Basic Transformations in Translation of Sport Discourse

I heard Coach Avery saying that we got an inexperienced point guard and we got a young team. I just don't see it. I think when it comes down to basketball, I don't think it matters. Obviously, the more years that you've played together, the better you can be. But I think at this time of the year, all that stuff goes out the window. And we're not talking about a rookie here that's trying to lead us throughout the playoffs. We're talking about a third-year player that's in the MVP race.

FORGET CHICAGO

Looking back at my own playoff experience, I look at the value of every possession. I don't necessarily look back at the way I played. I played really well my first playoff series, and didn't even play much my second time. Honestly, I really try not to look back at anything from Chicago, because I feel like I'm a different person, a different player, and the way I was used on that team is not even close to where I am today.

I really don't look back at that, but I do look back at the whole intensity that the playoff basketball brings, and how one possession can determine the series. So, I do take that into account, but not my individual play.

NO MORE CELEBRATING UNTIL JUNE

Our pep rally went really well last night. It was packed. I like the fact that we had a pep rally, because that really gets the city involved, gets the city behind us. But I don't want to do anymore celebrating until we win a championship.

You know, there's been a lot of celebrating this year, because obviously it's the first of almost everything for this franchise. We've done a lot, but all of that is over. Now, it's about bringing the real prize home, and I think now that of that stuff is out of the way, that's what we can focus on.

I don't necessarily change my schedule now, but I do get a little more intense and a little more focused. I am going to let my family members know to not bother me for any tickets or bother me with anything that isn't that important. All of my attention is focused on the Dallas Mavericks right now, and that's how I want it to stay.

US AND THEM

I've had great memories against the Mavs all year. Dampier is kinda their clean-up guy, so you gotta keep him from getting anything really. He's in there to offensive rebound and be a big body, really. So, with him, you just try to keep him from getting any second-chance points and limit that part of his game.

And Dirk, you just gotta be very aggressive with him. Don't let him get any easy shots and try not to let him get in a rhythm. He's gonna shoot the ball a lot, because you know, he's their scorer. So, they're gonna go to him. He's going to get his points, but you make him work for every point. Make every point tough on him.

Coach Scott just wants us to focus in on the opportunity that we have in front of us. Like we went over last night: Every possession is valuable. Every possession is key. And you gotta seize the moment. The moment is in front of us and right now is the time for us to step up as a team and become one.

So at 6 o'clock tomorrow, I'm gonna be so hyped and focused and ready to go. I probably won't see anything. I won't see a fan in the arena. It's just gonna be tunnel vision. I'm just gonna be looking at that other team across from me.

It's comical to me that they wanted to play us. First of all, it's comical to me that you're scared of a team, and say that you don't want to play them.

But it reminds me of when I was little. I begged for the My Buddy doll, begged for the My Buddy doll. I kept asking, "Ma, get me the My Buddy. Ma, get me the My Buddy." But my mom couldn't really afford it, so she couldn't get it for me at that time.

So, I kept at it. "Ma, get me a My Buddy. Every other kid got a My Buddy. Mom, I never get anything!" Just making my mom feel bad.

So, my uncle told my mom, "I'll fix this." I didn't know my uncle told my mom that, but he came over with this video and pops it in the machine. I'm like, "Ah, My Buddy!" And it turns out it was the Chucky movie.

All the next week, I'm telling my mom, "Please, don't get me My Buddy. Please, don't get me My Buddy."

So sometimes, what you think you really want, you don't really want. The Mavericks think they want us, and they asked for us, and we ain't gonna be My Buddy. They're gonna get Chucky.

Appendix 7

http://www.nba.com

James-Led Cavaliers Throttle Wizards

By Tom Withers

CLEVELAND, April 21 (AP) -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' extreme makeover is complete.

For more than two months since a colossal trade dismantled the defending Eastern Conference champions, Cleveland has waited for the game where its team of mixed parts and new faces finally molded into a legitimate NBA title contender.

It happened.

Maybe Gilbert Arenas was talking about some other Cavaliers a few weeks back. The team he faced Monday night doesn't look so beatable. LeBron James scored 30 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16, and the Cavs played their best game since the Feb. 21 megatrade, blowing out the Washington Wizards 116-86 to take a 2-0 lead in an opening-round playoff series oozing with bad blood.

