Weight management is my new lifestyle

Weight management is a topic I have often read, but it was, I read it. I decided it was time for everything they have learned to make for a good cause. You must make a choice and gradually acquire their targets. Try to make exercise part of nfl jersey
your daily life and follow a healthy diet. Review your life that you do not exercise enough or eat at fast food restaurants, which can affect your weight. Replace it by eating in places that you control what they eat, and the staircase for a change instead of the elevator. Before you begin a journey toward weight control, ask your doctor about how you can be healthy. If you understand what to do, think of all the health benefits. First, it is to live longer, so the risk of many diseases. You have more energy, which makes the exercise more fun. His view will change everything and you feel much better about your self. This sense of greater self-esteem starts at good examples, to convey their families and friends. Your body gets its energy from food calories. To lose weight or gain, depending on the amount of calories you burn in relation to the amount of calories your body. A pound of fat contains 3,500 calories. Thus, for every 3,500 calories not used to get you a book. I'll explain how to lose weight, it is fairly easy if you Dallas Cowboys jersey
eat less calories consumed than the body. His body, then burn that stubborn fat deposits .. A safe weight loss per week 2 pounds. The attempt is more than this amount to the loss of muscle mass and water body to lose fat result.
This can be very dangerous for your body and your health. But to gain weight, just do the opposite by eating more calories than the body can use. Your doctor and you can be a healthy weight goal by Calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) set. It is easy to understand by the following examples: Example: male, 5 feet 6 inches (66 inches), 179 pounds.
1. Multiply your weight by 703rd Example: 179 x 703 = 125.8372. Divide that number by your height in cm (1 foot = 12 inches).
Example: 125 837 divided by 66 = 1.9073. Divide that number by your height (in cm) again.
divided in 1907 by 66 = 28.84 Example. This number is equal to their body mass index.
Example: BMI = 28.8What your BMI mean? The low weight of less than 18.5. healthy weight is 18.5 to 24.9. Overweight is 25 to 29.9. Overweight is 30 or more.
BMI is a direct reflection of your overall health. Get a waist circumference with a tape measure and put it around his waist is still just above his navel. The result is healthy waist: 32 inches or less for women and 40 inches or less for men. I am now taking control of Chargers jersey
my weight determined. I intend to take small steps to my goals for weight control, which my doctor and I decided to do this.
Linda McRae is a former postmaster, who was an internet marketer. She loves to write about your business, and things that we encounter in our daily lives. In this era of fitness and health, other ways to lose weight visit the plan exciting hypnosis weight loss.

Wellington Phoenix threatened with liquidation

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)—The Wellington Phoenix football club, which plays in Australia’s A-League, has been threatened with liquidation over a NZ$260,000 (US$180,000) debt to New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation.
ACC chief executive Keith McLea told Wellington’s Dominion-Post newspaper the football jerseys
Corporation, a government agency which funds injury and disability treatment, would go to court Tuesday to begin liquidation proceedings.
The Phoenix is New Zealand’s only professional football team and has played in the A-League since 2008.
McLea said club owner Century City Football owed levies to the corporation, some of which dated back several years.
“They have promised to pay many times but not done so. We have even agreed payment plans with them but these have not been honored,” he said. “Liquidation is the final option and is a step we have not taken lightly. We fully appreciate the potential impact on the Wellington Phoenix football team.”
Terry Serepisos, the Wellington-based property developer who owns team through San Francisco 49ers jersey
Century City Football, said the amount owed to ACC would be paid on Tuesday. He said the exact amount was “in dispute” and the threat of legal action resulted from a misunderstanding.
MADRID (AP)—Santiago Cazorla scored twice for Villarreal in a fast-paced 3-2 win over 10-man Malaga in the Spanish league Monday, with all five goals coming in the first 34 minutes.
The win puts Villarreal in second place with 12 points from five games, one point behind leader Valencia. Barcelona also has 12 points but a lesser goal difference, with Real Madrid in fourth on 11 points.
Cazorla slotted in the winner in the 34th after controlling an assist from Brazil forward Nilmar, having earlier equalized to make it 1-1 in the 21st.
Malaga midfielder Eliseu Pereira opened the scoring in the fourth by latching onto Antonio Apono’s free kick with his left foot. The next 30 minutes featured nearly nonstop end-to-end action, and Cazorla leveled with a hard shot after taking a pass from Marcos Senna.
Two minutes later, Giuseppe Rossi scored Villarreal’s second from another assist by Nilmar. But Venezuela forward Jose Rondon leveled the match level again in the 29th when he rose to connect with a pass from Ghana forward Quincy Owusu-Abeyie.
Eliseu was sent off in the 41st after headbutting Carlos Marchena, who dramatically fell to the ground, giving Villarreal room to protect its lead.
On Saturday, Real Madrid was held 0-0 at Levante, Barcelona beat 10-man Buffalo Bills jersey
Athletic Bilbao 3-1 and Valencia won 2-0 against Sporting Gijon.
On Sunday, Mallorca beat Real Sociedad 2-0, Espanyol won 1-0 against Osasuna, Almeria beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-0, Getafe overcame Racing Santander 1-0, Hercules won 2-0 against Sevilla 2-0 and Atletico Madrid beat Zaragoza 1-0.

