Page 668 – Movie TV Tech Geeks News

La Liga Soccer Winners & Losers 2014 & 2015

-

May 9, 2015

Probably the one league which has had the most exciting season out of all the top leagues, many things are still up for grabs in this La Liga season. Here are our winners and losers from Spain in the 2014-2015 season.

Winners:

Luis Suarez

It would have been weird to mention the Uruguayan as a winner back in 2014 as he took a long time to adapt to the style of the Catalans as well as score his first goal.

However, the former Liverpool star has truly found his feet and is in blistering form as Luis Enrique’s side are on course for a historic treble.

9 goals and 4 assists in his last 9 games is surely proof of that as Suarez’s season tally adds up to 23 goals and 17 assists in 38 games – some tally for a player many predicted to flop at the Nou Camp.

Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique had many doubters as he took the reigns from Tito Vilanova. Barcelona started the season off strong but soon became inconsistent due to constant team rotation and weird decision making from the gaffer including benching Lionel Messi in a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad.

Since that game however, things have turned around as Barcelona have only lost once in their next 29 games following the defeat to David Moyes’s side, including a 2-1 win against Real Madrid.

Enrique finally found his best formation and stepped up his game as Barcelona now lead the La Liga table, are on course for the Champions League final and are favorites for the Copa Del Rey.

It would be some achievement to achieve the treble in your debut season but it’s been done before.

Antoine Griezmann

While Atletico won’t be retaining their La Liga title which is understandable given the changes to their side including the departures of Diego Costa, Filipe Luis, David Villa and Thibaut Courtois, one new signing who has exceeded expectations is Antoine Griezmann.

Signed from Real Sociedad for a fee of £24m, while a substitute at first, the Frenchman has well and truly replaced Villa’s role behind the striker and is an undisputed starter for the Rojiblancos.

The 24-year-old has already scored 23 goals in 45 games in all competitions this season and will only continue to improve under the tutelage of Diego Simeone.

Losers:

Gareth Bale

It’s been a weird year for the Welshman. One year ago, he scored the crucial goals that helped Real Madrid win the Copa del Rey and the Champions League and now, he’s considered a liability with many fans and pundits calling for the 25-year-old to get dropped.

With wasteful shots, poor decision making and a knack of being anonymous in the big games this season, there are already rumours of a Premier League return for Bale.

It’s a bit harsh on Bale as he’s a splendid player when in form, but Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world and when you’re signed for a bigger fee than Ronaldo, people expect more.

But one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and Bale could surely be a treasure for any team in the Premier League if a return were to happen.

Iker Casillas

Age surely seems to be getting to Iker Casillas as his performances keep getting worse and worse. It all started in the Champions League final last season and then the poor display in the World Cup.

To be fair to Casillas, he started this season well but as it went on, he gradually declined again and calls have been made for Keylor Navas to start ahead of the Los Blancos legend.

One of the most iconic players in Real Madrid history, surely Casillas should ponder leaving the club or even retiring and not risking his name being tarnished with these continued poor performances?

Serie A Soccer Winners & Losers 2014 & 2015

Luka Alario

-

May 9, 2015

0

Similar to the Bundesliga, the Serie A title is virtually decided early on in the season nowadays. With four games left in the season, Juventus have clinched another Serie A title while all the other teams have mostly played as expected. We take a look at some of the winners and losers of this season’s campaign.

Winners:

Massimiliano Allegri

The former Milan manager was a shocking candidate to replace Antonio Conte as manager for the Bianconeri. He had overseen the decline of the Milan side which was so prestigious and was a laughing stock within Serie A.

However, come May and he has earned his respect. Not only has he guided Juventus comfortably to a fourth straight Serie A title but he’s also done better than Conte in Europe, with his side on course for a first Champions League final since 2003 at the time of writing after their 2-1 win over Real Madrid.

Allegri was always underrated – he had players sold without his consent and oversaw the transition period of a debt-filled Milan but still managed to get them to 3rd in the 2012/2013 season. And now, he’s back on the football radar and if he can manage the unthinkable, many people will look at the former Cagliari man in a different light.

luc toni biggest winners serie a soccer 2015

Luca Toni

Remember Luca Toni? He used to play for Fiorentina, Bayern Munich and was part of the World Cup winning Italian team in 2006?

He’s still playing in Serie A and still banging in goals at the age of 37. Playing for Hellas Verona, last season Toni scored an impressive 20 league goals in 34 league games and he’s just continuing his goalscoring record with 19 goals in 35 games in all competitions at the time of writing this season.

The experienced striker may even hit the 300 career goal mark by the end of the season with Verona sitting comfortably in midtable.

Paulo Dybala

Everyone scoffs whenever there’s a new Henry, a new Ronaldo etc. However, the new Maradona in Lionel Messi was a rare case of someone actually living up to a tag and there just might be another in Paulo Dybala.

The latest new Messi, Dybala has impressed people around the world this season for Palermo. With 12 goals and 10 assists in 34 games in all competitions so far, it’s clear why so many clubs are pursuing the talented Argentine.

