pimblr.com

No, it’s not one of your favorite classic rock bands staging a reunion..and it’s not a special off-season game of the NFL’s Chargers, who do call this venue home…
What we are talking about here is an event on June 4 which is going to break a record set only last year, an all-time attendance record for any soccer match ever held in the local San Diego area.
The world’s number one ranked senior men’s team - ARGENTINA - is coming to Qualcomm, and they are bringing along their 2007 World Player of the Year runner-up, Lionel Messi.  They will be playing MEXICO in San Diego’s Mission Valley, on the same day, by the way that the USA will be in SPAIN for their own friendly.
All regular tickets have been sold out, and the anticipation is that additional seating made available over last year’s record breaking-crowd for MEXICO v VENEZUELA will set a new mark for attendance for soccer in the region.  The soccer configuration - with a wider playing surface than for the NFL, and other factors taken into  consideration - does mean there are fewer seats available than for a standard NFL game, but the place will be packed, and the rafters will be rocking…with a pro-Mexico local contingent.
Even though the audience will be overwhelmingly in favor of Mexico, Argentina are the team who dominate the match-up historically.  Messi, their true superstar who plays his club ball for Barcelona, placed second in the voting behind Kaka for last year’s FIFA World Footballer of the Year.  He is on the roster, as well as numerous other players well-known around the world.  Several of their top stars preparing for Wednesday hail from the 2008 Spanish League Champion club Real Madrid, and the Italian Serie A 2008 Champions Inter Milan.
The City of San Diego actually borders Mexico, so many ticketholders will be coming across, joining tailgaters and other spectators in an all-day celebratory atmosphere.

mvn.com

Later this evening, the United States will play England at Wembley (8pm BST/BBC1) in a friendly match between two countries who have a love-hate relationship with each other. But in this war, the battle is waged off the pitch rather than on it.
On the pitch, the competition between the two sides is waged fairly. The American players who play in the Premier League will have more of a desire to win the match so they can rub it into the faces of their English compatriots. The English players will have a lot to prove to new manager Fabio Capello, so overall the match should be entertaining to watch as long as it remains competitive. Most importantly, it’ll be played in a clean manner.
Off the pitch, it’s a different story. Being an American who lived in Britain for 14 years, I’ve experienced the complicated love-hate relationship between both countries. There are so many Anglophiles who live in the United States and love the English way of life (the football, the beer, the fish and chips, music, TV shows, movies and royalty). And there are many Brits who love the American way of life (the TV shows, movies, rap artists, fashion, fast food and gadgets such as Apple’s iPod).
But right in the middle of all of this is also a relationship of hate, which isn’t felt by everyone but definitely exists. It’s part politics and part football. And, without a doubt, it’s more fierce off the pitch than on it.
Politically speaking, George Bush’s shock and awe policy in Iraq has generated a lot of negativity among people around the world which is aimed at the United States. Of course, Britain was America’s biggest ally in the war against Saddam Hussein, so it shouldn’t feel exonerated. But the war has created a bitter taste in the mouths of so many people worldwide.

epltalk.com

Survivor - noun. 1. A person or thing that survives. 2. The one of two or more designated persons having a joint interest, who outlives the other or others. 3. A person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship or setbacks.
Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites: A reality-TV show that continues to prosper in spite of opposition, hardships or setbacks, such as constant bad weather on the Pacific island of Palau; the return of Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy after a 101-day writers’ strike; the early elimination of fan favourites Yau-Man Chan and Jon “Jonny Fairplay” Dalton; and a game-ending injury to frontrunner - and fan favourite - James Clement.
When Survivor’s producers first chose an epic battle between former contestants and die-hard followers of the show over a second straight all-star edition, they had no idea it would play out so - deliciously.
With an average 13 million viewers on CBS in the U.S. - good enough for 12th in the weekly Nielsen table - and another two million on Global TV here in Canada, Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites has defied TV’s Darwinian odds that says every well runs dry after a while. After 16 seasons, Survivor is still going strong.
It helps, of course, that, as desert-island tales go, this edition of Survivor has played out in recent weeks like Lost on steroids. As host Jeff Probst solemnly intoned at the end of last week’s tribal council - featuring the third shock dismissal in a row - “You guys are perfecting the art of the blind side. That is the good news, and that is the bad news.”
Survivor’s penultimate episode airs Thursday, May 8. Five contestants are left; four will survive to lie/cheat/steal and backstab their way to the two- hour live reveal and reunion program on Sunday, May 11. At stake: a US $1 million and bragging rights for the next six months.

