Phelps returns to China - for car commercials

US Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps swims during filming for a television commercial for Mazda at Yingdong Swimming Pool in Beijing January 13, 2009. China's leading media and entertainment group, has signed a landmark agreement for Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to become the brand spokesperson for Mazda in China.

BEIJING -- Michael Phelps is back where he made Olympic history.
Don't look for much swimming. This time, he's in Beijing to do TV commercials for automaker Mazda, which is reported to be paying him more than $1 million to endorse the brand in China. It's believed to be the largest single sponsorship deal for a foreign celebrity in the country.
Besides filming commercials and doing photo shoots, Phelps is also slated to return to the Water Cube -- where he won his record-eight gold medals at last August's games -- before he leaves China.
"Hopefully I'll get a few workouts in before I go home," he said. "And then once I get back home it's time to get back in the water and really start to train for the next four years."
He's expected to resume serious training before the month ends, and is likely to work on some new events heading into this summer's world championships in Rome.
Guests should not expect to catch a glimpse of Phelps in the hotel pool.
"The pool at the hotel is closed right now, so I can't swim," Phelps said.
Phelps said returning to China stirred emotions.
"There are some memories, some flashbacks of that time when I landed and was first going to the Olympic Village," he said. "Driving around today on the roads -- sort of seeing some landmarks I saw -- really just brings back more and more memories."
Phelps is reported to be earning "well into seven figures" for the deal with FAW Mazda.
Mazda vice president Yu Hongjiang said he was certain Phelps would help sell cars in China's growing car market. In November, golfer Tiger Woods ended his nine-year relationship with General Motors Corp. Woods was a spokesman GM's Buick brand.
China is the world's third largest car market, but even here sales have slowed during the global economic slump.
"We have very strong confidence in him (Phelps)," Yu said. "We all know the auto industry has had some unsuccessful records with image ambassadors. But there is no doubt this will be successful. ... Currently in China, nobody has the reputation that Phelps has."

Cristiano Ronaldo desmiente el supuesto acuerdo con Florentino Pérez

El jugador del Manchester United Cristiano Ronaldo aseguró en la rueda de prensa previa a la Gala del FIFA World Player que "no es verdad" que haya llegado a un acuerdo con el ex presidente del Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, para fichar por el club blanco en 2010. El portugués United intento evitar referirse a su supuesto traspaso al Real Madrid. "Creo que deberíamos hablar de otras cosas", respondió cuando llegó la primera pregunta sobre ese asunto. Sin embargo, cuando un segundo periodista insistió y le pidió que contestara simplemente con un "sí" o un "no", aunque no entrara en detalles, Ronaldo dijo: "no es verdad". La prensa británica publicó esa versión, según la cual el trato con Florentino Pérez había sido alcanzado a través de su representante. Gran parte de la atención de los periodistas que se encuentran en Zúrich para asistir a la gran celebración anual de la FIFA se concentró en el futbolista portugués, a quien se considera prácticamente fijo para hacerse con el premio. El ganador se escoge en función del resultado de una votación entre entrenadores y capitanes de los equipos nacionales masculinos y femeninos de todo el mundo. El año pasado, Ronaldo quedó tercero en esa nominación, en la que se consagró al brasileño Kaká. En esta ocasión, el delantero del Manchester llega con pie firme para enfrentar a sus rivales, el argentino Lionel Messi, los españoles Xavi Hernández y Fernando Torres, y Kaká nuevamente. Sobre su reciente accidente -ocurrido la semana pasada cuando conducía su coche Ferrari, que quedó destruido, mientras que él resultó ileso-, Ronaldo aseguró que se siente "perfecto, muy bien, incluso mejor que antes del accidente". Preguntado sobre sus sentimientos al haberse convertido en un personaje tan popular, especialmente en Madeira, la isla portuguesa donde nació y pasó su niñez, el futbolista dijo que le encanta ser tan famoso y recomendó a los padres que dejen "a sus hijos vivir sus sueños". "Los padres deben apoyar a los niños para que éstos alcancen sus aspiraciones", dijo. Por otro lado, el jugador negó que alguna vez haya dicho que él es el "primer, segundo y tercer mejor futbolista del mundo". "Lo he leído en la prensa, pero nunca lo he dicho. Eso sería una falta de respeto hacia los otros jugadores", anotó.