It’s not only his figures but his raw talent and skill which have led people to believe that the 21-year-old is actually someone capable of becoming a football great.

It’s only a matter of time until he makes the big step up.

Losers:

AC Milan

Becoming a constant theme with the Rossoneri, their fall from grace has been one of the most dramatic in recent times. From winning the Serie A convincingly in 2011 to slumping in midtable in 2015 with no hope of even Europa League football.

Some of the signings have been downright unbelievable (not in a good way) and the wage bill is constantly in a struggle to decrease. There’s also no stability within the club as players and managers are constantly changing and the fans seem to have had enough.

It might be some time before we see this Italian giant back in Europe.

Roma

Probably the only team likely of breaking Juventus’ monopoly in the league, it looked like Roma could challenge them all the way this season.

Last season, the Giallorossi started off tremendously before fading away and eventually finishing in 2nd, 17 points behind Juventus despite losing just five league games all season.

The same occurred this season only Roma have suffered from their draws, especially in games where they’ve taken the lead. With a massive 13 draws in 34 games so far, Rudi Garcia’s side have not only fallen 15 points behind Juventus but are in danger of being overtaken by the in-form Lazio and Napoli.

Many fans have already turned on Garcia and it’ll be surprising if there’s not a new manager come next season.

Bundesliga Soccer Winners & Losers 2014 & 2015

Luka Alario

-

May 9, 2015

0

It’s been an unpredictable Bundesliga League season so far as we take a look at the winners and losers of Germany in the 2014/2015 campaign so far.

Winners:

Bayern Munich

If we wrote an article on this every single year, Bayern would probably be on the winners section every single time.

Having steamrolled the league the last two seasons, this season, they were strengthened by the arrivals of Mehdi Benatia, Xabi Alonso and Robert Lewandowski and as you’d expect, all but sealed the league title early on in the campaign.

At this rate, it’ll be interesting to see if the Bavarians can set a new record for the most consecutive Bundesliga titles won in a row.

Kevin de Bruyne

Offloaded by Chelsea as an outcast, the talented Belgian has found life in Germany a welcome change.

Currently playing the best football of his career, De Bruyne has helped Wolfsburg to second place in the Bundesliga and Champions League football for the first time since 2009.

The former Chelsea man has scored 15 goals and assisted 27 in 44 games in all competitions while his 20 league assists is on par with Franck Ribery and Zvjezdan Misimović – he only needs one more to break the Bundesliga record. Quite a year for a player who was deemed surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho.

Borussia Monchengladbach

After finishing in a respectable 6th place finish in 2013-2014, Die Fohlen are now in third, on course for Champions League football.

With some great results and attractive football, Lucien Favre’s side sit two points behind Wolfsburg and may even overtake them with three games left in the Bundesliga season.

It says a lot about Favre that despite losing stars like Marco Reus and Dante over the years, he can get the best out of his Borussian team.

Losers:

Borussia Dortmund

Talk about a fall from grace. Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga last season and while they exited the Champions League at the quarterfinal stage, the worst was yet to come as Robert Lewandowski announced that he’d be leaving Dortmund to join their rivals, Bayern Munich on a free transfer.

Having failed to replace him adequately along with some terrible luck when it came to injuries especially for star man, Marco Reus, Dortmund have quite frankly had a season to forget.

Lingering in the relegation zone for majority of the campaign, they’ve found some form in recent months but will definitely not be playing Champions League football next season for the first time since 2010. And to top it all off, Jurgen Klopp recently announced that he’d resign at the end of the season.

It speaks a lot about the Bundesliga however, that despite being in the bottom half of the table for much of the campaign, Dortmund are just five points behind 5th place Schalke in 9th. Europa League football could still be attained by all in all, not many predicted such a season for Dortmund who could lose many more of their stars.

Ciro Immobile

The man bought to replace Robert Lewandowski has been anything but a suitable replacement. After scoring 22 goals in 33 league games for Torino, the 25-year-old was bought by Dortmund for a reported fee of £15.5m.

However, with just 9 goals in 28 games in all competitions, the Italian has been a huge disappointment even if this is his debut season in Germany.

Finding himself on the bench more now, it may not be a coincidence that Dortmund have only lost once in their five games since the former Genoa striker was benched.

Andy Murray Takes On Rafael Nadal for 2015 Madrid Open Finals

Jackie Warner

-

May 9, 2015

0

Andy Murray Takes On Rafael Nadal for 2015 Madrid Open Finals

Andy Murray is ready to take two titles back to back after defeating Kei Nishikori on Saturday at the 2015 Madrid Open Masters in two sets 6-3, 6-4. He now will go on to face frienly rival Rafael Nadal in the finals which should prove to be a very good game to watch. For being so tired from winning the 2015 Munich Open, Murray is just focused on moving forward over sleep.

