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Boston Celtics

sportsportal — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:09:51 +0000

The Boston Celtics is a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C. and coached by Doc Rivers, with Danny Ainge as the President of Basketball Operations. The Celtics’ 17 NBA Championships are the most for any NBA franchise. The Celtics’ greatest domination came from 1957 to 1969, with 11 championships in 13 years, and eight in a row (1959-1966), the longest consecutive championship winning streak of any North American professional sports team. They currently play their home games at TD Garden.

The Celtics either dominated the league or played a large part in the playoffs in the late 1950s through the mid 1980s (winning 16 NBA Championships in 30 years between 1957 and 1986, and reaching at least the conference championship series in 29 of 35 seasons between 1953 and 1988). After the deaths of the second overall draft pick Len Bias in 1986 and all-star Reggie Lewis in 1993, the team fell into a steady decline, only making the playoffs four times from 1996 to 2007. The franchise has recently returned to prominence when Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce during the 2007 off-season. On June 17, 2008, the Boston Celtics won their 17th championship by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4–2 in the 2008 NBA Finals. Four Celtics (Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, and Larry Bird) have won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for an NBA record total of 10 MVP awards.

Roster

Ray Allen
Tony Allen
Marquis Daniels
Glen Davis
Michael Finley
Tony Gaffney
Kevin Garnett
Oliver Lafayette
Kendrick Perkins
Paul Pierce
Nate Robinson
Rajon Rondo
Brian Scalabrine
Rasheed Wallace
Shelden Williams

Other Information

Conference : Eastern Conference
Division : Atlantic Division
Founded : 1946
History : Boston Celtics (1946–present)
Arena : TD Garden
City : Boston, Massachusetts
Team colors : Green, White, Black, Gold
Owner : Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C
General manager : Danny Ainge
Head coach : Glenn “Doc” Rivers
D-League affiliate : Maine Red Claws

Pittsburgh Penguins

sportsportal — Sun, 31 May 2009 06:04:36 +0000

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The franchise was founded in 1967 as an expansion team during the league’s original expansion from six to twelve teams. The Penguins have played in Mellon Arena since their first season, and will move into their new arena, Consol Energy Center, in time for the 2010–11 NHL season. They have won two Stanley Cup championships in their history, in 1991 and 1992. They have a long-standing rivalry with trans-Pennsylvanian team the Philadelphia Flyers and have a developing rivalry with the Washington Capitals.

Early Years

The Penguins, or the Pens, joined the NHL as part of the 1967 expansion, when the league doubled in size, adding six new teams. The Penguins made their first playoff appearance in 1970, when they fell to the St. Louis Blues in the conference finals. That marked the furthest the team would get in the post season over the next two decades.

Pittsburgh Penguins Roster

Other Information

Owner: Mario Lemieux and Ronald Burkle
General Manager: Ray Shero
Coach: Dan Bylsma
Inaugural season: 1967
Finals appearances: Three
Stanley Cups: Two (last in 1992)
2008 Eastern Conference Champions
Home: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh

Links

Official Site: Pittsburgh Penguins
Wikipedia: Pittsburgh Penguins

Detroit Red Wings

sportsportal — Sun, 31 May 2009 05:54:44 +0000

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan, who are the current Stanley Cup champions.

They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).

The club is one of the Original Six teams of the NHL. The Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championships (11) of any NHL franchise based in the United States, and are third overall in total NHL championships, behind the Montreal Canadiens (24) and Toronto Maple Leafs (13). They currently play home games in the 20,066 capacity Joe Louis Arena after having spent over 40 years playing in Olympia Stadium.

Between the 1933–34 and 1965–66 seasons, the Red Wings only missed the playoffs four times. After almost two decades as an also-ran, the Red Wings have made the playoffs in 23 of the last 25 seasons, including the last 18 in a row. This is the longest current streak of post-season appearances in all of American professional sports.

Early History

The team was originally founded in 1925 and played their first season in 1926 as the Detroit Cougars. In 1927, the team moved to Olympia Arena, where they played under coach Jack Adams over the next 20 years.

The team underwent two name changes in the early 1930s, first to the Detroit Falcons in 1930 then to the Detroit Red Wings in 1932. In 1936, the Wings won their first Stanley Cup Championship in the history of the franchise.

Detroit Red Wings Roster

Centers

Pavel Datsyuk
Kris Draper
Valtteri Filppula
Darren Helm
Henrik Zetterberg

Left Wings

Justin Abdelkader
Johan Franzen
Jiri Hudler
Tomas Kopecky
Ville Leino

Right Wings

Daniel Cleary
Tomas Holmstrom
Marian Hossa
Kirk Maltby
Mikael Samuelsson

Defense

Chris Chelios
Jonathan Ericsson
Niklas Kronwall
Brett Lebda
Nicklas Lidstrom
Andreas Lilja
Derek Meech
Brian Rafalski
Brad Stuart

Goalies

Ty Conklin
Chris Osgood

Other Information

Owner: Mike Ilitch
General Manager: Ken Holland
Coach: Mike Babcock
Inaugural season: 1926
Finals appearances: 22
Stanley Cups: 11 (last in 2008)
Home: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit

Orlando Magic

sportsportal — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:33:28 +0000

The Orlando Magic are a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy. The franchise was founded in 1989 as an expansion franchise and has had such notable NBA stars as Shaquille O’Neal, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, and Dwight Howard throughout its young history. The franchise has also been in the playoffs for more than half of their existence (11 playoff appearances in 20 years).

