Japan pulls off upset of Germany July 9, 2011, 8:29 PM ET Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
WOLFSBURG Germany -- Japan knocked two-time defending champion Germany out of the Women's World Cup on Saturday, advancing to the semifinals with a 1-0 win when substitute Karina Maruyama outran the defense and scored on an angled shot in extra time.
Japan absorbed relentless pressure during the match, gaining its first World Cup semifinal and handing Germany its first loss in the tournament in a dozen years.
Standout midfielder Homare Sawa spotted Maruyama's deep run in the 108th minute, served her perfectly and Maruyama slipped it past goalie Nadine Angerer to silence the sellout crowd of 26,067 and an expectant nation.
"I saw her running, I saw the gap in the defense and I gave the assist," Sawa said.
The 32-year-old's field vision and precision passing earned her player of the match award.
"I take my hat off to her," said Germany coach Silvia Neid. "It is her fifth World Cup and she still plays so well."
Germany threw everything forward in the final dozen minutes, but it didn't matter. As throughout the tension-filled match, the bounces didn't go the hosts' way.
"I am so happy. We all fought together until the end," Maruyama said. "It was not my success, but that of the whole team."
(Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)Japanese players celebrate their 1-0 victory over host Germany on Saturday. With the win, Japan advances to the semifinals.
Germany's fear of elimination appeared to douse its creativity and the quarterfinal turned into a test of survival. In the end it was the "Japanese game" that coach Norio Sasaki promised that made the difference -- one precision pass and lightness of feet outdid two hours of grinding and pushing by the hosts.
Germany had not lost a World Cup game going back to a quarterfinal defeat to the United States in 1999.
The loss also meant the likely end of the World Cup career of Birgit Prinz, Germany's best player and the tournament's all-time leading scorer. After two disappointing games, she was benched for the last group game and again in the quarterfinal. She came off to shake hands.
After the game, the Japanese players united behind a Japanese banner saying, "To our friends around the world -- Thank you for your support," recognizing the global aid in the wake of the deadly earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March.
"Our playing is to be an encouragement for the victims of the disaster," Sasaki said.
Germany's tactical plans had already gone awry after four minutes when midfielder Kim Kulig hurt her right knee as she was going for a header that just went over. Neid was counting on Kulig's ball-winning skills, but instead immediately had to replace her.
"It was a shock for us," Neid said.
Germany was piling early pressure with high balls, yet after 20 minutes, things slowly started to turn.
The fervor went out of the capacity crowd and Japan got a foothold in midfield.
Unlike its loss to England in the last group game, Japan was able to deal with the physical pressure Germany was throwing at it and their defenders put a foot in as often as the Germans did.
Early in the second half, Germany threatened again when Yukari Kinga kicked a ball off the line after Simone Laudehr's header. Yet Japan refused to crack under the pressure, even if it was forced to concede two yellow cards.
Sawa kept her team composed and set up chances for attack with a close control game and precision passing.
Soon, the mighty Germans were kicking the ball out of their penalty area in panic and with 15 minutes to go, the quarterfinal was anyone's match with two tired teams chasing each and every ball.
"Our players were forced to be patient and wait for their opportunity," Sasaki said.
World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations and held every two years. The upcoming event will be held in the city of Daegu.
Event title : IAAF World Championships, Daegu 2011- International Association of Athletics Federations
www.iaaf.org/
Date : August 27 ~ September 4, 2011 (9 days)
Event size : 212 countries, 6,000 athletes (plus 3,500 officers and
2,500 reporters) 47 events (24 for male, 23 for female)
Location : Daegu Stadium
米大リーグ：うっそ〜。アルバート・プーホーがエンジェルス!! a 10-year deal for at least $250 million. 年俸の桁が違う。まだ所属チーム・カージナルズの契約金との折り合い次第であり、最終決定ではないことがＥＳＰＮのニュースでわかる。いつものことだが打線が湿り勝ちなエンゼルス打線には、彼は即戦力として期待が持てる。だが今まで隠れファンとしてゲームを追っていると、多分バッティングコーチに責任があるのだろうと思える。他チームに移籍した元エンジェル選手が打線で活躍するケースが際立っているからだ。たとえばテキサスレインジャーに昨年移ったキャッチー、マイク・ナポリ (Mike Napoli) が今シーズンＭＶＰ級に活躍したのが良い例。だからアルバート・プジョーの打率その他の成績がエンゼルス入団して突然に、極端に落ちなければ良いが。余談だがアルバート・プホルスという書き方は間違い。アルバート・プーホーが発音に近い。
****
エンゼルスがプホルス獲得 ＭＶＰ３度の強打者
2011/12/9 1:46
ダービッシュの大リーグへのラブコールと米スカウト側の目
Yu Darvish wants to play in majors
ESPN.com news services
TOKYO -- Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish ended months of speculation Thursday by saying he intends to make a move to Major League Baseball.
The 25-year-old right-hander, considered the best pitcher in the Japanese professional leagues, wrote on his blog that he had decided to use the posting system, which allows MLB teams to bid for the negotiating rights to Japanese players who have yet to become free agents.
"I have decided to use the posting system," he said. "I wanted to tell my fans directly, so that is why I am posting this on my blog."
Darvish, the son of an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA this season for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. He had 276 strikeouts to lead the Pacific League.
The Fighters had given him approval to negotiate with a major league club through the posting system. Daisuke Matsuzaka and Ichiro Suzuki went to the major leagues under the system.
"I owe a lot of thanks to my team," Darvish said, adding he would provide more details at an upcoming news conference.
Darvish pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a member of the Japanese national team that won the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
The 6-foot-5 Darvish has superb control and throws seven effective pitches, including a two-seam fastball introduced during the 2010 season. It's expected he would make a top-of-the-rotation major league starter.
"Darvish is the No. 1 pitcher in Japan, but we want him to become the ace of the world," Nippon Ham team representative Toshimasa Shimada said.
Yu Darvish, 25, went 18-6 with a league-leading 1.44 ERA this season for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. His 276 strikeouts led the Pacific League.
Darvish turned pro in 2005 at 18. His pro career got off to a rocky start when he was caught smoking in a pachinko parlor on an off day during his first spring training, despite not being old enough to legally smoke or gamble at the time.
After going 5-5 with a 3.53 ERA in his rookie season with the Fighters, Darvish had a breakout year in 2006, going 12-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 115 strikeouts.
In 2007, Darvish won the Eiji Sawamura Award presented to the top pitcher in Japanese professional baseball after posting a 15-5 record with a 1.82 ERA and a league-leading 210 strikeouts.
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Once posted by the Fighters, MLB clubs can submit sealed bids for the right to negotiate with Darvish. If the Fighters accept the highest bid, the MLB club that placed that bid will have 30 days to finalize a contract with the player. If no deal is reached, Darvish returns to the Fighters for another season and the Fighters must return the posting fee to the MLB club.
The Texas Rangers certainly will be one team with interest. They've scouted Darvish in the past and generak manager Jon Daniels has seen him pitch in person.
The New York Yankees also are expected to make a bid, but have been coy about their intentions after their bad experiences with Kei Igawa, who failed to make an impact in the majors.
Before leaving the winter meetings, Boston Red Sox GM Ben Cherington indicated that the Red Sox are unlikely to participate in the posting process for Darvish.
"I'm not sure the timing of this offseason puts us in a position to be the most aggressive team," Cherington said. "But he's a good pitcher. We have a lot of respect for him. We certainly will discuss it. We've got to figure out if a post makes sense.
"We've got a lot of commitment to the starting rotation, as you guys know. We feel pretty good about the front end of our rotation. Certainly if a team is going to be posting and trying to sign him, it's going to be part of the front end of the rotation. We feel pretty good about that part of our team."
In 2006, former Seibu Lions pitcher Matsuzaka drew a $51.1 million posting fee from the Red Sox, who signed him to a six-year, $52 million contract, taking the total package to more than $100 million.
The Yankees won the negotiating rights to shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima of the Lions on Wednesday. The posting fee for the 29-year-old was $2.5 million.
Information from ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett, ESPNNewYork.com's Andrew Marchand, ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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米大リーグ：エンゼルスが野球界を衝撃。タイトルが凄い。
-アルバート・プーホーとＣ．Ｊ．ウィルソン獲得で
****
Angels shock the baseball world
L.A. commits more than $325 million to land Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson
DALLAS -- It takes a lot to shock the citizens of Planet Baseball. A lot of dollars. A lot of years. A lot of courage.
But the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have pulled it off. On an unforgettable Thursday morning at baseball's 2011 winter meetings, they stunned their sport and changed their world, all in one dramatic swoop.
All it took was signing the great Albert Pujols, not to mention the $77.5 million and five years they gave to free-agent starter C.J. Wilson.
All it took was 10 years and more than $250 million, and Sir Albert was a Cardinals icon no more. He's an Angel now. Wait. Check that. He's THE Angel now.
He's the face of a franchise that hadn't even been connected with his name until 24 hours earlier. And that means he hasn't just transformed the Angels. He has left his indelible imprint on his entire sport -- on the team he is leaving behind, on the team he's joining, on the NL Central and the AL West, on landmark baseball contracts past and future.
It all came crashing down on one earth-rattling morning at the winter meetings, as news of Pujols' shocking decision rippled through the Hilton Anatole hotel and all the baseball movers and shakers who were still trying to fathom what just happened.
"If he's going to the American League, I'm a happy camper," said Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.
"From my standpoint, it's great," said Mets GM Sandy Alderson. "We've got two wild cards and no Albert Pujols."
"I'll miss seeing him," said Reds GM Walt Jocketty, who once, in a previous life, was the general manager who had brought Pujols to the big leagues in St. Louis. "But I won't miss facing him."
Asked whether life in the American League West had just gotten a little more fun, Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine retorted: "How liberal is your definition of the word 'fun?'
"We just saw him for seven games [in the World Series]," Levine went on. "I think it's safe to say we haven't exactly figured him out yet."
Pujols' contract will go down in history as the biggest to a man who was not named Alex Rodriguez. Amazingly, his deal got done in the same hotel where the Texas Rangers once signed A-Rod for 10 years and 252 million of Tom Hicks' well-intentioned dollars.
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Asked Thursday whether there must be something about this hotel that inspired monstrous contracts, Alderson quipped: "There must be a strain of Legionnaires' disease here."
"Maybe 'Anatole' means 'U.S. Mint' in another language," joked another GM who wished to remain nameless.
But for the sport of baseball, this was no joking matter. The Angels are a different franchise now than they were a week ago. They have tied themselves to the face, the bat and the aura of the Best Player in Baseball -- for the next decade, anyway. And we'll never be able to view them quite the same way again, no matter how this turns out.
The immediate reaction of the masses will be to torch this decision -- based solely on the completely sensible premise that it's absurd to believe that a 10-year contract for any player in his early 30s is a good idea.
But that isn't how the Angels view this. For them, this is more than merely a baseball contract. This is a decision based not just on what Pujols is about to do for them on the field. It's also based on what he's about to do for the franchise.
"There's no question that branding comes into play," said Alderson, who worked in the commissioner's office sorting through deals like this in a previous professional incarnation. "There's no question that the television dynamic is probably a factor."
So to think that any other player -- whether it's Prince Fielder today or Bryce Harper in 2017 -- can take this contract and use it to rake in a quarter-billion dollars of his own is missing the point. This isn't just any player. It's Albert Pujols.
"Deals of this length and this magnitude are extremely rare for a reason," one National League executive said. "There's only one Albert Pujols. He's the best player of his generation. When you do any contract, you're always looking for comparables. Well, who's comparable to him? There are only a handful of guys who have ever played who are comparable to Albert Pujols."
And that's what the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were buying here -- not merely a first baseman, not merely a No. 3 hitter, but a legend who alters everything about them.
Was that worth $250 million? We're about to find out.
Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com. His latest book, "Worth The Wait: Tales of the 2008 Phillies," was published by Triumph Books and is available in a new paperback edition, in bookstores and online. Click here to order a copy.
レインジャーズがダービッシュ交渉権獲得
Rangers win Yu Darvish sweepstakes
Updated: December 20, 2011, 12:16 AM ET
By Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
The Texas Rangers posted the highest bid for Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish and that bid was accepted by Darvish's team in Japan, Major League Baseball announced Monday night.
Sources said the Rangers' posting bid was around $51.7 million. Bidding for the posting fee closed last Wednesday, and the Ham Fighters had until 5 p.m. EST on Tuesday to accept.
The club has 30 days to negotiate with Darvish and his representatives. Should they not reach an agreement in that allotted time, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters will not receive the posting fee and Darvish will pitch in Japan next season.
"The Texas Rangers are pleased and excited to have acquired the rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish. Our organization has scouted Mr. Darvish for the last several years and has been very impressed with his abilities and accomplishments. We believe he would be a great addition to the Texas Rangers pitching staff," the Rangers said in a statement. "We look forward to beginning the next step of this process in the very near future with Mr. Darvish and his representatives."
Various reports before MLB's announcement had the fee close to or possibly more than the $51.1 million the Boston Red Sox bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka prior to the 2007 season. The club still has to pay Darvish a contract, meaning the total investment will likely top $100 million.
Darvish was 18-6 with a league-best 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts. The 25-year-old is known to have superb command and some scouting reports say a seven-pitch repertoire, including a two-seamer added in 2010. He walked just 36 batters in 232 innings.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander pitched in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He started his professional career at age 18 and after an average rookie year, put up impressive numbers in his second season (2006), going 12-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 115 strikeouts. Darvish has been steady and has pitched plenty of innings, leading up to his opportunity to land a deal and pitch in the big leagues.
Darvish is represented by Don Nomura and Arn Tellem.
"We were pleased to learn that the Texas Rangers were the high-bidders for Yu Darvish," Tellem said in a statement. "The Rangers are an extraordinary franchise in an exceptional city with equally exceptional fans. Yu is honored to be prized so highly and recognized as a once-in-a-generation pitcher. We look forward to getting negotiations underway."
Darvish is 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA in his career in Japan. He has not pitched in the major leagues before and scouts seem to differ on how good he will be. But he's projected by most as a No. 1 or No. 2 starter.
For a Rangers staff without a true No. 1, he gives them a young starter who slides into the upper part of the rotation, assuming a contract is reached. C.J. Wilson, the Rangers' top starter in 2011, signed a five-year, $77.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels this offseason.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels scouted Darvish himself last season and the club has increased its presence in the Pacific Rim in recent years. The team's biggest signing out of Japan was Colby Lewis prior to the 2010 season. He put up a ton of strikeouts and showed solid control in Japan for two seasons and has been able to replicate that, for the most part, in the majors. Lewis has pitched well in the postseason for two straight years and the Rangers picked up a club option on Lewis' contract for the 2012 season.
Richard Durrett covers the Rangers for ESPNDallas.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
大リーグ：ロスアンジェルス エンジェルスの来期予想ラインアップ
Fun with lineups
December, 9, 2011 8:03AM PT
By Mark Saxon ESPN LA
The only thing Mike Scioscia was willing to offer just hours after the acquisition of Albert Pujols was that the new guy will bat third. Duh.
"I don't have to have lineups in now, do I?" Scioscia wondered.
No, but that doesn't mean we can't speculate about how the Angels offense will work next April. It feels as if more personnel moves are in the offing -- with players such as Mark Trumbo, Kendrys Morales, Bobby Abreu, Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis -- now having less defined roles, with one or more perhaps headed out of town.
Here are a couple of likely possibilities for Angels lineups:
1. Peter Bourjos CF
2. Howie Kendrick 2B
3. Albert Pujols 1B
4. Torii Hunter RF
5. Mark Trumbo DH
6. Vernon Wells LF
7. Alberto Callaspo 3B
8. Chris Iannetta C
9. Erick Aybar SS
If Trumbo adapts to playing third base -- something he admits was a disaster when he first started pro ball -- and if Morales is healthy, it opens up some more powerful looks. In a perfect world, the Angels could field a lineup that would rival the power the Texas Rangers can field:
1. Peter Bourjos CF
2. Howie Kendrick 2B
3. Albert Pujols 1B
4. Torii Hunter RF
5. Kendrys Morales DH
6. Mark Trumbo DH
7. Vernon Wells LF
8. Chris Iannetta C
9. Erick Aybar SS
If Wells has a bounceback season and performs as well as he did five years ago, you could see four players hit 30 or more home runs and a lineup that looks something like this:
1. Peter Bourjos CF
2. Howie Kendrick 2B
3. Albert Pujols 1B
4. Vernon Wells LF
5. Kendrys Morales DH
6. Mark Trumbo 3B
7. Torii Hunter RF
8. Chris Iannetta C
9. Erick Aybar SS
Another X-factor: Mike Trout. What if he's lights-out this spring? Do the Angels consider trading Bourjos, one of their best players, if they can reap a nice haul in return? If so, we might see this look:
1. Erick Aybar SS
2. Howie Kendrick 2B
3. Albert Pujols 1B
4. Kendrys Morales DH
5. Mark Trumbo 3B
6. Torii Hunter RF
7. Vernon Wells LF
8. Chris Iannetta C
9. Mike Trout CF
The list goes on. This exercise is a lot more fun ever since Thursday happened.
沢が最優秀女子選手
Sawa, Messi named Players of Year
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012
By GUS FIELDING
Kyodo
ZURICH — Homare Sawa, the 2011 Women's World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Boot winner, was named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year on a historic night for Japanese soccer Monday.
Athletic and elegant: Nadeshiko Japan star Homare Sawa reacts after being named the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year at an awards ceremony in Zurich on Monday night. AP
Norio Sasaki, who guided Nadeshiko Japan to an astonishing first ever World Cup triumph at last summer's finals in Germany, won the Women's Coach of the Year, while the Japan Football Association also won the Fair Play Award.
Barcelona's mercurial Argentine forward Lionel Messi landed the men's Ballon d'Or award, becoming the first man since former France international Michel Platini to take the title three years in succession, while the Men's Coach of the Year award went to his club coach, Pep Guardiola.
Messi was up against Barca teammate Xavi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo, the 2008 winner, was unable to attend the awards ceremony as Real is in action on Tuesday night in the King's Cup against Malaga.
The 24-year-old Messi won the award after polling 47.88 of the votes, ahead of Ronaldo (21.6 percent) and Xavi (9.23 percent).
