J.V Sports and other news

Record 4,000 Career Win for Asmussen

2008-02-19T17:22:00.000-08:00

Author: Ally White

Steve Asmussen, an ex- jockey who became an instructor after going up too big to continue riding competitively. Asmussen obtained his 4,000th career victory when J J’s Bud won the third competition on Sunday at Oaklawn Park.

The 42- years-old Asmussen got his jockey’s license when he was 16 and he spent three years riding in California, New York and New Mexico. Moreover; Steve Asmussen initiated his preparation and training career in New Mexico in 1986.

Presently, Asmussen who is a native from Gettysburg, South Dakota but who is now living in Arlington, Texas keeps an eye on numerous divisions of horses that yearly place him between the leading North American instruction by wins and reward earnings. Asmussen had 22 starters at six different paths this past Saturday.

Asmussen achieved 555 winners in 2004 to smash Jack Van Berg’s record of 496 wins which was reached in 1976. Asmussen also guided all North American trainers by victories in the season 2005 with a total of 474 victories. Steve repeated that accomplishment last year with 488 triumphs.

The 18,961 Asmussen’s starters had as well obtained 3,221 runner-ups and 2,717 third-places closes. Moreover they had compiled $110,856,103 in winning earnings all the way through Saturday. Asmussen obtained 76 of his victories in ranked stake competitions, obtaining the trainer 2007 Horse of the Year Recognition and leading the champion - three-year-old male Curlin.

Subsequent to posting a 12 3/4-length first appearance triumph last year in a maiden special heaviness race at Gulfstream Park intended for instructor Helen Pitts, Curlin joined Asmussen’s shed. The Smart Strik horse succeeds five of his next eight starts, including wins in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1) and in the Preakness Stakes (G1).

Asmussen’s has also been related to the three-year-old Triple Crown promising Pyro and Z Fortune, who are the first- and second-place finishers, respectively, in the Risen Star Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds on February 9th.

Keith, Asmussen’s father, is a former jockey and also a coach. On the other side his mother, Marilyn, trained horses. He initiated helping his parents when he was five. Steve walked the horses, cleaned stalls and mislaid part of his thumb in a youth age accident while he was holding a horse through a fence.

Asmussen’s brother, Cash, won the Eclipse Award as North America’s exceptional beginner jockey in 1979 and was also a champion jockey in Europe. The Asmussen family manages El Primero Training Center in Laredo, Texas.

Article Tags: Gambling, Sports, Betting, Horses, Sportsbook, Triple Crown, Steve Asmussen, Preakness Stakes

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/record-4000-career-win-for-asmussen-337284.html

Liverpool 2-0 Inter Milan

2008-02-19T17:21:00.000-08:00

By Sam Lyon

Liverpool left it late to take control of their Champions League tie against 10-man Inter Milan and ease the pressure on manager Rafael Benitez.

Marco Materazzi harshly saw red on the half hour for two clumsy challenges on Fernando Torres, but Inter held firm.

Torres forced a superb save from Julio Cesar, while Patrick Vieira was lucky not to concede a penalty for handball.

But Dirk Kuyt eased home nerves with a deflected shot on 85 minutes and Steven Gerrard's firm drive sealed a fine win.

News conference: Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

It was a frantic finale for Liverpool, who had looked like being frustrated by a stoic Inter defensive display that had been led by the awesome Ivan Cordoba.

Instead Benitez, who has been feeling the heat all season from American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, was able to put his off-the-field problems and Saturday's FA Cup exit to Barnsley behind him.

606: DEBATE
We are Liverpool. We are back. No-one's gonna give Rafa the sack

Superredripper

And while the Spaniard might not be the mastermind Liverpool crave at domestic level, his record in Europe is far more impressive and the Anfield faithful gave him a rousing reception.

Similarly, Benitez's players started with an enthusiasm that suggested they were desperate to do their bit for the boss and Inter were rocked onto the back foot from the off.

Jamie Carragher had an early shout for a penalty denied when his shot struck Cordoba on the arm and Sami Hyypia then forced keeper Julio Cesar to tip over with a firm header.

