Serena acts like a Williams

“I swear to God I’m... going to take this... ball and shove it down your... throat, you hear that? I swear to God,” Williams said.

By Steve Ginsburg

NEW YORK, Sept 12: Belgian comeback queen Kim Clijsters knocked out Serena Williams in a wildly controversial finish on Saturday to advance to the final of the U.S. Open and become the poster girl for working mothers.
Just weeks after returning to the tour from a two-year break to start a family, Clijsters beat the defending champion 6-4 7-5 after a day-long rain delay at Flushing Meadows.
At 5-6, 15-30 down in the second set, Williams whacked her second serve but the lineswoman called her on a foot-fault that put her at match point down.
The American’s subsequent expletive-laced tirade directed at the lineswoman resulted in a point penalty — and the end of the match.
“I swear to God I’m... going to take this... ball and shove it down your... throat, you hear that? I swear to God,” Williams said.
After the line-judge reported the second seed to the umpire for verbal abuse, Williams added: “I never said I would kill you, are you serious?"

Pakistan HF rocked yet again

On behalf of the former PHF employee, his wife Shafia Imtiaz has sent a letter to the prime minister, saying that her husband was sacked on baseless allegations by the PHF secretary Asif Bajwa on Feb 10, 2009. –Online Photo

KARACHI: Pakistan hockey officials, who proudly claim of bringing huge amount of money into the national federation’s kitty, are liable to pay Rs 174,500 of a sacked employee who has appealed to the prime minister to help him recover the amount.
Imtiaz Baig, a former Karachi-based Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) accountant, has urged the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to intervene and ask the hockey officials to release the amount which he had been waiting for the last six months.
On behalf of the former PHF employee, his wife Shafia Imtiaz has sent a letter to the prime minister and chairman of National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, Jamshaid Dasti, on Sept 5, 2009, saying that her husband was sacked after baseless allegations by the PHF secretary Asif Bajwa on Feb 10, 2009.
But before his removal, she said, since PHF Karachi Camp Office at Hockey Club of Pakistan was short of cash, her husband was asked to spend an amount of Rs 94,500 to meet the PHF expenditures.
The amount was for paying gas bill, air tickets, construction of posts for TV cameras, cellphone bills of Asif Bajwa and selector Rana Mujahid, surety bonds of national team players, insurance and catering bills for the officials during series between Pakistan senior and junior teams.
Apart from the said amount which was yet to be paid back, Shafia said, her husband had also provided Rs 80,000 to help PHF meet the expenses during 2006-07, but the federation had not paid back the money, although it had been recorded in the audit book.
She said the amount was spent by her husband on PHF expenditures after the assurance by the Karachi Camp Office that the money would be paid back once the details of the expenses would be received by Lahore-based PHF headquarters.
It has been further alleged in the letter by her that although PHF treasurer Gulfaraz Ahmad Khan had been requested in writing through letters dispatched by courier three times to pay back the amount, he didn’t pay heed despite the lapse of six months.
She said the PHF treasurer was apprised that her husband had been rendered jobless by the PHF secretary and now she needed money for eye surgery of her son, but she never heard from the official.
‘I was told by PHF director administration Karachi Camp Office, Iftikhar Syed, that I will get my money back whenever the cheque is released from Lahore. But I am yet to receive a single penny of that amount,’ Imtiaz told Dawn.com on Saturday.
His wife further wrote to prime minister that since there was no source of income after her husband lost his job, it had become impossible to pay medical bills, school fee and daily expenses, especially because of inflation.
‘Although PHF has spent millions on hockey since the sacking of my husband, our money has not been paid back which proves that it is a vendetta against my husband. I request you to investigate and punish those who are involved in this and save us from begging to meet our expenses,’ she wrote.
Imtiaz had already sued Asif, seeking Rs 34.68million in damages for what he claims was illegal sacking. The case is pending against the PHF official in Sindh High Court.
Ironically, the government is believed to have allocated Rs 120million grant for the PHF recently, while PHF is spending Rs 150,000 on lucky draw in the ongoing Junior Super Hockey League in Karachi in a bid to attract crowds.

Emmaus program celebrates 50 years of success

By Bradley A. Huebner
(SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL)

