Alabama's Saban AP Coach of the Year

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama's Nick Saban is The Associated Press college football coach of the year.

This is the second time Saban has won the award. He also was coach of the year with LSU in 2003.

Saban easily outdistanced Texas Tech's Mike Leach, Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson in balloting by an AP media panel that votes in the weekly poll.

He received 32 votes, while Leach was second with nine. Whittingham received six votes and Johnson five. Seven other coaches also got votes.

Saban led Alabama to a 12-1 season, the only loss coming to Florida in the SEC title game. The Crimson Tide faces Utah in the Sugar Bowl for only its second Bowl Championship Series game.

Clarke gets Lara's initials etched on his bicep

It looks like an Aston Martin and a huge engagement ring were not enough to express love, as Australian cricket vice-captain Michael Clarke has ha
Lara Bingle
Australian cricket vice-captain Michael Clarke's bride-to-be Lara Bingle.
d the initials of bride-to-be Lara Bingle permanently etched into his bicep.

The big tattoo shows a guardian angel sitting on a cross with the initials L.B. emblazoned at the top.

The cricketer revealed the new body art while being photographed for a Bonds underwear campaign.

"If I'm going to get a tattoo it has to be meaningful," News.com.au quoted Clarke as saying.

De Ceglie signs Juve contract extension

De Ceglie signs Juve contract extension AFP/File – Young midfielder Paolo De Ceglie, seen here in November 2008, has signed a contract extension at Juventus …

ROME (AFP) – Young midfielder Paolo De Ceglie has signed a contract extension at Juventus until 2013, the club said on Thursday.

While not a first team regular, the 22-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Siena, has made seven starts and eight substitute appearances this season and provided the cross for one of Amauri's goals against AC Milan last weekend.

"This extension is an important step in my career and the result of many years of sacrifice," said De Ceglie.


Pregnant Davenport withdraws from Aussie Open

Pregnant Davenport withdraws from Aussie Open AFP/File – Three-time Grand Slam winner Lindsay Davenport (seen here in January) announced that she is pregnant …

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Three-time Grand Slam winner Lindsay Davenport announced that she is pregnant and has taken herself off the WTA Tour indefinitely.

After agreeing to participate in the Australian Open last week, the 32-year-old former world No. 1 pulled out of the event on Wednesday.

"Of course this unexpected, but exciting, surprise now means I will be putting tennis on hold for the foreseeable future," Davenport said.

After returning to the tour after the birth of her first child, Jagger, Davenport won four of her 55 career singles titles.

Davenport has won three Grand Slam titles - US Open in 1998, Wimbledon in 1999 and the Australian Open in 2000.

She has 37 doubles titles to her credit, including triumphs at Roland Garros in 1996 (with Mary Joe Fernandez), the US Open in 1997 (with Jana Novotna) and Wimbledon in 1999 (with Corina Morariu).


World Cup not moving from South Africa, says Blatter


TOKYO: FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Monday insisted there was no way the 2010 World Cup would be moved from South Africa, saying any 'plan B' was now firmly dead and buried.

Rumours have persisted that the tournament could be pulled from South Africa if it failed to meet organisational deadlines after Blatter admitted earlier this year that FIFA had contingency plans.

But he moved to reassure everyone involved that South Africa would host the event, which he described as 'my baby'.

"There definitely is no plan B or C. The only plan is to make the South African event a success," he said alongside Danny Jordaan, head of the 2010 organising committee.

"If there are still doubters, let me say that the 2010 World Cup will be organised in South Africa," he added from Japan, where he is attending the Club World Cup.

South Africa will become the first African nation to host football's four-year showpiece event, with FIFA now confident that all necessary facilities will be ready in time.

There had been concern that the 10 World Cup stadiums -- five new, five upgraded -- would not be finished, while the country's crime rate, where 50 murders happen every day, was also a worry.

But all the issues were being dealt with, he said, adding that it would fulfill a lifelong ambition of his to see the tournament held in Africa.

"Football is the most popular game in the world and in 2010 Africa will show that it is able to host a World Cup," he said.

"I'll be proud because it is my baby."

The Confederations Cup in June next year will be a key test of South Africa's World Cup preparedness.

