild-card entry at Melbourne Park, will face Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie, who beat Russia's Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-3 to equal her Chinese record for the best run at a major.

"I just went for it with my heart. Finally I could make it, and I'm very happy," Henin said. "At the end I played much more aggressive tennis."

Henin ended a highly successful run in Melbourne for Petrova, who ousted two reigning major champions: U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters in the third round; and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth.

Kirilenko had taken out big names in her section, too, starting with 2008 champion Maria Sharapova in her first round and her fourth-round victory against last year's finalist Dinara Safina, who retired with a back problem.

Henin retired in May 2008 while holding the No. 1 ranking and had not played at a major since losing in the quarterfinals to Sharapova here that season. Henin won the 2004 Australian title and reached the final in 2006.

The loss to Sharapova confirmed to Henin that she needed a break. Now she's feeling as good as ever.

Roddick, who took two months off at the end of last year because of a knee injury, was also positive after his loss.

"All signs at this point are good," Roddick said. "Whether it was a nerve that was compressed or something, I don't know, cutting off something. But they don't think it's going to be anything too serious long-term. I'm sure we'll take the proper precautions and check it out."

"Employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure."

- Benjamin Franklin -

Updated: January 24, 2010, 11:50 PM ET

Oddsmakers favor Colts' experience

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS -- Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts opened as a four-point favorite to beat the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.

Oddsmaker Sean Van Patten of Las Vegas Sports Consultants said the firm gave that line after watching New Orleans struggle to beat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game Sunday night. Las Vegas Sports Consultants provides betting lines for roughly 90 percent of sports books in Nevada.

"The big factor here is that Indy has been there," Van Patten said. "The experience factor is such a huge thing when it comes to the Super Bowl."

Manning and the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2007 over the Chicago Bears.

Patten said oddsmakers like that Indianapolis has succeeded against two top NFL defenses in consecutive games. The top-seeded Colts beat the New York Jets 30-17 Sunday in the AFC championship.

Indianapolis was a 4½-point favorite in the Glantz-Culver line, with the over-under at 55½ points.

Sports books gave Indianapolis 8-1 odds to win the Super Bowl at the start of the season, compared with 18-1 for New Orleans.

"I think the Saints are very fortunate to be in there," said Jay Kornegay, executive director of the race and sports book at the Las Vegas Hilton. "To get five turnovers at home and having to go to overtime to win it, I don't think they were playing that well."

New Orleans outlasted Minnesota 31-28 in overtime, even though the Vikings gained 218 more yards and had nearly twice as many first downs as the Saints.

Jay Rood, race and sports book director for casino operator MGM Mirage, said bettors began favoring Indianapolis soon after New Orleans won and the odds were posted.

Rood said that was because the Colts have been consistent all year, while Saints bettors who lost Sunday because New Orleans didn't cover the spread didn't want to take the team again so soon.

"They don't usually come right back on the team that just burned them on a bet," Rood said.