April 2012
163 posts
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REVIEW: City 4th club with multiple PL doubles vs...
FOOTBALL - Manchester City completed their double victory over crosstown Manchester United, following up a 6-1 win at Old Trafford earlier this season with a 1-0 win at the Etihad tonight. City became only the fourth club in the PL era with multiple doubles against United. Want to see the complete list?
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Number of ‘double victories’ against Man Utd (seasons in brackets)
3...
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LIVE WIRE: Manchester City v Manchester United...
FOOTBALL - Starting at 20:00 CET today, we will provide Live Text coverage of tonight’s derby match between Manchester City and Manchester United. The service is free for all and free of cost. No subscriptions, no logins, no passwords. You can gain access by clicking the following link: http://bit.ly/IHfu4m We hope that you will enjoy the show!
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PREVIEW: Top two PL teams from same city is rare
FOOTBALL - Manchester City and Manchester United will decide who will capture the Premier League title in the 2011/2012 season. This is only the seventh occasion in the English top flight on which the top two teams in the table reside in the same city.
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It started in Manchester
The first such scenario unfolded in the 1967/1968 season. The interesting fact is that the top two teams then...
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympics:...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s 88-stat and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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BIRTHDAY - 30 April: Don Schollander (Swimming)
SWIMMING: Don Schollander is 66 years old today. When he was 11 years old, he considered quitting swimming after a bout of pneumonia had rattled his invincibility. He persisted. At age 18, he won four gold medals at the Olympic Games. He won Olympic Gold in the 100m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle, 4x100m Freestyle and twice in the 4x200m Freestyle (1964 and 1968). During his career, he set 19 world...
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REVIEW: Juve's 39 steps
FOOTBALL - Juventus won 0-4 at Novara in the Serie A on Sunday and are now 39 matches in all competitions without defeat this season. Click Read More and find out what that means.
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> Juve broke Inter’s record of 38 official matches without defeat from the season start in 2004/05.
> Juventus are also unbeaten in their last 36 Serie A matches and they are closing in on the...
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REVIEW: Nadal's 48th singles title sees him enter...
TENNIS - Rafael Nadal has won his second men’s singles title of 2012, winning his seventh career crown in Barcelona. He thereby claimed his 48th career men’s singles tournament title, which sees him equal Ilie Nastase in 10th place all-time. Click here to see what the Top 10 looks like.
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Most career men’s singles titles - ATP
109 - Jimmy Connors (USA)
94 - Ivan Lendl...
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RECORD: Real trio reach new heights
FOOTBALL - Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (43), Gonzalo Higuaín (21) and Karim Benzema (20) have become the first trio from the same club in La Liga history to score 20+ league goals each in a single season. On a personal note, Ronaldo equalled an 80-year-old record.
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Ronaldo scored once vs Sevilla (3-0) to take his La Liga total this season to 43. He became the first player in 80...
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympics:...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s 89-stat and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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BIRTHDAY - 29 April: Andre Agassi (Tennis)
TENNIS - Andre Agassi is 42 years old today. He won eight Grand Slam tournaments and one Olympic gold medal during his career. He was arguably the best service returner in the history of the game. In his career, he was the number one of the world for 101 weeks. Agassi won 60 ATP tournament single titles. He is one of only four players (apart from Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal) to have...
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REVIEW: Suarez scores first PL hat-trick
FOOTBALL - Luis Suarez became the first Uruguayan to score a PL hat-trick in Liverpool’s 3-0 away win at Norwich City on Saturday. He is the 13th different player to achieve the feat for Liverpool in the PL era. Click on ‘Read More’ to see some highlight stats of today’s PL action.
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> Robin van Persie scored his 28th PL goal of the season – now two short of...
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PREVIEW: Manchester derby among biggest in England
FOOTBALL – On Monday, 30 April, the two Manchester sides will play a Premier League match that will be absolutely crucial to the outcome of the 2011/2012 league championship. We asked a dedicate follower of English football to name the top 5 derbies and this match made it into the list. Click to read about the most eagerly anticipated battles in English football.
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1. Manchester United vs...
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympics:...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s 90-stat and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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BIRTHDAY - 28 April: Walter Zenga (Football)
FOOTBALL - Walter Zenga is 52 years old today. He was a goalkeeper for Internazionale and played 328 games for the ‘nerazzurri’ from 1982 to 1994 . Zenga won the Serie A title once, the Italian Super Cup once and the UEFA Cup twice. He amassed 58 caps in the national team. He led an almost unyielding Italy defence in the 1990 World Cup, keeping opponents out for a record 518...