The 30-point margin of victory was the largest in Cleveland's 112-game postseason history, and the Cavaliers' performance was perhaps their finest 48 minutes since November.

"We are playing the champs," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "I know they changed their team. But they still have the same coaching staff, the monster player and he's taking over the series."

James was scary all right.

He scored 14 points in the third quarter when the Cavs opened a 25-point lead over the Wizards, whose defensive scheme coming into their third series in as many years with Cleveland was to slow the superstar by roughing him up with hard, clean fouls.

It may be time for Plan B.

The Wizards hardly bothered James, who finished with 12 assists and nine rebounds, barely missing his third career postseason triple-double. James went to the bench with 6:12 left. At that point, the Cavaliers were leading by 24 points and coach Mike Brown inserted seldom-used reserves Dwayne Jones and Damon Jones.

With his team up by 15 at halftime, Brown began reminding his team about the importance of staying aggressive. He only got in a few words.

"I didn't say anything," Brown said. "LeBron James did. LeBron started talking, I just left and the guys just followed his lead."

Wally Szczerbiak scored 15 points for the Cavs, who have struggled with injuries and inconsistency since GM Danny Ferry dealt half his roster at the trading deadline. With Cleveland staggering, Arenas called out the Cavs, saying "I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round" and "We don't think they can beat us in the playoffs three years straight."

Those comments followed Wizards forward DeShawn Stevenson calling James "overrated."

Washington is eating its words.

The Wizards have lost eight straight playoff games to Cleveland, and they'll have to figure out something before Thursday night's Game 3 in Washington or they'll be heading off on summer vacation, again courtesy of the Cavs.

Arenas went 2-for-10 from the field and Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were both 4-of-13 as the Wizards' Big Three combined for 28 points. The trio spent much of the fourth quarter sitting and thinking about what happened and the task ahead.

"For us to come out undisciplined and unfocused was real disappointing," Jamison said.

Despite all the trash talk, Jamison insists the Wizards weren't taking the Cavs lightly.

"We didn't underestimate anybody," he said. "We know this is a very special team. They didn't play well in the last month of the regular season, but just like any veteran team, when the playoffs get started you're going to elevate your game. "Let's be honest. Some guys talked. It's over with. We know this team is capable of not only going past the first round but going past that."

James withstood more rough treatment by the Wizards.

In the third quarter, Washington center Brendan Haywood was ejected for a flagrant foul on James. Haywood didn't make much of an effort to go for the ball and shoved James hard with both hands as he drove and the All-Star went flying out of bounds.

"It was scary," said James, who compared it to when he got undercut as a high school junior and broke his wrist. "I knew it was going to be a tough fall. I bounced up, though."

Haywood, who had an altercation with James in Game 1, could face further discipline for the intentional foul. He didn't speak to the media and was escorted from Quicken Loans Arena by a security guard.

James didn't have an opinion on whether Haywood should be suspended.

"It was not a basketball play in any shape or form," he said.

It was hardly the only physical one.

In the first half, Arenas was called for a technical foul and Cleveland's Anderson Varejao was given a flagrant foul after hitting Washington's Andray Blatche in the face.

The Wizards may be acting like bullies, but they insist they don't want to do anything more than make James work harder.

"There's a difference between taking hard fouls and trying to hurt somebody," Washington's Antonio Daniels said. "No one in this locker room or that locker room fouls anybody with the intention of hurting him. That's not the way the NBA is. That's not the way it's played. We all get knocked to the floor. That's playoff basketball. When you drive, you should expect to get hit."

The Wizards' problem in Game 1 was they missed shots the down stretch with a chance to win. They were cold again, but this time it had a lot to do with Cleveland's defense. Washington shot 38 percent from the field, missed 11 free throws and was outrebounded 49-34 while being outscored 80-50 over the final 30 minutes.

Notes: Jordan's message to the Wizards before Game 2: "Play harder, play better, play with more intensity, play smarter.'' ... The Cavaliers are 6-0 in series when they win Game 1, including 3-0 against the Wizards. ... Washington fell to 2-13 in their last 15 playoff games. ... The Wizards are 0-4 in Cleveland this season. The lost to the Cavs on Feb. 22, when Cleveland dressed just eight players one day after its three-team trade with Chicago and Seattle.