Rangers’ Lundqvist Shuts Out Senators

Henrik Lundqvist made 33 saves to earn his second shutout of the season, and Brandon Dubinsky and Lauri Korpikoski provided the offense in the Rangers’ 2-0 victory against the host Ottawa Senators on Saturday night

Lundqvist, selected during the week for his first N.H.L. All-Star Game, stopped 27 shots in a 4-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Monday to pick up his first shutout this year. He allowed five goals in a loss to Montreal on Wednesday, but bounced back against Ottawa after taking a game off.
He has 19 career shutouts in four N.H.L. seasons.
Dubinsky ended a 19-game drought without a goal when he scored his sixth of the season in the first period. Korpikoski followed with his second goal of the season, giving the Rangers a cushion in the third period.
“It’s been a struggle for me to score goals,” said Dubinsky, who scored his first goal since Nov. 24. “I’ve had chances and felt like I was playing well and making good shots, but they weren’t going in for me.
“To have a gift like that is nice. Hopefully, the floodgates will open and they’ll start going in a little more now.”
Lundqvist’s performance spoiled a good outing by Senators goaltender Brian Elliott, who was making his second start. Elliott made 25 saves. Ottawa had just returned from a 1-6-1 trip.
Elliott, the American Hockey League goalie of the month in December, was called up in an effort to give the Senators a spark. He played well, but the Senators had no answers against Lundqvist as they were shut out for the fourth time this season.
DEVILS 5, KINGS 1 Travis Zajac, Patrik Elias, Zach Parise, Brian Rolston and Jamie Langenbrunner scored for the Devils at Los Angeles. Devils goaltender Kevin Weekes made 32 saves.
COYOTES 1, STARS 0 Kyle Turris scored in the fifth round of the shootout to lead Phoenix past visiting Dallas.
Ilya Bryzgalov made 38 saves in regulation and overtime, then stopped three of five in the shootout for the Coyotes.
RED WINGS 3, SABRES 1 Mikael Samuelsson scored the go-ahead goal with 2 minutes 34 seconds and added an assist to lead host Detroit to its sixth straight win.
BLUE JACKETS 4, WILD 2 Nikita Filatov became the first Columbus rookie to score three goals, helping the Blue Jackets beat visiting Minnesota.
PREDATORS 4, BLACKHAWKS 1 David Legwand scored twice for host Nashville. Legwand, a center playing his second straight game at left wing, has scored three goals since the switch.
FLYERS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 1 Jeff Carter scored his league-leading 28th and 29th goals in the third period to help Philadelphia win its season-high eighth straight home game.
CANADIENS 5, CAPITALS 4 Sergei Kostitsyn scored Montreal’s fourth third-period goal with 21.2 seconds remaining to help the Canadiens extend their winning streak to four games.
AVALANCHE 5, PENGUINS 3 David Jones had two goals and an assist, Andrew Raycroft made 21 saves and host Colorado won its third straight.
BRUINS 5, HURRICANES 1 Michael Ryder had two goals and David Krejci added a goal and two assists for host Boston.
The Bruins have won 12 of 14 and led the N.H.L. with 66 points pending the outcome of San Jose’s game later at Vancouver. The Sharks had 65 points going in.
PANTHERS 8, THRASHERS 4 Ville Peltonen scored twice in a five-goal third-period outburst as host Florida set a season high for goals.
AROUND THE LEAGUE Bruins forward Marco Sturm will have left knee surgery Tuesday to repair a meniscus and possibly the anterior cruciate ligament. He could miss the rest of the season. ... Columbus acquired left wing Mike Blunden from Chicago in a trade for right wing Adam Pineault.

Hedgecock’s Hard Hits Liven Up Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After a recent practice, fullback Madison Hedgecock stood in the Giants’ locker room discussing facial hair, which has grown on him lately. He mentioned the mustache of the professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.