But, despite the hosts' endeavour, chances were few and far between and the game was pretty balanced when Materazzi was controversially sent off.

Having already been booked for clipping Torres's heels, the Italian received a second yellow card for another clumsy tackle on the Spaniard - but it looked a harsh decision.

If the Anfield faithful were expecting a rousing end to the half, though, they were to be disappointed and when Gerrard got behind the defence late in the half only to see his cross cleared with not one Liverpool player in the box, it highlighted their lack of first-half ambition.

Materazzi reacts with disbelief after he is handed his marching orders

Benitez clearly had the away goal ruling in mind but Inter rarely looked like troubling that as they had their very first shot on goal - wide - on 49 minutes, before they reverted to a more defensive 4-4-1 formation.

It did not have the desired effect and Torres had a great chance when he ran through on goal, only for keeper Cesar to finger-tip his shot wide.

All of a sudden Liverpool were full of urgency and minutes after Hyypia had headed over from six yards, Vieira was fortunate to get away with a blatant handball on Gerrard's cross.

Peter Crouch was introduced as Benitez pressed for a winner and the frontman lashed a half-volley wide before forcing a great block from Maxwell.

It looked like turning into another frustrating match at Anfield - where Liverpool have been held or beaten nine times this season - but it turned on its head right at the end.

Kuyt finally broke the deadlock when he collected Jermaine Pennant's cross and lashed into the roof of the net via a deflection.

And as if that was not enough, Gerrard drove forward and drove into the far corner with an excellent shot from 25 yards to send the home masses into frenzy.

It was the first defeat in exactly five months for Inter and Liverpool will now be firm favourites to reach the quarter-finals when they defend a two-goal lead at the San Siro.

Top 3 - Soccer Players Salaries

2008-02-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

Author: Niv Orlian |

The question as to whether or not athletes in general and soccer players in particular, should be earning the kind of money they're earning is more vibrant then ever these days, with clubs paying their players incredible amounts of money each year.

The comparison to other sports is also very relative. A gymnast will train all his life, miss out on a lot of his younger years only to be able to handle a world class performance, but he will still not win as much in his lifetime as one of the highest earning soccer players makes in a year. But that's the market's call and there's no "fair" in sales share.

Getting back to our topic, it's somewhat difficult to judge exactly how much a player makes simply from his club salary, because many wage details are private, due to obvious reasons. As a club manager, you want to create complete harmony in your team and with all of them knowing that player gets paid twice as much as the rest, won't help you out with that.

The highest earning soccer players can also be affected by having their salaries publicly available, because at every less than bright performance, they'll be confronted with a "My God! He really should have played better for the kind of money he's making" type of exclamation from fans, media and fellow players.

A soccer player's income also comes from several other sources than simply his wage. For example, the best ever soccer players always made more money from endorsements and ads than their wages; take a look at David Beckham if you don't believe me.

Other contractual bonuses will also earn them a fair amount. For example, many strikers that are confident in their ability to play regularly and score will have contract bonuses for each goal, assist or for a total number of goals at the end of the season, while agreeing for a lower wage cutout.

However, considering all of the above, it would be logical to say that the highest earning soccer players are also the ones with the highest wages. A club will want to keep a player that brings in incredible amounts of money through endorsements and merchandise sale, so they will offer him a high salary. According to Forbes Magazine, here are the top 3 earners:

Ronaldinho ($29.5 million, salary + endorsement deals) - one of the most famous and nonconformist personas in soccer, Ronaldinho has become the trademark of playing soccer as a game, not as a business. His constant smile while playing and his tricks made him one of the most popular figures today, despite the fact that he's not as handsome and clean-cut as Beckham or Kaka. Ronaldinho is also widely considered one of the best ever soccer players, despite the fact that he still has many years to play for FC Barcelona, or his future clubs.

David Beckham ($29.1 million, salary + endorsement deals) - no presentation required, Beckham is more than just a soccer players for close to a decade now. His recent move to LA Galaxy from Real Madrid for an impressive transfer fee was well worth it, since American finance analysts agreed that the transfer would soon turn to profit, as Beckham shirt sales and other endorsements would soon earn the club their money back.

