Bob Bradley to Remain as US Soccer Team Coach

Parke Brewer 01 September 2010

Photo: AP

US national soccer team coach Bob Bradley reacts as he leaves a news conference in Irene, South Africa, 27 Jun 2010, one day after the US team was eliminated from World Cup competition by losing to Ghana 2-1 (file photo)

U.S. men"s national soccer team coach Bob Bradley has agreed to a four-year contract extension, ending speculation he might be replaced when his contract expires at the end of this year.

U.S. Soccer announced the deal late Monday, and on Tuesday federation president Sunil Gulati and Bob Bradley answered questions from the media via teleconference.

Gulati said Bradley"s experience and success as U.S. coach over the past four years outweighed any concerns about the team continuing to progress over the next four-year cycle leading up the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"We"ve talked about that," said Gulati.  "I think Bob"s aware of that concern and we think we can manage that.  We"re not going to look at simply the last cycle of the U.S.  Teams do well and teams go down.  It"s not just down to [the responsibility of] the coach.  Italy and France would attest to that after having been in the [World Cup] final [in 2006].  And the progress that we"re going to have is not going to be from every World Cup."

Italy defeated France in the 2006 World Cup final and both teams failed to make it out of first round group play at this year"s World Cup in South Africa.  Under Bradley, the U.S. men finished undefeated in their first round World Cup group for the first time in 80 years.  The team was knocked out in the round of 16, losing 2-1 in extra time to Ghana.

While waiting for the U.S. Soccer Federation to decide his future, the 52-year-old Bradley explored options for coaching in the English Premier League.  But ultimately he is excited to stay on as coach of his national team.

"I certainly believe that the work that went into the past four years, the experiences that we"ve had, will really work for us as we put one cycle behind us and begin the process of the next four years," said Bradley.

Bradley talked about what is needed to keep the American soccer program moving forward.

"The ability as a coach to continue every day, every year, to challenge your players the right way; to know how in some moments to reenergize yourselves, refocus yourselves, and in some ways reinvent yourselves."

Bradley guided the U.S. soccer team into its first final in a major FIFA tournament in 2009 at the Confederations Cup in South Africa.  His overall mark in four years is 38 wins, 21 losses and eight draws.

Next up for Bradley"s team are two friendly home matches: October 9 against Poland in Chicago, and October 12 against Colombia (in Chester) in suburban Philadelphia.

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Ramadan Tests US Teen Athletes

Dora Hasan Mekouar | Washington, DC 01 September 2010

Photo: Natasha Yaqub

Samee Khan, 14, (second from left) abstains during a water break at football practice because he is observing the Ramadan fast.

When the George C. Marshall High School cross country team assembles each day for practice in Falls Church, Virginia, Maha Hassan is not among the runners.

Instead, the 16-year-old athlete walks around the school track on her own to try to keep her conditioning up.

Hassan is not running this summer because she is observing the Ramadan fast, which means she abstains from all food and drink during the daylight hours.

Added challenge

The timing of the Muslim fast changes each year. It occurs during the ninth lunar month of the year and begins with the sighting of the new moon. This year the holiday began on August 11, during one of the warmest months of the year.

“I would like to run but I have to remember that I am fasting. I have to remember that I would be too tired and wouldn’t be able to try my hardest,” says Hassan. “After Ramadan is over, I can run on my own until winter track in November.”

Hassan has fasted during Ramadan since the age of 13 and decided to observe the holy month this year instead of participating in cross country. Her decision to fast came after spending the summer with her cousins in Sudan.

“When I was talking to my family, I felt like it should be more important to me and that I should be more involved in my religion.”

Hard choices

Young Muslim athletes often try to participate in both fasting and their chosen sport. However, hot summer days have prompted many teen athletes at Marshall High School to reconsider.

Marshall football player Rakin Hamad, 17, is one of them. He fasted last year, enduring grueling practices in the heat without water.

“It was pretty hard. There were some points where it was just too hot. There were times I had to go to the trainer and just lie down.”

After learning that his coach planned to hold two practices a day, Hamad reluctantly decided not to fast this year.