Bhupathi to train youngsters to produce talent

CHENNAI: Indian tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi on Saturday said he would put more time in training youngsters to produce talents for the future at the

Apollo Tyres Mission 2018 challenge.

Apollo tyres had created a corpus of Rs 100 crore for mission 2018 with the objective of developing the first Indian Singles Grand Slam champion by 2018.

"I had spend lot of time in training young tennis talent especially in Apollo Tyres Mission 2018. I am overwhelmed by the presence of large number of children at the camp. Their love for tennis is both inspiring and humbling", he said.

On the selection part, Bhupathi said that for selection, physical fitness and athletic ability were key criteria for him apart form the obvious tennis talent.

"Tennis at international level is becoming a furiously competitive and an increasing fast game and at that level it is more about survival of the fittest - physically and mentally", he added.

Apollo Tyres Corporate Marketing Avik Chattopadhayay said the challenge, aimed at selecting promising young tennis talent aged between 6-14 years, had visited Chandigarh and Ahmedabad this November and 21 children have been shortlisted from these two cities.

"Tomorrow the names of the children shorlisted from Chennai would be announced", he said.

An eminent panel of judges, led by Mahesh Bhupathi and his father CGK Bhupathi was carefully evaluating each child, he said.

Others in the panel included Rohan Bopanna, Prahalad Srinath, Sandeep Kirtane and Tony Beecroft (physiotherapist).

1st Test: India beat England by 6 wickets

Tendulkar guides India to record breaking win



CHENNAI: Batting great Sachin Tendulkar hit an unbeaten 103 as India achieved the fourth-highest run chase in history to stun England by six wickets in the first Test on Monday.

The hosts surpassed the seemingly improbable victory target of 387 on a wearing wicket with 20.3 overs to spare on the fifth and final day to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Tendulkar swept off-spinner Graeme Swann to fine-leg for the winning boundary that also brought up his 41st Test century amid loud cheers from 30,000 home fans at the Chidambaram stadium.

Tendulkar, showing the form that has made him the all-time leading scorer in both Tests and One-day cricket, anchored India's chase for five hours, during which he hit nine boundaries.

Rooney escapes UEFA sanction

NYON (Switzerland): Wayne Rooney has escaped a sanction from European football's ruling body UEFA following an alleged stamp in a Champions League
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney has words with referee Duhamel Laurent about his tackle on Aalborg's Kasper Risgard during their Champions League match at Old Trafford on December 10, 2008. (AP Photo)
match last week.

The Manchester United striker had been accused of stamping on Aalborg's Kasper Risgard during a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last week.

However after reviewing video evidence UEFA said on Monday that no charges would be brought against Rooney.

A spokesman said: "UEFA will not open any disciplinary proceedings against Wayne Rooney."

It means the England star, who on Monday was given the backing of national team manager Fabio Capello, will be available for United as they enter the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition.

Rob Pattinson: Sightseeing Sucker

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Looking more like a stumblebum than a superstar, Twilight vampire Rob Pattinson strolls Melrose on the down-low in L.A.

Cheer up, Rob, the grosses weren't that bad. Plus, the scruffy stud muffin still has his (eternal) youth. (Think sequels.)

If you are still hungering for more primo Pattinson, satisfy your vampire cravings with our Twilight and Rate-A-Rob galleries.

Shia Back on Right Side of the Law

Los Angeles (E! Online) – For his next big-screen project, Shia LaBeouf is sticking with what he knows—or at least, what he has come to know via a few high-profile, rather embarrassing incidents—the legal system.

In a nice change of pace, this time around the actor will be the one in the right, signing on to star in the latest cash cow adaptation of a John Grisham novel, The Associate.

According to Variety, LaBeouf will play a fresh graduate of Yale Law School who is manipulated into accepting a job at a prestigious law firm and who soon becomes privy to inside information about a billion-dollar lawsuit.

In other words, every Grisham book ever written.

Paramount Pictures acquired the book rights even before it was published, so sure studio suits are of its box-office prowess. The crime thriller won't be published until January.

There's no word yet on when the film will go into production.

In other casting news, Courtney B. Vance and Pirates of the Caribbean romantic foil Jack Davenport have become the first actors to join ABC's drama pilot Flash Forward.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the show is being touted as a companion piece to Lost and is based on Robert J. Sawyer's sci-fi novel which chronicles what happens when everyone in the world simultaneously blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds and experiences a strange vision of the future.