"It is a big pleasure to win the third, a big honor. I want to thank the teammates, players and coaches that voted for me," said Messi.
"I want to thank my Barcelona and Argentina teammates, without them this would have been impossible. But most of all, I want to share it with Xavi: you deserve this as much as I do."
Messi, man of the match in the Champions League final in 2011, also won the Primera Division, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup last year.
Dressed in a traditional kimono, Sawa, 33, and the 53-year-old Sasaki were the first Japanese recipients and first Asian winners of their respective awards, picking them up at the star-studded ceremony in Zurich with the cream of the soccer world in attendance.
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"It hasn't sunk in yet," said Sawa. "When my name was read out I didn't know what was going on. This award feels so heavy. I wasn't at all confident that I had definitely won it and just wanted to give myself a pat on the back for making it among the three nominees."
"I am so surprised and delighted with this award. I spoke with people at the JFA and came to the conclusion that the kimono represents Japan and was the most suitable attire for tonight," she smiled.
"As the JFA president I feel blessed," Junji Ogura said of the country's hat trick of awards. "Winning three awards doesn't happen very often. Sawa won and Sasaki won, something that no other Asians have done, and this is fantastic. Getting the Fair Play Award is an added bonus."
Sawa beat out five-time winner Marta of Brazil and American Abby Wambach, while Sasaki was named from the coach's shortlist that included Pia Sundhage, whose U.S. team lost to Japan in a penalty shootout in the World Cup final, and France's Bruno Bini.
"I am so thrilled for Sawa," said Wambach. "I think the Japanese deserved all of the awards they received tonight. They were of course the World Cup champions, she was proven to be the best player and I am very proud of her."
Said Platini: "It's good that there is a Japanese woman (winning the award). I think it is possible in the future that a Japanese man could win the award but they will have to win the World Cup first."
Sasaki, who in an inspired piece of sports psychology showed his players footage of the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami's aftermath before their World Cup quarterfinal and semifinal wins over Germany and Sweden, said, "I am full of gratitude to everyone."
"I was just overjoyed to be able to be here with my family. It was only for a moment but it really hit me emotionally when I got the award. Last year we suffered a disastrous earthquake in northeastern Japan and many, many people in the football family of the world provided such warm support and I would like to thank everyone for their support."
These awards were decided after a poll in which the captains and head coaches of the men's (for the two men's soccer awards) and women's (for the two women's soccer awards) national teams, as well as international media representatives selected by French soccer magazine France Football, voted for candidates in each of the four categories. Each group's votes represented one third of the final result.
Nadeshiko Japan star Homare Sawa, who led the team to a Women's World Cup title last year, and Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi are named FIFA Players of the Year at an awards ceremony in Zurich on Monday. AP PHOTO
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今日は49ersとＳａｉｎｔｓの試合をテレビ観戦。アメリカはＮＦＬのプレイオフゲームが進行中。このゲームに勝てばＮＦＣのコンフェレンスのチャンピオンシップ戦に進む。そのチャンピオンとＡＦＣのチャンピオンが最終戦となるスーパーボールで顔をあわせて戦い、今シーズンのチャンピオンが決められる。２ｎｄクォーターの途中から見始めたので、試合はすでに１７対７で、49ersがリードしていた。ちょっと前は１７対０だったとＴＶのコメンテーターが告げている。クォーターバック・ブリーズがリードするSaintsチームは、すでに一昨年（February 7, 2010）スーパーボールでチャンピオンになっている人気チームでまったく侮れない。気になっていたのでチャンネルをＦｏｘに合わせた。試合はまったく目が離せないゲーム展開。何度も両チーム間で攻撃側と守り側が入れ替わる激しいシーソーゲームの攻防戦。49ersのクウォーターバック・スミスから投げられたボールがゴール内にいるタイトエンド・デイビスの懐に。そのキャッチを決めて１４ヤードのタッチダウン。３６対３２。それが、ゲーム終了のたった９秒前のこと。よくSaintsチームは追いつき、スコアを４ｔｈクォーターで挽回し、およそ一分５０秒前にはタッチダウンを決め、３２対２９とリードした。ところがそれも束の間。勝敗はこうして49ersの勝利で決着。Ｓａｉｎｔｓはクウォーターバックでは勝っていたが、ターンオーバーに泣いた。試合は４９ｒ'ｓのホームフィールドで行なわれ、ファンの息をのんだが、最後の結末に観客は大満足。凡人は逆転劇が好きなので、出足が遅れたSaintsを応援していたので、少しがっかり。でもアメリカンフットボールならではの、とてもすばらしい試合だった。
＿＿＿
Alex Smith, 49ers bounce sloppy Saints, charge into NFC title game
sociated Press
SAN FRANCISCO -- Alex Smith completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis with 9 seconds left just after Drew Brees had put the high-powered Saints ahead, and the resurgent San Francisco 49ers capitalized on five New Orleans turnovers for a thrilling 36-32 playoff victory Saturday.
Smith ran for a 28-yard TD with 2:11 left and threw another scoring pass to Davis. Coach Jim Harbaugh's NFC West champions (14-3) proved that a hard-hitting, stingy defense can still win in the modern, wide-open NFL by holding off one of league's most dynamic offenses.
San Francisco triumphed in its first playoff game in nine years, moving within one win of returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since capturing the proud franchise's fifth championship after the 1994 season. The Saints finish at 14-4.
Next up for the 49ers is the NFC title game against the winner of Sunday's New York Giants-Green Bay Packers matchup.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
＿＿＿
Team Stat Comparison ＮＯ（Saints） ＳＦ（49ers）
1st Downs 26 17
Passing 1st downs 23 11
Rushing 1st downs 2 6
1st downs from Penalties 1 0
3rd down efficiency 5-14 4-15
4th down efficiency 0-0 0-0
Total Plays 80 68
Total Yards 472 407
Passing 435 264
Comp-Att 40-63 24-42
Yards per pass 6.9 6.3
Rushing 37 143
Rushing Attempts 14 22
Yards per rush 2.6 6.5
Red Zone (Made-Att) 1-2 2-4
Penalties 0-0 3-33
Turnovers 5 1
Fumbles lost 3 1
Interceptions thrown 2 0
Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0 0
Possession 31:20 28:40
ＴＶ観戦。
*****
Eli Manning brilliant as Giants oust top-seeded Packers to book spot in title game
Associated Press
4:30 PM ET, January 15, 2012
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Coverage: FOX
1 2 3 4 T
NYG 10 10 0 17 37
GB 3 7 3 7 20
Top Performers
Passing: E. Manning (NYG) - 330 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: A. Rodgers (GB) - 7 CAR, 66 YDS
Receiving: H. Nicks (NYG) - 7 REC, 165 YDS, 2 TD
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- With their own star quarterback and a dominating defense, the New York Giants exposed the Green Bay Packers for what they now are -- former Super Bowl champions.
The Packers dropped passes, fumbled the ball and simply couldn't stop Eli Manning and his receivers in the Giants' shocking 37-20 divisional playoff victory Sunday. To the Giants' delight, a Green Bay team that had a real shot at an undefeated season less than a month ago is heading home.
And that the win came at Lambeau Field, well, that was just as sweet. The site has become a familiar launching pad for the New Yorkers. After beating the Packers (15-2) at home for the second time in four years, they only hope this trip ends the same way -- in the NFL title game.
The Giants will play the 49ers in San Francisco for the NFC Championship next Sunday.
"I think we're a dangerous team," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "I like where we are and how we're playing."
The Giants (11-7) have been on a roll ever since beating the rival Jets on Dec. 24, beating the Dallas Cowboys to get in the playoffs and then blowing out Atlanta in the wild card round last week.
They took down the Packers on Sunday, as Manning threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns.
The Giants are 3-4 against the 49ers in the playoffs, including their memorable collapse in a wild card game at San Francisco on Jan. 5, 2003. New York led 38-14 in the third quarter but fell apart and lost 39-38.
That probably won't be much of a worry for this year's Giants, who were oozing confidence even before they beat the Packers.
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"This team knows how to win on the road," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "It seems like right now it's our time."
The Giants stunned the Packers with a touchdown off a long heave from Manning to Hakeem Nicks just before halftime, then knocked them out with a late touchdown off a turnover.
Lambeau Field fell silent as the Giants swarmed the field in celebration, with a handful of New York fans chanting, "Let's go, Giants!"
"I knew we were going to beat them on Wednesday, to be honest with you," running back Brandon Jacobs said.
The win came four years after the Giants beat a Brett Favre-led Packers team in the NFC title game. It wasn't nearly as frigid this time around, and the Packers' vulnerable defense seemed to be waiting to get sliced up.
Manning found six different receivers against a porous Packers defense. But Manning did the most damage with his throws to Nicks, who caught seven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Nicks' biggest play was a 66-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. His score at the end of the half came on a 37-yard pass into the end zone with defenders all around.
"It was a big momentum play for them, but we were not deflated as a football team," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.
The Giants' defense also was able to defuse the big-play abilities of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' offense.
Rodgers was 26 of 46 for 264 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. He also was the Packers' leading rusher with 66 yards on seven carries.
The Packers fully expected to go back to the Super Bowl, but the reality hit Rodgers quickly.
"Oh, it's real," Rodgers said. "We got beat by a team that played better tonight.
"We play to win championships. You win a championship and you're kind of at the top of the mountain, and you forget kind of how bad this feeling is. We had a championship-caliber regular season and didn't play well today."
The Packers' past problems with dropped balls by their talented group of wide receivers returned at the worst time imaginable.
And while the Packers' defense has been vulnerable all season, giving up far too many yards and big plays, they've typically made up for it by forcing turnovers.
This time, the Packers were the ones giving the ball away.
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Green Bay lost three fumbles, including one on a rare giveaway by Rodgers. The Giants also sacked Rodgers four times.
With the Packers trailing 20-10 at halftime but finally beginning to look like themselves on offense to start the second half, Osi Umenyiora swatted the ball away from Rodgers, and Deon Grant recovered the fumble.
"With a 10-point lead, we're going to get after you," Umenyiora said. "And that's what we did."
But the mistake didn't cost the Packers points, and Green Bay cut the lead to seven points on a 35-yard field goal by Mason Crosby late in the third quarter.
The Packers put together another drive early in the fourth quarter, but Michael Boley and Umenyiora combined to sack Rodgers on a fourth-down play in Giants territory.
After carving up the Packers in the first half, the Giants' offense hit a lull in the second half. But they broke out of it to drive for a 35-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes to take a 23-13 lead with 7:48 left to play.
Packers running back Ryan Grant then fumbled after catching a pass and the Giants recovered, taking the ball back deep into Green Bay territory.
Manning then threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham and the Giants took a 30-13 lead. Rodgers rallied the Packers for a 16-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver, cutting the lead to 30-20 with 4:46 left.
The Packers then tried an onside kick, but the Giants' Victor Cruz recovered.
Jacobs scored on a 14-yard run with 2:36 left to put the game away.
It was an emotional day for the Packers, who welcomed back offensive coordinator Joe Philbin two days after the funeral service for his 21-year-old son, Michael.
Philbin had been away from the team all week after Michael Philbin's body was recovered from an icy river in Oshkosh, Wis., on Monday. A preliminary autopsy showed that he drowned.
"I think deep down, a lot of us wanted to kind of get this one for him," Rodgers said.
Game notes
Grant left the game with a head injury in the second half, but returned and intercepted Rodgers late in the fourth quarter. ... Packers running back John Kuhn left the game with a knee injury, and wide receiver Greg Jennings sustained a rib injury. ... Driver caught three passes, giving him a franchise-record 49 postseason receptions in his career. ... Packers LB Brad Jones blocked a 40-yard field goal attempt by Tynes in the second quarter.Eli Manning had 330 passing yards against the Packers on Sunday and now has 1,904 in his postseason career, the most in Giants history.
Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press
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ダービッシュのポスティングによって日本ハムは$51.7 millionがもらえるという。球団にとって天から降ってきたお金。$60 millionが６年間の契約年棒としてダービッシュ本人に行く。総額$111.7 millionの価格によって、ダービッシュは大リーグ史上最も高額な右投手になるそうだ。ちなみにボストンレッドソックスがDaisuke Matsuzakaを獲得するのに使ったお金は総額$103 million。
*****
Rangers, Yu Darvish reach dealEmailPrintComments5000+By Richard Durrett
January 19, 2012, 10:33 AM ET ESPNDallas.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Japanese ace Yu Darvish will be pitching in a Texas Rangers uniform in 2012, agreeing to a six-year deal worth approximately $60 million on Wednesday.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Thursday morning on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM that Darvish can opt out of the sixth year if he hits two different performance thresholds. Both involve the Cy Young voting.
Daniels said if Darvish wins the Cy Young and finishes in the "top three or four" of the balloting a second time in the five years, he can opt out of the sixth year of the contract. He can also get out of it if he finishes second in the balloting and then in the top three or four in two additional years.
"He wanted five years and were weren't going to do that for a variety of reasons," Daniels said. "It was important to him to at least have the possibility of being free. If he finishes in the top three or four of the Cy Young three out of the five years, we probably got our money's worth."
Darvish agreed to the deal, which according to a source includes $56 million guaranteed, just before Wednesday's 5 p.m. ET deadline. The agreement comes 30 days after the Rangers won the right to negotiate with Darvish and his representatives, Don Nomura and Arn Tellem, by submitting a record $51.7 million posting bid.
The club will now send the Nippon-Ham Fighters that payment and Darvish will come to the United States to pitch in the big leagues for the first time.
"He's really thrilled to be coming here," Tellem said. "This is where he wanted to be."
Darvish was home in Japan, where he returned for offseason training after his first and only visit to Texas two weeks ago. The Rangers plan to formally introduce Darvish on Friday night.
On his website, Darvish posted a note acknowledging his new team.
"I will have a press conference first in America and then come back to Japan at which point I will express my gratitude to my fans here in Japan," he wrote.
Including the posting fee, the Rangers paid more than $111 million to sign Darvish, which is more than the $103 million that the Boston Red Sox gave up to negotiate with and sign Daisuke Matsuzaka.
The 25-year-old Darvish was 18-6 last season in Japan with a league-best 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts. He walked just 36 batters in 232 innings. Scouts have raved about Darvish's fastball command and what some say is a seven-pitch repertoire, which includes about everything but a changeup.
"We saw a guy that we felt was built to pitch innings and has a classic pitcher's build," Daniels said. "He has a real commitment to his conditioning and work ethic. We think he can pitch innings at a high caliber for a large amount of time."
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Darvish pitched in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was 18 when he began his pro career and, after an average rookie season, was 12-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 115 strikeouts in his second season (2006). He's been consistent since, going 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA in his career in Japan.
Daniels, who described the move as a "step-out deal" for the team, said negotiations were never contentious. He said there were good reasons for Texas to want a six-year deal.
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"How often do you get a chance to sign a 25-year-old free agent? It's a pretty unique opportunity, so you tend to look at things a little differently when you look at somebody that age and the years of the deal take him into his prime," Daniels said. "And secondly, with the nature of the posting process and the size of the post, size of our bid, it made sense to amortize it out over a longer period."
The Rangers believe he will be a critical upper-rotation starter for years to come and will do so as he hits what should be the prime of his career. It's an important addition for a Rangers staff that does not have a true No. 1 after C.J. Wilson left to sign a five-year, $77.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels in December.
It's unclear where Darvish will slot in the Rangers' rotation when the season starts, but manager Ron Washington has already said that veteran Colby Lewis will start Opening Day. The rest of the rotation will be decided during spring training. The first three games of the season are against the Chicago White Sox, followed by three at home against the Seattle Mariners -- and Ichiro Suzuki.
"We're not going to spring training with these great expectations that he's going to shine over everybody else," Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said. "We want him to come in and fit in and make the adjustment of being over here, being in major league baseball for the first time. As we go through spring training and the early part of the season, he'll start showing what he's capable of doing."
But when asked if Darvish was an ace, Ryan said: "I think he certainly has the potential to be."
"It's not fair of me to say that I see him as our No. 1, but I certainly think he has the potential," Ryan said. "He's very unique."
The Rangers' interest in Darvish dates back a few years. They had a scout at nearly every one of his starts in 2011, and Daniels watched him in person last summer. The club has increased its Pacific Rim operations in recent years, with Lewis as its biggest success story.
"The Rangers, more so than any other team, showed not only great interest in scouting him, but spent a lot of personal time developing a relationship with him over the last couple of years through scouts that visited him in Japan," Tellem said. "There was an instant connection between Yu and his family with the Ranger organization."
Darvish visited Texas for the first time earlier this month to get a feel for the place. He took a tour of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, watched a special video the club put together for him that included some of his pitching highlights, clips of the Rangers' postseason runs and messages from Josh Hamilton and Ryan, among others. Darvish also met several players, including Hamilton and Ian Kinsler, and talked with Ryan and Rangers manager Ron Washington. He also had dinner with pitching coach Mike Maddux.
"The biggest impression I got, or the most surprising thing that I saw, was how big he is," said Maddux, echoing the sentiments of Hamilton, Kinsler and Ryan. "He's big."
The big question for Darvish is whether, unlike some of the recent Japanese pitchers who have posted in the past, his stuff can translate to the big league level. The Rangers' scouts believe they will and so does Lewis, who beat Darvish in 2008 when Lewis was pitching in Japan.
"If you're able to throw strikes, pound the strike zone and get guys out, it doesn't matter what league you play in," Lewis said last week. "If you can command the fastball and do what you need to do to get guys out, you can have success here too.
"He has overpowering stuff, especially in that league over there. The big thing that stood out to me was his fastball command. If he can do that here, he'll have success."
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レンジャーズがダービッシュのお披露目記者会見。
Rangers introduce Yu Darvish
January 21, 2012, 3:09 AM ET ESPNDallas.com
By Richard Durrett
ARLINGTON, Texas -- It was a barrage of light flashes and shutter clicks as soon as Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish walked into a prime-time news conference at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Not since the Texas Rangers introduced Alex Rodriguez in 2000, after he signed the largest contract in the history of the game, was a news conference so well attended for a baseball player in Dallas-Fort Worth. But that's what happens when the biggest star in Japanese baseball agrees to a six-year deal with the two-time defending American League champions.