He will start applying to colleges soon, and believes playing on the varsity team could bolster his chances of getting into the university of his choice.

“I just decided I couldn’t fast this year especially since it’s the middle of August when the heat is unbelievable and with two practices, it was just too much.”

Soccer player Carma Khatib has found a middle ground that works for her. She fasted for the first time last year, trying it for one day. Khatib felt the experience helped her empathize with the less fortunate, who often do not have food to eat.

This year, she’s figuring it out as she goes along.

“I’ve fasted a couple of days. During soccer, I either don’t fast or I fast but I drink water so I stay hydrated.”

Personal decisions

These different approaches to observing Ramadan are not unusual, according to Joshua Salaam, youth director at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society, a mosque and community center in Sterling, Virginia.

“Some Muslim youth are not at the same religious level of others. Some youth don’t pray at all, some don’t fast.”

Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, director of the Minaret of Freedom Institute and a professor at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, agrees.

“From my personal experience, Muslims are pretty good about fasting,” he says. “It is more common to see Muslims neglect their prayers rather than the fast because the five daily prayers cause more of an interruption during the day.”

Double devotion

Samee Khan is trying to maintain his dedication to both religion and football.

An observant Muslim, the 14-year-old prays five times a day and fasts every year.

He also plays on the freshman football team at Herndon High School in Virginia. As a child, Khan"s’s father used to take him to Redskins training camp to watch the professional football players practice.

“I’ve always wanted to play football,” he says. “It was my first love.”

The three-hour daily practices take place in the early afternoon, during the hottest part of the day, making Khan"s fast particularly challenging.

“It’s horrible. Sometimes you have trouble breathing. You have this terrible taste in your mouth,” he says. “The coaches don’t really cut us any slack.”

Having two fellow Muslims on the team helps, as does support and encouragement from his non-Muslim teammates, who admire Khan"s discipline.

It isn’t easy, but the teenager wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I have a love for football and a love for my religion. So I’ve got to do both.”

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Pakistan Cricketers to Meet Officials Amid Match-Fixing Scam

Selah Hennessy | London 01 September 2010

Photo: AP

Pakistani cricket fans burn effigy of Pakistani cricket players during a protest condemning them for their alleged involvement in match fixing, in Lahore, Pakistan, 31 Aug. 2010

Three Pakistani cricket players alledgedly involved in a betting scam have left the team"s training ground in southwest England for London, where they will meet with top Pakistani cricket and government officials.

Team captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif are expected to be interviewed about charges of match-fixing first reported in the British newspaper News of the World.  On Sunday, the tabloid reported an agent for several Pakistan cricket players, Mazhar Majeed, took more than $200,000 to pre-arrange no-balls, which are illegal throws, during a test match last week in London.

Three people, all from London, have already been arrested by British customs officials on suspicion of money-laundering and are now free on bail.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has said the three Pakistani players will not be suspended until the allegations are fully investigated.  But the London meeting means they will not be able to play in a scheduled match Thursday.

Angus Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers Association in Britain, thinks the players will also be excluded from other upcoming games.

"I think it is sensible that the players who have charges to answer, whether they are guilty or not, are if possible taken out of the games at the weekend in order that those matches will be cricket matches, rather than a spectacle that focuses on some individuals,"  said Porter.  

The cricket world has been shaken by the scandal, he said. But Porter added that corruption is not unknown in the sport, which he said is designed in a way that makes betting on specific incidents common.  In most countries, the betting is well regulated, but not in all countries said Porter.

"Cricket attracts a huge following in the Indian subcontinent and there is a massive, unregulated, illegal betting market in those countries," he said.  "Therefore, I think there is lots of opportunity for people to make money with spot fixing.  But how widespread a problem it is we simply do not know," said Porter.

During a press conference earlier this week, Pakistan"s Team Manager Yawar Saeed said the Pakistan team will continue its England tour despite the allegations.

"All allegations, whether they are big or small, to us are serious," he said. "But I am not in a position to say what the final outcome is, but I think we should now, I would request, wait until the investigation is over."

