Over the last 13 NBA seasons, there have been three teams from the Western Conference to play for an NBA championship.
The Dallas Mavericks have played twice, both times against the Miami Heat, winning one time and losing one time.
The Los Angeles Lakers have played seven NBA Finals, all under Kobe's watch, going 3-1 with Shaq and 2-1 with Gasol and Bynum.

If you were wondering how much it costs to finish second in La Liga and get knocked out the Champions League semifinal by nine men and Fernando Torres, the answer is $217,014,221.

That, according to the salary survey in ESPN's latest Money Issue, was Barcelona's total payroll at the start of the 2011/12 season, making them the highest-paying sports team in the world for the second year running.

(Editor's Note: This article is a follow-up to two articles written in December 2011 and this past January about St. Louis' struggles to land an MLS franchise. If you haven't read those yet, it is highly recommended. This is Part 3 of the ongoing Soccer in St. Louis series.)
Having lived here for just about 5 months now, I can say one thing about for certain about the St.

Liverpool is giving Fox Soccer in the U.S., unprecedented behind-the-scenes access for a six-episode documentary series.

Fox said on Thursday that "Our Liverpool: Never Walk Alone" will air this fall in the U.S. and likely will be shown on networks around the world.

"I come from a background where the more supporters get to know the inside workings of the club the more they are interested in the club itself," said Liverpool chairman Tom Werner, also chairman of the Boston Red Sox.

Liverpool will be allowing unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to U.S.-based Fox Soccer Channel to film a six-part documentary series. "Our Liverpool: Never Walk Alone" will document the club's FA Cup final against Chelsea in May, as well as their preseason tour of North America in July.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has urged his team-mates to forget about the FA Cup final - and concentrate on improving their league position.
Gerrard admits three top-flight wins in 2012 is not good enough for the Merseyside giants, who are facing their worst position and points tally since the launch of the Premier League.

El Fenway Park cumple 100 años con una capacidad para 37 mil 493 fanáticos, desde 2003 hasta hoy lleva 748 llenos seguidos, en el se han jugado siete Series mundiales y tres Juegos de estrellas, es el parque de pelota activo más viejo en las ligas mayores.
La construcción del Fenway Park costó 650 mil dólares obtuvo el nombre a que así se llamaba el vecindario donde fue construido.

Moneyball in the Premier League looking at Liverpool, Newcastle and Wigan - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Since the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) bought Liverpool FC last season, there has been a lot of talk about ‘Moneyball'.

This was a successful book chronicling the Oakland Athletics baseball team, and in particular it's General Manager Billy Beane (for a General Manager think of a powerful director of football, David Dein at Arsenal, someone who controls transfer/signings).

Principal owner John W Henry and chairman Tom Werner returned to Boston before the 2-1 victory as they had to keep long standing promises to watch the Boston Red Sox.
However, there was an instant message of congratulation for the team as the dour mood which had led to director of football Damien Comolli's dismissal 48 hours earlier was lifted.

Early goals, excitement in the middle, and losing the game late. These are all things that this season's New England Revolution are starting to do to us. The team debuted Jose Moreno, to minimal fanfare, and had the comeback of Benny Feilhaber held on a day where the Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, and Boston Red Sox were all playing.

If you are interested in the science of sabermetrics - be it from the 'Moneyball' tales of Billy Beane and Bill James, or of Damien Comolli's interest in recreating the same in football - you'll like this article by Neil Ashton on Comolli, sabermetrics, and what's gone wrong at Liverpool.
When the trend for sending statistical analysis to managers on a Monday morning began, Kenny Dalglish filed them in the bin.

Liverpool owner John W Henry has flown back to the United States rather than attend Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Everton at Wembley.
Henry, who also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team, returned to his native America with Liverpool chairman Tom Werner to watch Friday's first home game of the Major League season.