Jets beat Dolphins; Chiefs and Steelers go to 3-0

Braylon Edwards(notes) bounced back from his benching by helping the New York Jets knock the Miami Dolphins from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Still sitting there with unblemished records: the surprising Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Edwards was barred at the start in Miami because of football jerseys
a drunken-driving arrest earlier in the week. He came in at the start of the second quarter and turned a short pass into a 67-yard touchdown in the third quarter as the Jets beat the Miami Dolphins 31-23 on Sunday night.
“The biggest thing I can say about this week is that I really am glad that I have teammates and an organization like the Jets,” Edwards said. “They’ve been very supportive.”
Mark Sanchez(notes) threw three touchdown passes for the second week in a row, and the Jets forged a three-way tie atop the AFC East with the Dolphins and Patriots. All are 2-1.
Edwards was arrested in Manhattan around 5 a.m. Tuesday and apologized the next day. The Jets decided to suspend him for one quarter. His only other catch was also a big one - a 20-yarder on third and 10 to keep alive the touchdown drive that put the Jets up 31-23 with 1:55 left. That score came on 1-yard run by LaDainian Tomlinson(notes).
At Tampa Bay, Charlie Batch(notes) threw for 186 yards and two long touchdowns to Mike Wallace(notes) in his first start in nearly three years, helping the Steelers to a 38-13 win over the Buccaneers.
“This is where we expected to be at this point,” Batch said. “I know a lot of people on the outside did not believe that. But for us, we’re just taking it one game at a time.”
The Steelers improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2007 despite playing without Ben Roethlisberger(notes), who’s serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Dennis Dixon(notes) started the previous two games, but was lost to a knee injury last week. That opened the door for Batch.
“One thing I didn’t want to do was be that weak link,” Batch said, “to go out there and not be able to provide a spark or put this team in the end zone.”
At Kansas City, Matt Cassel’s(notes) three touchdown passes included a trick play that caught San Francisco completely flat-footed and the Chiefs remained unbeaten with a 31-10 rout of the winless 49ers.
After starting 0-4 a year ago and winning only 10 games the previous three seasons combined, the Chiefs are 3-0 for the first time since 2003.
“It was a great day for the Chiefs,” linebacker Derrick Johnson said. “Each win, we’re getting more and more confident.”
The 49ers’ offense, which rolled up 417 yards Monday night against New Orleans, managed only a field goal until the final play from scrimmage.
Cassel was 16 for 27 for 250 yards. He connected with Dexter McCluster(notes) on a 31-yard run-and-catch and fired a perfect 45-yard strike to a wide-open Dwayne Bowe(notes) off a fake end-around.
Cowboys 27, Texans 13=
HOUSTON (AP)—Tony Romo(notes) threw two touchdown passes to Roy Williams, Marion Barber(notes) ran for another score and Dallas got its first win.
The Cowboys’ defense got its first three takeaways of the season and held Houston’s top-ranked offense to 340 yards. DeMarcus Ware(notes) sacked Matt Schaub(notes) three times, and the Dallas secondary limited All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson(notes) to four catches for 64 yards.
David Buehler(notes) kicked two field goals and the Cowboys (1-2) turned in a dominant performance after starting 0-2 for the first time since 2001.
Arian Foster(notes), the NFL’s leading rusher, ran for 106 yards on 17 carries for the Texans (2-1), who were trying for their first 3-0 start.
Eagles 28, Jaguars 3=
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Michael Vick(notes) threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score for Philadelphia.
Vick completed 17 of 31 passes for 291 yards, mostly staying in the pocket and picking apart Jacksonville’s beleaguered secondary. One of the few times he did run, he broke a tackle, juked another defender and scored from 17 yards out.
Vick found DeSean Jackson(notes) for a 61-yard touchdown and hooked up with Jeremy Maclin(notes) for two scores. Jackson finished with five catches for 153 yards, Maclin had four receptions for 83 yards, and the Eagles (2-1) improved to 2-0 with Vick as their starter.
The Jaguars are 1-2.
Falcons 27, Saints 24=
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Matt Bryant(notes) did what Garrett Hartley(notes) could not, drilling a 46-yard field goal with 1:55 left in overtime to lift Atlanta.
The Saints (2-1) appeared to have a thrilling victory in hand when Drew Brees(notes) drove New Orleans deep into Falcons territory to set up a 29-yard field goal in overtime. Instead, Hartley hooked the kick to the left for his third miss this season.
Matt Ryan(notes) passed for 228 yards and touchdowns of San Francisco 49ers jersey
13 yards to Tony Gonzalez(notes) and 22 yards to Roddy White(notes) to give the Falcons (2-1) their second straight win.
Vikings 24, Lions 10=
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Adrian Peterson sped around the corner for a career-long 80-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, spurring Minnesota to its first win of the season.
Brett Favre(notes) took all kinds of hard hits in the pocket and threw two interceptions while Minnesota’s passing attack frequently misfired, but Peterson picked up the slack with 160 yards on 23 carries. His game-breaking run around right end put Minnesota up 24-10.
The Vikings (1-2) beat the Lions (0-3) at the Metrodome for the 13th straight time. Detroit has lost 22 in a row on the road.
Colts 27, Broncos 13=
DENVER (AP) - Peyton Manning(notes) threw for three touchdowns even without Anthony Gonzalez(notes) and Pierre Garcon(notes) to lead Indianapolis over grieving Denver.
The Broncos (1-2) were playing with heavy hearts following the death of teammate Kenny McKinley(notes).
Kyle Orton(notes) threw for a career-best 476 yards on 37-of-57 passing and the Broncos outgained the Colts (2-1) by more than 100 yards. But they failed to get into the end zone on five trips inside the 20, settling for two field goals and turning over the ball on downs three times.
Colts receiver Austin Collie(notes) caught 12 passes for 171 yards and two TDs in place of Garcon (hamstring), and Blair White(notes), playing because Gonzalez has a high ankle sprain, caught a TD pass one day after being promoted from the practice squad.
Rams 30, Redskins 16=
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Sam Bradford(notes) has his first NFL win. The rookie quarterback threw for 235 yards and a touchdown and backup running back Kenneth Darby(notes) had the go-ahead score to help St. Louis end a 14-game home losing streak.
Bradford, the No. 1 overall draft pick, was 23 for 37 and completed passes to nine receivers. He had one interception. The Rams (1-2) won for only the second time in 29 games.
Santana Moss(notes) had six catches for 124 yards and a score for Washington (1-2), but also lost a fumble in the first half that led to a St. Louis touchdown. Donovan McNabb(notes) was 19 of 32 for 236 yards.
Seahawks 27, Chargers 20=
SEATTLE (AP) - Leon Washington(notes) returned two second-half kickoffs for touchdowns of 101 and 99 yards, making up for a long list of Seattle mistakes.
Washington took the opening kickoff of the second half 101 yards to give Seattle a 17-0 lead. Phillip Rivers threw for a career-high 455 yards and brought the Chargers (1-2) back, tying the game at 20 on a 12-yard throw to Antonio Gates(notes) and a 2-point conversion to Legedu Naanee(notes) with 6:39 left.
Fifteen seconds later, Seattle (2-1) was back in front, thanks to Washington.
Cardinals 24, Raiders 23=
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Sebastian Janikowski(notes) missed a 32-yard field goal as the game ended, allowing Arizona to escape in a game littered with mistakes by both teams.
The wide-left kick came after a pass interference call against Arizona’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie(notes). Janikowski missed two others in the game, a 41-yarder and a 58-yarder. Both were wide right.
LaRod Stephens-Howling(notes) returned the opening kickoff 102 yards for a TD for Arizona (2-1) and Derek Anderson(notes) threw for two scores, including an 8-yarder to Larry Fitzgerald(notes) that proved to be the game winner.
Oakland (1-2) committed 11 penalties for 123 yards, Arizona seven for 104.
Patriots 38, Bills 30=
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Tom Brady(notes) threw three touchdown passes, two to Randy Moss(notes), and New England (2-1) topped Buffalo (0-3) for the 14th straight time.
First-round draft pick C.J. Spiller(notes) scored his first NFL touchdowns on a 5-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes) and a 95-yard kickoff return. But Buffalo’s last chance faded when Fitzpatrick - who started in place of Trent Edwards(notes) - threw an interception to Brandon Meriweather(notes) with 3 minutes left.
New England took a 17-16 lead at intermission on Stephen Gostkowski’s(notes) 43-yard field goal on the last play of the half.
Bengals 20, Panthers 7=
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Carson Palmer(notes) shook off two interceptions to throw a clinching touchdown pass to Cedric Benson(notes) midway through the fourth quarter as Cincinnati spoiled Jimmy Clausen’s(notes) first NFL start.
Cincinnati (2-1) snapped a five-game road losing streak despite a rash of turnovers and penalties. But the Panthers (0-3) couldn’t take advantage, with Clausen throwing for 188 yards and Carolina committing four turnovers.
Ravens 24, Browns 17=
BALTIMORE (AP) - Anquan Boldin(notes) caught three touchdown passes from Joe Flacco(notes) and Baltimore rallied for the win. Boldin made himself right at home in Baltimore (2-1), catching eight passes for 142 yards.
After a career-high four interceptions last week in a loss to Cincinnati, Flacco went 22 for 31 for 262 yards without an interception. He had six turnovers in his first two games.
Not only did Boldin reach 600 career receptions quicker than anyone in NFL history, but he caught TD passes of 8, 12 and 27 yards.
Peyton Hillis(notes) ran 22 times for a career-high 144 yards and a TD for the Browns (0-3).
Titans 29, Giants 10=
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Chris Johnson ran for 125 yards and Buffalo Bills jersey
two touchdowns, Vince Young(notes) threw for a TD and the Tennessee defense forced three turnovers.
The victory was the 10th straight against an NFC opponent for the Titans (2-1) and their fifth straight over the Giants (1-2).
The Giants missed two field goals; had two drives inside the Titans 6-yard line end in turnovers; gave Tennessee a safety with a chop block in the end zone; and committed five personal fouls.

Iron the Creases Rob Phillips: The Little Things Will Make a Big Difference

IRVING, Texas - Texans head coach Gary Kodiak says he doesn't see a 0-2 team when he watches the Cowboys on film this week.
"I think they're two or three plays away from being 2-0," he says.
He's pretty much correct. That's why the Cowboys should be cheap nfl jerseys
angry, not despondent, about two losses by single digits.
Would 2-0 mean this team is flawless? No. The Cowboys have been outplayed in certain areas since the Sept. 12 opener, or head coach Wade Phillips wouldn't be discussing changes this week at Valley Ranch. The players wouldn't be holding their own team meeting, with Phillips' blessing, to constructively dissect what happened and what's ahead.
Props to the Bears last Sunday. Their defense stuffed the run. Their quarterback, Jay Cutler, typically a turnover machine, endured hit after hit on the first three series yet played a like a Pro Bowler (277 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions).
But the Cowboys have made it too hard on themselves in two games. That, as much as any reason in the first eight quarters of the 2010 season, is why they're 0-2 for the first time since 2001.
Listen, it's difficult to win in this league. Nineteen of the first 32 games this year have been decided by a touchdown or less. Eight of the Cowboys' 16 games last year, and two-for-two this year, have been decided by that margin. The champion Saints have squeaked out victories twice already, needing a lucky bounce or two against the young, improving 49ers.
But it's even harder to win, sometimes impossible, when the little things cost you points on either side of the ball.
Little things include:
Turnovers. The Cowboys are tied for 29th with a minus-four turnover ratio. One turnover has been well-documented: Tatar Choice's fumble that led to a Redskins touchdown was a play the coaching staff admitted should've been a kneel-down. Two Tony Room interceptions led to six Bears points, and although it was a seven-point loss, the offense could've managed drives differently in a tighter game.
Meanwhile, the defense is still looking for its first takeaway, but they've at least been effective in getting off the field most games. Last Sunday, blown coverage’s led to big Bears pass plays, including a 39-yard touchdown. Those are communication issues that can easily be fixed; sometimes it's a product of Dallas Cowboys jersey
playing on the road, where noise is a factor.
Winning this battle is usually pretty telling. The Cowboys were 5-1 in games with a plus-turnover ratio, 1-3 with a minus ratio and 10-2 with an even-to-plus ratio. This year, they're 0-2 with a minus ratio.
Missed field goals. Phillips says neither of Buehler's misses (one in each game) cost the Cowboys a win. But there's a momentum shift when the ball doesn't split the uprights. And kickers aren't going to be perfect from 40-plus yards, but Buehler's 44-yarder would've tied the game in the fourth quarter.
Penalties. The Cowboys have the sixth-most in the league: 18 for 131 yards. Of their 12 in the opener, six were offensive infractions that helped stall drives on the Dallas 40-yard line or beyond, Alex Barron's infamous hold on the final play the most damaging. An unnecessary roughness helped the Redskins convert a third down on their lone touchdown drive.
The Cowboys cut their total in half to six against the Bears, but a pair of false starts occurred on two separate stalled drives. One made it second-and-15 on the possession that ended in a 28-yard field goal by David Buehler; the other made it second-and-11 in an eventual punting situation with the Cowboys trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter.

Pre-snap penalties are bothersome, but Phillips doesn't always fault his players for an aggressive play. Sometimes they happen in a competitive situation. And he's right, winning teams can overcome penalties. But not when those aforementioned factors (turnovers, missed field goals) limit scoring opportunities, too.
There are even smaller things our untrained eyes don't see, like techniques that can lead to a leaked coverage or a missed tackle or block.
Many times, the immediate reaction is to call for sweeping change. Bench this player. Fire that coach.
I don't see a team that's getting whipped out there. They're not perfect - case in point: they've absolutely got to run for more than their 69.5-yard average - but they've dominated total yardage, first downs and time of possession in both games.
It's a team that needs to iron out some creases, and if you've listened to Chargers jersey
the players over the last four days, they don't sound like a defeated bunch. They sound ticked off that they've been too sloppy in certain areas.
Now if it continues, it's a pattern that started last season in some cases, like the yardage-to-points disparity. Even good teams aren't talented enough to overcome mistakes every week. Bad teams aren't able to make those adjustments.
This team can. It's just got to happen soon. Real soon.