Ronaldo ($23.4 million, salary + endorsement deals) - the ex-phenomenon, the chunky Brazilian who impressed the World with his speed and goal-hungry attitude is not at the peak of his game anymore, although his move to Milan seems to have revived him somewhat. Despite his declining form, Ronaldo remains one of the central figures in today's soccer, as he has an established name and image for over a decade.

Nfl Playoffs 2008 Week 3

2008-01-27T14:24:00.000-08:00

Last week, I was 3 of 4 in predicting playoff winners. I correctly predicted that one of the Manning brothers, would be involved in an upset, but I think very few people saw the other one coming. The Colts loss was the only one that I missed out on.

That loss kind of takes some of the thunder out of this week's picks. I had Indy upsetting the Patriots and going on to win the Super Bowl. Wrong!! Maybe next year.

With that, let's get to this week's picks. Let's start with the easy game. I don't see anyone left who can stop the New England Patriots from going 19-0 and winning the Super Bowl. The Patriots will make quick work of the San Diego Chargers this week. This one won't even be close. The Patriots cruise this week, then rest up for the big finale on Feb. 3.

Now the other game this weekend is very intriguing. The New York Giants are on a roll. They have lost only once on the road this year and they avenged that loss last weekend. 8 in a row on the road and a pretty nice home stand against New England is very impressive. Although the ride has been nice, I think it stops here. I think the cold and the show will be too much for Eli and crew.

The Green Bay packers play well in the cold and I can see Brett Favre going out as a winner. Although I waver back and forth on this pick, one thing is for sure. Being a self professed homer, I can guarantee this one thing. There will be a Mississippi quarterback in the Super Bowl. It will either be Brett Favre from The University of Southern Mississippi or Eli Manning from The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).

How your Child Has Been Coached Out of Being a Great Footballer

2008-01-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

It is possible that your child has within them the natural attributes to become a great player. If they display promise at an early age they may want to start playing for a local club...where their expert staff will crush their spirit, retard their technical development, subvert their instincts and suck all the joy out of playing the game to such an extent that your child may want to give up football altogether.

A little dramatic perhaps, but the way football is approached at youth level has damaged generations of players, meaning any technically competent English player carried an inflated price tag, resulting inevitably in the massive influx of foreign players and ultimately to the dismal failure of the national team. As a footballing nation, England appears to have stopped developing since winning the World Cup in 1966, believing in their divine right to win simply because they gave the game to the world and won the World Cup forty years ago, while more modest, forward thinking nations like Korea, Ivory Coast and Croatia have begun to bloom and at the current rate of progress will soon outstrip the stubbornly ignorant attitude within English coaching circles. English players now lag embarrassingly behind their European, Latin American and African counterparts in skill and technique. Is it any wonder then that the one English team that plays stylish technical football, Arsene Wenger's North London powerhouse Arsenal, rarely has an English player in its starting eleven?

So, that is the problem, it's acknowledged and frequently mentioned by all sides, both in England and with great glee abroad, but what is the solution? One man thinks he knows the answer, another legend of (North East) London football, Sir Trevor Brooking. His mission is to overhaul the English coaching philosophy which has stagnated generations of promising young players, and somehow move coaches and managers away from the traditional unsubtle hoof and clog style of football that is still endemic at every level from the national team through the lower leagues, which are still largely populated by home grown talent, to park football.

While many English managers and ex-players berate clubs such as South London spendthrifts Chelsea and their North London rivals Arsenal for packing not just their first teams, but their reserve and youth teams with imported talent Brooking sympathises: 'Clubs have scouting networks all over Europe and the world and the funding to bring young players here,' he says. 'To be honest, I don't blame them. At the moment children join their academies at nine. We should target them before that and ensure that they have already encountered a far better quality of coaches.'

