Malaysia ikat Jordan di Amman

KAPTEN skuad negara, Aidil Zafuan Radzak (tengah, jersi No. 7) menanduk keluar bola dari kawasan bahaya pada perlawanan persahabatan menentang Arab Saudi di Dammam baru-baru ini.

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MALAYSIA menamatkan kunjungan ke Asia Barat dengan mencatatkan keputusan seri tanpa jari- ngan menentang Jordan pada perlawanan persahabatan yang berlangsung di Stadium King Abdullah II di Amman semalam.

Ia merupakan keputusan seri pertama yang dicatatkan oleh anak- anak buah jurulatih K. Rajagobal setelah tewas dua perlawanan persahabatan sebelum ini di Riyadh, Arab Saudi.

Pada perlawanan persahabatan pertama 31 Ogos lepas, Malaysia tewas 1-2 kepada Arab Saudi dengan jaringan tunggal dihasilkan oleh penyerang Harimau Muda, Ahmad Syakir Mohd. Ali dan sekali lagi tumpas 0-1 kepada kelab negara itu, Al-Qadisiya, dua hari kemudian.

Selepas ini skuad negara akan mengadakan beberapa perlawanan persahabatan termasuk menentang Lesotho di Stadium Bola sepak Kuala Lumpur, Cheras, Jumaat ini.

Skuad itu kini dalam persiapan terakhir bagi menghadapi Sukan SEA di Laos yang akan berlangsung Disember depan.

Sementara itu, skuad Harimau Muda yang kini berada di Slovakia akan menentang kelab Spartak Trnava pada perlawanan persahabatan kedua hari ini.

Sebelum ini mereka menang 4-0 pada aksi pertama menentang kelab Slovan Levice.

Jurulatih Harimau Muda, Ong Kim Swee berkata, beliau masih belum berpuas hati dengan persembahan pemainnya walaupun mencatatkan kemenangan besar kerana ia belum memberi gambaran sebenar kekuatan pasukan.

"Apa yang lebih penting adalah kebolehan mereka mengekalkan corak permainan yang ditunjukkan ketika menentang Slovan Levice serta empat lagi perlawanan persahabatan yang diatur di Slovakia.

"Sebab itulah saya lebih menekankan konsistensi pada mereka. Itulah disiplin permainan sebenar untuk dibawa pulang," katanya.

Selepas menentang Spartak Trnava, Harimau Muda dijangka menentang dua lagi pasukan berstatus kelab sebelum bertemu skuad bawah 19 tahun Slovakia pada perlawanan terakhir yang dijadualkan pada 18 September ini.

Striker Nizaruddin chasing the elusive Golden Boot award

PETALING JAYA: Striker Mohd Nizaruddin Yusop is well inspired to knock in the goals for Perlis in the top-of-the-table Super League clash with leaders Selangor at the Utama Stadium in Kangar on Saturday.

The 30-year-old striker is the joint leader with Perak’s Razali Umar Kandasamy in the race for the Golden Boot award with 12 goals.

“I have won every medal there is to offer in the M-League but a Golden Boot is missing from my trophy cabinet. It has eluded me for more than 10 years. I have to continue scoring goals to get it this time,” said Nizaruddin from Kangar yesterday.

Among the other frontrunners for the award are Indra Putra Mahayuddin of Kelantan and Azlan Ismail of Terengganu with 11 goals each.

Nizaruddin added that the Northern Lions had surprised the field in the Super League competition with an average set of players compared to those in the more established sides like Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Kedah.

“I think nobody gave us the chance in the beginning of the season to be among the frontrunners for the title. It is a good sign for the team and we will surely give Selangor a run for their money,” he said.

Selangor have 47 points after 20 matches and hold a two-point advantage over Perlis. Kelantan are in third place on 37 points followed by Kedah (35).

The race for the title is likely to go down to the wire.

Selangor’s remaining fixtures are against KL Plus (home), UPB-MyTeam (away), Kuala Muda Naza (home), Police (away) and Pahang (home).

On the Perlis roster are matches against Negri (away), Johor FC (home), Perak (away), KL Plus (away) and Police (home).

Nizaruddin admitted that the Perlis FA, who have Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim as their president, were going through a financial crisis and they were receiving their salaries on a staggered payments.

“We understand the situation and will not let it distract our mission to go for the Super League title. The moral of the team is still high despite tough times,” he said.

http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/6/25/sports/4188770&sec=sports

Confed Cup: US upsets Spain 2-0

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP): Goalkeeper Tim Howard's standout performance helped to beat European champion Spain 2-0 on Wednesday in one of America's greatest football victories.