Appendix 8

http://www.nba.com

Jazz Burn Rockets to Take 2-0 Series Lead

HOUSTON, April 21 (AP) -- Tracy McGrady bent over in exhaustion as the final seconds ticked away of another playoff loss.

The seven-time All-Star had 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but faltered again in the fourth quarter as the Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 90-84 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Deron Williams, who briefly left the game with an injury, finished with 22 points and Mehmet Okur added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Jazz, who have won eight of the last 10 meetings with Houston.

Game 3 is Thursday night in Utah, where the Jazz went 37-4 during the regular season.

"It's great for us to come out the way we did and not settle for the one victory," said Williams, who re-aggravated a tailbone injury. "We wanted to get both of them, get greedy. We've just got to go back now and take care of business."

McGrady, who has never advanced past the first round of the playoffs, fell just short of his first postseason triple-double, but he went 0-for-4 from the field and scored only one point in the final quarter. He scored 20 points in Game 1, but went 0-for-3 from the field in the fourth quarter of Utah's 93-82 victory.

McGrady played 43 minutes and said he was tired at the end of Monday night's game, a combination of Utah's physical defense and his efforts to carry his team.

"I had no legs. I was on empty," McGrady said. "Banging with Matt Harpring, trying to rebound, trying to make plays for my team, trying to score, playing 43 minutes. That's a lot."

The Rockets still had their chances to win.

Luis Scola hit two free throws with 1:21 to go to cut Utah's lead to 85-82.

After Williams missed a driving layup, Houston's Bobby Jackson hit a 3-pointer that would have tied the game but Scola was called for an offensive foul away from the ball when he pushed Andrei Kirilenko.

McGrady blasted official Tony Brothers for the call and accused Kirilenko of exaggerating the contact.

"You can't call that," he said. "I like Tony Brothers, but that was a bad call. Very, very bad call. Three points down, crucial point in the game and Kirilenko flops. He flops and you call a foul on that? It was a bad call."

Kirilenko grabbed an offensive rebound on Utah's next possession and Kyle Korver flipped in a one-handed shot as the shot clock expired to put the game out of reach with 20 seconds to go.

Carlos Boozer added 13 points and Williams had five assists for the Jazz, who closed the game with a 14-8 run. Utah went only 17-24 on the road during the regular season, but the Jazz have won four straight playoff games in Houston, including the last two games at the Toyota Center in the first round last year.

"It's big for us," Boozer said. "We came in here trying to get Game 1. That was a tough task, but we accomplished it. And then Game 2 was tough, but we held our composure down the stretch and got a win."

Jackson bounced back from a 3-for-15 performance in Game 1 to score 18 points.

The Jazz led most of the way and were up 64-61 with 1:47 left in the third quarter when Williams limped to the locker room with a trainer after re-aggravating the injury that has bothered him for a week.

Ronnie Price, Williams' replacement, hit a 3-pointer just before the quarter ended to give Utah a 69-67 lead. Williams returned to the bench before the final quarter began.

He was back on the court with 9:18 left in the game, after Aaron Brooks blew by Price for a game-tying layup. McGrady went out for a rest when Williams came back and Williams drove for a layup with 7:41 left to put the Jazz up 76-74.

McGrady returned with 7:07 remaining and was fouled on a jumper with 6:39 left. He hit a free throw to tie the game at 76-all. Williams hit a short shot at the other end to put Utah back on top.

Kirilenko stole the ball from McGrady near the 5-minute mark and Williams made a free throw to give the Jazz an 81-76 lead. McGrady finished with five turnovers.

While the Rockets played better than they did in Game 1, they still had no answer for Williams, who hit the first three 3-pointers he attempted.

Boozer committed his second foul and went to the bench with 5:47 left in the first quarter, but the Rockets started committing careless turnovers that led to easy baskets and Utah stretched the lead.

Houston shot and rebounded better than it did in the first half of Game 1, but trailed by exactly the same score at the break, 47-41. Okur, who scored only four points in the opener, had 10 in the first half on Monday, including two 3-pointers in the final 35 seconds.

"My teammates created open shots for me and I felt real good," Okur said. "I was focused and I hit my shots."

Houston scored mostly inside in the first half, but went 0-for-7 from 3-point range.