"The Rangers have had a lot of big moments on the field the last couple of years, but there haven't been too many bigger off the field than what brings us here today," said general manager Jon Daniels, who also said hello to new Rangers fans in Japan, even speaking a phrase in Japanese.
Darvish held his No. 11 Rangers jersey -- the same number he wore in Japan -- as Daniels, manager Ron Washington and pitching coach Mike Maddux smiled broadly. The size of the 25-year-old Darvish was evident, as his 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame towered over Daniels and nearly everyone else in the room.
Slugger Josh Hamilton sat in the front row with co-chairman of the board Ray Davis and Bob Simpson and a host of other part owners. Darvish's father, Farsad, was also in attendance.
Yu Darvish is used to all the attention. He's dealt with plenty of media while putting up impressive pitching numbers in Japan. He'll have to get used to it in the United States, too. Dozens of television cameras, many carrying the conference live to Japan (where it was Saturday morning), filmed his every move and word Friday.
Through Joe Furukawa, his translator and a key member of the club's scouting staff in Japan, Darvish talked about how excited he was to be in the big leagues and playing for a winner.
"The Rangers made me feel like family and showed their passion for the game," Darvish said. "I'm excited. That's what I feel right now."
A few hundred reporters watched as Darvish calmly answered questions, cracking jokes, but staying even-keeled. He talked about having to make adjustments to the big leagues and his preparation for the high expectations to follow.
"[I want] to do the best I can do and make my starts and do the best for the team," Darvish said. "Regarding off-the-field things and pressure, it's something to try to not be too tight about. I'll have an open mind and be relaxed."
Darvish arrives with an impressive résumé as the best pitcher in Japan. In seven years with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, who will now receive a $51.7 million check from the Rangers as payment of the posting fee, he was a two-time Pacific League MVP and a five-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star.
Darvish was 93-38 in his career in Japan with a 1.99 ERA in 167 games (164 of those starts). He had a 0.98 WHIP, 55 complete games, 18 shutouts and 1,250 strikeouts. Opponents batted just .204 against him in his career.
But all of that was against hitters in Japan. Now, with a six-year, approximately $60 million deal in hand with the Rangers, he must show he can get the best hitters in the world out in the big leagues.
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Since Wednesday at 4:57 p.m. ET, when the deal was announced just three minutes before the deadline, the Rangers have attempted to temper expectations. While Rangers president Nolan Ryan said he believes Darvish has ace potential, the club wants him to ease into life in the major leagues. It's a big transition. He has to deal with throwing with a different ball, learning big league hitters, getting to know his teammates while trying to get over a language barrier, pitching in 100-degree heat in the summer in Texas and living in a new country with a different culture.
The Rangers are confident Darvish will be able to handle all of it but don't want to put any more pressure on him.
"We'll let him go through the process of getting ready, go through his routine and he'll get a feel for what we're looking for and we'll move forward from there," Washington said. "Baseball is universal. We just want him to come in and be Yu Darvish and help the Texas Rangers continue to move forward in the success that we've been having the past few years."
Darvish said he has "no worries," and is looking forward to the challenge of making all of the necessary adjustments to the big leagues.
He joked that he asked Daniels to move the right-center field wall back a bit.
"I don't think Josh wants us to move it back," Daniels said. "We'll let them arm wrestle and figure it out."
Darvish also revealed that he's read a book about Ryan and added that, judging by the Hall of Famer's physique, he bets the Rangers president can still throw 94 miles per hour.
The Japanese pitcher says he'll learn how to adjust to the Texas heat, where the temperature routinely climbs above 100 degrees. And he's confident he can pitch every fifth day, adding that he's done it some already and threw 120-plus pitches and felt fine.
Darvish plans on having Furukawa translate for him, but he does want to learn English.
"The hearing part, I think I'm OK," Darvish said. "The speaking part may take some time. But as time goes by, I think I'll be able to speak and understand better."
Darvish is returning to Japan to continue his workouts and will arrive at spring training in time for the Feb. 22 report date. When he returns, he see all those flashbulbs and hear the shutter clicks again.
Richard Durrett covers the Rangers for ESPNDallas.com.
Follow Richard Durrett on Twitter: @espn_durrett
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ダービッシュのマウンドの外での態度、その日本で許された傲慢さ、自分勝手さが、アメリカのマスメディアに果たして通用するか。それがダービッシュの成功を妨げる要因になり得ると主張している。
SPORTS SCOPE
Darvish could be in for rude awakening with Rangers
By JACK GALLAGHER ＪａｐａｎＴｉｍｅｓ
Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012
The worst way to start a new relationship of any kind is with a lie.
I think most people would agree with this observation.
Yet there it was, front and center and about as subtle as a cockroach on a white rug, at the introductory news conference the Texas Rangers held for their newly signed pitcher Yu Darvish last Friday.
The question from one of the assembled media at the Ballpark at Arlington was, "What were your thoughts during the posting process?"
When the inquiry for the star pitcher was translated, the response came back "I wanted the Rangers to win."
Talk about the height of insincerity.
Why?
Well, a funny thing happened last month shortly after the posting process for the ace of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters had begun.
Questions remain: Yu Darvish has all the physical tools necessary to succeed in the major leagues. Maturity and intangibles appear to be another matter. AP
Tokyo sportswriters began receiving telephone calls from Darvish's Tokyo-based agent, Don Nomura, who it appeared, had an agenda.
Nomura, it seemed, was trying to dissuade certain teams from bidding on Darvish by floating a story that he would only play for teams located on the West Coast.
It was a tale then even Walt Disney himself could not have dreamed up.
The Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres are not big spenders on free agents, the Los Angeles Dodgers were in bankruptcy, and the Los Angeles Angels had just broken the bank to sign Albert Pujols.
Why did Darvish want to play for a team on the West Coast?
Maybe he thought the environment there would make adjusting to life in the United States easier. Fair enough.
But the reason is really irrelevant. When you put your name up for an open bid, like the current posting system requires, you take your chances. You don't try to manipulate matters after the fact.
The humor behind Darvish proclaiming that he wanted the Rangers to win the bidding for him was only exacerbated at the news conference when he could not remember who Texas lost to in the 2011 World Series.
It was the St. Louis Cardinals.
MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds said last month that he didn't think Texas would be a good place for Darvish.
Why?
"Because of the problem with the flyballs in that ballpark" he said. "Everybody knows about it."
Reynolds had a point. There were more home runs hit at the home stadium of the Rangers last season than any of the other 29 MLB teams.
Perhaps this was one of the real reasons that Darvish wanted to stay on the West Coast.
Darvish could have rejected the offer by the Rangers, returned to the Fighters, and then hoped a West Coast team signed him when he became a free agent. In the end, the offer from the American League champions was too good to refuse.
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Do I think Darvish has all of the physical tools to be a success in the majors?
Absolutely. He is clearly a very gifted player.
But it takes a lot more than a good fastball and good looks to succeed in the big show. You have to know how to interact with your teammates, the organization you play for and the media.
You get the feeling that Darvish doesn't exactly have his act together off the field. A divorced father of two at 25, which is very unusual in Japan, he seems to have a sense of entitlement when it comes to others.
Now this is not entirely unusual in professional sports, because many of the athletes have been told how great they are from a very young age.
The key is being able to separate the wheat from the chaff as you mature.
One incident many local foreign sports media have not forgotten was his refusal to accept his Athlete of the Year award in person from the Foreign Sportswriters Association of Japan back in 2008. Darvish had won the honor for his outstanding season with the Fighters in 2007.
When the group contacted the team to arrange for Darvish to attend the FSAJ dinner to receive his award, it was stonewalled by the pitcher's handlers.
The team was then informed that each previous winner had personally appeared to accept the honor. Kosuke Kitajima (2005), Mao Asada (2006) and Shizuka Arakawa (2007) had all shown their appreciation by attending the event and spending an evening with the group.
As if that wasn't enough, just a month before Darvish was invited, none other than the legendary Sadaharu Oh, who was still recovering from surgery for stomach cancer, had attended an FSAJ event to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Even that wasn't good enough.
"Can't you just bring the trophy to the stadium?" came the reply from the team.
Good grief.
Despite being given multiple dates to collect his award, Darvish never showed up. It was absolutely disgraceful and smacked of narcissism.
The bottom line here is that it is time for Darvish to grow up and stand on his own two feet. Be honest, accept responsibility and show some respect to others. A touch of humility just might be in order on occasion.
I'm afraid that the Osaka native is going to find out that the North American media are not going to be as gullible as the majority of their Japanese counterparts.
If Darvish doesn't shoot straight with them, the gloves are going to come off pretty quickly. If and when it happens, it will be interesting to see if he steps up and handles it like a man, or hides behind his coterie of protectors.
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第46回スーパーボール。ゲームの勝敗が4thクウォーターの終り近くまで持ち込まれ、最後まで楽しめた良い試合だった。というのも過去のスーパーボールは一方的な試合が多く、今回のように最後まで見続けた試合は稀。マドンナのハーフタイムショウも、期待を上まるお金がプロップその他に使われ、たくさんの踊り子を総動員した豪華なもの。思わずテレビに釘付けになった。
****
Manning rallies Giants to Super Bowl win
By Larry Fine
INDIANAPOLIS | Sun Feb 5, 2012 11:56pm EST
INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - The New York Giants notched their second Super Bowl triumph over the New England Patriots in four years when quarterback Eli Manning led an 88-yard, game-winning drive for a 21-17 victory on Sunday.
Manning completed 30-of-40 passes for 296 yards and one touchdown and was named Most Valuable Player of the National Football League's (NFL) championship game, reprising his MVP performance of four years ago.
"It just feels great," said Manning, who led the Giants back from a 17-9 deficit in the third quarter with 12 unanswered points. "It was a great game with two great teams."
Manning threw the game-winning touchdown in the last minute of New York's 2008 triumph in Arizona that denied the Patriots a perfect 19-0 season.
This time he launched a thrilling march to victory with a daring 38-yard completion to Mario Manningham from his own 12-yard line and capped the drive by handing to Ahmad Bradshaw, who burst through the middle for the game-winning score with 57 seconds left.
New York ended a 10-game winning streak for New England when Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's desperation heave into the end zone on the last play was batted away to the ground.
Giants players leaped for joy and galloped around the field as purple confetti fell like magic dust on the delirious winners.
The Giants became the first 9-7 team to win the Super Bowl and made their 65-year-old coach Tom Coughlin the oldest man ever to direct a Super Bowl champion.
GIANT SALUTE
New England coach Bill Belichick, who would have tied Chuck Noll of the Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl coaching wins had the Patriots won their fourth NFL crown of his regime, saluted the Giants.
"They obviously played well tonight. It was a very competitive football game," he said. "They just made a couple more plays than we did."
The Giants trailed 10-9 at halftime and fell further behind after Brady led New England to a touchdown on their first possession of the second half.
But the Giants clawed back with two field goals by Lawrence Tynes before overhauling the Patriots with Bradshaw's burst through the line.
"It is the greatest feeling in the world," Bradshaw said about falling into the end zone for the go-ahead points. "It was the best feeling in my life."
Manning set an NFL record with 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes this season and led six fourth-quarter comeback wins. His cool-headed direction in the dying moments of the game underlined his graduation to the top ranks of NFL quarterbacks.
Brady was 27-of-41 for 276 yards. He threw two touchdowns and one interception, and completed a Super Bowl record 16 successive passes at one point.
But in the end, the vaunted New York pass rush began to bear down on the Patriots' quarterback and turned the tide for the Giants, who registered the franchise's fourth Super Bowl title.
"Can't fault the effort of any of our players," said Belichick. "They played as hard as they could, we could have just played a tiny bit better."
(Reporting by Larry Fine; Editing by Frank Pingue)
ロスアンゼルス・エンジェルズの２０１２年シーズンのチーム戦力分析
Angels set themselves up for Series
February 17, 2012, 7:36 PM ET
By Jim Bowden、Special to ESPNLosAngeles.com
The Los Angeles Angels signed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson this offseason for a combined $317.5 million, quickly putting them in contention with the elite teams in the American League.
The Angels scratched and clawed last season on offense, finishing 10th in runs scored, 11th in on-base percentage and eighth in OPS in the AL. However, with perennial MVP candidate Pujols, a possible return from the disabled list by Kendrys Morales, improved on-base percentage at catcher with newly acquired Chris Iannetta, a possible comeback year for Vernon Wells and the anticipation of rookie Mike Trout making an impact before season's end, the Angels might have the most improved offense in the league.
Wilson gives the Angels arguably the best four-man rotation in baseball, and LaTroy Hawkins gives them another setup reliever who can provide additional leadership for some of their young, developing arms.
It's clear the Angels won the offseason, framing themselves as World Series contenders. As spring training approaches, here's how they look, position by position.
Starting rotation
Jered Weaver, 29, has developed into a true ace, having finished second in the Cy Young Award voting this past season after going 18-8 with a 2.41 ERA. The two-time All-Star pitched more than 200 innings for the third straight year while punching out 198 hitters to go along with an impressive 1.01 WHIP.
Dan Haren, 30, led the league in games started with 34, going 16-10 with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. It was the seventh time he pitched more than 200 innings, and the three-time All-Star finished seventh in the Cy Young voting.
Wilson, 31, was signed away from the archrival Texas Rangers, whom he had led to two consecutive World Series appearances. Wilson was 16-7 last season with 206 strikeouts in 223.1 innings pitched, finishing ahead of Haren for fifth place in the Cy Young voting.
Ervin Santana, 29, is the most underrated pitcher in the Angels' rotation. He has pitched more than 200 innings four times in his career, including each of the past two seasons. He was 11-12 in 2011, with an impressive 3.38 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
The fifth spot is up for grabs but it appears Jerome Williams will get first crack at it. Williams, 30, was 4-0 last year for the Angels with a 3.68 ERA after being signed from the independent Lancaster Barnstormers last June.
Garrett Richards, 23, the Angels' first-round selection from the 2009 free-agent draft, will have the opportunity to compete for the spot as well. He has a power arm and had his best success last year at Double-A Arkansas, where he went 12-2 with a 3.15 ERA with a WHIP of 1.14. He didn't pitch well in his cup of coffee with the Angels last season but certainly showed potential. If Richards' command and control in the strike zone develop, he eventually could be a 10- to 13-game winner.
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The Angels' bullpen was inconsistent last season but still finished with the second-lowest ERA in the AL at 3.52. Rookie closer Jordan Walden, 24, made the All-Star team and finished with 32 saves, striking out an impressive 67 batters in just 60.1 innings pitched. But Walden also had 10 blown saves, something he'll have to improve on in 2012.
Hawkins had a 2.42 ERA last year in 52 appearances for the National League Central-winning Brewers. His leadership definitely should benefit Walden. Scott Downs was one of the most dominant left-handed relievers in the game last year. His ERA was the second-lowest among relievers in the AL with 60 or more appearances.
Hisanori Takahashi pitched in 61 games for the Halos last year, with an ERA of 3.44. The final two or three spots in bullpen will be decided by some fierce competition in spring training. Newly acquired left-handed reliever Brad Mills, whom they received in the Jeff Mathis deal, will get every opportunity to win a long relief role, while Bobby Cassevah, Rich Thompson, Trevor Bell, Kevin Jepsen, Francisco Rodriguez and Michael Kohn will battle for the final available positions in their 'pen.
Catching
As much as Mike Scioscia appreciated the catch-and-throw abilities of Jeff Mathis, he finally realized after two consecutive seasons of Mathis' hitting worse than .200 that a change had to be made, and the Angels shipped Mathis to the Blue Jays for Mills. Of course, that happened just three days after new GM Jerry Dipoto made his first Angels trade, which netted catcher Iannetta from the Rockies for pitching prospect Tyler Chatwood.
Iannetta, 28, hit .238/.370/.414 (BA/OBP/SLG) for the Rockies last year with 17 doubles, 14 home runs and 55 RBIs. He benefited from Coors Field, where he hit .301/.419/.557 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs, but on the road, he hit .172/.321/.587 with four home runs and 16 RBIs in the same number of at-bats. But no matter how you view his statistics, the move improves the Angels' on-base percentage and offensive production at catcher over Mathis. Hank Conger and Bobby Wilson will compete for the backup role unless the Angels decide to go with three catchers. But don't be surprised if Conger eventually hits his way into a platoon with Iannetta if given a chance.
2-4
The Angels now have the best player in baseball playing first in Pujols. This generation's Babe Ruth already has two world championship rings, nine All-Star appearances, six Silver Slugger Awards, two Gold Glove Awards and three MVP awards. He's hit at least 40 home runs in six seasons, and provided at least 100 runs and 100 RBIs in 10 of his 11 seasons at the major league level. He will completely change the Angels' lineup and offensive attack while protecting everyone else in the lineup.
Howie Kendrick, 28, signed a four-year, $33.5 million contract with the Angels after hitting .285/.338/.464 with 30 doubles, 18 home runs and 63 RBIs while making his first All-Star appearance. Erick Aybar continues to develop at shortstop as the club works hard to sign him to a long-term contract as well. Aybar, 28, hit .279/.322/.421 last year with 33 doubles, eight triples, 10 home runs, 71 runs scored and 30 stolen bases while winning his first Gold Glove.
Alberto Callaspo enters camp as the team's primary third baseman. Callasapo, 28, hit .288/.366/.375 last year with just six home runs, 54 runs scored and 46 RBIs. As in the past, Maicer Izturis will contribute at second, shortstop and third.
Mark Trumbo, 26, hit .254/.291/.477 last year with 31 doubles, 29 home runs and 87 RBIs while finishing second in the rookie of the year voting. The Angels will try to find playing time for him at first, DH, third and even in the corner outfield positions. Remember, Scioscia has been terrific about keeping players fresh and putting them in positions to succeed. The Angels continue to have a long-term need at third base, and they will continue to monitor the trade market and draft board with plenty of trade chips to make a deal work if one becomes available.
Outfield
The Angels' blueprint heading into spring training has Torii Hunter at right field, Peter Bourjos at center field and Vernon Wells in left. Hunter, 36, had another solid season last year, hitting .262/.336/.429 with 24 doubles, 23 home runs and 82 RBIs. He also played Gold Glove-caliber right field, even though he didn't win the award.