"It certainly can be argued that if it's not the top, it's up there," Howard said after the stunning win put the Americans into Sunday's Confederations Cup final.

"We're scratching our heads the same way you guys are, but it goes to show what hard work and commitment to each other can bring. Sometimes football is a funny thing."

Spain peppered the American goal with 29 shots and when Howard wasn't stopping eight of them, many were being blocked by his lunging defenders, who kept Spain off the scoresheet for the first time since last summer's European Championship.

"Anytime you come out with a shock win you have to take your chances in front of goal and we did. We had some guys who were defending like bandits and you need your goalkeeper to come up with some saves," the Everton keeper said. "You get lucky on certain occasions but we rode our luck today. Unbelievable."

The surprising run by the U.S. continued after enduring a 3-1 loss to Italy and 3-0 to Brazil to open the World Cup warmup event. It got through to the semifinal against FIFA's top-ranked team on goal difference after a 3-0 win over African champion Egypt.

"Three games ago I think it would have been impossible to think about a night like tonight," Howard said. "We've had our fair of critics but we stood up and took it on the chin and kept going.

"I could probably give you a 1,000 reasons but I don't think any of them would have done tonight justice."

U.S. coach Bob Bradley clogged Spain's flowing attack by shoring up the midfield and forced the Spanish to take their one-touch attack to the wings instead.

"We had to pick our poison at times because they can do whatever they want with the ball," Howard said. "We said you're not going to go through us, you're going to have to go around us."

Spain striker Fernando Torres said the U.S. played fantastic in front of Howard. "Maybe it wasn't our best performance but you can't take away from what the U.S. did.

They attacked and defended well and scored the goals they needed," Torres said. "I don't know if they deserved to win but they won and in the end that's what matters."

Although Howard wasn't overly keen on a rematch with Brazil in the final, he wasn't worried about a letdown on Sunday. Brazil plays South Africa in the other semifinal on Thursday.

"We're the first U.S. team to get to a major final so it's impossible to have a letdown," Howard said. "The spirit and fight will 100 percent be there."

Howard doubted whether the win would change anyone's perspective of American football.

"You hope things like this will help turn the corner but I'm not optimistic. (But) nights like this don't often happen," Howard said. "But the reality that the American football fan has to get used to is that not many teams beat Spain and beat Brazil. That's why they're (the best) in the world. That's why it's not doom and gloom when you lose."

http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2009/6/25/sports/20090625083137&sec=sports

Binh Duong 8 Kedah 2 - AFC Cup 2009

Kedah were lashed 8-2 by Vietnamese champions Binh Duong in an AFC Cup second round match in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday.

Malaysian treble winners, Kedah were no contest for the hosts. Kedah were trailing 4-0 at half-time.

Binh Duong goal scorers were Brazilian midfielder Helio da Silva Assis (17th), Nguyen Vu Phong (19th), Nguyen Duc Thien (41st) and Nguyen Anh Duc (71st). But their best performer on the field is Kesley Alves who strike four times in the 39th, 70th, 81st and in injury time to power Binh Duong into the quarter-finals.

Kedah goal come through Shahrulnizam Mustapa in the 69th minute and Azrul Ahmad's in the 89th minute from penalty spot.

It looks like end of the road for Malaysia side in the AFC Cup competition but qualifying into quarter final with 100% local players was a great achievement for Kedah.


http://www.bolatoday.com/2009/06/binh-duong-8-kedah-2-afc-cup-2009.html

Villa goal sends Spain into the semi-finals

BLOEMFONTEIN (South Africa): Spain edged Iraq 1-0 to make the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup yesterdsay and equal the world record for the longest winning streak by a national team.

A second-half goal by Valencia striker David Villa undid the resiliant Asian champions for two wins out of two in Group A to ensure a place in the last four where they are likely to meet either Brazil or Italy.

The hard fought victory wrote their names in the history books with Spain, who have not been beaten since November 2006, matching the record of 14 straight victories held by Australia, Brazil and France.

They also moved to within one win of equalling the 35-match unbeaten run by Brazil between 1993 and 1996.

Vicente del Bosque was forced to start without Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas who limped out of training on Tuesday after a strong tackle by Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Iraq coach Bora Milutinovic also rested several players, including star striker Younis Mahmoud, with his focus on their last match of the group stages against New Zealand, which he believes they can win.

Compared to their 5-0 thrashing of New Zealand on Sunday, this was a much tougher test for Spain .

It took them eight minutes to unleash their first shot when Cazorla’s left foot strike was easily gathered by goalkeeper Mohammed Kassid.

Iraqi forward Alaa Abdul Zahra found the target soon after but it never threatened Iker Casillas, winning his 94th cap, in the Spanish goal.