Murray improved to 9-0 on clay this year, advancing to his 14th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final and second in the Spanish capital. The second seed won the title in 2008 when the event was contested on hard courts.

A clash between two of the ATP World Tour’s best returners and most lethal backhands, Murray and Nishikori were battling for just the second time in two and a half years. The Japanese claimed their most recent encounter in the round robin stage of last year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, but it was the Scot who applied the pressure from the onset on Saturday.

The second seed claimed a 6-3, 6-4 win in an hour and 37 minutes as he looks to follow up on his first clay title at the BMW Open in Munich last week.

But to do that he will have to get past home favourite and clay master Nadal, who beat Tomas Berdych 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 in their semi-final.

The first two games went with serve and while Murray earned a break point at 30-40 in the third, Nishikori was able to see off the danger.

The Japanese had a chance for a break of his own in the sixth game but Murray was able to see that off and took the next game to open a 4-3 lead.

The Scot held in the next game and then broke his opponent again to take the opening set in 45 minutes.

And he made it four games in a row at the start of the second before Nishikori at last got back on the board and then earned himself a break point on the next Murray serve.

Murray saw off that break point but could not hold out for a second and all of a sudden Nishikori led 2-1 in the set.

He could not maintain that momentum, though, and Murray levelled things up at the second time of asking in the next game.

The next five games went with serve, although Nishikori had to see off a break point in the eighth, and he could not repeat the feat in the 10th as Murray closed out the win against the world No 5 – his best ever by ranking on a clay court.

‘I’ve lost some tough matches against the best players on clay where I felt like I played well, but it’s nice to get a win like that under my belt with the French Open just a couple of weeks away,’ Murray told Sky Sports 3.

‘It’s a good confidence booster for me. I’ve got another great test tomorrow.

‘I’m aware it’s going to be incredibly difficult.

‘Playing against him (Nadal) on clay in Spain I think is a big test, the crowd is incredibly pumped for him when he gets on the court. I have to be there mentally and play a smart match. You obviously need to play aggressive tennis but it’s important not to go for too much.

‘It’s easy when you’re playing against someone like Rafa on clay or maybe Novak (Djokovic) on a hard court or Roger (Federer) on grass to feel like you need to do too much, almost.

‘It’s important that you have good tactics, trust your shots and hopefully play well. If I want to win, I’m going to have to play extremely well.’

Earlier in the day, Nadal had overcome Berdych in straight sets to move into his seventh final in Madrid.

The world number four looked to be back to something like his best as he swept aside Berdych in straight sets

‘For the past couple of days I have been playing better and better every day,’ Nadal said. ‘That’s always very good news. I am in the final. I am happy for that.

‘I am enjoying a lot the fact that I am playing in front of an unbelievable crowd. For me, that’s the best crowd in the world without any doubt. So that gives me a lot of really positive energy.’

National League Baseball Week 4 Winners & Losers 2015

Peter Tebin

-

May 9, 2015

0

National League Baseball Week 4 Winners & Losers 2015

The 162 game Major League Baseball season has a tons of ups and downs. That has been the case this season as we have seen teams and players put together a great week followed by a disappointing week. The key winner over the past week in the National League has been the play of the St. Louis Cardinals. Last week the Cardinals landed on our loser list after All-Star pitcher Adam Wainwright suffered a season ending injury.

The week started off bad for the Cardinals losing 4-1 at home as Cole Hamels limited the team’s production. That would be the only bad news the team would dish out over the next six days winning their next six games. In that stretch the Cardinals would hand the Phillies three straight losses before sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend.

The key to the Cardinals success has been their red hot pitching in that stretch. In those seven contests the Cardinals allowed 18 runs with six of those games being three or fewer runs. Currently the Cardinals lead of all Major League Baseball in team earned run average.

Here are the rest of the winners and losers around the National League.

Winners:

San Francisco Giants: After a somewhat of a slow start for the defending World Series Champs, the Giants have slowly turned it around in week 4 of the 2015 Major League Baseball season. The Giants started off the week losing two of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers before sweeping the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend. The three game winning streak pushed the team to a 4-2 record for the week. The Giants pitching was excellent over the weekend allowing the Angels to score just six runs in the three game series.

Washington Nationals: Entering the season all the talk around the National League was on how good the Nationals rotation was going to be. That hasn’t been the case to start the season but the team rebounded nicely over the last week. The nationals picked up five wins in a seven game stretch including three of four over a New York Mets team that had been one of the hotter teams in all of baseball. In the weekend series, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister all picked up wins while the pitching staff allowed just four runs in four games.

Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers young outfielder has put on a power clinic over the past week plus. Last week in six games, Pederson touched off four home runs, drove in eight runs and scored four runs for the top team in the National League West division.

Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks: When healthy Goldschmidt has shown he is one of the top first basemen in the game. We got to see that last week as the Diamondbacks first baseman picked up at least one hit in six straight games. In all, Goldschmidt picked up 15 hits in 27 at bats including one home run, four doubles and six runs driven in.