Vikings' Brett Fare is dazed and confused

Even Brett Fare admits something doesn’t feel right. Of all the 0-2 teams in the NFL right now, the Minnesota Vikings seem among the unlikeliest, which hardly seemed possible when Fare decided to return for a 20th season.
“Right now, we're kind of grasping at straws trying to figure cheap nfl jerseys
out things,” Fare said Thursday. “I think we, me included, can get on the same page even better.”
The Vikings averaged 30 points a game last season but have scored just 19 in two games. And Fare, who is coming off the best season of his career, threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in the end zone Sunday in a 14-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Some of the troubles can be attributed to the loss of Chargers jersey
wide receiver Sidney Rice, who is out for at least another month following hip surgery. Percy Hardin has been slowed by migraine headaches and a strained right hip. Fare’s primary targets are tight end Visa the since, who has 10 receptions, and running back Adrian Peterson, who has six.
On Thursday, Fare told reporters, including the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, he’s “not really sure who I’m throwing to on particular days.” He also said, “If I sat here and told you that I knew exactly what we're doing right now, I'd be lying.”
Fare admits he may press too much when things aren’t going well, and if that happens, the Vices won’t be rising soon. Historically, Fare throws interceptions when he tries to force the ball into places where it can’t fit.
“I’ve got to err a little more with caution on some of Bears jersey
these decisions,” he said. “And history has shown with me that when we’re struggling a little bit, I try to press the issue and try to make something happen. I think that's what's made me the quarterback I am and has benefited me throughout my career. But it's also hurt me.”
Give him this much: At least he knows the risks.

24 sep 10 Gradkowski gets starting nod at QB for Raiders

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP)—Five months after acquiring Jason Campbell(notes) to be their starting quarterback, the Oakland Raiders benched him in favor of Bruce Gradkowski(notes) beginning with this week’s game at Arizona.
Coach Tom Cable announced the switch after practice Wednesday, hoping the nfl throwback jerseys
spark Gradkowski provided in the second half of last week’s 16-14 win over St. Louis can carry over for the rest of the season.
“The reasons are pretty simple,” Cable said. “First and foremost is the energy and the level of intensity that was brought into the huddle when he came into the game. They way the guys responded around him. And obviously scoring points. … That’s what we’re about. If we can get this thing to where we can score 24 points a game, I think we’ll be very tough to beat.”
The Raiders (1-1) acquired Campbell from Washington during the draft for a 2012 fourth-round draft pick. He already had a $3.14 million contract for this season and was given a $4.5 million extension for 2011 after the trade.
Oakland released draft bust JaMarcus Russell(notes) shortly after the deal and officially pronounced Campbell the starter before training camp opened in July. He lasted just six quarters as starter, getting benched at halftime last week.
Campbell has completed 30 of 52 passes for 267 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions this season. He has also been sacked six times.
The Raiders players were unavailable for comment after the decision was made. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said he wasn’t concerned about hurting Campbell’s confidence with the change.
“We’re all grown men,” Jackson said. “We’re all big boys here. Obviously, people get discouraged, get disappointed. I understand that. I get discouraged and disappointed, too, but the bottom line is, there’s a job to be done. There’s a job to be done and the job has to be done to the best of our ability.”
Jackson said he went to Cable at halftime last week with the Raiders trailing 7-3, suggesting the switch at quarterback. Cable said the staff had talked earlier in the week about needing better quarterback play. He went ahead with it and Gradkowski rallied Oakland to the win.
After consulting with his coaches this week, Cable announced the switch Wednesday.
“When we did it, obviously it was the right decision, it worked, and then as we New Orleans Saints jersey
talked about it here the last couple of days and came to a decision this morning,” Cable said. “Again, we’ve made it and there’s no issues or controversies or anything like that. The decision’s been made.”
Cable said owner Al Davis was not involved in the decision.
Gradkowski never had a chance to compete for the job, missing the offseason program with a torn pectoral muscle. He missed the first two preseason games with a groin injury. But Gradkowski played well in the final two exhibition games and was clearly the people’s choice, with fans chanting “Bruuuuce!” before the switch was made in the home opener.
Gradkowski led the Raiders to 13 points in his first four drives, finishing 11 for 22 for 162 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
“The thing that stood out to me, is the same people, same day, same defense, same opponent, same people in the huddle with you, didn’t change the plan, and yet we were able to go out and move the ball and score some points,” Cable said. “He’ll go in there and do the job. It’s his now. Where we go from here, obviously, will be decided by how well he plays.”
Gradkowski replaced Russell midway through last season and won two of his first three starts, beating Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. He was hurt late in the first half of his fourth start and missed the rest of the season with knee injuries.
Gradkowski has shown the ability to avoid sacks and to get the ball to the wide receivers in his short time in Oakland. He completed five passes each to starting receivers Louis Murphy(notes) and Darrius Heyward-Bey(notes) for 138 yards and a touchdown. The duo had just seven catches for 72 yards in three halves with Campbell.
Despite not having as strong an arm as Campbell, Gradkowski was better able to get the ball down field. He completed four of eight passes that went more than 10 yards downfield, for 79 yards, according to STATS LLC. Campbell was just 3 for 14 for 69 yards on those throws.

NOTES: DT Richard Seymour(notes), who missed last week’s game withPittsburgh Steelers jersey
a hamstring injury, said he will be ready to play this week. … RB Michael Bush(notes) (broken left thumb) did everything at practice and could return this week. … OL Robert Gallery(notes) is still sidelined by his hamstring injury that forced him to sit out last week. … The Raiders re-signed OL Eric Pears to fill the roster spot of S Stevie Brown(notes), who was released Tuesday but could come back on the practice squad.

Iran coach targets fifth West Asian cup title

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian nation football team coach Afshin Ghotbi has said that he hopes to guide his side to a fifth title win in the West Asia Football Federation (WAFF) championship to be held in Jordan.
Iran, who previously won the title in 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008 are in nfl throwback jerseys
Group 1 along with Bahrain and Oman.
Hosts Jordan are in Group 2 with Syria and Kuwait, while 2002 winners Iraq will play against Yemen and Palestine in group 3.
The tournament runs through September 24 until October 3.
"It will be an interesting tournament," Ghotbi told reporters here shortly before he and his squad left for Jordan.
"We have achieved good results playing against teams from east Asia and we hope to do so with teams from the west of the continent."
In the buildup to the tournament Iran beat China 2-0 on September 3 and four days later won against South Korea 1-0. Both matches were away from home.
"We are expecting to come home as champions, we have learned to think of winning in all circumstances. I only plan for victory," Ghotbi said, adding that team spirit in his squad was high.
Ghotbi said that taking part in the WAFF championship would be a good Indianapolis Colts jersey
practice for the Iranians ahead of the Asian Cup 2011.
His comments on the reason for Team Melli participating in the WAFF's tournament were echoed by the chairman of Iran's Football Federation Ali Kafashin.
"We have played against big teams like China and South Korea but we have not played against West Asian nations," he told the ISNA news agency.
"It will good to gain experience playing against these teams who will be playing against us in the Asian Cup."
Ghotbi previously worked with the US national team before a long stint assisting Dutch coaches Guus Hiddink, Dick Advocaat and then Pim Verbeek with the South Koreans.
LONDON (AP)—Arsenal says Cesc Fabregas will be out for up to three weeks with a hamstring injury.
The Spain midfielder sustained the injury in the first half of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Sunderland in the English Premier League.
Arsenal has received the results of a scan Fabregas had on Monday and says the player “will be out for two to three weeks.”
Fabregas has been in good form recently, scoring against Sunderland to Dallas Cowboys jersey
follow up his pair in Arsenal’s 6-0 win over Braga in the Champions League last Wednesday.
He did not start in Arsenal’s first two games of the season as manager Arsene Wenger slowly reintroduced the midfielder back to first-team action after his World Cup exploits.

