Monday 10 September 2012
Sunday 9 September 2012
Denver Broncos Defeat Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-19
CLICK HERE Denver Broncos vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-19
CLICK HERE Denver Broncos vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-19
The four-time MVP coming off four neck surgeries completed 19 of 26 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
He got a big assist from another free agent, cornerback Tracy Porter, whose 43-yard interception return of Ben Roethlisberger's pass with 2 minutes left sealed the win.
Manning, jettisoned by the Indianapolis Colts in March after missing all of last season with a nerve injury that weakened his throwing arm, hit Demaryius Thomas with a 71-yard touchdown toss for his first score as a Bronco. It was his 400th career TD toss.
CLICK HERE Denver Broncos vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-19
The four-time MVP coming off four neck surgeries completed 19 of 26 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
He got a big assist from another free agent, cornerback Tracy Porter, whose 43-yard interception return of Ben Roethlisberger's pass with 2 minutes left sealed the win.
Manning, jettisoned by the Indianapolis Colts in March after missing all of last season with a nerve injury that weakened his throwing arm, hit Demaryius Thomas with a 71-yard touchdown toss for his first score as a Bronco. It was his 400th career TD toss.
49ers' defense stuffs Green Bay, 30-22
Minutes after the 49ers made a season-opening statement with a 30-22 win over the Packers on Sunday, San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio resembled a man whose team had lost.
After coaching from upstairs, the grim-faced 53-year-old sat slumped on the back of a golf cart, which was ferrying him, general manager Trent Baalke and offensive coordinator Greg Roman under the stands at Lambeau Field to a celebratory locker room. So why, exactly, did Fangio appear so deflated after his defense had capped a virtuoso performance by stopping Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on a last-minute, potentially game-tying drive?
"At the end there when you're going through that, it's like you're being drowned and someone just pulled you out of the water," Fangio said. "You're just laying there. It's like, 'Thank God you're alive.' "
With that, Fangio offered a big smile. He clearly felt very much alive after the 49ers, thanks to a dominating defensive effort, had killed a series of streaks: San Francisco ended an eight-game losing skid at Lambeau Field that dated to 1990, snapped Green Bay's 13-game home winning streak and held high-powered Green Bay under 24 points at Lambeau for the first time since 2010.
After last year's 13-3 season ended in the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers were viewed by many as Super Bowl contenders. And Sunday's road win, over a team that went 15-1 last year, should win over remaining skeptics.
"I think we have a team to be reckoned with," cornerback Tarell Brown said. "I think we have a team that's on the borderline of being a great team."
Jim Harbaugh's mantra is, "The team, the team and the team," and Sunday's victory was an all-around effort.
The defense? The 49ers dropped extra defenders into coverage against the pass-happy Packers, who ranked fifth in NFL history with 540 points last year. The tradeoff was that San Francisco was outnumbered up front and routinely took one of their best defensive players, inside linebacker Patrick Willis, out when they used six defensive backs.
Regardless, the 49ers still stuffed the run - Green Bay running back Cedric Benson had 18 yards on nine carries - and harassed Rodgers. They collected three sacks and five hits on the reigning NFL MVP, who scrambled five times for 27 yards under duress. After three quarters, the Packers, who scored two offensive touchdowns, trailed 23-7.
"That was big time," safety Dashon Goldson said of the defensive game plan. "Being able to keep box light and still stop the run? There's a lot of things you can do on back end which will help defend against the passing game. And our front did its job very well."
Meanwhile, as the Packers ended five of their first six drives with punts, the 49ers' offense scored on five straight possessions (three field goals and two touchdowns) after a game-opening three-and-out.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-defense-stuffs-Green-Bay-30-22-3851872.php#ixzz263NCUbBY
Friday 7 September 2012
Bryan brothers win US Open, set Grand Slam record
NEW YORK — At age 34, the Bryan brothers posed with the trophy with Bob's infant daughter and chatted about Mike's upcoming wedding.
They've now set the Open-era Grand Slam title record, but the pair doesn't plan to stop adding to that total anytime soon.
