Venus, Clijsters reach third round at U.S. Open

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09/01/2010 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time champion Venus Williams and second-seeded Kim Clijsters were among Wednesday's second-round winners at the U.S. Open.

The third-seeded former world No. 1 Williams got past Rebecca Marino 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 at Ashe Stadium. The powerful American advanced in just over an hour-and-a-half, with the help of 23 unforced errors from her unheralded Canadian opponent. Marino was unable to break Williams' formidable serve on Day 3.

Williams, who is playing her first tennis since Wimbledon because of a knee injury, titled here back-to-back in 2000 and 2001 and was the U.S. Open runner-up to her younger sister Serena in 2002.

Up next for the seven-time major titlist Williams will be Luxembourg's Mandy Minella, who dismissed 32nd-seeded Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova, of Bulgaria, 6-4, 6-0. Pironkova stunned Williams in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon this summer.

The 27-year-old Belgian basher and 2009 champion Clijsters breezed into the next round after dispatching Australian Sally Peers on the hardcourts in an efficient 56 minutes, by a 6-2, 6-1 count.

Earlier in the day, fifth-seed Aussie Samantha Stosur had an easy time with countrywoman Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-4, while sixth-seeded French Open champion Francesca Schiavone improved to 9-1 in her last 10 Grand Slam matches with a 6-2, 6-1 dismantling of fellow Italian Maria Elena Camerin.

Schiavone became the first Italian woman to capture a major title, which she did at the French Open back in June.

Tenth-seeded Victoria Azarenka retired from her second-rounder amid some extremely hot conditions on Wednesday. Argentine Gisela Dulko was pasting Azarenka 5-1 in the first set when the Belarusian collapsed on the court just 31 minutes into the match.

Azarenka left the Grandstand Court via wheelchair, with an ice pack on her neck. She then exited the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on a stretcher, and was driven away by an ambulance.

"I was warming up in the gym prior to my match against Gisela Dulko when I fell while running a sprint," Azarenka said. "I fell forward and hit my arm and head. I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell. I was taken to the hospital for some medical tests and have been diagnosed with a mild concussion."

Former U.S. Open runner-up Elena Dementieva, seeded 12th here, moved on with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Austrian mother Sybille Bammer. The two-time Grand Slam runner-up Dementieva is the reigning Olympic gold medalist and reached the final here in Flushing in 2004.

Israel's Shahar Peer, the 16-seed, advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over France's Pauline Parmentier and 19th-seeded Flavia Pennetta also recorded a straight-set win, 6-1, 6-4, over Hungary's Agnes Szavay.

Some other seeds were dismissed on Day 3 when France's Virginie Razzano surprised 13th-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli, of France, 7-5, 6-4 and former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic drubbed No. 21 Chinese Zheng Jie 6-3, 6-0 in 56 minutes at Ashe Stadium.

"I was really happy with today's game, because she's tough opponent and I lost to her last couple of times we played," Ivanovic said of Zheng. "I was expecting really tough match."

Twentieth-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova avoided an upset by handling Indian Sania Mirza 6-2, 6-4, while 24th-seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova came from behind to beat American Vania King 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and Italian Sara Errani erased 28th-seeded Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 6-3.

In other late action, 27th-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova downed Elena Baltacha 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko, the 29th seed, put to rest popular American Melanie Oudin 6-2, 7-5

The newest U.S. Open champion will pocket at least $1.7 million.

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Problem with Bears?

Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.

"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."

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Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.

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FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.