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has revealed that exiting director of football Damien Comolli was "probably not the right person" for the job.
Comolli left the club on Thursday after overseeing the spending of nearly £125million in just three transfer windows.
The strategy was perceived to be part of the 'moneyball' theory favoured by the club's American owners and had been so successful at their other high-profile acquisition, the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise.

With Liverpool owner's John Henry and Tom Werner due in England later this week for the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Everton on Saturday, it is believed that there will be something of a show-down between the owners and Manager Kenny Dalglish.
An end-of-season report is required of the Anfield boss by FSG, who must be very concerned at Liverpool's dismal Premiership performances this Season.

So Liverpool's awkward season continues to progress. Mid-table Premier League and a Carling Cup (with potential FA Cup on the way) I doubt are what John Henry and company expected when they purchased the club last year. With a Champions League place way out of view lots of journalist are talking about how the Moneyball aspect is not working this year.

Liverpool has announced that they will face Roma in a pre-season friendly in Boston during a trip to North America this summer.
The Reds will play the Italian giants on 25th July at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, who share owners with the Anfield club.
The match will form part of the ballpark's 100th anniversary celebrations.

Liverpool FC will take part in a showpiece game against AS Roma at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, as part of the ballpark's 100th anniversary this summer.

The match against the Italian giants will take place on July 25 and will form part of Liverpool FC's North American pre-season tour presented by Standard Chartered Bank.

Liverpool have announced that they will be travelling to North America in July for a 12-day tour that will include at least two matches.

Boston will serve as Liverpool FC's home base throughout the tour and the team will conduct its pre-season training sessions at Harvard University.

Boston-based European club owners will have their teams go head-to-head at one of the United States' most storied stadiums this summer.

After plenty of rumors and speculation, Liverpool officially announced that they will play AS Roma in a summer friendly at Fenway Park this July.

I am beginning to think that I should stay out here in Florida after getting a text message from my Dad who was at the game yesterday telling me we had beaten Leicester with Torres scoring two and ending his goal drought!

Things couldn't have gone any better with City up next on Weds night. Four wins from four and by the sounds of it the side has been rejuvenated.

Jason Varitek, one of the most popular players on the Boston Red Sox in recent history, is reportedly set to retire. The catcher has been with the Red Sox since 1997 and will retire as a member of the team. Last season, the 39-year-old hit .221 with 11 home runs, 36 RBIs and 32 runs.

According tot he reports, Varitek will make his retirement official on Thursday.

Terry Francona, the former manager of the Boston Red Sox who was nudged out of his job during the offseason, doesn't exactly agree with the Red Sox new policy of banning beer in the clubhouse. As Francona sees it, the beer ban could actually make things worse.

Said Francona: "I think if a guy wants a beer, he can probably get one.

The Boston Red Sox have decided to clean up their act. After reports surfaced last season that some Boston Red Sox players were routinely drinking beer in the clubhouse, it was obvious that the team had to do something to change that culture. This weekend, the Red Sox announced that they have banned beer in the clubhouse.

The New York Yankees are looking into adding some depth on their roster by signing Bill Hall. Hall can play multiple positions in both the infield and the outfield. Last season, he played with the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants.

In 185 at-bats last season, Hall hit only .211 with two homers and 14 RBIs.

By Chris Wright

This is a mock-up, before anyone gets too excited

Liverpool have announced this morning that, as of next season, their kit suppliers will no longer be Adidas (after eight years of service) and, as of this summer, will be American bods Warrior Sports.

Adidas backed out of a renewing LIverpool's kit deal as they weren't overly impressed with the club's performance. No matter. The Reds have reached an agreement with US based Warrior Sports that is worth £25m a year for 6 years, which more than Man Utd's annual £23.5m deal with Nike.

New Balance, the parent company of Warrior Sports, is also the supplier to the Boston Red Sox which is owned by John Henry's Fenway Sporting Group, which also owns Liverpool.