The Rockets will need a near-miraculous comeback to win in the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season. They can conjure hope from the fact that they handed Utah one of its four home losses this season -- but that was at the start of the regular season.

"It's not over yet," Okur said. "We're very happy to get two wins in Houston. We have to do the same things in Utah that we did in Houston and be ready to go after them at home."

Notes: The Jazz have led at halftime in all nine playoff games with Houston dating to last season. ... Houston has lost its last four playoff series after dropping the first game. They haven't won a series after losing Game 1 since the second round in 1995, their second championship season, when they rallied past Phoenix in seven games. ... Reserve Chuck Hayes grabbed 10 rebounds for Houston.

Appendix 9

http://www.tennis.com

Kiefer defeats Cilic in rainy Monte Carlo to go through in next round

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (AP) -Nicolas Kiefer of Germany beat Marin Cilic of Croatia 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the first round at the Monte Carlo Masters on Sunday.

Theirs was the only match in the main draw to be played after rain forced three others to be rescheduled for Monday.

Kiefer beat Cilic in their previous meeting, on hard courts in the quarterfinals at Beijing in September 2007.

Appendix 10

http://www.uefa.com

Late leveller alters Liverpool approach By Andrew Haslam

This time would be different. Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC may be old foes in the UEFA Champions League, meeting for the fourth successive season with the Merseyside club having edged through in the semi-finals in 2005 and 2007, but the consensus seemed to be that, with this year's second leg at Stamford Bridge, the Londoners held a slight advantage in a tie sure to be determined by small margins.

Last-gasp drama

Initial signs pointed to just such an outcome. The visitors defied a predictably raucous Anfield crowd to make the better start as they strove, at the fourth attempt, to win a last-four tie in this competition (having also lost to AS Monaco FC in 2004). Meanwhile, with Liverpool without a goal in eight trips to west London under Rafael Benнtez, they knew a first-leg advantage was essential and they looked like earning one thanks to Dirk Kuyt's goal two minutes before half-time. However, that was before John Arne Riise's last-gasp own goal tipped the balance back towards Avram Grant's men.

Ever-present reminders

If the players needed reminding of what was at stake, they did not have far to look. John Terry had admitted in his pre-match press conference that walking past the replica of the trophy - awarded to Liverpool after their fifth European Champion Clubs' Cup victory in 2005 - left him "burning" to lead Chelsea into the final for the first time. Nor were the hosts short of reminders of their glorious past. A flag flying from the Kop bore an image of the trophy under the number "5", while one of several giant banners proclaimed "Liverpool FC - support and believe" above five copies of the cup, whose image dominated the ground.

Anfield effect

Terry and his manager Grant had sought to play down the significance of the Anfield atmosphere, in which Chelsea had come unstuck in both 2005 and 2007, and that message appeared to have spread to the away fans with more than one shirt in their section showing "No fear". Indeed, unlike on their last two semi-final visits, the Blues settled faster and looked more likely to make the early breakthrough - Joe Cole was unable to convert two presentable openings.

Torres thwarted

Five Liverpool supporters outside the stadium sported replica jerseys with the word "God" above the No9, in tribute to a previous occupant of the shirt, Robbie Fowler. The present owner, Fernando Torres, is not considered a deity just yet, although 30 goals in his first season have certainly secured the affection of the locals. He might have had another - and a sixth UEFA Champions League goal - on the half-hour but prodded Steven Gerrard's through pass straight at Petr Иech.

The equaliser

Instead it was left to Kuyt, author of the winning penalty in last year's semi-final shoot-out, to capitalise on hesitant defending by Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele and give Liverpool a 43rd-minute lead. With only three goals in the teams' previous six UEFA Champions League meetings, that strike seemed destined to decide the outcome during a second half in which neither side were prepared to over-commit to attack. However, Riise's diving header five minutes into added time finally beat Pepe Reina and left Liverpool needing to break their Stamford Bridge duck under Benнtez to reach an eighth European Cup final - while Chelsea are within touching distance of their first.

Appendix 11

http://www.en.euro2008.uefa.com

Mьller eyes EURO return

Having finally returned to full training with Olympique Lyonnais after a frustrating season, Switzerland defender Patrick Mьller has revived his seemingly doomed hopes of appearing at UEFA EURO 2008™.

