Class of 2010 transform into graduates - La Prensa De San Antonio

junio 6, 2010 La Prensa de San Antonio 3-B
Kaká...(Continued from page 1-B)
“He is progressing, and the
tendency is for him to keep improving,”
Dunga said.
Kaka was already a top player
when he was with Brazil at the
2006 World Cup, but at the time
he shared much of the spotlight
with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Roberto
Carlos and Adriano. Now,
few players are attracting similar
attention as Kaka.
Wearing Brazil’s famed No. 10
jersey, Kaka knows all eyes will
be on him this time.
“I’m ready to be one of the
team’s leaders, I’m ready to
take this responsibility,” Kaka
said. “I’ve always accepted this
responsibility.”
Kaka also was a member of the
2002 team that won the World
Cup in South Korea and Japan,
but he was a youngster and played
less than 25 minutes in that tournament.
One of Adidas’ high profile
players, Kaka also downplayed
complaints from his teammates
about the ball being used in this
month’s tournament, saying such
criticism is normal before every
World Cup.
“I’m not going to criticize the
World Cup ball,” he said. “I always
hear players complain about
the ball in every competition.
People were complaining a lot in
the first week, but then everyone
starts adapting to it and things
start changing.”
Players from Brazil and other
nations complained about the
Adidas ball, some even comparing
it to those bought at supermarkets.
“It’s a new ball, and everything
new causes an impression,” he
said. “There have been some complaints
now, but maybe during
the World Cup players will start
saying different things.”
Selig...(Continued from page 1-B)
“As Jim Joyce said in his postgame
comments, there is no dispute
that last night’s game should
have ended differently,” Selig
said in a statement. “While the
human element has always been
an integral part of baseball, it is
vital that mistakes on the field be
addressed.
“Given last night’s call and
other recent events, I will examine
our umpiring system, the expanded
use of instant replay and
all other related features.”
Selig added that he will consult
with the players’ and umpires’
unions before announcing “any
decisions.” He will also meet with
baseball’s Special Committee for
On-Field Matters — of which
Tigers manager Jim Leyland is
a member.
When asked earlier Thursday if
he would like for Selig to award
him with a perfect game after
the fact, Galarraga replied, “I’d
love it.”
“The more important thing is,
for my heart, I knew I threw a
perfect game,” the right-hander
said.
Joyce didn’t offer an opinion
earlier Thursday when asked
about the possibility of Selig
reversing his call. But such a
decision might have eased the
umpire’s conscience. Joyce was
inconsolable on Wednesday night
in the aftermath of his mistake,
and he became emotional on several
occasions Thursday.
“I took a perfect game away
from that kid over there,” he said
Wednesday.
By the time Joyce arrived at
Comerica Park on Thursday
morning, some fan reaction had
turned hostile. (However, Sports
by Brooks reports that it might be
a lot more than just hostility.)
Joyce indicated in a brief interview
with reporters that his family
had been targeted. MLB officials
wouldn’t confirm whether any
specific threats of harm had been
made.
“I wish my family was out of
this,” Joyce said, still teary-eyed
some 12 hours later. “I wish they
would just direct it all to me.
“My wife is a rock. My kids
are very strong. But they don’t
deserve this. I’ll take it. I’ll take
it. I’ll take whatever you can give
me. I’ll handle it like a man. And
I’ll do the best I can.”
Joyce didn’t specify what “it”
was, but he said, “It’s a big problem.”
But Galarraga and the Tigers
bear no grudge. Galarraga forgave
Joyce immediately, and Leyland
expressed hope that Detroit fans
would applaud the umpiring crew
on Thursday.
The umpires didn’t get an
ovation, but the afternoon crowd
was civil.
Selig’s statement praised the
Tigers for their “dignity and
class,” saying the organization’s
conduct was “admirable and
embodied good sportsmanship of
the highest order.” Galarraga was
honored Thursday in a pregame
ceremony in which Chevrolet
presented him with a cherry red
Corvette convertible.
Galarraga, who began the season
in the minor leagues, has
handled his newfound notoriety as
gracefully as he did Wednesday’s
disappointment. He didn’t call for
the expansion of instant replay
when he met with a large group
of reporters on Thursday.
The Late Show with David
Letterman has already requested
an interview, one source said, but
it’s unclear if the team’s schedule
will permit Galarraga to accept
the offer. He slept only two hours
on Wednesday night.
“My dad said something that
really (calmed me) down,” the 28-
year-old said. “He said, ‘Son, I’m
proud of you. I know you threw a
perfect game. Keep the ball. Make
sure to keep the CD.’”
Joyce is behind the plate for
Thursday afternoon’s game between
the Tigers and Indians. He
needed an extra moment or two to
compose himself before entering
the field via the tunnel behind
home plate at 1 p.m. ET.
Fans close to the tunnel applauded
as the crew took the field.
The cheers continued as Galarraga,
bearing the lineup card,
shook hands with Joyce.
But when Joyce’s name was announced
over the public address
system, some boos were heard.
Earlier, Galarraga said he hoped
Detroit fans will forgive Joyce.
