Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player on Tuesday, the first time the prolific backcourt ace has received the honour after 12 seasons in the league. Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 5.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds a game this season for the Lakers, whose 57-25 record was the best in the Western Conference. The 6ft-6ins (1.98 metre) Bryant, named four times to the All-NBA First Team, helped the Lakers win three successive NBA titles from 2000.

    Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who steered Bryant through his NBA title partnership with former Laker Shaquille O’Neal and who directed the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, praised Bryant for his dedication. “I don’t know anybody who deserves it more,” Jackson said. “I’ve never known anybody who has worked as hard to accomplish what he’s accomplished in this game.”

    Bryant believes the Lakers are finally back on track, and he said he hoped winning the MVP award would lead to a grand finale for the Lakers.

   Former world champion Alan Jones believes the Australian Grand Prix will disappear from the Formula One calendar after 2010. Jones says the race is unlikely to continue at Melbourne’s Albert Park and has no chance of a future in Sydney.

Australian Grand Prix Corporation officials are trying to persuade F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to extend the contract for the Australian event beyond 2010. Ecclestone has issued a variety of veiled threats about the race’s viability, including suggesting recently it might move to Sydney. A major feasibility study into upgrading the Eastern Creek facility near Sydney to Formula One standards was recently announced.

    However, according to Jones, the 1980 F1 champion, the Australian GP’s days are numbered. The Australian Racing Drivers’ Club (ARDC) has commissioned one of the world’s leading motor racing circuit engineering companies to determine what would be needed for Eastern Creek to meet F1 regulations. The study will explore the possibility of building a major complex which could host MotoGP and V8 supercar races as well as Formula One.

    Ecclestone claims Russia and India are two countries standing ready to snap up the Australian round if the contract is terminated, although grand prix officials doubt they will be prepared. Ecclestone has also demanded a night race be staged if the round is to remain at Albert Park to attract more television viewers in the northern hemisphere but the Victorian government has ruled that out.

    Meanwhile, Jones has apparently mellowed in his view on women in open-wheel racing following reports American IndyCar race winner Danica Patrick could test for the Honda F1 team. Jones, the boss of Team Australia in the international A1 Grand Prix series, says modern technology means it is now easier to drive a Formula One car.

    China will take on the United States in the opening round of the Beijing Olympic basketball tournament after the Saturday’s draw. China will face the USA’s team made up by NBA stars on August 10 in Group B, which also includes world champions Spain, African title-holders Angola and two qualifiers yet to be named.
    Hosts China are expected to be led by Houston Rocket centre Yao Ming, who is currently recovering from injury, while NBA stars will make up the core of the US and other teams such as Argentina, Russia and Spain.
In the women’s draw, China was bracketed with the US, New Zealand and Mali in Group B, while South Korea, Australia and Russia make up Group A. Five other qualifiers will be determined in a qualifying tournament in Spain in June.
    After Saturday’s draw, China’s women beat Team USA 84-81 in a warm-up match. It was the first time a Chinese men’s or women’s team had ever beaten the United States.
    And the FIBA president Bob Elphinston said the basketball arena in Beijing Olympics is magnificent, possibly the best ever for Olympic basketball games.

   The British police arrest 30 pro-Tibet protesters in order to keep them away from the Beijing Olympics flame overnight, making sure that the torch went a high security tour of London.

    The pro-Tibet demonstrators held up banners and had their faces painted in the colours of the Tibetan flag, shouting of “Tree Tibet” around the streets. Two demonstrators were arrested as they attempted to extinguish the torch, and one was pushed to the ground as he tried to seize the flame from a British TV presenter taking part in the relay. Police were on bikes and running alongside the flame escorted each member of the relay. A spokesman for the Chinese embassy said that its ambassador to Britain, Fu Ying, had run without trouble in London’s Chinatown.

    The torch will  heads for Paris later today and French authorities have also prepared massive security for the relay which has sparked protests since it was lit in Greece a week ago at the start of its 136,765 kilometre, 21-country journey to Beijing.