Liverpool and Chelsea are both planning summer tours to the United States to compete in preseason friendlies, which may include Liverpool playing AS Roma at Boston Red Sox's Fenway Park baseball stadium, says The Boston Globe. The newspaper reports...
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Liverpool are now concentrating their efforts on financing a new stadium in Stanley Park, where they have planning permission, rather than redevelop Anfield.
American owners Fenway Sports Group had been keen to renovate the current ground like they did at their baseball franchise, the Boston Red Sox.

The Boston Red Sox crumbled in September as rumors ran rampant that manager Terry Francona had let the lockerroom become too wild. Beer drinking and fried chicken eating reportedly took place in the lockerroom. That led to Terry Francona's firing.

With discipline in mind, the Red Sox hired Bobby Valentine.

The Boston Red Sox have officially hired Bobby Valentine to become the team's new manager. The energetic, always-talking and never-dull Bobby V will undoubtedly breathe life back into a franchise that lost its direction last season.

Valentine's last managing job was with the New York Mets. Since then, he's been busy becoming a legend in the Japanese leagues, where he led a lowly team to a championship.

Derek Lowe has been traded to the Cleveland Indians in a deal where the Atlanta Braves get rid of arguably their most overpaid player. In return, the Braves received minor leaguer Chris Jones. In addition to Lowe, the Indians got $10 million toward the $15 million Lowe is due next season.

The Indians are obviously hoping Lowe can bounce back.

The Milwaukee Brewers declined their mutual option on Francisco Rodriguez and the closer is now a free agent. The Brewers had a chance to lock him up for next season but the $17.5 million price tag was apparently too high. Instead, the Brewers gave him a $4 million buyout.

Though a closer throughout his career, the Brewers used him as a setup man after trading for him in the middle of the season.

We've covered why John Lackey sucks. Now, the hefty pitcher for the Boston Red Sox is back in the news after the team announced that Lackey will need Tommy John surgery. Due to the surgery, Lackey will miss all of next season.

But don't feel sorry for him. This is the same guy who divorced his wife while she was battling cancer.

NBA star Lebron James was among thousands of fans who attended last weekend's Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Manchester United. The Miami Heat forward was clearly excited as was evident by his tweets.

"Just got to Liverpool, England,"

"Riding through the city.

Ian Ayre has rubbished a newspaper report claiming Principal Owner John Henry suggested Fenway Sports Group may have overpaid for Liverpool players.
The Reds Managing Director insists Henry's quote was not regarding the club's transfer business and was instead referring to baseball.
Ayre told LFC TV's Friday Night Live: "I have actually seen the transcript.

LeBron James heads to Liverpool for first time since buying stake

• Miami Heat forward will be at Anfield for United game • John W Henry stays in Boston because of Red Sox woes LeBron James has toured Liverpool for the first time since becoming a shareholder in the club.

For the first time since he became a minority owner of Liverpool Football Club in the English Premier League in April, LeBron James will be in the crowd this weekend at iconic Anfield to see the team play.
The Miami Heat forward tweeted Thursday that he had arrived in England and later confirmed to ESPN.

Liverpool owner John W Henry concedes he may have overspent on some players, but believes it was important to put down a marker.
Since completing a takeover at Anfield in October 2010, the Fenway Sports Group has pumped £110.5million into the pursuit of fresh faces.
The likes of Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing have been snapped up for big money, with the Reds aware of the need to spend in order to compete.

John W Henry turns from Red Sox to red shirts for the global gains | David Conn

In the second of our exclusive series, the US owners of Liverpool talk about their investment motives, the merits of Kenny Dalglish and the players he signed – and that thorny stadium issue In his apartment on the 11th floor of Boston's five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Liverpool's principal owner, John W Henry, and chairman, Tom Werner, watched on Fox Soccer Network what could be Liverpool's most significant match of the season, last month's 4-0 demolition by Tottenham Hotspur.

John W Henry's biggest signings in pictures

Following on from our exclusive interview with the Liverpool and Boston Red Sox owner John W Henry this week, we look at the American's most lavish sporting purchases

View the full story here: The Guardian

A news article on 2011-10-13 15:58:05 from: The Guardian

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