“I say many times: Nobody’s
perfect,” Galarraga said. “Everybody
makes a mistake. I’m sure
he don’t want to make that call.
You see that guy last night, he
feels really bad. He don’t even
change. The other umpires shower,
eat. He was sitting in the seat
(and saying), ‘I’m so sorry.’”
Germany...(Continued from page 1-B)
a bit hinky.
PAST WORLD CUP SUCCESS:
Germany has a long track record
of success in the Cup. Three-time
winners (1954, 1974 and 1990, all
as West Germany) and perennial
contenders (they are four-time runners
up, in 1966, 1982, 1986 and
2002), Germany is one of the teams
to beat in 2010. They finished in
third at the 2006 World Cup, which
they hosted.
REGIONAL SUCCESS: Germany
has won the European Championship
three times (1972, 1980
and 1996), the most of any country,
and were runners up twice (1976 and
1992). They hosted the tournament
in 1988.
LEAGUE OVERVIEW: The
Bundesliga is one of the world’s top
leagues with regional origins that date
back to the late 1880s. The German
FA (DFB) was founded in 1900. The
Germans boast a number of storied
teams -- Bayern Munich, 1.FC Koln,
Werder Bremen, Hamburger SV,
and FC Schalke 04 are merely the
tip of the iceberg -- which have been
consistent competitors in the European
Cup. The Bundesliga, despite
not bringing in as much money as
some of the other European leagues,
is healthy, and is a preferred destination
for players around the world. The
Bundesliga still attracts the largest
average attendance in European
soccer and is considered the most
financially stable.
MANAGER: Joachim Loew, a
former assistant and decidedly soothing
compared to Juergen Klinsmann.
He’s not flashy, but he’s got the guys
playing solid, workman-like football.
He’s had a varied managerial career,
coaching in Turkey, Germany and
Austria.
KEY PLAYERS: Let’s mention
who’s not here. There’s captain and
team leader Michael Ballack, who
suffered an ankle injury in Chelsea’s
FA Cup final victory. No. 1 ‘keeper
Rene Adler (Leverkusen) is out
after he had to undergo surgery to
repair a broken rib. That’s a loss, but
Hans-Joerg Butt (Bayern) should
be able to step in. Germany would
also have liked to have had defender
Simon Rolfes (Leverkusen), but he
hasn’t recovered from knee surgery.
There’s still lots here. Philipp Lahm
(Bayern) has been outstanding all
year with Bayern, and is the key man
out of the back. He has taken over
as captain with Ballack gone. I like
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern) running
out on the wing, and you have
to expect Lukas Podolski (Cologne)
and Miroslav Klose (Bayern) will be
up top. Simply put, these guys have a
lot of weapons.
FIFA RANKINGS: 6th. Highest
was 1st (1993); lowest was 23rd
(2006).
FIRST ROUND OPPONENTS:
Australia, Ghana, Serbia
HEAD TO HEAD AGAINST
AUSTRALIA: As East and West
Germany, they whipped the Aussies
twice at the 1974 World Cup. More recently,
Germany held off the Aussies
at the 2005 Confederations Cup 4-3.
HEAD TO HEAD AGAINST
GHANA: They’ve only met once,
and it was 17 years ago. In 1993 at a
Bochum friendly, Germany torched
Ghana 6-1.
HEAD TO HEAD AGAINST
SERBIA: As Serbia, the sides have
only met twice, at friendlies staged
in Germany. Germany won both
of them, most recently in 2008 at
Gelsenkirchen, 2-1. As Yugoslavia,
the teams were very familiar with
one another, playing 25 matches as
far back as 1939. The two teams also
have a lot of World Cup meetings
under their belts, meeting six times
in six Cups. Germany won five of
those meetings, with Yugoslavia’s
lone win coming back in 1962 in
Chile, 1-0.
HOW THEY QUALIFIED: In
style, in a fairly tough group. The
Germans topped Russia and the Finns
with eight wins and two draws.
PERCENTAGE CHANCE TO
PROGRESS: 50%. They should go
though, but it’s not a gimme.
TO WATCH: This is a great team
that has a chance to go all the way.
I’m not certain they will, but if anyone’s
picking, you could do worse
than taking a flier on Podolski for the
Golden Boot.
ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Hans-Joerg Butt
(Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer
(Schalke), Tim Wiese (Werder
Bremen)
Defenders: Dennis Aogo (Hamburger
SV), Holger Badstuber (Bayern
Munich), Arne Friedrich (Hertha
Berlin), Jerome Boateng (Hamburger
SV), Marcell Jansen (Hamburger
SV), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich),
Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen),
Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart)
Midfielders: Sami Khedira (Stuttgart),
Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen),
Marko Marin (Werder Bremen),
Mesut Oezil (Werder Bremen),
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern
Munich), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger
SV)
Forwards: Cacau (Stuttgart), Mario
Gomez (Bayern Munich), Stefan
Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen),
Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich),
Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich),
Lukas Podolski (FC Cologne)
Gasol...(Continued from page 1-B)
Celtics were being out-rebounded
34 to 17.