Pique’s glancing header went close on 15 minutes and Fernando Torres, Spain’s hat-trick hero against New Zealand, almost got on the end of a looping Xavi through ball minutes later.

Spain’s best chance came midway through the half when Cazorla fired a cross in from the right to find an unmarked Villa whose left-foot volley whistled past the post.

Spain were threatening a goal but a composed Iraq held tight, getting bodies behind the ball effectively and they went to the break all square.

The European champions upped the tempo after the restart and Villa should have buried a golden opportunity eight minutes into the half when he fired a close range header straight at the goalkeeper.

But he made no mistake a minute later when he got on the end of a Joan Capdevila cross and angled his header into the right-hand corner to break the deadlock.

It fired up Spain with Alonso, Torres and Mata all going close but Iraq never gave up, fighting bravely to the bitter end but unable to draw level.

Spain, with six points, play their last group match against South Africa in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

— AFP

Selangor stay on winning track as league resumes

GEORGE TOWN: Selangor continued their winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Perak when the Super League action resumed after a two-week break last night.

A 50th minute strike by R. Surendran at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh was enough for the Red Giants to maintain their one-point advantage over Perlis at the top of the table.

At the Darulmakmur Stadium in Kuantan, Perlis, who have played one game more than Selangor, stayed hot on the heels of the pacesetters after overcoming Pahang 3-1.

After firing blanks in their last two matches, Perlis broke their goal drought after 30 minutes through national midfielder Azi Shahril Azmi.

The Northern Lions’ top scorer, Nizarudin Yusof, extended the lead in the second half with goals in the 52nd and 66th minutes before Pahang pulled back a consolation goal through R. Kartigesu in the last minute of the match.

Kedah came from behind to beat Negri Sembilan 3-1 at the Darulaman Stadium in Alor Setar. The win not only snapped the reigning champions’ four-match winless run but also allowed them to move into third spot at the expense of their opponents.

Negri took the lead with a goal by Mohd Zaquan Adha but Kedah hit back in the second half with goals by Sabree Abu, Khyril Muhymeen and former Penang striker Azrul Ahmad.

Kelantan celebrated their return to the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru with an emphatic 3-0 victory over UPB My-Team, courtesy of a brace from Indra Putra Mahayuddin.

The national player struck in the 13th and 42nd minutes before Mohd Badri Radzi completed the scoring in the 62nd minute.

An estimated 15,000 fans turned up to watch the Red Warriors’ first match at home since April 11 when their stadium was suspended for crowd trouble.

At the Sultan Ismail Stadium in Kuala Terengganu, KL Plus distanced themselves from the relegation battle after picking up three points against Terengganu.

The 2-0 victory lifted the 11th placed highwaymen to 21 points, 10 ahead of next-to-bottom Pahang. in the drop zone.

By LOGANATH VELLOO

http://thestar.com.my/sports/

C. Ronaldo: The Reds announced they had accepted a world-record offer of £80million from Real Madrid

The beginning of the end to Cristiano Ronaldo's glorious United career came on 11 June 2009, when the Reds announced they had accepted a world-record offer of £80million from Real Madrid.

In six years at Old Trafford, the Portuguese winger exhausted all superlatives as he matured from the inexperienced youngster who left Sporting Lisbon in 2003 to become the best footballer on the planet.

The story goes that Sir Alex was persuaded to buy Ronaldo - largely unknown when he signed as an 18-year-old for £12.24m in 2003 - by his players on the plane home from a pre-season friendly against Sporting. In truth, the boss had long been aware of his ability. The urgency stemmed from other clubs’ increasing interest. This was a target Sir Alex simply could not miss out on.

Ronaldo wasted little time in showing off his sublime skills with a stunning 30-minute debut against Bolton at OT in August 2003. There was a buzz of excitement as soon as he stepped off the bench and, after 39 appearances and eight goals that season – including the opener in the 3-0 FA Cup final win over Millwall – he was named Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year.

His second term didn’t quite live up to his first, but late season form saw him end 2004/05 with nine goals in 50 appearances. In 2005/06 Ronny again reserved his best form for the latter stages, but the inconsistencies of a developing young player were being ironed out. He departed, full of hope and with great expectations, for the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany - what turned out to be a truly defining moment in his career. In the quarter finals, Portugal met England and, after Wayne Rooney’s sending off, Ronaldo became the pantomime villain for the English press. Some doubted he would return to Manchester. But Sir Alex assured him any ill-feeling would blow over. It’d happened with Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Ronaldo met the inevitable boos with the best football of his life.