Despite his tractor-driving persona, Hedgecock has the physique and the showman’s flair for Hogan’s line of work. Might Hedgecock someday consider wrestling? He quickly dismissed the notion, but his smile widened.
“I might be good at it,” he said, pointing to the side of his head and twirling his index finger. “I am a little different.” Then the 6-foot-3, 266-pound Hedgecock grabbed a team aide for a precise pantomime of wrestling techniques.
As the slow-motion demonstration continued, Brandon Jacobs tried to leave the room, dodging Hedgecock’s gyrations as he rolled his eyes and scooted by. “Excuse me, country boy,” Jacobs said. “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Hedgecock is the fullback who clears paths for Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw, the running backs for the Giants, who will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in an N.F.C. divisional playoff game at Giants Stadium.
Before and after practices and games, Hedgecock entertains his teammates with his humor and his random observations. With an accent from North Carolina and the style of Gomer Pyle, he elicits smiles and prompts banter.
When someone asked Hedgecock about the Giants’ linemen, he said they were all “ugly and fat” in a voice loud enough for them to hear. One of the eavesdroppers was Kevin Boothe, a backup lineman.
“He’s a special guy,” Boothe said of Hedgecock. “He’s full of comments. He talks about his farming expeditions. A lot of people don’t realize some of the stuff he says is pretty intelligent. You’ve just got to listen to him.”
And sometimes they just have to watch. When Hedgecock scored the only touchdown of his career, on a 2-yard pass reception in a 37-29 victory at Arizona on Nov. 23, he brushed away his teammates, squatted in the end zone and pumped his arms. He later explained he was “rowing to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl” and added that a Giants executive told him it was the worst touchdown celebration ever.
Earlier, against San Francisco, Hedgecock was bumped by a 49er after a play. He responded by falling over backward as if in a dead faint. This tricked an official into penalizing San Francisco. “That’s one way to get on TV,” Hedgecock said.
Between whistles, however, Hedgecock is all business. Jacobs and Ward each gained more than 1,000 yards this season. Jacobs was asked about Hedgecock’s help. “Madison goes in there headfirst,” he said. “He clears the holes out. I am glad we got Madison in the killer deal from St. Louis.”
The Giants chose him on waivers from the Rams early in the 2007 season.
Hedgecock heard he was cut from St. Louis while driving a combine on his day off. He does similar chores these days in a rural area of New Jersey.
Hedgecock has no tattoos and no plans for any. “I’d write something stupid and have to erase it,” he said. He enjoys topics that are not city slick.
When asked about his beard and mustache this week, he said he was trying to look Amish because the Giants are about to play a Pennsylvania team. Jacobs, Ward and Bradshaw are known as Earth, Wind and Fire, so what should Hedgecock be called?
“We call him the Preacher because he says he likes to baptize people when he hits them,” Ward said. “He’s the best fullback in the N.F.L. by far. The offensive line is the bread and Madison’s the butter.”
On a few passes this season, Hedgecock appeared to have butter on his fingers when he dropped balls. He said this week that he had a dislocated finger that has since healed.
He caught eight passes for 52 yards this season, including a 13-yard gain for a first down in a critical 34-28 victory over Carolina on Dec. 21. His receptions usually come after he blocks: short tosses as a late option for Eli Manning.
Hedgecock carried the ball only once on a handoff this season. He was stopped for no gain on a third-and-1 against Carolina. “They stunted and there was nowhere to go,” he said. “They had us.”
But he excels at blocking. Kevin Gilbride, the team’s offensive coordinator, said that Hedgecock primarily hits linebackers but that he has become sophisticated about rescuing plays when defensive linemen beat offensive linemen.
“It won’t be noticeable necessarily to the outside world, but his teammates appreciate it and I know his coaches do,” Gilbride said. “He adds significantly to the toughness that we have as an offense.”
Danny Clark, a linebacker, said Hedgecock “will bloody his nose and he’ll wipe it off and keep going.” He added: “I don’t think every linebacker in this league looks forward to lining up against him. He’s a stud. He’s a blue-collar guy. He’s the epitome of a New York Giant.”
Hedgecock, sometimes a man of many words, occasionally turns taciturn and speaks mostly with body language: the shrug, the smile, the tap on the shoulder of his questioner. How would he define himself? “I’m just a humble fullback,” he said.