I couldn’t help but wonder if
Doc Rivers – who fashioned a
decidedly tough championship
squad – could recall being outrebounded
like that.
“I don’t know if I recall one,”
he said. “But I know if there was,
we lost that game, too. I can guarantee
you that.”
You don’t rebound; you don’t win.
What’s true during the regular season
holds even truer now.
“They killed us on the glass,” said
Rivers.
In fact, the Lakers killed the Celtics
in just about every facet of the game.
The Lakers tallied 18 more points in
the paint. As it pertains to secondchance
points, Boston was 0-7 –
including two gimme follows (an
attempted dunk and a blown layup)
that Garnett managed to miss. L.A.
had 16 second-chance points.
“They attacked us the entire night,”
said Rivers. “I didn’t think we handled
it very well…They were by far
the more physical team.”
So what do you do about that? he
was asked.
“We’ll watch it on film and
fix it.”
I was tempted to laugh. Then
again, I was tempted to laugh just
four months ago when Rivers’
team arrived here the night of the
trading deadline. The aged, struggling
Celtics had just acquired
the inestimable Nate Robinson,
five-eight. The Cavaliers, with
the best record in basketball, had
landed Antawn Jamison, a sixnine
two-time all-star.
“We’ll see when the playoffs
start,” said Rivers. “We’ll see if age
is a factor. Or if age” – experience, he
meant – “is good. I think in the long
run, it will be good for us.”
Guess it was. And Rivers deserves
the bulk of the credit – for fine coaching
and great faith, for a team that
beat clear favorites in Cleveland and
Orlando.
Still, I’m not sure the Lakers are
something even a great coach can
solve by looking at film. It’s worth
noting that Los Angeles won without
much from Lamar Odom. What’s going
to happen when he starts putting
up numbers? In the meantime, Rivers
can scrutinize Kobe Bryant being
Kobe Bryant, with 30 points and
just the kind of defense that slowed
Rajon Rondo. More problematic than
that, though, is the sore-kneed Kevin
Garnett, who, at 34, has started just
two more NBA games than the 31-
year-old Bryant.
At last, Gasol is showing him he
can’t get by on just a scowl. Gasol
finished with 23 points, 15 boards,
three assists, three blocks. There was
a fastbreak dunk that should make the
highlight reel. But a baseline move
and the put-back layup – both over
Garnett – were more significant.
“I was ready,” said Gasol.
He was pissed off. As well he
should be. He’s had two years to
think about it.
Mailbag...(Continued from page 1-B)
player loose… but I’ll play along
with this little scenario just for
kicks and giggles. Say Parker
heads to Memphis, bringing Gay
and Conley to San Antonio.
You make an excellent point
– the addition of a young athletic
player like Gay would make Jefferson
look like old news. If Gay
is desperate to move to a team with
serious potential for postseason
playing time, then San Antonio
would be a good fit. Gay could
bring better shooting percentage
– compare his 19.6 ppg average
to RJ’s rather measly 9.4 this past
season – as well as the youth that
Jefferson has been lacking in his
game as he approaches 30 next
month.
If he doesn’t opt out of the contract,
Jefferson stands to make $15 million
this season with no guarantee of a
contract extension – one that I can’t
really say he would deserve after
this season’s struggles. He showed
some life in the playoffs, but gave
San Antonio little to cheer about in
regular season. I’d rather pay some
of that to Gay, seeing as he stands
to make $10 million or so per year
should Memphis successfully offer
him a contract extension.
On the other hand, tossing Mike
Conley in the mix to replace to the
aforementioned departed Parker (remember,
this is strictly “what if”)
doesn’t have me convinced. You could
make an argument for Conley’s lack of
experience to explain his lower averages
against Parker’s veteran status,
but only an explosive player could truly
replace Parker on this Spurs squad. Sure
Conley could be developed, but I’m
still not sure that he could fill the void
potentially left by Parker.
On the other hand, I am all for
bringing Tiago Splitter into San
Antonio this season. He’s played
excellent ball in the Euroleague,
giving him experience that he most
likely would not have earned as
a rookie playing in the NBA. As
Project Spurs’ Robby Lim noted in
his article, Splitter would most likely
pair well with Duncan to give the
front court a much-needed boost and
plenty of help in the paint.
In regards to Mahinmi’s courtside
accommodations for the playoffs,
let’s get real. Pop hardly plays
rookies in playoff games unless a)
there’s nothing they could do to ruin
a potential win or b) he’s desperate.
While most fans would say being
on the losing end of a game should
require desperate measures, we all
know that Pop is not the desperate
kind. Besides, Mahinmi needs a good
off-season (see George Hill as to the
improvement I’m referring to) to
seriously prove he’s worth keeping
on the roster.
As for Matt Bonner… I should
admit here that I’m a bit of a “Red
Rocket” fan. I’d love to see him get
a little extra playing time and possibly
improve those shooting stats –
which are already pretty good. Jason
Kapono would be an interesting fit,
but I’m not sure I’m for the Eddie
House idea.
That’s just my two cents… for
what it’s worth.