A.J. Burnett, Pittsburgh Pirates: While the Pirates continue to struggle, Burnett has been one of the only bright spots. That included his only outing last week as he struck out seven Cardinals in six innings allowing zero earned runs. Burnett would get the no decision as the Pirates would lose 2-1. On the season Burnett is 0-1 with a 1.45 earned run average.

Losers:

Colorado Rockies: While no one expected the Rockies to be the top team in the National League West division we expected them to play a little better than they have over the past week. When you have a lineup that consists of Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez in the middle. That being said the teams struggles this year have been with their rotation. The Rockies were just 1-5 last week allowing 51 runs over a six game stretch.

Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates can’t seem to get anything going to start this season that includes former MVP Andrew McCutchen: Last week the Pirates opened up with back-to-back losses to the Cubs in Chicago before picking up game three. The team could not build on it as they were swept in St. Louis by the Cardinals. In all five of the teams losses the Pirates offense failed to score more than two runs.

New York Mets: After one of the hottest starts in all of baseball the Mets have shown some signs of struggling after starting the week with a win over the Miam Marlins. Following that win the Mets would lose their next three games before picking up a much needed win on Friday over the Nationals. Unfortunately for the Mets they couldn’t find a way to score in the final two games against the Nationals losing both games 1-0 finishing the four game series with just six runs scored.

Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates: The former National League MVP continues to struggle despite picking up at least one hit in five of his six games last week. That being said McCutchen finished that six game stretch with just one extra base hit and two runs driven in. Till we see some production from the Pirates center fielder the Pirates could continue struggle.

Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies: The veteran second baseman is putting together his worst season as a professional. In his six appearances last week, Utley picked up just two hits in 25 at bats with only one extra base hit which was a home run in the teams loss to the Miami Marlins.

American League Baseball Week 4 Winners & Losers 2015

Peter Tebin

-

May 9, 2015

0

American League Baseball Week 4 Winners & Losers 2015

The start of the 2015 Major League Baseball season has been good for a few teams around the American League including the Houston Astros. Yes this is the same Astros team that we have saw finish at the bottom of the league and land the first pick in the following years Major League Baseball Draft.

Currently that doesn’ t look that will be the case this season as the Astros currently sit atop the American League West division after sweep the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners last week. The week got started in San Diego as the Astros would pick up three straight wins over a Padres team that many experts had fighting for the division in the National League West.

In that three game series the Astros lineup produced 30 runs while the Padres newly revamped lineup managed to score just nine runs. The Astros continued that success over the weekend as they knocked off the Mariners in four straight games starting with a 3-2 win in extra innings on Friday.

Here are the rest of the winners and losers around the National League.

Winners:

New York Yankees: While all the eyes have been on the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros of late the Yankees are quietly putting together an impressive run to start the season after a rough first few weeks. The Yankees managed to pick up five wins in a six game stretch all over teams in the American League East. The team’s success in the first series was pitching as the Yankees allowed just six runs in three games against Tampa Bay. Following picking up two of three against the Rays, the Yankees went to Boston and took all three meetings.

Minnesota Twins: The Twins landed on our losers list to start the season but they have played well of late. That included a four game sweep over the Chicago White Sox after dropping two of three to start the week against the Detroit Tigers. Overall the Twins pitching staff dominated in the teams five wins allowing just 10 runs including a big 1-0 shut out last week.

Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros: Keuchel has been a key reason for the Astros success this year. In his only start last week, the Astros starter went eight innings allowing just one run while striking out four hitters. Currently, Keuchel leads all of baseball with a .80 earned run average.

Jacoby Ellsbury, New York Yankees: The Yankees saw a ton of success last week with some of that production coming off the bat of Ellsbury. Ellsbury picked up 14 hits in 26 at bats along with five runs scored. Along with the production at the plate, Ellsbury added five stolen bases turning a single or walk into a double. The hot swinging outfielder production increased his batting average from .284 to .351 in just six games.

Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays: After signing a big deal with the Blue Jays in the offseason, Martin is slowly turning his production around. Last week the Blue Jays catcher picked up eight hits including three doubles, two home runs and drove in five runs for the club while scoring six times.

Losers:

Seattle Mariners: We continue to wait for the Mariners to turn on the light switch as many experts predicted the ball club to take the American League West division. That hasn’t been the case early on as they sit at the bottom of the division with the Texas Rangers. Outside of the success Nelson Cruz and Felix Hernandez has been having the team has struggled. Last week they got off to a hot start sweeping the Rangers but with a chance to gain ground on the Astros they failed to pick up even one win. Now the Mariners have a uphill battle as both the Angels and A’s have been playing better of late.

Boston Red Sox: After sitting atop the American League East early in the season the teams pitching woes has showed up of late despite picking up two of three over the Toronto Blue Jays. In that series the Jays staff allowed 17runs but the team’s offense managed to score six runs in a game one win and four runs in game three. The team then welcomed the New York Yankees to town for a big three game set ending on Sunday Night baseball. The end result was three consecutive losses as the Red Sox finished the week with a 2-4 record.