Bourjos, 24, solidified his spot in center by hitting .271/.323/.438 with a league-leading 11 triples to go with 26 doubles, 12 home runs and 22 stolen bases. Wells, 33, was inconsistent at the plate, struggling to find his line-drive stroke up the middle and trying to pull the ball instead of using the whole field. He finished last season with 25 home runs despite hitting .218/.248/.412. He worked hard this offseason to regain his stroke, and the good news is that for most of his career, he's rebounded well after down years. Although Wells enters camp as the Angels' primary left fielder, rookie sensation Trout, 20, will be given the chance to compete for an everyday position.
Competition is good, but Trout will play an everyday role for the Angels, whether that's in the majors or Triple-A. But there is no question that at some point this season, whether in April, June or August, Trout will have an impact for the Angels at the top of their lineup. He is certainly one of the top three prospects, along with the Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper and the Tampa Bay Rays' Matt Moore.
3-4
Kendrys Morales, 28, is three years removed from batting .306/.355/.569 with 43 doubles, 34 home runs and 108 RBIs. But on May 29, 2010, he hit a walk-off grand slam against the Seattle Mariners, then fractured his left leg while celebrating at the plate. He missed the rest of the season. The news got worse in 2011, when rehabilitation forced him to miss that season as well. The Angels think the chances are good that he can return, so much so they agreed to offer him salary arbitration.
Morales' health is the Angels' biggest question mark heading into spring training, but the team's success no longer hangs in the balance because of it, thanks to the presence of Trumbo and veteran Bobby Abreu. If Morales becomes a comeback player of the year candidate, the middle of the Angels' lineup will become even more potent.
Farm system
The Angels don't have a deep farm system but they do have some significant everyday prospects. Of course, Trout is their best, followed by C.J. Cron.
Cron, 22, was the Angels' first-round pick last June out of Utah and is one of the top power-hitting first-base prospects in baseball. He made his professional debut last summer at Orem of the Pioneer League, where he batted.308/.371/629 with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs in just 159 plate appearances. At Utah, Cron led the nation in OPS at 1.320 and was named a Baseball America All-American. Cron had knee surgery over the offseason to correct a dislocated knee cap but should be 100 percent by Opening Day. At some point, Cron could become an important trade chip for either a long-term solution at third or more pitching.
Infielders Jean Segura, Kaleb Cowart and Ted Lindsey are all worth following, as are pitchers Johnny Hellweg and Daniel Tillman. The rest of the system will need help from this year's draft and international signings.
Prediction
The Angels will be in a two-team race with the Texas Rangers in the AL West, with the possibility both teams could win 95 games this year. The Rangers deserve to be the favorites to win the division after two consecutive World Series appearances. I'll predict the Angels to finish in second place but, unlike last year, to win the wild card and make the playoffs with a legitimate chance of getting to the World Series.
4-4
Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish has still not arrived at the Surprise Recreation Complex, but he was still in the news Monday.
Albert Pujols joined the Los Angeles Angels for workouts and spoke to the media. That included talking about meeting Darvish in Los Angeles as the pitcher made his way from Japan toward spring training. It was not a planned meeting.
"He walked in and introduced himself -- really nice guy, really humble," Pujols said to reporters in Tempa, Ariz. (thanks to Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com for sending the quotes). "He just said he's looking forward to the battle. We're going to be in the same division and it's going to be fun."
Pitchers and catchers don't have to report to Surprise until Wednesday, but it's unclear if Darvish will arrive before that date. But he's already met one of the top hitters he'll need to get out.
スーパーボウル視聴率の新記録を達成
Super Bowl Ratings Record: Giants-Patriots Game Is Highest-Rated TV Show In US History
DAVID BAUDER 02/ 6/2012 03:58 PM ET
NEW YORK — For the third consecutive year, the Super Bowl set a record as the most-watched television show in U.S. history.
The Nielsen Co. said Monday that an estimated 111.3 million people watched the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots on Sunday night. That narrowly beat the 111 million who watched Green Bay's win over Pittsburgh last year.
NBC was blessed by a competitive game between two teams that played in one of the Super Bowl's most memorable contests four years ago, with one of them representing the largest media market in the country.
The game wasn't over until Tom Brady's last-second heave into the end zone dropped onto the turf. That play itself had the biggest audience of any play in the game, according to the digital video recorder maker Tivo. Nielsen said 117.7 million people were watching during the last half hour of the game.
The last two Super Bowls, along with the 2010 game between New Orleans and Indianapolis and the finale of "M-A-S-H" in 1983, are the only programs to exceed 100 million viewers in U.S. television history.
Madonna has some bragging rights, too. Her halftime show was seen by an estimated 114 million people – a higher average than the game itself – and was the most-watched Super Bowl halftime entertainment show on record, Nielsen said.
"I was rooting for Madonna as much as I was for the Giants," said Tara Maitra, senior vice president of Tivo, which also monitored viewership trends during the game.
The good news continued after the game for NBC, when the heavily-promoted season premiere of "The Voice" kept 37.6 million people in front of the television.
Its fans were disappointed, but Boston had its highest rating ever for an NFL game on Sunday. It was the second highest-rating ever in the New York market, behind only the Giants' first Super Bowl in 1986, Nielsen said.
ロサンジェルス・エンゼルスの打線の切り札だったケンドリー・モラレス。シアトル戦で満塁ホームランを放ち、3塁をまわって、ホームプレートに突入。祝福のためのそこに群がるチームメートたち。その混雑の中で大げさに跳躍する。ところが運悪く着地に失敗。足くるぶしの骨折は後から分かる。それから2回の手術と治療・回復に2年と半年。エンジェルのベストバッターがいなくなった後のエンジェルは、リーグ優勝（昨年はレンジャーズが連続2度目）さえ出来ない状態。ファンとして復帰を願っていただけに、今シーズンすべて順調に行き、ゲームに出場できることを楽しみにしている。
****
Angels’ Kendrys Morales confident his recovery is almost complete
LAST UPDATED 5 days and 3 hours ago
TEMPE, Ariz.—Kendrys Morales, a player the Los Angeles Angels consider one of their most vital cogs in 2012, is making progress in his recovery from the broken ankle that has sidelined him for nearly two years.
Morales had been limited to straight-line sprints, but he has started doing zig-zag and “S” cuts in the outfield as he tries to strengthen the ankle, which he broke while celebrating a walkoff home run on May 29, 2010. Morales’ swing looks normal, and regaining his timing for live pitching is the next step in his offensive progression.
Kendry Morales hasn't played a full season since 2009. (AP Photo)Just because Morales is making pain-free progress doesn’t mean the Angels will push him harder.
“One day in spring training last year, he ran pain-free, no limp, nothing, 100 percent in a straight line,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “That was the apex of his recovery and it deteriorated from there. The ankle wasn’t going to hold up.
“No doubt he’s in a different position now because he’s had nothing but progress to the point where you can see that he’ll be playing games in a couple of weeks.”
That is huge for the Angels’ lineup. The addition of Albert Pujols obviously is a plus, but he will need help. Last season, Los Angeles finished 10th in the American League in runs scored and ninth in slugging percentage, and Morales’ absence was a major reason why. In 2009, he hit 34 homers and drove in 108 runs while batting .306/.355/.596. He finished fifth in AL MVP voting and appeared to be on the verge of superstardom.
But that home-run celebration, during which he was mobbed by teammates after a grand slam, stalled his progression.
If the Angels’ offense is to make major strides this season, Morales must be a big contributor.
“My strength is getting better, every day I just feel good now,” Morales said. “I’m able to push off my legs, no soreness the next day. I’m happy with it.”
大リーグ：ケンドリー・モラレスの最近のニュース
Angels slugger Kendrys Morales begins important week
Kendrys Morales poses during spring training photo day on Wednesday.
March 5, 2012, 10:46 a.m. By Mike DiGiovanna
Tempe, Ariz.—
Kendrys Morales was scheduled to run on the infield dirt without touching any bases Monday, the first test in what is expected to be an important week for the Angels slugger who is recovering from a broken left ankle.
If Morales, who has missed the past year and a half, passes Monday's test, he will start running the bases by the middle of the week. The next step after that would be sliding drills, which will probably be first performed on the outfield grass with Morales wearing only socks, no spikes.
If he experiences no setbacks, Morales, who in 2009 hit .306 with 34 home runs and 108 runs batted in, could start playing exhibition games by the middle of next week. The ultimate goal is to get Morales into the cleanup spot behind No. 3 hitter Albert Pujols.
"He has some important hurdles this week," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "You have to be able to run at a certain level to play this game. You have to break out of the batter's box and keep a degree of comfort in the ankle to where he can swing the bat. Those hurdles have not been crossed yet."
But the fact that Morales, who did not progress past running straight-line sprints last spring, is even approaching these hurdles has given the Angels reason to believe he will return to the lineup this season, if not by opening day, shortly thereafter.
"We're definitely excited about where he is with an understanding that the last 10% a player is trying to get is sometimes elusive," Scioscia said. "We don't anticipate that. Has our [confidence] soared because of where he is right now? I'll say it has gradually increased from when we saw him taking ground balls and swinging the bat in January."
Mariners, Athletics arrive in Japan
March 23, 2012, 9:58 AM ET
Associated Press
NARITA, Japan -- The Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics arrived in Japan on Friday, five days before opening Major League Baseball's 2012 season at Tokyo Dome.
About 300 fans greeted the teams after they landed at Tokyo's Narita Airport, with Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki drawing most of the attention as the team made its way through the terminal.
Utility infielder Munenori Kawasaki and pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma are the other Japanese players here for Seattle.
Suzuki hit his second home run of the spring Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox. The Seattle outfielder is hitting .400 since moving to the third spot in the lineup this spring after batting leadoff for nearly all of his career.
The teams open the regular season with a two-game series on Wednesday and Thursday.
"We're thrilled to be back in Japan," Oakland general manager Billy Beane said. "When they asked who wanted to go we were the first to put up our hands."
Seattle and Oakland had been scheduled to play here in March 2003, but the series was scrapped because of the threat of war in Iraq.
The A's will be the home team in both games.
Beane said he expects Suzuki will be just as tough to get out in Japan as he is in the United States.
"Suzuki is tough on us back home and it won't be any easier here," Beane said.
The teams left their spring training homes in Arizona on Thursday and will return to Arizona in a week. They will play preseason games against the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers on Sunday and Monday.
"It was a long flight but everyone feels pretty good," Seattle infielder Chone Figgins said. "This is my third time here and it's always nice to be back in Japan."
Oakland's Manny Ramirez did not make the trip. Ramirez must sit out the first 50 games for a second violation of MLB's drug policy, making him eligible to play his first game barring rainouts on May 30 -- his 40th birthday.
This will be the fourth Japan opener, following the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs in 2000, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay in 2004, and Boston and Oakland in 2008.
Major League Baseball and the players' association said the series also will aim to assist rebuilding in Japan following last year's earthquake. On Tuesday, a group of players will travel to Ishinomaki in the disaster-hit northeast region to conduct a baseball clinic.
Who are the best players in Major League Baseball heading into the 2012 season? ESPN formed a panel of MLB writers, analysts and contributors to rank the top 500. The countdown from No. 500 to No. 1 began March 20 and ends April 3.
The results are being announced on ESPN.com, on Facebook and Twitter (@ESPN_MLB). Fans can use the hashtag #ESPN500 to join the discussion or to follow along.
To compile a top-500 ranking, 34 ESPN experts started with a list of the top 600 players projected to play in the majors in 2012. Using a 0-to-10 scale, they evaluated only the quality of each player for the 2012 season. Players who are expected to miss 2012 with an injury, such as Victor Martinez, were not included. But Arodys Vizcaino (No. 376) was included because he was injured after the voting. Ages are listed as of July 1, 2012.
Panelists were polled over the final two weeks of February. Dan Szymborski's ZiPS system, which projects 2012 performance, was used to break ties to the fourth decimal point.
RANK PLAYER SCORE
1（RANK）
Albert Pujols（PLAYER）
1B | @Angels | Age: 32
2011年STATS（実績）
GM HR RBI BA OBP
147 37 99 .299 .366
9.62（投票SCORE）
2
Roy Halladay
RHP | @Phillies | Age: 35
2011
G K W-L ERA BAA
32 220 19-6 2.35 .239
9.56
3
Miguel Cabrera
Third Base | @Tigers | Age: 29
2011
GM HR RBI BA OBP
161 30 105 .344 .448
9.50
4
Justin Verlander
RHP | @Tigers | Age: 29
2011
G K W-L ERA BAA
34 250 24-5 2.40 .192
9.44
5
Felix Hernandez
RHP | @Mariners | Age: 26
2011
G K W-L ERA BAA
33 222 14-14 3.47 .248
9.12
6
Ryan Braun
Left Field | @Brewers | Age: 28
2011
GM HR RBI BA OBP
150 33 111 .332 .397
9.06
7
Clayton Kershaw
LHP | @Dodgers | Age: 24
2011
G K W-L ERA BAA
33 248 21-5 2.28 .207
8.97
大リーグのトップを代表するアルバート・プホールの横顔
Monster deal gives Albert Pujols 'extra chip on my shoulder'
By Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Updated 2h 34m ago
TEMPE, Ariz. – Albert Pujols drives his black Rolls-Royce Phantom into the Los Angeles Angels' parking lot and waves to the security guard outside the clubhouse. Within minutes, Pujols has changed out of his polo shirt and shorts and is in the gym.
It's barely 7 a.m. Most of his teammates are just getting up.
It's a grueling workout, intended to ensure no one sees him sweat during the year.
Pujols has the second-richest contract in baseball, and a home filled with MVP and All-Star awards and World Series rings, but it's as if none of that matters to him. He feels like it's 2001 all over again, trying to make the major leagues while showing every club in baseball made a horrific mistake, passing on him until the 13th round of the draft. He wasn't selected until the 402nd pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1999.
"I always have that chip on my shoulder, no matter what kind of success I've had," Pujols says forcefully. "This is going to be an extra chip on my shoulder that I'm going to have the next 10 years, maybe for the rest of my life. I don't want to ever change that attitude."
Pujols has a guaranteed contract from the Angels that will pay him $240 million over the next 10 years — along with another $10 million when he retires — but he wants to prove people wrong again.
If the Cardinals couldn't, or didn't want to, come up with the money to keep him, perhaps Pujols, 32, intends to remind them what they're missing. No hard feelings. He won't even mind if someone wears his former uniform, No. 5. There's no reason for a special trip by a team official to deliver his World Series ring, either, he says. Just let former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa drop it off at his locker with a handshake.
"It's just a number, so if someone else wants to wear it, that won't hurt my feelings," Pujols says. "Would I be shocked if St. Louis gave that number to somebody? No. They can do whatever they want. I don't play there anymore. I'm being honest; that won't bother me at all.
"I'm an Angel now. I work for this organization. I want all of the players to know that I'm not satisfied with the numbers I've put up and the World Series I won. I'm hungry for more. I want to win a championship here.
"These guys haven't won a World Series since 2002. It's time."
Pujols backed his sentiments all spring. He was among the first players to arrive every day for workouts and was one of the last to leave. He took more bus rides than any other Angels veteran this spring, refusing to stay back and play in only the home games. He wouldn't even bring his car to depart road games early, insisting the Angels not give him preferential treatment.
"He's come in here and fit right in," says Angels right fielder Torii Hunter, laughing at the frequency they made Pujols buy lunch. "He showed he was not bigger than the game. He rode the buses with us. He joked around and laughed with us. He's really humble. Really, he reminds me of (Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer) Kirby Puckett. Just his professionalism.
"Here's a guy who has three MVPs, two World Series rings and did some real damage in the National League. But now that he's with a new team and a new league, he wants to do even more damage. He's a beast."
1-3
Pujols' arrival produced the Angels' largest spring training tickets sales in their history, and he proceeded to put on a hitting clinic in the Cactus League, batting .407 with six homers and 17 RBI.
He reminds Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy of the days home run king Barry Bonds was with the San Francisco Giants, completely altering the game. Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington already is talking about pitching around Pujols at all times.
Two of his new teammates, second baseman Howard Kendrick and center fielder Peter Bourjos, confess their man-crushes, refusing to take their eyes off him during batting practice.
And the club projects season-ticket sales increasing from approximately 19,000 last season to almost 25,000 and overall attendance increasing from 3.1 million to 3.4 million.
"Hopefully we can do what we're supposed to do and I can do what I'm supposed to do," Pujols says. "We do that, and it can be an exciting season. I'd love to get to the World Series again this year. Maybe we can play the Cardinals. I'd love that."
Pujols laughs nervously. He still keeps in touch with a few of his former teammates and he exchanges text messages with Cardinals coaches Jose Oquendo and Mark McGwire. Yet there's an awkward disconnect. Pujols has not read his fan mail all spring to gauge the sentiments of Cardinals fans, saying only, "There's a lot of haters."
Pujols says his preference was to stay a Cardinal the rest of his career, envisioning the day he would be revered in the city, just as Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Red Schoendienst were. He would have his number retired and have a statue erected outside Busch Stadium along with the other greats.
"Who knows, maybe I can get one of those (statues) in Anaheim now," Pujols says. "Let's see what I can accomplish here."
Pujols still is hurt that the Cardinals didn't make a stronger effort to retain him. He's annoyed at the Miami Marlins, saying they lied when they had pulled their $275 million offer for him off the table.
"I'm kind of disappointed how people work in the business," Pujols says. "Sometimes when they don't accomplish what they want, they throw the player under the bus or their agent under the bus.
"What was so sad is that Miami said they backed off a week before I signed. That was all baloney. They were still waiting on my decision. Obviously, they need to protect themselves.
"Everybody knows the whole story. It was about a commitment. For an owner like Mr. (Arte) Moreno to come and make a commitment for 10 years to me, knowing that I don't have to go through free agency again, meant everything to me. Obviously, the Cardinals didn't think that way. They went their way. I went my way.
"I had choices, believe me. … People like to talk because they feel they have to say something. Oh, well. I just move on."
The Marlins insist that their offer was indeed pulled before Pujols agreed to the contract with the Angels, according to a high-ranking Marlins official involved in the negotiations. Yet, if Pujols had suddenly decided he had wanted to play for the Marlins, the official said, the offer likely would have been back on the table.