He continues expanding on his vision with refreshing candour: 'We also need to change what is being coached. Let's have more small-sided games so that they have more ball time. Let's allow them to have fun, take away the importance of winning and stop the young players being afraid of making mistakes. Concentrate on first touch and technique, allow that a short pass can often be more of a killer ball than the big hoof up to the centre-forward.' Under the Brooking plan English football could finally move away from its current simplistic, caricatured form, where especially at youth level coaches seek out a group of 'big lads' pump them up and set them to crunching their way through whatever opposition is put in their way, rather than enjoying the game and trying to play. It is often noticeable that English youth teams are significantly bigger than their foreign counterparts and this is because many have been chosen for their advanced physical development rather than any talent for football they may have shown, however, when they reach full maturity many of them fall by the wayside.

Brooking also takes time to specifically address one of the major concerns those familiar with youth football frequently express - that of overly aggressive, over vocal parents coaching and abusing players from the sidelines: 'Any parents who are too enthusiastic should, as a last resort, be removed,' he says ominously.

And what if English football doesn't embrace Brooking's plan, what will happen to all the young English players? Sir Trevor thinks their future could be bleak: 'If we don't do all these things then even the kids identified as elite, when they join academies at nine, will still be starting behind. By the time they are competing at sixteen with a foreign youngster they have even less chance of being taken on.'

Hard working villa down failing blues

2007-09-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Villa defence withstood what could have be a onsluaght form Chelsea to stun them by hitting two goals past them to win 2-0 at villa park with goals from debutant zat kinght and late goal by abongdonlar.

Chelsea didn't really have many clear cut chances if any and had alot of the possesion which after the second goal went in roman the chelsea owner left the staduim and see enough of the drab perofrmance form chelsea

Champions league draw

2007-08-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

The

groups were draw as follows:

Group A
LIVERPOOL
Porto
Marseille
Besiktas

Group B
CHELSEA
Valencia
Schalke 04
Rosenborg

Group C
REAL MADRID
Werder Bremen
Lazio
Olympiakos

Group D
AC MILAN
Benfica
Celtic
Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E
BARCELONA
Lyon
Stuttgart
Rangers

Group F
MANCHESTER UNITED
Roma
Sporting Lisbon
Dynamo Kiev

Group G
INTER MILAN
PSV Eindhoven
CSKA Moscow
Fenerbahce

Group H
ARSENAL
Sevilla/AEK Athens
Steau Bucharest
Slavia Prague

Arsenal Cruise Through

2007-08-29T14:23:00.001-07:00

Arsenal easily won the tie agianst Sparta Prague on 5-0 aggregrate and 3-0 on the night where it started well with a Theo Walcott run and cross where Tomas Rosicky scored inside the box on six minutes but after that Arsenal were qute happy to go in 1-0 at half time and ensure they qualified for the group stages.

In the secon half Sparta prague seemed to up the game unitil in the last ten minutes fabregas and eduado both socred to put arsneal easily through to the group stages

Carling cup

2007-08-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

For the latest news on the carling cup please feel free to visit www.bbc.co.uk/sport and get your latest updates.

Fernandes to snub Everton

2007-08-27T04:31:00.000-07:00

Manuel Fernandes is set to complete a six year deal with spanish giants valencia even after being showed to the everton fans on saturday with the 1-1 draw agianst blackburn.

It is reported that he will cost valencia 12 million from benifica which the news will come to a blow with David Moyes because he has little time to find a replacement midfielfder as the tansfer window closes on friday which is proposed move to everton was tricky as like carlos tevez he is owned my third party.

Im sure most people at everton will be very dissapointed in the attitude in fernandes pretedning to asure bill kenwright that he will sign for everton you cna only suggest more money was invovled.

Inter pulled back by udinese

2007-08-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Seria A champions Inter milan had to settle for a 1-1 draw agaisnt udinese after AsmoaSh scored late on. Inter milan Came flying out of the blcoks quick with dejan stankovic scored inside ten minutes however it stayed like that for the rest of the first half but inter milan could have added another goal. In the second half Inter Milan's goalkeeper Julio Cesar was sent off but with half an hour left Inter Milan holded on into either asmoah or cordaba scored the goal that settle a draw which already not the start Inter Milan were looknig for while Juve scored 5 goals to show there intent after bieng promoted back ti the seria A and cactch up for lost time.