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PREVIEW: Serie A Matchday 35
FOOTBALL - On Saturday and Sunday, it is time for the 35th matchday of the 2011/2012 Serie A season. Juventus are unbeaten in all 38 matches in all competitions this season. Inter are the only club to have recorded such an unbeaten streak in all competitions from the season start: 38 in 2004/05.
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Siena - AC Milan
> If Milan win all their remaining four Serie A matches, they will...
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PREVIEW: Manchester City v Manchester United
FOOTBALL - The 36th matchday of the 2011/2012 Premier League season is upon us. The match of the week is Manchester City against Manchester United. Manchester United has three points more than ‘The Citizens’. Both teams have three more games to play and in Manchester is this the game for the championship. This is the 162nd Manchester derby. Manchester United have won 67, Manchester...
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PREVIEW: La Liga Matchday 35
FOOTBALL - The 35th matchday of the 2011/2012 La Liga season is upon us. Will Real Madrid become champions? If Real Madrid win and FC Barcelona lose they will capture La Liga 2011/2012.
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Real Madrid - Sevilla
Head to Head
> Earlier this season, Real won 6-2 at Sevilla with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick. He can become the first player in 18 years to score two hat-tricks...
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PREVIEW: Bundesliga Matchday 33
FOOTBALL - The 33rd matchday of the 2011/2012 Bundesliga season is upon us. Mario Gomez needs three goals to match his personal best in a Bundesliga season - last season’s 28. He also needs three goals to reach the mark of 150 in German league football.
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SC Freiburg – 1. FC Köln Saturday 28 April
Head to Head
> Since August, 1996, Freiburg have not lost at home against Köln. In the...
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IN THE NEWS: Last chapter in Antonio Di Natale’s...
FOOTBALL - After the tragic incident of Piermario Morosini’s death two weeks ago, Antonio Di Natale on behalf of Udinese and their charity ‘Udinese for Life’ showed a tremendous gesture by announcing that they will financially look after Morosini’s handicapped elder sister. Whilst some would label today’s football world as cold and cynical, there is always a heartwarming tale by this veteran...
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REVIEW: First WCh round hard on snooker seeds
SNOOKER – So far, the 2012 World Snooker Championship has been highly unpredictable, with eight seeded players eliminated in Round 1 at the Crucible. For the favourites, the seeded players, the outcome of the first round has not been as unkind in the last 20 years, since the 1992 World Snooker Championship.
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Selby sails out at first hurdle
World number one Mark Selby is the biggest...
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IN THE NEWS - End of an era as Pep waves goodbye
FOOTBALL - Pep Guardiola has decided to leave FC Barcelona after the season, marking the end of FC Barcelona’s most successful era. Under Pep’s tenure the club won no fewer than 13 trophies out of a possible 18.But most of all he gave the world a Beautiful Game.
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After taking over from the highly successful Frank Rijkaard in 2008, few people would have thought Pep Guardiola...
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympic...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s statistic and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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BIRTHDAY - 27 April: Ari Vatanen (Rally racer)
RALLY RACER - Ari Vatanen is 60 years old today. Ari Vatanen ruled the world of rally racing from 1974 to 1998 and made a brief comeback in 2003. He won the World Rally Championship in 1981 and the Paris - Dakar in 1987, 1989, 1990 and 1991. Vatanen was a very popular driver due to his style of driving. He was not afraid to take risks.
Shares birthday with: Edward Gibbon, Samuel Morse, Sheena...
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REVIEW: Bilbao v Atlético 6th Spanish European...
On Thursday, Athletic Bilbao and Atlético Madrid qualified for the final of the 2011/12 Europa League. This is the second consecutive season that this final will be played between clubs from the same country. Last year, FC Porto defeated Sporting Braga in Dublin.
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Bilbao vs Atlético will be the sixth final in a European tournament between two Spanish clubs, breaking the record of five...
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympic...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s statistic and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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BIRTHDAY - 26 April: Fanny Blankers-Koen...