canada.com

While both tropical cyclones and tornadoes are atmospheric vortices, they have little in common. Tornadoes have diameters on the scale of hundreds of meters and are produced from a single convective storm (i.e. a thunderstorm or cumulonimbus cloud). A tropical cyclone, however, has a diameter on the scale of hundreds of kilometers and is comprised of several to dozens of convective storms.
Additionally, while tornadoes require substantial vertical shear of the horizontal winds to provide ideal conditions for tornado genesis, tropical cyclones require very low values of tropospheric vertical shear in order to form and grow. Tornadoes are produced in regions of large temperature gradient, while tropical cyclones are generated in regions of near zero horizontal temperature gradient.
Also, tornadoes are primarily an over-land phenomenon, as solar heating of the land surface usually contributes toward the development of the thunderstorm that spawns the vortex, although over-water tornadoes have occurred. But tropical cyclones are purely an oceanic phenomena. They die out over land due to a loss of a moisture source.
Lastly, tropical cyclones have a lifetime that is measured in days, while tornadoes typically last on the scale of minutes.

foxreno.com

These are among the top sports events of the week. Coverage of most of these events will move on this circuit
thru 13, Augusta, Georgia _ golf, U.S. PGA, Masters.
thru 13, Morelia, Mexico _ golf, U.S. LPGA, Corona Championship.
thru 13, various sites _ tennis, Davis Cup World Group: Russia vs. Czech Republic, Argentina vs. Sweden, Germany
vs. Spain, United States vs. France. EUROPE/AFRICA: Croatia vs. Italy, Netherlands vs. Macedonia, Belarus vs. Switzerland, Slovakia vs. Georgia, Luxembourg vs. Denmark, Finland vs. South Africa, Algeria vs. Hungary, Monaco vs. Greece, Ukraine vs. Egypt, Ireland vs. Morocco, Cyprus vs. Slovenia, Portugal vs. Tunisia. AMERICAS: Chile vs. Canada, Brazil vs. Colombia, Ecuador vs. Dominican Republic, Bahamas vs. Paraguay, Netherlands Antilles vs. Bolivia; Venezuela vs. El Salvador. ASIA/OCEANIA: Australia vs. Thailand, India vs. Japan, Kazakhstan vs. Taiwan, Philippines vs. Uzbekistan, Indonesia vs. China, Kuwait vs. New Zealand, Hong Kong vs. Lebanon, Oman vs. Pacific Oceania.
thru 13, Amelia Island, Florida _ tennis, WTA, Bausch & Lomb Championships.
Beijing _ Olympics, IOC executive board.
thru 15, Kanpur, India _ cricket, India vs. South Africa, 3rd test.
Faisalabad, Pakistan _ cricket, Pakistan vs. Bangladesh, 2nd ODI.
thru 13, Manchester, England _ swimming, world short-course championships.
thru 12, various, Spain _ cycling, UCI ProTour, Tour of Basque Country.
thru 12, Harbin, China _ ice hockey, women’s world championship.
thru 13, Kakamigahara, Japan _ field hockey, men’s Olympic qualifier.
thru 13, Grand Forks, North Dakota _ curling, men’s world championship.
thru 20, Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy _ weightlifting, European Championships.
thru 21, Beijing _ shooting, World Cup.
thru 13, Zheng Zhou, China _ taekwondo, Asian championships.
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad _ cricket, West Indies vs. Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI.

