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**StarDust Bum** · 06-18-2010, 08:55 AM

USA takes on Slovenia in second World Cup match

After pushing England to a 1-1 tie in the World Cup opener, team USA takes on Slovenia at Ellis Park on Friday at 10:00 AM ET. The Slovenians already have a win under their belt, a 1-0 decision over Algeria, and an upset here will advance them to the second round of competition. According to Sportsbook.com, a Slovenia win would in fact be an upset, as they are +260 to win, while the USA is +105 and the reward for correctly calling a draw is +220.

Andrej Komac probably never has heard of Joe Namath, even though he sure can imitate the Hall of Fame quarterback. The Slovenia midfielder is so confident about the tiny country's chances against the United States in their World Cup match on Friday that he guaranteed victory.

"We are going to win this match," Komac said after practice Tuesday. He added there's "a good feeling" on the squad after Slovenia beat Algeria 1-0 to claim its first World Cup victory and the top spot in Group C. Komac came on as a substitute in the final minutes.

The U.S. and England have one point each after their 1-1 draw.

With a population of just over 2 million, Slovenia is the smallest nation in the World Cup — about the size of Houston. But its national team has upset bigger rivals before. It finished second in its qualifying group ahead of the Czech Republic and Poland, then stunned Russia in a two-match playoff to enter its second World Cup.

Besides the fact there are 150 times more Americans than Slovenes on the planet, the U.S. has a strong edge when it comes to soccer. The United States is No. 14 on the FIFA world rankings and has participated in the World Cup eight times before, with a 1930 semifinal as its best performance. Incidentally, Slovenia is ranked 25th.

Captain Robert Koren secured the victory Sunday against Algeria with a long-range shot in the 79th minute that goalkeeper Fawzi Chaouchi misjudged and allowed to bounce into the net off his arm.

Komac doesn't expect the U.S. to underestimate his team, given what it's accomplished so far. "We took three points in the first game. No one looks at us as small anymore," he said. "Now we can only go forward like this, because we are leading the group."

Slovenia produced few scoring chances against Algeria, but fielded a strong defense the North Africans couldn't break down. Komac said Slovenia is not going to change strategy when it faces the Americans.

"We are playing our style of football and we'll continue with that, and we can beat the U.S. with that style," he said.

For those interested in wagering on the total for Friday’s match, the key number is the customary 2.5-goals, with the OVER priced at +140 and the UNDER at -200 at Sportsbook.com.

**StarDust Bum** · 06-18-2010, 08:56 AM

Friday Tips

Another round of interleague action begins on Friday night with plenty of contenders facing off. The Subway Series resumes in the Bronx, while the Red Sox welcome back an old friend when the Dodgers invade Fenway Park. We'll start in the nation's capital with Stephen Strasburg going for his third win in three tries against the White Sox.

White Sox at Nationals - 7:05 PM EST

The hype is still there for Strasburg, who makes his third career start after beating the Pirates and Indians. The righty takes on a second interleague opponent in the red-hot White Sox, who have won six of seven.

Strasburg (2-0, 2.19 ERA) lasted only 5.1 innings in his last outing at Cleveland, but allowed two hits and struck out eight. The Nats gave the former top pick plenty of run support in a 9-4 victory, with each of first two wins coming by an average of four runs. Strasburg has struck out 22 batters in his two victories, while getting limited to 95 and 94 pitches, respectively.

It's amazing that Gavin Floyd (2-7, 5.64 ERA) has as many wins as Strasburg even though the White Sox righty has made 11 more starts. Floyd is coming off two of his best starts of the season, but was on the losing end of defeats to the Tigers and Cubs. In his last outing Sunday night at Wrigley Field, Floyd allowed just three hits and one run in eight innings, as the Sox fell to the Cubs, 1-0.

The White Sox are 7-1 the last eight interleague games on the road, including a 4-1 mark this season. The Nationals own a 6-2 record the previous eight at home, as Washington has won five straight games as 'chalk' at Nationals Park.

Mets at Yankees - 7:05 PM EST

The Subway Series went to the Mets the first time around back in May, as Jerry Manuel's squad took two of the final three games. The Mets have been surging of late, winning 10 of 11 to climb right back into the NL East race behind the Braves. The Yankees are rolling as well, with victories in seven of their previous nine.

The first game of the last series between these rivals featured Hisanori Takahashi and Javier Vasquez on the hill with the Yankees sneaking out a 2-1 victory. The two pitchers take the mound once again on Friday, with both hurlers coming off victories in their last outing. Takahashi (5-3, 3.48 ERA) silenced the Yankees and Phillies in each of his first two starts, going 12 scoreless innings, but splitting the two games. The Mets' southpaw beat the Orioles his last time out by tossing seven innings, giving up six hits and one earned run.