Injury nightmare

"I've written this competition off," he said back in December, after tearing cruciate ligaments in his right knee while on the comeback trail from a similar injury sustained before Lyon's second Ligue 1 encounter of the season. "I'm out for six months - it starts in early June. I have a 0.00001 per cent chance of being ready. I'd so much have loved to be able to play in front of my home crowd."

Final deadline

Mьller has not appeared for his country since June last year, but his rehabilitation has gone so well that he is now hoping to add to his 76 caps before the summer is out. The Swiss kick-off their campaign against the Czech Republic in Basel on 7 June, and their experienced defender believes he can take part if he manages to mark his Lyon return in a reserve-team game on 10 May. "That's the final deadline if I want to have a chance of taking part at the EURO," he said.

Mixed message

Mьller is also hoping the French champions can wrap up their seventh consecutive championship crown with time to spare: "It would be ideal for me if Lyon would secure the league title maybe two or three matches before the end of the season. Then, I could maybe still get a chance [of playing] there." In some ways, it is the least they can do, given their recent decision to let the 31-year-old go at the end of the season.

Retirement thoughts

That news left Mьller contemplating retirement. "Of course I thought about it," he said. "It's difficult to find a new club once you're injured. I have no chance of showing what I can do. If I want to find a new club, I have to play." The former RCD Mallorca stopper would not be averse to a return to the Swiss Super League, but if he succeeds in advertising his talents on the European stage this summer, offers may well come in from all across the continent.

Appendix 12

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv

REDS CRASH OUT IN EXTRA-TIME

Chelsea defeat Liverpool to book their place in Moscow final

Liverpool's European dream is over for another year after extra-time goals from Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba saw Chelsea book their place in Moscow with a 3-2 win (agg 4-3).

Rafa Benitez's side did what they'd never done before by scoring at Stamford Bridge through Fernando Torres to take the contest beyond 90 minutes, but it wasn't to be.

It's now Chelsea who'll face Manchester United on May 21 in the first all-English final in the European Cup's 53-year history.

Benitez, whose European record is unrivalled in British football, will no doubt have us all dreaming again in 12 months' time, while thoughts will now turn to preparations for a renewed title push next term.

This game could have gone either way, with Chelsea dominating the first half, Liverpool the second.

Drogba, much criticised for play acting at Anfield, was a constant menace for the right reasons on home turf.

It was he who was first to test either goal with a speculative drive from 30 yards after just five minutes. The wet surface meant Pepe Reina had to watch the ball all the way but the Spanish stopper was equal to it.

Four minutes later Yossi Benayoun escaped a possible obstruction to carry the ball upfield. The Israeli searched for and found Gerrard in the box before, with a single touch, the skipper teed up Torres. El Nino looked set until suddenly the angle was against him and Petr Cech, so often the scourge of Liverpool in the first leg, was able to block.

Unfortunately, this was about it from the visitors in the opening 45 minutes as the Blues stepped through the gears.

Drogba broke free once more, the Ivorian at the centre of everything the hosts did. At first it seemed Martin Skrtel had simply been outrun but the Slovak recovered with a fine tackle. The 23-year-old instantly clutched his leg, however, and his battle scar proved too severe to continue. Enter Sami Hyypia.

With the rain now driving down over south-west London, that man Drogba again found space in the box after a fine ball from midfield. Thankfully his tame shot trickled harmlessly wide, but the danger signs were there.

Michael Ballack, the star of Chelsea's victory over United at the weekend, was next to probe with a 25-yard hit which Reina did well to fist clear.

Then, on 32 minutes, disaster. A slip by Alvaro Arbeloa meant Liverpool were helpless to stop a searching ball down the left. Solomon Kalou was there - albeit with a hint of offside - to cut inside before forcing Reina into a world-class save. But who was there to pick up the pieces? Drogba.

Okay, his finish was smart, but his diving celebration right in front of Benitez only added to his reputation as the kind of petulant rogue English football could well be better off without next season.

So, a mountain to climb in the remaining 45 minutes? Maybe, but in reality little had changed. Liverpool still needed to score.

They came close to doing just that within seconds of the restart when Javier Mascherano lofted the ball to Gerrard, who without looking headed across goal toward Euro star Dirk Kuyt. The Dutchman had scored in every round of this season's Champions League but was denied here by an excellent close-range save from Cech.