Britney Spears to embark on `Circus' tour in March

NEW YORK – Britney Spears is taking her "Circus" act on the road.

In an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America," the pop star announced that her North American arena tour will open March 3 in New Orleans. Her new album, "Circus," arrived Tuesday, on her 27th birthday.

It is Spears' first tour in five years as she gains career momentum and stability in her personal life. Spears, who sang her hit "Womanizer" on "GMA," begins rehearsals next month.

Spears' 27-city itinerary includes Atlanta, Miami, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. She'll close the tour April 28 in Chicago.

She will jump to London for performances on June 3 and June 4.

Tickets go on sale beginning Saturday.

Davis Cup win cherry on cake for Spanish sports in 2008

MADRID (AFP) – Spain's come from behind Davis Cup win over hosts Argentina at the weekend added yet another trophy to the impressive collection racked up by Spain in 2008.

"Spain is sports," top-selling daily newspaper El Pais wrote Monday, one day after Spain won the most prestigious team title in men's tennis for the third time.

The paper added the country's sports success was its "best window" to the world.

Fernando Verdasco clinched the Davis Cup for Spain with a thrilling 6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Argentina's Jose Acasuso in Mar Del Plata on Sunday in the best-of-five series.

The win came despite the last-minute withdrawal of world number one Rafael Nadal through injury and it followed Spain's Euro 2008 victory in June and cyclist Carlos Sastre's win in the Tour de France.

"The Plan B was made of gold," wrote daily newspaper El Mundo.

"Spain does not depend only on its stars. It also has today an impressive second line of attack," wrote El Pais.

Spain won the European football championship on June 29 with a 1-0 victory over Germany despite being without David Villa, the top scorer at the finals, due to injury.

In 2006 Spain became the world basketball champion in Japan without its biggest star, Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol who was also injured.

Contador meanwhile became the first rider in 25 years to win all three of cycling's major races with his victories this year in the Giro D'Italia and the Tour of Spain. He won the Tour de France last year.

"It's an unforgettable moment and they have made history. Fernando was brilliant - absolutely amazing from the fourth set," Nadal told Spanish public television TVE after Spain's Davis Cup win.

The 22-year-old contributed to Spain's stellar year in sports by winning eight titles this season, including his fourth French Open crown and first Wimbledon trophy, and becoming the first Spanish tennis player to win an Olympic gold medal.

Earlier this year he became the new world number one tennis player, ending Switzerland's Roger Federer run of 237 weeks top the ATP rankings.

"I want to congratulate the Davis Cup team for this latest achievement for Spanish sport, in what has been without doubt the country's greatest year in sporting terms," said Secretary of State for Sport, Jaime Lissavetzky.

Real looking to buy striker Huntelaar from Ajax

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) – Ajax have confirmed that they are in talks with Real Madrid to transfer their striker Klas-Jan Huntelaar to the Spanish side.

The Spanish media on Monday reported on a possible transfer of Huntelaar to replace another Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy who will miss the rest of the season after a knee operation.

Ajax said that transfer talks were underway but that both sides were still someway short of agreeing on a deal.

The 25-year-old Huntelaar us currently out of action due to an ankle injury and is not expected to be fit again until the middle of this month.

He has scored six goals in the Dutch first division this season after finishing as top scorer last season with 33 goals in 34 games played. He has also taken over from Van Nistelrooy in the Dutch national side.

Real already have five Dutch players on their books - Van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Rafael van der Vaart and Royston Drenthe.

Benitez tells Liverpool fans to enjoy being top of the league

LIVERPOOL (AFP) – Rafael Benitez told disgruntled Liverpool fans to enjoy their side sitting on top of the Premier League table despite the frustration of a goalless draw at home to West Ham.

The point was enough for Liverpool to leapfrog Chelsea at the summit but Liverpool's players were left under no illusion as to what their supporters thought as they trudged off to a round of boos on Monday night.

Nine days after being held by Fulham at Anfield, Benitez's side were forced to endure more frustration but the Spanish manager refused to dwell on the negatives.

"Sometimes people are disappointed not to win, but sometimes you have to enjoy, especially when you are top of the table," said Benitez.