Diet Loss For those Flat sexy ABS

2007-08-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

The nutrition portions of the "six pack abs" interview. Diet tips for fat loss success...CB: Let's turn to nutrition. What is your fat loss nutrition philosophy? MG: I could talk about nutrition for hours and it's such a controversial subject, so I'll keep this brief...It doesn't have to be as complicated as the "diet gurus" make it out to be. It can be a lot simpler...1. whole, unprocessed organic foods, as close to their natural state as possible2. High nutrient density food choices instead of nutrient deficient processed foods3. Fruits and vegetables (lots of vegetables) as your main source of carbohydrates instead of so much reliance on grains as is so prominent in our food supply these days4. Moderate amounts of high quality protein at each meal5. High fiber intake to help appetite control and glycemic control (maintaining more balanced blood sugar)6. Don't neglect healthy fat intake from nuts, seeds, organic eggs, wild fish or fish oil, virgin coconut oil and olive oils, avocados, etc (helps appetite control and hormonal balance)Once you gain control over the aspects listed above, everything else usually works itself out in your diet... you no longer crave sweets or junk food because your body finally has all of the nutrients it needs. Another important thing that this style of eating does is that it tends to bring people naturally back to the proper amount of calories they need each day without having to attempt to count calories or anything like that. CB: How do you address "lifestyle" with your clients to help them lose fat? MG: One of the most important things I try to instill in my clients is that this has to become part of their lifestyle if it is ever going to work long-term. They need to make their health and fitness a priority in their life, and they must enjoy it...whether it's because they actually enjoy the actual exercise and healthy eating, or because they enjoy the feeling of strength or energy or confidence that it gives them. CB: Give us some of your unique fat loss stories. For example, have you ever made one small change to a client's program that helped them get through a plateau? Or has a client ever responded to one form of training that surprised you? Stuff like that... MG: I had one client a couple years ago... a guy in his early 30's...a classic case in reality. He'd been doing the same routine for years... about an hour of cardio 5 days/week while reading the newspaper, and then he'd finish it off with a few weight machines. He finally came to me because his body was actually getting worse despite his long workouts. I asked him to put his trust in me, and asked if he'd be willing to try something drastically different...I asked if he would fully give up his cardio for 6 weeks and follow one of my free weight training routines instead. I actually insisted that he didn't do any cardio at all during this experimental 6 weeks of change... only weights would be allowed. This was hard for him at first as he was so accustomed to just doing all of this boring cardio because it was easy. But easy workouts don't create a better body!The results were incredible... I think his strength improved about 30-40 lbs on almost all of his lifts during that 6 weeks while simulataneously losing about 15 lbs of body weight, and his beer belly shrunk down considerably to the point where he had to go out and buy some new pants with smaller waists.Another story... As far as clients getting new results from just a small tweak...A few people that have been stuck at a fat loss plateau have come to me and I gave them a simple nutrition trick to try. This simple change was to start basing their last full meal of the day around just meats with lots of veggies and salad... basically, no starches with dinner, just meat and veggies.As simple as that sounds, I've seen many people break their fat loss plateau just by implementing that into their diet. So many people think that their meals need to be based on starch like pasta or rice, but I think it's so much easier to lose fat when your meals are based around meat and vegetables instead of starch.I could go on, but I hope that gives some useful ideas for now to help break through that fat loss plateau.

Man United fury at Reds Enquiry

2007-08-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that Manchester United are looking into Liverpools's attempts to try and close a deal with Hienze.

Gabriel Hienze who has now recently completed a 8 million poun move to Spanish champion for 8 million alongside Chelseas Arjen Robben for 25 million. Liverpools boss Rafa Bentiz said he was very angry and upset about the whole matter.

Hienze argued that David Gill signed a letter saying that a fee was accepted and could be released to sign for livepool.

