NFL Game in London Sells 40,000 Tickets
By Associated Press
LONDON -- The first regular season NFL game outside North America is shaping up as a hot ticket.
The first 40,000 tickets for the Oct. 28 game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants at the new Wembley Stadium sold in 90 minutes Wednesday.
"The speed in which such a large number of tickets were snapped up ... demonstrates the great excitement and appetite for the game in this country," said Alistair Kirkwood, managing director of NFL UK. "We know that the last few tickets available in this first batch will be gone very soon."
The first batch of tickets went to fans in Britain and the rest of Europe selected randomly from registered ticket requests.
Sales in the United States to Giants and Dolphins fans are expected to begin within a week. Further tickets will be released to fans in Britain next month.
About 10,000 fans are expected to travel from the United States, a fraction of the anticipated sellout crowd of 90,000.
Prices range from about US$90 (euro66.50) to US$180 (euro133), using a pricing structure similar to this weekend's FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Reggie Bush Eyes Football After Dining with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice- AP
Reggie Bush Eyes Football After Social Buzz
By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
NEW ORLEANS -- Reggie Bush wanted to get away from football for a while to -- as he put it -- relax and be normal. Of course, when talking about a rising NFL star who has the looks, charisma and wealth to complement his mesmerizing talent, normal is a relative term.
For Bush, it meant appearing in one of R&B singer Ciara's music videos, dining with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a White House correspondent's dinner, filming a commercial with David Beckham in Spain, an appearance in Las Vegas during NBA All-Star weekend, partying at the Playboy mansion and otherwise enjoying life in his $5 million Hollywood home.
On Tuesday, the native Californian was back in New Orleans, where most of his teammates have been working out together for over a month.
The Saints gave their young star some leeway to enjoy the trappings of his first offseason as a pro, and Bush confidently predicted they wouldn't regret it.
"I expect to improve on last year," Bush said. "I don't have a number, but I definitely expect to be a lot better than last year and help my team get to the Super Bowl."
The Saints came one victory shy of reaching the Super Bowl last season, appearing in an NFC championship game for the first time in the franchise's four-decade history.
Bush played no small part in that. As both a running back and receiver, he gained over 1,300 yards from scrimmage in his rookie season. As he adapted to the speed and complexity of the NFL, the uncanny quickness and agility that helped him win the Heisman Trophy at Southern California began to show itself.
There was the 65-yard touchdown on a punt return against Tampa Bay in midseason, the 65-yard score on a screen pass at Dallas in December. And in the playoffs, there was the 88-yard touchdown in Chicago, during which he grabbed a short pass, outran numerous pursuers while cutting across the entire width of the field, pointed back triumphantly at linebacker Brian Urlacher, and then launched into a forward somersault across the goal line.
Performances like that only increased the attention he received during the past few months, and it wasn't always to his liking.
He said he enjoyed attending a party at the Playboy mansion, where it seemed to him that he was asked to be in more photos than many of the women there. Soon after, however, a Los Angeles publication reported he had been banned from the mansion for an unspecified conduct violation, which Bush denied.
"I don't even know where or what happened or why somebody would even ... write a story like that," Bush said. "I was at the Playboy mansion ... I had a great time and that's really all it was."
Bush chalked it up as a lesson of how difficult it can be for celebrities to control rumors.
"The story's already out there, so what are you going to do?" Bush said. "It's the way of the world and I've learned to just grow thick skin toward it and not play into it and just live my life the way I have been."
Bush, who first returned to New Orleans late last weekend, said he had one more short trip out of town planned this week before rejoining teammates here on Monday for offseason workouts leading up to minicamp in June.
It will mark the end of a lot of recent traveling. His trip to Spain also was his first trip to Europe.
Scheduling preventing him from seeing a soccer game, but he did catch a bull fight, which gave him a new perspective on showmanship and contact sports.
"Just seeing how close the bulls come to almost killing these guys, you know, it's a different type of sport," Bush said.
With a self-effacing laugh, Bush acknowledged the matadors, "didn't point at the bull."
As for the rest of his offseason, Bush said being in a music video is something he's glad he tried once, but won't be inclined to do again.