pr-inside.com

Coming off his second TKO loss to UFC middleweight title holder Anderson Silva (21-4) in October 2007, former champion Rich “Ace” Franklin (22-3) is looking to get back on track with his next fight.
On Saturday, April 19 in Montreal, Canada, “Ace” will take on jiu-jitsu black belt Travis Lutter (9-4-0) at UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre 2. Currently, Franklin is the -350 favorite in the Bodog Sportsbook. Lutter, who is coming off a loss to Silva from February of last year, is the +250 underdog.
“When Lutter was first mentioned to me, my thoughts were: decent wrestling, tight jiu-jitsu,” Franklin tells Setanta Sports. “I need to defend the takedown and throw some punches. That’s where I’ll end up being most comfortable in the fight.” While Franklin feels more at ease on his feet, he says the fight won’t be over if Lutter puts him on his back, and he won’t be surprised if his opponent chooses to stand and trade punches.
“If he puts me down, I’m sure I’m sure I’ll have to work harder,” he says. “I have confidence in my ground-game, but his is probably better. I do believe my stand-up is better, but then I wouldn’t put it past him to stand there with me.”
Bet on UFC odds in the Bodog Sportsbook. All lines subject to change.
For more FREE picks and FREE contests, you should visit our popular posting forums below…

eog.com

No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers (45-37) vs. no. 5 Washington Wizards (43-39)
BUZZ: Eyebrows went up as the Wizards courted disaster by sneering at the Cavaliers, with DeShawnStevenson calling them “overrated” and Gilbert Arenas saying they were the team the Wizards wanted. TNT’s Charles Barkley called the Wizards “the dumbest team in history” for firing up LeBron James. The Cavs finished 15-12 after their midseason trade as newcomers BenWallace, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West struggled. The Wizards finished 16-8 and got Caron Butler and Arenas back.
No. 2 New Orleans Hornets (56-26) vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks (51-31)
BUZZ: The Hornets’ reward for their incredible season was another first-round matchup none of the top-seeded teams was looking forward to, against the Mavericks. Not that the Mavericks ever became as good as people thought they would with Jason Kidd. After a long break-in period, Dallas put it together, beating the Suns in Phoenix and the Jazz in Dallas … before losing in Portland and, yes, Seattle. The Hornets lack size, depth and experience, but with Chris Paul they’ll be ready.
No. 3 San Antonio Spurs (56-26) vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns (55-27)
BUZZ: In the West nightmare everyone dreaded, it was the Spurs who won 56 games, finished third and found themselves against the Suns, who won 15 of their last 20. They went from small to imposing with Shaquille O’Neal and Amare Stoudemire, who averaged 29.6 points alongside O’Neal. The Spurs are experienced with one starter, Tony Parker, under 30. They’re also banged up, with Manu Ginobili (groin) back after sitting out three of the past four. Without home-court advantage, the Spurs wouldn’t be favored. If they lose one of the first two, look out.
No. 4 Utah Jazz (54-28) vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets (55-27)
BUZZ: The Rockets fell back to Earth after their 22-game win streak, becoming the team everyone wanted to play … before going on a late six-game win streak that included a win against the Suns. The Rockets still defend and with newcomers such as Luis Scola and Carl Landry, they have a deep supporting cast for TracyMcGrady, still seeking his first win in a playoff series. The Jazz, last season’s West finalists, started 16-16 but ended 38-12 behind Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams.