The American twins won the U.S. Open men's doubles final in straight sets Friday for a 12th Grand Slam championship. They had been tied with Australian greats Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the most in the Open era, which started in 1968.
"We looked up to the Woodies, and to steal all their records is unbelievable because we idolize those guys," Mike said. "They're one of the reasons we play doubles."
The Bryans, seeded No. 2, beat Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-4 without facing a break point.
In the third round, they were two points from losing the match in a second-set tiebreaker when Bob pulled off a between-the-legs trick shot — and they went on to win in three sets. After needing two tiebreakers in the quarterfinals to move on, the Bryans won their last two matches with little hassle.
Last month, they achieved their biggest goal of 2012 by winning their first Olympic gold medals at the London Games.
"It did take pressure off," Mike said. "We talked about it before each match. We're like, 'Let's swing free. We have the gold.' We came into this probably a little fatigued and just running on adrenaline from the Olympics. We could see the finish line."
Bob was passing around his medal after Friday's match, convinced it's a good luck charm. Golfer Sergio Garcia wore it during the tennis tournament in Cincinnati last month, then promptly posted his first PGA Tour victory in four years.
The brothers plan to stick around long enough to defend their title in Rio in 2016. That leaves plenty of opportunities to pad their Grand Slam record.
"Hopefully we can snag a couple a year, one or two," Mike said. "We got one this year. You do the math."
They had been stuck on 11 since 2011 Wimbledon, losing to Paes and Stepanek in this year's Australian Open final.
"We had a rough 12 months," Bob said. "We took a lot of lumps, but now that's all forgotten. It's sweeter than ever."
The Bryans also tied the Open-era record with their fourth U.S. Open championship, matching Bob Lutz and Stan Smith. They had been in danger of finishing a year without a major title for the first time since '04.
"Still would have been a good year because we have the Olympics," Mike said. "But we wanted to keep the streak alive of eight years with a Slam."
Next on the list of goals: the Davis Cup match against Spain.
Paes, from India, and Stepanek, from the Czech Republic, were seeded fifth. They were under pressure on their serves the entire match and saved 10 of 12 break points, but one break in each set was plenty for the Bryans. The brothers combined to get in 79 percent of their first serves, and even when they didn't, they won 73 percent of points on their second serves.
Mike isn't the sentimental type, insisting he hasn't cried since high school — he thought the Olympic medal ceremony might bring the tears but even that failed to work. So he and Bob weren't going to offer too many deep thoughts about this latest milestone.
At least one member of the family is relishing it, though.
"My dad gets a real kick out of the records," Bob said. "He has a spreadsheet on his computer. I'm sure he's updating it right now."
They've now set the Open-era Grand Slam title record, but the pair doesn't plan to stop adding to that total anytime soon.
The American twins won the U.S. Open men's doubles final in straight sets Friday for a 12th Grand Slam championship. They had been tied with Australian greats Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the most in the Open era, which started in 1968.
"We looked up to the Woodies, and to steal all their records is unbelievable because we idolize those guys," Mike said. "They're one of the reasons we play doubles."
The Bryans, seeded No. 2, beat Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-4 without facing a break point.
In the third round, they were two points from losing the match in a second-set tiebreaker when Bob pulled off a between-the-legs trick shot — and they went on to win in three sets. After needing two tiebreakers in the quarterfinals to move on, the Bryans won their last two matches with little hassle.
Last month, they achieved their biggest goal of 2012 by winning their first Olympic gold medals at the London Games.
"It did take pressure off," Mike said. "We talked about it before each match. We're like, 'Let's swing free. We have the gold.' We came into this probably a little fatigued and just running on adrenaline from the Olympics. We could see the finish line."
Bob was passing around his medal after Friday's match, convinced it's a good luck charm. Golfer Sergio Garcia wore it during the tennis tournament in Cincinnati last month, then promptly posted his first PGA Tour victory in four years.
The brothers plan to stick around long enough to defend their title in Rio in 2016. That leaves plenty of opportunities to pad their Grand Slam record.