The 23-year-old Briton, Lewis Hamilton from McLaren crashed out of Bahrain Grand Prix free practice while Ferrari’s Felipe Massa set the pace. He lost control of the car on the exit to turn seven in the middle sector of the slippery desert circuit. However, Hamilton still set the fourth best time of the afternoon at Sakhir, behind third-placed Finnish team mate Heikki Kovalainen and the two Ferrari drivers, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, who repeated their morning one-two.

 David Sneath who has worked  at a Fort Motor Co. parts warehouse for 34 years. However, when he discovered he had won a $136 million Mega Millions jackpot, he decided not to walk out for work any more. He yelled at his boss and said “I ‘m out of here” after he picked up his first 1 million check.

    It was his 60th birthday on April 1st this Tuesday, and he won the jackpot on that day. When he told his friends and relatives, all the people thought it was an April Fool’s joke at first. And the winning ticket was bought by his daughter on his father’s behalf during trip to a gas station to get cigarettes.

    Sneath now plans to buy a cottage on Mullett Lake in northern Michigan and maybe a new fishing boat or two to help him land the walleye he loves to catch. And he’s also tired of misplacing his glasses and may get a laser surgery to correct his vision. Then he’ll probably move out of his three-bedroom, two-bath ranch home, although he plans to stay in Michigan.

From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080404/ap_on_re_us/mega_millions_winner

By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN, Associated Press Writer Fri Apr 4, 12:00 PM ET

    The American tennis player Andy Roddick, who was the sixth seed in Miami tennis Masters, toppled world number one Roger Federer in three sets on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the ATP Masters Series. Roddick downed the top-seeded Swiss Federer 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-3, leaving him still in search of his first title of 2008.

    Roddick recorded 17 aces to post the victory in 1hour 55min, claiming just his second victory over Federer in 17 tries. He earned his only break of Federer’s serve in the eighth game of the third set, allowing him to serve out the match in the next game.

   Roddick was the 2004 champion,but he did not play a seeded player en route to his fifth quarter-final in nine career appearances here. The 25-year-old American has enjoyed a solid season thus far, with an 18-3 mark and titles in San Jose and Dubai. Roddick will face Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals.

   China launched the Olympic torch relay on Monday. President Hu Jintao officially set the flame off on its globe-trotting trip at a nationally televised ceremony from Tiananmen Square, after the Olympic torch arrived from Greece earlier Monday. Then there will be a 130-day relay, which will cross 19 countries before it returning to China. Present Hu declared the start of the torch relay of the Beijing Olympic Games and holding aloft the torch before passing it ti Liu Xiang. China’s newly appointed Vice President Xi Jingping used the ceremony to welcome the world to the Chinese capital for the August 8-24 Games.

  However, tight security highlighted concerns that protests over Tibet, human rights and other issues may tarnish its journey around the world. Activist groups have warned they will use the relay to highlight concerns over China, including the crisis in Tibet, Beijing’s ties with Sudan, and domestic human rights issues.

  As Chinese government said, “The modern Olympic Games are a great event of peace and friendship for people around the world.” They will make a great effort on the security of the Games and everybody in the world should remember that the Olympics have nothing to do with the politics.

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news/article/-/1937830/china-launches-olympic-torch-relay

AFP - March 31, 2008, 6:27 pm

   Dirk Nowitzki (my favourite!!!) from Dallas Mavericks suffered the injury during Sunday’s 88-81 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Mavericks announced on Monday that Nowitzki will be sidelined indefinitely with a high left ankle sprain and a mildly sprained left knee. Dirk said it was fairly new to him, he never had knee problems before. It was really a great loss to the Mavericks. The long-term absence of Nowitzki could prove fatal for the flailing Mavs, who have dropped to seventh in the Western Conference standings and are just two games ahead of the ninth-place Denver Nuggets. 

  A seven-time All-Star, Nowitzki is averaging 23.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 69 games this season. Dallas’ leading scorer and rebounder, Nowitzki suffered the injuries when he landed awkwardly after blocking a shot by San Antonio’s Ime Udoka with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter. He crumpled to the ground and grabbed his left knee while grimacing in pain. Nowitzki tried to put some weight on the leg but now he had to be helped to the locker room. I hope he can return back team soon.

Fromhttp://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txmavericksnowitzki&prov=st&type=lgns

Mar 24, 3:14 pm EDT