2-3
La Russa, who retired as Cardinals manager after winning the 2011 World Series, says St. Louis fans' criticism of Pujols is unfair, if not cruel. La Russa says he personally has attempted to make Cardinals fans understand Pujols' decision in several speeches in St. Louis.
"I feel the Cardinals made a decision that they couldn't afford him," La Russa says. "It'd probably be better if they made that public. They were just hoping the market wouldn't be there and they could afford him. He offered St. Louis a sizable, hometown discount, but people paint him like he was a bad guy for leaving. That's not right.
"I'm a huge fan of Albert's. Albert deserves to be truly honored for what he's done for the Cardinals organization. What distinguishes Albert from everyone is his commitment to winning. He plays the game to win. He did that every day in St. Louis. He'll do that for the Angels."
The Cardinals, whose guarantee offer to Pujols was about $200 million, including player options, say they harbor no grudge. They said they sincerely tried to keep him, and until the day he signed with the Angels, they thought they had a legitimate shot.
"For it to end the way it did," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak says, "is part of where the game of baseball is today. Not every story has a perfect ending."
'I'm prepared. I'm ready'
Pujols has had nearly four months to grasp the concept that he is gone from St. Louis. Yet with a few days before Friday's season opener, he doesn't have a home in Southern California.
He plans to stay at a hotel resort the first month of the season, maybe longer, as the family house hunts. They likely will rent while trying to decide whether to remain in St. Louis, buy in Southern California or maybe move to Arizona.
"I haven't made that decision yet," Pujols says. "It's a process. You don't want to just pack your bags. Who knows, maybe (the Phoenix area) is where I'm going to start spending the offseason. Maybe Southern California.
"I can't worry about that now. My focus is to play baseball and not let the little things outside the game bother me. Just take care of what you can and go with it."
Pujols has heard all about the pressure of living up to a mega-contract while switching teams and leagues. Baseball is filled with horror stories of All-Stars who crumpled under the duress and never were the same.
Pujols insists it won't happen to him. He's too strong mentally, too focused, to let anything interfere with his quest for greatness.
"I know people are expecting a lot from me and a lot from this team," Pujols said. "It's been like that since Day 1 for me when I got to the big leagues. But I'm not going to get caught up in those things. Every day is a challenge, but it's something I'm built for. I'm prepared. I'm ready.
"In the end, all you can do is give 110% and do what you're capable of doing. If you still fail, there's nothing you can do about it. You just stay focused. I learned that last year. I started off slow, but look at the numbers I put up (.299 batting average, 37 home runs, 99 RBI). Nobody thought I was going to reach the numbers I had at the end of the year. I did that because I stayed focused. And won the World Series because our whole team stayed focused.
"I know it's a new league and new pitchers, but I know how to hit. I know you have to battle. But this game is about making adjustments and surviving. It won't be any different this year."
3-3
エンジェルスラッガー・ケンドリー・モラレス物語−骨折事故から大リーグ復帰まで
Kendrys Morales will wait no longer
The Angels' Cuban import is back from injury and ready to hammer away
Updated: April 6, 2012, 2:13 PM ETBy Jim Caple | ESPN.com
The injury wouldn't have happened in the old days.
In the old days, back when the term was merely "game-winning" rather than "walk-off," the reaction would have been jubilant but understated. Baseball teams play 162 games a season, and as more than one manager has instructed, your emotions can't get too high or too low. As dramatic as the Angels' victory was that day, it wasn't the World Series. It was a May victory over the Mariners, for crying out loud, with more than 100 games left in the season.
But this is a new era, and every victory requires a celebration. At bare minimum, the players must greet each other on the field with handshakes, fist-bumps, high-fives and slaps on the back. And for a walk-off grand slam? Well, that calls for Gatorade buckets, cream pies, fireworks and everything short of kissing a nurse in Times Square.
A moment of joy after a walk-off slam quickly turned into misfortune for Kendrys Morales in 2010.So as Kendrys Morales virtually sailed around the bases after his grand slam in the bottom of the ninth on May 29, 2010, his Angels teammates eagerly gathered at home plate for the party. Pitcher Ervin Santana still remembers how big and bright Morales' smile looked as they waited to greet him to celebrate perhaps the greatest moment of his career. Morales skipped into the narrow gap the Angels left open to the plate and hopped high up to land an exclamation mark as if he were Fred Flintstone jumping into his car after a hard day at the Slate rock and gravel pit. When Morales leaped, his joyous teammates bounced up with him.
And then he came down. And so did everything else.
"It was like the whole thing collapsed," Seattle's Chone Figgins recalls seeing from the infield. "I always stay on the field until the guy touches home plate. When he jumped up, it was like everyone jumped up at the same time, and then the whole thing just collapsed."
Morales had landed awkwardly on his left ankle and then crumpled to the ground. At first the Angels thought Morales was joking. "C'mon, let's go!" manager Mike Scioscia said. "Get up, get up!" With tears welling in his eyes, Morales replied, "I can't. I can't!"
That's when the Angels knew he wasn't joking. That's when they knew this was serious. "He had tears in his eyes," outfielder Torii Hunter says. "For a grown man to have tears in his eyes, you know something is wrong."
But even as Morales was carted off the field with an ankle damaged so badly that pitcher Jered Weaver says "it was flopping around," no one knew the injury was so serious that it would take two surgeries and 22 months -- almost two years! -- before the player could bat in a major league game again … or that his first-base position would be taken by the signing of the biggest free agent in team history, Albert Pujols.
They didn't realize that the best moment of Morales' career was also the worst.
1-3
"Everything changed," Santana says, snapping his fingers, "like that."
Morales' return from the broken ankle was difficult, but he has had to be patient before. He's been through much in his life.
Morales was born in Cuba and was one of the country's best players when still just a teenager, hitting home runs at the plate and occasionally striking out batters on the mound. He was the first teenager to make the national team in the previous 20 years. But as ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas reported, in 2003 the Cubans dropped him from the team under suspicion of contacting an agent. Morales told Rojas the suspicions were unfounded, but it didn't matter. He never played for the Cuban team again.
Denied the chance of playing for Cuba, Morales spent the next year or so attempting to escape the island. Unfortunately, his first attempt failed. So did his second. And his third. And his fourth. And many others. Rojas reported that Morales attempted 12 escapes -- he was jailed at least once -- before he was ultimately successful at age 20 in 2004 when his raft washed ashore the United States.
As is now the custom for Cuban emigres, Morales applied for residency in the Dominican Republic, which allowed him to become a free agent and sign with the Angels for $4.5 million.
By 2006, Morales was in the major leagues. And by 2009, he was one of the Angels' best hitters, batting .306 with 34 home runs and 108 RBIs as the team won its fifth AL West division title in six years. The 2010 season started just as promisingly, with Morales hitting 11 home runs with 39 RBIs (tops on the team) through late May. With Vladimir Guerrero gone, he now was the Angels' best hitter.
And then came the injury.
Morales says he knew as soon as he landed on the ankle, "It was bad because of the pain." It was very bad. The bone was broken and dislocated, and six screws and a pin had to be inserted to fuse the bones together. He says doctors told him the injury would take time to heal, but after the first surgery that June, he was hopeful he would return relatively soon, perhaps by the time the Angels once again reached the playoffs.
But the Angels did not reach the postseason in 2010. "We won for the next 12 games, but after 12 games I think we realized, 'We don't have Kendrys,'" Hunter says. "When we learned he wasn't coming back, I think it hit everyone." The Angels finished in third place, their first losing season in seven years.
By spring training 2011, Morales still wasn't playing. He took batting practice and took turns running to first base, but something wasn't right. The strength and the mobility of the ankle still hadn't come back. His return was postponed and postponed again. He received two cortisone shots, but neither proved sufficient. One day the ankle would feel good, the next couple it would not. Doctors examined him again and determined that Morales needed a second surgery to clean up the ankle and set it healing properly.
He underwent surgery again in late May, almost a year to the day after the original injury. This second surgery included a bone graft. He missed the rest of the season.
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In the meantime, the Angels continued to struggle without Morales' bat. The Angels finished second in 2011, the first time they had finished out of the playoffs in consecutive seasons in 11 years. They scored fewer runs in both seasons than they had in the previous 20 full seasons.
Back in action at long last, Morales is trying to be lighter on his feet.Morales' ankle still wasn't fully in shape by the time spring training started this February. His teammates can't remember ever seeing an injury taking so long to heal.
"I've seen pitchers have Tommy John and maybe take a year or two to get where they need to be, but I've never seen a player out two years," Hunter says. "I'm trying to remember a guy. Most position players, if they break a leg, they come back in 8½ months. I broke my ankle and came back in six months. Bones heal. Most people break bones but when you mess with ligaments and stuff like that it's different. In 19 professional years, he's the first. What does that tell you? It's a serious injury."
Morales finally returned to games in mid-March with at-bats in minor league games. He started his first Cactus League game a week later. In his first 16 at-bats he had 10 hits and two home runs; he finished the Cactus League season with a .435 average. "I'd been sitting at home watching them for a long time, and I couldn't support my teammates," Morales told reporters. "To finally be out there with them and interact with them felt really good."
"He seems happy. He's cracking jokes. I think he's seeing he has a chance of coming back," Hunter says. "Last year he was hurting and quiet. You could see the expression on his face. The disappointment. But this year, he's happy.
"He looks like he never had an injury. We need him in the lineup. He doesn't have to run, he can just jog. If he hit a ground ball, even if he was healthy, he was out anyway. A guy like that, he hits a ground ball, he's out. Hopefully we can get him where he can run without any pain."
Running well, Morales is healthy enough that Scioscia can even joke about the injury, saying that he would try to remember the day it occurred, "but then I would have to go through therapy."
The injury, Morales says, "taught me to be mentally tough. I grew up with the setback, and I know that I have to take everything step by step, as they come."
Step by step. As the past 22 months have shown, when an injury is as serious as this was, progress comes slowly. While he has run the bases and slid and done everything he can on the ankle, for now, the Angels will be satisfied if Morales doesn't need to test the ankle much beyond circling the bases after several dozen long home runs.
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With Morales back, manager Mike Scioscia has a nice problem when it comes to the Angels' lineup card.Of course, no matter how well Morales comes back, there will be one major difference from before he was hurt. When the Angels open the season Friday against the Royals, Morales will be the designated hitter. This is because being DH will strain the ankle less. More importantly, the Angels have someone else to play first base: the man they signed to a $241 million contract this offseason.
"When they signed Pujols, I knew what class of ballplayer he is," Morales says. "I know he is one of the best players -- if not the best. That he is one of the best hitters, if not the best. I'm mainly a first baseman, but I'm ready to put together a season to help the team. I'm a team player. I will come along and play whenever I have the chance."
So Morales will DH and perhaps give Pujols an occasional breather at first base this season. If Morales stays healthy and returns to form, the weak Angels lineup of the past two years will look very menacing. Especially so if converted third baseman Mark Trumbo can cut down on his strikeouts and continue with his power. With that upgrade in the lineup, plus the addition of C.J. Wilson to the rotation, the Angels might be not only the favorites to win the AL West, they could be the favorites to win the World Series.
And should Morales hit another dramatic walk-off home run, well, it's safe to say there will not be a repeat of the horrible injury two years ago. The Angels now have a rule regarding walk-off celebrations. Players aren't allowed on the dirt until after the winning run scores under penalty of a fine.
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アメリカの政治とスポーツ
Ozzie Guillen suspended five games
April 10, 2012, 3:28 PM
MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins have suspended manager Ozzie Guillen for five games for comments he made in which he expressed admiration for Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
"The Marlins acknowledge the seriousness of the comments attributed to Guillen," the team said in a prepared statement announcing the move. "The pain and suffering caused by Fidel Castro cannot be minimized especially in a community filled with victims of the dictatorship."
Marlins bench coach Joey Cora will be the interim manager during the suspension. Guillen said he would fly back to Philadelphia, where the Marlins resume their series with the Phillies on Wednesday, to address the team.
Speaking first in Spanish on Tuesday morning in Miami, Guillen apologized to the city, its Cuban-American community and all Latin Americans for the comments, which were published on Time magazine's website last week.
"I feel like I betrayed my Latin community," Guillen said, according to ESPN's translation of his comments in Spanish. "I am here to say I am sorry with my heart in my hands and I want to say I'm sorry to all those people who are hurt indirectly or directly."
"I'm sorry for what I said and for putting people in a position they don't need to be in. And for all the Cuban families, I'm sorry," he said, according to ESPN's translation. "I hope that when I get out of here, they will understand who Ozzie Guillen is. How I feel for them. And how I feel about the Fidel Castro dictatorship. I'm here to face you, person to person. It's going to be a very difficult time for me."
In a prepared statement, baseball commissioner Bud Selig said MLB supported the suspension. He said baseball as an institution has "important social responsibilities," and he expects those representing the game to show respect and sensitivity to its many cultures.
"Guillen's remarks, which were offensive to an important part of the Miami community and others throughout the world, have no place in our game," said Selig, who, with Orioles owner Peter Angelos, sat with Castro when Baltimore played an exhibition game in Cuba in 1999.
On Tuesday, Guillen said repeatedly that he does not admire Castro. Guillen, whose first language is Spanish, said when the comments were made, he was talking about how he was surprised Castro was able to remain in power so long, given the number of people he had hurt since taking power.
"The interpretation didn't come out as I wanted," Guillen said in Spanish, according to ESPN's translation. "I was thinking in Spanish and I said the wrong thing in English."
Asked how the statement "I love Fidel Castro" could be misconstrued, Guillen once again said he was talking about how surprised he was that Castrol had been able to stay in power for so long.
"Everybody in the world hates Fidel Castro, including myself," Guillen said. "I was surprised that he's still in power. That's what I was trying to say to the journalist. And that's the first thing that came out of my mouth. I admit it. It was the wrong words."
There was no immediate response to an Associated Press request for comment from government and sports officials in Cuba.
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A Cuban-American advocacy group in Miami, Vigilia Mambisa, has said it would boycott and demonstrate against Guillen until the Marlins fire him.
Francis Suarez, chairman of the Miami city commission, said Guillen should be fired. Joe Martinez, chairman of the Miami-Dade County board of commissioners, said Guillen should resign.
Outside an entrance to the Marlins' new ballpark, about 100 demonstrators wanting Guillen's ouster shouted and chanted during the news conference. But the team didn't consider firing Guillen or asking him to resign, Marlins president David Samson said.
"We believe in him," Samson said. "We believe in his apology. We believe everybody deserves a second chance."
After the comment was published, the Marlins subsequently issued a statement clarifying that the organization has no respect for Castro, calling him "a brutal dictator who has caused unthinkable pain for more than 50 years."
Tuesday, Guillen said he respected the Marlins' decision to suspend him and was not concerned about the salary he would lose in the process, because repairing his relationship with the Cuban-American community was more important.
"I will do everything to try to make things be better," he said. "I'm willing to do everything in my power, in the Marlins power, to do everything I can to help this community."
Speaking to a packed audience in the media room at Marlins Park, the team's brand-new stadium in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, Guillen remembered being in the ballpark for Opening Day and what a happy occasion that was. "Now, I'm sitting here a few days later very embarrassed. Very sad," he said.
"This is the biggest mistake of my life. When you make a mistake this big ... I will learn from this," he said.
Guillen said he was disappointed that he let his players down and asked that the team and the organization not be blamed for his mistake.
"I'll be back after five games. I just hope they do their job. What else can I say? Keep playing and I'm going to try to put this problem behind me," he said.
Guillen will be eligible to return from the suspension on Tuesday, April 17, when the Marlins host the Chicago Cubs.
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Ozzie Guillen said he was on his knees to apologize to Miami's Cuban-American community for saying he admired Fidel Castro's ability to remain in power.
It's not the first time that Guillen has praised Castro publicly. In a Men's Journal interview in 2008, Guillen was asked to name the toughest man he knows.
"Fidel Castro," he said. "He's a bull---- dictator and everybody's against him, and he still survives, has power. Still has a country behind him. Everywhere he goes they roll out the red carpet. I don't admire his philosophy. I admire him."
Guillen, who is from Venezuela but became a United States citizen in 2006, also praised controversial Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in 2005. He had appeared on the leader's radio show twice and when asked about it, he said: "Not too many people like the president. I do."
Guillen has since been critical of Chavez. During his first news conference as Marlins manager in September, he bristled at a suggestion he supports Chavez.
"Don't tell my wife that, because she hates that man. She hates him to death," Guillen said. "I supported Chavez? If I was supporting Chavez, do you think I would be manager of the Marlins? I never supported Chavez."
Tuesday, Guillen, who is a U.S. citizen, was asked several times about Chavez. He said he doesn't support Chavez, who sees himself as a protege of Castro, and that he writes for a newspaper in Venezuela that is anti-Chavez. He also said he would not vote for Chavez.
"This is the last time this person talks about politics," he said, according to ESPN's translation.
Guillen's outspoken manner has gotten him into trouble in the past. In 2006, he was fined and ordered to undergo sensitivity training by Major League Baseball after using a gay slur during a rant aimed at a Chicago-area newspaper columnist.
Information from ESPN.com baseball writer Jayson Stark, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, ESPNChicago baseball reporter Bruce Levine and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Tokyo2LA（＝凡人）
Angels just picked up where they had left off from last season. At late innings, oponent teams outhitted&outscored and Angels couldn't keep the early lead and lost in the end. That was the typical losing pattern. It was so frustrating. Their offence is horrible as usual. I've suspected for a long time there is something to do with the hitting coach instruction. Look at Napoli, he became a MVP-ish batter at Texas. That is what I would've never expected when he was in Angel uniform. I'm predicting Angels won't make it to playoff. Simply because they are not the play-off material. As a long time fan, I hope I am wrong.