"That was a great experience but it's just something that's not for me," Bush said.
"I'm done with basketball, too," he added, a reference to his appearance in a celebrity game in Las Vegas, during which he twisted his ankle.
Bush said the ankle is fine now and he is in excellent shape because of a new workout regimen he began in Los Angeles last February. It's called fre flo do (pronounced FREE-flow-doe), which Bush described as a Chinese-inspired type of training that builds strength with exercises focused on flexibility, quickness and endurance.
Like a number of new-age physical fitness genres that seem to thrive in California, fre flo do also has a meditative and spiritual component.
Bush said he likes it because it plays to his strengths as an athlete.
"You know, some of my plays last longer than the average play, so I'm trying to simulate that ... going beyond the average time within a workout," he said.
Going into his second season, Bush already plays well beyond the level of an average running back. But when addressing his expectations for this season, he didn't want to talk about yardage and touchdowns.
"I've never been big on setting personal goals. The only thing I care about is Super Bowls," Bush said. "Your legacy is based on championships -- how many championships you win -- and you remember guys like Michael Jordan and Walter Payton and even a Tom Brady. That's the kind of caliber athlete I want to be remembered as. So that's what I shoot for when I'm training."
By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
NEW ORLEANS -- Reggie Bush wanted to get away from football for a while to -- as he put it -- relax and be normal. Of course, when talking about a rising NFL star who has the looks, charisma and wealth to complement his mesmerizing talent, normal is a relative term.
For Bush, it meant appearing in one of R&B singer Ciara's music videos, dining with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a White House correspondent's dinner, filming a commercial with David Beckham in Spain, an appearance in Las Vegas during NBA All-Star weekend, partying at the Playboy mansion and otherwise enjoying life in his $5 million Hollywood home.
On Tuesday, the native Californian was back in New Orleans, where most of his teammates have been working out together for over a month.
The Saints gave their young star some leeway to enjoy the trappings of his first offseason as a pro, and Bush confidently predicted they wouldn't regret it.
"I expect to improve on last year," Bush said. "I don't have a number, but I definitely expect to be a lot better than last year and help my team get to the Super Bowl."
The Saints came one victory shy of reaching the Super Bowl last season, appearing in an NFC championship game for the first time in the franchise's four-decade history.
Bush played no small part in that. As both a running back and receiver, he gained over 1,300 yards from scrimmage in his rookie season. As he adapted to the speed and complexity of the NFL, the uncanny quickness and agility that helped him win the Heisman Trophy at Southern California began to show itself.
There was the 65-yard touchdown on a punt return against Tampa Bay in midseason, the 65-yard score on a screen pass at Dallas in December. And in the playoffs, there was the 88-yard touchdown in Chicago, during which he grabbed a short pass, outran numerous pursuers while cutting across the entire width of the field, pointed back triumphantly at linebacker Brian Urlacher, and then launched into a forward somersault across the goal line.
Performances like that only increased the attention he received during the past few months, and it wasn't always to his liking.
He said he enjoyed attending a party at the Playboy mansion, where it seemed to him that he was asked to be in more photos than many of the women there. Soon after, however, a Los Angeles publication reported he had been banned from the mansion for an unspecified conduct violation, which Bush denied.
"I don't even know where or what happened or why somebody would even ... write a story like that," Bush said. "I was at the Playboy mansion ... I had a great time and that's really all it was."
Bush chalked it up as a lesson of how difficult it can be for celebrities to control rumors.
"The story's already out there, so what are you going to do?" Bush said. "It's the way of the world and I've learned to just grow thick skin toward it and not play into it and just live my life the way I have been."
Bush, who first returned to New Orleans late last weekend, said he had one more short trip out of town planned this week before rejoining teammates here on Monday for offseason workouts leading up to minicamp in June.
It will mark the end of a lot of recent traveling. His trip to Spain also was his first trip to Europe.
Scheduling preventing him from seeing a soccer game, but he did catch a bull fight, which gave him a new perspective on showmanship and contact sports.
"Just seeing how close the bulls come to almost killing these guys, you know, it's a different type of sport," Bush said.