United’s title success in 2006/2007 was a team effort, but one man took the lead role in every major plotline. It began with the barnstorming 5-1 win over Fulham – Ronaldo and Rooney ran the show and publicly banished claims they were at odds. Dazzling wing-play was backed with regular assists and crucial goals. His form that season brought a glut of individual accolades and, despite interest from other clubs - notably Real Madrid - he extended his contract until 2012.

Ronaldo improved further in 2007/08, netting a staggering 42 goals in all competitions. In May 2008 he fired United to domestic and European glory; scoring a decisive penalty on the final day of the league campaign and a powerful header in the Champions League final in Moscow. His staggering individual performances gleaned a clean sweep of club and domestic individual honours, with global gongs soon to follow.

At Euro 2008, Ronaldo’s future was again the subject of claim and counter-claim. Happily, in the end, he pledged his allegiance to United, although ankle surgery delayed his start to the 2008/09 campaign. He made his return as a substitute against Villarreal in the Champions League and was given a rousing home reception. Two months later, his 100th Reds goal arrived against Stoke City at OT on 15 November 2008.

Ronaldo’s magical 2008 was rounded off with another string of individual honours. In October he was named FIFPro Player of the Year, and in December became the first United player since George Best in 1968 to be awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or trophy. To cap it off, in January 2009, he became the first Red to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award. "This is the climax of a fantastic era," he said at the ceremony in Zurich. "I'm lucky to be part of United's history. It's one of the most important moments of my life, I hope to be back in this position again."

While Ronaldo did not dominate on the field in 2008/09 to the same degree as he did in 2007/08, he still played a significant role as the Reds achieved a hat-trick of league titles and reached a second successive European Cup final. For example, Cristiano scored in all three knock-out rounds of the Champions League, including the club's Goal of the Season to defeat Porto in the quarter-final second leg in his native Portugal and a double in the semi-final second leg against Arsenal at the Emirates.

In his final appearance of the season at Old Trafford, Ronaldo received his third championship medal after the Reds sealed the title with a point against Arsenal. At that stage, there was no indication that Cristiano was contemplating an exit - but that all changed less than a month later when the club announced it had accepted Real Madrid's record £80m offer.

Brazil 4 - 3 Egypt

Last gasp winner from Kaka

Brazil had to rely on a 90th-minute Kaka penalty to overcome plucky Egypt and claim a barely-deserved win to start their Confederations Cup defence in Bloemfontein.The South Americans looked to be on their way to an easy win in Group B after first-half goals from Kaka, Luis Fabiano and Juan opened up a 3-1 lead at the break.But a fragile first-half defensive performance meant they never fully looked in control of the contest and two goals in as many minutes soon after the re-start, from Mohamed Shawky and first-half scorer Mohamed Zidan, had the Africans dreaming of a memorable win.Those hopes were dashed a minute from time, however, when defender Ahmed Al Muhamadi handled a Lucio shot on the line and was given his marching orders.

Kaka, who had been a largely peripheral figure, then stepped up to coolly convert the spot-kick and deny Egypt.Brazil had looked set for an easy afternoon when new Real Madrid signing Kaka put them ahead after five minutes.Kaka, who signed for the Spanish giants for a reported fee of 68million euros last week, twice juggled the ball past a pair of would be defenders on the edge of the area before calmly slotting past goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.It was an ominous beginning from the Selecao but, to Egypt's credit, they rallied immediately and were level four minutes later.The Pharaohs' path to goal was made easier by some lax Brazilian marking as they failed to track Mohamed Aboutrika's run down the right flank.The winger had all the time he needed to pick out Zidan, who headed home at the back post after his markers had also failed to keep a watchful enough eye.

It was a moment of lost concentration that would typify Brazil's defensive performance but such was their attacking threat it seemed that would be of little concern.Indeed, they took only three minutes to regain their lead when Luis Fabiano deftly guided an Elano free-kick past a diving El Hadary.Juan then missed a good chance for a third when he headed over from an Elano corner with less than 30 minutes played.Egypt were being outplayed but a second goal was not beyond them as they were continually allowed space to break forward.Veteran Hassan Ahmed passed up two good chances for the Africans as he failed to control a clever throughball from Zidan, before taking too long to shoot in the area and allowing a slow-retreating defence to relieve him of the ball.Brazil coach Dunga was cutting an agitated figure on the touchline and ironically it was one of his central defenders, Juan, who offered him some relief when he headed in an Elano corner after 37 minutes.Egypt gave warning they were not willing to lie down in injury-time when Hosni Abd Rabou narrowly headed over Sayed Moawad's left-wing cross. It was a warning Brazil would not heed as they conceded their two-goal advantage in two frantic minutes soon after the break.