Periods of possession followed but Chelsea were proving a tough nut to crack. Mascherano, at last finding his stride, burst down the right on 59 minutes. The midfielder's delivery was impeccable but, with only Torres waiting in the danger area, the chance came and went.

Hope was fading with every second until, on 64 minutes, the tie was suddenly turned on its head. Benayoun majestically skipped past one challenge, then another, then another, while Torres lurked in the box.

The ball eventually came his way. Last week, with just Cech to beat, the Spanish ace was left with his head in his hands, but not this time. Torres dispatched with typical cool. One each.

Who said we couldn't score at the Bridge? Suddenly the rain had cleared and the travelling Kop, quiet by their own standards in the first half, were in full song.

A second could have followed minutes later as Liverpool appealed for handball in the box, but Italian referee Roberto Rosetti was having none of it.

With the game heading for extra-time, the sight of Gerrard strewn across the turf with apparent cramp brought to mind a certain night in May 2005.

And then the final whistle came. It was going to the wire. Again.

Chelsea looked to have restored their advantage when Michael Essien struck home just seconds after a phenomenal tackle by Jamie Carragher to stop Drogba. 'GOAL' read the Stamford Bridge scoreboard. But no. The linesman's flag was up.

The Blues were not to be denied much longer, however, and how apt it was that Lampard was the scorer just a week after the death of his mother Pat. Reina is perhaps the best penalty saver in the world but he could do nothing to stop the midfielder's well-struck hit after Hyypia's foul on Ballack.

It was game over on 105 minutes when a quick pass and move left the Reds stretched, with Drogba latching onto to substitute Nicolas Anelka's cross.

A 40-yard hit from Babel, an extra-time replacement for Torres, with four minutes to go proved a mere consolation.

So, Liverpool's quest for glory is over for another year. But, despite off-the-pitch distractions, there are plenty of positives which suggest the wait for number 19 could soon be over.

This has been a year when the search for a 20-goal striker finally ended, and some; a year when the most exciting partnership since Dalglish and Rush was formed; and a year when youngsters of the quality of Babel, Skrtel and Lucas Leiva showed promising signs of long and prosperous careers in English football.

So, today was not our day, but the signs are there that tomorrow could well be. Goodnight. YNWA.

Appendix 13

http://www.topix.net

Sesito scores in overtime, Crunch take 2-1 series lead over Moose

WINNIPEG - Tom Sestito scored 11 minutes into overtime to lift the Syracuse Crunch to a 2-1 win over the Manitoba Moose in American Hockey League playoff action Tuesday.

The Crunch have a 2-1 lead over the Moose in the first-round series. Sestito managed to get his stick on defenceman Brett Motherwell's blue-line drive and redirected it past Cory Schneider for the game winner.

Zenon Konopka added a goal and an assist for Syracuse, while Michael Grabner replied for Manitoba. Both Crunch goaltender Karl Goehring and Schneider were outstanding, with Manitoba outshooting Syracuse 36-30.

All three games in the North Division best-of-seven semifinal have now gone into overtime. Games 4 and 5 will also be played at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on Friday and Saturday with Games 6 and 7, if necessary, in Syracuse.

The Crunch and Moose played a scoreless first period as both teams were 0-for-2 on the power play. Manitoba outshot Syracuse 12-9 with few good scoring opportunities and a multitude of blocked shots on both sides.

Manitoba winger Grabner opened the scoring at 12:19 of the second period with his second goal of the series. Moose forward Jannik Hansen raced in on a breakaway, fired the puck over the net and hit the glass. The puck then bounced off the glass and bounced into the crease and Grabner jammed it past Goehring.

The lead was short-lived as Konopka,standing off to the side of the crease, shot the puck in off Moose forward Rick Rypien at 16:37 to tie the game 1-1 going into the third period.

From that juncture the teams played tentatively sending passes along the boards and chipping the puck out into neutral ice.

Veteran NHLer Mike Keane, in his 20th season of pro hockey, was a tower of strength in the penalty-killing department for the Moose. In regulation time both teams were 0-for-6 on the power play.

Appendix 14

http://www.tennis.com

Tennis: Roddick Ousted in Montreal

Andy Roddick lost to the third-seeded Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (4), 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup yesterday in Montreal. Roger Federer, the top seed and defending champion, advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Lleyton Hewitt. Federer will play Radek Stepanek, who was a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Nikolay Davydenko.