ATHLETICS - If Fanny Blankers-Koen were still alive today, she would be 94 years old. She won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles, 4x100m relay events at the 1948 London Olympics. She was the most successful athlete at those Games. In 1948, she was 30 years old and the mother of two. Because she had two children, her nickname was “The Flying Housewife”. She passed away on...
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REVIEW: Bayern München to play final on home turf
FOOTBALL - Bayern München became the fourth club to host a Champions Cup/Champions League final in their own stadium, knocking out Real Madrid in the CL semifinals. In 1957, Real Madrid won the final on home turf and in 1965, Internazionale did the same. In 1984, AS Roma became the first and only side to lose a CC/CL final in their own stadium.
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PREVIEW: Colts will try their Luck with top pick
AMERICAN FOOTBALL - On Thursday, April 26, the 2012 NFL draft will start in New York City. The Indianapolis Colts had the worst record in the 2011 regular season and therefore have the right to select first. It is widely expected that they will select Andrew Luck, quarterback from Stanford. In fact, the Colts have confirmed that.
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Sweepstakes for Suckers
Luck was already penciled in as...
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympic...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s statistic and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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OFF THE WALL - Steal made on a shoestring
BASKETBALL - We love the creativity by the Celtics’ Avery Bradley on this play. As the opposition is moving, he is pretending that his shoelaces are untied. And he sells the fake brilliantly. The upcourt pass falls into his waiting hands and he leads the easy counter-attack. Did you ever trick your opponents like this?
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BIRTHDAY - 25 April: Johan Cruijff (Football)
FOOTBALL - Johan Cruijff is 65 years old today. He has won the Eredivisie (Dutch league) nine times, La Liga (Spanish league) once and has won the Champions Cup three times. He is the joint record holder for winning the most Ballons d’Or with Michel Platini, Marco van Basten and Lionel Messi. He is one of the most famous players of all-time. He also successfully managed Ajax (1985-1988) and...
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REVIEW: Chelsea celebrate Olympic performance
FOOTBALL - Chelsea stood their ground at the Camp Nou, managing a 2-2 draw at FC Barcelona to reach the Champions League final. London has never produced a Champions Cup/Champions League winner and only five European capitals have. Click to Read More on the other four and the only city to win Europe’s biggest prize in a year that that city hosted the Summer Olympics.
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Barcelona is...
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EURO CLUB INDEX: Chance of Clásico final down to...
FOOTBALL - Last week’s Champions League semi-final first legs have unsurprisingly had a major effect on the chances of the Euro Club Index top two clubs of reaching this year’s Champions League final. The chance of May’s final being between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid has now reduced to 43%.
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Both clubs are still favourites in their semi-final ties to reach the final in Munich on...
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PREVIEW: CL semis - Real Madrid v Bayern München
FOOTBALL - On Wednesday, the Champions League match Real Madrid v Bayern München will take place at Santiago Bernabéu. Last week Real Madrid lost by 2-1 at the Allianz Arena. Los Merengues want to reach the Champions Cup/Champions League final for the 14th time. Click to Read More key facts on this match.
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> This fixture was also a CC/CL semifinal matchup in 1976, 1987, 2000 and 2001....
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympic...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s statistic and all the other ones that we have posted so far.[[MORE]]
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BIRTHDAY - 24 April: Alessandro Costacurta...
FOOTBALL - Alessandro Costacurta is 46 years old today. He won the Champions Cup/Champions League five times and the scudetto (Italian league) seven times. He is one of only five players that have won the CC/CL at least five times. The others are Francisco Gento (6), Alfredo di Stéfano (5), José Zárraga (5) and his former teammate Paolo Maldini (5). He is the joint record holder for oldest...
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PREVIEW: CL semis - FC Barcelona v Chelsea
FOOTBALL - On Tuesday, the Champions League match FC Barcelona v Chelsea will take place at Camp Nou. Last week FC Barcelona lost by 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Barça have won their last 15 CL home matches. Click to Read More key facts on this match.
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> Chelsea have won only three of 15 away matches against Spanish clubs. However, they are unbeaten in their last seven in Spain, since...
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympic...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s statistic and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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BIRTHDAY - 23 April: Sven Kramer (Speed Skating)
SPEED SKATING - Sven Kramer is 26 years old today. You will not find him on our Infostrada Sports Wall Of Fame, because he is still active. But you will probably find him there in the future. The Dutchman has won one Olympic gold medal and 16 at World Championships (five Allround and 11 in Single Distances). He is a ferocious competitor, who wins wherever he goes.