The International Cricketing Council has said it thinks the players should not play on the tour while the allegations are under investigation and is preparing a report on the case.  The Pakistani team, meanwhile, is preparing to play several matches in England this month.   

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3 Arrests Made in Pakistan Cricket Scandal

Kate Woodsome | Washington, D.C. 31 August 2010

Photo: AP

Pakistan"s cricket team captain Salman Butt, who is under investigation over claims of match-fixing, in London, 25 Aug 2010

Three people were arrested by British customs officials in connection with a match-fixing investigation into Pakistan"s cricket team as three of its top players were called to London for questioning over the scandal.

Authorities arrested two men and a woman, all from London, as part of a probe into money laundering and are now free on bail, according to British officials.

The implicated Pakistani players had been practicing in southwest England amid a fury of controversy over the betting allegations. But the team"s manager, Yawar Saeed, said captain Salman Butt and star bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif will take a break Wednesday to be questioned by cricket officials and Pakistan"s ambassador to Britain.

The British newspaper News of the World says it paid a cricket agent nearly $230,000 to know when the bowlers would make illegal throws during a game against England.

The scandal is unprecedented in England and has shocked cricket fans there, said Scyld Berry, who covers cricket for London"s Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

"The situation is more serious than it has ever been for cricket in England because there have been many episodes of match-fixing and spot-fixing occurring in Asia, but it"s never really affected the English or British follower before," said Berry.

On a videotape of the undercover sting organized by the News of the World, the agent said he worked for a so-called "Indian party" that pays him for information. Scotland Yard investigators are looking into the identity of that person.

India"s role in illegal betting came further into focus Tuesday as two Australian Cricket stars said an Indian illegal bookmaker targeted them during last year"s tour of England.

Shane Watson told a press conference in Sydney that he immediately informed team managers after a man approached him at his hotel.

"And I actually didn"t think too much more of it until I found out a bit more information that he was actually one of the illegal bookmakers that was trying to sort of get involved," Watson said. 

India is the driving force behind the sport"s illicit betting trade, said the Sunday Telegraph"s Berry. Gambling is illegal in India, where much of the country"s money moves in what Berry called a "black economy."

"These factors combine to make sure that there"s a lot of money sloshing around in India, and that money can be turned into profit by betting on matches which are broadcast in India." Berry said.

Observers said the credibility of Indian and Pakistani cricket was tarnished 10 years ago in a major match-fixing scandal discovered by New Delhi police. Andrew Miller, the UK editor of ESPN"s cricinfo.com Web site, said that case was badly handled and essentially signaled that illicit gambling is tolerated.

"The teams involved more or less got away with it," said Miller. "There were three captains of international sides [who] were banned for life, and one bowler. But generally speaking, large portions of the people who were implicated largely got away with it."

Pakistani players are particularly susceptible to corruption because of the pressures of poverty and family, Miller added.

"When you consider that they have a finite period in which to really maximize on their athletic potential, from 18 to 33, that"s 15 years out of 70-80," said Miller. "Also, the nature of Pakistan society, families are very close knit. If you"ve got one guy that"s a superstar, that money that he earns is going to be spread across his family in a way that you wouldn"t possibly get in a Western society."

At the center of the latest scandal is 18-year-old Pakistani Mohammad Asif, one of the sport"s biggest stars. For him, cricket was a way out of poverty. He could be banned for life if found guilty of intentionally throwing a "no-ball" in exchange for money.

The International Cricket Council has promised "prompt and decisive action" if the allegations prove to be true. One lawyer in eastern Pakistan is already taking action. He filed a petition to the Lahore High Court, accusing the Cricket players of treason.

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India"s Readiness for Commonwealth Games a Concern

VOA News 29 August 2010

Photo: AP

Indian PM Manmohan Singh, right, and Union Sports Minister M.S. Gill, center, talk as Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, left, looks on during a visit to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue of the Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi, India, 29 Aug 2010

Concerns continue to grow that India will not be completely ready to host the Commonwealth Games in October.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inspected venues in New Delhi Sunday and urged organizers to overcome delays that threaten to spoil the event.

Many sports facilities have yet to be completed 35 days before the Games begin, while new roads, overpasses and metro lines are also behind schedule amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement.