charlotte.com

Serra vs. St. Pierre, Revenge fight at UFC 83
UFC welterweight champion Matt “The Terror” Serra (9-4) wants respect, and he knows the only way to get it is to beat Georges “Rush” St. Pierre (15-2), April 19 in Montreal at UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre 2.
Serra defeated St. Pierre last April to win the belt. Now he’s out to prove the first win was no fluke.
Currently, St. Pierre is the -500 favorite to win in the Bodog Sportsbook, while Serra is a +325 underdog.
“You know it’s funny. I’m hearing it wasn’t the real GSP that night and now he’s back,” Serra tells the Canadian Press. “I don’t know, when I fought him, it looked like him. I mean it wasn’t a stunt double. Who was that guy?”
While St. Pierre has said he has some surprises in store for the match, Serra sees only two choices: run or fight.
“If he wants to try to hurt me, he’s going to have to get close to me to hurt me,” he says. “If he wants to dance around the cage, I’m sure he’ll get booed out of the [Montreal] Bell Centre. So he’s going to have to try to come and make an example of me. You’re coming at me, I’m coming at you, man. We’re two trains on the same track, let’s rock.”
Former UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre (15-2) says he’s ready to fight 170-pound champ Matt Serra (9-4) for the second time.
And the Montreal native promises the rematch, Saturday, April 19 in his hometown, will be a lot different than their first encounter, in April of 2007 when Serra TKO’d St. Pierre to win the belt.
“I know how to fight him,” he said during a pre-fight conference call. “I’m going to fight him in a way that nobody has fought him before. I’m going to do some stuff that nobody has seen before.”

theonlinewire.com

We hope you are busy preparing your 1 Full Minute entry, but if you haven’t heard about the contest, you’re in luck. Do you know a kid age 6 - 18 who can say in one full minute why they want to cheer on the Whitecaps at a new Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium? They could win a trip for four to Montreal to catch the Whitecaps vs. the Impact, in the opening game at the brand new Saputo Stadium.
The contest closes April 8, so get your entry in soon!
With training camp well under way for the men’s squad, defender Luca Bellisomo is keeping us onside with his ongoing ‘Bellisomo Blog’. Luca gives us a peak at a pro training camp, covering everything from how he kills time on the road in Seattle, to the breakfast plan that team nutritionist Jennifer Gibson created from a Denny’s menu, to Taka and Serge’s strange attempt at communication.
Check it out…
GOLTV to air live coverage of Canadian Women’s Olympic Qualifying Matches
GOLTV Canada, the 24-hour all soccer network, announced today that it has acquired live broadcasting rights to air the Canadian women’s national team’s first three matches at this month’s CONCACAF region Olympic qualifying tournament in Juarez, Mexico.
Beginning this evening at 5:00 p.m. PT, GOLTV will air live coverage of Canada’s opening round match against Trinidad & Tobago. On Sunday, April 6, they will broadcast live coverage of Canada’s second and final preliminary round contest against Costa Rica at 10:00 a.m. PT. The semi-finals for the CONCACAF region Olympic qualifying tournament are set for Wednesday, April 9 and GOLTV will have live coverage of both semi-final matches beginning at 4:00 p.m. PT and 6:30 p.m. PT respectively. The winners of each semi-final match will automatically qualify to compete at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