Again Egypt were allowed space down the flank and Aboutrika drove forward before pulling the ball back to Shawky, who drilled a shot low past Julio Cesar with 54 minutes on the clock.A minute later, the Brazilian goalkeeper was again fetching the ball out of his net.This time the Egyptians took a more direct route to goal as Aboutrika flicked a pass behind the defence for Zidan, who took a touch before thrashing his shot past an exposed Cesar.It was a stunning salvo from the Egyptians, who last week lost 3-1 to Algeria in a World Cup qualifier, and their more fancied hosts failed to find a response.The game looked set to be heading for a draw until the final moments when Lucio met a corner with a clean volley that Al Muhamadi kept out with an outstretched arm.The defender then writhed around in pain, claiming the ball had hit his face, but referee Howard Webb was not fooled, showing him a straight red and awarding Brazil a penalty.Kaka then made no mistake from the spot as he stroked the ball into the right-hand corner.

ASH: BLUE FUTURE

Having returned to his former club and helped orchestrate a resounding victory, Ashley Cole was understandably happy, insisting our season is far from over despite Champions League disappointment.

Reliable and well-placed in defence while being energetic and effective in attack, Cole will have been many fans' pick for man of the match on a stage where he admits he wanted to impress after picking himself up from Wednesday's draw with Barcelona.

'For me it's easy, coming back to my old club, I hate losing against Arsenal so of course it's going to make me more motivated but the lads have done well. a lot of people thought we would have been down but we showed a lot of character and at times defended really well. We have clinched third spot so we're happy,' he said, referring to the position that guarantees us a place in next season's elite European competition.

The England left-back pointed to the players' self-motivation, and the impact of Guus Hiddink as explanations for how we had been able to bounce back so brilliantly.

'Everyone was disappointed at losing in the semi-final of the Champions League. That's life, there's nothing we can do about that. The players here have great character, I have played with a lot of great players but here they motivate themselves very quickly and at Arsenal it had to show, and it did.

'I think we showed how good we were, we were happy with the result and no injuries so we are happy with that,' he added.

The win means it is mission accomplished for Hiddink, who was asked to guarantee a top three finish when he arrived at the club in February. Cole admits it will be a sad day when the Dutchman returns to his role with the Russian national side at the end of the month, and would welcome a longer stay.

'I really like him, he has brought a lot out of the players but it's not going to happen. All the players would love him to change his mind but it's not down to us and we are going to miss him,' said the 28-year-old.

'He gets you motivated very quickly, and he has been a big part of that. Our season is not over yet, we still have the FA Cup to go forward to, and we all want to win for him as well. It would be nice to send him off with the FA Cup.'

If Cole and his team-mates are victorious at Wembley on May 30, he will then hold the record number of winner's medals in the modern age - five - after previous victories in 2002, 2003 and 2005 with Arsenal and 2007 with the Blues.

The defender is determined to make that happen and avoid successive seasons with no silverware at Stamford Bridge.

'Yes, last season we could have had a treble and ended up with nothing. The FA Cup is a great trophy and one we want to win,' he stressed. 'The lads are very motivated to win and I think we have to win a trophy.'


Ashley Cole, plus John Terry and Nicolas Anelka, will be signing autographs in the Megastore at Stamford Bridge between 2pm and 4pm on Thursday (14 May), the day the new adidas home kit goes on sale.

Please arrive early to avoid disappointment. It cannot be guaranteed everyone will be seen.

Only one autograph-per-person will be possible and the signing session is subject to cancellation at short notice.

http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/

Podium finish augurs well for Jazeman's season

JAZEMAN Firhan Jaafar is fast and he is fifth in the Formula BMW Europe championship standings but he has chosen to play it down.

The 16-year-old will next travel to Monaco after registering his first ever podium finish in the European series in the opening round in Barcelona on Saturday, and he looks to have put behind him the agony of last year's troubled season.

He stands fifth with 32 points, thanks to his third and seventh places in the two races held as support races for the F1 Spanish Grand Prix over the weekend, and is 24 points behind leader Luiz Felipe Nasr of Brazil.

Jazeman started off with fastest lap times in free practice, just as he did on the Catalunya Circuit in the first pre-season tests in March and still holds the fastest lap times on the Spanish track among the Formula BMW drivers this season.

The series moves to what is respected as a true driver's circuit around the streets of Monaco in two weeks, where Jazeman will know that a good qualifying time will prove to take him a long way.
What he needs to do is stay faster than the pack not only at the start of the weekend but throughout. Which is usually easier said than done.

But the 2007 Formula BMW Asia champion should already be confident about his prospects with new team Eifelland, after a troubled season with the Am-Holzer-Rennsport last year which saw him finish 15th in the championship.