Vasquez (6-5, 5.43 ERA) started the season slow, but has delivered three consecutive quality starts, all Yankees victories. The veteran improved to 2-0 interleague play with a 9-3 home triumph over Houston, scattering six hits and three earned runs in seven innings of work. Four of Vasquez's last six starts have finished 'under' the total, after four of his five outings this season went 'over' the total.

The final two games of this series at Citi Field sailed 'over,' which has been a rarity when these clubs meet in Flushing. Seven of the last 10 meetings at Citi Field have gone 'under,' while seven of the previous eight matchups in the Bronx have finished 'over' the total.

Dodgers at Red Sox - 7:05 PM EST

Manny Ramirez makes his much-anticipated return to Fenway Park for the first time since getting traded in 2008 from Boston to Los Angeles. The Red Sox have won eight of the past 10 at home, while still trailing the Yankees and Rays in the AL East. Los Angeles couldn't pull off the sweep at Cincinnati, as the Dodgers are 2-3 the last five games after a four-game winning streak.

Two relatively unknown pitchers take the hill in the series opener with Felix Doubront making his big league debut. The southpaw went 2-1 at Triple-A Pawtucket, with an ERA of 1.08 in four starts. Doubront replaces the injured Daisuke Matsuzaka, as the 22-year old has spent the last six seasons in the Red Sox organization.

Carlos Monasterios (3-1, 2.98 ERA) had his worst Major League start his last time out, getting knocked around by the Angels in a 6-5 loss. The right-hander allowed seven hits and four earned runs in 2.2 innings of work, Los Angeles' first loss in his five starts this season. Monasterios won his only road start, a 5-4 decision at Colorado on May 28 as $1.40 underdog.

The Red Sox are 6-2 in interleague play this season, while winning all three series against the Phillies twice and Diamondbacks. The Dodgers finished last season at 5-4 on the road against AL opponents, as Los Angeles hits the road in interleague for the first time this season after home series versus the Tigers and Angels.

Twins at Phillies - 7:05 PM EST

Two playoff teams from a season ago meet up for the first time since 2004, as Minnesota makes its first ever appearance at Citizens Bank Park. The Twins took two of three from the Rockies at home, while the Phillies have struggled against AL foes, going 3-5.

A pair of pitchers that have struggled lately toe the rubber on Friday night as Nick Blackburn and Joe Blanton square off. Blackburn's (6-3, 4.96 ERA) last two road starts have been a disaster, giving up 20 hits and 10 earned runs in losses at Oakland and Seattle. The righty rebounded with a quality home start against the Braves his last time out, scattering six hits and two runs in seven innings, but Minnesota fell, 3-2. The loss to Atlanta was only the second in seven career interleague starts made by Blackburn.

Blanton (1-5, 7.28 ERA) has been unable to find his groove this season, dropping four straight decisions and allowing 23 ER and 38 hits in this span. The 'over' has turned into a solid play when Blanton starts, hitting in three straight starts, with at least 11 runs combined each time. The Phillies are just 1-3 in Blanton's four home starts this season, while going 0-4 in his four interleague outings since 2009.

Minnesota will be playing its first interleague road series this season at Philadelphia, as the Twins went 6-3 on the highway against NL opponents last season. The Phillies own a 2-10 record since last season at home in interleague play, including five losses as a favorite of at least $1.40.

**StarDust Bum** · 06-18-2010, 08:57 AM

Woods, Lefty fail to birdie in 1st round

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -Pebble Beach looks just as tough as it did 10 years ago for the U.S. Open. It just doesn't have Tiger Woods pushing it around.

A punishing opening round on a picturesque day featured Shaun Micheel and Paul Casey making birdie putts on the 18th hole to share the lead at 2-under 69 with Brendon De Jonge, whose best shot was a wedge he holed for eagle.

Equally memorable was what Woods and Phil Mickelson didn't do. Neither made a single birdie, the first time the world's top two players have ever competed in the same tournament without making one.

``There's a long way to go,'' Woods said after opening with a 74, five shots out of the lead and one better than Mickelson's 75. ``Just keep plugging along and see where I come Sunday afternoon.''

It doesn't figure to get any easier - not for Woods, Mickelson, or even the leaders. Even in relatively gentle conditions, only nine players managed to break par.

One thing seemed as clear as the blue sky over the Monterey Peninsula: That 12-under par by Woods a decade ago is safe. If one round was any indication, anything under par might be good enough to win this U.S. Open.

``I'm not thinking about what kind of score might win this golf tournament,'' Ian Poulter said after a hard-earned 70. ``I'm just happy to go out there and play as good as I possibly can. But I will tell you the golf course is difficult. There's not going to be many good scores on it today. And I can't see it getting easier.''

De Jonge, a 29-year-old from Zimbabwe playing in his first U.S. Open, holed out with a wedge for eagle on the scary par-5 14th and hit it stiff on the par-3 17th for his round of 69. Casey got away with average iron play by taking only 23 putts.