"Hopefully we can snag a couple a year, one or two," Mike said. "We got one this year. You do the math."
They had been stuck on 11 since 2011 Wimbledon, losing to Paes and Stepanek in this year's Australian Open final.
"We had a rough 12 months," Bob said. "We took a lot of lumps, but now that's all forgotten. It's sweeter than ever."
The Bryans also tied the Open-era record with their fourth U.S. Open championship, matching Bob Lutz and Stan Smith. They had been in danger of finishing a year without a major title for the first time since '04.
"Still would have been a good year because we have the Olympics," Mike said. "But we wanted to keep the streak alive of eight years with a Slam."
Next on the list of goals: the Davis Cup match against Spain.
Paes, from India, and Stepanek, from the Czech Republic, were seeded fifth. They were under pressure on their serves the entire match and saved 10 of 12 break points, but one break in each set was plenty for the Bryans. The brothers combined to get in 79 percent of their first serves, and even when they didn't, they won 73 percent of points on their second serves.
Mike isn't the sentimental type, insisting he hasn't cried since high school — he thought the Olympic medal ceremony might bring the tears but even that failed to work. So he and Bob weren't going to offer too many deep thoughts about this latest milestone.
At least one member of the family is relishing it, though.
"My dad gets a real kick out of the records," Bob said. "He has a spreadsheet on his computer. I'm sure he's updating it right now."
Thursday 6 September 2012
2012 MTV VMA Performances Highlights
Drake is up for Video of the Year ("Take Care"), Best Male Video, Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography (this is a serious award show!). He's up against Chris Brown for Best Male Video, which is only interesting because members of the duo's respective entourages threw bottles of liquor at each other in a much ballyhooed New York nightclub brawl.
Other artists vying for Video of the Year: Katy Perry ("Wide Awake"), Rihanna (solo, for "We Found Love"), M.I.A. ("Bad Girls") and the meme-ready Gotye ("Somebody That I Used To Know"). Best New Artist is another hot category, and Frank Ocean (for "Swim Good"), Fun ("We Are Young," with Janelle Monae), Carly Rae Jepsen ("Call Me Maybe"), One Direction ("What Makes You Beautiful") and The Wanted ("Glad You Came"). Why songs are associated with the Best New Artist category? We're not sure either.
Among the performers expected at the event: Rihanna, who debuted a short new 'do hours at rehearsals, Nicki Minaj, Green Day (Billie Joe Armstrong hospitalization notwithstanding), Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, Pink, Frank Ocean, One Direction and Taylor Swift. Should be a pop-tastic night.
_____________________
Much more!
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter (2), Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Christopher Polk, Getty Images
Kevin Winter (2), Getty Images
Christopher Polk, Getty Images
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
Kevin Winter / Christopher Polk, Getty Images
Sunday 2 September 2012
Iowa Air Show Crash Kills Pilot
Glenn Smith left a lucrative job at a Dallas-area technology firm for an early retirement of restoring Soviet fighter jets and flying to exhibitions across the country.
He died Saturday when his nearly 30-year-old training plane nosedived during an air show in eastern Iowa and crashed into a field, authorities said. Spectators watched the 59-year-old Smith's plane erupt into flames, followed by a cloud of gray smoke. Nobody on the ground was hurt.
Smith had been flying in formation with other members of the HopperFlight team at the Quad-City Air Show in Davenport.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Senior air safety investigator Aaron Sauer said Sunday that a preliminary report on the crash is expected within a week, but a final report will likely take several months.
He said inspectors would examine the few remaining pieces of the plane, as well as Smith's autopsy and toxicology reports.
Smith did not make a mayday call or suggest any sign of distress before the crash, according to Sauer and Randy Ball, a good friend of Smith's.
Ball said Smith was a meticulous flier who would map every step of a flight plan beforehand.
"They practiced the day before and everything went fine," Ball said.
Smith was a longtime technology entrepreneur whose company was acquired by Tyler Technologies, a Dallas-based company that develops software for local schools and government clients, in 1998. He remained an executive at Tyler until 2006, the company said in a statement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)