A statement from Mr. Singh"s office urged authorities "to redouble their efforts" to quickly complete whatever works remain as people expect "a spectacular and flawless opening to the Commonwealth Games."

One of his stops was Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where renovation work is still underway to prepare for the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics events.

Some 70 nations, mainly from the former British empire, are expected to take part in the 19th edition of the Games which run October 3-14. Athletes will compete in 260 events in 17 sports disciplines.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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Five Inter Milan Players Vie for UEFA Recognition

Nominations for Club Footballer of the Year chosen by 16 coaches whose teams reached knockout rounds of Champions League last season

VOA News 16 August 2010

Photo: AP

Inter Milan Argentine striker Diego Milito (R) faces AC Milan"s Mario Yepes (L) during a warm-up soccer match between Inter Milan and AC Milan at the San Nicola stadium in Bari, 13 Aug 2010

European Champions League winner Inter Milan of Italy has five of the 12 players in contention for UEFA"s Club Footballer of the Year.

Nominations announced Monday were chosen by 16 coaches whose teams reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League last season.  Their votes also created a three-player shortlist for each of four positional categories - forward, midfielder, defender and goalkeeper.

Nominations from Inter include Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder and Argentine striker Diego Milito, who scored both goals in the 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.  The German champions are represented by Netherlands winger Arjen Robben.

Barcelona - which was eliminated by Inter in the semifinals - has four contenders, including Argentine forward Lionel Messi, who won the award last year.

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris of France is included after helping Lyon reach the semifinals.  Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is the only candidate from England after no Premier League club advanced beyond the quarterfinals.

The winners will be announced on August 26 in Monaco, when the draw for this season"s group stage is made.

Nominees:

Forward of the Year: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Midfielder of the Year: Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan)
Defender of the Year: Lucio (Inter Milan), Maicon (Inter Milan), Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
Goalkeeper of the Year: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Victor Valdes (Barcelona)

Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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Organizers of India"s Commonwealth Games Face Corruption Allegations

Anjana Pasricha | New Delhi 13 August 2010

Photo: AP

Indian laborers work on one of the venues of the Commonwealth Games, in New Delhi, 10 Aug 2010

India is preparing to host the Commonwealth Games in October – a sporting event involving 71 nations. But the upcoming event is mired in allegations of corruption.

In the Indian capital, New Delhi, organizers of the Commonwealth Games are racing against time to get stadiums, other venues and sports facilities ready for the event to be held from October 3 - 14. New Delhi"s roads and other infrastructure are being spruced up.

It is the biggest sporting event India will host in nearly 30 years, and was meant to showcase a rising and resurgent country.

But in recent days, the Commonwealth Games have become embroiled in controversy.

Financial irregularities

The government"s auditor has held the organizing body responsible for financial irregularities, loss of revenue and overpayments in over a dozen projects related to the Games. The anti-corruption watchdog has also highlighted concerns regarding several projects.

Many projects have missed deadlines, and concerns have been voiced about shoddy work at new stadiums.

Three senior officials of the organizing committee of the Games have been suspended over allegations of graft involving the Queen"s Baton Relay in London.

The widening corruption charges have rocked parliament as angry lawmakers have demanded that the government investigate any fraud, and sack the head of the organizing committee.

Government stance

India"s Sports Minister M.S. Gill has promised action against the guilty.

He says the government will probe all charges of corruption and conduct an inquiry into all allegations being made. He says nothing will be hidden.

But the minister has appealed to the lawmakers and people to keep the focus on hosting the games successfully, saying that national prestige is at stake.

Gill says the "searchlight" should be turned to the players who will participate in the Games. He says India"s reputation must be upheld.

Organizing committee stance

The Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games has denied all charges of irregularities, and has vowed to stage a successful event. It says preparations have been made to receive two million tourists as well as nearly 10,000 athletes and officials from other countries.

But with corruption allegations continuing to dominate media headlines, questions are being raised whether the event has lost some of its sheen even before it has begun.