With a self-effacing laugh, Bush acknowledged the matadors, "didn't point at the bull."
As for the rest of his offseason, Bush said being in a music video is something he's glad he tried once, but won't be inclined to do again.
"That was a great experience but it's just something that's not for me," Bush said.
"I'm done with basketball, too," he added, a reference to his appearance in a celebrity game in Las Vegas, during which he twisted his ankle.
Bush said the ankle is fine now and he is in excellent shape because of a new workout regimen he began in Los Angeles last February. It's called fre flo do (pronounced FREE-flow-doe), which Bush described as a Chinese-inspired type of training that builds strength with exercises focused on flexibility, quickness and endurance.
Like a number of new-age physical fitness genres that seem to thrive in California, fre flo do also has a meditative and spiritual component.
Bush said he likes it because it plays to his strengths as an athlete.
"You know, some of my plays last longer than the average play, so I'm trying to simulate that ... going beyond the average time within a workout," he said.
Going into his second season, Bush already plays well beyond the level of an average running back. But when addressing his expectations for this season, he didn't want to talk about yardage and touchdowns.
"I've never been big on setting personal goals. The only thing I care about is Super Bowls," Bush said. "Your legacy is based on championships -- how many championships you win -- and you remember guys like Michael Jordan and Walter Payton and even a Tom Brady. That's the kind of caliber athlete I want to be remembered as. So that's what I shoot for when I'm training."
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Ron Paul Wins Poll Again - Takes Fox Poll After Debate
Rep. Ron Paul has done it again, confounding and even angering the conservative pundits who've focused on Rudy Giuliani and other front runners in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination.
Ron Paul made a statement that the U.S involvement in the Mid East was the reason for 9-11. Even though it's controversial, it's true.
Ron Paul made a statement that the U.S involvement in the Mid East was the reason for 9-11. Even though it's controversial, it's true.
Demand for NFL Game at Wembley Stadium is High
Demand for NFL Game at Wembley High
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK -- The grousing by some NFL fans over the first regular-season game to be played overseas might not be limited to this side of the Atlantic.
More than half a million ticket requests poured in soon after commissioner Roger Goodell announced the New York Giants would play the Miami Dolphins at the new Wembley Stadium in London.
That outpouring of interest for the Oct. 28 contest means many die-hard fans -- not to mention the curious observers the game is intended to reach -- will be stuck watching on TV.
"This is a game for Europe and a game for hardcore fans of both teams," said Alistair Kirkwood, managing director of NFL UK.
"The challenge we've got is to keep all the various stakeholders happy."
Ticket preference will go to season ticket holders and members of fan clubs, particularly in the United Kingdom. About 10,000 fans are expected to travel from the United States, only a fraction of the anticipated sellout crowd of 90,000.
Tickets go on sale in Europe on Monday and within the next week in the United States, but fewer than half will be immediately available. The rest will go on sale once team and league officials weigh the amount of interest the game generates among American fans and those abroad.
Giants co-owner Jonathan Tisch said the club has received about 3,500 requests.
"Not only has there been that response for initial tickets, when you look at our fan base that come to every game, then consider we have 120,000 people on our waiting list ... they also want to travel overseas," Tisch said.
Both teams have done research on how best to appropriate tickets, but Kirkwood admits that it comes down to "best guessing." How many tickets are ultimately available will also depend on the number purchased by a business tier of 15,000 people who have rights to purchase seats for any game played in the sparkling new stadium.
"What we're not going to have is the risk of unsold tickets out there," Kirkwood said, adding that about 2,000 will be reserved for general sale in the U.S. and Europe in September.
For those lucky enough to get a ticket, the game won't be cheap. Prices range from about $90 to $180, using a pricing structure similar to this weekend's FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea.
"When I was in Miami, one of the British journalists came up to me in the dour, sour way that most of the journalists have in Britain," London Mayor Ken Livingstone said. "He said, 'Wouldn't it be humiliating if there are a bunch of empty seats?' And I said, 'I suspect that won't be the case.'"