Home arena

Amway Arena opened in 1989 and has served as home to the Orlando Magic since their inception. It was originally known as the Orlando Arena, or the “O-Rena”, during its first ten years. In 1999, TD Waterhouse purchased the naming rights and named the venue the TD Waterhouse Centre. In December 2006, the naming rights were purchased by Amway for four years. It is also home of the Arena Football League’s Orlando Predators, the Orlando Sharks of the Major Indoor Soccer League, and various sporting and entertainment events. Amway Arena is one of “The Orlando Venues” owned and operated by the City of Orlando. The other facilities include the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, Tinker Field, the Florida Citrus Bowl, Harry P. Leu Gardens, and Mennello Museum.

Orlando Events Center

On September 29, 2006, after years of on-and-off negotiations, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the Magic announced an agreement on Orlando Events Center, a new arena in downtown Orlando. The arena received its final approval on July 26, 2007. The new 18,500-seat arena will be located at the southwest corner of Church Street and Hughey Avenue, with construction starting in early 2008 and is estimated to cost around $480 million.

The Magic will be contributing $114 million in cash and up-front lease payments and guaranteeing $100 million of the bonds to be used to pay for the facility. It is part of the “Triple Crown For Downtown”, a $1.05-billion plan to redo the Orlando Centroplex with a new arena, a new $375-million performing arts center, and a $175-million expansion of the Citrus Bowl. The Magic are anticipating that it will be completed prior to the 2010–2011 regular season opener. City officials said once the new arena is complete, the Amway Arena probably will be torn down.

NBA Commissioner David Stern promised Orlando would host an All Star Weekend once the arena is built. He cited the city’s agreeable year-round climate, the presence of theme parks and other tourist destinations, and an abundant supply of hotels.

Orlando Magic Current Roster

Tony Battie
Keith Bogans
Brian Cook
Adonal Foyle
Marcin Gortat
Dwight Howard - , nickname “Superman”, is an American basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howard, who usually plays center but can also play power forward, had an outstanding high school career. He chose to forgo college and entered the 2004 …
Anthony Johnson
Courtney Lee
Rashard Lewis
Jameer Nelson
Mickael Pietrus
J.J. Redick
Hedo Turkoglu
Mike Wilks

Orlando Magic Classic Players

Shaquille O’Neal
Anfernee Hardaway
Dennis Scott
Nick Anderson

Stadio Olimpico

sportsportal — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:53:16 +0000

Stadio Olimpico, located on the Foro Italico, is the major stadium of Rome, Italy. It is the home of the Italian national football team, as well as of both local teams A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio. It was opened in 1937 and after its latest renovation in 2008, the stadium has a capacity of 72,700 seats. It was the site of the 1960 Summer Olympics, but has also served as the location of the 1987 World Athletics Championships and the 1990 FIFA World Cup. It will also be hosting the UEFA Champions League Final in 2009.

Also on the Foro Italico lies the Stadio dei Marmi, or “marble stadium”, which was built in 1932 and designed by Enrico Del Debbio. It has tiers topped by 60 white marble statues that were gifts from Italian cities in commemoration of 60 athletes.

Other Information

Location Rome, Italy
Broke ground 1928
Opened 1937
Owner Municipality of Rome
Surface Grass, 105 × 68 m
Architect Annibale Vitellozzi
Capacity 72,700

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Baltimore Orioles

sportsportal — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:32:25 +0000

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. Since 1992, the Orioles have played their home games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The “Orioles” name refers to the official state bird of Maryland. Nicknames for the team include the O’s and the Birds.

One of the American League’s eight charter franchises, it was established as a major league club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1901. The Milwaukee Brewers, as they were originally known, moved to St. Louis in 1902 and became the St. Louis Browns. After spending 52 years in St. Louis, the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 and adopted the Orioles name which had been used previously by various Baltimore baseball clubs.

To open their 2009 season, the Orioles invited Vice President Joe Biden to throw out the first pitch in the April 6, 2009, again against the New York Yankees.

Other Information

Owner: Peter Angelos
General Manager: Andy MacPhail
Manager: Dave Trembley
Also Known as The Birds, and The O’s
Founded in 1901
1954 Moved to Baltimore
World Series titles: Three
Last title: 1983
Home: Oriole Park at Camden Yards Baltimore

Players and Alumni

Pitchers

Catchers

Ramon Hernandez

Infielders

Outfielders

Cleveland Cavaliers

sportsportal — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:53:14 +0000

The Cleveland Cavaliers (also known as the Cavs) are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1970 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference Championship in 2007.