Shares birthday with: William...
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AWARDS SHOW: Van Persie voted Player of the Year
FOOTBALL - Robin van Persie has been voted the PFA Players’ Player of The Year for the 2011/2012 season. The Premier League top scorer and Arsenal captain is the third Dutchman to win the award behind Dennis Bergkamp (1997/1998) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (2001/2002). He is the first Arsenal player to take home the honours after Thierry Henry won his second in a row in 2004.
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REVIEW: Juve stay undefeated through first 33
FOOTBALL - Juventus are undefeated through the first 33 matches of the 38-match 2011/2012 season. If they also avoid defeat at Cesena this Wednesday, they will equal the Serie A record by AC Milan, who stayed undefeated through their first 34 in 1991/1992. Theoretically, they could set a new record at Novara next Sunday. Cesena and Novara are the lowest ranked teams in Serie A.
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ODDS AND ENDS - Scoring four and not winning?
FOOTBALL - Manchester United and Everton negotiated a 4-4 draw on Sunday, making it the 13th such result in the PL era. We have looked at all occasions on which a team scored (at least) four goals. Only 3.6% (31 of 854) of all sides that achieved that failed to win the match. And 0.6% (5 of 854) even went on to lose that match.
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REVIEW: Vettel relishes racing in Asia
FORMULA 1 - Sebastian Vettel recorded his 22nd career F1 Grand Prix victory and the first of the 2012 season. Eleven of his 22 Grand Prix victories have come in Asia, where he has now won all eight Grands Prix on the current F1 calendar. The only Asian GP he has never won is the now defunct GP of the Pacific (in Japan).
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REVIEW: Nadal exorcises Djokovic demons
TENNIS - Rafael Nadal claimed his 47th career men’s singles tournament win and his first in 2012, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters. The Serbian had beaten the Spaniard in their seven previous encounters and in 10 of their last 12. Nadal improved his career record against Djokovic to 17-14.
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Nadal has beaten only one opponent more often than Djokovic....
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ANALYSE THIS: How total dedication won Dortmund...
FOOTBALL - Borussia Dortmund started the 2011/2012 Bundesliga season with three defeats from their first six games, but they nevertheless retained the German title. We think that their early exit in Europe was a blessing in disguise.
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Slow start, early exit in Europe
Dortmund’s first half of the season saw them shift their focus between the domestic league and Champions League. They...
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PREVIEW: Nadal eyes record eighth straight
TENNIS - Rafael Nadal needs one victory to become the first tennis player in men’s singles history to win the same tournament in eight successive years. Three other players, none in the Open era had won the same championship seven years in a row. Click Read More to reveal who they are.
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Winning the same men’s singles tournament seven years in a row
7 - Richard Sears (US...
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LONDON CALLING – Countdown to the 2012 Olympic...
OLYMPICS - With the 2012 Olympic Games in London getting closer by the day, we are in full-on Olympic stats mode here and @Infostrada2012. Every day from 100 days to go until the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony, we will post a statistic related to the number of days left until the Games. Click ‘Read More’ to see today’s statistic and all the other ones that we have posted so far.
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BIRTHDAY - 22 April: KAKÁ (Football)
FOOTBALL - Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, better known as Kaká, is 30 years old today. He is one of the biggest Brazilian stars of the last decade, winning the World Cup with his country in 2002. With his domestic clubs he has won the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, Serie A and is about to win La Liga with current employer Real Madrid. Kaká is a devout Christian and an accomplished...
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IN THE NEWS: Hendry completes third WCh 147
SNOOKER - Seven time world champion Stephen Hendry set the Crucible Theatre alight at the first day of the 2012 World Snooker Championship by rattling in a 147 maximum break, a record-tying third for him in the history of the competition, which has welcomed only 10 such achievements. Click to Read More.
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Maximum (147) breaks at Crucible World Snooker Championship
3 - Ronnie...
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BREAKING - Humber hurls a perfect number
BASEBALL - Philip Humber became the 21st pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw a ‘perfect game’, meaning that a pitcher does not allow any of the opposing players to reach first base. No base hits or walks allowed. He is the fourth player in the last three years to achieve the feat and the third pitcher from the Chicago White Sox to accomplish this remarkable performance.