oursportscentral.com

Starting at 10:00pm EST I will be providing live results and thoughts on the UFC 82 pay-per-view. Please feel free to comment on the fights in the comment thread.
One rule, no undercard results allowed! Until the PPV ends we will not spoil any undercard fights as I don’t know which fights will be broadcast in the case of extra time left on the PPV broadcast.
So keep clicking refresh for results as they happen. And don’t forget to check out Any Given Saturday starting at 1:00am EST.
The broadcast has started, and the first fight will be up shortly.
Jon Fitch vs. Chris Wilson - Round 1 - Fitch is pushing forward early which is a good plan to prevent Wilson from getting comfortable. Quick clinch and a few knees by Wilson. Wilson with a straight punch that lands. Right/left combo glances off Wilson’s face. For the second time Wilson fends off a takedown and starts to land solid shots and Fitch’s legs don’t look all there. Wilson looks really great early. Finally Fitch gets the takedown but no action causes a standup. Fitch catces a leg kick and gets a takedown and avoids Wilson’s omoplata attempt. This time Fitch is able to land a few shots from the top but does eat a few elbows from the bottom. 10-9 Wilson on my card.
Round 2 - Wilson’s takedown defense is really solid. Fitch gets a takedown basically off of a Wilson slip. Fitch works the body from the top occasionally going back to the head. Pass to side control followed by som elbows and hammerfists. Fitch briefly had mount but Wilson did a nice job getting half guard. Wilson tried to scramble but Fitch grabbed side control again. The round ends in that position. 10-9 Fitch (Total: 19-19).
Round 3 - Fitch with two leg kicks that land and one in return by Wilson. Fitch misses a high kick. Left/Right combo lands well for Fitch. Rogan and Goldberg seem to think Fitch won the first round…which is just flat wrong, takedowns which lead to nothing are meaningless. Right hand by Fitch briefly buckled Wilson’s legs. Fitch has taken over the standup here in the third and looks very fresh. Double-leg by Fitch and he has just outpaced Wilson over the second half of the fight. Fitch is working his best GnP of the fight. Wilson has a triangle locked in with 20 seconds left. Fitch rides it out to the bell. 10-9 Fitch (Total: 29-28). Judges Scorecards: 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 Jon Fitch wins by unanimous decision.
Quick showing of the Mark Coleman UFC Hall of Fame induction earlier in the night. Rogan is now sitting down talking to Coleman who is saying he wants back in the cage. They are announcing In August Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Coleman. Smart matchmaking by the UFC, it’s got name value beyond any other “easy” matchup for Brock and as Kid Nate said…Coleman deserves a nice payday.
Yushin Okami vs. Evan Tanner - Round 1 - Tanner looks light on his feet off the open. Evan looks like he is wanting to follow a punch in to lock up with Okami. Right hand lands by Tanner and so does a left hook. Straight left by Okami drops Tanner and Okami pounces but Tanner reverses and gets a brief takedown. Back to the feet with Tanner pushing Okami against the cage. They separate and Tanner hits an inside leg kick. Right hand lands for Tanner. Okami is controlling the pace a little bit through some solid boxing. Using his long arms to maintain distance. 10-9 Okami.
Round 2 - Tanner is working the leg kicks. Big body kick by Okami staggers Tanner. Tanner looks a bit hesitant to pull the trigger. Okami lands a few more sharp punches. Tanner is frustrated now. He needs to change things up desperately because Okami is picking him apart. Okami throws a knee and Tanner drops like a stone. It’s all over. Yushin Okami wins by KO (Knee) Just a beautiful performance by Okami. I wouldn’t say Tanner looked bad, Okami is just a beast.
Chris Leben vs. Alessio Sakara - Round 1 - Leben is pushing the action but he does eat a left hook from Sakara. Sakara is landing the better shots early but they aren’t hurting Leben. Leben finally lands a few of his own Two really good shots by Sakara now but Leben fires back. Leben hurts him with a series of uppercuts followed by a left hook and Sakara goes down. Leben is pounding Sakara from the top and Alessio’s arms drop so the ref jumps in. Sakara complains but you can see in the replay that Sakara didn’t seem all the way there. Chris Leben wins by TKO - Ref Stoppage (punches) Sakara is still upset but when you drop from a punch and eat more big shots on your back…it’s going to get stopped.
The text poll has swung and Hendo is now a 2% favorite of the voters.
