Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
from Photographers Blog:
The moment Jeter fell
By Mike Segar
Firstly, let me say I am most definitely NOT a New York Yankees fan. I grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and have been a devoted Boston Red Sox fan my entire life. The Yankees are our sworn enemies as Red Sox fans and that never changes.
However, in my job as a photographer for Reuters I have covered the Yankees in the MLB playoffs since 1996, when I covered my first New York Yankees World Series championship.
That season a young rookie shortstop named Derek Jeter made his postseason debut as the Yankees went on to win the first of five World Series titles through 2009 (losing two more World Series in 2001 and 2003 along the way). I have seen a lot of playoff baseball games and experienced countless exciting and memorable moments as the Yankees and Jeter proved their greatness time and again.
Jeter is the Yankees' all-time career leader in hits (3,304), games played (2,585), stolen bases (348), and at bats (10,551). He has been elected to 13 All-Star teams, won five Gold Glove Awards, four Silver Slugger Awards. two Hank Aaron Awards, and a Roberto Clemente Award. Jeter is the all-time MLB leader in hits by a shortstop, and the 28th player to reach 3,000 hits. The 37-year-old Jeter’s 216 hits lead all Major league hitters in 2012.
Greg Rusedski blog: Djokovic enjoys big psychological boost in Shanghai
This week in Shanghai was once again all about the top 3 players in the world. Roger Federer keeps on setting new records; by making the semi-finals this past week he guaranteed he would stay at world number 1 for at least another week. Roger’s record of 300 weeks as world number 1 will never be broken.
Right now though in the men’s game there feels like a shift in power at the very top – It feels like a new era. The Djokovic, Murray era is beginning. Novak Djokovic, barring an injury will be number 1 at the end of the year. The big battle for the rest of the year will be between Murray and Federer for number 2 in the world. Djokovic and Murray are at the peaks of their careers, while Roger is nearing the latter stages of his career and nobody knows how Nadal will be after such a long injury break. Still we have no idea when Rafa will return.
Novak Djokovic has been in sublime form all week, not dropping a set getting to the finals. The closest anyone had gotten to Novak until the finals,was Tomas Berdych who lost 6 3, 6 4 in the semifinals.
Unitedβs problems will not go away
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson rued what he called an unfortunate 3-2 defeat by Tottenham, United’s first to the North London side at Old Trafford since 1989, but the truth is that you can only ride your luck for so long.
Fortuitous wins against Southampton, Fulham, Galatasaray in their Champions League opener and especially at Liverpool, coupled with the opening day defeat at Everton, should have warned Ferguson that United’s relatively good start to the season belied their obvious weaknesses so effectively exposed by Spurs.
It is not the first time that starting with both veterans Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs backfired. While the former is still able to supply long crossfield passes with stunningly consistent accuracy, the latter appears to be running through sand in what could be the final season of a glittering and trophy-laden career.
Ryder Cup liveblog
Our live blog will bring you all the latest news, photos and video from golf’s Ryder Cup in Medinah, Illinois as United States battle holders Europe.
Click here to access: http://live.reuters.com/Event/Ryder_Cup_golf_2012
Exciting Europa League deserves some respect
If the rip-roaring action from Matchday One in the Europa League is anything to go by, proposals to scrap the continent’s second-tier competition in order to expand the money-spinning Champions League to 64 teams would be an ill-judged decision.
Allowing as many as six teams from Europe’s top leagues to enter the Champions League would devalue the competition’s name as much as it would dilute its quality, with too many nondescripts trying to punch above their weight.
Likewise, it would deny many unheralded teams the kind of attention that came the way of Swiss outfit Young Boys Berne after their enthralling 5-3 home defeat by Liverpool in which the lead changed hands time and again throughout the absorbing Europa League contest.
A star is born at the U.S. Open
By Greg Rusedski
This year’s U.S. Open was about two former champions retiring, an up and coming new star in the women’s game and two great champions.
London Olympics 2012 live blog
Click on the link below to find all the latest news, photos and gossip from the London Olympics 2012
Roger Federer bids for Olympic glory to complete the set
Tragedy may not have been a constant companion as it was in Vincent van Gogh’s life, but Roger Federer’s game has the genius of the maestro’s work. If the Dutch artist’s canvases had yellow as its dominant colour, reminiscent of the sun, the Swiss player’s strokes pack all the sun’s brilliance.
Both artists inspire as much awe as disbelief. From 2003 to 2012, Federer achieved what history had never witnessed: 17 grand slam singles titles and 287 weeks at the top. Now he has his sights set on Olympic glory, the one big prize to so far elude him. The London Olympic tennis takes place in the next two weeks at a familar venue — Wimbledon.
Milan’s future could lie with Inzaghi clones
Defenders in Italy breathed a sigh of relief this week as Filippo Inzaghi hung up his boots. The bad news for them is that his new challenge is to produce the next generation of Italian goal-hanging greats as AC Milan’s youth team coach.
Inzaghi was the simplest of goal-poachers, with a bloodhound’s instinct for sniffing out a chance and the cobra-like reflexes to exploit it. He was neither a dribbler nor a passer, and his career-long battle with the offside rule reached ridiculous proportions at times, but his finishing ability was second to none.
from India Insight:
Mark of Boucher
In cricket, and in life, a perfect end is a rarity.
Even Don Bradman was bereft of it. Yet a not-so-perfect ending cannot deny a few sportsmen their legitimate place in the sun. South Africa's wicket-keeper Mark Boucher is one such cricketer.
His remarkably long international career, of almost 15 years, was tragically snuffed out when he was hit in the eye by a bail in a warm-up match against Somerset on July 9 during the ongoing England tour. He was only one short of 1,000 victims -- an unheard of feat in the 145 years of international cricket history.
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