Goal.com Special: Betting Expert Pete Nordsted Answers Your Questions On How To Make A Profit Plus His Views On Arsenal's Title Chances

* Charlie, Malta
Have you ever considered, or attempted to play the "3 draw strategy" on Serie A and/or Bundesliga? Why?
"The major reason why I use the draw strategy on the Premier League is football jerseys
because it is a league I know very well. When compiling the stats for Premier Betting you get to see how various teams perform and you can asses whether or not the draw is of any value.
This strategy would no doubt work in other leagues but you would need to know how the teams performed week in week out."
* Richard Kampala
As a budding punter I'm still struggling to identify a good strategy. I've mostly tended to make two bets - a safe bet (max 2.0) and a risky bet with better odds. What nuggets would you share as respects betting strategy?
"I tend to try to go against the grain and try to avoid short odds selections. If you have been following my selections you will see that we are well over 10 points up. This means in effect I have 10 more bets before I start showing a loss. If you back a selection at 1.5 and 2 of the 3 go down you then have to find 3 winners on the trot just to break even. So avoid short priced favourites. But most importantly whatever bet you choose ensure that it contains value."
* Pete Nordsted accurately predicted a draw in the recent Everton - Man Utd game (below)
* Emenike, Nigeria
I don't understand what you mean by only needing one draw to make a profit. Please explain how the system works.
"Generally the draw is priced at over 3.00 and usually around 3.40. If Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
you place 3 bets at £10 on 3 selections at 3.40 you have outlaid £30. If one of the bets is successful you will receive £34 so you have made £4.00 profit."
* Sodiq Yinka
I have been losing heavily on games for the past three weeks now including the international matches. Here S sat watching all your draws going the right way without staking a penny! Am I going to stake each game separately or there is way of me putting all of it together and just needing one match to make a profit?
"If you look at my selections I would back each individual one separately. Last year doing this I made over 30 points level stakes profit.
"Now for a little bit of interest you could back my selections in doubles which again you would be in profit but you are going to have a lot of losers
"But before placing a bet always make sure that your bet represents value by using some kind of rating system. If you go to our website at Premier Betting you will see our ratings compared to the bookmakers odds this will give you some indication if you are obtaining value in your selection."
* Adrian Francalanza.
A tip that you give on a weekly basis and which I like is backing three games to end draw and if one of them ends draw, the punter will end with profit. However, I find choosing these games quite a difficult task because if none of those three matches end in a draw there would be quite a big loss ( x3 ).
I would like to ask you: Which strategy do you use to try and predict that Minnesota Vikings jersey
at least one game will end in a draw?
"When beginning to asses how to select the draws I see how certain types of teams perform against each other. This is highlighted in the Premier Football Betting Handbook. Then I look to see if the draw price offers any value and then I asses the form of the 2 teams involved.

Mertesacker return delayed for Bremen

BREMEN, Germany (AFP) - Germany defender Per Mertesacker's expected return to action for the Werder Bremen v Hanover derby has been delayed due to a lack of form.
Mertesacker fractured his eye socket playing for Germany a nfl jerseys
fortnight ago and had expected to play for his Bundesliga side wearing a protective mask on Tuesday.
However a lack of training during his injury lay-off means the 25-year-old centre-back, who feared for his sight after being elbowed in the face in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Azerbaidjan on September 7, is not match fit.
"I had a ten-day layoff without training, and I don't feel ready. I just have to wait for the green light from doctors," he said Tuesday.
It means Werder are without their two main central defenders, as Colts jersey
Brazsilian Naldo is also out injured. That means a likely start for Frenchman Mickael Silvestre.
In next month's Euro 2012 matches Germany play Turkey at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on October 8 and Kazakhstan in Astana four days later.
LONDON (AP)—The Football Association says Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has accepted a charge of improper conduct and will serve a one-match ban.
Wenger was hit with an FA charge after making contact with the fourth official after his team conceded a late equalizer in the 1-1 draw at Sunderland on Saturday.
Under new fast-track disciplinary procedures, Wenger will be fined Cowboys jersey
8,000 pounds ($12,500) and serve his touchline ban on Tuesday in Arsenal’s League Cup third-round match against north London rival Tottenham.
Wenger had been angry that Sunderland striker Darren Bent scored 15 seconds after the allotted four minutes of added time had expired, and appeared to sarcastically pat Martin Atkinson on the back

Steelers defense forces 7 TOs, shuts down Titans

Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin isn't sure who's going to play quarterback next for his Steelers. The way his defense is playing, it might not matter.
Antonio Brown scored on an 89-yard kickoff return to open the game, and the football jersey
Pittsburgh Steelers forced seven turnovers in defeating the Tennessee Titans 19-11 Sunday.
This is the team that won't get Ben Roethlisberger back from suspension for two more games. Left tackle Max Starks is injured, Byron Leftwich was cut to add depth on the defensive line and Dennis Dixon even hurt his left knee early and didn't return. Tomlin said needs Dixon to undergo some tests.
''I know it won't be me,'' Tomlin said of his starter at Tampa Bay. ''I'm not good enough.''
Charlie Batch replaced Dixon, and Pittsburgh (2-0) was outgained 238-127 on offense. But the Steelers swarmed the Titans (1-1) to come up with four sacks and force the most turnovers by Tennessee since 2000. Jeff Reed kicked four field goals off those turnovers.
The Titans even tried pulling Vince Young after his third turnover. Kerry Collins was intercepted to end his first series and had a fumble himself but nearly rallied the Titans anyway.
''We've been playing pretty good,'' Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said. ''There are some mistakes we've got to learn from. They were in the game still even with all the turnovers they had, so we still have to get better.''
Titans coach Jeff Fisher said he was looking for a spark and promised Young will start against the New York Giants next week.
''That defense has created some very difficult opportunities for a number of quarterbacks in this league year after year after year, even the most veteran quarterbacks,'' Fisher said. ''This is his first opportunity against them. He'll get more opportunities against this defense, I'm sure.''
Polamalu helped eat up the clock by leaping over the line and tackling Collins for a loss on first-and-goal. Collins did toss a 2-yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington two plays later, and he found Kenny Britt for the 2-point conversion to pull within 19-11 with 58 seconds left.
After Colin Allred recovered the onside kick for the Titans, Bryant McFadden broke up Collins' pass to Washington in the end zone with 13 seconds left. After two straight false starts by the Titans, Collins tossed a short pass to Chris Johnson, who was tackled by Lawrence Timmons to seal the victory.
''Our guys stayed together,'' receiver Hines Ward said. ''We had a fourth-string quarterback out there playing. We were interchanging with our offensive line who were cramping up. We still find a way to win ballgames. We know we've got to get better offensively, but it's great to be 2-0.''
Pittsburgh snapped Johnson's 100-yard Bears jersey
rushing streak at 12 straight. The NFL's rushing champ had a chance to move a game away from the league record of 14 held by Barry Sanders, but he finished with just 16 carries for 34 yards. An 85-yard touchdown was wiped away by a holding penalty.
The Steelers did all this without injured nose tackle Casey Hampton. James Harrison had three sacks, forced a fumble and recovered another.
The Steelers intercepted Young twice, sacked him twice and caused him to fumble once. Young was slammed to the ground awkwardly by Harrison, and Collins came in on the next series to loud cheers from the crowd.
Pittsburgh led 7-3 with the Titans threatening to take the lead when Polamalu picked off Young in the end zone. LaMarr Woodley ended another drive with an interception at the Steelers 37. Timmons stripped Johnson of the ball just before halftime, and Harrison recovered to set up another field goal from Reed for a 13-3 halftime lead.
The turnovers helped the Steelers hold the ball for more than 33 minutes to wear out Tennessee despite wearing their black jerseys with the temperature at kickoff at 87 degrees - the hottest ever in the 90 games played at LP Field.
Ward said he thought all the Steelers had fluids intravenously before the game and at halftime.
''They put us in the black jersey thinking that was going to be a mental edge. For us, we fought through it,'' he said.
Tennessee came in having won nine of 11 dating to last season. The Titans came up with four sacks and a turnover of their own. It just wasn't enough to overcome an offense that couldn't hold onto the ball. Tennessee had its most turnovers since also committing seven against Cleveland 10 years ago.
''The turnovers are what killed us, and even with all the turnovers, the defense still had our back, and played well for us and gave us a chance to win,'' tight end Bo Scaife said.
Brown was the Steelers receiver who imitated Johnson in practice all week, and the rookie showed he could do more than just provide a good look. He took a handoff from Mewelde Moore on a reverse and went to his right untouched on his kickoff return for the 7-0 lead to stun the sold-out crowd.
Then Stevenson Sylvester stripped Titans rookie Marc Mariani of the ball after a 33-yard return.
Notes: Pittsburgh now is 14-3 in September against the Bills jersey
Titans since 1970. ... It was Polamalu's 22nd interception of his career. He also had one last week. ... The Steelers hadn't won in Nashville since Nov. 25, 2001. ... The Steelers came into this game with an NFL-least 825 points allowed since the start of the 2007 season. ... Johnson has yet to reach 100 yards rushing in three games against Pittsburgh. Johnson had averaged 145.6 yards in his previous seven home games.