The average score was 75.25. It was a round that helped put Woods' 15-shot victory in 2000 into perspective. Except for his record score of 12-under par in the last U.S. Open at Pebble, the best anyone else managed was 3-over.

There will be no such runaway this week. After one round, Woods is already eight strokes behind his 2000 pace.

He hit every green Thursday in opening with eight pars - extending his streak to 34 holes without a bogey in a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach - but never gave himself many good looks at birdie. His day ended badly, with a three-putt bogey from the fringe on the 16th, missing an 8-foot birdie on the 17th and laying up in a bunker to take bogey on the 18th for a 3-over 74.

``I hit the ball well enough to shoot a good score,'' Woods said. ``These greens are just awful. They're moving every which way.''

Woods never had that problem 10 years ago, making everything inside 8 feet. He is a different player now, playing this U.S. Open under far different circumstances with the turmoil in his personal life. And this golf course has rarely looked so tough in relatively calm conditions.

Mickelson, already with a record five runner-up finishes in this major, hit two balls in the ocean, took two shots to get out of one bunker and missed a half-dozen birdie putts inside 12 feet.

It was his highest opening round in the U.S. Open since 1997, though he was not entirely discouraged.

``There's no way under par is going to win here, I don't believe,'' Mickelson said. ``I think over par will win. Because of that, I'm right there. But I need to play well. I need to putt well, score well. I've just got to get sharp on the greens.''

Mike Weir chipped in for a bonus birdie on the 16th to reach 3-under, only to bogey the final two holes and settle for a 70, leaving him in a group of international players that included Poulter of England, 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa of Japan, K.J. Choi of South Korea, Alex Cejka of Germany and Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Argentina, who had Visa trouble even getting into the country for his first U.S. Open.

Dustin Johnson, the back-to-back winner of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February when the turf is soggy and only two rounds are played at Pebble, was among those at even-par 71. His round was derailed by a four-putt double bogey on the 14th.

That was only one of several miscues:

- Aaron Baddeley thought he had an ace on the 17th when his shot caught the lip. He four-putted for a double bogey.

- John Rollins was tied for the lead at 2 under when he put his tee shot into the rough at the far end of the hourglass green. He shanked his chip toward the 18th tee, left his third shot in the gnarly rough and wound up with a triple bogey.

- Morgan Hoffmann of Oklahoma State was at even par, a remarkable performance for a college kid in his first U.S. Open. But he hit two balls into the ocean on the 18th - the first one on a ricochet off the tree in the middle of the fairway - and took a quadruple-bogey 9.

``My favorite hole on the golf course,'' Hoffmann said. ``I was looking forward to it all day.''

Lee Westwood, the No. 3 player in the world who has a second and two tied-for-thirds in the last three majors, had a 74. He played with Woods and Ernie Els, who had a 73.

At first glance, the course seemed benign, especially with only a freshening breeze that picks up along the coastal holes. But it looked frightening with a club in hand. The fairways were particularly fast, the greens so firm that balls would bounce as high as six feet in the air upon landing.

``It looks like it's wide-open fairway, but in the teeing ground ... you look right, look left, either way is very tough,'' Choi said. ``And you can't stop in the bouncing, so you're very scared on the tee shot.''

Micheel managed best on the greens, and he was helped by his own sense of perspective.

His mother, Donna, was diagnosed with cancer a year ago. Micheel, a surprise PGA champion at Oak Hill in 2003, had to cope with low testosterone that has slowed him in recent years and cost him his full PGA Tour card for this year.

He choked up during his TV interview when speaking of his mother in Memphis, Tenn. The cancer was diagnosed in her lung, and since has spread to her brain, liver and spine. He doesn't expect her to live beyond the summer, and she could not get out to the course last week in Memphis when Micheel tied for fourth.

``It's nice because I'm playing for somebody else,'' Micheel said. ``It's always been about me, me, me. What am I going to shoot? It doesn't matter to me. I love my mom. What do you say?''

For everyone else, Pebble Beach - more specifically, the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach - is enough to get their attention.

Defending champion Lucas Glover bogeyed his first two holes and ground out a 73. Not so fortunate were the 15 players who failed to break 80, and a few former U.S. Open champions who barely did.

Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 winner, played an eight-hole stretch in 8-over in the middle of his round and shot 79. Tom Watson, the 60-year-old who won at Pebble in 1982 and is playing this week on a special exemption, still managed to show his famous gap-tooth smile despite a 78.

``Pebble had its teeth out today,'' said Watson, the only player to compete in all five U.S. Opens on the seaside course.

Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington rallied for a 73 while playing with Mickelson.

