Andorra v England: It's easy to predict an away win here, but that's exactly what I am going to do. Andorra have actually won a World Cup qualifier in the past (beating Macedonia in the 2006 edition) but England, despite their current woes, have too much quality and are likely to get a very physical game from one of the dirtiest sides in Europe. England will win comfortably, but games against these sort of teams don't tell you much about how good your team is. Steve McLaren's England were booed at half time as it was 0-0 last year, but that shouldn't happen again.

Prediction: 0-4, with Andorra to be reduced to ten men. Or less.

Fact: Andorra's stadium only holds 1500 people, which is why this game is being played in Barcelona's Olympic Stadium

Macedonia v Scotland: Macedonia are the sort of team that can ruin your campaign, without being in any actual danger of qualifying themselves. They stopped Ireland qualifying for Euro 2000 with a last minute equaliser and England have failed to beat them at home twice in recent years. Coupled with Scotland's knack of dropping points to lower ranked Eastern European sides (Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova etc), this is a tricky start for Burley's men, particularly since there a less games and less room for error. Macedonia didn't have a great Euro 2008 (they finished above rubbish Estonia and worse Andorra) and will be looking to get their campaign off to a good start. That said, Scotland won't have the pressure they had against Georgia so should hopefully be a bit less retentive. But I think a draw is most likely.

Prediciton: 1-1

Fact: Macedonia's biggest ever win was 11-1 away to Liechtenstein in the 98 World Cup.

Georgia v Ireland: Ireland will face Georgia in Germany thanks to the unfortunate political situation there. Georgia played well against Wales in a friendly, but that was Wales and it was a friendly. Not having to go to Tbilisi will be a great relief and it is likely to be a "home" atmosphere for Ireland. Georgia are something of a Jekyll and Hyde team, in that they are capable of very good results (eg beating Russia in Euro 2004 qualifying and Scotland in Euro 2008) but also some very poor ones (2-5 at home to Turkey and 6-1 in Denmark) and it all seems to depend on whether they feel like turning up or not. GIven the situation, I think they will play well out of patriotism, but Trappatoni's Ireland should be too much. Away win, but only just.

Prediction: 1-2

Fact: Georgia's first ever match was a 0-1 defeat to Moldova.

Slovakia v Northern Ireland: Ah Northern Ireland. The optimism that comes at the start of a new campaign is usually crushed by an awful performance and 0-3 defeat, and I remain optimistic that this will not happen again. However, our away record is dire. We've had two wins in our last 21 away games, and those were against minnows Malta and Liechtenstein. That said, we had good draws in Denmark and Sweden last time around (Sweden being a game we could have won, Denmark not so much), so it's not as if the spirit is lacking away from Windsor Park. Slovakia are not to be underestimated, as Wales found out to their cost last time (they lost 1-5 in Cardiff although they won 5-2 in Bratislava), but their home form isn't great (they only beat San Marino and Cyprus last time round). NI will play one up front (Lafferty's injured) and that only means one thing...

Prediction: 0-0

Fact: Slovakia scored 33 goals in Euro 2008 qualifying, but that wasn't enough. Because most of those goals were against Wales, Cyprus and San Marino, I would wager.

Wales v Azerbaijan: Wales are okay, Azerbaijan are rubbish, home win, all the way.

Prediction: 2-0
Fact: Azerbaijan's stadium is named after the linesman that wrongly gave England their third goal in 1966.

Guest games:

Chile v Brazil: Chile are doing okay for themselves since finishing bottom of the South American pile in 2002. They were four points off a playoff place in 2006 and currently lie a point above Brazil in fourth place. Brazil haven't really clicked thus fair and had some poor results, notably 1-1 in bottom Peru. Dunga is under fierce pressure to get a result here and against Bolivia in four days, and I think that Brazil's players will be more up for this than they have been, for this reason. And that is why I think they'll win.

Prediction: 1-3

Fact: Chile were banned from the '94 World Cup because their goalie pretended to have been hit by a firework in a 1990 World Cup qualifier by smearing fake blood all over his face. The firework never went anywhere near him.

Cuba v USA: Politically charged encounter that should see the Americans win, and bring back some nice cigars.

Prediction: 0-2

Fact: Americans are not normally allowed to go to Cuba, but the Soccer team has special dispensation to go there in the name of sport

New Caledonia v New Zealand: The Kiwis will progress to the next round, and win the OFC Nations cup if they win this. Which they will.