Mark Teixiera, New York Yankes: After taking home the player of the week award just a week earlier the Yankees first baseman struggled last week. The team’s first series against the Rays, Tex walked away with just one double in 12 plate appearances and failed to produce a single run batted in. The struggles continued over the week as he only picked up one hit a home run in the third game of the series against the Red Sox. The recent slump lowered his batting average to a career low .202 but he does have 10 home runs on the season.

Shane Greene, Detroit Tigers: The Tigers starter got off to a terrific start picking up three straight wins to the season. The success stopped their though as he allowed eight earned runs two weeks ago before another bad outing last week. Greene was able to finish 4.1 innings against the Minnesota Twins allowing nine hits, two home runs and seven earned runs. The outing increased his season earned run average from a flat three to 4.60 for the season.

Did Chris Brown Go Too Far In Public Shaming Amira Ayeb?

The Curvy Girl Diva

-

May 9, 2015

0

Did Chris Brown Go Too Far In Public Shaming Amira Ayeb?

Things just can’t seem to calm down for R&B’s current favorite guy we all love to hate aka Chris Brown. This week after returning from doing God knows what, he found a very unwanted houseguest in his Malibu home. The singer called police and had the woman intruder arrested and rightfully so.

21 year old Amira Kodica Ayeb broke into his home and had apparently been there for a couple of days. I mean this chick went gangster on his ass by removing the door from its hinges. From the looks of it too and based on what Chris Brown reported, she really made herself at home. She was cooking, she rearranged some things in the house, and by rearrange I mean threw out baby Royalty’s clothes and his dog’s stuff too. Ayeb even went so far as to spray paint her name on his cars ad wrote, “I love you” all over his walls (Awwww). People have had a lot to say about (including Brown) so you know I had to give my two cents about the whole situation.

When news about the home intrusion first broke, there were rumors that she did all of this because of a possible mental illness but as one media outlet reported, the incident was being treated as a regular criminal case and was not coded 5150 which is the code for mental illness amongst law folks.

I am sure that there are reasons for why it is being dealt with the way that it is and who is to say that it will not be changed later, but let’s look at the real issue that no one is really addressing here. There is a crazy fan culture that has been created by celebrities like Chris Brown and by the media that paved the way for situations like this to happen and to possibility keep happening.

Fans going all Rambo on their favorite celebrities is not anything new, but it seems that the level of the invasion of privacy has risen to levels among the lines of violence and danger. Let’s dissect, based on what we know from the information that has been released, what happened.

The chick gained access to Brown’s house because she was able to somehow get close enough to take the hinges off the door. That in its self is amazing to me. Then, she must have put the door back on its hinges because she then took up residency in his house while he was gone. She cooked meals and vandalized it.

One of the very serious questions that need to be asked here is was this the behavior of someone in their right mind? Does this sound like something a crazed fan (in the traditional sense) would do? Hells no. So we ruled out that this is normal fan behavior. The next question I have is are these the actions of a person in need of mental help or just a really, really bold ass woman? Well, let’s see. I consider myself a pretty bold person. I mean, I don’t take no for an answer because if I am told that something cannot be done, my mind processes that as to say we just have to find another way. With that, would I, say now that I live in Los Angeles stake out Will Smith’s house or camp out at the hotel that Lebron James is staying in when the Cavs play one of my Los Angeles teams. Hells to the naw. So in my view, her actions were above and beyond the norm of what a really bold person would do. That leaves the only other thing I can think of- mental illness.

She not only broke into the house, she threw away his daughter’s and dog’s clothes and then spray-painted “Mrs. Brown” on his cars. That just doesn’t sound right. I mean what did she think he was going to say and do when he got home to find all that she had done and her standing in a bath towel, “Hey baby I’m home?

Her actions are clearly that of someone who needs a real dose of reality. She is the perfect example of the lengths individuals will go to to attain some kind of connection to the people that we place on such unrealistic pedestals.

What can be done for people like her and what can be done to curtail further incidents like this? The answer to those two are yet to be found and may never be.

Ayeb has been charged with one felony count each of first-degree residential burglary, stalking and vandalism and at this point, all we can really do is echo the sentiments Brown posted on his Instagram account:

“I pray she will get help.”

Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray or Kei Nishikori: 2015 Madrid Open Finals

Jackie Warner

-

May 9, 2015

0

Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray or Kei Nishikori: 2015 Madrid Open Finals

Rafael Nadal is continuing his role of knocking people out of his way as he just beat Tomas Berdych in two sets 7-6 (3), 6-1 taking him into the 2015 Madrid Open finals to face either Andy Murray or rising powerhouse Kei Nishikori. Nadal was able to avenge his Australian Open loss to Berdych and delivered a performance surely to let doubters know he’s back in fine form.

World No. 4 Rafael Nadal will make his seventh final appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open after a devastating display saw him beat Tomas Berdych 7-6(3), 6-1 in Saturday’s semi-finals at the Caja Magica.