Tokyo2LA：
I don't have an optimism for Angels. I believe Texas is much better team than Angels. I understand some ppl want to compare to year 2002 that was a long time ago, but the players getting old is not a good sign for a baseball. With Yu, Texas are more dangerous team than ever before. I'm not worried about Pujols, and I like the group of starting pitchers and Trout & Morales who should be in line-up all time. The problem is that the rest of Angels' line-up are horrible. They are full of streaky(Kendrick, Aybar, Callaspo, Bourjos ), overrated(Trumbo), over-the-hilled(Hunter, Wells, Abreu) bunch of hitters. In case you'd forgotten, Hunter was the king of hitting into double play the last season, and most importantly the bull-pen are much worse than that of 2002. I don't see much hope left for the playoff this year. Rangers should clinch our division easily and Angels are competing for a second place against Mariners and Athletics. The 2nd place race should be pretty close. The sad thing is I am a long time fan telling this. I vote for trading Hatcher for Rangers' hitting coach if possible. LOL
Tokyo2LA
There is no hope. He is missing a important point. The baseball is a team sport. Angels' mediocre line-up and bull-pen are goint to cost this year's playoff. Pujols alone cannot fix that. Do you know how badly they'd played offensively the last season? This year is no different. Most ppl would agree with me.
MLTrojan18
Last season we won 86 games, and despite this start, you can't say this year's team isn't going to be an improvement. Last year they started slowly too. Even just a few more wins, and that fifth playoff spot, have to make them a virtual lock to get in. The problem is that now there are actual consequences in the playoffs for not being a division champ, and Texas is already out of sight
Tokyo2LA
Angels bull-pen the last year was better than this year and most of line-up are past prime, not to mention one year older. We had the great catcher Matis who'd kept tight games won. I am one of the few ppl in this board who liked Matis
MLTrojan18
If any part of your argument for last year's team somehow being better is Jeff Mathis, I'll go all in on my side of the argument. Let's see how this year's team compares to last year's after 162 games
SmackAttackism
Ianetta is doing great this lineup is a plus and sosh is doing some things right with using carpenter and hawkins downs now instead of just falling in love with the power arms the bullpen will be strong as long as he keeps faith in carpenter and drops isringhausen.
1 fan likes this.
BASIC HITTING STATISTICS
1B: Single
2B: Double
3B: Triple
AB: At-bat
BA or AVG: Batting average (hits divided by at-bats)
BB: Walks (base on balls)
FC: Fielder's choice (when a fielder chooses to try an out on another runner, not the batter)
G: Games played
GDP: Grounded into double play
H: Hits
IBB: Intentional walks
HBP: Hit by pitch
K: Strikeouts
LOB: Left on base
OBP: On-base percentage (H+BB+HBP divided by AB+BB+HBP+SF)
RBI: Runs batted in
RISP: Runner in scoring position
SF: Sacrifice fly
SH: Sacrifice hit (bunts)
SLG: Slugging percentage
TB: Total bases
BASIC PITCHING STATISTICS
BB: Walks (base on balls)
BB/K: Walks to strikeouts ratio (BB times 9 divided by innings pitched)
BK: Balks
BS: Blown saves (when a pitcher enters the game in a save situation but leaves without the lead)
CG: Complete game
ER: Earned run (runs that scored without the aid of an error or passed ball)
ERA: Earned run average (total earned runs times number of innings in a game, typically 9, divided by innings pitched)
IBB: Intentional walks
HBP: Hit by pitch
G: Games
GF: Games finished
GS: Starts
H: Hits allowed
H/9: Hits per nine innings (hits times 9 divided by IP)
HB: Hit batsman
HLD: Holds (also sometimes H, when a player enters a game in a save situation, records at least one out, does not surrender the lead and does not complete the game)
HR: Home runs
IBB: Intentional walks
K: Strikeouts (sometimes abbreviated SO)
K/BB: Strikeout-to-walk ratio (K divided by BB)
L: Loss
OBA: Opponents batting average
SHO: Shutout (CG with no runs allowed)
SV: Save (sometimes abbreviated S; when a pitcher enters a game with the lead, finishes the game without surrendering the lead and is not the winning pitcher. The lead must be three runs or fewer; or the potential tying run was on-base, at bat or on deck; or the pitcher pitched three or more innings)
W: Wins
WP: Wild pitches
BASIC FIELDING STATISTICS
A: Assists
CI: Catcher's interference
DP: Double plays
E: Errors
FP: Fielding percentage
PB: Passed ball (when a catcher drops a ball and one or more runners advance)
アメリカのマイナースポーツ卓球
Ariel Hsing's Olympic dream is a DIY effort
Ariel Hsing, 16, is an elite athlete in a low-profile sport, so she and her family are largely on their own.
Ariel Hsing, 16, will be representing the United States in table tennis at Olympic Games in London this summer. (Peter DaSilva / For The Times / May 7, 2012) =pic
May 9, 2012, 5:58 p.m.
SAN JOSE — The day begins around 7 a.m., at the back of the house, in a room outfitted with rows of fluorescent lights, a ping-pong table and little else.
This is where Ariel Hsing comes to practice alone. She starts by crouching silently at one end of the table, then springs up and, with a flick of her paddle, sends a serve whizzing across the net.
The 16-year-old repeats this motion hundreds of times, the balls collecting against a far wall. She must concentrate on hitting with maximum spin, but other thoughts occasionally creep in.
Thoughts of precalculus and English composition. Thoughts of environmental science.
"That's when I step back from the table," she says. "I try to calm down."
Life can get complicated for a girl who falls in love with — and becomes very good at — a sport not many people care about in this country.
Ariel is headed for the 2012 London Olympics this summer as a member of the U.S. team. If she lived in Europe or Asia, she might be enrolled in a sports academy, training full-time and looking forward to a pro career.
But the U.S. has no such academies, no big leagues for table tennis. "The options in North America are not so good," a national coach says. Ariel must think about a future beyond the game.
So this cheerful teenager — with colorful barrettes in her straight, black hair — divides her time between training and high school. Grades are important because she hopes to get into Stanford or Harvard.
That means waking up early, staying up late and constantly shifting her attention from twisting serves to stacks of homework due for honors math class.
"It can be tough," she says. "You have to lead a double life."
A family's priorities
An artificial Christmas tree stands in the living room of their two-story home south of downtown San Jose, its branches still festooned with ornaments in late April. The Hsings apologize, saying they are organized when it comes to Ariel's training, not so much with other things.
Paddles, shoes and boxes of balls lay scattered around the house. The garage is filled with equipment, including several brands of costly machines that spit out balls at various speeds and with various spins.
When their only child began playing seriously, the Hsings set aside a spare bedroom for live-in coaches — talented players they brought over from China — and added the practice space in back.
After morning drills, Ariel attends school until 1 p.m. — she took extra classes in advance of this Olympic year — then heads for afternoon training sessions.
"Time to take a nap," she says, ducking into the family's minivan and promptly dozing off for the 20-minute drive.
In this country, table tennis is often relegated to industrial parks where room is plentiful and rent is cheap. Her first stop is just such a club in Fremont, with nine tables and more than a dozen badminton courts spread across a cavernous, high-ceilinged space.
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One of her numerous personal coaches is waiting to begin the workout.
Their shots zip back and forth with blurry speed, the sound like fingernails drumming on a counter. Ariel never stops moving, bouncing, trying to stay in position so that, even on wide balls, she can maintain a compact, powerful swing.
The coach exhorts her in Chinese, insisting that she transition quickly from offense to defense, adapting to the nuances of each point.
"Good players are trickier," Ariel says. "They can change their tactics fast."
The drills continue for two hours — she banks as many as 25 to 30 hours of training each week — before it comes time for another session with a different coach at a club down the road. Along the way, she stops to wolf down a turkey sub.
"Two of my many talents," she says with a grin. "Eating and sleeping."
'A little crazy'
Back when her mother grew up in the Henan province of China, children took turns smacking balls across a concrete table in the schoolyard. Xin Jiang was good enough to be chosen for her city's team but faced a dilemma.
"We were so poor, there were no tennis shoes," she recalls. "I borrowed a pair of white shoes from my grandmother."
Two decades later, she had immigrated to the U.S. and married a fellow computer engineer from Taiwan named Michael Hsing. They frequented a table tennis club near their home.
One night they could not find a baby-sitter and brought along their 7-year-old daughter. Ariel showed immediate potential, catching the eye of the club's coach and prompting a brash prediction from her mother.
On the drive home, Jiang told her husband: "When Ariel makes the Olympics, we will pay for the grandparents to go but what about the other relatives?"
Michael Hsing recalls: "I thought she was a little crazy."
But within a few years, Ariel began rising through the junior ranks, developing a "two-wing attack" — hitting hard from both the forehand and backhand sides — as she traveled the nation and then the world to compete.
The hours of practice were fun, the rhythm of the game a tonic as she fixed on the ball, thinking of nothing else. She could remain poised during matches.
By 2009, her record included finals appearances at several big junior events. By 2011, facing older players, she had won a Pan American Games bronze and a U.S. women's championship.
A figure skater or tennis player of similar talent might have attracted lucrative sponsorships; the most a young American table tennis player could hope for was free clothing and equipment.
Hsing figures he has spent $40,000 a year on coaches and travel. He quit his job at IBM to work from home, making time to ferry his daughter through her busy schedule.
"Every three months," he says, "we beg her to stop so we can get back to normal."
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The family made a deal at the very start: Ariel could pursue table tennis only if she maintained high grades.
"Education comes first," her father says. "If she gets a B, she has to stop playing until she raises it to an A."
So far, she has earned those A's, but public schools dislike her travel schedule — too many absences cut into their state funding — so Ariel enrolled at the private Valley Christian High this year. A counselor watches her shift focus the instant she steps on campus.
"Usually you see people go one way or the other, all sports or all academics," Erik Ellefsen says. "I've never seen a student like this before."
The change is so complete that classmates were startled when a documentary crew recently followed her around. Many had no idea she was an elite athlete. They just thought of her as a smart kid who misses a lot of school.
Ariel does not see anything extraordinary about this balancing act; she describes it in the most practical terms.
"I can't make a living from table tennis," she says. "If I don't go to college, what's my career going to be?"
But this double life comes at a cost. She has no time to hang out with friends on weekends and concedes, "There are a lot of things I've missed out on."
The junior prom a few weeks ago was her first school dance.
Odds seem long
At present, the U.S. has qualified for only three Olympic slots. Ariel holds the highest world ranking among the two women at No. 134 while the men's player stands at No. 381.
They earned their way to London in a pair of tournaments against North American competition.
"They have hope," national women's coach Doru Gheorghe says. "But from hope to becoming a world-class player, you've got to put more into it."
Practice isn't enough. The Americans need to face players with different styles and spins, which means traveling to tournaments in Europe and Asia more often. The coach says: "There is always a battle with school, parents, homework."
After Ariel's last training session ends around 7 p.m., she returns home with no rest in sight.
"Dinner and studying," she says. "If I have a lot to do, I stay up late."
Her bedroom is decorated with stuffed animals and posters of her icon, Zhang Yining, a table tennis legend. As a teenager in China, Zhang attended the Beijing Shichahai Sports School, where she could focus mainly on the game.
Life is very different for Ariel as she hunkers down to review English comp. The Olympics seem very far away.
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Olympic flame is lit in Greece
Actress Ino Menegaki, acting as a high priestess, holds the torch with the Olympic flame during the lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia the sanctuary where the Olympic Games were born in 776 B.C. (Aris Messinis / AFP/Getty Images / May 9, 2012) =写真
By Houston Mitchell
May 10, 2012, 8:15 a.m.
The flame that will burn during the London Summer Olympics was lit in Greece on Thursday in an elaborate ceremony hearkening back to ancient days.
It started when an actress, dressed as a high priestess, stood before the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera, and used a mirror to focus the sun's rays and light a torch. You know, just like you light your fireplace at home.
The first torch-bearer, Greek swimmer Spyros Gianniotis, then took the torch and started running. He is one of 490 people who will carry the torch across Greece before it is handed off to a representative from London on May 17. Perhaps the London rep can come dressed as King Arthur or Sherlock Holmes to really get in the spirit of things.
The relay will eventually end at the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony on July 27. The Games will run through Aug. 12.
London organizing chief Sebastian Coe was in attendance and was all fired up afterward.
"In 1948, shortly after the Second World War, my predecessor stood where I am today and made the first tentative steps in turning the world from war to sport,” Coe said, referring to the last time London hosted the Games. “We find ourselves in challenging times again and turn to sport once more to connect the world in a global celebration of achievement and inspiration.”
最高峰エベレストを征した最年長女性は73歳の日本人。今回の登頂は自己がもつ最年長女性６３歳を更新したもの。尚、最年長記録をもつ男性はネパール人の76歳。
****
73-year-old becomes oldest woman to climb Mount Everest
Seventy-three year old Tamae Watanabe broke her own record and became the oldest female in the world to conquer Mount Everest. She first scaled the tallest mountain in the world in 2002 when she was 63.
Monday, May 21st 2012, 01:55 PM Daily News
A 73-year-old Japanese woman has become the oldest female to scale Mount Everest, breaking the record she set a decade ago.
Tamae Watanabe, a retired office worker who lives at the foot of Mount Fuji, Japan's tallest mountain, led a team of four on the assault on the northern face of Everest on Saturday. Watanabe and her team set out from their last high-altitude camp, at a height of 27,225 feet, late on Friday and climbed all night, Ang Tshering, a sherpa who coached the climbers, told The Daily Telegraph.
"She's a very strong climber and has always been very active," Sherpa Tshering said from the headquarters of the China Tibet Mountaineering Association in Katmandu.
"She has always loved the mountains and has been climbing in the Japanese Alps and around the world for many years," he said. Since the mid-1970s Watanabe has climbed some of the most famous mountains in the world, including no fewer than five of the 14 peaks that are more than 26,246 feet high.
Her conquests include Mount McKinley in Alaska, the Eiger in Switzerland and Lhotse, the fourth-tallest mountain in the world, which is also in Nepal.
In 2002, she completed her first ascent of Everest to become, at the age of 63, the oldest woman to stand on the peak.
The oldest man to reach the summit is Nepalese climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, who was 76 when he completed the climb in 2008.
Ang Tshering said Everest has been buffeted by high winds in recent days but Watanabe and her team had been able to confirm that they were safe and were descending from the peak. The winds are forecast to weaken towards the end of the week and the climbers are expected to have returned to base camp by Saturday.
"It has been a very hard climb and it has been made harder by the weather, but she had a good team," he added. In addition to the four who reached the summit, a further six climbers in the party will attempt to scale the peak in the coming days, he said.
Watanabe's bid had been driven by a rivalry with another Japanese climber, Eiko Funahashi, who was similarly aiming to set the record for being the oldest woman to reach the summit. Funahashi, 72, was last reported to be awaiting a break in the weather before attempting the southeast ridge route, which is considered the easiest route to the top.
Funahashi had failed in two previous efforts to reach the peak, in 2006 and 2010.
大リーグ：エンジェルズに救世主現る。
Mike Trout shows he's a big catch for Angels in 4-2 win
The outfielder collects run-scoring hits in the sixth and seventh innings against the Texas Rangers to help lift the Angels to their ninth win in 10 games.
By Mike DiGiovanna LATimes
June 1, 2012, 11:07 p.m.
The legend of Mike Trout grows, and where it stops, nobody knows.
One scout compared the dynamic Angels outfielder to Mickey Mantle when Trout was at Class-A Cedar Rapids in 2010.
Another scout, after watching the 20-year-old Trout for a month after his April 27 promotion from triple-A Salt Lake, predicted he would be the best player in the major leagues either by the end of this season or next season.
There don't seem to be enough superlatives to describe the speedy and powerful Trout, but suffice it to say, the kid can play a bit, as he showed again Friday night when he emptied his tool belt in the Angels' 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers.
Trout drove in the Angels' first run with a triple off the right-center field wall and scored the tying run on Albert Pujols' sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. He raced to the warning track to make an over-the-shoulder catch and save two runs in the top of the seventh.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, Trout stroked a two-run single to right-center off tough right-hander Alexi Ogando to help the Angels pull to within 41/2 games of the Rangers in the American League West.
"It usually takes 1,500 at-bats to really get to know this league -- what's he going to do after 1,500 at-bats?" Angels right fielder Torii Hunter said. "He's going to tear this league up. He has great speed and great plate discipline. You can't teach that. To have that ability at age 20? It's impressive."
Since May 1, Trout is batting .330 with five home runs, six doubles, three triples, 22 runs and 12 walks. Angels leadoff batters had a .250 on-base percentage before Trout arrived. Trout has a .370 OBP. The Angels were 6-14 before Trout was called up. They are 21-12 since.
"His talent speaks for itself, but to grasp that he's 20 years old, in the major leagues and playing at such a high level, it's very, very impressive," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's ready for the challenge. He's been an incredible catalyst."
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Ernesto Frieri has had a similar impact on the bullpen.
The right-hander struck out two of three in the ninth Friday night for his third save and has now thrown 13 hitless innings with 27 strikeouts in his first 13 games with the Angels.
Scott Downs threw a scoreless eighth, striking out the dangerous Josh Hamilton on three pitches and getting Michael Young to bounce into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. The left-hander has not yielded a run in 19 innings this season.
The solid relief effort preserved the win for starter Jerome Williams, who gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking two, to improve to 6-2.
"One thing about getting momentum is you need guys who are going to hold leads," Scioscia said. "We're doing a great job of that."
Howie Kendrick started the winning rally in the seventh with a two-out single to center, and Texas starter Colby Lewis hit Erick Aybar with an 0-and-2 pitch. Second baseman Ian Kinsler charged Maicer Izturis' grounder too aggressively and booted it for an error, allowing the Angels to load the bases.
Trout then stroked his single to right-center for a 4-2 Angels lead.
"I just had a feeling I was going to come through," Trout said.
The Rangers took a 2-0 lead when Hamilton doubled and scored on Adrian Beltre's single in the first and Mike Napoli hit an RBI single in the fourth.
But Angels catcher John Hester opened the sixth with a double, Trout knocked him in with his triple and scored on Pujols' fly to medium right for a 2-2 tie.
"It's a blast," Trout said. "It's fun winning, pitching well and hitting well. It's been great so far."
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マッキンレーで日本登山家４名が死す。有名冒険家・植村直己を思い出させる。
*****
Search ends for Japanese climbers on McKinley; only a rope found
By Matt Pearce
June 17, 2012, 2:20 p.m.
A broken rope is the only clue to the location of four Japanese climbers who vanished in an avalanche on Alaska's Mt. McKinley last week.