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Future Baseball Stars Mingle With Small-Town Fans

Mary Saner | Wilmington, Delaware 11 August 2010

Photo: VOA - M. Saner

The minor league crowd gets a close-up look at Christian Colon, a 21-year-old first round draft pick for the Blue Rocks.

For professional baseball players, the minor leagues are a stepping stone to the fame and fortune of the majors.

But as players pass through small minor league towns and cities, they may discover a different kind of reward.

Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, Delaware, is nothing like the massive arenas where the major league teams play before tens of thousands of fans. There are no huge upper decks or expensive sky boxes. Only about 6,500 hundred people can fit into Frawley.

Fan friendly

But that doesn"t dampen the crowd"s enthusiasm for their minor league team, the Blue Rocks. Some fans come early and watch the players warm up.

Adele Taylor, who"s been a Wilmington Blue Rocks fan for 15 years, sits in the first row, near her team"s dug-out.

"You get to know the players, like my Mr. Catcher here, Mr. Salvador Perez," she says as Perez laughs.

Taylor holds a stack of cards with pictures of each player.

"The team puts out baseball cards. And just as a hobby, I get players to sign. I just do it to get to know them."

"Where else can you get seats for $6 dollars behind home plate?" asks Bill McLaughlan, who along with his wife Betty, gets to the game early.

His wife agrees. "Good seats, good people, the people who work here are nice. And I enjoy it."

It"s a very different setting than a major league game.

Blue Rocks manager Brian Rupp says his players respond to that.

"Most minor league parks are, you know - everything"s a little bit closer. The fans are a little bit closer. It is more of an intimate setting. You come out, you constantly see people wanting autographs, kids all around all the time. And the players are very respectful of that and take their time and sign a lot of autographs and get to know the fans, especially the ones who are here every night. It"s a lot more fan friendly."

Training for the big leagues

All major league teams have minor league affiliates.

The Blue Rocks are the farm team for the Kansas City Royals. Usually located in smaller communities, these teams are a training ground for young players to develop their skills and fine tune their game. There"s none of the glamour of the big leagues. These players travel by bus, not chartered airplanes. They work hard all season, playing a game almost every day.

"It teaches you how to deal with failure," says Christian Colon, a 21-year-old from Puerto Rico. A star player at his California college, Colon was a first round draft pick for the Blue Rocks. "You"re going to find failure in this game and that"s why you have the minor leagues. It teaches how to fail and once you do, you learn how to rebound and find your way."

The hometown reception the players get undoubtedly helps them find their way. In Wilmington, as in other league communities, many players live with a local family during the season.

Community players

Pitcher Buddy Baumann, 22, has enjoyed that experience.

"We have host families. So the fans that really love the team, they get to take care of us and we get to stay at their house for free. And it"s a great way to get out there and get to know everybody who"s rooting for you."

Players and coaches give back to their community, visiting hospitals, camps and schools.

The team sponsors baseball clinics for kids. Before games, it recognizes outstanding students, exceptional youth sports teams, and kids with birthdays.

Nicholas Marcozzi, 10, gets to throw out the first pitch at tonight"s game. He"s been practicing for his big night since his parents won the privilege at a school auction.

As they practice, all the Blue Rocks players dream of one day being in the major leagues. And their fans dream along with them.

"It"s fun to watch them develop. It"s an opportunity that they can move and get to the big leagues," says one fan in the stands. "I get very excited when they get called up."

Another man agrees. "You get to see the stars of tomorrow."

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NBA Players Inspire African Youths to Strive for Basketball Dreams

Ricci Shryock | Dakar 11 August 2010

Photo: AP

NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo of Congo coaches a young Special Olympics athlete during a Basketball Without Borders community event in Dakar, Senegal, 5 Aug 2010

The National Basketball Association"s Basketball Without Borders Africa program this year brought NBA players and coaches to Senegal where they trained some of the best young players on the continent.  The four-day camp tipped off 5 Aug in Dakar as 60 young basketball players from around the African continent gathered to learn from NBA professionals.

One of the players from Cameroon said the camp gives him hope that his dream of playing professional basketball can come true.  Longtime Basketball Without Borders supporter and former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo said the camp also is a chance for others to see what Africa has to offer the world of basketball.