In Sunday’s final, Nadal will face either Andy Murray or Kei Nishikori. He is bidding to win his 66th tour-level title and his 28th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown.

If there had been any lingering concerns over Nadal’s form coming into the semi-final clash, they were swiftly dismissed by the Manacor native, who produced one of his best performances of the season to thwart the in-form Berdych.

The Spaniard was denied two break point chances in the opener, with Berdych rallying to hold serve in the seventh and 11th games. But Nadal took his opportunity in the tie-break to seal the first set. With his forehand relentlessly finding its mark and frustrating Berdych, Nadal then broke the Czech twice in the second set as he raced to victory in one hour and 44 minutes.

The 28-year-old Nadal avenged the defeat he suffered to Berdych in theAustralian Open quarter-finals. Prior to that loss, Nadal had recorded 17 straight victories against the Czech and leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 19-4.

Nadal is a four-time champion at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. The left-hander first lifted the trophy in 2005, when it was held on indoor hard court, and triumphed again on clay in 2010 (d. Federer), 2013 (d. Wawrinka) and 2014 (d. Nishikori). He has a 39-8 tournament record.
The 29-year-old Berdych was contesting his seventh semi-final in eight tournaments this season. The right-hander was bidding to reach his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final of the year after finishing runner-up toNovak Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. He dropped to a 30-8 mark in 2015.

Rafael Nadal Takes On Tomas Berdych: 2015 Madrid Open Semi-finals

Shane Lambert

-

May 9, 2015

0

Rafael Nadal Takes On Tomas Berdych: 2015 Madrid Open Semi-finals

The 2015 Mutua Madrid Open, part of the Masters series on the ATP Tour, continued on Friday. While several top ten players were in action the results from the four matches played did not produce any surprises as the higher seed won in each case.

For starters, Andy Murray, the top seeded player remaining in the tournament, defeated Canada’s Milos Raonic in straight sets 6-4, 7-5. Murray will next face Kei Nishikori in a blockbuster semifinal on Saturday night from Madrid. Japan’s top player also advanced in straight sets with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Spaniard David Ferrer.

“I feel like I’ve been moving well,” Murray claimed after his win. “The first couple of weeks on the clay, I tried to work on it quite a lot in my training block before I started playing the tournaments.”

Murray, until very recently, had never won a clay court tournament at the tour-level. He is hardly a pushover on the dirt however as he has twice made the semifinals at the French Open (2014 and 2012). On both occasions, Murray lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets, a player who remains alive in the Madrid draw this week.

Nadal, in advancing to the Madrid semis, defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-4 on Friday. The Spaniard has been struggling a little bit of late, even on clay. However, while he does have some work ahead of him in order to win the 2015 Madrid Masters, Nadal also has a favourable match-up in the semifinals. Tomas Berdych, thanks to a win over John Isner, will face Nadal on Saturday afternoon.

Berdych, in his win on Friday, walked a tight-rope to get by Isner. At one point in the match the American had the Czech No. 1 against the wall. Later Berdych claimed that his victory over Isner was only slight.

“Today was really about just a few points, which decided both sets in the tie-breaks,” the Czech No. 1 claimed.

Berdych will try to improve on a 4-18 record against Nadal on Saturday in their semifinal match, a contest which is scheduled to start not before 3pm. Nishikori and Murray will cap off the singles action as they will meet not before 8pm. The women’s final between former French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will take place between the two men’s semifinals.

Ducks Keep Dousing Calgary Flames Game 5: 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Shane Lambert

-

May 9, 2015

0

Ducks Keep Dousing Calgary Flames Game 5: 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Calgary Flames, playing in front of a home audience on Friday night, may have seen their chances of staying competitive in their second round 2015 Stanley Cup NHL playoffs series come to a crashing halt. Calgary entered game four down 2-1 to the Anaheim Ducks and, in all likelihood, the Flames needed to pull even in the series in game four in order to have a realistic chance to upset the Ducks. However the Flames went down on Friday, falling to Anaheim 4-2.

The scorers for Calgary were Sean Monahan and Micheal Ferland, two players that both scored in the first period. Scorers for Anaheim were Jakob Silfverberg, Andrew Cogliano, Matt Beleskey, and Patrick Maroon.

Calgary now face the daunting task of having to come back in a series down 3-1. Furthermore, the Flames, the road-team in the series, will need to win two games in Anaheim on top of game six, one which would come from Calgary if needed. Complicating the situation for Calgary even worse is the fact that the Flames have not won even just one game in ages from the Honda Center.

Game five, which definitely threatens to be a close-out game, will go later this weekend from Anaheim (10pm ET on Sunday). Game six, if needed will come on Tuesday in cowtown with a time yet to be announced. However hockey fans interested in the Calgary/Anaheim affair may soon be paying attention to other series.