Cheick Kongo vs. Heath Herring - Round 1 - Herring looks to be in good shape, I’m very glad to see he has kept himself very dedicated. Kongo…looks like a monster as always. They’re really trying to sell this fight as a battle of strikers. Herring flies over and rocks Kongo with the first punch he throws. Kongo is having to hold on and now pushes Herring against the cage and takes him down. Heath goes for a kimura but eats a lot of big shots and they’re gack to standing. Kongo with another takedown. It’s opposite day I guess. Herring sweeps to top position and Kongo tries to use the cage to scramble to his feet but Heath stops him. They do go back to the feet and Kongo gets another takedown and lands up against the fence in a mount. Herring reverses and they’re back to the feet. Kongo ends up back on top Herring sweeps Kongo, Kongo sweeps Herring. Really rough pace being worked here by both guys. Round ends and it was a very good round for Kongo. 10-9 Kongo.
Round 2 - Kongo with another takedown and he is pouring on the pressure. Upkick lands for Herring. Restarted on the feet and Herring charges in recklessly again. ANOTHER takedown by Kongo. This is an all-around performance by Kongo, much more impressive than the Cro Cop fight in my eyes. Herring gives up his back and is looking for the kimura again. Nice sweep to north-south by Herring. Big punches and elbows to the body, that is a smart idea. Knees to the body from side control now. The knees aren’t stopping and Kongo is looking like they might be starting to effect him. The round ends and it was a hard one to score. I’ll give it to Herring as I think the knees for the last minute plus were the most damaging blows of the round. 10-9 Herring (19-19 total)
Round 3 - Low kicks thrown at the same time and Heath briefly had a guillotine but Kongo’s head popped out. Heath rolls to his stomach and turtles up grabbing an arm again. Back to standing…and then Kongo forces Heath down again. Herring reverses and is in side control. Heath is in north-south now but isn’t able to do much damage without knees to the head from the position were this PRIDE he’d have won the fight from this position. Side control now and Herring is working punches and elbows to the head along with more of those knees to the body. Kongo has eaten a LOT of those knees over the past two rounds. Herring gets the full mount and is landing some more punches as the round ends. 10-9 round for Herring. I’ve got it 29-28 Herring but can certainly see the same score going the other way. Judges Scorecards: 29-28 Herring, 29-28 Kongo, 29-28 Herring Heath Herring wins by split decision. Even with the loss I feel a lot better about Kongo’s future knowing that he is working his WHOLE game. He’s lightyears ahead of where I thought he was and his future is crazy bright if he keeps working his ass off.
Dan Henderson vs. Anderson Silva (c) for the UFC Middleweight Championship - Round 1 - Dan tries to touch gloves, Anderson passes. Low kick from Dan. No action for the first minute until Dan punches. Silva with an uppercut and a high kick. Front kick lands glancing off Dan’s face. Henderson with the first takedown of the fight. Anderson’s length is making it hard for Henderson to be able to really open up, but Dan is able to land some hammerfists to the side of Silva’s head. Henderson just misses a huge elbow. Henderson is in side control but Silva spins and regains full guard. The round ends and it was a really good one for Dan. 10-9 Henderson.
Round 2 - Right hand lands for Silva. Anderson is starting to look a little looser now. Silva ends up on top of Henderson now. Dan stands up and has a body lock against the fence. They spit and Silva lands a knee from the clinch and a flurry of punches. Henderson is on his back and Silva hits a big elbow. Dan is trying to regroup with Silva in his half guard. Silva takes Dan’s back and gets the hooks in. Silva lands some big shots and locks in a body triangle.Choke is in with fifteen seconds left and Henderson taps out. ANDERSON SILVA! Anderson Silva wins by Submission - Rear Naked Choke. Anderson Silva retains the UFC Middleweight Championship. There’s nobody left but Yushin Okami at this point.
Prelim action: Josh Koscheck vs. Dustin Hazelett - Round 1 - Hazelett pours on some big shots and is landing often. Kos lands a few big shots in return.Koscheck is working strong off the jab. Jab, high kick. Jab, right to the body. Right hand lands now for Josh and he grabs a leg. Dustin grabs a guillotine but Koscheck has an arm in. Back to standing they go and Hazelett lands some sharp leg kicks. Kos is landing some more solid shots. Double leg by Kos but Hazelett sinks in a triangle but time expires. 10-9 Koscheck off of the stronger striking throughout the round.
Round 2 - Left hook lands for Koscheck. Left high kick hurts Hazelett and Koscheck follows up with some more shots. Its a knockout. Josh Koscheck wins by TKO - Ref Stoppage (punches)
Full results after the jump

bloodyelbow.com