Already, a top five finish in the championship looks quite possible.

Championship standings: 1 Luiz Felipe Nasr (Bra) Eurointernational 56 points, 2 Michael Christensen (Den) Mucke Motorsport 54, 3 Daniel Juncadella (Spa) Eurointernational 36, 4 Robin Frijns (Ned) Josef Kaufmann Racing 36,5 Jazeman Firhan Jaafar (Mas) Eifelland 32, 6 David Mengesdorf (Ger) Eifelland 28 7 Javier Tarancon (Spa) DAMS-SAS 16, 8 Jim Pla (Fra)_DAMS 15, 9 Jack Harvey (Bri) Fortec 12, 10 Kazeem Manzur (Bri) Josef Kaufmann Racing 10.

Malaysia U23 0 Selangor 0 Friendly

For me 0-0 result in a match between Selangor and Malaysia Under 23 is a good start for K. Rajagopal squad. We should understand that this is not a final product from K. Rajagopal, it’s just a selection match for him to check on potential players for Malaysia Under 23.

After this, Malaysia Under 23 will get to two friendly matches in Singapore this month against Singapore Under 23 and Singapore League team.

Copied from: http://www.bolatoday.com/

Golf Betting Games

This article provides useful, detailed information about Golf Betting Games.

Golf is a game that has international appeal. Generally considered to be an elite game, golf has a very big following among professionals and amateurs. Golf is played on specially designed courses, according to certain rules and regulations. For professional golf, these rules are governed jointly by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA). There are international championships held across the world for golf: the Masters, the Open Championship, the US Open and the PGA Championship.

The main objective in golf is to hit a ball with a club until it reaches the cup, and use the minimum number of strokes.

Like other professional sports, a lot of betting goes on in golf. Wagering about the outcome of a golf game is the main objective of golf betting. \"Matchup betting\" and \"betting to win\" are the two kinds of wagering for non-sports like golf, boxing and tennis. In betting to win, futures are set by odds makers before the start of the game. Futures are bets that are placed much in advance of the game, sometimes months in advance. Betting to win is most common for professional championships like the Masters. In matchup betting, the wager is placed on the event\'s winner. It is one individual against another or one individual against a group, which is known as group matchup betting. One advantage of futures odds is that they are not set but can be adjusted by sports books. The odds depend on the number of players as well as the kind of players, and the likelihood of top players to win.

Some of the top golf betting games are: Nassau, Round Robin, Sandies, Bingo Bango Bongo, Barkies, Wolf, Arnies, Aces and DeucesHealth Fitness Articles, Gruesome and Criers and Whiners.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Free Golf Games provides detailed information on Golf Games, Free Golf Games, Online Golf Games, Golf Betting Games and more. Free Golf Games is affiliated with Arizona Golf Resorts.

Deep Sea Fishing

This article provides useful, detailed information about Deep Sea Fishing.

Deep-sea fishing is fishing that involves trolling deep waters with large fishing tackle. Compared to other types of fishing, deep-sea fishing requires more fishing equipment including more line, rods and lures. Rods, reels, bait and tackles are the fishing equipment generally required for deep-sea fishing, and specialized fishing boats are needed for angling.

Basically, there are two types of deep sea fishing techniques - trolling and bottom fishing. The fishing technique is chosen, based on the location of the fish. Trolling techniques require keeping the fishing boat at a constant speed of six knots. The bait used is usually a fishing lure that is drawn on a line through the water slightly below the surface of the water. In bottom fishing, the boat anchors in deep water and hooks charged with lures are dropped to the bottom of the sea.

Seining, long lining and netting are some other techniques used in deep-sea fishing. Seining is an angling technique used in areas where there are large schools or groups of fish. As the name implies, long-lining gets its name from the length of the lines that are used. It is one of the popular methods of fishing used to attract fish. The bait is strung out on a long line held up by buoys. Netting techniques rely on nets that are set in shallow water around the coasts.

The Mississippi Gulf coast, San Diego coast, Cozumel coast and Cancun beaches are among the most popular destinations for deep-sea fishing. Even though deep-sea fishing is specifically for an experienced anglerArticle Search, it is one type of sports fishing that anyone can enjoy.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fly Fishing provides detailed information on Fishing, Fly Fishing, Fishing Boats, Deep Sea Fishing and more. Fly Fishing is affiliated with Deep Sea Fishing Boats.

Snorkeling

This article provides useful, detailed information about Snorkeling.

Snorkeling or underwater sightseeing is gaining wide popularity. The gear, much like the scuba gear, includes a mask, fins and a short tube called as snorkel. Snorkeling is done just below the surface of still bodies of water, such as lagoons, where moving water won\'t enter the snorkel. Many water resorts now provide snorkeling as an added attraction.