Appendix 15

http://www.iaaf.org

Valencia and Osaka champions line-up for Ostrava - IAAF World Athletics Tour

Ostrava, Czech Republic - The premier Czech one day fixture, the Golden Spike of Ostrava on 12 June 2008, an IAAF Grand Prix status meeting as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour, has confirmed the participation of first wave of top athletes.

Two World champions from Osaka, Croatian High Jumper Blanka Vlasic, a winner here in the past, and Czech Javelin star Barbora Spotakova are already secured to participate.

Two other World champions announced are from the recent World Indoors in Valencia where Vlasic also took gold. Russian Yevgeniy Lukyanenko will compete in Pole Vault, in a competition staged for the first time at the Ostrava meet since 2002 (in the past year's women vaulters had got the chance), while the men's 800m will see a World junior record attempt by Sudan's Valencia winner Abubaker Kaki.

This indoor season's fastest hurdler Dayron Robles of Cuba has confirmed his presence in the 110m Hurdles, and in all events top Czech athletes will get the chance to try for the Olympic qualification standards.

Vice-mayor of the city Zdenek Trejbal also confirmed at a press conference today that a huge rebuilding programme for the stadium is planned to start in summer 2009. A new modern arena will accommodate athletics and football with a 30,000 capacity. In 2010 Golden Spike would be forced to be staged in another city, but in 2011 the meet will return into the new facility. Also the staging of European U23 Championships in that year (2011) should be in no danger.

Appendix 16

http://www.uefa.com

Victory an 'absolute must' for Barзa

The last time Manchester United FC played in the Camp Nou they produced a footballing miracle to win the UEFA Champions League in the dying seconds, defeating FC Bayern Mьnchen and completing the third part of a famous treble. What FC Barcelona cannot afford is for Sir Alex Ferguson's team to achieve such a significant result on their return to the Catalan capital, nine years later, in the first leg of this enthralling semi-final.

Home record

Barcelona, like United, are unbeaten in the competition this season and historically they are fearsome opponents in their 98,000-capacity arena. Their five home victories so far in this campaign have come with a 10-1 aggregate scoreline; they have lost just one of 14 meetings here with English sides in the European Champion Clubs' Cup; and versus United, they have posted home wins of 2-0 and 4-0 plus a dramatic 3-3 draw in that 1998/99 season. Against all that, however, three of Barзa's last four UEFA Champions League exits - against Real Madrid CF in 2002, Juventus in 2003 and Liverpool FC in 2007 - have included defeats at the Camp Nou.

Rijkaard warning

Blaugrana coach Frank Rijkaard said: "I regard statistics as dry statistics and nothing else, but it is true that if you aspire to win at the top level then you absolutely must win your home games." Of the visitors, he added: "United present an interesting test because they play the English style domestically, and very well too, but they have top footballers who are capable of adapting to the different demands of European competition."

Total respect

The Dutchman is under pressure after a difficult campaign, but accepts that his opposite number has lived in the most intensely exacting environment for more than 20 years. "I don't like talking about the 'very best in the world' but Sir Alex is, without question, worthy of that status. For me, he represents football."

Selection quandary

Carles Puyol is suspended but Lionel Messi is back from a hamstring injury ahead of schedule; Rafael Mбrquez and Andrйs Iniesta, who have struggled with foot and knee problems in recent weeks, should also start. Thierry Henry's high temperature has dropped and, if unlikely to begin the match after missing two training sessions, he is available for selection.

Hold possession

Sir Alex directly links the lesson he learned when Barcelona beat United 4-0 in the 1994/95 group stage to the ascendancy of his current team in Europe. "That night we were taught precisely how important it is to have the ball and to keep possession of the ball," admitted the Scot. "Against [AS] Roma [in the quarter-final first leg] in Italy we were excellent at keeping the ball and that was important. We have learned well."

Football spectacle

But no one should doubt United's commitment to attack their hosts with verve and intent. "This would have been the most attractive final because these two great clubs share a belief about how to play football. The Premier League has improved in quality and intensity recently but top-level games like this are won with nous and technical ability." Wayne Rooney has recovered from a bruised hip and is likely to play together with Cristiano Ronaldo and Ji-Sung Park.

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