"The crowd can be disappointed after a draw at home.

"But when they go home and look at the table they will see us at the top of the table.

"If we had scored the first goal we would have scored a lot of goals."

Liverpool now boast four successive clean sheets yet their failure to score for the second straight Premier League match is a cause of concern.

With Fernando Torres recovering from another hamstring injury, the Liverpool manager opted to pair Robbie Keane with Dirk Kuyt.

Yet Keane remains stuck on two league goals since his expensive move from Tottenham in the summer and this was another disappointing performance by the Ireland captain.

Asked whether he thought any of his players were suffering from a lack of confidence, Benitez said: "Maybe some players are."

But the Spaniard dismissed reports that he was weighing up a move to bring Newcastle striker Michael Owen back to Anfield.

"Clearly I can guarantee that we are not going for Owen," added Benitez, who confirmed afterwards that he has yet to sign his new contract with the club.

"The team played much better than before.

"Some people can be disappointed, and we are disappointed not to win, but we are top of the table.

"If we keep winning then we will stay there.

"Against Fulham we didn't play well. In this game we had plenty of possession and we had chances. We were much better in this game."

West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola believes Liverpool will remain serious contenders for the title despite dropping more home points.

"They will be there until the end," said Zola, after West Ham ended a run of seven straight league defeats at Anfield.

"You have to take into account that it is not easy to play after a Champions League match. I know what it's like because I have experienced it.

"Liverpool were also missing a very important player in Torres. This is going to be a very close title race."

Zola praised Robert Green after the keeper produced a magnificent save to deny Yossi Benayoun in the second half.

Green has been on the fringes of the England side but remains behind David James in Fabio Capello's plans.

"He had some stick but he is now getting what he deserves," said Zola.

"He looks very, very comfortable. He knows what he has to do and he knows that he has to perform every week like this."

Although West Ham had reason to be grateful to Green, they actually came closest to breaking the deadlock when Craig Bellamy's long-range strike hit the post in the first half.

Zola's men then might have snatched all three points right at the end when Luis Boa Morte fluffed a close-range chance.

Ronaldo wins European footballer of the year award

PARIS (AFP) – Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo won the European Footballer of the Year Award here on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old Portuguese star is the first from his country to win the coveted Ballon D'Or award, which is presented by 'France Football' magazine, since Luis Figo in 2000.

His award - which he has widely spoken about having said in the last week that not only is he the best footballer in the world but also the second and third best - comes on the back of exceptional performance for his club side last season.

He scored a remarkable 42 times in 49 matches as United secured a memorable league and European Cup double.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi came second and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres was third in the vote.

Texans tame Jaguars on Monday night debut

HOUSTON (Reuters) – The Houston Texans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-17 in their first appearance in the nationally televised Monday night game since the franchise began in 2002.

Running back Steve Slaton lobbied head coach Gary Kubiak for more chances to run the ball during halftime and delivered with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help the Texans move to 5-7 and third place in the AFC South.

Jacksonville, tipped for the Super Bowl by many at the start of the season, threatened several times but were only able to score two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter against a tired Texan defense.

"I didn't run the ball enough in the first half to be honest with you," Kubiak told reporters.

"We got a little out of whack play call-wise, and the kid came up to me at halftime -- here's a rookie -- grabs me by the shirt to say, 'I'm OK, give me the ball.'"

The teams traded touchdowns in the last four minutes of the game with each of Slaton's scores followed by Jacksonville scoring drives.

Mario Williams, who sacked Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard three times, said he would have preferred Slaton had not got into the end zone again so quickly after his first touchdown, so the defense could have had more time to rest.

"I wish he wouldn't have run that one in so fast," joked the defensive end, one of whose sacks forced a fumble to set up a Slaton touchdown.

Houston were always in front in the game after backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels threw a 31-yard pass to Andre Johnson early in the first quarter.

Starting quarterback Matt Schaub watched from the sidelines, suited up for the first time since he tore a ligament in his left knee on November 2 against Minnesota.

The Jaguars fall to 4-8 and last place in the AFC South.

"Of course, expectations are to be successful, win the division and make the playoffs," Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor told reporters.

"Right now because it's not that, it's tough ... We definitely didn't imagine it being this way."