The game, which will kick off at 6 p.m. London time -- 1 p.m. on the East Coast of the United States -- comes after Arizona beat San Francisco in Mexico City in 2005. The league hopes to play regular-season games again in Mexico, as well as Canada and other cities in Europe in an effort to expand the game globally.
To accommodate the expansion, there has been increased discussion of replacing a preseason game with a regular-season game so that each team would play in a "foreign" market once a year without sacrificing a home game.
Tisch said that's an issue likely to come up at future owners meetings.
"We're all anxiously awaiting the start of the international games," Tisch said. "There is so much interest for this game that is emerging in lands far afield from the United States of America. We could easily add more international games to add to the fan base and the excitement of the NFL."
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK -- The grousing by some NFL fans over the first regular-season game to be played overseas might not be limited to this side of the Atlantic.
More than half a million ticket requests poured in soon after commissioner Roger Goodell announced the New York Giants would play the Miami Dolphins at the new Wembley Stadium in London.
That outpouring of interest for the Oct. 28 contest means many die-hard fans -- not to mention the curious observers the game is intended to reach -- will be stuck watching on TV.
"This is a game for Europe and a game for hardcore fans of both teams," said Alistair Kirkwood, managing director of NFL UK.
"The challenge we've got is to keep all the various stakeholders happy."
Ticket preference will go to season ticket holders and members of fan clubs, particularly in the United Kingdom. About 10,000 fans are expected to travel from the United States, only a fraction of the anticipated sellout crowd of 90,000.
Tickets go on sale in Europe on Monday and within the next week in the United States, but fewer than half will be immediately available. The rest will go on sale once team and league officials weigh the amount of interest the game generates among American fans and those abroad.
Giants co-owner Jonathan Tisch said the club has received about 3,500 requests.
"Not only has there been that response for initial tickets, when you look at our fan base that come to every game, then consider we have 120,000 people on our waiting list ... they also want to travel overseas," Tisch said.
Both teams have done research on how best to appropriate tickets, but Kirkwood admits that it comes down to "best guessing." How many tickets are ultimately available will also depend on the number purchased by a business tier of 15,000 people who have rights to purchase seats for any game played in the sparkling new stadium.
"What we're not going to have is the risk of unsold tickets out there," Kirkwood said, adding that about 2,000 will be reserved for general sale in the U.S. and Europe in September.
For those lucky enough to get a ticket, the game won't be cheap. Prices range from about $90 to $180, using a pricing structure similar to this weekend's FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea.
"When I was in Miami, one of the British journalists came up to me in the dour, sour way that most of the journalists have in Britain," London Mayor Ken Livingstone said. "He said, 'Wouldn't it be humiliating if there are a bunch of empty seats?' And I said, 'I suspect that won't be the case.'"
The game, which will kick off at 6 p.m. London time -- 1 p.m. on the East Coast of the United States -- comes after Arizona beat San Francisco in Mexico City in 2005. The league hopes to play regular-season games again in Mexico, as well as Canada and other cities in Europe in an effort to expand the game globally.
To accommodate the expansion, there has been increased discussion of replacing a preseason game with a regular-season game so that each team would play in a "foreign" market once a year without sacrificing a home game.
Tisch said that's an issue likely to come up at future owners meetings.
"We're all anxiously awaiting the start of the international games," Tisch said. "There is so much interest for this game that is emerging in lands far afield from the United States of America. We could easily add more international games to add to the fan base and the excitement of the NFL."
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Back In Action After A Mistaken Blogger Bot Block
That's right. This great blog system was the victim of a massive and mistaken block by Googlebots, thinking these were spam blogs. They're not. What Google must do is adjust it's bots so that they "see" mutliple writers and photos in posts.
Also, they should explain in detail what's triggering such behavior from the bots. As more and more of our economic activity moves online, it will be important for Google to make sure these errors occur less and less, if at all.
Also, they should explain in detail what's triggering such behavior from the bots. As more and more of our economic activity moves online, it will be important for Google to make sure these errors occur less and less, if at all.