UNITED STATES: Nothing they do in the Emmaus field hockey program is done halfway. Until now.
The Green Hornets are celebrating their 50th season this year, taking them halfway to 100, or a century. Nothing about that benchmark has been approached halfway.
The booster club has produced a media packet in the school's green and gold with a logo celebrating the accomplishment and five crisp typed pages of notes. On the fence behind the visitors bench hangs a sign commemorating this season.
The program has known only two head coaches: Virginia Huber went 138-28-31 from 1960-75. Sue Butz-Stavin took over from there, going 691-72-33. She should eclipse the 700-win total in the coming weeks.
Butz-Stavin ranks second all-time for wins among high school head coaches. Her 2001 induction into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association hall of fame came as no surprise.
The program's achievements read like a never-ending dynasty: 34 conference titles, 24 District 11 titles, nine state titles, two national titles.
Butz-Stavin regularly sends her seniors to Division I programs with scholarships. The next girl to do so will be the program's 100th. Four current seniors have already made verbal commitments to college programs.
Emmaus alumni often go on to great success in college.
Cindy Werley (twice) and Autumn Welsh won Honda national Best Player of the Year awards. Kristin McCann and Werley made the USA national team. Werley also played on the Olympic team.
Butz-Stavin and her girls annually face a standard so high that any loss seems to blemish the considerable history. That's why the players organize their own summer practices -- six days a week. The recent addition of the artificial turf surface and stadium lights have modernized the program that once played off-campus high up South Mountain in the uneven outfield of a baseball field.
This season the program will play its 1,000th game, the 800th for Butz-Stavin. Half a century of success at Emmaus means something more than just about any other sport at just about any other Lehigh Valley high school.
The expectation this year will not change: league title, district title, state title, national title. While the game has progressed and the world has changed, Emmaus' commitment to success and demands have remained the same in an age when commitment takes on various definitions.
The program will officially celebrate the milestone on Oct. 17 when Emmaus hosts interstate rival Eastern High of New Jersey, currently ranked third in the nation. That 7 p.m. game will follow an alumni reunion at Memorial Field at 5 p.m. Alumni from every class will return to commemorate the occasion.

Young players hound Chua Boon Huat

2002 KL World Cup: MALAYSIAN skipper Mirnawan Nawawi is ecstatic after scoring his team's third goal off Chua Boon Huat's (left) pass against India in the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Malaysia won 3-2. - Photo: Vino John.

CHUA Boon Huat, 29, will be heading for Austria on Wednesday to play in their league, but is unsure if he will be selected for the World Cup Qualifiers in New Zealand on Nov 7-15.
Age, according to Chua who was supposed to play in the New Zealand league earlier, does not favour his selection, as younger players are snapping at his heels.
“I will be playing two matches in Austria together with Sallehin Ghani, and we will return in time for the Hari Raya celebrations.
“After that, we will head for Austria again in early October and return by the 12th to rejoin national training.
“However, I am not too sure about securing a place in the NZ Qualifier, as many talented young players are in the training pool now,” said Chua.
Chua was not selected to go on the recent New Zealand and Australia Tours, but his stint in Austria will be a valuable experience irrespective if he is selected for the Qualifier or not.
Malaysia will open accounts against Austria on Nov 7 in the Qualifiers, and not much is known about their playing capabilities.
“There is only one Division in Austria, and so one can expect all the national players to turn out for their clubs and it will give me some information on their playing style, and it will be helpful, provided I am selected for the Qualifier,” said Chua.
Junior World Cup players Faizal Shaari, Hakim Adnan, Khairul Annuar and Marhan Jalil have started to show progress since being included into the senior side, and at least two of them could be selected for the Qualifier.
The entry of players like Faizal and Marhan, could just sideline the experienced Boon Huat who made a name for himself with a sterling display in the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games where Malaysia won silver medal.

Room for only one bad hair day...

MALAYSIA will open against Austria in the World Cup Qualifier in Invercargill, New Zealand on Nov 7, and there is room for only one bad day.
Six teams will be involved in the Qualifier for the New Delhi World Cup next year, and the stakes have been set at winners take all.
Malaysia have classified New Zealand and China as their biggest hurdles, and will play the Kiwis midway, while China are the team's final fixture.
"It looks like an encore of the Japan Olympic Qualifier (for the Beijing Olympics), as we only have room for one bad day, while our last match against China might just decide if we play in the final the next day.
"There are plenty of rest days in between for recovery in this tournament, and we are looking at a top-two finishing, which will give us a shot at the gold medal," said team manager George Koshy.
In the Japan Olympic Qualifier, Malaysia needed to win and Japan a draw to play in the final against Germany. After taking a 3-1 lead, Malaysia crumbled and the match ended 3-3.
Germany went on to beat Japan, and then win the Olympic gold.
Meanwhile, South Korea have declined an invitation to play against Malaysia in a Three-Nation, and the plan now is to hold Test matches against Australia.
"I spoke to Australia today (yesterday) and they told me that they can only give an answer in the next few days. It would be good to play Australia in October, as we can learn much from them," said George.
WORLD CUP QUALIFYING FIXTURES -- Nov 7: China v Scotland, New Zealand v Wales, Malaysia v Austria; Nov 8: Scotland v New Zealand, Wales v Malaysia, Austria v China.
Nov 10: Austria v Scotland, Wales v China, New Zealand v Malaysia; Nov 12: Malaysia v Scotland, Austria v Wales, China v New Zealand.
Nov 14: Scotland v Wales, New Zealand v Austria, China v Malaysia; Nov 15: Final.