The Texans next face the Green Bay Packers, who also have a 5-7 record. Jacksonville will play the Chicago Bears (6-6) on Sunday.

Burress arrives at Giants Stadium after shooting

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Plaxico Burress arrived at Giants Stadium on Tuesday, one day after the star receiver was charged with illegal gun possession.

He was told by the team to be there because he is on the active roster and injured.

Burress accidentally shot himself in the right thigh at a Manhattan nightclub over the weekend. The case has jeopardized his career with the NFL champions, angered the mayor of New York and raised the strong possibility the wide receiver might land in jail.

Police were searching for more answers from teammate Antonio Pierce and the hospital that treated Burress. Pierce was with Burress at the nightclub, and police want to know what the linebacker did moments after the shooting and whether he helped cover up what happened.

Police expressed frustration with the NFL and Giants officials, saying they were promised that Pierce would appear Monday at a police precinct where Burress appeared before heading to court. But he didn't show.

"It was a universe of silence after this shooting," New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.

The hospital that treated Burress has come under scrutiny. New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center said officials "take this very seriously, and are conducting a thorough investigation into why this gunshot wound was not reported to the police department in a timely fashion."

Myrna A. Manners, the hospital's vice president for public affairs, told The New York Times that a person responsible for not reporting the gunshot wound had been suspended.

The developments came just 10 months after Burress made the winning catch in the Super Bowl. But on Monday, Burress was hauled out of a police precinct in handcuffs facing two weapons charges.

Burress posted $100,000 bail and was told by the judge that his next appearance won't be until March 31. In the meantime, the Giants and the NFL will have to make a decision about what to do with the troublesome wide receiver.

Burress did not say anything in court Monday and did not make a statement to police when booked at a midtown precinct. His lawyer stressed that Burress is innocent until proven guilty and denied Burress took part in any cover-up.

"He is standing tall. He is a mature adult," said Benjamin Brafman, his defense lawyer. "I think any professional athlete in this situation would be concerned."

The case drew the wrath of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who said it would be an outrage "if we didn't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law" and lashed out at the hospital for allegedly failing to report the shooting to the authorities.

Burress shot himself in the right thigh in the VIP section of the Latin Quarter nightclub about 1 a.m. Saturday, police said. He did not have a permit to carry a handgun in New York.

A witness reported hearing a popping sound before Burress' legs began to shake, according to a criminal complaint. It said the person saw a bloody pistol fall out of his pant leg and land on the floor before Burress said, "Take me to a hospital."

Burress was charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, which could result in a prison sentence of 3 1/2 years to 15 years if he is convicted.

Originally, police said that running back Derrick Ward was with Burress and Pierce at the club, relying on information given to them from security guards at the club. But police said later it was unclear if Ward was at the club, and the running back strongly denied he was.

Police said that the Giants have sent a member of their medical staff to the precinct who may be able to shed some light on what transpired the night of the shooting, and presumably to relay Pierce's version of events.

Pierce declined to provide specifics about the incident Monday during a radio interview, but said that many facts of the case have been "misconstrued" and "distorted." He said he has hired an attorney but that he doesn't see himself being arrested.

"Today has been a headache and that's about all I can say," he told WFAN.

The Giants released a statement disputing the police's version of their involvement.

"We are working closely with the police and NFL Security," it said. "In the early hours of Saturday morning, as we started to get a sense of what we were dealing with, we did, in fact, notify NFL Security, which then contacted the police."

The Giants have not decided what to do with Burress, who was suspended for a game and fined for missing a team meeting in September. New York could suspend him again or deactivate him for Sunday's home game against the Eagles. The Giants could go as far as releasing Burress, but that would put a strain on the team's salary cap next season.

"We're dealing with that," coach Tom Coughlin said during a conference call Monday. "Today we had some discussions and those discussions will be ongoing."

Coughlin would not speculate on what the team would do if Burress showed for practice Wednesday.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello also said in a statement the league was cooperating. "In addition, it will be reviewed under our league policies," he said.

Bloomberg has waged a long fight against illegal guns. He called for a full prosecution of state law that requires mandatory prison for carrying a loaded handgun. He also criticized the hospital, based on the allegation that officials may not have properly reported the shooting.

"It's just an outrage that the hospital didn't do what they were legally required to do," he said.