Prediction: 0-2

Fact: New Zealand played in the 1982 World Cup and lost all three games

Hope you enjoyed that! I'd like to hear any predictions you have for this weekend's games. I will hopefully get some up for midweek as well.

I've now figured out that he must be referring to the Scotland v. Macedonia football match that is on live on Setanta fucking Sports - that's a pay channel which he got a while ago (sports on TV = single guy's hobby). This 'news' story wasn't run anywhere BTW - just tucked away somewhere on the BBC (would be different I think if Engerland was playing..).

Naturally, Scotland will never really qualify for this world cup in South Africa in 2010. It's fun to try though - and I may even go along on Sat. Haven't seen him in a while and his crowd are good to see every now and then (quite some good folks there - but no one I would really call my 'friends').

You go Scotland!

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• Football: Garry O'Connor misses Scotland chance through groin injury

ah, it is nice to see that loyalty is a key value of footballers everywhere...

whilst city gloat in their petrol powered revolution, icelandic biscuit barrens west ham are something short of a rich tea or summat... bubble well and truly burst as does seem the latest revolution at newtooncastlelikeman.  when will it ever settle down?  or will it continue to be ridiculous for ever?

this weekend we have the big kick off for South Africa 2010.  Another year and a half filled with glorious failure and disappoinment.  Tosh has had the heart of his team ripped out, with all 3 first choice centre halves out and also both strikers missing... our hope is with the Under 21s now... ched of heaven evans and co have a real opportunity ahead of them... here's hoping...

Girls join baseball clubs despite Koshien ban

The Yomiuri Shimbun

OSAKA--Despite a Japan High School Baseball Federation regulation that prohibits females playing in the National High School Baseball Championship, 33 female high school students in 20 prefectures are members of their high school baseball club, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.

Some of the female students participate in practice games, the survey found, a practice also prohibited under JHSBF's regulations, which stipulate all players in the national championship and practice games must be male high school students.

The championship is held at Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture.

JHSBF Chairman Haruo Wakimura said female players' eligibility should be reexamined, and that JHSBF members should be made aware of the issue.

In the survey, conducted in July, The Yomiuri Shimbun asked chairmen or directors of high school baseball federations in 47 prefectures how many female players they had registered, and whether female players participated in the national championship or practice games.

The survey revealed some high schools allow female students to train with male students, and sometimes have them participate in practice games as pinch hitters if the opposing manager consents.

Officials of 30 federations said they would allow female students to participate in practice games.

However, responses pointing out the risks of allowing female players outnumbered those supporting the idea.

Osaka Prefecture had the most female players, with eight, followed by Yamaguchi and Miyagi prefectures with three female players each.

The federation does not keep track of the number of female students who are members of high school baseball clubs, as it says it is concerned with the students who participate in the championship, rather than the students who do not.

An official of the Aomori High School Baseball Federation who participated in the survey said the federation welcomes female players, adding that girls have no option but to play with boys, as there are no female baseball clubs at high schools in the prefecture.

A Miyagi High School Baseball Federation official also supported the idea of allowing eligibility for female players, adding that nationwide discussion on the issue would be necessary.

Meanwhile, a Shimane High School Baseball Federation official expressed concern about the safety of female players, citing the difference in physical strength between the sexes.

The issue of female high school students participating in national sports competitions came under the spotlight this spring during the National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament, when Kanako Takamatsu, a third-year female student of Karyo High School in Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, was banned from participating in a pretournament practice match at Koshien Stadium.

Education, Science and Technology Minister Kisaburo Tokai responded to the incident by urging the JHSBF to consider allowing female participation in official games.

Participation by female players in hard rubber-ball baseball games for middle school students is allowed by the Nippon Junior High School Physical Culture Association, while the Boys League last year approved female players' participation in baseball championships for primary and middle school students.

A female pitcher once took the mound in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, and there are no sex-based restrictions on participation in the amateur baseball championships.

The High School Girls Baseball Tournament is a national championship held twice a year in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, but only five schools send teams, all of them privately run and located in Tokyo or Kyushu.

The third Women's World Cup of Baseball will be held from Aug. 24 in Matsuyama, featuring eight international teams.

(Aug. 1, 2008) Copyright © The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Link
Il comunicato sul sito della Federciclismo.

Goalkeepers: Marco Amelia (Palermo), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Galatasaray)

Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Wolfsburg), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Marco Cassetti (AS Roma), Andrea Dossena (Liverpool), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus), Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan).