In other action on Friday night, the Washington Capitals, losing 2-1 in overtime, failed to close out the New York Rangers. Game six of that series will go on Sunday, a few hours before the Calgary game (ie. 7pm ET). Washington appear to be under significant pressure in the game as game six will represent their only opportunity to advance on home ice. They have won both of their home games already against New York, so perhaps the Caps will ground some confidence in that.

The only other series active features Montreal and Tampa Bay. They will meet on Saturday night at 7pm from Montreal with the Habs down 1-3 but perhaps holding a bit of momentum as they seemed to put things together in game four.

At present, the complexion of the two conference finals appear to be Tampa Bay vs. Washington in the east and Anaheim vs. Chicago in the west.

2015 Stanley Cup Betting Odds: Anaheim Ducks & Chicago Blackhawks Favorites

Shane Lambert

-

May 9, 2015

0

2015 Stanley Cup Betting Odds: Anaheim Ducks & Chicago Blackhawks Favorites

There are only seven teams still remaining in the playoffs for the 2015 Stanley Cup. Three of those teams will face elimination this weekend, one is already into the conference finals, and three others are on the verge of advancing. Here’s a look at the favorites for the Cup heading into the May 9th weekend.

Anaheim-Ducks-vsw-Chicago-Blackhawks top stanley cup playoffs betting odds 2015

Anaheim Ducks: +250 (5/2) Betfred
Chicago Blackhawks: +250 (5/2) Coral
Tampa Bay Lightning: +450 (9/2) Paddy Power
Washington Capitals: +600 (6/1) William Hill
New York Rangers: +1000 (10/1) Paddy Power
Montreal Canadiens: +2500 (25/1) Paddy Power
Calgary Flames: +6600 (66/1) bet365

Anaheim and Chicago, co-favorites at this point according to the odds above, are facing different scenarios.

anaheim ducks vs chicago blackhawks top stanley cup betting odds 2015

Chicago are into the conference finals already following a fairly easy series against the Minnesota Wild. The Blackhawks completed a sweep on Thursday night and now await their opponent in the western conference finals.

Anaheim will probably be that opponent although they are not into the conference finals yet. However it seems fair to say that the Ducks have one foot (one skate?) in the door: Anaheim hold a 3-1 lead over Calgary and they promise to close out the Flames this upcoming weekend when the series resumes at the Honda Center. Few give Calgary a chance to win in Anaheim in game five, let alone win the series outright and then come back to win the Stanley Cup. Their odds of 66 to 1, long as they are, may overrate the Flames who are more like 150 to 1 longshots in my opinion.

The Lightning, like the Ducks, are also ahead in their series 3-1. They are close to clinching a spot in the eastern conference finals although the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay’s opponent, are not without hope. Montreal have a home game on Saturday to try and get back into their series against the Lightning. With a win in game five, the Canadiens would put a lot of pressure on Tampa Bay in game six.

The Capitals and Rangers are not quite in a coin toss in the second round however the Rangers are not that far out of the series. A dominant road team, New York will have another chance to beat Washington at the Verizon Center this weekend. However currently the Caps hold a 3-2 series lead and hence Washington are considered stronger favorites than the Rangers at this point.

The best odds in the above list in terms of betting value probably belong to the Ducks. I think they are mega-favorites to win their current series and I like their chances against the Chicago Blackhawks. In fact, after playing – and winning – in Winnipeg and Calgary, two intense hockey cities, I think Anaheim will be more than ready for playing in Chicago. Furthermore, I think Anaheim are going to be major favorites in whatever game they play from home – and there should be a lot of them coming.

A lot of Cups have gone to the southern USA’s franchises during Gary Bettman’s tenure, including one already to Anaheim. The Ducks have a lineup that can compete with anyone and ‘luck’ appears on their side too. At any rate, the Ducks, at 5 to 2, are a better bet than any other team at this point in the Stanley Cup playoffs in my opinion.

nhl stanley cup hockey betting odds pics 2015

Accordingly, they are my betting recommendation at this point in the playdowns.

Chris Browns Girl Not Crazy, Kenya Moore Paid & Kylie Jenner’s Pump & Dump: Celebrity Gossip

The Curvy Girl Diva

-

May 8, 2015

0

Chris Browns Girl Not Crazy, Kenya Moore Paid & Kylie Jenner’s Pump & Dump: Celebrity Gossip

As we round out yet another week in celeb news, we are talking about Chris Brown shaming naked fans, feuding actresses and those Kylie Jenner lips we all knew were fake, fake, fake!

Chris Brown Instagrams “Crazy” Fan Intruder

When you are rich and famous, people just want to be you. They want to be around you. They want to be WITH you. Chris Brown experienced this (on a super creepy level recently) when a 21-year-old woman broke into his house and did a little rearranging and redecorating.

Amira Ayeb was found in his home illegally and has been charged with felony vandalism and burglary. Brown, shocked and amazed (and probably a little freaked out) posted photos on his Instagram account of Ayeb in nothing but a towel for all of his nine million followers to see.