Red boss said he was 100 percent sure that he will capture the defender but however this matter will surely not matter now as assigned for a very talented Real Madrid side

England edge out in close encounter

2007-08-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

England suffered thier first loss to o suprise of their old rivals germany 2-1 desite england coming out the blocks with frank lampard latching onto Michah Richards super run to pass into Lampard which German goalkeeper should have saved but england look very much in control until german got a lucky goals due to a paul robison error which he allowed kevin kurayni pounced and scored.

not to long after that a new cap player called Chrsitian pander drilled a unstoppable shot past robison to take germay into the lead. Frank Lampard, Micheal Owen and Kieron Dyer all had chances through the match to level.

however England may be upset with the result but alot of good players put in a solid performance but just not quite god enough to beat world-cup sem-finalist germany.

Ronaldo Blasts Three Match Ban

2007-08-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

Manchester United Superstar Christano Ronaldo has describe his three match ban in the 1-1 draw with portsmouth unjustifed.

Ronaldo who is 22 recieved a straight red card for aiming a headbutt towards richard hughes but he now claims that he was provoked to do so.

Ronaldo has said that he is extremly fustrated by the three match ban.

This is quite bad news for Manchester United as they already are currently 7 points behind to there local rivals Manchester city with only three games gone which they haven't yet won a game this season which could have a huge affect on thier season only time will tell if the new players gel together.

Ramos dismisses Spurs job

2007-08-20T11:05:00.001-07:00

Top Sevilla boss Juande Ramos i not in talls about replacing martin jol as coach, according to a spanish agent.

A so called meeting between Ramos and Spurs officials was reported in the spanish press last weekend this may have been brought up due to Jol comin under pressure after having 1 win and two defeats so far this season and spending 40 milliion on players this summer.

But people should realise that Jol has done alot for Spurs by taken them to fifth on two seasons running and has been back to acheive sucess throughout the season due to the money given to him.

Ramos has been linked with many jobs in the past due to his team winning the UEFA cup twice in a row which he was reported to take over Man city to repace Stuart Pearce before Ex England manager Sven-Goran Erikson took over in 2007

Styles dropped due to error

2007-08-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

Referee Styles will not officiate in the Premier League next weekend following is performance in the 1-1 deaw between Liverpool and Chelsea on Sunday.

Styles was criticisied for awarding Chelsea a penalty and also he appeared to show Chelsea's Micheal Essien a second yellow card and failed to send him off.The general manager of the professional Games Officals limited look at the video evidence and made this act to drop styles immedately and has also apolgise to Rafa Bentiz for the unforced errors that occured.

These sort of occasions don't happen often and Styles may well have been used as an example to try and make sure no other referree's make these sort of errors.

Mexico brazed for hurricane

2007-08-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Mexico is bracing itself for the impact of the hurricane dean which battered jamaica.
Winds reaching up to 150mph (240km/h) which this tored off roofs, uproote tress and downed power lines in jamaica as the centre of the storm just passed closely south of the island.

Many experts say that hurricane Dean could still get stronger which isn't the news that mexico wanted which a hurricane warning has now been affect for the coast of belize and the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, from belize north to cancun.

We all hope that this hurricane does less damage than expected near mexico to esure the saftey of the citzens there.

Henman set to confirm to retirement

2007-08-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Tim Henman is very close to bring curtains now on his career at a press conference in New York. Tim Henman is set to take part in the US open next week. Henman has been suffering from alot of back problems this year and has only one three ATP matches.

Henman will obviously been known as the guy who could not quite make it to win wimeldon but however this guy is an icon for children partcipating in tennis due to his commitment and motivation to achieve sucess even towards the end of his career.

Im quite when Henman finally retires many people will feel he has done alot to try and improve partcipation in english tennis and many people will surely thank himfor his efforts.

Three withdrawn from friendly

2007-08-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

England will have too do without the likes of Owen Hargreave, Steven Gerrard and Darren Bent
for the friendly against old rival Germany. Steven gerrard will miss the game due to breaking his toe whereas Owen Hargreaves is still feeling the pain from his knee injury. Bent misses out due to suffering a thigh injury in Tottenham's 4-0 win over derby in which he scored.

However the was some go0d news for England manger Steve Mclaren on monday as L.A superstar David Beckham took part in the afternoon training session although there are some cocerns that at 32 nowis level of football has drop but Mclaren remains postive that Beckham can still provide the goods.