And that rope — discovered in a pile of compacted ice and snow by a National Park Service mountaineer, almost 100 feet below the surface of a glacial crevasse on America’s tallest mountain — may be all that remains of the climbers for a while.
After the rope's discovery, it became too dangerous to keep digging, so the search for the lost climbers — Yoshiaki Kato, 64, Masako Suda, 50, Michiko Suzuki, 56, and Tamao Suzuki, 63, of the Miyagi Workers Alpine Federation — has been called off "permanently," officials said Sunday afternoon.
The climbers were already presumed dead while the search was underway.
"The frayed rope told us that we had found their final resting place, but the recovery effort was stopped because of the threat to the safety of the search team," park service spokeswoman Kris Fister told the Los Angeles Times.
Six climbers have died on 20,320-foot Mt. McKinley so far this year, where heavy snow and high winds in recent weeks have prevented roughly two-thirds of climbers from reaching the peak, according to the park service.
The Japanese expedition leaves a sole survivor, Hitoshi Ogi, who was tied to his fellow climbers by a rope that broke — and perhaps saved his life by doing so — when a sudden avalanche at 11,800 feet swept the team into the crevasse on the mountain’s West Buttress last Wednesday.
"I kept looking for more than two hours, thinking some may have been buried or fallen into a nearby crevasse," Hitoshi said in an interview that appeared on the Japan Times website Saturday.
Hitoshi, 69, had injured his hand, but managed to climb out of the crevasse and spent a day making a lonely 4,000-foot descent to Kahiltna Basecamp, where he reported the incident.
Searchers wearing bright-colored clothing — accompanied by a search dog with wrapped paws to track through the mountain snow — matched Hitoshi’s broken rope with the rope found in the crevasse.
Fister said the park service would work through the Japanese consul in Anchorage if the victims' families want an overview of the search effort or if they want to fly over the avalanche site.
Otherwise, there's not much more the park service can do.
"Unfortunately, there are some climbers that we never find, and others, such as in this case, we cannot recover due to the threat to the safety of the rescuers," Fister told the Los Angeles Times.
There are now 44 bodies on Mt. McKinley, Fister said.
[For the record, 5:22 p.m., June 17: An earlier version of this post said Hitoshi commented to the Associated Press on Saturday. Instead, his comment appeared on the Japan Times website in a report credited to the AP and the Kyodo News Service.]
*****
End of an era: Ichiro heads to Yankees after Mariners honor request for trade
By Kevin Kaduk | Big League Stew – July 23rd, 2012
The Ichiro era in Seattle is over and it's coming to a close in one of the weirdest ways possible.
In a strange twist, the 38-year-old Japanese superstar won't immediately be leaving Safeco Field after being traded on Monday afternoon. Ichiro will instead make the short walk over to the visitor's clubhouse and don the uniform of the ... wait for it ... New York Yankees, who are in town to open a three-game series.
Seriously, the horde of Japanese media that has followed Ichiro around the country since arrived in America in 2001 could not have written it any better.
The bombshell news was first reported by Jack Curry of YES Network and later confirmed by a tweet from MLB. The Mariners will receive Triple-A pitchers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar in return for Ichiro and an unspecified amount of money.
In a release, Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln said Ichiro had requested the trade:
"Several weeks ago, Ichiro Suzuki, through his long time agent, Tony Attanasio, approached Chuck Armstrong and me to ask that the Mariners consider trading him. Ichiro knows that the club is building for the future, and he felt that what was best for the team was to be traded to another club and give our younger players an opportunity to develop.
"Ichiro will be missed. He owns a long list of Major League Baseball and Mariners club records, has earned many prestigious awards, and in my opinion, he will someday be a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ichiro is in the last year of a deal that pays him $18 million per season and his future in Seattle had recently become a hot topic with former Mariner Jay Buhner making headlines by saying he'd "vomit" if Seattle re-signed Ichiro to another contract.
Neither Mitchell nor Farquhar can be described as a prized prospect and it's not surprising the Mariners couldn't garner a bigger return from the Yankees' search for outfield depth. What's more surprising is that they were able to get anything in return at all. Ichiro is mired in the worst season of his American career, hitting just .261/.288/.353 and sporting a career-low OPS+ of 83 (a stat where league average is 100).
Perhaps Ichiro will feel rejuvenated after being traded from a last-place team that's 42-55 to a first-place team that's 57-38. And perhaps he'll one day wear a Mariners uniform again, either to 1) notch North American hit No. 3,000 (currently a long shot with Ichiro sitting at 2,533) or to 2) ceremonially close out a fantastic career that began with the singles hitter winning the 2001 AL MVP and Rookie of the Year with the 116-win team.
But for now this deal makes the most sense. With Ichiro currently contributing more to the controversy on Seattle's sports talk radio waves than on the field for the Mariners, it was time for both sides to see other people. It's good to see that both sides agreed.
London 2012 Olympics: Runner finishes on broken leg
August 9, 2012, 4:39 PM ET AP
LONDON -- Manteo Mitchell felt the pop in his leg and knew it wasn't good. "It felt like somebody literally just snapped my leg in half," he said.
The American sprinter had half a lap to go in the first leg of the 4x400-meter relay preliminaries Thursday and a choice to make: keep running or stop and lose the race. To him, it was never much of a choice.
He finished the lap and limped to the side to watch the Americans finish the race and qualify easily for the final. A few hours later, doctors confirmed what he suspected: He had run the last 200 meters with a broken left fibula.
"I heard it and I felt it," Mitchell told The Associated Press. "But I figured it's what almost any person would've done in that situation."
Mitchell finished his heat in a more-than-respectable 46.1 seconds, and the United States tied the Bahamas in the second heat in 2 minutes, 58.87 seconds -- the fastest time ever in the first round of the relay at the Olympics.
The 25-year-old sprinter from Cullowhee, N.C., said he was diagnosed with a complete break of the left fibula -- but it was not a compound fracture and the bone is expected to heal on its own in four to six weeks.
He knew what the stakes were when he lined up to run the first leg of his first Olympics. The Americans have won gold in the last eight long relays they've entered at the Olympics.
"Even though track is an individual sport, you've got three guys depending on you, the whole world watching you," Mitchell said. "You don't want to let anyone down."
He said he slipped on the stairs a few days ago in the athletes' village but didn't think much of it. Training went well and he felt good when he lined up to kick things off for the Americans. He said he was feeling great, as well, when he looked at the clock while approaching the 200-meter mark, somewhere in the high-20 or low-21-second range.
"I was doing my job," Mitchell said. "But probably at 201 meters, I heard it and I felt it."
He credited something more than simple adrenaline for pushing him the rest of the way around the track.
"Faith, focus, finish. Faith, focus, finish. That's the only thing I could say to myself," he said.
Mitchell was a promising high school football player at Crest High School in Shelby, N.C., when another broken bone altered his career. He broke his left arm, and his coaches -- seeing the natural talent -- pushed him over to the track.
Western Carolina coach Danny Williamson saw Mitchell finish second several times to a future Olympian Travis Padgett, and offered a scholarship.
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"He was a team person here," said Williamson, who received the first call from Mitchell after he got off the track Thursday. "As soon as he came to Western Carolina, no matter what the situation, he'd do anything we asked of him."
On the world's biggest stage, Mitchell took the team-first thing to a whole new level.
He is the 2012 version of Jack Youngblood, the Rams linebacker who played the Super Bowl on a broken leg. Or Tiger Woods, who won the 2008 U.S. Open on a broken leg. Or, maybe most appropriately, Kerri Strug, whose vault on a sprained ankle sealed the first Olympic team gymnastics gold for U.S. women at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
"I don't know how you write this, but I'd like to believe the only way he would have stopped is if the leg had fallen off," Williamson said.
Mitchell will spend the rest of the Olympics, and beyond, in a walking boot and on crutches. He'll be at the stadium to watch the final Friday. The medals ceremony is Saturday and Mitchell would get one, too, since he ran in the preliminaries.
Forgive him if he doesn't leap onto the podium, though.
"I pretty much figured it was broken, because every step I took, it got more painful," he said. "But I was out there already. I just wanted to finish and do what I was called in to do."
U.S. sets gold standard at London Olympics, and is No. 1 overall
Americans earn 46 gold medals and a total of 104, with Michael Phelps, and swimmers leading charge along with Allyson Felix and track and field teammates.
By Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times
August 12, 2012, 5:54 p.m.
LONDON — Freestyle wrestler Jordan Burroughs came to the Olympics with two objectives: to become the champion in the 163-pound weight class and to restore Team USA to what he considered its rightful place atop the gold-medal list.
China had capitalized on its home-country advantage four years ago to win 51 gold medals, 15 more than the U.S. And although the U.S. won more medals overall in Beijing, 110-100, some experts give greater weight to the number of gold medals when ranking Olympic performances. Burroughs was so determined to avoid a repeat that he downloaded an app to his smartphone that allowed him to track the daily medal count and vowed to do his part for Team USA.
"I wanted to be the guy who helped us out," said Burroughs, who did just that when he defeated Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi of Iran in the gold-medal match. "Even though China makes all our clothes, they can't beat us in medals."
Thanks to Burroughs and 45 other triumphant team or individual performances, the U.S. had regained the top spot in both the gold-medal and overall tallies before Posh and the rest of the Spice Girls reunited to perform at Olympic Stadium during Sunday's closing ceremony.
The total of 46 gold medals was the highest for the U.S. in an Olympics contested on foreign soil. Those gold medals were supplemented by 29 silver medals and 29 bronze medals for a grand total of 104, giving Team USA the lead in the medal count for the fifth straight Games.
China finished second in gold (38) and overall medals (87). Russia had 82 total medals, including 24 gold. Host Britain had more golds (29) but 65 overall.
"We had very, very high expectations coming into the Games, and I think our expectations have been exceeded both on the field of play and off," Scott Blackmun, chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said before Sunday's final events.
"One of our primary objectives is to get as many American athletes on the podium as we can. If you look at the team sports, we're going to put more than 200 on the podium while we're here, which is something that's very, very important to us."
Swimmers won the most medals for Team USA, 31. That equaled the Beijing team's total but the London swimmers won 16 gold medals, four more than the Beijing team.
Michael Phelps dominated the pool here by winning six gold medals and eight overall to pad his career total to 22, the most in Olympic history. Missy Franklin, Ryan Lochte and Allison Schmitt each won five medals and U.S. swimmers set five world records, two by breaststroke specialist Rebecca Soni.
The second-biggest contribution was 29 from a track and field team whose distance renaissance softened the sting of losing three of four individual sprint races to Jamaicans.
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Galen Rupp's silver medal in the 10,000 meters was the first by an American in that race since Billy Mills in 1964, and Leo Manzano's silver in the men's 1,500 was the first by an American at that distance since Jim Ryun won silver in 1968. Brigetta Barrett's high-jump silver medal was the first for the U.S. in that event since Louise Ritter won gold in 1988.
Allyson Felix of Los Angeles won three gold medals and Carmelita Jeter of Gardena won gold, silver and bronze. Eighteen athletes or relays recorded national-best performances as the track and field team increased its medal total from 23 at Beijing and gave the overall U.S. total a big boost.
"I personally feel like it's important for us to take the title home because I feel like we've worked very hard and it's part of our expectations," said DeeDee Trotter, who won bronze in the 400 and gold with the dominant 1,600-meter relay team.
"I think that it's important in a way that we just want to maintain a level of talent and the level of medals that we've always been able to bring home, and to fall short of that would mean that we're not bringing our 'A' game. And we always want to bring our 'A' game."
That happened in several other sports too.
Divers won one gold medal and four overall after being shut out in Beijing, and Wimbledon provided a venerable backdrop for four tennis medals, up from two at Beijing.
"I was there the day that Serena [Williams] played Maria Sharapova and that was the most dominating performance that I have ever seen by a female tennis player, ever," Larry Probst, chair of the USOC board, said of the women's final. "It was just unbelievable."
But that wasn't true across the board.
Gymnastics' medal total dropped from 10 to six, though Gabrielle Douglas became the first American to win team and individual all-around gold medals. "Overall, I think we're happy with the way gymnastics turned out," Probst said.
Fencers won six medals at Beijing but only one here. Sailing was blanked for the first time since the 1936 Berlin Games. Most noticeably, the male boxers went home without a medal. In the Olympic debut of women's boxing, middleweight Claressa Shields won gold and flyweight Marlen Esparza won bronze.
"We're disappointed in boxing. We want to do better, particularly in men's boxing," Blackmun said. "And by saying disappointed in boxing, I don't mean in the people. We're disappointed that we didn't do better in boxing because I know we can do better and we have to focus on how we can do better."
Probst said Team USA's success here can also be measured by athletes' behavior away from the field, court, pool and track. On that score, he said, they all earned gold medals.
"The other thing I would add is when we leave London, do people perceive our athletes as good ambassadors for the United States? And the answer is a resounding yes," Probst said. "I think they have done an amazing job representing our country and we're really proud of them."
基準でオリンピックのランキングが変わる。金メダルの数か、メダルの総計か、それとも各国の人口をも考慮にいれるのか？
****
Victory by Total Medals or Just Gold?
What Matters the Most? The Number of Olympic Golds a Country Wins or its Overall Medal Tally?
August 13, 2012, 2:28 p.m. ET
By CARL BIALIK ,WSJ
After the final medals were awarded Sunday, one question still hung in the air over London: Did Great Britain beat Russia?
There's glory and then there's money. When you factor in medals per GDP, Grenada, not the U.S., is number one in medals. Heard on the Street's Liam Denning discusses on Markets Hub. Photo: Getty Images.
The 2012 Olympics did manage to do something the 2008 games did not: bring clarity to the top of the medal standings. A late surge allowed the U.S. to finish ahead of China in overall medals by 17 and in golds by eight. But after that, things immediately got murkier.
Host Britain ranked No. 3 in most medal tables around the world with a five-gold lead over Russia. The websites of the Olympics organizers, the BBC, the Moscow Times and Xinhua, the Chinese government newswire, all rank countries by golds. But on U.S. media sites that sort by overall medals, including NBC's and The Wall Street Journal's, Britain falls to No. 4 behind Russia, which held 17 more medals overall.
Pravda, the mouthpiece of Russia's Communist Party, noted that Russia would have led the overall medal count if it still were united with the former Soviet republics, just as, in the good old days, the USSR regularly topped the charts.
Olympic organizers help fuel the debate by not settling on a single system for ranking countries. Zoë Fox, a spokeswoman for the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, known as Locog, says the International Olympic Committee doesn't "insist on having a medal table at the games, therefore it's up to the organizing committees what they do." Locog decided to sort by golds as a default on the website, which, it turns out, has been favorable to the host nation. That also has been the convention in the U.K. media. "However, either way is entirely valid, whether ranking by golds or by overall medals," she said. "The IOC does not use any ranking system or medal table for the Games," said IOC spokesman Andrew Mitchell. "The media and others do, of course, but it is entirely up to them."
By both rankings, it has been a disappointing Olympics for Australia, said Mike Tancred, spokesman for the country's team. While others mostly focus on golds, he said, "we set a goal of a top-five finish in the gold-medal count and the overall count." Australia aimed for 35 medals, 15 of them gold; it finished on target for medals but nabbed just seven golds.
For Kim Jong-su, spokesman for the South Korean delegation, counting overall medals doesn't cut it. "Our ranking will be decided only by gold medals," Kim said.
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pic=Great Britain's Peter Wilson, center, celebrates after receiving the gold medal in men's double trap.
Researchers who study rankings say such discrepancies are inevitable with something as arbitrary as an Olympics medal table. It starts with how many medals are awarded per event: Most award three, but that's not set in stone. In boxing, there are four: Both boxers who lose semifinals matches win bronze, instead of squaring off for the bronze medal.
Christopher Murray, professor of global health at the University of Washington who has worked on several rankings of national health-care systems, advocates a sliding scale for medals—three points for gold, two for silver, one for bronze. That would propel Russia slightly ahead of Great Britain in the medal table. "Winning four gold medals is simply a higher achievement than winning four bronze medals," Murray said. "There's a reason the cameras showed Gabby Douglas smiling broadly as she learned she had won the all-around gold while her chief competitor, Aliya Mustafina, fought back tears upon winning the silver."
Murray also suggests adjusting for gross domestic product, a measure of both population and resources. But other researchers say such adjustments could reward a fluky result from a tiny country, plus they don't matter to the superpowers. " 'Punching-above-our-weight' is a nice self-image for small countries, but it is much less important in world politics than being the heavyweights," said NYU law professor Benedict Kingsbury.
"All medal weightings are meaningless—and unfair and misleading—but some are more meaningless than others," says John F. Banzhaf III, a law professor at George Washington University Law School, who has studied law-school rankings.
He points out that a team of basketball players can win, at most, one gold for their country, while a swimmer can win two golds for swimming the same stroke the same distance twice: once individually and once as part of a relay team. Banzhaf said he would like to see a medal system account for that, while not penalizing, say, gymnasts, who can win more than one gold but must master different skills to do so.
A medal table that put each sport on a level playing field, ranking countries by their average performance across all sports, would be a sensible approach —but one that wouldn't be very popular in the U.S., which got 58% of its medals in swimming and athletics. China didn't get more than 10 medals in any single sport.
A version of this article appeared August 13, 2012, on page B8 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Victory by Total Medals or Just Gold?.
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Most people here who had cheered Iannetta replacing Matis' regular catcher position are absolutely as blind as bat. What have he done so far for angels this season? Do you remember Angels were winning when he was on the disable list? Say no more about Wells as well. Don't they know how much of influence the catchers have over their own team pitcher's performance? Acquiring Iannetta to replace Matis was very risky move and that proved to be disastrous for Angels. Only hope right now is that they need to move quickly to get a new great catcher of regular position if any available from trading the overrated Trumbo or doing whatever, as a quick fix. That fixes some of pitchers’ bad performance. Otherwise, there is no playoff for Angels this year and next to come.
Japan routs U.S. team to win Little League World Series title
Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012 AP
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, pennsylvania — Noriatsu Osaka hit three homers and tripled as Japan limited Goodlettsville, Tennessee's potent lineup to two hits in a 12-2 victory Sunday to win the Little League World Series title.