“She found time to cook [herself] several meals…She wrote, ‘I love you’ on the walls. She threw out my daughters clothing as well as my dog’s stuff. Then had all these crazy voodoo things around my crib. Goes to show you how crazy people are crazy!”

Brown seemed to be in good spirits about the situation even though on top of all this, she painted her name on his car. He hopes that she gets some help. Yes Chris because clearly she needs it. It does leave me wondering if Chris Brown had to go to all the trouble of shaming this girl on Instagram when the normal person would have called the police and let them know you might have a 5150 on your hands. For those that don’t know, that’s someone that may be in need of a psychiatric hold. The girl’s defense hasn’t raised a mental defense for her either, but she’s still in custody as of Friday.

I could see a woman being so hold as to sneaking in the man’s house, stripping down and getting in his bed, but when you start painting his shit and doing damage, that’s a kra kra too far.

Kenya Moore Says “I Did Pay Janet Hubert.”

These Real Housewives of Atlanta just seem to get it the worst when it comes to people calling them out about stuff. And I’ve come to this conclusion: They either really deserve it because they are indeed, what we see on the show or they are just easy targets because of what we see on the show.

Kenya Moore’s storyline this season involved a lot of things. Being accused of offering Apollo, Phaedra Parks’ prison husband, “fellatio” to being a whore to being the star, producer and creator of a pilot sitcom called “Life Twirls On.”

It is the later that now has the realty TV star in hot water. We reported a couple of months ago that veteran actress Janet Hubert (the real aunt Viv from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) called Moore out for not paying her for work she did on the pilot sitcom. And in true famous folk fashion, Kenya is denying the accusations and has taken to social media to “publicly” declare her innocence.

“I don’t fight dirty and when it comes to my business I don’t play… Moore Vision Media does not owe Miss Hubert any additional payment and all claims have been settled.”

She goes on further to say that SAG/AFTRA has cleared her and her production company of any and all liability.

For the record, I don’t know what is up with Janet Hubert and honestly from the way she is acting, I can see why she had issues and was replaced on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It was messy of her to do what she did and it doesn’t speak well of her. Kenya Moore obviously has the support to back her claims of indeed paying Hubert, which is always refreshing to see that people do business well.

However, on the flip side, maybe Hubert telling everyone that she had not been paid was the thing to get her paid. I am sure she will let us know that too, we just have to wait and listen.

Kylie Jenner Fess Up to Having Lip Fillers

I don’t know whether to praise her for finally coming clean or to say “Ah ha, I knew it” about Kylie Jenner’s recent confession that yes, she has lip fillers.

She told a film crew on the set of Keeping Up with the Kardashians that she has “temporary” lip fillers because it is an insecurity of hers that she has. That is some bullshit! Do you know how many insecurities I had when I was 17 years old? Lord, I would have gotten my whole body, hair and height redone if that’s her reason.

The thing that is really fucked up too is the fact that people, especially young people, have been doing this stupid ass #kyliejennerchallenge where they put their lips in a bottle in order for them to swell up for a plump lip look. It’s all so stupid and just speaks to the superfluity of famous people, the unethical reporting of the media and the passivity of people.

So you know what, after my rant just now, no, I don’t praise the little girl. I call her out for aiding in the already unrealistic view of beauty that currently exists. She is 17-years old and could be doing so much more with her influence than fucking 25 year olds, driving a Range Rover and worrying about the plumpness of her lips. But then again, look at who her sisters are. Furthermore, I think this is a clear insight into the mindset and values of the whole Kardashian clan.

La Liga Soccer Winners & Losers 2014 & 2015

Serie A Soccer Winners & Losers 2014 & 2015

Bundesliga Soccer Winners & Losers 2014 & 2015

Andy Murray Takes On Rafael Nadal for 2015 Madrid Open Finals

National League Baseball Week 4 Winners & Losers 2015

American League Baseball Week 4 Winners & Losers 2015

Did Chris Brown Go Too Far In Public Shaming Amira Ayeb?

Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray or Kei Nishikori: 2015 Madrid Open Finals

Rafael Nadal Takes On Tomas Berdych: 2015 Madrid Open Semi-finals

Ducks Keep Dousing Calgary Flames Game 5: 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs

2015 Stanley Cup Betting Odds: Anaheim Ducks & Chicago Blackhawks Favorites

Chris Browns Girl Not Crazy, Kenya Moore Paid & Kylie Jenner’s Pump & Dump: Celebrity Gossip

EDITOR PICKS

How Rod Serling Used ‘The Twilight Zone’ For His Own Mental Health

Understanding Grief and Loss: Dealing and Healing

6 Healthy Skin Tips for the Whole Family

POPULAR POSTS

‘The Boys’ Gets It Right – Eric Kripke on Mirroring Reality, Soldier Boy and ‘Supernatural’ Reunions

‘The Boys’ Season 4 Wraps Up With a Assassination Run Bang!

‘The Boys’ 4.07 Insider Penultimate Episode Review

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US