``Our scores say a lot about the U.S. Open,'' Harrington said. ``You get good golf courses like this ... set up reasonable in a regular event, guys would shoot regular scores. But in this event, everybody gets a bit more tense.''

**StarDust Bum** · 06-18-2010, 08:59 AM

Micheel shares lead at US Open

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -Shaun Micheel will drop his clubs and walk right out of this U.S. Open if his dying mother needs him by her side back home in Memphis.

It won't matter where he sits on the leaderboard - or where he is.

While Micheel doesn't think he will to have to make an early exit from Pebble Beach, his mom isn't expected to live much past August, if that long. Donna Micheel's lung cancer has spread to her brain, liver, lungs and spine.

Nobody would blame Micheel if his mind was far from this gorgeous golf setting and the Open this week. Yet his mom wants him right here, making a living playing the sport he loves. Micheel dabbed back tears at the end of his sensational opening round Thursday, when he shot a 2-under 69 for a three-way share of the lead to kick off his seventh appearance in the national championship.

``Doctors aren't very specific how much time she has,'' Micheel said. ``We're all hoping for a miracle.''

The next milestone would be her 64th birthday on July 2. She already made it to Mother's Day and then her 42nd wedding anniversary on June 8, six hours of which were spent in a chemotherapy session.

Talking about his mother's failing health is helping Micheel cope with it all - even if he's unsure how she would feel about him sharing such personal information in the most public of forums and with the world watching his every swing, chip and putt. And tear.

``It makes me feel better. It's very therapeutic for me to be very open,'' said Micheel, whose best Open finish was a tie for 28th in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills.

He constantly fights the guilt he feels for continuing to play golf while his mom fights for her life. Micheel has reworked his schedule to stay close, and skipped overseas events.

Wherever he is when his mother's final days arrive, Micheel will get home to say goodbye. He's counting on Hospice to help him know when that is.

``I need to be there. I will be there. I have to be there,'' he said. ``It's like a husband wants to be there when his wife gives birth. Golf doesn't have to be my life. My mom is my life. We all only have one mother, one father.''

Last week in his hometown of Memphis, where he tied for fourth, Donna Micheel had hoped to watch him in person for the final time. But she just wasn't physically able.

He wanted to win for her, and came close.

The 41-year-old Micheel is trying to make enough money this season to earn a full PGA Tour exemption for 2011. He's also keeping his results and performance in perspective - something he's gained going through all this with his mom.

So far this year, Micheel has earned $632,730 on the PGA Tour, good for 75th on the money list, and another $7,223 on the Nationwide Tour.

``I've certainly had a lot of time to reflect on not only the golfer that I want to be, but the person that I want to be and the father that I want to be and the husband that I want to be,'' Micheel said. ``I thought a lot about my career. When you don't win multiple times and you don't always have that exemption, it's not easy finishing in the top-125, it really isn't. ... I needed to work hard and I needed, probably, a little bit of an attitude change.

``I think I'm so result-oriented. I think I look too far out in the future instead of focusing on what it is I need to accomplish each day as a golfer.''

He cherishes each day his mom has left, each regular Sunday dinner she can still be part of at Micheel's house. Micheel thought he was losing her when his father called on May 9, Mother's Day, and asked him to come over. Donna's white blood cell count was dangerously low. She could barely speak as her son lifted her onto the bed. It took five days in the hospital to get her blood cell count back to a normal level.

This week, Donna is cheering her son from afar. He calls her a ``very encouraging person.''

``Golf, I think, is a very emotional game anyway, if you let it be, so in some way I suspect that maybe this is helping my game,'' Micheel said. ``And I can't, I don't understand it.''

Donna is all but homebound now, her immune system susceptible to the most minor virus or bug. Micheel is trying to take care of his father through this ordeal, too, while also finding ways to explain the dying process to his 6-year-old son.

``I'm trying to focus on the great things in my mom, all the great things that she's done for me in the course of my life,'' he said.

Micheel and his dad have found in recent months they can talk about life and its real issues, going beyond their usual topics of Micheel's golf game, football or when they next will go hunting.

``On Mother's Day, I could see the trepidation in my dad. He was almost confused about what he should do when he called 911. I hate that it takes something like this to bring families closer together, but it has,'' he said. ``It really has.''

Micheel knows not everybody he plays with at Pebble Beach, or anywhere else, has any idea what he's dealing with off the course. The camaraderie with his colleagues helps nonetheless.

Rocco Mediate put his arm around Micheel on the 18th and told him he had predicted solid ball-striking from the Tennessean on Thursday.

``He told me I didn't disappoint,'' Micheel said.

The smallest of gestures mean so much these days.

``The whole Tour's a great support group,'' Micheel said. ``Jonathan Byrd lost his father last year of brain cancer, Kenny Perry has lost his mother. ... It's just nice to have great friends out here and everybody's helping me through it. And I'm very fortunate to have that.''

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