NFL Today

New Orleans at San Francisco, 8:30 p.m. EDT. The Super Bowl champion Saints haven't played since their Thursday night opener Sept. 9, while the 49ers are trying to bounce back from an embarrassing loss at Seattle.
STARSPassing
-Matt Schaub, Texans, was 38 of football jersey
52 for a franchise-record 497 yards with three touchdowns in Houston's 30-27 overtime win over Washington. Donovan McNabb, Redskins, was 28 of 38 for 426 yards.
-Philip Rivers, Chargers, was 22 of 29 for 334 yards and three touchdowns in San Diego's 38-13 win over Jacksonville.
-Jay Cutler, Bears, was 21 of 29 for 277 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in Chicago's 27-20 win over Dallas. Tony Romo, Cowboys, was 34 for 51 for 374 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
-Kyle Orton, Broncos, threw for 307 yards and two TD passes in Denver's 31-14 win over Seattle.
-Michael Vick, Eagles, was 21 of 34 for 284 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 37 yards in his first start at quarterback since 2006 to beat Detroit 35-32. Shaun Hill, Lions, was 25 of 45 for 335 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in place of Matthew Stafford.
-Aaron Rodgers, Packers, threw for 255 yards with two touchdowns and scrambled for another score in Green Bay's 34-7 win over Buffalo.
-Mark Sanchez, Jets, completed a career-high 21 passes on 30 attempts for 220 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in New York's 28-14 win over New England.
Rushing
-LeSean McCoy, Eagles, rushed for 130 yards and three TDs in Philadelphia's 35-32 win over Detroit. Rookie Jahvid Best, Lions, had 232 total yards and scored three times.
-Jason Snelling, Falcons, rushed 24 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns and caught a pass for a score after Atlanta's top two backs went out with injuries in a 41-7 win over Arizona. Tim Hightower, Cardinals, had 115 yards on 11 carries.
-Darren McFadden, Raiders, ran for 145 yards in Oakland's 16-14 win over St. Louis.
-Adrian Peterson, Vikings, carried 28 times for 145 yards and a TD in Minnesota's 14-10 loss to Miami.
Receiving
-Andre Johnson, Texans, had 158 yards receiving and tied a career high with 12 catches, including a touchdown, in Houston's 30-27 overtime win over Washington. Kevin Walter caught 11 passes for 144 yards with one score.
-Rookie Demaryius Thomas, Broncos, caught eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in Denver's 31-14 win over Seattle.
Special Teams
-Antonio Brown, Steelers, scored on an 89-yard kickoff return to open Pittsburgh's 19-11 win over Tennessee.
-Rookie Dez Bryant, Cowboys, had a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown in Dallas' 27-20 loss to Chicago.
-Mike Nugent, Bengals, made all five of his field goal tries to account for Cincinnati's scoring in a 15-10 victory over Baltimore.
-Bernard Pollard, Texans, blocked a field-goal attempt to prevent the Redskins from taking a two-score lead with less than 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter of Houston's 30-27 overtime win over Washington.
Defense
-James Harrison, Steelers, had three sacks, forced a fumble and recovered another in Pittsburgh's 19-11 win over Tennessee.
-Jason Allen, Dolphins, had two interceptions in Miami's 14-10 win over Minnesota.
-Clay Matthews, Packers, had three sacks in Green Bay's 34-7 win over Buffalo.
-Brandon Flowers, Chiefs, returned an interception for a touchdown in Kansas City's 16-14 win over Cleveland.
MILESTONES
New England's Randy Moss became the fourth NFL player to reach 150 career touchdowns in a 28-14 loss to the Jets. ... Minnesota's Brett Favre was intercepted three times in a 14-10 loss to Miami. The 40-year-old Favre had his worst day as a Viking, going 19 of 28 for 197 yards with four turnovers. He threw two interceptions at home all of Dallas Cowboys jersey
last season, but topped that total in the home opener Sunday. ... Both quarterbacks in Houston's 30-27 overtime win over Washington threw for more than 400 yards, the first time that's happened in an NFL game since 1994. ... Oakland won a home opener for the first time since 2004 by beating St. Louis 16-14. ... The Jaguars tied a dubious team record with six turnovers in a 38-13 loss to San Diego. ... Tennessee had seven turnovers in its 19-11 loss to Pittsburgh, its most since 2000.
STATS
Pittsburgh beat Tennessee 19-11 despite being outgained 238-127 on offense. The Steelers held the ball for more than 33 minutes to wear out Tennessee despite wearing their black jerseys with the temperature at kickoff at 87 degrees - the hottest ever in the 90 games played at LP Field. ... The Vikings held the Dolphins to 226 yards of offense and had the ball for almost 13 minutes longer than Miami but still lost 14-10. ... The Bills gained zero net yards in the first quarter but still managed to make it a game, going into halftime trailing 13-7, before losing 34-7 to Green Bay.
STREAKS
Pittsburgh snapped Chris Johnson's 100-yard rushing streak at 12 straight. The NFL's rushing champ had a chance to move a game away from the league record of 14 held by Barry Sanders, but he finished with just 16 carries for 34 yards. An 85-yard touchdown was wiped away by a holding penalty. ... The Ravens defense hasn't allowed a touchdown in its past 10 quarters including the playoffs, but they still lost 15-10 to the Bengals on five field goals. ... The Broncos won their 11th straight home opener and improved to 24-3 in home openers since 1984, the best mark in major professional sports during that span, after beating Seattle 31-14.
PERFECT AND IMPERFECT
The Bears are 2-0 for the first time since their Super Bowl season in 2006 after beating the Cowboys 27-20. Dallas fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2001, when Quincy Carter took over for the retired Troy Aikman at quarterback. ... A season after starting 0-7, the Bucs are 2-0 for the first time in five years after beating Carolina 20-7. ... The Chiefs are 2-0 for the first time since 2005 after beating the Browns 16-14. ... Houston is 2-0 for only the second time in team history after beating Washington 30-27 in OT.
SIDELINED
Pittsburgh quarterback Dennis Dixon hurt his knee early in the second quarter and did not return in the Steelers' 19-11 victory over Tennessee. ... Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis injured his left hamstring while being beaten for a touchdown by New England's Randy Moss just before halftime and missed the second half of a 28-14 win. ... Falcons running backs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood both left against the Cardinals with injuries, but Atlanta still won 41-7.
SPEAKING
''There were six points given off (bad) calls. It's six points. They didn't earn it. You Chargers jersey
don't come into a lion's den and play nice, man. This is football, and football is getting hit. There's so many rules that take away from the game.'' - Ravens' Ray Lewis on two calls - tripping against Lewis and roughing the passer against Terrell Suggs - that contributed to field goals in the Bengals' 15-10 win.

Patriots WR Randy Moss reaches 150 career TDs

New England wide receiver Randy Moss became the fourth player in NFL history to reach 150 career touchdowns with a jaw-dropping, one-handed 34-yard catch in the Patriots' 28-14 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.
After a 46-yard completion to Aaron Hernandez on third-and- nfl jerseys
10, Tom Brady found Moss, who reached up, snagged the pass over his shoulder with his right hand - with Darrelle Revis trailing him - for a touchdown with 53 seconds left in the half. His left hand never touched the ball.
''I saw him flashing down the middle, so I gave him a chance,'' Brady said. ''He made a great catch. He can make those kinds of catches.''
The milestone score gave the Patriots a 14-7 lead.
''Regardless of the touchdown, the one-handed catch, my teammates commended me on it,'' Moss said, ''but we didn't win the game.''
He is the second wide receiver to have at least 150 career scores. Moss has 149 receiving touchdowns and another on a punt return. He trails only Jerry Rice (208), Emmitt Smith (175) and LaDainian Tomlinson (153).
Moss was held to two catches for 38 yards, even after Antonio Cromartie replaced the Minnesota Vikings jersey
injured Revis at cornerback in the second half.
''I really don't have anything to say,'' Moss said. ''I was just making a play. My job is to go out here and move the ball and score touchdowns. I don't think I did a good job of that today.''
Chargers rookie running back Ryan Mathews sprained his right ankle at the end of a 3-yard run in the first quarter of Sunday's 38-13 win over Jacksonville and didn't return.
Mathews had to be helped off the field. After being examined on the bench, Mathews was taken to the locker room on a cart. He jogged back to the bench midway through the second quarter.
''I feel like I could have played, but they didn't want to risk it, so they sat me out,'' Mathews said.
Mathews was being tackled when Jaguars linebacker Kirk Morrison landed on his legs.
''Whether he could've or couldn't have returned, I wasn't comfortable having Indianapolis Colts jersey
him return,'' coach Norv Turner said. ''Depending on the severity of it, I don't want an injury that might be a one-week injury turn into a six-week injury.''
In two games, Mathews has 101 yards on 24 carries, two fumbles and no touchdowns. The two fumbles have led to 10 points for San Diego's opponents, including a Jacksonville field goal Sunday.0

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Manchester United And Liverpool Ahead Of Old Trafford Showdown

While United were held to a frustrating 0-0 Champions League draw against Rangers on Tuesday, Roy Hodgson's men claimed a 4-1 Europa League victory after they burst past Steaua Bucharest last night. Although the form book is famously thrown out the window when the bitter north west rivals meet, lessons could still be learnt from the two matches. Fernando Torres may be floundering for Liverpool, but in David Ngog they have a striker in reserve ready to pick up the slack.
The Frenchman's brace was noteworthy due to the lack of football jerseys
service provided to him by the dysfunctional midfield behind him. With Raul Meireles, Jay Spearing and Joe Cole not on the same wavelength, it was left to him to make the most of every opportunity.
Clinical from the penalty spot and dynamic in the area, manager Hodgson certainly has an ace up his sleeve if his star Spaniard repeats his pathetic performance from against Birmingham City.
On the opposite end of the East Lancs Road, Sir Alex Ferguson would have been thrilled by the 90 minutes An uncharacteristic frailty has dogged United's campaign, with successive away leads to Fulham and Eveton being surrendered in the final moments. While home comforts will be present, the Scot is sure to be buoyed by the presence of the England captain.
Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have struggled against Torres in recent meetings. However, the thought of the Spaniard against the underwhelming Jonny Evans sends shivers down the spine of any United supporter.
The weight of the world appeared to be on Wayne Rooney's shoulder against Rangers. Bogged down by allegations of infidelity, the impish brilliance of last season seemed a long forgotten memory as he struggled to break down the defensive wall erected by the Glasgow giants.
Several short months ago, the 24-year-old had the sport at his feet. A dreadful World Cup 2010 campaign and damaging newspaper headlines have taken the spring out of his step.
Where as before he was in the midst of 34-goal return in all competitions, a powder puff long-distance toe poke was all he had to show for on Tuesday.
At Anfield, Raul Meireles put in a similarly abortive display in the face of Steelers jersey
rampant expectation. As the big-money capture in a summer of bank enforced austerity, the Portugal international must provide value on his €14 million price tag.
Against Birmingham City, Lucas and Christian Poulsen could barely string a pass together. Meireles has been brought in as the man to knit the Liverpool midfield together.
Although if selected at Old Trafford he will only making his third appearance for the club, a massive improvement must occur. Liverpool''s patience wore out for Alberto Aquilani to perform the same function, now they cannot afford to wait again as the riches of Champions League qualification lay up for grabs.
Manchester United and Liverpool's wingers enjoyed games to forget this week for parallel reasons. While Antonio Valencia's career has been derailed by an unfortunate ankle dislocation, Ryan Babel's Merseyside future remains in intensive care after yet another lacklustre display.
The sickening injury to the Ecuadorian has robbed Ferguson of a fruitful relationship between his wide man and Rooney. Pinpoint crosses laser guided to the striker's forehead were a prominent feature of the United attack last term.
The increased return of the previously fitful Nani should act as an insurance policy as long as his upturn in form remains. Without it, Ferguson would be faced with throwing starlets Bebe or Gabriel Obertan into a 'sink or swim' situation.
For Hodgson, his Dutch speedster remains a conundrum without an answer. Blessed with natural pace and Ajax-honed guile, the failure to marry the pair on the pitch continues to stump the Reds hierarchy.
Dirk Kuyt's shoulder strain and Milan Jovanovic's poor Premier League Vikings jersey
start have left Liverpool crying out for a natural winger. Babel's sweat-free shirt and early re-introduction to the substitutes' bench against Steaua spoke volumes about his pitiful attempt to repay his coach's faith.
There'd be no better time than Sunday for Babel to rediscover the touch that saw him strike a winning goal against United in 2008.