Midfielders: Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan).

Forwards: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich).

From girlsplaybaseball.org

Stephenson, who was 2-for-4 at the plate, singled in the winning run in the sixth inning as Canada staged its second straight late-inning comeback to upset a favoured opponent at the International Baseball Federation tournament..."

IN THE NEWS...

"'All Girls Baseball Day' in Nova Scotia a Huge Success

NOVA SCOTIA – Over 80 girls between the ages of 5 and 13, from both the Hammond Plains Baseball Association and LWF Baseball Association showed up at the Windsor Junction Community Centre fields for the first ever All Girls Baseball Day. This was a fun day of exhibition games and skill development for the girls.

The highlight of the day for the young girls was the appearance of Melanie Harwood and Autumn Mills of the National Women's Team. Melanie and Autumn lead the girls through a skills camp, as well as helped ump some of the afternoon games and signed autographs and posed for photos with all the girls in attendance.

The parents were very pleased with what their daughters took away from this event. Not only was it about learning skills and helping them to become better baseball players. It was also about the social networking and participating with their peers that has helped these girls become more confident and out-going.

'I have organized many events – work, baseball, weddings and this had to have been the most rewarding event ever,' said event organizer Holly Lapierre, President of the Hammond Plains Baseball Association. Holly has seen the number of girls participating in Hammond Plains grow from 36 registered last year to 82 registered this year. They are anticipating that the number will jump to over 100 girls for next season.

This past weekend was a great step forward for Girls Baseball not just in Nova Scotia but, across Canada. 'I want to see more associations working together to create all girls teams – so in turn we can start creating all girls leagues. However, it is important that the girls are given the choice as to play on a mixed team or an all girls team. I would like to see the All Girls Baseball Day become a National event next year and for many years to come,' says Holly."

"Lilly Jacobson, a former Wooster High baseball player who now plays baseball for Vassar College, has been selected to the U.S. Women's Baseball Team. The team will travel to Japan to compete in the Women's World Cup Tournament in Matsuyama Japan next week..."

"...At Vassar last season, Jacobson got a hit, scored a run and drew a walk. Her mother, Jenny Ring, said the hit, a line drive to left field, is believed to have been the first hit by a woman in college baseball since 1989..."

'I didn't think anything of it,' Mike Hebert said. 'A lot of girls play baseball (with boys) when they're young, then switch to softball. I figured that might happen with Alex, too.'

It didn't. Hebert continued to play hardball, through Little League and travel leagues, and then for the powerhouse New England Red Sox, four-time defending national champions of women's amateur baseball..."

"While the world's sporting focus is now well and truly centred on Beijing, a UOW student is packing her bags for another world sporting event.

First year materials engineering student, Julia Fellows, has been selected to play for Australia in the Women's World Baseball Cup being held in Japan.

The 19-year-old, who hails from Farmborough Heights, leaves Australia on August 18 bound for Matusyama, Japan.

A catcher-outfielder, Julia will join an 18-member squad for two-day trial games in Japan ahead of the main world cup contest.

The overall tournament is conducted over about a week."

"Amanda Asay of Prince George will be returning home with a silver medal from the IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup in Japan. (Citizen file photo)
Related Items..."

"Canada fell to Japan 11-3 in the final at the IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup on Friday.

Despite the loss, Canada’s silver medal finish is the team’s highest placement since the tournament’s inception in 2004. Canada earned bronze medals at the two previous Women’s World Cups in 2004 and 2006.

Amanda Asay of Prince George, Canada’s all-star at first base in the 2006 tournament, returned to that position this week in Japan to earn her silver medal. Asay, a Brown University hockey scholarship player, scored Canada’s third run Friday on an error in the third inning..."

"...women’s baseball may be gaining momentum. National organizations such as American Women’s Baseball Federation, Women’s Baseball League, and USA Baseball fi eld women’s teams across the country. There are two women’s leagues in California..."

"Even though she was the only girl in the Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Little League minors division this year, 9-year-old Martina “Marti” Sementelli blended right in with her Mariners teammates.

Of course, there were a few small differences. Her teammates were bigger and, on average, about two years older. And none of them had to worry about fitting a curly brown ponytail under a baseball cap before games.
But the biggest difference was that none of them dominated the league in pitching like Marti..."

"Marti Sementelli, a 15-year-old from Burbank High, has made the USA Baseball team that is competing in the Women's Baseball World Cup in Japan.
Sementelli, a 5-foot-2 off-speed specialist who was 6-3 as the ace of Burbank's freshman team this past spring, has vowed never to switch to softball.