En Inglaterra declaran abierta la guerra Benítez-Ferguson

Las declaraciones de Rafa Benítez acusando a Alex Ferguson de tener privilegios han provocado un auténtico tsusami mediático en Gran Bretaña.El 'Daily Express' abre su edición deportiva con una foto de Rafa Benítez y un enorme titular que reza 'Ferguson está por encima de la ley', el 'Daily Star' no se quiso quedar corto y abre sus deportes con otra foto del entrenador del Liverpool y un expresivo 'Rafa lanza sus puñetazos primero', el popular 'The Guardian' apuesta por una apertura mucho más contundente: 'Rafa declara la guerra atacando a Ferguson', el mediático 'The Mirror' apuesta por otra apertura pero destaca la polémica Benítez-Ferguson, 'The Telegraph' abre directamente con un vídeo del entrenador español, 'The Independent' destaca las palabras de Benítez por encima de cualquier otro tema, mientras que 'Daily Mail' es el que se muestra más directo con un espectacular montaje fotográfico (en la imagen).Como casi siempre el más contundente es el tabloide 'The Sun', que bautiza las palabras de Rafa Benítez como 'el mayor ataque contra Alex Ferguson', y el más medido fue el prestigioso 'The Times', que tampoco duda en abrir su información deportiva con las palabras del entrenaro 'red'.

Troppo freddo a Fiorano Ferrari svelata al Mugello

La Casa di Maranello ha deciso di spostare la presentazione della macchina che correrà il Mondiale 2009 dall'Emilia, avvolta nella morsa del gelo, alle colline vicino a Firenze. La rossa, che verrà scoperta lunedì, sarà la prima monoposto svelata

MILANO, 10 gennaio 2009 - La nuova Ferrari debutterá al Mugello e non a Fiorano. La casa di Maranello, come si legge sull'edizione on line del magazine "Autosport", è stata costretta a cambiare il programma di lunedì 12 gennaio per le condizioni climatiche particolarmente rigide. Infatti il circuito di Fiorano è stato interessato da una nevicata nei giorni scorsi e la temperatura è sottozero praticamente tutto il giorno in questo periodo. Non proprio l'ideale per girare.
PER PRIMI - La Ferrari sará il primo team a presentare la nuova monoposto per la stagione 2009. Saranno a disposizione dei tifosi fotografie e dati tecnici della macchina a partire dalla mattinata. Poi il tutto verrà arricchito durante la giornata dalle prime immagini della vettura in movimento e dai pareri a caldo del pilota brasiliano e degli altri esponenti di primo piano del team.

Cristiano Ronaldo zerlegt seinen Ferrari

Glück im Unglück für Cristiano Ronaldo: Europas Fußballer des Jahres durchbrach mit seinem Ferrari in der Nähe des Flughafens von Manchester eine Absperrung und zerstörte sein Fahrzeug. Der portugiesische Angreifer von ManU blieb zwar unverletzt, die Polizei hat dennoch Ermittlungen aufgenommen.

Cristiano Ronaldo ist am Donnerstagmorgen bei einem Autounfall in Manchester mit dem Schrecken davongekommen. Der 23-jährige portugiesische Star in Diensten von Manchester United prallte in der Nähe des Flughafens mit seinem Ferrari gegen eine Absperrung. Europas Fußballer des Jahres blieb dabei unverletzt, wie der britische Sender BBC berichtete. Ein Atemalkoholtest am Unfallort zeigte laut Polizei keine Auffälligkeiten.Sein Klub bestätigte, dass sich Ronaldo in guter Verfassung befinde und am Training teilnehme. In den Unfall war kein anderes Fahrzeug verwickelt. Die Polizei hat die Ermittlungen aufgenommen.Der portugiesische Nationalspieler fuhr um 10.20 Uhr auf der A538 Altrincham Road in einen zweispurigen Tunnel, bei dem aber eine Hälfte der Fahrspur gesperrt war. Zwischen Wilmslow und Hale kam es dann zu dem Unglück. Ein Reifen des Ferraris wurde rund 200 Meter hinter der Unfallstelle gefunden.

Eine Augenzeugin berichtete, dass die Front des Wagens von Cristiano Ronaldo völlig demoliert war und überall Splitter und Scherben herumlagen. "Ronaldo stand neben seinen Fahrzeug und blickte verloren und völlig perplex drein", so die Beobachterin weiter. "Meine Tochter sagte zu mir, oh Gott, dass ist doch Cristiano Ronaldo. Es war unglaublich, dass er nicht verletzt war, denn das Auto sah schlimm aus."
Eine Sprecherin von manchester United bestätigte: „Cristiano geht es gut. Er hat keine medizinische Behandlung benötigt und am Morgen mit dem Team trainiert."

Glück hatte wohl auch Ronaldos Teamkollege Edwin van der Sar. Der niederländische Torhüter fuhr in seinem Bentley hinter dem 23-Jährigen, konnte dem Ferrari aber gerade noch ausweichen.