Luciano Moggi: Juventus Are Losing Their Pride

Juventus have been criticised for their early season failures, and it's going to take time to rebuild, claims Luciano Moggi.
A sense of catastrophe and loss of pride were the dominant themes nfl jerseys
discussed by the former director.
His assessment comes following a poor 3-3 draw with Lech Poznan in the Europa League, added to Sunday's same result against Sampdoria.
And while Moggi declared his position over the Juventus San Francisco 49ers jersey
puzzle, he offered his hand as the solution, urging the club to act on the trouble.
"Maybe not many people will believe me, but seeing Juventus concede three goals at home to Lech Poznan hurts," Moggi wrote in his Tuttomercatoweb.com column.
"It hurts the pride, the memories of Champions League games and Scudetti.
"Three goals last night, three on Sunday, I feel like a locked up lion. If Buffalo Bills jersey
I could I would help this team that for me meant almost my whole football career.
"A few days ago someone asked me if I would be prepared to return. 'Of course' was my response, but there are people there, apart from Andrea Agnelli, that preferred a clear out and bring in new faces."

Top Five Manchester United Wins Over Liverpool

Wins snatched at the death or with extra significance as the sides chase silverware take pride of place in the memories of supporters. United burst Liverpool's dream of claiming a historic first 'treble' in English football with victory in front of 100,000 fans at Wembley.
Bob Paisley's Liverpool side had just lifted the league title and were days away from a victorious trip to cheap nfl jerseys
Rome for the European Cup final.
United striker Stuart Pearson opened the scoring. After an equaliser from the Merseyside outfit, a Lou Macari shot fortuituously deflected off Jimmy Greenhoff in to the back of the net to cue celebrations from the Red Devils. The game may have been dull as dish water, but the United fans at Wembley didn't care as Eric Cantona struck a last-minute winner.
Cantona's accurate volley completed his redemption from the infamous 'kung-fu' kick that saw him banned a year earlier. Importantly, it sealed United's status as the first club in English history to win the double of FA Cup and Premier League twice.
Although low on thrills and spills, the Frenchman's strike was worthy of Chicago Bears jersey
winning even the most exciting contest. A corner troubled 'calamity' goalkeeper David James, and his weak punch fell to Cantona, who fired a shot through a sea of Liverpool defenders in to the back of the net.
Rarely has Old Trafford erupted in such style as when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sealed a famous last-minute turn around.
The Norwegian's less heralded injury-time strike of the 'treble' season came in the early stages of the FA Cup. After falling behind to an early Michael Owen goal, United hammered Liverpool without effect until Dwight Yorke tapped in an equaliser with two minutes to go.
In the relentless fashion to come, the hosts smelt blood and the 'baby-faced assassin' was on hand to claim the spoils.
Diego Forlan wrote his name into United folklore after his unlikely double downed Gerrard Houllier's side.
The goal-shy Uruguayan was the laughing stock of the division and the butt of many jokes. All snide remarks were cast aside at Anfield upon this brace.
His fortune owed much to Liverpool shot-stopper Jerzy Dudek. The first followed a comedic flap from the Polish international with the easiest of back headers from Jamie Carragher falling through his legs to the grateful Forlan.
Even the second, although a strong shot, nutmegged the hapless former Feyenoord man to seal the victory for the Mancunians. Nothing tastes sweeter than a last-minute winner at the home of your fiercest rival. John O'Shea's tap-in silenced the Kop and proved crucial in getting United's name back on the Premier League trophy.
Rafa Benitez's side had out-played the visitors throughout the match, New Orleans Saints jersey
with only a solid defensive display keeping them out.
As the match ticked past the 90-minute mark a cheap free-kick won on the side of Liverpool's penalty box was hammered in by Cristiano Ronaldo. A spill from Pepa Reina fell in to the path of the Irishman, who made no mistake from six yards.

Young: Didn’t want Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Vince Young(notes) says he didn’t want the Heisman Trophy anyway.
The Heisman Trust decided Wednesday to vacate the 2005 award after Reggie Bush(notes) gave it up Tuesday. The news came shortly after Young talked to reporters, trying to dodge questions about the Heisman because he’s busy preparing for his first career start against Pittsburgh.
The man who finished a distant second to Bush in the Heisman voting has been deluged with questions over the past week. Did Young want the Heisman? Would Young accept?
Young said in a couple of nfl jerseys
tweets Tuesday night that he considers Bush the 2005 Heisman winner. He repeated that Wednesday and begged reporters to quit asking about the Heisman.
“Why would I want it?” he asked.
Young got his say on the field in the BCS national championship about a month after Bush accepted that Heisman in New York, leading Texas to the title by running for 200 yards and throwing for 267 yards. He scored two touchdowns in the final 4:03 and was named the MVP. Young even struck the Heisman pose cradling the crystal football given to the Longhorns as BCS champions.
Titans tight end Bo Scaife(notes), who played with Young at Texas, said they all know the quarterback was disappointed he didn’t win the Heisman in 2005.
“He took that out in the national championship,” Scaife said.
Young said Monday on ESPN’s SportsCenter that he wanted the Heisman. Asked about that comment Wednesday, Young said that was a joke taken the wrong way.
“I’m worried about the Pittsburgh Steelers right now. I really don’t even want to answer no questions about no Heisman Trophy if y’all can please help me out with it,” Young said.
Teammate Chris Johnson understands Young not wanting the Heisman.
“At the end of the day, everybody’s still going to know that he won the Heisman that year even though he doesn’t have it in his possession, he’s still the Heisman winner for that year,” Johnson said.
Young has plenty to console himself as he looks back.
Besides that national title, Young was the first quarterback drafted—at No. 3 overall—in April 2006. He won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and made the first of two Pro Bowl appearances. Only the late Steve McNair(notes), George Blanda and Dallas Cowboys jersey
Warren Moon have gone to more for this franchise.
Sure, Bush now has a Super Bowl ring with the Saints, and that’s something Young wants for himself and his teammates in Tennessee (1-0).
It’s why he’s focused on Pittsburgh. Young watched from the sideline the past two seasons as the Titans beat the Steelers in December 2008 during their 13-3 season, after losing his starting job to Kerry Collins(notes), and was the backup in the 13-10 overtime loss in Pittsburgh to open last season.
“He’s not worried about the Heisman,” Scaife said. “He’s worried about beating Pittsburgh. This is his first time playing Pittsburgh so he’s a little more excited than usual. He definitely wants to be 2-0 at the end of this week along with everyone else in this locker room.”
Young is playing pretty well these days, too.
He is 9-2 since getting his starting job back last season and is the NFL’s top-rated passer after the opening week with a 142.8 rating. He was 13 of 17 for 154 yards and two touchdowns, and he also ran seven times for 30 yards more.
The 38-13 win over Oakland improved Young to 27-13 as a starter in his career, the seventh-best winning percentage among all active quarterbacks.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher said any first start against the Steelers’ defense is challenging for any quarterback.
“He’s got a big week ahead of him and he’s off to a good start today. This is a team that literally controls the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and then confuses the most experienced of quarterbacks,” Fisher said.
Young said his confidence is high, but he wants to see how he matches up against Pittsburgh’s defense.
“It’s never the same when you’re out there when bullets are flying around and things like that,” Young said.
Notes: Starting defensive tackle Tony Brown(notes) did Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
not practice Wednesday, but Fisher said it was a coach’s decision. Starting defensive end William Hayes(notes) (right knee) did not practice. OT Mike Otto(notes) (knee) also did not practice as he recovers from arthroscopic surgery last month.