Snorkeling has become popular mainly due to the fact that it opens up a whole new underwater world for sightseeing. People are attracted to the various colorful fishes, mollusks, kelps, jellyfishes, rays and even seaweed and algae, which they can touch and feel. Add to this the fact that there are more organisms underwater than on land, which most people haven\'t seen before.

Snorkeling can\'t be totally described as an adventure sport. It isn\'t risky like water rafting or bungee jumping, but it provides great thrills. Even the sport that comes closest to it – scuba diving – is different because scuba diving is done in deep waters, so gear is lightweight and more comfortable—it does not have to withstand huge pressures. Snorkeling can be enjoyed at any age—you just have to know how to swim.

However, to enjoy snorkeling to its fullest trainers advice divers to prepare for hazards such as mask (or snorkel) flooding, building up of pressure in the ear canals, low visibility under water due to silting, etc. Snorkeling does have some dangers. People have been known to emerge from he water with cuts on their hands and legs due to contact with coral. Also some sea urchins may inject venomous spines into inexperienced divers. And there are some of eel, which may bite. Yet, these dangers do not dampen the spirits of snorkelers.

Snorkeling destinations are spread all over the world, wherever the water is calm and abundant in sea life, such as the Caribbean, Hawaiian Islands and the Galapagos islands. Snorkeling at night is even more popular because various nocturnal marine lives can be observed. A bright underwater torch is used for nocturnal snorkeling with a chemical light tied around the waist of the diver to warn boats.

Shops that sell diving gear on the coasts usually also conduct snorkeling expeditionsArticle Submission, providing guides. Fishermen also provide such expeditions at a small fee. Snorkeling is included in most travel packages to beach resorts.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Best Snorkeling Destinations provides detailed information on Snorkeling, Best Snorkeling Destinations, Snorkeling Fins, Snorkeling Masks and more. Best Snorkeling Destinations is affiliated with Used Scuba Diving Gear.

Michael Phelps – Biggest Joke of an Athlete?

Beijing 2008 Olympics are over, but they'll resonate in people's minds for a long time. The opening and closing ceremonies put together by host country of China count as the most spectacular performance ever created by humans. 958 medals were handed out to athletes, which is the most in Olympic history, but this is not the only reason why Beijing Olympics is forever going to get shiny highlights in sports books.

American swimmer Michael Phelps achieved what no other Olympian in history had. He was decorated with 8 gold medals from a single Olympics. Michael Phelps made history in Beijing. Or so it would seem. But was it really so? Is Michael Phelps really as good as we're force-fed to believe?

During a very controversial race in the men's 100-meter butterfly on August 16, 2008 Michael Phelps was pronounced a winner beating Serbian-American swimmer Milorad Cavic by 0.01 second. Despite initial evidence proving that Milorad Cavic touched the board with both hands first, somehow the evidence was altered ensuring Michael Phelps comes out of the race as winner. It takes a closer look at Olympics behind the scenes as it takes a closer look at what's between the lines to understand why it was so important to make Michael Phelps immortal.

Americans needed a hero:

The picture of the United States on international level is crumbling as it has for years. Whether you look at War on Terror fiasco, a fairytale of WMA and subsequent invasion of Iraq fiasco, or any other of countless fiascos the USA has been involved in, the way other countries see the most powerful nation in the world is not very flattering. Add to it worsening economy, spike in foreclosures, crush of real estate market, growing national debt... you get the picture. Americans needed a hero. They needed someone to reunite them, to show them that they are not only in the game, but on top of it. They desperately needed someone to boost their crushing self confidence and Michael Phelps - an American becoming the best athlete of all time would be an adequate solution.

Sponsors needed a high profile spokesperson:

It's got to count for something when Kellogg Co. is able to tell that the best athlete of all time is on the box of their cornflakes. It definitely has a better marketing impact than having a mere great athlete on the box. Being able to tell that your Speedos are worn by the best swimmer in the world has a better ring than saying that one of the best swimmers wore Speedos. The same goes for Omega watches, Visa credit cards, Hilton Hotels Corp., PowerBars by Nestle, AT&T Inc., Rosetta Stone Ltd., PureSport beverages, SwimRoom.com, and whoever else invested their money into Michael Phelps. They're all looking to get the most out of their investment back. Hold on - Omega is one of Michael Phelps sponsors? Weren't they the official providers of time keeping for the Olympics in Beijing? I see... now it's starting to make way more sense.