'No way. I've never even played softball before, and I would never pitch if I couldn't pitch overhand,' Sementelli said.

In Japan, the USA faced Chinese Taipei late Saturday, and has pool games against India today and Australia on Tuesday, followed by a two-game elimination series.

'I've been looking forward to this a lot just to see what Japan is like because I've never been out of the country,' Sementelli said."

Costes is leading off and is the starting centerfielder for Team USA

"Karen Costes, a former Central Connecticut All-Northeast Conference softball performer, is a member of the 2008 USA Baseball Women's National Team currently participating in the Women's Baseball World Cup being held in Japan. The Glastonbury, CT native has started each of Team USA's first three games, batting leadoff and playing center field. Costes is 3-for-8 at the plate with a double, home run, six runs and five RBI. She has also stolen two bases.

Team USA opened the World Cup with an 11-5 victory over Chinese Taipei. Costes went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI and also plated a run. She followed up that performance with a home run in the team's 27-0 rout of India. The U.S. then posted an 11-1 victory against Australia. Costes went 0-for-2 but walked twice and score two runs.

First round qualifying games conclude today, as Team USA takes on Canada. It then will play host Japan in a second round qualifying contest before the finals begin on Thursday, Aug. 28. Up-to-date information can be found on USABaseball.com.

While at Central Connecticut, Costes was a 2007 All-NEC selection. She led the Blue Devils with 45 hits, 25 runs and seven stolen bases as a junior. Costes, who hit .300 during that junior campaign, totaled 97 hits during her four-year career in New Britain."

The team delivered in the late innings for a second straight day, scoring two runs in the sixth Thursday to beat Australia 7-6 and advance to Friday's gold-medal game.

'We are playing like bandits,' said Canadian manager Andre Lachance. 'We keep stealing games from our opponents in the late innings or our last at-bats.'

On Wednesday, Canada executed a pair of successful squeeze plays in the top of the seventh and final inning to rally past the U.S. 7-6...

"FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Tara Harbert, a standout on the 2006 Rams softball squad, has been named to the 18-player roster of the 2008 USA Women's Baseball National Team, set to compete in the IBAF Women’s Baseball World Cup in Matsuyama, Japan.

'Tara is an outstanding athlete and has earned something very special through her preparation and commitment,' said Rams softball Head Coach Mary Yori. 'We are extremely proud to have a CSU softball alumae who has achieved such an outstanding accomplishment in representing the USA Baseball organization and being a member of this prestigious team..."

Despite the loss, Canada's silver-medal finish is the team's highest placement since the tournament's inception in 2004. Canada earned bronze medals at the two previous Women's World Cups in 2004 and 2006.

'I'm really proud of our team,' says manager Andre Lachance. 'We showed a lot of character to get where we are, and I can't ask for a better performance out of the girls...'"

Greg Minaar adjusts goggles

Originally uploaded by collective.dust

In what turned out to be a day suited more to the Brits than the Aussie's - Greg Minaar from South Africa took the win at the 2008 Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Stromlo Australia.

Overnight rain changed the dusty Stromlo track to slick wet rocks and mud. It continued to periodically rain throughout the day but there was an excellent turn out of spectators who lined both sides of the track from top to bottom. Armed with an assortment of noise makers ranging from cowbells to rechargeable truck air horns the crowd made the atmosphere for the competitors one to remember.

Qualifying saw some fast times set in the rain with the bottom of the course getting pretty muddy and slippery.

The final runs saw Tracey Mosely from Great Britain win it for the womens in a 'controversial' skin suit which is sometimes frowned upon by the downhill fraternity.

Local rider Indi Boer took a bad spill on the second big double on 'Triple treat' injuring her wrist badly. It's never a good experience to see a rider get hurt but the crowd acknowledged her gutsy attempt with cheers and claps.

Steve Peat was looking smooth until a gust of wind on the final jump caused him to run off the track and cost him some places.

Nathan Rennie showed what a powerhouse he is by coming in second behind Greg Minaar who won by a convincing 4 seconds! That's alot in the world of down hill racing.

I managed to protect my new camera from shorting out in the rain and took around 450 photo's over the weekend, all in all I was very happy with some shots. The use of a borrowed Speedlite helped in the low light conditions to get some half decent photos - thanks Andy. Check out my flickr photostream for more racing action.