Reciprocal Arrangement

"Africa is a continent that they have so much to offer," said Mutombo.  "I think it is also a continent that is waiting to be discovered. There are so many hidden treasures here in the continent of Africa that people don"t know about, and I"m happy that the NBA has taken the initiative."

One of those hidden treasures who was discovered eight years ago was Luc Mbah a Moute, from Cameroon.  Now a forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, Mbah a Moute was a camper in South Africa at the first Basketball Without Borders event in Africa.  Today he attends the camp as an NBA player who trains and inspires boys whose hopes he once shared.

"When you"re out here in Africa, it seems so far, the NBA," said Mbah a Moute.  "It seems not doable. So to have someone like me come back and tell them it"s feasible, you guys can do it if you work hard, I think is really important."

Inspirational Instruction

Fellow Cameroonian Michel Ange Enanga is a 16-year-old point guard attending Basketball without Borders for the first time.  He said players like Mbah a Moute have inspired him along the way to keep working for his dream to one day play professional basketball.

"I think he"s a great person," said Enanga about Mbah a Moute.  "He has a good heart, a big heart. And he"s a good player, so I want to be like him.  I have hope for the future, because when I see it, I say to myself that you can be like him, you can be like that guy playing.  I can be, and I will be. I make my promise."

Enanga emphasizes that it is the camp that truly has made him feel closer to achieving his aspirations.

"My favorite things is training with the coach, with the NBA coaches and seeing the NBA players is great," he said. "I can touch it. I can touch it. So it"s not dreaming, it"s real."

Abundant Opportunities

Mutombo, who grew up in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, went on to play pro basketball in the United States for nearly 20 years, after a stellar college career at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.  He says giving other Africans an opportunity is one of the most important reasons he is involved in Basketball Without Borders.

"The reason it is so important to me and so close to my heart because, I did get a chance, an opportunity that was given to me to develop into the great basketball player that I"ve become," said Mutombo.  "And I felt that it was my duty to do the same thing to others, to the next generation that are coming up."

Besides drills on the court, the NBA players and coaches also spoke to the young players about life off the court.  Mutombo said that teaching AIDS awareness, community outreach and the importance of education all were essential elements of the Basketball Without Borders program.

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Mardy Fish Riding a Wave of Tennis Success

Steve Schy | Washington, DC 04 August 2010

Photo: VOA – S. Schy

Mardy Fish

American Mardy Fish is on a career-best winning streak and playing the best tennis of his life. 

2010 has been a microcosm of Mardy Fish"s up-and-down career. He was out of the top 100 in the world rankings earlier this year but has jumped up to number 35, thanks to an 11-match winning streak and earning the title at his last two tournaments.

"Yeah, I mean this is the longest match winning streak I"ve had.  You know, I just sort of want to – desperate to keep it going," he said.

It is no surprise that the 28-year-old Fish became a tennis professional. He was born in Edina, Minnesota, but moved to Vero Beach, Florida when he was four years old. His father Tom taught tennis professionally while Mardy was growing in Vero Beach, and Fish says his father was the reason he started playing.

"I always wanted to be a professional athlete and really did not necessarily care which sport. But he kind of pushed me towards tennis," he says, "luckily saw something that I certainly didn"t and a lot of other people didn"t. And I have him to obviously thank for everything."

Fish underwent knee surgery last year, but in some ways it turned out to be good luck. During his recovery, he was able to lose more than 14 kilograms. It has made a real difference in the way he moves on the court.

"I feel like a completely different player, feel like a completely different person on and off the court," he said. "I feel healthy; I feel good about how much work I put in and how hard it was to do it.  Mentally, you would be surprised at how good you feel when, you know, you can play a match in Atlanta where it is literally 150 degrees (65 degrees Celsius) on the court and you can still last and outlast the guys."

One thing that has not changed is the way Mardy Fish feels about representing the United States in Davis Cup tennis.

"In an individual sport that is the ultimate team thing we have. And to root for the guys and play for your country is one of the best things we have going in our sport," he states. "And it is something that I love to do; I have never turned it down and will never turn down in my career."