Cleveland Cavaliers Current Roster

Daniel Gibson
J.J. Hickson
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Darnell Jackson
LeBron James
Tarence Kinsey
Sasha Pavlovic
Eric Snow
Wally Szczerbiak
Anderson Varejao
Ben Wallace
Delonte West
Jawad Williams
Mo Williams
Lorenzen Wright

Basketball Hall of Famers

Nate Thurmond – Player 1985 (Former player 1975–1977)
Walt Frazier – Player 1987 (Former player 1977–1980)
Lenny Wilkens – Player 1989 and Coach 1998 (Former player (1972–1974) and coach (1986–1993)
Chuck Daly – Coach 1994 (Former coach 1981–1982)
Wayne Embry Contributor 1999 (Former team president and G.M. (1986–1999) and first African American to serve in that role in the NBA)

Retired numbers

7 Bingo Smith, F, 1970–79
22 Larry Nance, F, 1988–94
25 Mark Price, G, 1986–95
34 Austin Carr, G, 1971–80
42 Nate Thurmond, C, 1975–77
43 Brad Daugherty, C, 1986–94

Other Information

Owners: Dan Gilbert and David Katzman
Founded in 1970
Plays in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association
Arena: Quicken Loans Arena
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Colors: Wine, gold, white and navy blue
General manager: Danny Ferry
Head coach: Mike Brown
Division titles: Two (1976 and 2009)
Drafted LeBron James in 2003
2007 reached first ever NBA Finals

World Games 2009

sportsportal — Thu, 21 May 2009 05:33:21 +0000

The World Games of 2009 will take place in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from July 16, 2009 to July 26, 2009. The games will feature sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games.

The games will be the first Olympic-related event to be hosted by Taiwan since the start of their participation as Chinese Taipei in the events at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

The Emblem of TWG 2009

The design of the emblem for The World Games 2009 is based on the first Chinese character in the city’s name. The character " kao" (高) means high or superior in English. The toponym stylized as a multicolored ribbon aims to create an atmosphere of festivity and celebration. The warm colors, orange and magenta, at the top and green and blue at the bottom symbolize the sun rising over the ocean and mirror Kaohsiung well: a passionate city with plenty of sunshine – a vibrant metropolis by the sea!

The Mascots

Gao Mei (高妹) and Syong Ge (雄哥) are named after the city they represent: Kaohsiung (高雄 "Gao Syong"). In the shape of droplets and translucent, the two water spirits personify Kaohsiung as a city of the sea and the sun.

Water and light, arguably the most essential natural elements, make for the siblings’ radiant appearance. The spheres above their crested heads absorb solar energy – like the roof of the World Games Stadium – and illuminate both with a message of ecology and environmental protection.

Gao Mei and Syong Ge, in their pleasing pink and blue, show another trait of the Kaohsiung residents through their demeanor: friendliness and hospitality. Both make them the perfect hosts to The World Games 2009.

Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao

sportsportal — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:05:47 +0000

Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao, billed as The Battle of the East and West, was a boxing light welterweight superfight for the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and The Ring light welterweight (super lightweight) championship. The bout was held between Manny Pacquiao of General Santos, Philippines and Ricky Hatton from Manchester, United Kingdom.

The fight was held on May 2, 2009 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas at Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Hatton was knocked down by Pacquiao twice during the first round, and another time in the second round to lose via 2nd round KO.

The fight received the most mainstream attention than any other Pacquiao fight, more than the De La Hoya fight.

Negotiations

With Pacquiao winning his bout against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton was seen as the next opponent for Pacquiao. At mid-December, both boxers verbally agreed on a 50% split of the proceeds; however, Pacquiao changed his decision to a favorable 60%–40% split of the pay-per-view (PPV) revenues, while Hatton wanted an even 50% split. Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Boxing said on January 22 that the fight “was off,” citing Pacquiao’s decision not to sign the contract. Arum increased Pacquiao’s guaranteed purse to US$12 million from $11 million and a 52%–48% split. Pacquiao’s camp asked for “more demands and the deal fell apart,” he said.

On January 23, with long-time friend and non-drinker Rex “Wakee” Salud “downing three bottles of beer”, Pacquiao signed the contract with the 52%–48% split and a $12 million purse, in favor of Pacquiao.

Bout

In front of a sell out crowd of 16,262, Pacquiao knocked down Hatton twice in the first round: a right hook knocked down the Briton the first time; the other knockdown occurred after a combination by Pacquiao with 45 seconds left. In the second round, Pacquiao unleashed a left hook to knock Hatton out to end the bout 2:59 into the round. Hatton sprawled helplessly on the canvass after Pacquiao’s left hand with referee Kenny Bayless’s saying that “[he] didn’t have to count.” Hatton lay on the canvass for several minutes before getting up; he was eventually taken to a local hospital for a precautionary brain scan.

Pacquiao’s win makes him one of only two (the other being Oscar De La Hoya) to win world championships in six different weight divisions, although the record depends on how a “world championship” is defined, with many only limiting the “legitimate championships” to those sanctioned by the WBA, WBC, WBO and/or IBF.

The defeat was the second in Hatton’s career but also his second in four fights, after a defeat to Floyd Mayweather, Junior; the recent mixed performance, combined with the speed of the defeat to Pacquiao, led some to call for Hatton to retire.