Arizona RB Wells goes through limited workout

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)—Arizona’s Beanie Wells(notes) went through a limited workout Wednesday and coach Ken Whisenhunt says the team will “really test” the running back’s injured knee on Thursday.
That could lead to a full practice Friday and make Wells available to play in Sunday’s game at Atlanta.
Wells did not practice all last week and sat out the nfl jersey
season opener at St. Louis with a bruised right knee.
Meanwhile, Arizona receiver Early Doucet(notes) was being examined for a sports hernia. If that’s the case, he will have it repaired, Whisenhunt said, and would be sidelined for “a couple of weeks.”
Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald(notes) again went through a full practice with a brace on his sprained right knee. Fitzgerald was noticeably slowed by the injury against the Rams, but says he expects to be improved against the Falcons.
Wells said his knee felt good after his first practice since he was hurt in the team’s preseason finale on Sept. 2.
“The motion is there and the pain is very minimal, so we’ll see how it goes from there,” he said.
Without the dynamic second-year back from Ohio State, Arizona rushed for 112 yards and averaged 5.3 yards per carry in Sunday’s 21-17 victory at St. Louis, including a 76-yard touchdown drive in which the Cardinals ran on all five plays.
However, starter Tim Hightower(notes) lost two critical fumbles, one at the St. Louis 6-yard line early in the game and one at the end of the contest when Arizona simply needed to run out the clock to secure the victory. Instead, rookie Sam Bradford(notes) had one last shot, but his long pass was intercepted by Adrian Wilson(notes) in the end zone.
Wilson blocked a field goal, had two interceptions and sacked Indianapolis Colts jersey
Bradford, earning NFC defensive player of the week honors.
Wells rushed for a team-high 793 yards last season, second most only to Denver’s Knowshon Moreno(notes) among NFL rookies.
“We’re going to really test him tomorrow,” Whisenhunt said. “Based on that, he should practice Friday, which will obviously give him a chance to play.”
The oft-injured Doucet went out in the first half against St. Louis, pressing rookies Stephen Williams(notes) and Max Komar(notes) into significant playing time behind top receivers Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston(notes).
Fitzgerald, a four-time Pro Bowler who has started every game since he came to the NFL in 2004, said he expects more of himself than he was able to show in Sunday’s opener.
Fitzgerald’s injury was a factor in the poor timing he had with quarterback Derek Anderson(notes).
“I need to get myself together so I can be the best player I can be for him and this ball club,” Fitzgerald said. “We haven’t worked extensively together and that’s going to come with time. We’re going to be better than we were last week. We can’t turn the football over (four team fumbles) and do the things that we did that almost cost me the game.”
Anderson threw to Fitzgerald 15 times and completed three, including a 21-yarder for what proved to be the winning touchdown with 3:56 remaining.
Asked how many of those passes he would have Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
caught had he been healthy, Fitzgerald said, “I can count about six or seven of them, just looking back. But that’s going to come, and hopefully come sooner than later.”
Defensive end Kenny Iwebema(notes) (knee) and safety Hamza Abdullah(notes) did not practice on Wednesday, when the team worked out indoors the “bubble” practice facility at Arizona State University.

Redknapp looks to play it safe

Spurs boss Redknapp is ready to play it safe away from home during what is his side's debut season in the competition by fielding a lone striker and a five-man midfield at the Weserstadion.
Redknapp got his fingers burnt using 4-4-2 in the play-off cheap nfl jerseys
round first leg at Young Boys last month, with the Swiss side racing to a 3-0 lead inside 28 minutes, and he believes the visitors could face the same fate as England at the World Cup if he does not bolster his midfield.
"At times, especially in Europe, it's difficult to go away from home and play 4-4-2," he said. "We did it last year in the Premier League.
"We went to Man City late in the season when we needed that vital result to get where we are today, but I think it is more difficult the way they (Bremen) play. If they overload midfield tomorrow, you'll get outnumbered.
"If you play 4-4-2, you've got a problem in the middle of the park. It'll be very difficult - you'll get overrun, a little bit like England did against Germany."
He added: "If we play 4-4-2, I think we'll be committing suicide."
Redknapp experimented with a five-man midfield in Saturday's game at West Brom, using Luka Modric and new signing Rafael van der Vaart in behind Roman Pavlyuchenko, but he Minnesota Vikings jersey
will almost certainly have to break up that partnership on Tuesday, with Modric likely to be ruled out with a leg injury.
"He's still got pain in his leg, so we'll have to see how he is this evening." Redknapp said on Monday. "I couldn't take a chance on him unless he feels he's right. To go out there and break him down and then lose him for long-term - it just wouldn't be right."
Redknapp was also wary about starting new boys Van der Vaart and William Gallas for the second time four days.
He said of Saturday's match: "I think that was Van der Vaart's first 90 minutes since before the World Cup and William Gallas' first 90 minutes since the World Cup.
"I think they were both completely wiped Indianapolis Colts jersey
out almost by the end of the game on Saturday. It was tough for them. It's whether I feel they're ready to play a game so quickly."

Silvestre keeps focus on future

silvestre, 33, left Arsenal on a free transfer this summer along with Sol Campbell and William Gallas and has since joined Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, and he says he just wants to focus on doing well for his new side.
"There must be a reason why Sol Campbell, William Gallas and myself football jersey
all left the club, but it's not the place to discuss that," he said. "I'm just happy for Arsenal to continue the way they do.
"I still watch their results and some highlights because I care about my (former) team-mates and the staff. I had a good time over there, so I'm not going to complain. Now I'm focusing on Werder 100%."
Silvestre will face Gallas when Werder take on Tottenham in the Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
Champions League on Tuesday, and he is convinced his former team-mate will succeed with Arsenal's arch-rivals.
"I don't know if I would've taken that decision (to join Spurs) but, when there was speculation about William joining Tottenham, I was almost sure that he was going to sign," he said. "William does not listen to anybody else but himself - and that's his choice.
"If you ask me if he made the right decision, I would say - for him - yes, because he's happy, he's playing, he's in London, his family are there.
"I think William can give a lot to Indianapolis Colts jersey
Tottenham with his experience in that competition and at international level. I'm sure that he will bring a lot because he's a warrior and he's going to show the way to the Tottenham defence and the whole team."

Etherington: Pulis return inspired us

Matthew Etherington claimed the appearance of bereaved boss Tony Pulis on the sidelines at half-time inspired Stoke as they came from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 with a dramatic injury-time goal.
Pulis announced he would miss the match following the death of nfl jersey
his mother earlier in the day, but with Stoke trailing 1-0 at half-time, Pulis came out for the second half to a huge response. Etherington revealed Pulis had come in as he was so unhappy with what he had seen in the first half.
"Obviously he wasn't happy at half-time," he told Sky Sports. "He was very disappointed about what was happening. He had thought it would be too much to be with us but after the first half and the way we played he came in.
"They were on top and he wasn't happy, so he came in and I think we were better in the second half."
Stoke assistant manager Dave Kemp said: "I knew he was going to get here at some time but I didn't know when because he travelled up from south Wales. I knew during the first half he was here because he was phoning down to the bench.
"He has obviously had a very sad day but typically for Dallas Cowboys jersey
him he wanted to get straight into it, put his overalls on and get on with his work. That is why he has been a great manager for this football club. He is desperate, with all else he has got going on, to have an impact.
"His appearance gave the players and the fans a boost and I think you saw that."
Kemp said that, despite Pulis' personal tragedy, he did not hold back in his criticism of the players during the interval.
"He was in the dressing room for the half-time team-talk and he took the paint off the walls," he added. "The result's not going to change what has happened to him today but hopefully it will give him a boost that the team is up and running and got three points."
Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald - continuing to stand in as Gerard Houllier works out his release from the France Football Federation - downplayed the effect of Pulis' arrival.
"I feel very sad for Tony but he is a wonderful man. I don't think it would have changed the way his team played," he said. "We still had chances in the second half as well and I thought we played some good football in both halves, so it's obviously disappointing that we lost 2-1.
"We're always confident in the way we play, passing it, moving it around and creating chances but Stoke are always very difficult to beat as they showed in the second half."
Villa were left fuming with a free-kick decision in Indianapolis Colts jersey
the build-up to Stoke's winner, as Jermaine Pennant appeared to go down easily under a challenge from Stylian Petrov, who was booked after the final whistle as his protests continued.
"They felt that Jermaine fell over rather easily for the free-kick, and we were very disappointed with a referee's decision that ended up conceding the winning goal," MacDonald said.

Russia: Moscow derby defeat derails CSKA challenge

CSKA Moscow's title ambitions suffered a setback as they were beaten 1-0 by cross-city rivals Lokomotiv in a derby match that saw both teams finish with 10 men.
Maicon scored the game's only goal after 25 football jerseys
minutes and, as mid-table Lokomotiv stubbornly held on, only the 70th-minute dismissals of CSKA substitute Mark Gonzalez and Malkhaz Asatiani gave the fans much else entertainment.
Defeat for CSKA leaves them 10 points adrift of leaders Zenit St Petersburg in third place.
Fourth-placed Spartak Nalchik were also on the wrong end of a shock result as they lost at second-from-bottom Krylya Sovetov.
Nenad Djordjevic scored the opener after 72 minutes before Pavel Yakovlev sealed the points three minutes from the end.
Dinamo Moscow were the most convincing winners of Indianapolis Colts jersey
the day with a 3-1 home win over Terek Grozny.
The capital club did have to recover from a goal down after Shamil Lakhiyalov's 34rd-minute opener but were level on the brink of half-time through former Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi.
Alexander Samedov fired his side ahead after 66 minutes before Igor Semshov added a third six minutes later.
Fifth-placed Rostov were 1-0 winners at home to Minnesota Vikings jersey
Anzhi Makhachkala with Timofey Kalachev scoring the only goal in the 56th minute.

Ravens preparing for penalty-prone Walt Anderson crew

OWINGS MILLS, Md.—The Baltimore Ravens have a thorough scouting report on the officiating crew assigned to Monday night's game against the New York Jets.
Referee Walt Anderson's crew worked last year's nfl jerseys
Ravens game at the Green Bay Packers, assessing 23 penalties for the second-most yards in NFL history with 310 yards primarily accumulated on a combined nine pass interference infractions.
"That crew calls a lot of penalties, there’s no doubt Minnesota Vikings jersey
about it," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "That’s kind of one of their things. They call it the way they see it. They call it very tight. I think that’s going to be a big advantage for us. We've played the preseason very tight, and I'm looking for that to be a big advantage for us."
Penalties, especially pass interference, was Dallas Cowboys jersey
a major issue for Baltimore last season. The Ravens ranked first in penalty yards last season.