PHOTOS On top of the world: Pitcher Kotaro Kiyomiya (above) carries the Japanese flag during a victory lap after his team's 12-2 win over the United States in the Little League World Series championship game on Sunday in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Noriatsu Osaka ended the game with a two-run homer in the fifth inning that put the mercy rule into effect for the team representing Japan from Kitasuna, in Tokyo, which also won the LLWS title in 2001.
In a symbolic gesture, Japan's players jogged the traditional postgame victory lap carrying the flags for both their home country and the United States.
"We had such a great time in Pennsylvania and we really played a good game today. It was kind of a 'thanks,' " the 12-year-old Osaka said through an interpreter.
Starting pitcher Kotaro Kiyomiya struck out eight batters in four innings and added an RBI single for the Tokyo team, representing Japan. The game ended in the fifth inning after Osaka's third homer made it a 10-run game that invoked the "mercy rule".
"We thought we played the best in the tournament so far, especially to win by the 10-run rule in the finals," said 12-year-old Rintaro Hirano, who homered in the fourth to make it 10-1.
It was a bittersweet final game for two teams that grew close during their two weeks in South Williamsport. They exchanged customary postgame handshakes at the plate before Japan received the World Series championship banner and took its warning-track run.
"Tennessee was our best friends in the U.S. division," Kiyomiya said.
There were so many highlights, including five home runs off Tennessee pitching.
That was more than enough offense for 13-year-old ace pitcher Kiyomiya. The right-hander with the hitch in mid-delivery pitched like a big-league ace in allowing just one hit.
Regardless, this is still a banner year for Goodlettsville after its exhausting 24-16 victory Saturday over Petaluma, California, for the U.S. championship. That game set a record for most combined runs in the World Series.
The thrilling victory kept the Tennessee players and their families up late into the night.
"(The parents) must have partied harder than the kids did," manager Joey Hale said. "I knew we'd be flat today."
Tennessee lost a 10-run lead in the bottom of the sixth of that game before scoring nine times the next inning to finally put away Petaluma in a Little League classic. Even more impressively, Butler had three homers and a record nine RBIs.
"It feels really good and it was really great," Butler said simply about his hitting exploits. He said his three homers Saturday were the longest he had hit all season.
Its pitching depth sapped, Tennessee turned to right-hander Justin Smith to start against Japan — the first time the 12-year-old had pitched in the World Series or in Southeast regional tournament.
"Everybody knew our pitching was depleted and we were bound for a letdown," Hale said. "I'm not saying we were going to beat Japan. I think they were the best team here at everything by far, pitching, hitting. But I think last night is how we want to be remembered."
While his players danced around in delight after the game, skipper Yoichi Kubo teared up. He kept his composure after managing a team that won the World Series in 2001, "but I was crying this time when we won this game as world champion," he said.
Nishikori tops Raonic in Japan Open final
The 22-year-old will move up to 15th in the ATP rankings
Monday, Oct. 8, 2012 Kyodo
Kei Nishikori realized a dream en route to his second career title, winning the Japan Open with an impressive three-set victory over Milos Raonic on Sunday.
First come, first serve: Kei Nishikori holds his trophy after becoming the first Japanese winner in the 41-year history of the Japan Open on Sunday. AFP-JIJI =写真
The 22-year-old Nishikori, appearing in his fourth career final, defeated Raonic 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-0 to become the tournament's first Japanese champion since it became an ATP event in 1973.
The win was Nishikori's first since the 2008 Delray Beach International, before he had surgery on his right elbow. He had lost in the first round the last two years here.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," said Nishikori, who will shoot up to a Japanese all-time high 15th when the new rankings are released Monday. "I wanted to be able to win again on the tour and to do it in Japan means so much more."
"It was four years ago the last time I won. When I had surgery on my elbow in 2009, I wasn't sure I could make it back even in the top 100. I know injuries are a part of the game and I just hope to train hard, stay fit and hopefully crack the top 10 someday."
"This championship is something I've wanted for a very long time."
Nishikori played the 21-year-old Raonic for the first time, and his Canadian opponent came away more impressed by his new-found rival.
"I was aware that Kei is a good player," sixth seed Raonic said. "I've known him from a young age and he's always been a very high prospect."
"I didn't necessarily learn anything too new about his game. I just better understood the extent that he can play. He's very quick, and he uses that really well."
"All the points he won until the last two games, really, he played well. He was hitting deep returns, he was putting pressure on me. He was just taking time away from me which I'm not used to."
"He was reading my serve from the beginning really well, which usually doesn't happen. That definitely made it difficult."
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In a matchup between world tennis' two budding stars — it was the youngest final in 58 events on the tour this season — Nishikori got off to a fast start to electrify the sellout crowd at Ariake Forest Tennis Park.
Armed with a sledgehammer serve topping out at close to 230 kph, Raonic had been virtually unbreakable this tournament, leading with 49 aces and having lost serve just once — in Saturday's semifinal victory over top seed Andy Murray.
But Nishikori, who entered having won a tournament-best 21 of 45 return games, managed to break Raonic in just the second game, moving out to a 3-0 lead.
Yet at 3-1, the tenacious Raonic broke back on his way to leveling the score. Nishikori had set point at 6-5 but Raonic — who saved match point in both the quarterfinals and the semis — forced deuce and the tiebreak.
However, determined to win a title on home soil, Nishikori came back from 4-3 down to capture the tiebreak 7-5, after Raonic saved yet another set point.
The second set was closely contested as the first, with neither losing serve through the first seven games.
Up 4-3, Raonic won the first break point of the set as Nishikori hit a forehand wide. The Japanese almost broke right back but Raonic blasted his 13th ace for deuce, and went on to make it one set apiece.
The day belonged to Nishikori, however. In the final set, he broke his opponent three more times and converted his third match point in deuce to triumph with a third-set bagel.
Nishikori's goal for next season: to go deeper in Grand Slam events.
"I'm performing more consistently now," Nishikori said. "I do think hard court is my surface so at the U.S., Australia Opens I want to be able to at least get to the quarterfinals."
"I started playing really well after beating (Tomas) Berdych," he said of his quarterfinal win over the No. 2 seed. "Beating a top 10 player will carry you a long way. I didn't think I'd win, to be honest."
"I hope people understand how important this win is to me."
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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Munenori Kawasaki started the season with Triple-A Buffalo. But following a severe left ankle sprain by Jose Reyes last month, the big league club called up the excitable Japanese import. And while Kawasaki hasn't lit the world on fire at the plate, teammates and fans alike love the enthusiasm he brings to the ballpark. Everyone got to see his unique zest for life Sunday.
With Toronto down 5-2 to start the bottom of the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles, Kawasaki eventually found himself at the plate with the score 5-4 with two outs and runners on first and third. The veteran of two title-winning World Baseball Classic squads then sliced a Jim Johnson pitch to left-center that proved to be the game-winner. Following his walk-off double that gave the Jays a 6-5 victory over the O's, Kawasaki then gave one of the greatest postgame interviews ever.
Sportsnet reporter Arash Madani initially spoke to Mark DeRosa, who scored the winning run. But DeRosa deferred to the ebullient Kawasaki, who when asked, "What do you have to say for yourself?" by Madani, exclaimed, "Thank you very much! My name is Munenori Kawasaki! I am from Japan. I'm Japanese!" The infielder then referred to a phrase book and added, "My teammates gave me an opportunity so I wanted to do something about it" - which was greeted with a pie in the face from Emilio Bonifacio and a Gatorade dousing by Jose Bautista and another teammate.
UFC
Ronda Rousey knocked out by Holly Holm in UFC championship fight
Neil Frankland
MELBOURNE, Australia ― The Associated Press
Published Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015 8:54AM EST
Ronda Rousey was the UFC’s unstoppable force until Holly Holm used the former champion’s aggression against her to produce one of the sport’s biggest upsets.
Rousey chased Holm around the ring at UFC 193 on Sunday – looking for the right hold and taking head shots along the way – until Holm saw an opening 59 seconds into the second round and snapped a kick to the head that immediately dropped her more fancied opponent to the canvas.
IN PHOTOS=Ronda Rousey no longer undefeated after being knocked out by Holly Holm in UFC title fight in Melbourne, Australia
Holm (10-0) jumped on the prone Rousey, delivering several blows to her head before the referee intervened, ending Rousey’s 12-fight unbeaten run and handing Holm the bantamweight title.
An ecstatic Holm jumped around the ring while Rousey stayed on the canvas as she received medical treatment amid the roar of a stunned, record UFC crowd.
“She’s won a lot of fights and imposed her will on a lot of fighters,” Holm said. “So I expected her to be aggressive and impose her will on me.
“She had me on the cage for a minute and obviously she was trying in for a take down right there ... she had a lot of things she was trying so I’m just glad I put in the practice,” she added.
Rousey, a former judo Olympian, was unbeaten through 12 UFC fights before meeting Holm, and a win would have been her seventh title defence. Instead, Holm, a 34-year-old veteran female boxer from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has the championship belt.
“We figured her aggression was coming, if it didn’t that’s OK, but with footwork and my career we figured she wouldn’t give me that space,” Holm said. “There’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears but it was all worth it.”
Rousey left the stadium to receive treatment for concussion and facial cuts at a nearby hospital after the loss and skipped the post-fight media conference.
“She was transported (to hospital) because she got knocked out,” UFC chief Dana White said. “Obviously she’s completely bummed out and depressed.”
White said a rematch between Holm and Rousey made “a lot of sense” and would put other potential matchups on the backburner.
“Obviously we don’t make fights the night of the fight, but the rematch makes a lot of sense,” he said. “The rematch is what the people want to see.”
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In the other title bout, a bloodied Joanna Jedrzejczyk outlasted Montreal’s Valerie Letourneau to successfully defend her straw-weight belt in a five-round slugfest.
Jedrzejczyk (11-0) won a unanimous points decision over Letourneau (8-4) who offered the champion one of her tougher fights in some time.
The six-time Muay Thai world champion Jedrzejczyk started to pressure her opponent from the second round with some trademark, lightning-quick combinations to Letourneau’s head, while forcing the challenger to keep her distance with some effective kicks.
Organizers announced a crowd of 56,214 at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, which normally hosts Australian rules football matches. The mark eclipsed the 55,724 fans who attended UFC 129 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre in 2011.
Rousey, 28, has taken UFC by storm since her debut in 2012 and her success has led to several movie projects as well the publishing of her autobiography.
But it was Holm’s calm confidence and the manner of her win that attracted all the attention Sunday.
“Tonight was one of those moments,” White said. “These are the moments in fighting that make it so crazy and so fun. Tonight was one of those moments.”
Holm, a former undisputed welterweight boxing champion, said the moment of her UFC title victory was “one of those moments that you live for.”
“They’re the scariest moments. This fight was a lot for me mentally,” she added. “I couldn’t tell you how many times I cried in the gym leading up to this fight.
“It’s a lot to take in, but those kinds of fights are the ones where a loss is devastating but a win is that sweet of a victory.”
White said that while most onlookers were shocked by Rousey’s loss, he was not one of them.
“At the end of the day I made this fight. I said this was a good fight,” he said. “Holly was the right fight. Ronda had never faced anybody who uses the range and distance the way she does.
“This woman has four times more fights than Ronda does. She’s been a world champion,” he said.
In other fights on the undercard, Mark Hunt of New Zealand (11-10-1) won his rematch with Brazil’s Antonio Silva (19-8) by technical knockout after the referee stopped the feature heavyweight bout in the first round.
New Zealand-born Australian middleweight Robert Whittaker (16-4) earned a gutsy win on points over Uriah Hall (13-6), while Jared Rosholt (14-2) won a unanimous decision of towering Dutchman Stefan Struve (30-8) in a scrappy opening heavyweight bout of the main card.
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Russia stripped of Beijing 2008 4x400m women's silver medal
Fri Aug 19, 2016 9:52pm BST Reuters
Members of Russia's women's 4 x 400 relay team pose with their silver medals during the medal ceremony of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 23, 2008. The members of the team are Yulia Gushchina, Liudmila Litvinova,... REUTERS/Mike Blake (CHINA)
By Karolos Grohmann | RIO DE JANEIRO
Russia have been stripped of the 4x400m women's relay silver medal from the Beijing Olympics after Anastasia Kapachinskaya tested positive for a steroid in a re-test of her sample, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday.
"Re-analysis of Kapachinskaya’s samples from Beijing 2008 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substances stanozolol and dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol)," the IOC said.
Jamaica were third and Belarus finished in fourth place in the Beijing race.
"The IAAF (international athletics federation) is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned events accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence," the IOC said.
Kapachinskaya was also disqualified from her 400m run where she had placed fifth.
Her Russian team mates Alexander Pogorelov, who was fourth in the decathlon, and shotputter Ivan Yushkov also had their Beijing Games results canceled out after testing positive for the same substance.
Yushkov was 10th in his event eight years ago.
Earlier this week Russia were ordered to return their gold medals from the 4x100m women's relay from the same Games after Yulia Chermoshanskaya also tested positive in a re-test.
The IOC stores samples for a decade to test with newer methods or for new substances. The ruling body conducted targeted re-tests before the Rio Olympics.
A total of 98 samples were positive in reanalysis of samples from both the Beijing Games and the 2012 London Olympics as the IOC attempted to root out cheats and stop them from going to the Rio Games.
Russia's track and field team, with the exception of one athlete based in the United States, were banned from the Rio Games over what the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said was a state-backed doping program.
Japan
'It's exhilarating': Japan's female sumo wrestlers take on sexism
Amateur wrestlers hope ban on women in the professional arena will one day be overturned
Justin McCurry in Gifu Mon 18 Jun 2018 20.04 EDT Last modified on Mon 18 Jun 2018 23.51 EDT
Eight of the current nine members of the Asahi University women sumo team pose for a group photo by the Dohyo Photograph: Laura Liverani for the Guardian
It isn’t hard to see why Chisaki Okumura is one of Japan’s best female sumo wrestlers. Combining her considerable height and heft with flashes of speed, her practice bouts end with a succession of opponents thrown to the ground or shoved unceremoniously out of the ring.
On a humid, wet afternoon in central Japan, Okumura draws on her reserves of strength for a final, punishing series of drills with a male opponent. By the end, it is hard to tell who is more exhausted.
For more than two hours every weekday afternoon, the 17 men and nine women of Asahi University’s sumo club stretch, warm up and perform drills together, although for safety reasons they conduct full-on bouts separately.
Training is centered on two dohyo – a dirt-covered 4.55m diameter circle marked out with half-buried rice-straw bales - which are among the few places where female sumo wrestlers are defying the centuries-old sport’s uneasy relationship with gender.
Pic=A female and a male member of the Asahi University sumo team practice against each other during their daily training. Photograph: Laura Liverani for the
As amateurs, the women athletes at Asahi and other universities are not bound by the ancient traditions governing professional sumo - in which only men can compete. But that might not be the case for much longer.
Many hope the ban on women joining the professional sumo ranks will one day be overturned, proving that deep-seated misogyny has no place in a sport striving to be accepted as an Olympic event.
In April, not long after professional sumo was rocked again by allegations of bullying and violence, an incident at an exhibition tournament in Maizuru, near Kyoto, triggered a new campaign to rid Japan’s de facto national sport of its sexist traditions.
The row was triggered by after several women, including at least one nurse, rushed on to the ring to administer first aid to the local mayor, who had collapsed after suffering a stroke. Using the public address system, the referee repeatedly ordered them to leave the ring, but the women refused.
Officials sprinkled “purifying” salt on the wrestling surface after they had left. Sumo officials later denied that this had been done because of the women’s presence in the ring. Salt is customarily scattered on the ring before bouts and after a wrestler has been injured.
The impromptu first responders had fallen foul of an ancient rule banning women from entering, or even touching, the dohyo.
The rule has prevented local female politicians from presenting awards inside the ring.
The Maizuru incident not only embarrassed sumo but was also seen as a metaphor for the treatment of women in Japan, which performs poorly in global tables of gender equality and female political representation.
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Tomoko Nakagawa, the mayor of Takarazuka in western Japan, has unsuccessfully petitioned the Japan sumo association to lift the ban. “I can’t understand why it is only the sumo world that refuses to change or is even going backwards,” she told Agence France-Presse.
The sport’s struggle with sexism is equally baffling to Okumura, who has been wrestling since she was at middle school.
“Sumo shouldn’t be thought of as a sport for men and women, it’s for everyone,” says Okumura, runner-up in last month’s international women’s sumo invitational championships in the 64-80kg category.
“I definitely benefit from being able to train with the men, and I don’t get the impression that they’re looking down on me and the other women. If I were allowed to compete against them in a proper bout I think I could hold my own.”
The Asahi club was formed eight years ago and is now one of about half a dozen women’s sumo clubs at Japanese universities. The female members use the same number of kimarite – or winning moves – as the men, but wear their mawashi belts over shorts and T-shirts.
“There are some people who still struggle to accept the idea of women’s sumo, but I’ve never thought it was at all unusual,” says Shigeto Takahashi, the club’s manager, who has been coaching female wrestlers for 35 years. “The only real difference is that the women have to be a little more careful about injuring their shoulders, but they’re not allowed to wear any padding.”
Kaori Matsui, an associate professor in the university’s department of health and sports sciences, and the club’s deputy manager, said it was natural for women to compete in sumo, having already broken down barriers in other contact sports such as wrestling and judo.
Pic=Two members of the Asahi University women sumo team go through their routine training, practicing Shiko, or foot stomping. Photograph: Laura Liverani
The number of new women taking up amateur sumo is static, however, a problem she blames on the dearth of female coaches to offer guidance to girls and young women.
“Some people I meet are amazed that there is even an international women’s sumo scene,” she says. “There needs to be a more coordinated approach to promoting the brilliance of women’s sumo. When you watch it close up, it’s exhilarating.”
While weary wrestlers gulp down cups of cold tea from a copper kettle, Minayo Nishimoto shows few signs of fatigue - unsurprising, perhaps, for a woman who has been hurling her comparatively slight frame around sumo rings since she was nine years old.
“I understand that the dohyo is regarded as sacred, but whichever way you look at it, the ban on women is sexist,” says Nishimoto, who prides herself on her uwatenage overarm throw. “But that just makes me all the more determined to carry on and be the best female wrestler in Japan.”
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