Rev. Jerry Falwell Dies At 73 Of Heart Failure - Sad Day
I happened to see an Internet post that Jerry Falwell was admitted to the hospital and hoped that -- actually thought he was going to come out OK. I guess I'm so used to having him around as part of the American Culture that the idea he could pass on was foreign to me.
Well, Rev. Falwell passed on.
Now, I'm not a fan of his as he was a massive supporter of President Regan. Moreover, I at first saw him as anti-Black because of his rhetoric and the racist habits of the 80s in the South. But when I write that, I mean I wasn't a fan of his poltiics. I actually came to see him as a person that was actually someone I'd like to meet. This view was cemented when I saw him on a CNN roundtable of ministers, some Black and others White, with Al Sharpton as one of the others.
The discussions were not argumentative and indeed, interesting. And it was during that program that I came to see Rev. Falwell as actually quite right in that he had a powerful belief in the Lord.
It's quite apparent the Lord called him to Heaven.
Well, Rev. Falwell passed on.
Now, I'm not a fan of his as he was a massive supporter of President Regan. Moreover, I at first saw him as anti-Black because of his rhetoric and the racist habits of the 80s in the South. But when I write that, I mean I wasn't a fan of his poltiics. I actually came to see him as a person that was actually someone I'd like to meet. This view was cemented when I saw him on a CNN roundtable of ministers, some Black and others White, with Al Sharpton as one of the others.
The discussions were not argumentative and indeed, interesting. And it was during that program that I came to see Rev. Falwell as actually quite right in that he had a powerful belief in the Lord.
It's quite apparent the Lord called him to Heaven.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Goodell to NFL coaches: All access
Neil Best
SPORTS WATCH
Goodell to NFL coaches: All access
It's all but official now: Bill Parcells will not come out of retirement - ever.
Not if he reads a pointedly written memo in which the NFL updated media guidelines, tightening injury report rules, mandating regular access to assistants, liberalizing offseason access and much more.
Yikes! Call it Revenge of the Nerds MMVII.
The rules will most affect members of the paranoid Parcells/Bill Belichick coaching tree, two of whom happen to guide our local squads.
Tom Coughlin and Eric Mangini no longer will be permitted to bind and gag assistants when reporters are around. (Each had allowed severely limited access to assistants in the past; Coughlin was planning to open things up a bit in 2007 even before the directive.)
Fans and reporters can thank new commissioner Roger Goodell, a former Jets public relations intern who gets the concept that the news media is a conduit to paying customers, and that assistants can offer insights head coaches won't or can't.
The refined policy came out of meetings with the writers' association and was presented at the owners' meetings. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the commissioner "wanted more consistency and everybody operating at the same high level."
Any complaints from head coaches? "No," Aiello said.
Even Belichick? "No."
One rule seems aimed squarely at the Jets. It says a "credible" depth chart must be provided starting no later than the week of the preseason opener: "Listing players at each position on the depth chart in alphabetical order is prohibited."
SPORTS WATCH
Goodell to NFL coaches: All access
It's all but official now: Bill Parcells will not come out of retirement - ever.
Not if he reads a pointedly written memo in which the NFL updated media guidelines, tightening injury report rules, mandating regular access to assistants, liberalizing offseason access and much more.
Yikes! Call it Revenge of the Nerds MMVII.
The rules will most affect members of the paranoid Parcells/Bill Belichick coaching tree, two of whom happen to guide our local squads.
Tom Coughlin and Eric Mangini no longer will be permitted to bind and gag assistants when reporters are around. (Each had allowed severely limited access to assistants in the past; Coughlin was planning to open things up a bit in 2007 even before the directive.)
Fans and reporters can thank new commissioner Roger Goodell, a former Jets public relations intern who gets the concept that the news media is a conduit to paying customers, and that assistants can offer insights head coaches won't or can't.
The refined policy came out of meetings with the writers' association and was presented at the owners' meetings. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the commissioner "wanted more consistency and everybody operating at the same high level."
Any complaints from head coaches? "No," Aiello said.
Even Belichick? "No."
One rule seems aimed squarely at the Jets. It says a "credible" depth chart must be provided starting no later than the week of the preseason opener: "Listing players at each position on the depth chart in alphabetical order is prohibited."
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