Brady happy with new deal

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)—Patriots quarterback Tom Brady(notes) is happy to be staying in New England.
The former NFL MVP broke his silence on a four-year contract extension Saturday, two days after the sides agreed to terms.
“Not only have I had the good fortune of nfl jersey
playing for just one franchise, I have also played for the greatest head coach and with some of the best teammates a player could ever ask for,” Brady said. “My teammates, both past and present, are the main reason why we have accomplished so much over the years.”
Brady says he’s uncomfortable talking about his contract, but he’s happy it gives him a chance to remain with Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
Since being thrust into the starting job in 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
when Drew Bledsoe was injured, Brady has led the Patriots to three Super Bowl championships, and was league MVP in 2007. The sides agreed to a four-year extension that guarantees Brady $48.5 million and could pay him $18 million a year from 2011-2014.
“It is much easier to reward a player for Dallas Cowboys jersey
his professional accomplishments when you have such respect for him personally, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Tom and for everything he has accomplished in his life,” owner Bob Kraft said.

Report: Albert Haynesworth to play in pass-rushing situations

Albert Haynesworth(notes) will not be benched for the season opener.
The Washington Redskins are expected to use the $100 million man in a reserve role Sunday night when they kick off the season with a nfl throwback jerseys
prime-time meeting against the rival Dallas Cowboys at FedEx Field.
Ed Werder of ESPN reports that Haynesworth has been informed he will play primarily on passing downs. Haynesworth wants to rush the passer, so that will give him an opportunity to get after quarterback Tony Romo(notes).
There was speculation in the Minnesota Vikings jersey
past two weeks that Haynesworth, who has been feuding with coach Mike Shanahan, would be inactive for the opener. Speculation mounted earlier this week that the Redskins were working to engineer a trade that would send Haynesworth to his former team, the Tennessee Titans.
Shanahan debunked trade talk and now it’s Indianapolis Colts jersey
apparent he will be with the team to start the season. Can he and Shanahan finally get on the same page? That’s debatable. If Haynesworth embraces his role, however underused he believes he is, perhaps he can make an impact.

Newly muscled Giants power past Padres

SAN DIEGO – When the Padres look in their rearview mirror, objects aren’t just larger than they appear. They are Giants.
The National League West race has made like an action movie car chase for quite a while. The San Diego Padres spent the longest time laughing at everyone sucking their fumes, then hit a 10-loss roadblock that put them in the headlights of not only the San Francisco Giants, but the Colorado football jersey
Rockies as well.
The Padres gunned their engine in the nick of time and the Giants fell back for a few days, but San Francisco shifted into overdrive Thursday night with a 7-3 victory behind four home runs, and could pull alongside their elusive adversary with another win Friday. Meanwhile, the Rockies have roared to relevance with seven wins in a row.
Suddenly, all that made the Padres a tick better than every other team in the division, if not the entire NL, has shifted direction. Jon Garland(notes) hadn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last eight starts, but he gave up home runs to Aubrey Huff(notes), Juan Uribe(notes) and Buster Posey(notes) while taking the loss Thursday. Starters Wade LeBlanc(notes) and Kevin Correia(notes), who gave up the final homer in relief, to Pat Burrell(notes), are faltering. Luke Gregerson(notes), once a stalwart setup reliever, has allowed eight runs in his last 2 2/3 innings.
And the offense is, well, no different than it’s been all year, scoring two, three, maybe four runs a game. Enough when the pitching is great, anemic when it’s not.
”We’re the same pitchers, the same guys,” Garland said. ”It’s just been a tough stretch.”
The Padres looked a lot more like the Padres who dropped 10 in a row from Aug. 26 to Sept. 5 than the Padres who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers the previous series. The Dodgers made like Florence Nightingale, comforting the Padres in their time of need. But the Giants and Rockies – San Diego’s opponents for the next six games – are a double dose of Nurse Ratched.
One of the first indications the Padres were better than preseason pundits predicted was their seven wins in a row against the Giants in April and May. San Francisco didn’t score more than two runs in any of those losses. But these Giants aren’t those Giants.
Garland posted his first win of the season April 21 against a Giants’ Dallas Cowboys jersey
lineup that paled in comparison to the one that tattooed him Thursday. Huff, Uribe and Pablo Sandoval are the only holdovers. The Giants have improved everywhere else.
”Every team’s lineup changes from April to September,” Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. ”Offense is always a work in progress. We’re still station-to-station and we hit into too many double plays. We don’t walk and we don’t steal bases. We live and die on big hits and big innings. But we’ve improved.”
Everybody in the lineup except Sanchez has more than 10 home runs, so maybe the gang of four goners at spacious Petco Park shouldn’t have been a huge surprise. The Giants had 13 hits in all.
”It’s a whole new lineup,” Huff said. ”It’s a new feeling, too. We feel like we can score runs and that we can come back when we need to.”
Only a few weeks ago concern centered around the Giants’ starting pitching. Two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum(notes) had been horrendous. Barry Zito(notes) couldn’t buy a win. Now Lincecum is coming off two straight solid outings. Zito still can’t buy a win. But Matt Cain(notes) – the winner Thursday – Jonathan Sanchez(notes) and rookie Madison Bumgarner(notes) are pitching well.
All of a sudden the Giants appear to match up well against the Padres’ vaunted rotation. On Friday, Sanchez, who has allowed one run in his last 15 innings, faces Clayton Richard(notes), who also has pitched well of late. Bumgarner should hold an edge over journeyman Tim Stauffer(notes) on Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
Saturday. The marquee matchup is Sunday, when Lincecum faces Padres ace Mat Latos(notes).
”Every game is important this time of year,” Padres outfielder Ryan Ludwick(notes) said. ”There are a lot of games left. Our eyes are on the road.”
Better there than the rearview mirror.

Clijsters beats Venus, to face Zvonareva in final

NEW YORK (AP)—Venus Williams has lost only two of 54 U.S. Open matches when taking the first set, and suffered that second defeat Friday to the same woman who inflicted the first—Kim Clijsters.
The Belgian beat Williams 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 in their semifinal, giving herself football jersey
a chance to become the first woman since Venus in 2001 to successfully defend a U.S. Open title.
After trailing for much of the third set, Williams was right back in the thick of the match when serving at 4-all, 30-all.
At that moment, it didn’t appear to matter that the 30-year-old Williams was bidding to become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam title in two decades. Or that she arrived at Flushing Meadows coming off a left knee injury that meant she hadn’t played a match in more than two months.
Then came two pivotal points. First, Williams double-faulted for the seventh time, giving Clijsters a break point. Next, Clijsters curled a perfect backhand lob over the 6-foot-1 Williams to go ahead 5-4.
Clijsters served it out, exending her U.S. Open winning streak to 20 matches and returning to the final, where she will take on Russia’s Vera Zvonareva on Saturday.
“This is what you try to achieve,” said Clijsters, also the 2005 U.S. Open champion. “I never expected I’d come back in this position. I was trying to do it. It wasn’t easy, but I stuck with it.”
Earlier Friday, Zvonareva reached her second Grand Slam final in a row by upsetting top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-4, 6-3, having also beaten a Williams sisters in the semifinals—Serena .
Things looked good for Williams at the start. She converted the first set’s only break point while winning 20 of 25 points on her serve and getting the better of Clijsters during lengthy baseline exchanges with powerful strokes from both.
Williams picked up easy points with aces or service winners, but in the second set, though, Clijsters made a key adjustment, playing closer to the baseline, tightening up her backswing and pushing Williams around more.
With the wind gusting, Williams increasingly found trouble with her groundstrokes, spraying more and more out of bounds, and ending up with 50 unforced errors.
“I felt that I was hitting well with the wind. I felt that I was making her move around, and that’s what I was really tying to focus on,” Clijsters said. “I was able to kind of rise to the occasion when I had to.”
Still, her first six points in the pivotal tiebreaker arrived courtesy of Indianapolis Colts jersey
mistakes by Williams, including a pair of double-faults and a badly botched overhead she sailed long.
Summed up Williams, who was hoping to get to her first U.S. Open final since 2002: “I wasn’t able to play as well as I wanted. I had too many errors.”
Afterward, she brushed aside a question about her future in a sport she and her sister have dominated for stretches, saying, “I definitely feel like I’ll be back next year. This is what I do. I feel like I played great tennis, even with minimal preparation.”
Clijsters missed the 2006 U.S. Open because of a series of health problems, including wrist surgery, then skipped the next two because she was taking time off to get married and have a baby. Her daughter Jada, now 2 1/2 years old, pranced around on court when the Belgian collected her trophy 12 months ago by defeating Wozniacki.
A rematch might have been expected by some, but Zvonareva took care of that, wearing a long-sleeved shirt to brace against the wind and staying focused at changeovers by draping a white towel over her head.
Zvonareva played in her first major final at Wimbledon in July, losing to Serena Williams, and now gets a second crack at a Grand Slam title. She was steadier than Wozniacki, who averaged 11 unforced errors through her first five matches of the tournament—and made Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
31 against Zvonareva.
“With those windy conditions, you have to play, sometimes, ugly,” Zvonareva said. “You don’t have to expect to play your best tennis.”