Mardy Fish turns 29 next month (September 12), so he is older than most players reaching the top of his game. But he says getting older has its advantages.

"You only get better; you only get more and more experience," he says, "so, you know, I"m much more mature like you said; I"m much more experienced now and I"m enjoying it now more than ever."

Fish is good friends with fellow-Americans Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey, as well as many other players. But Mardy told VOA Sports that friendships are forgotten when they are on the court.

"You know, we have a bunch of friends out here so you come up against those guys quite often. You put it aside as best you can," he explains, "there"s nothing else you can do. I mean, they want to win just as badly as you do, so just play the match and you"ll be friends after the match."

With the hard court season in swing, Mardy Fish is preparing for the next Grand Slam – the U.S. Open in New York. And while he will not be one of the favorites to win the event, if he keeps up his current level of play, you can never tell.

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Legendary Baseball Manager Bobby Cox to Step Down

Colin Reynolds | Washington 31 July 2010

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Atlanta Braves" Manager Bobby Cox gives the thumbs up to a fan before the start of the baseball game against the New York Mets Saturday, July 10, 2010.

Bobby Cox is a baseball icon.  After a brief playing career in the Major Leagues, Cox has managed teams for nearly 40 years.  But the 69-year-old Atlanta Braves manager is planning to step down at the end of this season.  Fans say his departure will leave a void in the sport as well as in the Braves" dugout.  Colin Reynolds has more.

Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox has spent his entire adult working life at a baseball diamond.  Now, a career that started in 1968 as the third baseman for the New York Yankees will conclude following the 2010 season.

Cox played two seasons with the Yankees and was named to the 1968 Topps All-Star Rookie Team.  When bad knees ended his playing career at age 30, Cox used his baseball knowledge and expertise to become one of the greatest managers in the history of the sport.  

He began his coaching career with the Yankees in 1971 and won a World Series as the team"s first-base coach in 1977.  The next year he became the manager of the National League"s Atlanta Braves.  After three seasons with the team, Cox took over the Toronto Blue Jays and won the American League"s Manager of the Year Award in 1985.  

He rejoined the Braves in 1990 and is the longest current tenured manager in Major League Baseball.  With Cox at the helm, the Braves won 14 straight division crowns - a record in North American professional sports that ended in 2005.  They won the World Series title in 1995.  But with his team once again atop the division standings this year, the fiery manager says he will call it quits, regardless of the team"s outcome this season. "I made that decision during the winter.  Doesn"t matter what happens.  Win the World Series or whatever.  We (I) just made a decision and we"re (I"m) sticking with it," he said.

While the Braves are currently in first place in the National League"s East Division, they have not made the playoffs since 2005.

Before this season, Cox had won four Manager of the Year awards, 15 division titles, six National League pennants and two World Series titles.  He ranks fourth on the all-time managerial wins list and holds the all-time Major League Baseball record for getting ejected from games with 156.

Aside from the records and accolades, Cox"s legacy is also dependent on the great players that he"s managed and their fierce loyalty to the skipper.  In his 30 years as a manager, Cox says that one piece of advice has been consistent throughout. "Don"t try to overachieve.  Just, you know, play your game.  Do what you can do.  Don"t try to do things you can"t do.  And be consistent with what you do do.  So it may sound silly, but it makes sense to me," he said.

At the end of this year, Bobby Cox will step down from the top but won"t completely leave the game behind.  He plans to take a limited role with the Braves organization, helping build young players and coaches alike.  It appears he"ll never be too far removed from a baseball diamond. "I"m not gonna be in anybody"s hair or anything like that.  Just gonna take it easy.  Go around (and) visit the farm teams, say hello to the players, the coaches, managers.  See if I can boost them up a little bit," he said.

As far as replacing the legend, that responsibility falls on Braves General Manager Frank Wren.  Cox says he will have little to do with the process. "If they ask me, I"ll give them my opinion maybe, but I"m not the one that has to work with him," he said.

Whoever the Braves hire to lead their team next season will have the daunting task of following an icon.  But Bobby Cox"s legacy is not finished just yet.

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