Beijing needed to be the host of biggest Olympic achievement:

Beijing invested obscene manpower, energy and money into creation of the most spectacular event ever conceived by mankind. They needed to make sure their Olympics are talked about for decades over decades after wards. They desperately needed to immortalize everything they've worked so hard for and invested so much money into. And what better way to secure that Beijing will always be remembered then by having an athlete who achieves impossible during their games. Each time someone mentions the best Olympian, name Beijing will be attached to it, because that is where Michael Phelps collected 8 gold medals. This record will be hard (almost impossible) to match, hence Beijing will remain at the forefront of Olympic Games hosts for a very long time just on this premise alone. Could Chinese officials miss on this opportunity? Well, have you seen how much money they put into their games?

Conclusion:

I have no doubt Milorad Cavic beat Michael Phelps. Milorad Cavic is without doubt a better swimmer, but awarding him with gold would not benefit anyone. Awarding Michael Phelps with gold would benefit many, including all those who matter - sponsors and two of the most powerful countries that control more than who the best athlete is. Michael Phelps is a product of corporate madness. He's an investment, a marionette that gets the spotlight for playing the corporate game. There was way too much in stake to spoil it all by giving gold to Milorad Cavic.

36 year old record held by Mark Spitz who won seven gold medals in a single Olympics has been broken. Back then the Olympics were about sportsmanship and Mark Spitz won his seven golds because he was good. He also broke the world record in all of those seven swimming events he won. There's a new record now and it belongs to Michael Phelps. How he got to it is disputable, but that's not what he will be remembered as. He's now the most praised athlete and will remain one for a very long time. I'm not gonna say I hope he could live with himself knowing how he got to the status he has, because there are people out there who are on a much lower scale of humanity and not only do they live with themselves, they live happily and enjoy themselves.

Life's not fair. We all know that. Congrats to Michael PhelpsHealth Fitness Articles, the biggest joke of an athlete.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

-- Angie Ryan is web’s premium thought provoking (or just provoking) writer and blogger highly regarded for her unique outlook and personalized opinions that stand out from the crowd. She regularly writes for Jamie Lynn Spears Canadian Fansite as well as Beer Steak News and Celebrity Blog and is a frequent contributor on Alberta Stars Social Network.

Guide to Motorboats

With so many different types of boats available, we bring you this beginner's guide to Motorboats. We hope it will help you make the right choice when buying a boat.

If you're thinking of buying a motorboat, take a look a this guide to motorboating first.

What is a motorboat? - A motorboat is a power driven vessel with an internal combustion engine driving a jet pump or propeller. Even a sailboat, while it has an engine running, is technically a power driven vessel. The term motor boating refers to motorised cruising vessels used for leisure.

A little bit of history! - Many names contributed to the invention of the motorboat. Charles Raymond Hunt introduced the v-shaped hull, one of the motorboats most important advances. Renato Levi is given credit for the evolution of the motorboat, particularly developing unique concepts - improving the performance of racing boats. Rudolph Diesel also helped make advancements in motorboat industry. He is best known for inventing a 25-horsepower, four-stroke, single vertical compression engine.

Types of motorboats - A speedboat is a small motorboat designed to move quickly. It is often used in races and for water skiing. Even inflatable boats and dinghies with a motor attached are classed as types of motorboats.

There are 3 popular version of motorboats, which are: inboard, inboard / outboard and outboard. If the engine is fitted within the boat, it's called a powerplant. An outboard motor has a removable section attached to the boat.

Motor cruisers offer a range of amenities, depending on the number of passengers and the type of the cruising. They range from small vessels equipped with basic essentials for a short cruise to much larger holiday crafts complete with shower, cooker and sleeping accommodation.

Where to begin - All first time motorboat cruisers should have some form of training. As a rule, the larger the motorboat and the longer the journey, the greater the level of training is required.

Beginners can rent small vessels for a short cruise, without needing much training. This will help you get to grips with the basic motorboat controls. Courses are available for beginners which cover the basic areas of handling the boat. The Royal Yachting Association offers three levels of courses, from a two day helmsman course offering basic boat handling, helmsmanship and engine maintenance to a five-day coastal skipper course.

A great way to start motorboating is to combine your motor boating course with a holiday, either in the UK or across the European mainland. Holiday companies can offer RYA training centres with courses and certificates.

Where to use your motorboat - Motorboating is the perfect way to explore Britain's many rivers 'the Norfolk Broads, the Yorkshire dales, the historic city of York and the River Thames.

You don't need to limit cruising to the UK. Many European countries offer an interesting waterway journey.

Motor boating can be a fun and relaxing pastime. Unlike sailboatsFree Articles, there is no need to wait for the right wind conditions before setting sail.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Related guide on Selling A Boat Online classifieds of Boats For Sale from TheYachtMarket