http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A letters@croatia.org Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:31:21 +0000 20 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11453/1/Ivan-Rakitiae-top-class-Croatian-football-player.html Ivan Rakitiæ was born in 1988 in Switzerland to Croatian parents. His height is 1.84 m. As a child, he fluently learned Croatian and German languages, and than added Castillian, English, French, and Italian. He played for Croatian national football representation (196 appearances). On the club level, he played for Basel (Switzerland), Shalke 04 (Germany), Sevilla (Spain), Barcelona (capital of Catalonia, in Spain), Al-Shabab (Saudi Arabia), and Hajduk (Croatia). With his beautiful wife Raquel Mauri he has two children. According to Jose Mourinho, he is "one of the most underrated players in the world". darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11444/1/Ping-Pong-Parkinson-World-Championship-Italy-2025-Lignano-Sabbiadoro-October-20-26.html Announcing important events for three consecutive years. Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship Italy 2025 Lignano Sabbiadoro October 20-26. Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship Germany 2026 Hanover September 24-October 1. Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship Switzerland 2027 Magglinger October 12-17. We build neurons! darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 23 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11435/1/Zrinka-Ljutic-of-Croatia-winner-of-the-World-Cup-slalom-202425-in-Semmering-Austria.html Zrinka Ljutiæ was the winner of the skiing World Cup slalom in Semmering, Switzerland, for 2024/25. This was the first Croatian victory since legendary Janica Kosteliæ in 2006. "I felt all over the place and I really didn't know if I'm fast enough so I tried to push all the way down," Ljutic said about her all-attacking final run. Except of her native Croatian language, Zrinka is very fluent in English and German. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 29 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11430/1/Nenad-Bach-speaking-at-TEDx-Zagreb-PingPong-vs-Parkinson-Uncommon-Solution-Nov-21-2024.html In 2010, Nenad was diagnosed with Parkinson. In 2017, he launched PingPongParkinson" - a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping as many people as possible find relief from Parkinson symptoms by playing ping pong. This initiative has quickly evolved into a global movement spanning 25 countries and five World Championships. The organization's story is captured in a recently published book, "PingPongParkinson": It Started with a Tremor and It's Shaking Up the World". On November 21, 2024, Nenad will release his seventh album. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 01 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11404/1/Valentina-Cafolla-of-Croatia-smashes-two-under-ice-freediving-records.html Croatian freediver Valentina Cafolla has set two new world records on consecutive days in February 2024 at Lake Anterselva in South Tyrol, Italy. On 23 February, Cafolla set a new CMAS Dynamic With Fin (DYN) Under Ice With Wetsuit record of 140m (459ft), retaking. The 140m record was set wearing a monofin, however, the next day, on 24 February, Cafolla became the first freediver to set a record using double fins, swimming a distance of 80. Valentina is a student of the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Kinesiology. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 25 Apr 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11402/1/The-Metros-Croatia-a-Toronto-soccer-team.html Metros-Croatia soccer club was founded in 1956 by Croatian diaspora in Canada. The greatest success was achieved in 1976, when Toronto-Croatia won the Soccer Bowl. This 1976 team was subsequently inducted to the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame. Toronto Croata has been among the most successful Croatian diaspora clubs. There are numerous other Croatian diaspora soccer clubs: New York-Croatia, Frankfurt-Croatia, Frankfurt-Croatia, Munich-Croatia, Stuttgart-Croatia, Sydney-Croatia (Sydney United), etc (more than hundred!). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 21 Mar 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11399/1/Croatia-is-Water-Polo-Champion-of-the-World-in-2024.html Croatia is the Water Polo Champion for the third time: in 2007, 2013, and 2024. Congratulations to Marko Bijac, Mate Anic, Josip Vrlic, Luka Loncar, Rino Buric, Matias Biljaka, Konstantin Kharkov, Filip Krzic, Franko Lazic, Zvonimir Butic, Ante Vukicevic, Loren Fatovic, Jerko Marinic Kragic, Ivan Krapic, Marko Zuvela, and Ivica Tucak (coach). Prior to this, also in 2024, Croatia won silver medal at the European Waterpolo Championship (organized in Zagreb), which was also a huge success. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 19 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11389/1/PingPongParkinson-World-Championship-2023-Wels-Austria.html The PingPongParkinson World Championship 2023 has come to an end. What a tournament it was! New world champions emerged and former champions re-positioned. This was so far the most competitive world championship and with plenty of surprises. We would like to celebrate all players for their determination and congratulate the medalists who took the podium. Global PingPongParkinson movement was initiated by Nenad Bach, on the photo. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 27 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11368/1/Miroslav-Blazevic-1935-2023-legendary-Croatian-football-trainer.html Miroslav Æiro Bla¾eviæ was a legendary trainer of Croatian football representation. Under his leadership, it won sensational thrid place at the 1998 FIFA World Championship in Paris. Due to his leadership, Croatian football representation became universaly known. Under his baton, his team was composed of world class sportsmen such as Davor ©uker, Zvonimir Boban, Slaven Biliæ, Robert Jarni, Robert Prosineèki, Igor ©timac, and others. His successor Zlatko Daliæ, also born in BiH, considers himself to be a student of Æiro Bla¾eviæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 09 Feb 2023 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11364/1/Janica-Kosteliae-eternalized-in-2002-at-Salt-Lake-City-Winter-Olympics.html Janica Kosteliæ is without any doubt the greatest female skier of all times: she won three gold medals and one silver at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, USA. She also won five gold medals at the World Championships. In World Cup competition, she won thirty individual races, three overall titles, three slalom titles, and four combined titles. She is the greatest Croatian sportswoman in history. Her brother Ivica Kosteliæ is the most successful Croatian skier in history. Their successes are a result of a long-term family project, directed by their father Ante Kosteliæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 30 Dec 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11360/1/Croatian-football-team-winning-bronze-medal-of-golden-glitter-at-the-2022-World-Championship-in-Qatar.html Croatia 2 - Marocco 1 is a result in Qatar which enabled Croatia winning its second bronze medal (in 1998 in France and in 2022), besides silver medal won in 2018 (in the Russian Federation). Continuity of excellent results of Croatian team are due not only to talent, but also to perserverance and hard work, under the baton of Zlatko Daliæ, and under the baton of Æiro Bla¾eviæ in France. The result is all the more amazing when one sees some truly top quality representations being left behind Croatia: Brazil, England, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Japan, Marocco, Italy, Belgium, etc. (altogether 211 countries). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 17 Dec 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11358/1/Croatia-1-4---Brazil-1-2-at-the-World-Football-Tournament-in-Qatar-2022.html Croatia, opponents should know by now, does not exit the World Cup without a fight. The Brazilians got a late goal. The Croatians answered with an even later one scored by Bruno Petkoviæ (on the photo; born in the city of Metkoviæ). The game went to a penalty-kick shootout. And only then, with eight quick kicks breaking a tie after 120 minutes could not, was it over. Croatia was heading to the semifinals. (The New York Times. Croatian coach Zlatko Daliæ: "We have a strong character and we do not give up. We were prepared for everything today. We knew that as the game unfolded, our chances would improve." darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 10 Dec 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11357/1/Japan-1-1---Croatia-1-3-at-the-2022-World-Championship-in-footaball-in-Qatar.html The teams of Japan and Croatia couldn't be separated in 90 minutes, pushing the match into extra-time for the first time in this edition of the FIFA World Cup. Even in the extra-time, the two teams couldn't be separated. The Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakoviæ (on the photo) stepped up in the shootout as his side secured a 3-1 (1-1) win in the penalty shootout. Dominik Livakoviæ is married to Helena, who is these days with him in Qatar. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 06 Dec 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11354/1/George-Mikan-Lakers-Jersey-Retirement-Ceremony-in-2022.html The Los Angeles Lakers retired George Mikan's No. 99 jersey in a ceremony on October 30, 2022, when the Lakers hosted the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena. All fans in attendance received a George Mikan replica jersey. The 1948 National Basketball League MVP and four-time All-Star helped lead the then Minneapolis Lakers to five championships (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954) and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959. Donning a Lakers uniform, Mikan led the league in scoring in three consecutive seasons (1948-51) and was the league's leading rebounder in back-to-back campaigns (1951-53). He was six-times the All-NBA First Team selection. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 01 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11352/1/Ping-Pong-Parkinson-World-Championship-in-Pula-Croatia-2022.html U pulskoj dvorani Mate Parlov zapoèelo je Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship Pula 2022, Svjetsko prvenstvo u stolnom tenisu za osobe s dijagnozom Parkinsonove bolesti. Na svjetskom prvenstvu, koje je trajalo od 12. do 16. listopada 2022., do¹lo je vi¹e od 400 sudionika, èlanova pratnje i natjecatelja iz 22 dr¾ave svijeta. Pokretaè ovog prvenstva je neprofitna amerièka zaklada Ping Pong Parkinson, kojoj je na èelu hrvatsko-amerièki glazbenik Nenad Bach, izvoðaè, producent i mirovni aktivist, i sam obolio od Parkinsona. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 14 Oct 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11351/1/Borna-Coric-winning-Cincinnati-Tennis-Masters-in-2022.html Ranked No. 152 and in the tournament via a protected ranking, Èoriæ capped a remarkable week that included a second round victory over Rafael Nadal with a brilliant final that no doubt marks the 25-year-old Croatian as a dark horse contender at Flushing Meadows. The title was the third of Èoriæ career but his first since 2018 and will see him jump up the rankings to world No. 29 on Monday and he will be seeded at the U.S. Open. Among Croatian tennis players, Marin Èiliæ won the Cincinnati ATP Tournament in 2016. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 20 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11347/1/Nenad-Bach--PingPongParkinson-appearing-at-ESPN--Princess-Zeina-Rashid-of-Jordan-visited-the-WTTC.html ESPN produced segment about Nenad Bach and his journey through diagnosis of Parkinson. ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American-based global cable and satellite television channel. Her Royal Highness, Princess Zeina Rashid of Jordan, visited the WTTC (World Table Tennis Center) on Sunday, February 6th 2022, as the first stop on her visit to New York metro area to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the global non-profit PingPongParkinson. The purpose of Princess Zeina's visit to the New York Metro area was to participate in celebrating and promoting the growth of PingPongParkinson. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 29 Aug 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11341/1/Werner-Ilic-and-Martin-Cruickshank-two-Croatian-defenders-paddled-across-the-Atlantic-in-2022.html Werner Iliæ and Martin Cruickshank (right and left), Croatian defendors from 1990s, successfuly paddled across the Atlantic Ocean during 83 days (i.e., almost three months). They travelled 5500 kms from Canari Islands to Barbados (from 15th January to 22nd March 2022). In this way, Croatia has been included into the list of 32 countries which have paddlers accross oceans. Mr. Werner Iliæ is a Croatian born in Germany, while Marti Cruickshank is of Scottish provenance, living in Croatia in the town of Velika Gorica near Zagreb, where he is happily married. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 24 Jun 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11340/1/Luka-Modric-has-won-Champions-League-5-times-with-Real-Madrid-until-2022.html Luka Modric has won Champions League 5 times with Real Madrid (until 2022). Modric is the only one who has stolen the show from Ronaldo & Messi- duel for the Ballon D'or in 2018. He has been picked by many football experts as one of the best midfielders in the football history. In addition to this, each Champions League in the past 10 years (ie., since 2021) had at least one Croatian player in the finals, which servs as a clear indication of the presence of Croatian players in European top football. in the period of 2013-2022, each winning team of Champions League had at least one Croatian player. Luka Modric made a significant conbtribution to the series of titles achieved by Real Madrid. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 20 Jun 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11328/1/PingPongParkinson-celebrating-5th-anniversary-2017-2022.html In celebration of the 5th anniversary of the global non-profit PingPongParkinson, a celebrity exhibition table tennis match will take place on Sunday, February 6th at 4:00 pm at the Westchester Table Tennis Center, 175 Tompkins Ave in Pleasantville, New York, the birthplace of PingPongParkinson and on Monday, February 7th at 6:00 pm at the CRUSH Table Tennis 255 Field Point Rd, Greenwich, Connecticut. Limited seating is available due to COVID-19 safety considerations. Bring the proof of your booster vaccination. Please send inquiries to pingpongparkinson@gmail.com or/and the club. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 05 Feb 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11318/1/PingPongParkinson-photo-monograph-by-Warren-Rosenberg-with-Nenad-Bach-illustrated-by-Ignasi-Blanch.html This wonderful photo-monograph prepared is dedicated to every person who has Parkinson desease. It describes how playing table tennis can help each such person. Due to Nenad Bach, the PingPongParkinson has become a world-wide movement, as shown on the pages of the book. There are currently more than hundred chapters in numerous countries throughout the world.oran Primorac, Olympian and Ping Pong Parkinson advisor, said: "I'm honoured and intrigued to be part of this progressive idea that has the potential of helping millions of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease." darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 28 Nov 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11312/1/Nenad-Bach-International-Newsletter-Summer-2021.html Nenad Bach: "What started as a tremor, is shaking up the world. Known to a few of us, there are nearly 10 million people diagnosed with Parkinson disease around the world. Parkinson is a neurological condition that affects motor skills and is commonly associated with a hand tremor." The three main goals of PingPongParkinson: 1. To help as many people diagnosed with Parkinson as possible, through ping-pong; 2. To animate the scientific community to look closer into our mission, with clinical trials; 3. To rally efforts to participate in the Paralympic Games. We are not just playing for ourselves but for those 10 million who cannot play. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 09 Sep 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11314/1/Toni-Kukoc-enshrined-to-the-Basketball-Hall-of-Fame-in-2021.html Toni Kukoè was, alongside with late Dra¾en Petroviæ, the best basketball player that Croatia ever had. Toni, nicknamed Cookie, was often compared with Pink Panther, due to his specific elegance in the basketball game. He was born in the city of Split, one of the most beautiful cities on the Mediterranean, known for outstanding talents like Blanka Vla¹iæ (highjumper), Ivano Baliæ (handball), Dino Radja (basketball), Branko Cikatiæ (martial sports), Anthony F. Lucas (Antun Luèiæ, the Father of Petroleum Engineering), Marko Maruliæ (the most famous Croatian Renaissance writer), ... darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 23 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11313/1/2021-PingPongParkinson-German-Open-and-ITTF-Parkinsons-World-Table-Tennis-Championships.html Nenad Bach's idea of Parkinson's World Table Tennis Championship gathered 21 countries in the city of Berlin, among them Croatia as well. The German Open and the World Championship showed that the competition is steadily growing each year. Nenad Bach and George Chan won gold medal in the doubles, as representatives of the USA. The next World Championship, in October 2022, will be hosted by Croatia, the homeland of Nenad Bach. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 20 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11309/1/Dina-Levacic-Croatian-marathon-swimmer.html Dina Levaèiæ, Croatian marathon swimmer born in 1996 in the city of Split, is the first Croatian woman to have swam across La Manche (34 km, 2017), in close to 12 hours. She also swam Hernandarias - Parana (88 km, Argentina), Santa Fe (57 km, Argentina, 2014), 2014 the Catalaina Channel (Los Angeles, 34 km, 20217), 20 Manhattan Bridges (46 km, 2017, USA), Molokai Channel (42 km, Hawaii, USA, 2018), Tsugaru Channel (connecting the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan, 2019), etc. She swam her first marathon of 2 km in 2005 at the age of 9, in the town of Omi¹ near Split. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 13 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11307/1/Tin-Srbic-silver-medal-for-Croatia-in-gymnastics-horizontal-bar-in-Tokyo-2021.html Tin Srbiæ's silver medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 is the second Olympic medal for Croatian gymnastics after Filip Ude in 2008 in Beijing. It is a huge success of Croatian gymnast, and among greatest in the history of Croatian sports. Tin Srbiæ is a former world champion in gymnastics horizontal bar from 2019. At the World Challenge Cup, organized in the city of Osijek, Croatia 2021, he won gold medal. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 03 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11306/1/Martin-and-Valent-Sinkovic-won-mens-gold-medal-in-Olympic-rowing-in-Tokyo-2021-Damir-Martin-bronze.html Croatian brothers Martin and Valent Sinkoviæ have dominated the men's pair in Olympic rowing, cruising to victory in a race they led from the start. The Croatians were the heavy favorites. This is the third Olympic medal for the Sinkovic brothers, each having been won in a different discipline. In 2012, they won the silver medal in the men's quadruple sculls in London and in 2016 they claimed gold in the men's double sculls in Rio de Janeiro. Croatian rower Damir Martin won bronze medal (in his words, of platinum glitter). This is his third Olympic medal. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 31 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11305/1/Croatia-winning-both-gold-and-silver-medals-at-2021-Olympic-mens-tennis-doubles-final-in-Tokyo.html Croatia's Mate Paviæ and Nikola Mektiæ beat Marin Èiliæ and Ivan Dodig 6-4 3-6 10-6 in the Olympics men's doubles final to win their first-ever gold medal in tennis. It is for the first time in the pasty 108 years that the doubles representing the same country met in the tennis finals. Michael Venus and Marcus Daniell of New Zealand won the bronze. Croatia already had several olympic tennis medals in previos competitions: 2004 Doubles Bronze - Mario Anèiæ and Ivan Ljubièiæ, 1992 Singles Bronze - Goran Ivani¹eviæ, 1992 Doubles Bronze - Goran Ivani¹eviæ and Goran Prpiæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 31 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11304/1/Matea-Jelic-of-Croatia-won-taekwondo-gold-medal-at-the-2021-Olymic-Games-in-Tokyo.html Matea Jeliæ won the first Croatian olympic gold medal in taekwondo in history. In the finals, in a very tough fight, she defeated the British girl, Lauren Williams. Matea Jeliæ (of age 23, height 1.83 m) was born in 1997 in the city of Knin, a former Croatian royal city. Her achievement is one of the greatest successes in the history of Croatian sports. She is training in the city of Split, as a member of the Taekwondo Club Marjan. Toni Kanajet, a member of the same club, won a precious bronze medal. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 28 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11303/1/Yoko-Nishiis-concert-in-Tokamachi-on-the-occasion-of-Croatias-participation-at-2021-Olympic-Games-in-Japan.html On the occasion of the participation of the Republic of Croatia at the 2021 Olympic Games in Japan, Yoko Nishii, Japanese pianist, gave a concert in the city of Tokamachi. The city is marked with Japan Croatia Friendship House, as a special sign of friendship between the two countries. Yoko Nishii is fluent in Croatian language, and she had as many as 50 soloist concerts in 24 Croatian cities. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 25 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11293/1/Zlatan-Ibrahimovic-praising-Luka-Modric.html Zlatan Ibrahimoviæ is one of the most colorful persons among contemporary football players. Speaking of success of Luka Modriæ, he said: ... me and my mother being from Croatia, so I am happy, it's part of the blood... In 2020, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has launched a fundraiser to help fight coronavirus and has called on fellow footballers to help "kick this virus away". darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 19 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11281/1/PingPongParkinson-Virtual-Reality-Championship-April-11-2021.html PingPongParkinson has announced the launch of PingPongParkinson Virtual Reality World Championships slated for April 11, 2021. This year's tournament is the first-ever virtual reality (VR) parkinson's world table tennis championships, coming after Ping Pong Parkinson, alongside the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and International Table Tennis Federation Foundation (ITTF Foundation) partnered in 2019 to host an inaugural world table tennis championship for players with Parkinson's Disease. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 18 Jan 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11272/1/Croatian-female-handball-team-winning-bronze-medal-at-EURO-2020-in-Denmark.html Near the end of Anno Domini 2020, Croatian Female Handball representation brought us a fantastic gift from Denmark, by winning bronze medal in the semifinals against the host country. Congratulations to the whole team for their efforts, as well as to the trainer and all the accompanying persons. The is the greatest success of Croatian female handball sport in history. On the photo Tea Pijeviæ, amazing Croatian goalkeeper. Furthermore, Croatian medal is the greatest surprise of the tournament. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 21 Dec 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11262/1/Croatian-soccer-international-matches-in-1940-with-Switzerland-and-in-1990-with-the-USA.html Nenad Bach: Svaka èast ekipi kreativaca koji su ostvarili kako sam dogadjaj tako i ovaj film koji æe uæi u povijest, htjeli to neki ili ne. Svaka èast Nenad Petriæ, Dado Komerièki i Ivan Bla¾ièko, izvrsno ste slo¾ili ovaj film, bez dinamièke rupe, sve teèe kako treba, s puno emocija i èinjenica. Ivan John Opaèak, ¹to za reæi nego veliko HVALA, pokazali ste svoje sportske i ljudske kvalitete. Zadnja reèenica u filmu Mladena Vedri¹a, zapovjednika kriznog ¹taba u Zagrebu za vrijeme rata te predsjednika HNS-a 1990-1994 govori sve: "Ni¹ta manje nije bio drugaèiji odnos u ratu. Bila je to bitka Davida i Golijata koju smo u ratu dobili. Prema tome mi kao nacija imamo jedan sna¾an potencijal. Imamo snagu za presudne momente, imamo talent ..." On the photo Troy Dayak, USA soccer player, who discovered his Croatian roots in 1990. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 21 Oct 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11253/1/Damjan-Rodin-1910-1968-Croatian-priest-in-Brasil-founder-of-Vila-Croacia-in-Rio-de-Janeiro.html Damjan Rodin was one of the first Croatian priests to move to Brazil after the Second World War, where he organised the religious and community life of the ethnic Croatian community in Sao Paulo. In Rio de Janeiro he continued his important work for Croatians and Brazilians. He was born in the ©ibenik hinterland (in the town of Prviæ Luka on the island of Prviæ) and moved to Brazil in 1947, working as parish priest in Sao Paulo. He raised a favela in Rio de Janeiro now known as Vila Croacia, part of the Senador Camara district. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 11 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11249/1/Nenad-Bach-International-Newsletter-No-56-Post-COVID.html "Nenad, Who Plays Ping Pong" is a short film about my passion for ping pong and using it to help those afflicted with Parkinson's. It is an Official Selection of 2020 Mountainfilm Festival, and was chosen Daily Short Pick on FilmShortage.com, May 27th, 2020. The film is touring and was screened last week in Sao Paulo, Brazil and will be touring August 24-26 in Southampton, New York, US. You can get more information here. We are now fortunate to have the film subtitled in 15 languages. My songs "Vukovar" "Everything is Forever" and "I Will Follow" were recently played by musical genius Pete Jones on his radio program in London. nenadbach@gmail.com (Nenad Bach E-Team) Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11237/1/PingPongParkinson-2022-svjetsko-prvenstvo-planirano-u-Zagrebu.html Nenad Bach, na¹ poznati glazbenik i mirovni aktivist, idejni zaèetnik programa PingPongParkinson, na svom se osobnom primjeru uvjerio u dobrobit igranja stolnoga tenisa. PingPongParkinson prepoznala je i Svjetska stolnoteniska federacija ITTF. Molimo zainteresirane osobe bez obzira na znanje igranja stolnoga tenisa da se jave, kako bi po gradovima Hrvatske organizirali struène treninge. 2022 godine u Zagrebu je planirano Svjetsko prvenstvo PingPongParkinson, stoga svi zainteresirani igraèi moæi æe biti dio toga prvenstva a mo¾da i uspijemo dobiti i svjetskog prvaka iz Hrvatske. Svi zainteresirani za igranje diljem Hrvatske javite se na: PingPongParkinson Hrvatska, g. Kre¹o Grobenski (na slici), mob. 098 249 416, E-mail: grobenski.kreso@gmail.com grobenski.kreso@gmail.com (Kreso Grobenski) Thu, 16 Jul 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11222/1/Rudy-Tomjanovich-elected-to-Basketball-Hall-of-Fame-in-2020.html Former Houston Rockets player and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich was inducted in 2020 into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Now 71 years old, Tomjanovich played for the Rockets from 1970 through 1981, and was head coach from 1992 through 2003. That run included Houston's only two NBA titles in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. Rudy Tomjanovich is of Croatian descent. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 14 May 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11218/1/Nenad-Bach-International-Newsletter-No-55-Livestream.html I will perform a few songs starting with a ping pong game that will go to 11 points, just one game then a song on a guitar, move to piano and at the same time you can send your questions opinions, desires, concepts, recommendations, connections etc., all live. The times for the livestream on Saturday April 25, 2020 will start at 10:00 a.m. New York Eastern Standard Time. This will be Midnight in Sydney, Australia, 11:00 p.m. Tokyo, 10:00 p.m. Singapore, 7:30 p.m. New Delhi, 4:00 p.m. Zagreb Croatia, 3:00 p.m. London, 11:00 a.m. Buenos Aires and 7:00 a.m. Los Angeles time. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 23 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11213/1/Branko-Cikatic--1954-2020-the-first-K1-Grand-Prix-champion-in-Tokyo-1993.html Branko Cikatiæ (1954-2020) was distinguished Croatian fighter, who was the winner of the first K1 Grand Prix Tournament in Tokyo in 1993 (in the finals against Ernest Hoost). At that time, he was at the age of 38, and is till these days the oldest winner of the K1 tournament. He was the winner of in various combat sports for thirteen times. In kick-boxing, he was the World Champion in 1981. He started his career in Solin, and then continued in his native city of Split. In 1989, the German journal Karate Budo Magazine decorated him with the Golden Glove, and proclaimed him to be the most popular combat sportsman in the world, in front of Chuck Norris i Jean-Claude Van Damme. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 28 Mar 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11214/1/Bobby-Fischer-0---1-Vladimir-Kovacevic-the-only-major-defeat-of-Bobby-Fischer-in-his-chess-career.html In 1970, a chess tournament (Tournament of Peace) was organized in Croatia which took place in the town of Rovinj on the Adriatic Sea (Istrian peninsula). Fischer was undefeated in the previous four years. His defeat against Vladimir Kovaèeviæ, then a little known Croatian player, was a world wide sensation. Of course, despite this defeat, Fischer won the convincingly this trounament, which included 10 other grand-masters (including some of the best Soviet players). Vladimir Kovaèeviæ became international grand-master six years later, in 1976. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 09 Feb 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11202/1/Croatias-silver-medal-at-2020-European-Handball-Championship-big-success.html Croatian handball team has an amazing continuity of top results at European and World championships in the past decades. Congratulations to our team: Domagoj Duvnjak (on the photo, one of the best players today), Zlatko Horvat, Igor Karaèiæ, Luka Cindriæ, ®eljko Musa, Luka Stepanoviæ, etc., under the baton of Lino Èervar. Mr. Èervar is the most successful coach in the history of Croatian handball. He guided our team to World Championship gold in 2003 and the Olympic title in 2005. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 29 Jan 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11216/1/Mirko-Novosel-Croatian-basketball-trainer-inducted-to-the-Hall-of-Fame-in-the-USA-in-2007.html Mirko Novosel, the greates Croatian basketball trainer in history, was inducted to the Hall of Fame in the USA in 2007. He had tremendous successes during the period of ex-Yu in establishing a very strong representation of the former state, which stopped the dominance of the Soviet basketball players, and was the only team that was able to cope with USA basketball teams at the Olympics and World championships. Among his pupils were such celebrities as Croatian players Dra¾en Petroviæ and Toni Kukoè. Under his guidance, Croatian national team won silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, in the finals against the USA Dream Team, led by Michael Jordan. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 09 Jan 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11215/1/Kresimir-Cosic-1948-1995-the-first-European-basketball-player-with-major-career-in-the-USA.html Kre¹mir Æosiæ (1948-1995) is one of the greatest Croatian basketball players in history. As a player of height 211 cm, he was equally successful on any of the five postitions in a team, a rare quality in 1970s. He has won gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, for the then ex-Yu (of which Croatia was one of six constituent republics). He also has gold medals from the 1970 and 1978 Basketball World Championships and many other trophies. Kre¹o always carried a bag of books with him... In 1990s, he worked in the United States as a diplomat (deputy ambassador) at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Washington, D.C. In 1996, he was posthumously inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 09 Jan 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11185/1/ITTF-Parkinsons-World-Championships-sucessful-debut-in-2019.html Twelve countries participated at the First ITTF Ping Pong Parkinson Competition, organized in New York, October 11-13 2019: Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, USA. A few countries announced that they will start to organize their national competitions. Congratulations to the organizeras of the competition, and in particular to the idea and intiative of Nenad Bach (on the photo). €œThe idea behind this Championship is to help as many people around the world as possible to continue living with Parkinson's Disease and to be happy, productive members of the society. We are also engaging the scientific community to look deeper into the health benefits of table tennis. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 19 Nov 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11182/1/Vladimir-Novak-Croatians-in-America-fascinating-photomonograph-published-in-2018.html  Vladimir Novak (1928-2016) darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 27 Oct 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11179/1/Yoko-Nishiis-concert-in-Porec-promoting-Olympic-Games-Tokyo-2020-and-Croatian-Olympic-Committee.html Poreè je 13. i 14. rujna 2019. ugostio kampanju Hrvatskog olimpijskog odbora i zemlju domaæina iduæih ljetnih Olimpijskih igara - Japan, odnosno glavnog grada domaæina Tokija u cilju da ¹iru javnost upozna s hrvatskim natjecateljima kao i gradom domaæinom na Olimpijadi. U petak 13. rujna 2019. u kazali¹noj dvorani Puèkog otvorenog uèili¹ta Poreè japanska pijanistica Yoko Niishi odr¾ala je koncert, u kojem izvela odabrana djela hrvatske skladateljice Dore Pejaèeviæ, Franza Liszta i Sergeia Rachmaninoffa. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 16 Sep 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11174/1/The-2019-ITTF-Parkinsons-Table-Tennis-Championships-will-be-held-on-October-11-13-2019.html The first international table tennis championship for people suffering from Parkinson's Disease (PwP) under the auspices of the International Table Tennis Federation will be held at a state-of-the-art facility, Westchester Table Tennis Center, in Pleasantville, New York on October 11-13, 2019. (The ITTF is the governing body for all national table tennis associations, of which 226 members represent practically every country and every continent of the world.) Ping Pong Parkinson (3P), our 501c group which meets weekly, is pleased and proud to be a co-sponsor of this tournament especially, since up to now, PwP's have been chiefly bypassed and disqualified from entering para-table tennis events, including the Paralympic Games. nenadbach@gmail.com (Nenad Bach E-Team) Tue, 27 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11170/1/Ping-Pong-Parkinson-launched-by-Nenad-Bach.html We provide PPP (Ping Pong Parkinson) links related to numerous activities of Nenad Bach in order to launch the PPP International competition. The first such competition was organized in New York in 2019. This was an impetus not only for international PPP competitions, but also for founding national PPP competitions. Congratulations to Nenad for his forisghtedness and perserverance. The competition will for sure become a part of Paraolympic Games in the near future. Some countries have already decided to include PPP into their national sports prgrams. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 23 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11169/1/Stipe-Miocic-winner-of-the-UFC-heavyweight-boxing-title-in-2019.html Stipe Miocic is a Croatian American mixed martial artist and firefighter-paramedic. In 2019 he won the title of the UFC champion. UFC is the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he competes in the heavyweight division. This was his fourth win of the UFC title, which is unique achievement the history of this competition. He is now at the age of 37 and his height is 1.93 m. With his wife Ryan Marie he has a daughter Meelah Grace (Meelah = mila in Croatian = dear). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 22 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11165/1/2019-ITTF-Parkinsons-World-Table-Tennis-Championships.html One of the tools that is used to fight, slow down or just make the effects of Parkinson's manageable, is the physical activity of playing Ping Ping, also known as Table Tennis. Nenad Bach wrote a song about it, and asked me to direct a video. This is the promo of the upcoming Official video. Love Ping Pong - (If I Had Another Life) Official Promo. October 11th - 13th. We are Ping Pong Parkinson. Mission: To help anyone with Parkinson's Disease through ping pong (primarily) - and to have fun while doing it. grobenski.kreso@gmail.com (Kreso Grobenski) Mon, 05 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11154/1/Filip-Hrgovic-makes-US-boxing-debut-by-winning-against-Corbin-in-60-seconds.html Corbin came out firing hard and looking to test the younger man. Hrgovic was nonplussed, his eyes focused and looking for an opening. Backing towards the ropes as Corbin came forward, Hrgovic found it. A chopping right hand sent Corbin crashing to the mat. Hrgovic was polite concerning Corbin before looking to the future. "Greg Corbin is a really good fighter... You didn'€™t have time to see the best Hrgovic. I look forward to big fights, strong opponents and to give the US really good fights." darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 27 May 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11151/1/Ping-Pong-Parkinson-initiative-of-Nenad-Bach.html First ever Parkinson's World Table Tennis Championships, will happen on October 11-13, 2019 in Pleasantville, New York USA at the Westchester Table Tennis Center. The ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) is supporting this event. The new project will form part of the 6th Pillar of the ITTF Foundation that promotes health through table tennis, with this first event aimed at raising awareness of Parkinson'€™s Disease and improving the lives of those diagnosed with it. For international music composer, Nenad Bach, table tennis has been the key to regaining his ability to play the guitar and pursue his passion for music once more. Nenad Bach: PLAYING TABLE TENNIS MADE ME FEEL 50% BETTER. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 29 Apr 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11139/1/Damir-Martin-Croatian-rower-exhibits-outstanding-strength-and-endurance.html Damir Martin, Croatian rower and two-time Olympic Silver medallist (2016), exhibits outstanding strength and endurance; but how does that compare to athletes from other sports? In a sports science lab, the physiques and unique body characteristics of Olympic athletes are analyzed to reveal what makes them so special. We provide an analysis by Professor Greg Whyte, former Olympian (Modern Pentathlon, GB) and a leading sports scientist (University of Liverpool). "... Damir is truly a force of nature." "His lung size is absolutely astronomical." "Damir's Maximal VO2 score is literally breathtaking: higher than the world's best marathon runners ..." darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 27 Jan 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11137/1/Croatian-handball-fantastic-performances-in-Germany-against-Spain-the-host-and-France-in-2019.html Participating at the 2019 World Handball Championship in Germany, Croatia won against Spain (European handball champion), as well as against France (World champion), thanks to which Croatian handball players secured their participation at the forthcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. In their match against the host country Germany, it had to play against the referees as well. It is a shame that enterpreneurs can serve as referees at World handball championships. Lino Èervar, Croatian coach, Germany 2019, said: "It cannot be tolerated that amateurs serve as referees at World Handball Championships." Lino Èervar is one of the most successful handball trainers in the history of this sport. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 25 Jan 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11135/1/Photo-of-the-Year-and-the-Family-of-the-Year-for-2018.html As a photo of the year we have chosen a detail from spectacular return of Croatian national team to the city of Zagreb, with a bus reliably driven for several hours by a nice lady (on the photo) along impossibly stuffed streets, without any accident or any injury. This is a feat maybe even more amazing that the wins of Croatian national football team agains teams like Argentina (led by outstanding world class Messi), England and the Russian Federation. As the family of the year we have chosen the family of Luka Modriæ, sharing in this way the opinion of millions of fans throughout the world. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 01 Jan 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11133/1/Nikolina-Sustic-Stankovic-of-Croatia-ultramarathon-world-champion-in-2018.html Nikolina ©ustiæ Stankoviæ is the world ultramarathon world champion (100 km!) for 2018. This is one of the greatest achievements of Croatian sports. Native of the city of Split, employed as a computer software tester, she leads a humble life, and became a top sportswoman without any trainer whasoever! This makes her achievment even more amazing. The city of Split is a cradle world class sportsmen and sportswomen: Goran Ivani¹eviæ (tennis), Toni Kukoè (basketball), Blanka Vla¹iæ (high jumping), Ivano Baliæ (handball), ... , to name just a few. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 30 Dec 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11138/1/Luka-Samanic-young-Croatian-basketball-prodigy-of-height-208-m.html Luka ©amaniæ, born in Zagreb in 2000, is surprisingly skillful, taking into account his height of 2.08 m and his young age. His play is amazingly fast versatile, and he is among the most promising Croatian basketball players of the new generation. His father Marko ©amaniæ was professional basketball player. In 2017, he played at the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in Tallinn, Estonia. ©amaniæ led Croatia to a gold medal after recording 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks in an overtime win over Great Britain. He was named tournament MVP and made the All-Star Five. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 22 Dec 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11127/1/Luka-Modric-winner-of-2018-Balon-dOr.html Carlo Ancelotti (director of Real Madrid): Nobody represents the values of this club, both on and off the pitch, better than Modric. Luka, affectionally nicknamed Lukito in Spain, has his great Croatian counterparts in some other collective sports: Ivano Baliæ in handball, Toni Kukoè in basketball, and several Croatian giants in waterpolo. Luka is happily married to Vanja b. Bosniæ (on the photo): they have three children. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 06 Dec 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11124/1/Croatia-winning-2018-Davis-Cup-against-France---in-France.html Croatia has won the 2018 Davis Cup title by beating France - in France! With crucial wins of Marin Èiliæ and Borna Æoriæ (on the photo), it is the second Davis Cup title for Croatia in history, after 2005, when Croatia won in a match with a very strong team of the USA - in the USA! This event has closed a year which was historic for Croatia, also due to amazing success of national football team, by winning the second place at the World Championship organized in the Russian Federation. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 25 Nov 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11123/1/Nenad-Zvonarek-former-selector-of-Chinese-handball-representation.html Nenad Zvonarek was selector of the Chinese handball representation. He was active in China since 1997, directing the handball team of the Province of Jiangsu (population of nearly 80 million people, a leading Chinese province in finance, education, technology and tourism). Nenad Zvonarek, professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture of the University of Zagreb, received a Medal of Friendship from the Governement of the Province of Jingsu in China in 2016. He is a honorary citizen of the city of Suzhu, China. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 23 Nov 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11118/1/Japanese-Croatian-Friendship-House-in-Tokamachi-emits-a-permanent-light.html Croatian Ambassador to Japan Dr. Drago ©tambuk initiated in 2006 the construction of a Japanese - Croatian Friendship House. It was designed in 2009-2010 and its opening ceremony was held in 2012 in the city of Tokamachi. the facility was designed by the Croatian architectural tandem Vinko Peneziæ and Kre¹imir Rogina. Guided by the common cultural heritage and symbols of both countries, a project of high architectural and symbolic value was achieved. On the photo Mayor of the city of Tokamachi Mr. Sekiguchi with Dr. ©tambuk darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 31 Oct 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11113/1/Luka-Modric-of-Croatia-named-worlds-best-football-player-for-2018.html Luka Modriæ (on the photo with his wife Vanja) Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder, has collected The Best FIFA Men's Player 2018 award in London. Visibly moved by the experience, he later shared his feelings about the stunning 2017/18 season that led to this crowning moment. It's not easy to reach the top, but staying there is even harder. I'€™ve been at the top for a few years now and I hope I can stay there for a few more. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 25 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11112/1/Dino-Radja-enshrined-in-the-Basketball-Hall-of-Fame-in-2018.html Dino Radja (211 cm), Croatian basketball player born in the city of Split in 1967, continued his career as NBA player in Boston Celtics, USA, since 1993. He was a memember of Croatian national team which won the silver medal at the Olympic games in Barcelona in 1992. His very close friends were NBA stars Dra¾en Petroviæ and Toni Kukoè, also from Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 11 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11107/1/Luka-Modric-of-Croatia-named-UEFA-Player-of-Year-for-2018.html Luka Modric of Croatia, on Aug 30, 2018, received the accolade of UEFA Player of the Year in Monaco after his Champions League exploits. "My father always pushed me to fight for my dreams, I owe him a lot for everything," said Modric, whose silky midfield skills helped Real to a third straight European crown and then propelled Croatia to the World Cup final. "It's incredible moment for me, I feel really excited and proud of this great award," said the 32-year-old, who started out at Dinamo Zagreb and then had four years with Tottenham before Real prised him away six years ago. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 31 Aug 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11103/1/Croatian-team-is-winner-of-the-2018-European-Basketball-U16-FIBA-Competition-in-Novi-Sad.html Young Croatian basketball players, under the age of 16, have won the title of European champions in the competition organized by FIBA in Novi Sad. Having eleminated France in the semifinals, Croatia managed to achieve a very narowin of 71:70 in a dramatic match with Spanish boys. Roko Prkaèin on the photo was proclaimed as the most valuable player, and he was elected to the All-Star Five, along with another Croatian player Boris Ti¹ma. Croatia has already won two champion titles, in 2010 and 2011. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 19 Aug 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11102/1/Sandra-Perkovic-winner-of-gold-medal-in-discus-throw-at-2018-Europan-Championshps-in-Berlin.html Not only that Sandra Perkoviæ has won her gold European medal in discus throw in 2018, but it was her fifth consecutive gold medal at European championships! This makes her unique sportsowoman in the history of European athletics. Sandra Perkoviæ is also a former Olympic and World champion, one o of the most dominant figures in the history discus throw. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 13 Aug 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11101/1/Sime-and-Mihovil-Fantela-2018-world-championship-in-sailing-in-Aarhus-Denmark.html Brothers ©ime and Mihovil Fantela of Croatia have sensationally won gold medals at the 2018 Sailing World Championship in 49er class, organized in Aarhus, Denmark. Nobody has expected this triumph, not even the Fantela brothers. The silver medals have been won by French team, and the bronze medals by German team. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 13 Aug 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11100/1/Valent-and-Martin-Sinkovic-winning-gold-medals-at-European-Rowing-Championship-in-Glasgow-2018.html Brothers Valent and Martin Sinkoviæ won gold medals at the European Rowing Chapionship organized in Glasgow, Scotland, in front of France and Romania. They have confirmed their dominance on the world scene during the last years, since they are also World champions and Olympic champions. More precisely, they have added a third European title to the Olympic gold and four world golds they have earned together over a decade of success. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 08 Aug 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11098/1/Anthological-events-behind-fantastic-Croatian-games-at-FIFA-World-Cup-in-2018.html Croatian presence at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russian Federation has caused unprecedented interest world-wide for various reasons. First of all, due to the quality of players like Madriæ, Rakitiæ, Mand¾ukiæ, Lovren etc., their determination in each game to show the maximum, and above all, on the human side. Presence of their wives and children added a special flavor, as well as respect for sportsmen from other countries, since today there are not easy opponents. Probably the most interesting was exceptionally warm reception of Croatian players not only in their homeland, but also wroldwide. On the photo Luka Modriæ with his beautiful wife Vanja Bosniæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 26 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11095/1/Silver-medal-of-diamond-glitter-for-Croatia-at-the-2018-FIFA-World-Cup-final-with-golden-France.html Croatia celebrates on of the greatest successes in its sports history - the second place at the FIFA World Cup Tournament in Moscow. We mention the deserving players: Mand¾ukiæ, Rebiæ, Modriæ, Peri¹iæ, Rakitiæ, Brozoviæ, Vrsaljko, Lovren, Vida, Striniæ, and the deserving coach Daliæ. We believe that the Croatian team has shown the most attractive football play during the World Cup tournament. It is no surprise that Luka Modriæ (on the photo) has won the prestigious Golden Ball - Balon d'or. Luka Modriæ shares his second name with Professor Paul L. Modrich, USA, 2015 Nobel prize winner Chemistry, who has Croatian roots. We also add a lovely story about the most famous photographer at the moment, thanks to the goal od Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 15 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11094/1/Dragutin-Surbek-1946-2018-legendary-Croatian-table-tennis-warrior.html Dragutin ©urbek, nicknamed ©urba in Croatia, and Surbeka in China, has won hundreds of table tennis tournaments, from Tokyo and Beijing to Zagreb (37 medals from European and world championships!). In China he was treated as table tennis God. He has founded a very nice Table Tennis Academy in the city of Zagreb, bearing his name. In 1992, during the Olympic Games in Barcelona, he was the oldest sprtsman, than at the age of 46. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 15 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11093/1/Croatia-and-France-in-the-final-of-the-FIFA-World-Cup-2018-in-Moscow.html This is the greatest succes of Croatian football in history, surpassing the third place of Croatian soccer team in 1998 during the FIFA World Cup in France. We recall the names of Davor ©uker, Zvonimir Boban and Slaven Biliæ from 1998, and the names of Luka Modriæ, Ivan Rakitiæ and Dejan Lovren in 2018. Before arriving to the final match, Croatian won in matches with very strong teams: England, Russian Federation, Denmark, Argentina and Nigeria. Furthermore, we indicate in this article some very interesting historical and cultural contacts between Croatia and France. On the photo Domagoj Vida immediately after the match with England, with his kids and the kids of Ivan Peri¹iæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 14 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11092/1/Croatia-2---1-England-media-reports-from-the-FIFA-Word-Cup-semifinals-in-Moscow-2018.html EUROSPORT: What an incredible achievement! Croatia are into their first ever World Cup final as a nation. England just couldn't see the game out. They had chances in the first half, Kane in particular missed a sitter, but you have to admire the way Croatia wrestled back control over the course of the match. "€œFor Croatian football and for Croatia as a country, this is history being written," Coach Zlatko Dalic said. On the photo Dejan Lovren, one of the pillars of Croatian defense. The team is filled with stars from top to bottom, and the teamwork and determination has set this team apart from the rest. Meanwhile, England will face Belgium on Saturday in the third-place match. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 12 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11091/1/Croatia-2---1-England-at-the-FIFA-World-Cup-2018-in-Moscow.html Croatian win in the semifinal match with England at the FIFA World Cup 2018 has shown that the claim that Croatia is a small country is ridiculous. Croatia was for the first time recognized by the Roman Pope already in the 9th century, or more precisely, in 879. Rugjer Bo¹koviæ (Ruggero Boscovich, on the photo), distinguished Croatian polymath and Jesuit from the 18th century, predicted the existence of nuclear forces almost two centuries before their discovery. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and the greatest acclaim of this scholar came from England and France. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 11 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11090/1/Croatia---England-semifinal-soccer-match-at-FIFA-World-Cup-2018-in-Moscow.html In 2007, Croatia has won 3 - 2 in a soccer match with England in London at Wembley, in a qualification match for European championships. Due to this win, Russia was placed second in the group, just after Croatia, while England was placed the third. As Slaven Biliæ, Croatian coach at that time, explained, the Croatian team was at that time simply better than the English team. How strong various soccer teams are today has been shown by Iceland, by winning in a match with England at EURO 2016. On the photo Dr. Kathy Wilkes, Oxford, distinguished English humanist, who spent very turbulent years 1991 and 1992 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. We owe her our eternal gratitude. When she died in 2003, according to her wish she was burried in Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 10 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11089/1/Croatia-2-4---Russian-Federation-2-3-at-the-FIFA-World-Cup-2018.html Croatia has won in a dramatic soccer match with Russian Federation, which was the host country of the FIFA World Cup Tournament 2018. On the photo Luka Modriæ, captain of Croatian team. We indicate several very interesting historical and cultural contacts with Russia. Recall that the Croatian win in a soccer match with England in 2007 enabled Russia to participate at the European Championship in 2008. On that occasion, Russian fans activated a web site called Thank You Croatia! - Spasibo Horvatiya!. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 07 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11088/1/Croatia-1-3---1-2-Denmark-at-the-FIFA-World-Cup-2018.html Croatia has won in a dramatic soccer match with Denmark to the quarter-finals of the World Coup 2018 tournament. Ejnar Dyggve (1887-1961), distinguished Danish historian and archaeologist (on the photo), is important for his scholarly studies of the history of the southern parts of Croatia, in particular of the region of Split. A well known cartoon movie figure Professor Balthazar is very popular in Scandinavia, including Denmar. We also mention Karin Michaelis, who wrote an article in Danish about Croatian politician and martyr Stjepan Radiæ, who was assassinated in the Belgrade Parliament in 1928. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 02 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11087/1/Toni-Kukocs-Induction-Speech-to-FIBA-Hall-of-Fame.html One of the most influential players in European, international and NBA basketball, Toni Kukoc is being honored with induction to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017. The 6ft 10in (2.08m) forward left his mark everywhere he played thanks to his exciting style and a leadership quality that resulted in numerous titles at both the club and national team levels. A native of Split, Croatia, he grew up playing at Jugoplastika where he developed his game into one that would inspire generations of players to come. He was a long and lanky point power forward with exceptional court vision and passing skills. He could also run the floor, finish and shoot well from outside. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 28 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11085/1/Croatia-2---1-Iceland-at-the-FIFA-World-Cup-2018.html On the photo Zlatko Daliæ, coach of Croatian national soccer team, which won in a match with Iceland 2 - 1. Zlatko was born in the city of Livno in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and now lives in Croatia. Iceland was among the first countries which diplomatically recognized Croatia, on 19th December 1991. An interesting connection between Croatia and Iceland is the fact that Ivica Kosteliæ is married with Elin Arnarsdottir from Iceland. In Croatia's capital Zagreb there is a street named after Iceland (Islandska ulica), about 700 m of length. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 27 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11083/1/Borna-Coric-Croatian-tennis-player-stuns-Roger-Federer-at-the-Halle-2018-Finals-in-Germany.html Borna Coric: This was the most unbeleivable week of my whole life. We provide a video summary of his win against Roger Federer (in the semi-finals he won agains Zverev), as well as an interview with him and a short report about his potential, described among others by Goran Ivani¹eviæ. Roger Federer until Borna's win No 1 on the ATP list. Borna Æoriæ's coach is Ivan Ljubièiæ, distinguished former Croatian tennis player. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 26 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11081/1/Croatia-3---0-Argentina-at-the-FIFA-World-Cup-held-in-the-Russian-Federation-2018.html After defeating Nigeria 2 - 0, Croatia achieved sensational 3 - 0 result against a very strong Argentinean team, led by Messi, the best contemporary soccer player. Some of the Croatian players are of world-wide fame, like Luka Modriæ (captain), Ivan Rakitiæ (on the photo), Mario Mand¾ukiæ, Ivan Peri¹iæ, Dejan Lovren, Mateo Kovaèiæ etc., directed by Zlatko Daliæ as a coach. The match took place in Ni¾ni Novgorod in the Russian Federation. The greatest Croatian success at previous FIFA World Cup championships was achieved in 1998, when our national team won the third place, with players such as Davor ©uker, Zvonimir Boban, Slaven Biliæ etc., under the baton of Æiro Bla¾eviæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 22 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11064/1/When-you-want-to-lift-your-spirits-sky-high-come-to-Croatia.html Visit the city where Marin Èiliæ found his love! Visit and discover Mario Mand¾ukiæ's Slavonia and its tremendous food and wine. Visit the National Parks approved by Ivan Rakitic. See a concert in Pula's Arena -€" approved by the 2CELLOS. Visit the birth town of Luka Modriæ (on the photo). Hit the basket on Dra¾en Petroviæ'€™s court like Dario ©ariæ. See one of the most beautiful Croatian buildings in the birth town of Dario ©ariæ. Visit one of the sunniest coast lines in Euope and find out who is the biggest Croatian musician in Croatia and it's not Maksim Mrvica. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 29 Apr 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11055/1/Ivan-Saric-of-Croatia-European-Chess-Champion-for-2018.html Croatian chess player Ivan ©ariæ (27) won the European title for 2018 in Georgia, during the European Chess Championships organized in the city of Batumi. Along with the European title of Zvonko Ko¾ul in 2006, this is the greatest success of Croatian chess. He won the title of Under 18 World Youth Chess Champion in 2008. He holds a notable victory over the world champion Magnus Carlsen, which he achieved at the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Norway. On the photo Ivan ©ariæ with his wife Zrinka Deur, who is also a chess player. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 29 Mar 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11028/1/Nikola-Horvat-Pacific-Crest-Trail-Tesla---Year-of-the-Beginning.html Nikola Horvat, nicknamed Tesla, in 2016 he successfully completed an extremely demanding journey on Pacific Crest Trail. Experience from his journey was vast and turbulent. Besides his personal story he has a lots of interesting information about Pacific Crest Trail, people and places somehow connected to this beautiful trail. His surname - Horvat - means simply the Croat. Nikola Horvat is a continutation of a long tradition of amazing Croatian adventurers in the USA and elsewhere in the world, like Joseph Joe Mikulec or Nikola Primorac. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 18 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11015/1/Andrew-Bogut-very-successful-Croatian-Australian-basketball-player-in-the-NBA.html Born in 1984 in Melbourne, Australia, in the family of Croatian immigrants, Andrew Bogut started to play basketball in the NBA since 2005. He has 213 cm, i.e., 7 feet, weighs 118 kg and he won the 2015 NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors. He represented Australia at several World Championships. His idol was Toni Kukoè, Croatian basketball player who has played in NBA for Chicago Bulls. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 17 Sep 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11007/1/Luka-Modric-one-of-the-best-contemporary-European-soccer-players.html Luka Modriæ (born 1985) is a Croatian professional soccer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. Modriæ plays mainly as a central midfielder but can also play as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive midfielder, usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker. He is recepient of the UEFA Champions League Awards Best Midfielder for 2017. Luka is married with Vanja (b. Bosniæ, from Zagreb), and has two children Ivano and Ema. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 28 Aug 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11006/1/Mateo-Kovacic-top-Croatian-soccer-player-fluently-speaking-English-German-Italian-and-Castillian.html Besides his mother tongue Croatian, Mateo Kovaèiæ is fluent in four additional languages: English, German, Italian and Castillian, as clearly indicated by his media appearances and interviews. He is among the best contemparary Croatian players, and a member of the Croatian national soccer team. Currently, he is a member of the Real Madrid in Spain. His team-mate is Luka Modriæ, another distinguished Croatian soccer player and captain of the Croatian national team. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 20 Aug 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11005/1/Sandra-Perkovic-wins-gold-in-London.html Sandra Perkovic (left) has won gold at the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World Championships on Sunday, August 13, 2017. This is her second gold medal at the IAAF World Championships. She is also a two time Olympic gold medal winner, having won gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Sun, 13 Aug 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10997/1/Croatian-Mens-National-Water-Polo-team-reclaims-World-Champions-title.html The Croatian men's Water Polo team beat Hungary 8-6 in the finals of the 2017 FINA Water Polo championships on Saturday July 29th. It was the first time since 2007 that the Croatian Men's Water Polo team have won the championship. There will be a celebration for the world champion Croatian water polo team on Ban Jelacic Square in Zagreb on Sunday July 30, 2017 starting at 6:00 p.m. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Sun, 30 Jul 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10992/1/Marin-Cilic-and-Mate-Pavic-advance-to-the-2017-Wimbledon-Finals.html Marin Cilic of Croatia will play for his second Grand Slam title on Sunday after beating 24th seed Sam Querrey 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5 in the Wimbledon semifinals on Friday. Meanwhile, number four seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo will square off against number sixteen seeds Oliver Marach of Austria and Mate Pavic of Croatia, on Saturday in the men's pairs finals. This is Marach's and Pavic's first appearance in a Grand Slam final. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Fri, 14 Jul 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10978/1/Zoran-Primorac-Croatian-table-tennis-legend-in-New-York-at-the-WTTC-on-June-18-2017.html The Westchester Table Tennis Center welcomes Zoran Primorac, Croatian table-tennis legend, Seven-time, Olympian and medalist, at the European Championships. Silver medalist at the 1988 Olympics. One of the top European players of the past 25 years. On Sunday, June 18, 2017 two 90-minute group training sessions: Noon-1:30 and 2:00-3:30 pm. Every participant will get to play with Primorac personally plus: Party all afternoon. Beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks from Noon to 3:30. Food from 3:30 to 6:30. Also: Exhibition matches and remarks by Mr. Primorac at 4:30 pm. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 12 Jun 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10962/1/Dario-Saric-the-new-Philadelphia-basketball-King.html Dario ©ariæ, born in 1994, is Croatian basketball player playing for Philadelphia 76ers. He had a decisive role in great win against very strong New York Knicks in March 2017. His offensive play is full of wit, good ideas and precision, and in defense he is equally good. He was born in the city of ©ibenik, Croatia, as well as legendary basketball player Dra¾en Petroviæ. Dario represents the Croatian national basketball team. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 05 Mar 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10959/1/Croatia-to-Play-in-United-States-for-First-Time-on-May-27-2017.html The Croatian national football team will play for the first time in the United States in May. Croatia will play a friendly against Mexico on 27 May 2017 in Los Angeles at the Memorial Coliseum, the Croatian Football Federation announced. The match, which will kick-off at 16:30 local time, will be the first match in North America for Croatia. The national team have already played in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and South America. croatiaweek1@gmail.com (Croatia Week) Tue, 28 Feb 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10957/1/Ping-Pong-Parkinson-Hosted-by-Westchester-Table-Tennis-Center-.html The Westchester Table Tennis Center seeks to raise awareness for Parkinson's disease and improve health of those diagnosed by hosting a Parkinson's Night every Wednesday at 7:30 pm, starting on March 1st, as part of the 'Ping Pong Parkinson' campaign. Will Shortz, owner of the center, crossword editor of the New York Times, as well as puzzlemaster for NPR, and Nenad Bach (left), a Croatian American recording artist, composer, performer, producer, and peace activist, are both avid ping pong players. They have joined hands to use ping pong to combat the scourge of Parkinson's disease. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Wed, 22 Feb 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10953/1/Bill-Belichick-Croatian-American-wins-5th-Super-Bowl-with-New-England-Patriots.html Congratulations to Croatian Americans Bill Belichick and Rob Ninkovich, and the New England Patriots on their amazing come-from-behind 5th Super Bowl victory against the Atlanta Falcons in Superbowl 51, played in Houston Texas. Belichick has a total of 7 Super Bowl wins including 2 as defensive coordinator with the New York Giants and linebacker Rob Ninkovich has Super Bowl two wins with the Patriots. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Sun, 05 Feb 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10948/1/Slaven-Bilic-distinguished-Croatian-soccer-player-manager-of-West-Ham-United.html We provide an interesting interview with Slaven Biliæ, former Croatian soccer player, who described his life and work in Great Britain, as a manager of West Ham United. We recall that Slaven Biliæ was the coach of Croatian soccer representation which defeated England at Wembley in 2007, 3:2. Slaven is very open and communicative person, originating from the town of Split, as well as some other top Croatian sportsmen and sportswomen, like Goran Ivani¹eviæ, Toni Kukoè and Blanka Vla¹iæ. It is less known that Slaven is a qualified lawyer, fine guitarist and fluent in several languages. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 29 Jan 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10946/1/Dragan-Bender-new-Croatian-basketball-sensation-in-Phoenix-Suns-NBA.html Dragan Bender (born November 17, 1997) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the USA. He stands 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), 102 kg, and plays the power forward and center positions. Bender represents the Croatian national team. He competed for the Croatian national team at the 2012 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship in Latvia and Lithuania. From 2014-2016 he was playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 21 Jan 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10944/1/Ivica-Zubac-new-Croatian-basketball-sensation-in-Los-Angeles-Lakers-NBA.html Ivica Zubac is a 19 years old Croatian basketball player who sucessfully started his international career playing in the NBA for Los Angeles Lakers since 2016. Born in Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he played for young team of Croatian basketball representation. His height is 2.16 m (7.1 feet) and weight 120 kg. Zubac represented the Croatian national team during the U16 European Championships in 2013. In the USA he is nicknamed Zu (i.e., Zoo). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 18 Jan 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10942/1/Zagreb-Ski-World-Cup-January-2017.html To honour and celebrate the history of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Organisers of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup races in Zagreb (CRO) have prepared a 165-metre-long ski slope in downtown Zagreb at which former and current World Cup champions raced on 4th January 2017. Eighteen skiing champions, including Croatia's most famous siblings Janica (on the photo) and Ivica Kosteliæ, have competed in the special event to mark 50 years of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup which started on 5th January 1967 in Berchtesgarden (GER). Other big names joining the celebrations include former and current FIS World Cup champions including the first ever winner of the FIS World Cup, the legendary Jean-Claude Killy, along with Karl Schranz, Annemarie Moser-Proell, Marc Girardelli, Marcel Hirscher, Alberto Tomba, Andreas Wenzel, ... darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 09 Jan 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10941/1/Mirko-Cro-Cop-knocks-out-Amir-Aliakbari-to-win-grand-prix-Rizin-2016-in-Tokyo.html Cro Cop landed a beautiful straight left to drop Aliakbari, the former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion, and followed up with another big left before the referee stepped in to stop the fight. “This is a special one for me, 10 years later after winning Pride grand prix,” Cro Cop said on the microphone afterward. ... “I can’t explain it and I can’t explain how happy and proud I am.” In the semifinals of the grand prix, Cro Cop defeated Baruto early in the first round with a vicious knee to the body from the clinch. The Croatian star defeated Muhammad Lawal in the quarterfinals Thursday. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 03 Jan 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10938/1/Ivan-Rakitiaes-launches-Scorrers-app-to-connect-fans-and-celebrities.html Loyal fans will know how annoying it is to apply for every competition and giveaway going, only to be pipped at the post by someone more web-savvy or quicker off the mark. Now entrepreneurial FC Barcelona footballer Ivan Rakitiæ (left) has gone to extreme lengths to stop his fans missing out - creating a new mobile app and business that he says will shake up the celebrity giveaway market. His start-up, Scorrers, aims to connect sports stars, musicians and other celebrities with their fans by giving away prizes and memorabilia in a fair, free and convenient way. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Fri, 23 Dec 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10927/1/Double-success-of-Croatia-in-the-Davis-Cup-finals-against-the-winning-Argentina-in-Zagreb-2016.html In November 2016, unusually manyu Argentinean tennis fans visited Zagreb, due to the Davis Cup finals in Croatia's capital. Even prior to the match, Croatia secured the double success: being in the finals (after eliminating such superpowers like the USA and France), and the fact that the selector and trainer of the Argentinean team, Daniel Orsanic (on the photo), has Croatian origin on his father's side. This is the first win of Argentina in the Davis Cup, after as many as four finals.  Croatia already had one title of the Davis Cup champion in 2005. It is interesting that the final in Zagreb was attended by famous soccer player Diego Maradona, whose great-grandmother also has Croatian roots.  darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 28 Nov 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10920/1/Christian-Pulisic-rising-USA-soccer-star-in-Germany-has-Croatian-roots.html Christian Pulisic's grandfather Mate, on the father's side, was born in Croatia on the island of Olib. Jurgen Klinsmann, the head coach of the U.S. national team, revealed his delight about Pulisic’s development and onward potential: “This player’s potential is limitless.” Pennsylvania native, now just 18 years old (born in 1998) and being hailed as the next great hope of American soccer by his coaches and teammates, plus pundits and fans. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 17 Nov 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10919/1/Daniel-Orsanic-captain-of-the-2016-Argentinean-Davis-Cup-representation-has-Croatian-roots.html Daniel Orsanic, the current 2016 captain of the 2016 Davis Cup representation of Argentina, has Croatian roots on his father's side. More specifically, his grandparents Ivan and Ivana Orsanic originate from Croatia's capital Zagreb. We owe this information to Carmen Verlichak, Croatian writer in Argentina, who also sent a nice photo of his grandparents taken in Croatia in 1941. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 13 Nov 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10916/1/Bojan-Bogdanovic-Croatian-basketball-player-in-NBA-scored-a-career-high-44-points.html Bojan Bogdanoviæ is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Croatian national basketball team. Standing at 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in), he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions. On 22 July 2014, Bogdanoviæ signed a three-year, $10 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets. On 15 March 2016, he scored a career-high 44 points in a 131–114 over the Philadelphia 76ers, to match Drazen Petrovic's Nets record. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 29 Oct 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10905/1/Mario-Hezonja-young-and-very-successful-Croatian-basketball-player-in-the-NBA.html Mario Hezonja is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association. He also represents the Croatian national team internationally. When a player like Mario Hezonja is taken in the top five of the NBA Draft, there will be big expectations for them. NBA organizations must hit on high draft picks and have confidence in the prospects that they choose. Especially if they are international players. Mario has 203 cm, 99 kg and has a great future as an NBA player. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 26 Sep 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10904/1/Mikela-Ristoski-is-Paraolympic-champion-in-triple-long-jump-in-Rio-2016.html   Mikela Ristoski is a multiple world champion in both long jump (2011) and in triple long jump (2015). It is therefore not such a big surprise that she won her gold medal in triple long jump at the 2016 Paraolympic Games in Rio. However, a big surprise is continuity of her excellent results, since in this category Croatia has practicaly no tradition at all. Mikela lives in the city of Pula in Istrian peninsula, on the western part of Croatian coast. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 21 Sep 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10903/1/Training-with-Andrej-Gacina-at-Westchester-Table-Tennis-Center-September-24-25-2016.html This weekend the Westchester Table Tennis Club in Westchester, New York is proud to welcome one of the top table tennis players in the world, Croatia's Andrej Gacina. Gacina is world-ranked #20 by the ITTF. He is five-time national champion of Croatia, a medalist at two European championships, and a three-time Olympian. He'll play in the open event on Sunday, starting at 2 pm -- competing for the grand prize of $1,500. For more information keep reading. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Tue, 20 Sep 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10902/1/Croatia-in-the-finals-of-the-2016-Davis-Cup-after-the-victory-against-France-in-the-city-of-Zadar.html We have witnessed a big success of Croatian tennis team, winning France in the city of Zadar 3 : 2. Especially important was the role of Marin Èiliæ, who brought Croatia to vicotry. Croatia was the winner of the Davis Cup Tournament in 2005. The first known traces of tennis playing in Croatia date from 1878 (in Zagreb and Samobor). The first Davis Cup match in Croatia was played in Zagreb in 1927. In the finals of the 1939 Davis Cup match for the European zone, held in Zagreb, the Croatian team defeated the representation of Germany. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 20 Sep 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10901/1/Sandra-Paovic-of-Croatia-winning-gold-medal-in-table-tennis-at-the-2016-Paraolympic-Games-in-Rio.html Paovic’s career in the able-bodied side was cut short on 30 January 2009, by a life threatening car accident en route to the airport in Paris following a match. She suffered a severe cervical spinal injury leaving her with limited use of her legs. “What motivated me to come back to table tennis is the love that I have for table tennis and sport in general,” she said. “Many people were there for me on my way to success, but most important was that I believed in myself and that I never gave up.” Sandra was born in the city of Vukovar. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 16 Sep 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10897/1/Stipe-Miocic-successfully-defending-his-UFC-heavy-weight-world-title-vs-A-Overeem-in-Sep-2016-in-Cleveland.html Stipe Mioèiæ, USA, born in 1982 to Croatian immigrants, is an American mixed martial artist competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he is the current UFC World Heavyweight Champion. In Sep 2016 he successfully defended his title in Cleveland in the match with Alistair Overeem, a well known Dutch martial artist and kickboxer who was Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 champion. Preparing for this match, Stipe spent a part of the summer 2016 in Croatia with Mirko Filipoviæ - Crocop. Stipe Mioèiæ is married with Ryan Marie Carney. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 12 Sep 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10891/1/Ivica-Kostelic-Summer-Ski-Camp-on-the-island-of-Mljet-in-Croatia.html Ivica Kosteliæ, the greatest Croatian male skier in history, invited a number of his friends, mostly skiers, to spend a part of their summer vacations on the island of Mljet, one of the most beautiful Mediterranean islands. The resulting series of six videos provides a lots of information about this island, as well as about Ivica and his guests. The island of Mljet is the one on which the shipwreck of St. Paul the Apostle occured in the first century AD, described in the Acts of the Apostles (Chps. 27 & 28) of the New Testament in the Bible. On the photo Ivica with his beautiful wife Elin Arnarsdottir from Iceland. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 30 Aug 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10888/1/Sime-Fantela-and-Igor-Marenic-won-Croatias-first-ever-gold-medal-in-Olympic-sailing-in-Rio-2016.html ©ime Fantela and Igor Mareniæ are the current European and World champions in sailing. Should it come as a surprise if they won gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio? Definitely no, but this was Croatia's first gold in Olympic sailing. This medal, as well as the silver medal by Tonèi Stipanoviæ (Laser category), is among others a consequence of the fact that Croatia is not only a Middle-European country, but also a Mediterranean country, situated along the coast which many consider as the most beautiful in the world, interspersed with more than a thosand islands. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 24 Aug 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10885/1/Damir-Martin-Croatian-rower-winning-silver-medal-of-golden-glitter-at-2016-Olympic-Games-in-mens-single-sculls.html   Probably the most dramatic event in rowing at the Olympic Games in Rio was held in the finals of men's single sculls. Croatian rower Damir Martin finished simulateneously with Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand. However, photo-finish showed that the difference was a portion of a centimeter, so that Damir Martin was decorated with silver medal. It is a huge success of Croatian sports. Both competitors finished with the same result of 6:41:34, i.e. with equal within one hundredth of the second. According to the current FISA rule, this result is then a dead heat, and both competitors should have been decorated with gold medals. However, the Olympic Committee in Rio did not respect the FISA rule. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 20 Aug 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10887/1/Sandra-Perkoviae-won-olympic-gold-medal-in-discus-throw-at-the-2016-Olympic-Games-in-Rio.html Sandra Perkoviæ is one of the most dominant figures in contemporary world athletics, in the discipline of discus throw. In Rio de Janeiro she won her second consecutive title of Olympic Champion. She thus became one of only two women in the history of discus throw to have two gold olympic medals. The year 2016 was the most successful for Croatia till now. With 5 gold medals, Croatia won 17th place among 198 countries. Furthermore, it is 7th among 27 countries of European Union. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 19 Aug 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10884/1/Sinkovic-brothers-win-gold-medals-for-Croatia-in-Double-Sculls-at-2016-Olympics-in-Rio.html   Brothers Valent and Martin Sinkoviæ won their only missing trophey - Olympic gold in Rio in 2016. They belong to most dominant contemporary figures in Double Sculls in the world: they were the double world champions and the double European champions in this sport, as well as the current European champions. For the last two years, they did not lose any international competition (they won 29 races in a row!). They have an outstanding trainer, Nikola Braliæ: in 2015, he was proclaimed the best rowing trainer in the world. On the photo, on the left of Martin is Manuela, his wife. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 12 Aug 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10882/1/Croatia---Spain-72--70-in-basketball-match-at-the-2016-Olympic-Games-in-Rio.html Dario ©ariæ's powerful block at the end of a difficult basketball game agains Spain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, secured the 72 : 70 win for Croatian team. Among Croatian players, especially successful was Bojan Bogdanoviæ with his 26 points. The Spanish team is considered as one of the major candidates for the highest position at the Olympics, along with the American team. We recall that at the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona, Croatia won the sensational silver medal in basketball. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 11 Aug 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10881/1/Josip-Glasnovic-wins-Croatias-first-gold-of-the-2016-Olympics.html Croatian army officer Josip Glasnovic won Croatia's first gold of the 2016 Olympics in the trap-shooting, beating Italy's Giovanni Pellielo in a four-shot sudden death shootoff. Edward Ling of Great Britain took home bronze. Glasnovic, a 33-year-old who also competed in Beijing in 2008, hit a perfect 15 of 15 in the semi-final but missed two in the final. He then fired four of four in the sudden death round. Glasnovic succeeds Giovanni Cernogoraz who won gold for Croatia in London 4 years ago in the same event. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Mon, 08 Aug 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10868/1/Davis-Cup-2016-Croatia-rallies-to-stun-US-3-2-in-Portland.html Marin Èiliæ and Borna Èoriæ (on the photo) backed up their captain's belief in a stirring rally, winning matches to give Croatia a 3-2 comeback victory at the Tualatin Hills hard courts. "Today, I knew they were going to bring the quality," Krajan said. Èiliæ got in started, beating John Isner 7-6 (11-9), 6-3, 6-4. Èoriæ then topped Jack Sock 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The U.S. lost for the fourth time in 161 tries when leading 2-0 lead in a Davis Cup tie. In 2005, Croatia eliminated USA from the Davis Cup with the same result 3-2, and that year Croatia became the winner of this prestigious world tennis competition. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 18 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10865/1/Sandra-Perkovics-win-in-discus-trow-at-European-Athletic-Championship-in-Amsterdam-2016.html Sandra Perkoviæ, one of the greatest Croatian athletes, won gold medal in discus throw at European Athletic Championship in Amsterdam. It is her fourth consecutive win at European Athletic Championships. It is interesting that both silver and bronze medals were won by representatives from Germany. Sandra is the current Olympic and World champion in discus throw. It is indeed rare to see such a dominant athlete at international competitions in the course of the last several years. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 10 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10869/1/Croatian-basketball-representation-qualified-for-the-2016-Olympic-Games-in-Rio-by-defeating-Italian-team.html In dramatic finals of the basketball tournament in Italy, Croatian team defeated Italian team in Torino, thus securing its participation at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Croatia has a very young team, and its victories under the guidance of Aleksandar Petroviæ, against very strong Greek and Italian temas are a pleasant surprise. Among better known players, we mention Dario ©ariæ, Krunoslav Simon, Darko Planinic (on the photo) and Bojan Bogdanoviæ. Aleksandar Petroviæ is the brother of late Dra¾en Petroviæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 09 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10863/1/Zvonko-Vranesic-Croatian-Canadian-International-Chess-Master-and-Professor-at-the-University-of-Toronto.html Professor Zvonko Vranesic was born in Croatia's capital Zagreb. At the University of Toronto, he served as the Director of the Computer Engineering Program from 1991 to 1995, and as Chair of the Division of Engineering Science from 1995 to 2000. He worked on numerous consulting projects in the area of computer engineering. Presently, he is a Principal Software Engineer at the Altera Toronto Technology Center. He has co-authored five books which have become widely used (worldwide) in undergraduate courses. He represented Canada in numerous chess competitions. He holds the title of International Master and since 2010 is a member of the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 09 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10866/1/Lipik-Streetball-Tournament-2016-organized-under-the-auspices-of-FIBA.html The Lipik 3x3 Challenger 2016, organized in the town of Lipik on Croatian North, is an international event in 3x3 street basketball, that will be held in Lipik on July 8 and 9 as a part of the World tour series and under the direct sponsorship from FIBA, the international governing basketball organisation. The Challenger status and the trust that FIBA showed came as a result of many years of hard and devoted work of young people who, 17 years ago, in the summer of 1999, led by the idea to enrich the local social life, decided to organise the first tournament in street basketball. Especially important was the role of Ivan Pu¹æenik, on the photo with Nenad N. Bach in Lipik. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 07 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10857/1/Goran-Colak-Croatian-holder-of-amazing-freediving-WR-273-m-and-of-the-Guinness-WR-23min-breath-hold.html We provide a short documentary about life and training of most decorated pool freediver in the history of sport. At the time of filmmaking, summer of 2014, Goran Èolak had 10 gold medals from pool World Championships with addition of 8 World records CMAS(5) and AIDA(3) combined. Goran Èolak holds the Guinness WR 23min breath hold. He is multiple world champion and record holder in various free diving disciplines. Guinness WR attempt took place at island Vir in Croatia (20.06.2014), and exact breath hold time was set at record 23 minutes and 01 seconds. These sports are extremely dangerous and require special physical and mental trainings. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 26 Jun 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10855/1/Croatia---Spain-2--1-at-the-Euro-2016-in-France.html   Rejuventated Croatian soccer team, with even five new very young  players, won in an important match against Spain. It was Spain's first loss at Euros since 2004. Spanish team is considered as one of the strongest ones in the world today. Especially impressive was the performance of Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Suba¹iæ, here on the photo. Croatian competed in group D, and finished ranked on the first place: 1. Croatia (7 pts), 2. Spain (6 pts), 3. Turkey (3 pts), 4. Czechia (1 pt). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 23 Jun 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10851/1/Croatia-Turkey-10-at-EURO-France-2016-on-the-Parc-des-Princes-in-Paris-with-anthological-goal-of-Luka-Modric.html A difficult match of Croatia with Turkey at EURO France 16 ended with a win for Croatia, due to spectacular goal of Luka Modriæ. Croatia has been dominant throughout the match, exhibiting high quality collective game, and the result could have been even more convincing for Croatia. This was an exceptionally good opening match, since the group in which Croatia competes is very tough. Except of Luka Modriæ, Croatian team has several very experineced international players, like Modriæ, Manðukuæ, Rakitiæ, Peri¹iæ, Srna etc. Did You know that Raktiæ is not only amazing football player, but also an outstanding polyglot, speaking, except Croatian, also German, English, French and Castillian? On the photo, the flag of Croatian fans from the village of Lukoran on the island of Ugljan near the city of Zadar on Croatian coast. ante.glibota@wanadoo.fr (Akademik Ante Glibota) Sun, 12 Jun 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10850/1/Euro-2016-in-France----Cheering-and-Singing-for-Croatian-Vatreni.html The host country of the Euro is France, the same territory where Croatia placed third in the World Cup in 1998 (which was a huge accomplishment for the then reborn country), so who knows what is going to happen. When I was a little girl growing up in Zagreb (the Croatian capital), I will never forget how during every Euro or World Soccer Cup, whenever Croatia would play against someone, everything in the city would literally stop. Whenever we did win, people would go crazy (in a good way), and many would wipe those tears of joy from their faces. And this soccer frenzy applies not just to Croatia, but to almost every nation who is into soccer. On the photo, the author, Maya Brleèiæ, internationally accompished Croatian pianist and singer, living in Cincinnati, USA. mayabrle@gmail.com (Maya Brlecic, pianist, singer and music teacher) Sat, 11 Jun 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10844/1/Stipe-Miocic-became-the-UFC-World-Heavyweight-Champion-in-2016.html Stipe Mioèiæ, USA, born in 1982 to Croatian immigrants, is an American mixed martial artist competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he is the current UFC World Heavyweight Champion. He defeated Brazilian champion Fabricio Werdum in front of 45000 fans in Curitiba, Brazil.. His height is 6 ft 4 in (193 cm). In a few occasions he visited Croatia, the land of his parents, where he also met with Mirko CroCop (Mirko Filipoviæ), who is one of his idols. After winning his title, Stipe Mioè will rest in Croatia from May to August 2016. Croatian fans describe him as a perfectly normal and pleasant person. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 25 May 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10815/1/Makybe-Diva-a-famous-horse-which-is-both-Australian-and-Croatian-brand-owned-by-Tony-Santic.html Makybe Diva is the most famous horse in the History of Mankind. Mr Tony Santic (tuna farmer), who its owner, is Australian Croat born on the beautiful Croatian island of Lastovo. The name of Makybe Diva is an acronym, derived from the names of five ladies employed at Mr Santic: Maureen, Kylie, Belinda, Diane and Vanessa. In 2005 Makybe Diva became the first horse in Australasian racing history to claim three Melbourne Cups and a Cox Plate. The jockey of Makybe Diva is easily recognizable by the jersey and the cap deocrated with elements of the Croatian Coat of Arms that everybody knows. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 05 Mar 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10790/1/Jimmy-Lyggett-an-American-boxer-and-trainer-of-Croatian-boxing-national-team-from-1939-to-1945.html Jimmy Lyggett (1897-1955) was an American boxer and trainer of Croatian boxing clubs in Zagreb, as well as of Croatian boxing national team from 1939 to 1945, on the photo on the right.  While he lived in Vienna, he met a woman of Croat descent, Roza, whom he married. The couple moved to Zagreb, Croatia in the early 1930s, where he opened his boxing school. He trained many young boxers in several boxing clubs in Zagreb, starting with boxing club Croatia, and later with clubs Herkules, Makabi and Radnik. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 17 Jan 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10760/1/Janica-Kostelic-the-greatest-female-skier-in-history-advertising-Yakutian-diamonds-in-2015.html Janica Kosteliæ of Croatia is the greatest female skier in history: she is the first alpine skier, male or female, to win four medals at one Olympics and the first female alpine skier to win six Olympic medals. Janica Kostelic was recently advertizing Yakutian diamonds in Croatia's capital Zagreb. Her brother Ivica Kostelic was also internationally known skier, under the guidance of their father and trainer Ante Kostelic. The life of the family of Kostelic is unique in the history of skiing sport (and may be in the history of sport in general). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 14 Nov 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10754/1/Marin-Cilic-is-the-winner-of-the-2015-Moscow-Tennis-Tournament.html Marin Cilic has defeated Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the Moscow final for a second consecutive year, 6-4, 6-4. The victory marks Cilic’s 14th career title and first of 2015.  “This tournament is becoming more and more special for me. To win it again really gives me huge satisfaction and big pleasure,” Æiliæ told the Moscow crowd after the final.“This tournament is becoming more and more special for me. To win it again really gives me huge satisfaction and big pleasure,” Cilic told the Moscow crowd after the final. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 26 Oct 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10733/1/Blanka-Vlasic-Wins-Silver-at-the-2015-IAAF-World-Championships-in-Beijing.html Congratulations to Blanka Vlasic for winning silver at the 2015 IAAF World Championships held in Beijing where she made her triumphant return after battling injuries. This is her second medal that she won in Beijing, the first being the silver medal she won at the 2008 Olympic Games. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Sat, 29 Aug 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10731/1/FIBA-U19-World-Championship-2015-great-Croatian-basketball-success-winning-silver-medal.html The United States received Croatia as its toughest challenge in the FIBA U-19 World Championship in the gold medal game. The Croatians put together an impressive effort to keep the score close throughout the game without star forward Dragan Bender (who sat out due to a shoe company dispute) and injured center Ante Zizic. Silver medal of Croatian young basketball team (under 19 years of age) at the FIBA U-19 World Championship is a huge success. Croatian Nik Slavica power block against USA Tatum in the finals has been proclaimed the BEST BLOCK of the Championship. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 24 Aug 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10728/1/Filip-Hrgovic-Croatian-super-heavyweight-boxing-champion-of-Europe-in-2015.html Filip Hrgoviæ of Croatia is a new super heavyweight boxing champion of Europe in 2015, during the European Amateur Championships organized in Bulgaria. He was born in 1992, and his height is 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in). He was also the world junior champion in 2010. Filip's colleague Hrvoje Sep has won bronze medal in 2015 in the semi heavyweight category, which is also a big success for Croatia. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 19 Aug 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10722/1/Ana-Rucner-Croatian-cellist-and-Klapa-Sinj-celebrating-the-tradition-of-Sinjska-alka.html On 5th August Croatia is celebrating Liberation Day, remembering not only the Storm Liberation Operation from 1995, but also endevours of generations of Croatian people during many centuries. Here we provide a beautiful video from the town of Sinj, featuring Sinjska Alka and Croatian cellist Ana Rucner, with typical songs from the Sinj area interpreted by Klapa Sinj, as well as the famous air U Boj, sang in Croatia's capital Zagreb by the Kwansei-Gakuin Choir from the city of Kobe, Japan. Finally, we end with a testimony of Dr. Slobodna Lang, distinguished Croatian humanitarian activist, professor at the University of Zagreb. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 30 Jul 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10713/1/Ivan-Rakitic-Croatian-soccer-diamond-born-in-Switzerland.html Ivan Rakitiæ, Croatian soccer player born in Switzerland, is a versatile and physical midfielder who can stake a claim on nearly every inch of the midfield. He’s an offensive-minded player, but he is also an avid defender when his team requires it. He has good game vision and his passing capability is excellent. Throughout his career he’s stood out as great assister. He also possesses a powerful shot. Despite featuring for the Swiss national youth teams, Rakitiæ elected to play for Croatia. Since his debut at the age of 19, on September 8 of 2007, he’s become a nearly permanent feature for Croatia.Ivan speaks five langauges: Croatian, German, Castillan, English and French. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 11 Jul 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10706/1/Sandra-Perkovic-discus-throwing-star-of-Croatia-dominating-the-world-scene-from-NY-to-Doha-in-2015.html Sandra Perkoviæ is the the European Champion in discus throwing, the Olympic champion and the World champion. She is also dominating the Diamond League meetings. “Three Diamond League meetings in 10 days – this is exhausting. But it’s still fun, I love my job,” said the world champion. She has already thrown beyond 70 metres this season, reaching 70.08 m at the Croatian winter championships, a throw exactly one metre shy of her career best. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 23 Jun 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10680/1/Marijo-Moznik-2015-European-gymnastics-champion-in-horizontal-bar-competition-in-Montpellier-France.html Marijo Mo¾nik won gold in the men’s horizontal bar at the European Championships in Montpellier on Sunday with a high 14.833 points in the final. The gold medal was Croatia’s first ever gymnastic gold medal at a European Championships. It was however the second time Mo¾nik has won a European Championship medal after he picked up silver, also in Montpellier, three years ago. Mo¾nik also has a World Championship bronze medal. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 01 May 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10673/1/Fritzie-Zivic-boxing-welterweight-champ-invited-by-famous-inventor-Nikola-Tesla-to-lunch-in-New-York.html Fritzie Zivic never asked why. He never asked if his opponent hit hard, if his opponent deserved the shot, if the opponent would be tough. He just said “yes” and signed the contract. Perhaps this fearlessness is the reason why Zivic may have fought a better array of boxers than any fighter in history. 23,190 people filled the Madison Square Garden in New York to the rafters when Armstrong met Zivic again on January 17, 1941. This remains the all-time highest Garden record for attendance! After this match, great inventor Nikola Tesla invited his compatriot and his four brothers to celebrate this win in his hotel. See Tesla and Zivic on the photo. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 18 Apr 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10668/1/Help-Croatias-Special-Olympics-Team-get-to-Los-Angeles-for-2015-Games.html Croatia's Special Olympics delegation of thirty one, including 23 athletes and 8 coaches will be headed to the worldwide Special Olympics 2015 in Los Angeles from July 25th to August 2nd. Croatia will be represented by a volleyball team, soccer team and by two swimmers. As you can imagine, the overall cost for airline travel and flights is very expensive. Please consider making a donation via credit card or by sending a tax deductible check to the Special Olympics in Washington, DC - all donations will be 100% earmarked for Team Croatia. Thank you in advance for any consideration or donations! ruksj@aol.com (Steve Rukavina) Mon, 13 Apr 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10644/1/Super-Bowl-XLIX-will-be-a-battle-of-the-Croatians.html What do Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks, Bill Belichick, and Rob Ninkovich of the New England Patriots all have in common? If you guessed that they all had ties to Croatia, give yourself a pat on the back and get ready for Super Boxwl XLIX! That's right Sunday's game features a battle of the Croatians. If you are interested in reading about the trio's Croatian ties then read on!  stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Fri, 30 Jan 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10624/1/Filip-Ude-won-silver-medal-in-pommel-horse-at-the-2014-World-Gymnastics-Championship-in-China.html Croatia is becoming a world super-power in gymnastic disciplines due to successes of  Filip Ude who won silver medal on the pommel horse at the World Gymnastics Championship in Nanning in China, while Marijo Mo¾nik won silver medal on the bars. This is a big success of Croatian sports. Filip Ude thus has three silver medals from three most prestigious international gymnastics competitions: from the Olympic Games, from European Gymnastics Championships and from World Gymnastics Championships. The latest success in China is a historic event for Croatian sports. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 27 Oct 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10611/1/Marin-Eiliae-wins-the-US-Open-in-New-York.html On September 8, 2013 Marin Èiliæ became the winner of the US Open in New York at Arthur Ashe Stadium by defeating Kei Nishikori, the man who had defeated the number one tennis player in the world. Two days earlier, Marin took down Roger Federer 6:3 6:4 6:4 while Nishikori outplayed Djokovic 6-4 1-6 7-6(4) 6-3 and so the match of the new Titans was set to different music than most people expected  for the game on Monday. slavonac46@gmail.com (David Byler) Wed, 10 Sep 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10614/1/More-about-Marin-Cilic-winner-of-the-2014-US-OPEN-tennis-competition-and-of-the-Gram-Slam-title.html In this article we provide several video recordings and interviews, describing the latest success of Marin Èiliæ at the US OPEN 2014. It is surprising to see a young Croatian giant (197 cm) being so dominant in his games. He likes to work with children. His birthplace is Meðugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has been visited by millions of pilgrims from all over the world during the past 30 years. Marin is living in Croatia's capital Zagreb. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 09 Sep 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10605/1/TORONTO-CROATIA-Great-Croatian-Story-documentary-by-Hrvoje-Hitrec-Jakov-Sedlar-and-Josip-Pavicic.html The Documentary film "Toronto Croatia - Great Croatian Story...", from Screenwriter Hrvoje Hitrec, Director Jakov Sedlar and Producer Josip Pavicic captures and for the first time presents the great and unrepeatable Historical documentation.  All important witnesses of these Historical accomplishments of Eusebio, Grnja, Bradvic, Bilic, Kenfelja, Ante Pavlovic, Simunic, Suker, Niko Kovac as well as Robert Iarusci, Bruce Thomas and Ante Pavelic testify to this unified and unique team. In 1976 Toronto Croatia won the Continental Championship with as many as 20 consecutive wins and became the champion of the North American League. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 23 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10603/1/Ana-Simic-Croatian-high-jumper-winner-of-bronze-medal-at-European-Championships-in-Zurich-2014.html Ana ©imiæ won bronze medal for Croatia at the European Athletic Championship in Zurich, with her personal best result of 199 cm. Earliear in 2014 she was the winner of the prestigious Diamond League in high jumping for women, organized in Shanghai. Ana is an excellent follower of great Blanka Vla¹iæ. She was born in Gradaèac in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1990. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 18 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10601/1/Martin-Markovic-junior-world-champion-in-discus-throwin-for-2014-at-Hayward-Field-in-Eugene-USA.html Martin Markovic became the second Croatian male athlete to win a world junior title and the first one in 12 years with a world-junior-leading 66.94m in the discus final at Hayward Field. It was his first  global medal after four appearances in World Youth and World Junior Championships finals. Markovic’s gold was Croatia’s second medal in Eugene after Sara Kolak took the silver in the javelin. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 17 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10599/1/Ivan-Saric-of-Croatia-winning-at-World-Chess-Olympiad-against-Magnus-Carlsen-the-current-world-champion.html In the 10th round of the Chess Olympiad in Tromsoe, World Champion Magnus Carlsen lost to Croatia's Ivan ©ariæ, and Norway's team A lost to Croatia 0.5-3.5. It is interesting that it the 2014 World Chess Olympiad is world’s 4th largest sporting event, and Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg opened proceedings and made the first move for Norway’s world chess champion Magnus Carlsen, which he then lost with Ivan ©ariæ. Ivan ©ariæ is a former Junior World Chess Champion and Junior European Chess Champion. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 13 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10590/1/Participants-of-the-Croatian-World-Games-in-the-Zagreb-Cathedral-and-at-Jelacic-Square-2014.html About 750 young Croatians from 25 countries, accompanied by their relatives and friends, attended the solemn Holy Mass at the Zagreb Cathedral, delivered by Bishop Mijo Gorski. It was an unusual and exceptionally pleasant scenery, with so many enthusiastic young people in their colorful costumes, decorated with various insignia representing Croatia and the countries of their residence. After Mass a cultural program ensued with the official opening of the Third Croatian World Games. The aim of these Games is to connect Croatian people by means of sports. The event was started by the Croatian World Congress and is supported by Croatian institutions. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 22 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10588/1/Croatia-winner-of-the-European-Senior-Taekwondo-Championships-2014-held-in-Baku-in-Azerbaijan.html Croatia, with the astonishing performance of twins Lucija (on the photo) and Ana Zaninoviæ, became Champion of the European Senior Taekwondo Championships, obtaining six medals (3 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 1 Bronze). The first place has been won among 46 participating countries at the European Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Another great international succes: young Matea Jeliæ and Ivana Babiæ won gold medals at the 2014 Junior World Taekwondo Championships in Taiwan. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 19 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10586/1/Croatian-World-Games-Zagreb-21-26-July-2014.html About 750 Croats from 25 countries on 5 continents will participate in the Croatian World Games, 21-26 July, 2014 in Croaia's Zagreb. These are the third Croatian World Games. The previous ones took place in 2006 and 2010 in the city of Zadar and more than 800 competitors participated from 40 countries around the world. In addition to participants from outside the fatherland, participants from Croatia and from Bosnia and Herzegovina will also participate in the Games. The organizer of this important project is the Croatian World Congress and Games are held under the auspices of the President of Croatia. The event starts on 21st July, 19:30, in the Zagreb Cathedral. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 16 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10580/1/Ana-Lenard-of-Croatia-is-European-karate-champion-for-2014-in-Finland.html Ana Lenard is the gold medalist at the 49th European Karate Championships, in the category under 61kg. The competition was organized in Finland in Tampere. Ana Lenard is from the town of Samobor near Zagreb, a well known and very beautiful resort, in the area which is a paradise for mountaineering recreation. Another Croatian representative, Ivona Tubiæ, has been decorated at the same competition in Finland by the bronze medal in the category under 68 kg. This is a big success of Croatian sports. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 03 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10573/1/2-Billion-People-Will-Watch-Croatian-Boys-Playing-Brazil-in-few-Hours.html In few hours 2 billion people will watch Croatian boys play soccer in the opening match of the World Cup. Za par sati 2 milijarde ljudi ce gledati nase momke kako igraju nogomet u prvom susretu Svjetskog Kupa u Brazilu 2014. Exciting. Uzbudljivo. Sport unite us. Croatian National Team consist of 100% of Croatian Diaspora. Hrvatski Nogometni Tim = 100% Hrvatski Iseljenici. Gdje je ministarstvo? letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 12 Jun 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10569/1/Croatia---Brazil-opening-the-2014-FIFA-World-Cup-12th-June.html   Croatian soccer players Luka Modriæ on the photo and Mario Mand¾ukiæ are today among the best in the world. It is expected that Croatia will achieve a good result at the competition. The best result till now has been achieved during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, when Croatia won the third place. The best Croatian football player then was Davor ©uker, worldwide known representative of Croatian team. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 31 May 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10556/1/Ivan-Bjelovucic-the-first-in-history-to-fly-over-the-Alps-in-1913.html One of the greatest successes of Ivan Bjelovuèiæ (1889 – 1949) was achieved on 25 January 1913 when, as a French pilot, he managed to fly over the Alps between Brigue and Domodossola in 26 minutes and thus become the first pilot in the history who did it. Born in Peru, on his father's side he was a descendant from the family of sea captains from Janjina, Pelje¹ac peninsula in Croatia. Recently a postage stamp was issued in his honor in Croatia in 100,000 copies. marinko.frka@gmail.com (Mauricij Frka-Pete�i�) Fri, 02 May 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10541/1/Quietest-road-race-ever-Croatia-hosts-electric-vehicle-rally-in-May-2014.html Nikola Tesla would be proud. In May, Croatia will host its first electric car rally that winds from the northern coast to the capital Zagreb through some of the country's most scenic spots. The route includes a visit to electricity pioneer Tesla's hometown too. Over five days, electric car and motorcycle drivers will pass through three national parks - Paklenica, Plitvice Lakes and Krka - as well as resort towns like Opatija and Rovinj. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 25 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10531/1/England-U18-1-2-Croatia-U18-the-second-Croatian-soccer-victory-against-England-in-just-48-hours.html England's soccer team Under-18 has been defeated by Croatian young team U18  with the result of 2-1 for the second time in just 48 hours. Congratulations to Croatian players and their coach for this big sports success in two friendly matches St George's Park in England. We remind the readers of the CROWN of the historic 3:2 Croatian sports victory against the English senior soccer representation at Wembley in London in 2007. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 07 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10527/1/Julia-Dujmoviae-wins-Gold-in-Sochi-2014-Olympic-Winter-Games.html Saturday 22 February 2014 is a day which 26 year old Julia Dujmoviæ will never forget. Her first run in the parallel slalom left Julia a dissapointing .72 seconds behind Anke Karstens from Germany. Julia Dujmoviæ gave her all in the second run to overtake Karstens, pulling ahead in the course to win the gold by .12 seconds, winning the first gold medal ever for Burgenland in the Winter Olympics. slavonac46@gmail.com (David Byler) Mon, 24 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10521/1/-Ivica-Kosteliae-makes-history-in-the-Super-combined-event-at-the-2014-Sochi-Winter-Olympic-Games.html Ivica Kosteliæ wins the Silver for Croatia at Sochi on Valentine's Day 2014 becoming the first person to win three silver medals in three consecutive Winter Olympic Games. This is his fourth Silver medal in the Olympics.  Up until the present competition in Sochi, Ivica had won three Olympic medals, three medals in the World Championships, and 59 podium finishes in the World cup including 26 victories with 4 small crystal globes and one large globe in 2011. slavonac46@gmail.com (David Byler) Sun, 16 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10502/1/Toni-Kukoc-Croatian-basketball-sensation-in-Chicago-Bulls-and-Pink-Panther-of-the-NBA.html In Europe they called him The Pink Panther, his lucidity and intelligence fascinated everyone. He gave three European team basketball titles to his hometown Split, Croatia. He won two Olympic silvers, a World Champion title and many awards in Croatia and Europe. In 1992 he was ready to move to the homeland of basketball. He joined the Chicago Bulls, he got the nickname The Croatian Sensation, and he reached the top, he won three NBA rings in a row. With George Mikan and Dra¾en Petroviæ, Toni Kukoè was one of the greatest Croatian basketball players in the NBA. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 19 Dec 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10475/1/Tina-Mihelic-from-Split-Croatia-is-the-2013-Radial-Laser-World-Sailing-Champion.html Tina Miheliæ is the 2013 world champion in sailing in the category of Radial Laser. This is for the first time in history that a Croatian sportswoman won such a title. The competition took place in China, and she won in front of the girls from Denmark and the USA. Originaly from a very nice Croatian coastal town of Kostrena, she now lives in the city of Split. This is one of great achievements of Croatian sports. Congratulations to Tina and to her YC Labud (i.e., Swan) in the city of Split. The yacht club was founded in 1924. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 28 Oct 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10461/1/Cliff-Searching-in-Croatia-by-Orlando-Duque-etc-etc.html Orlando Duque visited Croatia and searched for the most attractive cliffs to dive. He was delighted with the Croatian natural beauties and executed a  number of incredible jumps from cliffs. For such a small country, Croatia offers visitors an incredible range of landscapes: from the Mediterranean coast with its necklace of 1244 islands to the sunflower-gilded Slavonian plains, via pristine rivers and the wildlife-rich subalpine regions of Gorski kotar and the Velebit mountains. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 20 Sep 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10459/1/-Borna-Coric-and-Ana-Konjuh-sweep-the-2013-US-Open-juniors-titles.html Croatians Borna Coric and Ana Konjuh (left) swept the U.S. Open juniors titles Sunday.The 15-year-old Konjuh defeated Tornado Alicia Black of the United States 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6) in the girls’ final, adding to her Australian Open junior title this year. Coric, 16, beat Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the boys’ final. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Mon, 09 Sep 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10457/1/Croatia-won-gold-in-quadruple-sculls-at-2013-World-Championship-in-Korea-ahead-of-Germany-and-GB.html David ©ain, Martin Sinkoviæ, Damir Martin (on the photo) and Valent Sinkoviæ representing Croatia are continuing with amazing results in quadruple sculls rowing. At the 2013 World Championship held in Korea, Croatia won the first place, Germany the second (last year's Olympic champions in London, Croatia was  second then), and Great Britain the third. Croatia won the title of world champions for the second time (2011 and 2013), and is at the same time the tripple world cup champion (2010, 2011, 2-013), which is an unbeleivable achievement besides such countries like Germany, Great Britain, Rusia, USA, etc.. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 02 Sep 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10453/1/Croatians-are-the-World-Cup-champions-in-quadruple-sculls-for-the-third-time---in-2010-2012-and-2013.html Qadruple sculls is one of elite sports in world's rowing. To be among the first ten nations in the world raniking is a great exploit for every nation. The results of Croatian however are absolutely amazing: David ©ain, Martin Sinkoviæ, Damir Martin and Valent Sinkoviæ are dominant among such nations like Germany, Great Britain, Russia, Norway, Canada, USA, etc. With these results Croatia has been established as a world superforce in this sporting discipline. In 2013 they were winners for the third time in the last four years, this time in Luzern in Switzerland. Furthermore, Damir Martin had a birthday on this great winning day. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 17 Aug 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10449/1/Sandra-Perkovic-young-Croatian-athlete-world-champion-in-discus-throw-in-Moscow-2013.html   Sandra Perkoviæ, young Croatian athlete, is the best discus thrower among women in the world today. Olympic champion in 2012, double European champion (2010 in Barcelona and in 2012 in Helsinki), winner of many international competitions during the past several years, in 2013 she became the world champion during the World Athletics Competition held in Moscow. She is also the winner of the 2013 Diamond League. Sandra is one of the greatest sportswomen in the history of Croatian sport, next to famous Janica Kosteliæ (skiing superstar) and Blanka Vla¹iæ (high-jumping superstar). darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 13 Aug 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10441/1/George-Mikan-gentle-giant-and-the-first-big-dominant-basketball-player-in-the-history-of-NBA-has-Croatian-roots.html George  Mikan, a famous Croatian-American basketball player, the first big and dominant man in the NBA (212 cm tall). He was born in Joliet, and baptized in the Croatian Roman Catholic Church in. His grandfather, whose name is also George Mikan, was born in Croatia, as Juraj Mikan (in Croatian, Juraj = George), and he once said th efollowing: "I am proud of my grandson, and am glad that we Croatians have made a contribution to the progress and development of our America, not only in its industry, but in its sporting world, also." A statue was erected in honor of the NBA Hall of Famer at the Target Center in Minneapolis. In 2013 his two grand-daughters, Gina and Molly, visited Croatia and, among others, payed a visit to the native village of George Mikan's grand-father, and to their relatives - Mikans in Croatia. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 20 Jul 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10429/1/Drazen-Petrovic-1964-1993-distinguished-Croatian-basketball-player-and-the-greatest-European-player-of-all-times.html Dra¾en Petroviæ initially achieved success playing professional basketball for Croatian clubs ©ibenka and Cibona, and in Europe (Real Madrid in Spain) in the 1980s before joining the American NBA in 1989. In 1993 Dra¾en died in a car accident at the age of 28. Petroviæ earned two silver medals and one bronze in Olympic basketball, a gold and a bronze in the FIBA World Championship, and a gold and a bronze in the FIBA European Championship. He earned four Euroscar Awards, and was named Mr. Europa in basketball twice. At the Olympic Games in 1992, he was the leader of the Croatian basketball team, which won all games except the final against the USA. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10418/1/Julija-Vojkovic-champion-of-International-Competition-in-Middle-Age-Fencing-in-Pavone-Canavese-Italy.html In 2013 a small Croatian group participated in the International Competition of Middle Age Fencing in Pavone Canavese Italy. And for the first time in the history of competition, a brand new team won to first places. Julija Vojkovic won the first place in fencing. She composed her fantastic dresses sewing them alone, based on old traditional, extremely elegant Croatian costumes from the region of Vrlika. Julija is professional graphic artist and designer living with her family in the city of Zagreb. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 08 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10381/1/Ivica-Kostelic-won-his-first-world-cup-slalom-race-of-the-season-March-2013-with-victory-in-Kranjska-Gora.html Ivica Kosteliæ, the 2011 overall world cup champion and three time defending combined champion had been hampered all season with a knee injury. But the 33-year-old Zagreb native showed no signs of pain as he clocked a winning combined time of one minute 45.81 seconds to top the podium 10 years after his first victory. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 12 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10369/1/Handball-World-Championships-in-Spain-Croatia-wins-bronze-and-Croatia---France-30-23.html Competing at the 2013 World Handball Championship in Spain, Croatia won in a match against  France, current World champion. Croatia won with a big result 30-23. The match was held in  23 Jan 2013 in Zaragoza, and it was one of the main events of the whole compeition. Domagoj Duvnjak was proclaimed the best player of the match. Croatia won bronze medal at the 2013 World Handball Competition in Spain, proving that it has one of the best handball teams in the world. On the photo Slavko Golu¾a, trainer of Croatian team. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 12 Feb 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10363/1/Ana-Konjuh-young-Croatian-tennis-player-won-two-junior-titles-at-Australian-Open-2013.html Croatian Ana Konjuh signalled she is a future star of women's tennis as she claimed the 2013 Australian Open girls' singles championship on Saturday. She became the third player in the past three years to win both the Australian Open girls’ singles and doubles title. Miss Konjuh was born and lives in Dubrovnik at the Croatian coast, which is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 03 Feb 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10312/1/Croatia-U18-Basketball-team---Champions-of-Europe.html The Croatian U18 Basketball team are the champions of Europe after winning the gold medal at the European Championship in Latvia and Lithuania. Thanks to an unbelievable 39 baskets from Dario Saric (left), Croatia beat the hosts Lithuania in the final 88:76. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Tue, 21 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10310/1/Croatia-won-3-golds-among-six-medals-at-the-London-Olympics-2012-plus-one-unofficial-gold.html Croatia won record 6 medals at the olympics, among them 3 golds: Sandra Brkljaèiæ in discus throwing, Giovanni Cernogoraz in trap, and Croatian waterpolo team without any defeat, Croatian quad scull won silver medal, Lucija Zaninoviæ won bronze medal in tae-kwon-do, handball team also won bronze medal. An unofficial gold medal went to Antonija Mi¹ura, see why. We also add a little refreshment with Blanka Vla¹iæ and Janica Kosteliæ. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 14 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10306/1/Croatias-Giovanni-Cernogoraz-wins-Olympic-mens-trap-gold-in-London-2012.html "This gold medal is fantastic," said Cernogoraz, who in his daily life helps out in his family's restaurant in Novigrad. "This is very good for me, for my family and for the country. I did not expect to win." This is the second gold medal for Croatia at the 2012 Olympics Games in London. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 07 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10304/1/Sandra-Perkovic-Croatian-olympic-queen-in-discus-throwing-2012-in-London.html Rank in discus throwing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London: 1. Sandra Perkoviæ, Croatia,  69.11 m, winner of the Olympic gold medal, 2. Darya Pishchalnikova, Russia, silver medal, 3. Li Yanfeng, China, bronze medal. The 4th place was won by Stephanie Brown Trafton, USA. This is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian sport. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 05 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10289/1/Brigita-Matic-of-Croatia-European-judo-chapion-in-2012-in-the-category-up-to-70-kg.html Brigita Matiæ, young Croatian judo master, became European champion by winning in a match with a Russian girl  Ekaterina Tokareva. The Eruopean Judo Championship was organized in Montenegro in the town of Bar, 22-24 June 2012. Her sister Barbara Matiæ was European judo cadet champion in 2010. Brigita Matiæ is a member of the Judo Club Pujanke from the city of Split (JK Pujanke - Split), Croatia. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 30 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10285/1/Open-letter-to-Michel-Platini-president-of-UEFA-from-Ante-Glibota.html Modern technologies offer a perfect possibility to see the wrong action on a football ground, and to check who is playing sportingly and who is unfair. This would eliminate all possibilities of unfairness suspicion and avoid unjustified results. But you and your organization refuse this solution, to make your occult games and plays, persisting with unfairness and generating false results, as a way to give advantage to your protected nations, your favorite ones. ante.glibota@wanadoo.fr (Akademik Ante Glibota) Sun, 24 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10281/1/Croatia---Ireland-3--1-at-the-2012-European-Football-Championship-in-Poland.html Successful debut of Croatian national team in Poland, in a fooball match with Ireland. Croatia coach is Slaven Biliæ, and this is his last tournament as an international coach before joining Lokomotiv Moscow. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 11 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10278/1/Mobilne-aplikacije-Vatrenih---Mobile-applications-of-Croatian-soccer-team-on-iPhone-Android-and-Blackberry.html   Mobilne aplikacije Vatrenih. Sada je moguæe sve informacije o Hrvatskoj nogometnoj reprezentaciji saznati i u pokretu! Trenutno je moguæe instalirati aplikacije na mobilne ureðaje koje proizvode iPhone, Android i Blackberry. ©kljocnite na logo kako biste odmah instalirali aplikaciju na svoj ureðaj i pristupali cijeloj statistici, povijesti, kolumnama i najsvje¾ijim vijestima nogometne reprezentacije., Android aplikacija zahtjeva verziju 2.2 ili noviju, iPhone i iPod aplikacija zahtjeva verziju iOS-a 4.3 ili noviju, BlackBerry aplikacija za BlackBerry Playbook te BlackBerry 10 Beta - Uskoro! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 09 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10243/1/Jad-Marinovic-Australian-of-Croatian-roots-champion-in-kettlebell-lifting.html Jad Marinovic is as strong, tough and committed as they come!  She has high ambitions both as an athlete and coach.  Jad has traveled to the USA and Europe to compete and also learn from the best, attending the IKSFA St. Petersburg Elite Kettlebell Training Camp in Russia becoming Australia's first female certified IKSFA Kettlebell Sport Coach.  She is not daunted at the prospect of hard training under Russian coaches, and already she has shown she has what it takes to mix with the very best. Jad is the short form of her Croatian name Jadranka. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 25 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10242/1/Yamato-Japanese-drummers-in-Croatia-with-students-of-Japanology-University-of-Zagreb-Feb-2012.html Yamato in Zagreb again, receiving Croatian Hearts as gifts from students of Japanology at the University of Zagreb. On the left a young lady from the Yamato Drummers group - Madoka Higashi, proudly showing her souvenir from Zagreb. Many thanks to our dear friend Mr. Oskar ©aruniæ to have recorded this very nice event in Croatia's capital. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 17 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10231/1/David-Diehl-Super-Bowl-winner-pride-of-Croatia-and-Croatians-around-the-world.html David Diehl on the photo with his daughter Addison Elizabeth celebrated the Super Bowl victory with visible Croatian insignia: with Croatian coat of arms on his left arm, with the Croatian inscription NEUNI©TIV (Undestroyable), and with Croatian shawl around his neck brought in 2011 from the land of his predecessors. Equally great on the defeated side is another Croatian - Bill Bellichick. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10230/1/4-Croatians-in-Super-Bowl-XLVI-2012-Bill-Belichick-Robert-Ninkovich-David-Diehl--Anthony-Lucas.html I did not check the history of Super Bowls, but the fact that three Croatian Americans are playing today in a single game on the Lucas Stadium which is named after the fourth Croatian is a day to celebrate. Belichick & Diehl Two Croatian-Americans face off at Super Bowl for the second time. First time was in 2008. Since they play for opposite teams, Croatians will cheer all the way to the end. Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots is 46th Super Bowl, the most watched show in America, could be the world. With a victory, Patriots coach Bill Belichick becomes the Greatest of All-Time. With the victory, Giants offensive guard David Diehl gets his second ring. R. Ninkovich is playing for the Patriots. The Lucas Stadium is named after another Croatian-American Anthony Lucas b. Antun Lucic, considered as the father of petroleum engineering in the USA. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10227/1/Ivica-Kostelics-third-straight-win-in-World-Cup-slalom-in-Wengen-Switzerland-2012-equals-Stenmark-feat-.html "I guess I have something with this mountain like no other," said Kostelic, whose third straight win in the Wengen slalom 15 January 2012 matched Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark. "To find yourself in the same sentence as Ingemar Stenmark is the greatest honour. Unlike many other racers I really am following the history of skiing. They were legends for me." But for Ivica Kostelic, this is fourth victory in career in the slalom in Wengen (2002, 2010, 2011, 2012) and he has the total of six victories and a total of ten podiums in Wengen, and that way he holds the absolute record. The impressive results. Congratulations. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10213/1/Daniela-Nincevic-and-her-Cro-Majesty-project-quotSPORT-FOR-EVERY-CHILDquot.html Cro Majesty (Hrvatsko velièanstvo) project unites over 2.000 children from 28 Orphanages, situated in 19 different cities of the Republic of Croatia. The main organizer of this project is Mrs Daniela Ninèeviæ. Its purpose is educational and recreational for children's better socialization. On its way is a new project for kids around the world to unite in different sports games, tournaments and manifestations. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10198/1/Croatia-shocks-Turkey-with-3-0-away-win-for-Euro-2012-soccer-playoffs.html In Istanbul on Friday November 11, 2011, Croatia romped to a comfortable 3-0 victory away to Turkey in the first leg of their Euro 2012 soccer playoff with goals from Ivica Olic, Mario Mandzukic and Vedran Corluka taking them to the brink of the finals. It was an especially sweet victory for Croatia who suffered a heart-breaking quarter-final defeat by Turkey at the 2008 finals when they were seconds away from clinching a semi-final berth before losing the clash in Vienna on penalties. The Turksih name for Croatia is Hırvatistan, which means The Land of the Croats. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Sun, 13 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10191/1/Flying-Balic-Croatian-victory-in-the-2010-IHF-World-Handball-Photo-of-the-Year-award-.html He was twice awarded World Handball Player of the Year, he was elected "Best handball player ever" by the users of the International Handball Federation website - and now Ivano Balic (left) is in the focus of the 2010 IHF World Handball Photo of the Year competition. The Croatian photographer Antonio Bronic found the exact right part of a second to take his picture of Ivano Balic flying through the air and unsuccessfully trying to catch a ball against Alexander Petterson. violicalvert@optusnet.com.au (Violi Calvert) Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10203/1/David-Diehl--American-football-star-of-Croatian-roots-visited-the-city-of-Split.html New York Giants offensive tackle, David Diehl, stepped foot on Croatian soil for the first time on 1st July 2011. David is trying to retrace his roots as his maternal grandfather, Ante Bekavac, is from Lovreæ, while his grandmother is from Krk. “It is a great honor to come here. This is my first time in Croatia, searching for my roots. I was in Lovreè, here I am in Split, now I go around to meet my motherland. It was an incredible experience for me, I see where I came from, where my roots are from. I am delighted and proud that I came to Croatia.” darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10109/1/Joseph-Mikulec-Croatian-globetrotter-appearing-in-a-silent-movie-1922.html Message from Angelina E. Payne, Canada:  "Hello, I happened upon the name of Joseph Mikulec while watching old silent films by the National Film Preservation Foundation. It's from 1922 and I thought that perhaps it might interest you. ... I, too, would love to know what became of this interesting fellow as well as his book." Josip Mikulec met the American president Theodore Roosevelt three times. Mikulec made thousands of kilometers on foot in the USA, China, Japan, India, South America, ... darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 29 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10092/1/Ivica-Kostelic-wins-World-Cup-slalom-title-2011.html Bravo, Ivica! Kostelic won the Big Crystal Globe. Croatian sport experienced another tremendous success. Our best skier Ivica Kostelic finally had his years long dream come true. Ivica Kosteliæ posed with a Japanese flag in tribute to the victims of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 19 Mar 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10070/1/Ivica-Kostelic--Natko-Zrncic-Dim-sang-Croatian-Anthem-in-Chamonix-France-2011.html Ivica Kosteliæ: "Natko's result makes this victory to be double so sweet! My best friend right on the winners' podium just beside me. We sing Croatia's national anthem together - I mean - this is like the best day of my sporting career so far, maybe even ever". Natko Zrnèiæ:-Dim "...being with Ivica on the podium, singing our national anthem... Really unbelievable, and the moment you keep inside your heart for the rest of your life." darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 01 Feb 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10061/1/Owen-Marecic-of-Stanford-Named-Inaugural-Paul-Hornung-Award-Winner.html A throwback to another era, two-way starter Croatian American Owen Marecic (left) of Stanford University was selected the inaugural winner of the Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player in major college football, by the Louisville Sports Commission and Paul Hornung. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Thu, 13 Jan 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10059/1/Ivica-Kostelic-winning-a-World-Cup-slalom-race-in-Adelboden-2011.html After a thrilling battle with the course conditions and a group of determined Austrians, Ivica Kostelic celebrated his first season victory in a ‘Classic’ World Cup race at Adelboden, Switzerland, after two impressive runs. In 2010 Ivica won two silver medals for Croatia at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, one in slalom and another in combined. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 12 Jan 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10039/1/Blanka-Vlasic-of-Croatia-proclaimed-the-best-female-athlete-in-the-world-2010.html Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic has been named the world's best female athlete in 2010 by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Blanka Vla¹iæ was all smiles on Sunday in Monaco, where she collected the IAAF World Athlete of the Year award, the first ever for a Croatian athlete. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 22 Nov 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10034/1/Croatians-world-champions-in-men8217s-quadruple-sculls-in-New-Zealand-2010.html The World Rowing Championship in New Zealand in November 2010 brought the highest possible achievement for young Croatia's men's quadruple scullsteam. The new world champions won their gold medals competing with such rowing superpowers like Italy, Australia, Germany, Russia and Great Britain. The names of winners are Damir Martin, brothers Martin and Valent Sinkoviæ, and David ©ain. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 14 Nov 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10023/1/Croatia-European-waterpolo-champion-for-2010.html The 29th European Water Polo Championship held in Croatia's capital Zagreb was closed on Saturday, September 11, with a magnificent final match between Croatia and Italy. LEN officials, participating teams, the press and fans all described the event in Zagreb as the best so far. Croatia has won gold medal. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 27 Sep 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10012/1/Pete-Radovich-has-18-Emmys.html "Friends" won 11, "Sienfeld" won 10, "South Park" won 3 but Croatian-American Pete Radovich (left) has 18 Emmys! This award winning producer is the Creative Director on CBS sports and has produced sports events ranging from the NBA to the Olympics. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10007/1/Ivano-Balic-voted-the-best-handball-player-in-history.html According to votes of 11,000 readers of web pages of International Handball Federation IHF, Ivano Baliæ is the best handball player in history. Ivano Baliæ is a standard member of Croatian handball representation, winner of gold medals at the World Championship in Portugal in 2003, at the Summer Olympic Games in Greece in 2004, and many other competitions. He was born in the city of Split in 1979, and is still an active player. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9998/1/Sandra-Perkovic-won-gold-for-Croatia-in-discus-throw-in-Barcelona-2010.html A new star has appeared on Croatia’s athletics horizon  - discus thrower Sandra Perkovic - only 19 years old and yet ready to climb the podium at this year’s most important event, the European Athletics Championships Barcelona 2010. She created history in becoming not only the youngest ever winner of discus throw gold medal, but also the first ever Croatian to win European Championship gold. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9985/1/Emil-Milihram-Croatian-canoeist-wins-the-World-Cup-2010-in-Austria.html Croatian canoeist Emil Milihram is the overall winner of the Wildwater World Cup for 2010 after he won a classic race in Lofer, Austria. In the overall standings, Milihram is at the first place. He is followed by Yann Claudepierre of France and Norman Weber of Germany. Emil is already for three consecutive years the World Champion in canoeing! darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 06 Jul 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9972/1/Branimir-Kvartuc-of-StandUpCroatiacom-to-cross-the-Adriatic-Sea-for-charity.html Croatian American Branimir Kvartuè, an award-winning photojournalist, two times cancer survivor, StandUpCroatia.com founder and  philanthropist, will be crossing the Adriatic Sea on June 25-27 of 2010, from Venice, Italy to Pula, Croatia on a Stand Up Paddle board, setting a world record, in the process. See some of his beuatiful photos from the Ðakovo Embroidery folklore festival. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 23 May 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9965/1/Davor-Suker-to-Hold-Mini-Clinic-for-Charity-in-NYC-May-15-2010.html Davor Suker (left) will be holding a “Mini Clinic for Charity” on Saturday, May 15th 2010 at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) campus in Old Westbury, Long Island from 10am-1pm. The clinic will be for children between the ages of 9-14 and all proceeds will benefit the CACF and its ongoing battle for removing mines in Croatia. jperos@croatiancharities.com (John Peros) Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9945/1/Ivan-Ljubicic-Croatian-tennis-player-won-Masters-1000-title-at-Indian-Wells-ATP-2010.html Croat Ivan Ljubicic celebrated his first Masters 1000 title after upsetting seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick  7-6, 7-6 in the final of the Indian Wells ATP tournament.  The big-serving Ljubicic fired down 20 aces and hit 42 winners to seal an emotional victory in just over two hours on the stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9932/1/Ivica-Kostelic-wins-silver-in-Vancouver.html Ivica Kostelic's silver medal added to the Olympic legacy of one of the great Alpine ski racing families. Second behind Bode Miller in Sunday's super-combined, Kostelic got advice from his younger sister Janica on how to master a slalom course set by their father and coach, Ante. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9929/1/Vladimir-Hudolin-distinguished-Croatian-psychiatrist-and-humanist.html  Vladimir Hudolin, 1922-1996, is distinguished Croatian psychiastrist of worldwide reputation, professor at the University of Zagreb. He has  created the social-ecological approach to alcohol  related problems centred on the  family  and on the community. In Italy only more than 2500 Clubs of Alcoholics have been founded which exploit his methodology. Professor Hudolin is a honorary citizen of San Daniele del Friuli, Italy, since 1983. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9928/1/Jakov-Fak-Croatias-biathlon-skier-won-bronze-medal-at-Winter-Olympic-Games.html Jakov Fak, Croatia's biathlon skiing athlet, won a bronze medal in the 10 km sprint at the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, Canada. This is the first olympic medal at Winter Oympic Games after Janica Kosteliæ, the greatest skier among women in history (3 gold medals and one bronze),and Ivica Kosteliæ (1 silver medal) at the 2006 Winter Ollympic Games in Torino, Italy. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9917/1/Ivica-Kostelic-Croatian-skier-celebrates-10th-World-Cup-slalom-victory.html Croatian skier Ivica Kosteliæ has come to his 10th career FIS Ski World victory on men's FIS SKi World Cup slalom in Wengen, on January 17 2010. Here is the list of the first five skiers: 1. Ivica Kosteliæ (Croatia), 2. Andre Myhrer (Sweden), 3. Reinfried Herbst (Austria), 4. Benjamin Raich (Austria), 5. Julien Lizeroux (France). darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9897/1/Sanja-Jovanovic-Croatian-swimmer-with-a-new-world-record-in-2009.html  Sanja Jovanoviæ won her new gold medal at the European Swimming Championship held in Istanbul, Turkey, December 12th 2009. And not only this, she broke the world record on 50 m backstroke,  with 25.70 s. This is her fourth world record in swimming at international competitions. Duje Draganja won silver medal 100 m mixed style. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9875/1/Croatian-beaches-and-the-art-of-Picigin-.html As much an art form as a sport, it's something like volleyball on water, but with a much smaller ball, and, at its best, in the style of a football player taking a spectacular professional dive. Though there's much rivalry between areas, Split's Baèvice beach is considered to be the true home of the game which is ideally played with five players and a "bald" tennis ball. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9871/1/Miletich-Fighting-Systems-Home-of-Champions-Past-Present-and-Future.html Often known as "The Croatian Sensation" Pat Miletich at the age of 26 began to train for the MMA. He had already trained in a variety of martial arts including karate, kickboxing, and boxing. He was very much inspired by the boxing aspirations of his uncle, Johnny "Miler" Miletich who was present at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles as part of the boxing squad. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9862/1/Marin-Cilic-upsets-number-2-seed-at-US-Open.html Andy Murray of Britain has been upset at the U.S. Open, losing in straight sets to Marin Cilic of Croatia. The 16th-seeded Cilic beat the No. 2 Murray 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 Tuesday to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9855/1/Blanka-Vlasic-jumped-208-cm-in-Zagreb---the-second-height-in-history.html Blanka Vla¹iæ is just one cm below the current world record. She reached the height of 208 cm at the Han¾ekoviæ Memorial Athelitic Competition organized in Croatia's capital Zagreb. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9854/1/Sime-Fantela-and-Igor-Marenic-Croatian-sailors-Mens-470-World-Champions.html ©ime Fantela and Igor Mareniæ are the new Men's 470 World Champions at the international sailing competition organized in Copenhagen in Denmark. They are both former junior world champions in sailing, members of the Sailing club of St. Kr¹evan from the city of Zadar, Croatia. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9851/1/Blanka-Vlasic-defends-her-world-title-in-Berlin-2009.html High-jump queen Blanka Vlasic, one of the best athlete in the world,  retained her world crown on Thursday when she saw off arch-rival and local favourite Ariane Friedrich to win gold at the World Athletics Championships. Vlasic was the only athlete to clear 2.04m in the electric atmosphere of Berlin's Olympic stadium. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9840/1/Croatia-is-the-new-Mens-Youth-Handball-World-Champion.html  After an one-sided final and a rather charming closing ceremony, the III Men's Youth World Championship in Tunisia came to an end on Friday. Croatia now is the 2009 Men's Youth World Champion, after beating Iceland in the final with 40:35. violicalvert@optusnet.com.au (Violi Calvert) Sat, 01 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9822/1/X-Sports-is-coming-to-Croatia-this-summer.html Tom Novak (left) is proprietor of New York based X Sports, an agency that represents athletes. X Sports will be coming to Croatia this summer to explore possibilities of improving stadium infrastructure with professional sports teams and sports organizations.   stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9815/1/Dr-Ante-Simonic-and-Dr-Zlatko-Matesa-captains-of-two-Chinese-football-teams.html Dr. Ante Simoniæ, ambassador of the Republic of Croatia, and Dr. Zlatko Mate¹a, head of the Croatian Olympic Committee, had the honor to be captains of two teams dressed in well known Croatian sports dresses. One team was composed of members of China Radio International Program in Croatian language, and another of former Chinese students of Croatian language in Bejing, plus Dr. Simoniæ and Dr. Mate¹a as captains. Dr. Simoniæ on the photo. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9809/1/Four-Croatian-female-alpinists-conquered-Mt-Everest-in-May-2009.html Four Croatian female alpinists climbed on Mt Everest, among them two sisters Darija and Iris Bostjanèiæ on the photo. It was for the first time that two sisters climbed on the top of Himalayas. This success was a result of team work in which 11 Croatian female alpinists participated. The expedition was organized by Croatian Mountaineering Association on the occasion of 135 years of its existence, founded in 1874, one of the oldest such organizations in the world. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9797/1/Jovica-Kozlica-paper-plane-world-champion-in-Salzburg-2009.html Jovica Kozlica, a 26-years old student from Split, Croatia was the only champion from 2006 who defended his title again in Salzburg in 2009. Once again, he won the first place in the Longest Distance category with a throw of 54.43 metres, proving that Croats aren't just good at building ships, but also at aerodynamics. edivjak@gmail.com (Eugen Divjak) Tue, 26 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9788/1/Ivan-Kljakovic-Gaspic-overall-winner-of-the-World-Cup-Finn-Class-2009.html Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) is the overall winner in the Finn class at the 41st Semaine Olympique Française in Hyeres Friday. This was his first Grade 1 win in the class. Another Croatian Marin Mi¹ura won the fifth place at the same competition. Croatia and GB are the only countries with two representatives among 10 most successful competitors. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 04 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9782/1/Sofia-Mulanovich-Peruvian-surfer-of-Croatian-descent-inducted-in-Olympic-Museum.html Sofía Mulánovich Aljovín is a Peruvian surfer of Croatian descent. She is the first Peruvian surfer ever to win an Association of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour event. In 2007 she was inducted into the Surfers Hall of Fame, and in 2009 into the Olympic Museum in Laussane in Switzerland. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9774/1/Museum-of-Frogs-in-Lokve-Croatia.html In the village of Lokve in the region of Gorski Kotar in Croatia there is a unique museum devoted to frogs, called Muzej ¾aba - Museum of Frogs. Regular competitions are organized in frog jumping, which are very popular, among children as well as among grown-ups. Competitors with their frogs arrive from all over Croatia. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9766/1/Mario-Preskars-15th-win-in-heavy-weight-professional-boxing-on-March-28-2009.html Mario Preskar has 15 wins, 2 draws and is undefeated In his short career as a heavyweight professional boxer. His last victory was against Georgian boxer Zurab Naniashvili in the Ukrainian city of Èerkasi. vnazor@yahoo.com (Vedran Joseph Nazor) Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9750/1/Croatian-World-Games---Zadar-2010-Interview-with-Franjo-Pavic.html The second Croatian World Games, also known as Crolympia will be held in Zadar in July, 2010, and organized by the Croatian World Congress, the main association of expatriate Croatians in the world. Interview with Mr. Franjo Pavic, head of the organisation committee for Germany and coordinator for Europe anton@bulic.net (Anton Bulic) Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9748/1/Josip-Mikulec-tireless-world-hiker-hundred-years-ago.html  Very brave Croatian adventurer Josip Mikulec set out to circumnavigate the globe on foot in the span of five years.  With the start of this journey in Croatia's capital Zagreb he became a perpetual wanderer.  Mostly hiking, he traveled the world some 28 years and achieved a degree of fame for having collected more than 30,000 autographs of world-famous people.  cuvalo@gmail.com (Dr. Ante �uvalo) Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9714/1/Croatia-winning-silver-on-Feb-1-2009-in-Handball-World-Championship.html  Croatia - Poland 29:23. Outstanding right wing Ivan Cupic, who scored 12 goals, as well as 19 saves by keeper Mirko Allilovic paved Croatia's way to the final of their dreams where they met France. France has defeated host Croatia in the final of this year World Handball championship in a thrilling match that saw both sides tied for most of the match. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9707/1/Croatia-32---Spain-22-at-World-Handball-Championship-Croatia-2009.html Croatia convincingly defeated handball superpower Spain 32:22. The match was also a revenge of Croatian handball team for the defeat they suffered from Spain in the match for the third place at the Olympics in Beijing. In a great atmosphere of Spaladium Arena Croatian players showed determination from the very beginning. Ivano Baliæ on the photo, one of the best players of today, playing for Croatia in his native city of Split. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9704/1/Croatia-opens-2009-World-Handball-Championship-with-a-thrilling-win.html Igor Vori (left) was named player of the game in Croatia's opening match against Korea to kick off the 2009 Men's World Handball Championship being hosted by Croatia. It will be held from January 16 - February 1 at various venues in Croatia. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Fri, 16 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9689/1/Bevan-Calvert-Goes-to-the-World-Championship-in-Croatia-January-2009.html  The Australian Handball Federation has selected the members of the Men's Team which will compete in the World Championship to be held in Croatia in January 2009. CROWN’s friend, Bevan Calvert is one of these players. We saw Bevan in the game against Croatian handball team during the 2005 World Championship. Shower them with love Osijek. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9683/1/New-Soccer-star-Argentinian-Croat-Dario-Cvitanich-nets-hat-trick-for-Ajax.html Dario Cvitanich (left) secured his hat trick in the 3-0 win over Den Haag inside the first hour of play (6', 17', 55'). He has also scored 6 goals in the last 3 games for Ajax. Cvitanich was born in Argentina but is of Croatian origin. mocnaj@gmail.com (Ratimir Mocnaj) Tue, 30 Dec 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9679/1/Croatian-born-Mirna-Jukic-wins-Austrian-quotAthlete-of-the-Yearquot.html  Thomas Morgenstern (ski jumping) and Mirna Jukic (swimming) are the Austrian Athletes of the Year for 2008. More than 300 members of Sports Media Austria voted this year for the nation's top athletes including the team of the year. Mirna Jukic is Austria's most successful swimmer ever. Born in Croatia, she came to Austria in 1999 and received Austrian citizenship a year later. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 22 Dec 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9678/1/Ivica-Kostelic-Croatian-skier-wins-his-9th-World-Cup-at-Alta-Badia.html Ivica Kosteliæ, Croatian skier, secured his ninth career win at the Alta Badia slalom in Italy, finishing ahead of France's Jean-Baptiste Grange and Austria's Benjamin Raich. This is a nice introduction to a world skiing event "Snow Queen Trophy" that will take place on January 4th and 6th 2009  in Zagreb, capital of Croatia. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 22 Dec 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9670/1/12th-European-Short-Course-Championships-in-Rijeka-Dec-11-14-2008.html  The city of Rijeka plays host to the 12th European Short Course Championships to be held at the Kantrida Swimming Complex from December 11-14, 2008. More than 600 top athletes, from some 50 European countries, accompanied with quite a number of distinguished persons related to this wonderful sport. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9646/1/Valentina-Golubenko-and-Ivan-Saric-young-Croatian-world-chess-champions.html Valentina Golubenko and Ivan ©ariæ are world youth chess champions for 2008, at the competition organized in Vietnam. With two gold medals and one bronze, Croatia is ranked third at the World Competition, after India and Vietnam, and before China, Russia, USA, Germany etc. Congratulations from the CROWN! darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 31 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9634/1/Helen-Crlenkovich-renowned-Croatian---American-springboard-diver.html Helen Crlenkovich (1921-1955) was one of the most successful athletes in America and the world on the three-meter springboard and the ten-meter platform. She was an American-born Croatian lovingly known as  "Klinky." She was the first female to do a full-twisting 1 1/2 somersault and several other dives that were heretofore only achieved by men. cuvalo@gmail.com (Dr. Ante �uvalo) Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9624/1/Branimir-Budetiae-won-silver-medal-for-Croatia-in-China.html Branimir Budetiæ of Croatia celebrates after finishing second during the final of the men's javelin F11-12 classification event at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in Beijing on September 10, 2008. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9623/1/Darko-Kralj-won-gold-medal-for-Croatia-in-China.html Darko Kralj won gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Paraolympic Games in China. Competing in Men's Shot Put he broke a new world record at the National Stadium known as Bird's Nest. He said: "My biggest wish was to listen to the Croatian anthem in Beijing." Mr. Kralj lost his left leg  in 1991 during the Serbian aggression on Croatia (1990-1995). darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9621/1/Antonia-Balek-won-two-gold-medals-for-Croatia-in-China.html Antonia Balek two gold medals for Croatia at the 2008 Paraolympic Games in China. The first gold medal has been won in women's javelin, and the second in women's Shot Put, both with new world records. The competition was held in the National Stadium known as Bird's Nest in front of 85,000 spectators. Antonia survived  a deep coma which lasted for 3 years. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 21 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9617/1/Cradle-Of-Football-Is-Not-England-But-Dalmatia.html In the 1st ct BC, young Illyrian Delmata tribe warriors, bided their time by passing each other a ball made from leather or bull hair. Sinj-based amateur archaeologist Josip Bepo Britvic dedicated his entire life to proving and providing evidence for this theory. Taking a walk in 1947, in hometown Sinj, he saw a rooted relief on a facade, showing a young man holding...a "football". mocnaj@gmail.com (Ratimir Mocnaj) Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9612/1/For-retired-coach-Chuck-Mrazovich-keeping-fits-a-slam-dunk.html At 84, Chuck Mrazovich has been aging well. The retired EKU basketball coach keeps himself fit and by staying active with multiple hobbies, like antiques, raising grandchildren designing furniture, playing the brac, eating well and working out. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9611/1/Croatians-in-America---photo-collection-by-Vladimir-Novak-part-3.html Mr. Vladimir Novak brings us a new series of exceptionally interesting photos related to life and work of Croatians in America, collected over several decades in the USA. As in previous two presentations,  much of this material is presented for the first time, exclusively for the readers of CROWN. On the left Marin Plestina, a famous wrestler. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9609/1/Blanka-Vlasic-wins-historic-Olympic-medal-for-Croatia-at-Beijing-2008.html Then comes a small "poof" when Vlasic lands in the thick pad, the bar undisturbed. Seven times she did this Saturday night, the obediently motionless bar a little higher each time. The noise inhaled by the gasp of 91,000 fans. The high-jump contest was advertised as the showcase of a legend in this sport, Blanka Vlasic's 14-month winning streak at 38. A true pride of Croatia. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9608/1/Marin-Cilic-beats-Mardy-Fish-at-Pilot-Pen-for-first-ATP-victory.html Marin Cilic of Croatia won his first ATP Tour event Saturday, beating American Mardy Fish 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 at the Pilot Pen, a U.S. Open tuneup. Despite having the crowd against him, the 19-year-old Cilic broke the hard-serving Fish five times, three times in the final set, to secure the win in his first finals appearance. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9607/1/Filip-Ude-won-silver-medal-in-pommel-horse-at-2008-Bejing-Olympic-Games.html Filip Ude won the first Croatian medal in gymnastics at Olympic Games. He won silver medal in pommel horse at 2008 Bejing Olympic Games. This is a result of painstaking work, directed by the Russian trainer Igor Kriajimskij. Recently a top quality multipurpose gymnastic center has been opened in Nedeli¹æe on the North of Croatia. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9606/1/Veljko-Rogosic-first-to-swim-from-Europe-to-Africa-via-Sicilia-in-July-2008.html Veljko Rogo¹iæ, one of the most famous longdistance swimmers in history, swam from the island of Sicilia to Tunisia at the age of 67! He is thus the first human being to be able to connect Europe and Africa along this way. It took him 50 hours. This is one of the greatest achievements of Croatian sport in history. He is swimming under the motto "With sport against drugs!" darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9604/1/106-Croatian-sportswomen-and-sportsmen-at-the-2008-Bejing-Olympic-Games.html Croatia sent the record number of 106 representatives to the 2008 Bejing Olympic Games. Some of them are planetary sport stars, like high-jumper Blanka Vla¹iæ who up to now has an amazing series of 34 consecutive wins at international competitions. On the photo is a famous "Croatian worm" composed of CRO handball players, winners at the Olympics in Athens and Atlanta. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9598/1/Ivo-Karlovic-beat-Roger-Federer-at-Cincinnati-Masters-2008.html Ivo Karloviæ, Croatian tennis player known as The King of Aces, beat Roger Federer at Cincinnati Masters 2008, scoring 21 aces. He has the most devastating serve in ATP history. He is the tallest player ever on the ATP Tour at 208 cm (6 ft 10 in). In 2007 he finished the year with 1,318 aces, second all-time behind Goran Ivani¹eviæ, who hit 1,477 in 1996. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9594/1/Charles-Billichs-Bing-Ma-Yong-cycle-of-paintings-in-China.html Inspired by the conviction that the Chinese Olympic Committee should adopt a traditional symbol as the official image of the 2008 Beijing Bid, Billich created the Bing Ma Yong cycle of paintings. Charles Billich is Croatian-Australian painter, born in Croatia, and official painter of the 2008 Olympiad in China. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9579/1/Croatia---China-then-and-now.html On the left you can see a postage stamp issued in Zagreb with Croatian name written in Chinese, designed by Boris Ljubièiæ. Croatian Tales from Long Ago, written by Ivana Brliæ Ma¾uraniæ, have been published in China already in 1957. Dragutin ©urbek, a famous Croatian ping-pong player, was very popular in China, nicknamed there as Surbeka. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9577/1/China-Radio-International-in-Croatian-language-on-the-WWW.html The web site croatian.cri.cn was solemnly opened by China Radio International during a nice ceremony held in Zagreb in July 2nd 2008. It was launched in the presence of Chinese ambassador in Croatia His Excellency Mr. Wu Lianqi and other distinguished guests. It represents the first web site in Croatian language in China. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9575/1/Wimbledon-2008-Intelligent-Ancic-beats-Fernando-Verdasco-in-thriller.html The intelligent Croatian, who this time last year was so weak from the after effects of glandular fever that he could barely go for a walk without having to sleep for several hours afterwards, was stoic in his victory. The final set had extended 94 minutes and nerves were clearly at jangling point. However Ancic was sufficiently composed to club his 15th and final ace into quarterfinals. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9572/1/Thank-You-Croatia-Spasibo-Horvatiya.html Amazing news: Russian web site www.soccer.ru/spasibo invites all Russian fans to Say Thank You to Croatia!  or in Russian, Spasibo Horvatiya! Namely, Croatian 2007 win at Wembley in London over England opened the door for the Russian team to appear at the 2008 European Football Championship. Thousands of Russians of all ages responded to the invitation. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9570/1/Drazen-Petrovic-a-famous-Croatian-basketball-player-left-us-15-years-ago.html Dra¾en Petroviæ, a famous Croatian basketball player, died on June 1993, ie 15 years ago. With all the problems going on in Croatia back then, Dra¾en gave all of Croatia the joy of Basketball to alleviate their pains. His very nice monument can be seen in front of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. ipuscenik@yahoo.com (Ivan Pu��enik) Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9566/1/Croatia-defeats-Germany-2-1-at-the-Euro-2008-European-Soccer-Championships.html Croatia's Darijo Srna, left, celebrates with his teammate Danijel Pranjic after scoring the opening goal during the group B match between Croatia and Germany in Klagenfurt, Austria, at the Euro 2008 European Soccer Championships in Austria and Switzerland. Ivobach2@aol.com (Ivo Bach) Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9564/1/Euro-2008-begins-Croatia-defeats-Austria-1-0.html Croatian midfielder Luka Modric (left) celebrates after scoring a penalty during their Euro 2008 Championships Group B football match Austria vs. Croatia at Ernst-Happel stadium in Vienna, Austria. Croatia won 1-0. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9554/1/Ivan-Kljakoviae-Gapiae-second-at-Finn-European-Championship.html Ivan Kljakoviæ Ga¹piæ, Croatian sailor from the city of Split, won silver medal at Finn European Championship held in La Marina di Scarlino, Maremma, Tuscany, Italy, 2-10 May 2008. This is a great success of Croatian sport. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 15 May 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9546/1/Handball-Connects-People.html Sports is a great catalyst for world peace, because it is transparent as much as it can be, plus people connect through the game regardless where they came from and what they do or make for a living. At the game we are all together on the same spiritual level. It is very close to music. violicalvert@optusnet.com.au (Violi Calvert) Tue, 06 May 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9533/1/Niko-Dzapo-will-be-racing-for-Team-USA-in-China-May-29---June-1-2008.html Great success by young Niko Dzapo (left). Niko will be racing as part of the Team USA at the UCI BMX World Championship in Taiyaun China which will be held on May 29 - June 1, 2008. This has been a dream come true for Niko to represent the USA. Niko's motto is "keep trying, you have nothing to lose". ddzapo@tibco.com (Dragan Dzapo) Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9527/1/Charles-Billich-prepares-for-The-Olympic-Games-in-China-2008.html Charles Billich, outstanding Croatian painter living in Australia, created the Bing Mah Yong cycle of paintings for the needs of the 2008 Beijing Olympiade. So well received has this work been that his paintings are represented on a collection of 16 postage stamps currently in circulation in China. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9526/1/Sanja-Jovanoviae-wins-gold-by-breaking-her-own-world-record-in-50m-backstroke.html Sanja Jovanoviæ broke her own world record on 50m backstroke swimming at the World Swimming Championships Manchester 2008, UK. Her new world record time is 26.37. With Duje Draganja's world record the other day this is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian sport. They won two gold and two bronze medals, first time ever. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9525/1/Duje-Draganja-the-fastest-swimming-man-on-the-planet-Earth.html   Croatian Superman, Duje Draganja, the fastest swimming man on the planet conquers world record on 50 meters free style in Manchester, England on April 11th 2008. The Croatian swimmer, wearing Speedo's LZR Racer suit, finished in 20.81 seconds. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9524/1/Croatia-8211-Land-of-World-Swimming-Record-Holders.html Two world swimming records are an achievement not even larger and stronger countries, than our “little” Croatia, can afford. But at this moment Croatians are celebrating and bragging with such achievements, thanks to Duje Draganja and Sanja Jovanovic, young swimmers who brought the world’s swimming to its knees. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9513/1/Swimming-success-of-Croatia-at-European-championship-in-2008.html Gordan Ko¾ulj, Vanja Rogulj, Mario Todoroviæ and Duje Draganja won silver medals in men's 100m medley relay at the European Swimming Championships in the Netherlands. Sanja Jovanoviæ won bronze medal in women's 50m backstroke, and Duje Draganje silver medal in 50m freestyle. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9509/1/After-23-years-the-Parachute-World-Cup-Series-returns-to-Croatia.html The World Parachute Cup Series returns to Croatia in 2008 after a 23 year absence. It is being organized by the "Krila Kvarnera" Parachuting Club from Rijeka and will be held in  the town of Mali Lo¹inj on June 7, 2008. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9507/1/Blanka-Vlaiae-becomes-indoor-high-jump-world-champion.html Croatia's Blanka Vla¹iæ (left) has continued her streak of victories and has become the world champion in indoor high jump in Valencia. She has added the indoor gold medal to her outdoor gold medal. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Mar 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9456/1/Croatia-to-play-Scotland-in-friendly-March-26-2008-in-Glasgow.html Slaven Bilic (left) will lead the Croatian National Team in a friendly match against Scotland on march 26, 2008. The Scots feel that a match against a team ranked 10th in the world will provide the kind of test Scotland needs if they are to build on their impressive, if ultimately unsuccessful, Euro 2008 qualification bid. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9495/1/Mario-Aneiae-and-Ivan-Ljubieiae-advance-to-quarterfinals-at-Zagreb-Indoors.html Top-seeded Ivan Ljubièiæ served 18 aces in beating fellow Croat Lovro Zovko 6-4, 7-6 (3) to make the quarterfinals of the Zagreb Indoors on Wednesday. The other remaining Croat, unseeded Mario Anèiæ (left), reached his first quarterfinal in Zagreb when he defeated German Denis Gremelmayr 6-3, 6-2. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9485/1/Falkua-regatta-in-1593-the-earliest-known-regatta-in-Europe.html The 1593 regatta consisted of seventy four wooden fishing boats called falku¹a, from the harbour of the town of Komi¾a on the island of Vis to the islet of Palagru¾a. It was the oldest known boat race in Europe. Falku¹a is autochthonous Croatian boat of 9m of length, with the mast of equal size, in use from 11th or 12th century. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9482/1/Super-Mario-Aneiae-Comeback-in-2008-with-the-Finals-in-Marseille-France.html   Super Mario as they call Mario Anèiæ is announcing a comeback in 2008 with a great game against Baghdatis in Marseille, France. Finals are tomorrow. After being ill for more than a year, Mario is showing his talent again for his fans worldwide. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 16 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9478/1/High-Jump-World-Champion-Blanka-Vlaiaes-20th-consecutive-victory.html Croatia's world champion Blanka Vla¹iæ earned her 20th consecutive victory on Wednesday at the Women's High Jump Meeting in her hometown of Split. The 24-year-old jumped 2.01 metres, setting a meet record at a venue just a few hundred metres from her Dalmatian coast home. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9474/1/Snow-Queen-Trophy-2008-Croatia-Sljeme.html This year's Snow Queen Trophy will be held February 15-17, 2008 and it's truly a season-highlight for slalom skiers that is being organized this year. Two gate-races are planned on the icy slopes of Sljeme situated a half an hour from Croatia's capital city. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9481/1/Ivan-Ljubieiae-wins-in-South-Africa.html Tournament top seed Ivan Ljubièiæ of Croatia (left) had to pull out all the stops against Algerian qualifier Lamine Ouahab -- ranked in singles far below him at 318 -- before battling to a three-set 6-4 4-6 6-3 win. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9476/1/Croatia-Ambassador-to-China-visits-Macau-Olympic-Committee.html The ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to China, Boris Veliæ (left), and president of the Croatian Olympic Committee, Zlatko Mate¹a, visited the Macau Olympic Committee last week at the newly inaugurated Macau Olympic Committee Headquarters. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9473/1/Alpine-skiing-legends-to-take-part-in-Croatia-charity-race.html Sixteen alpine skiing legends including Italy's Alberto Tomba and Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark will take part in a charity race in Croatia on February 17, 2008. They will race in a mixed-sex giant slalom event with Ivica Kosteliæ (left), among others. Money collected from the race will be donated to a hospital for chronic child diseases in Gornja Bistra near Zagreb. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9470/1/Sensational-play-by-Lana-Rukavina-leads-Wheeling-to-victory.html For Lana Rukavina, it was about time. It was about time she was back leading her team in a big game. It was about time her Wheeling team finally got a shot at the Mid-Suburban League girls basketball title. Mostly, it was about time she made up for lost time. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9462/1/David-Diehl-gets-the-Super-Bowl-42.html  Croatian American David Diehl in the light of glory, after wining 42nd Super Bowl for New York Giants.  In five NFL seasons, durable jack-of-all-trades David Diehl has started every game the Giants have played - 85, including playoffs. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9461/1/Sensational-victory-by-skiers-Kosteliae-and-Dim-on-February-3rd-2008.html Two Croatians on the podium at Val d' Isere. Natko Zrnèiæ Dim (left) achieved the result of his career in Val D'Isere, France. There in the super combination he gained the third place behind Bode Miller and Ivica Kosteliæ. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9455/1/Belichick--Diehl-Two-Croatian-Americans-face-off-at-Super-Bowl-XLII.html Croatian-American Bill Belichick (left) has led the England Patriots to three Super Bowl victories, the most recent in 2005. This Sunday, February 3, 2008, his Patriots face the New York Giants led by fellow Croatian-American offensive lineman David Diehl. The Giants have not won a Super Bowl since 1990 and are ready to rise to the challenge. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9449/1/Croatia-in-the-Finals-of-the-2008-European-Mens-Handball-Championship.html   When the final whistle was blown, all Croatian players were dancing on the court, the French players collapsed to the floor in disappointment: Croatia won the first semi-final against the title holders with a 24:23 victory. January 26, 2006. Lackovic decides in a thrilling endgame against France. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 26 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9444/1/Zagreb-Thunder---the-first-American-Football-team-in-Croatia.html American football team Zagreb Thunder was founded in 2006 by a group of enthusiasts who share passion for American Football. Future goals are increasing the number of players, playing more games, joining a European League of American Football, and developing American football in Croatia. vladom@xnet.hr (Vladimir Mihajlovi�) Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9445/1/Limestone-College-has-four-Croatian-sensations-on-its-swim-team.html Zeljko Karaman, Goran Majlat, Marija Grubic, Ines Speranda, all from Split, Croatia swam for Limestone College at a recent swim meet against  Savannah College of Art and Design. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9447/1/Michael-Bahoric--Amy-Ireland-off-to-Croatia-to-skate.html Amy Ireland and her partner Michael Bahoric (left), will be competing in senior pairs for Croatia at the ISU European figure skating championships in Zagreb, Croatia, January 21-28, 2008. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9446/1/Marin-Cilic-follows-Croatian-heroes-by-defeating-Fernando-Gonzalez.html First there was the man himself, Goran Ivanisevic, the towering, big-serving lefty who won Wimbledon in 2001. Then there was Mario Ancic, who was slightly taller, with a serve just as mighty, but a fragile body. Yesterday, it was the turn for the latest player to emerge from Croatia, Marin Cilic (left), to step into the limelight. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9439/1/Croatian-sensations---Niko-Micin-and-Petra-Radovic-at-the-University-of-Washington.html Each year, thousands of students from around the country come to Seattle to start their college careers at the UW. Some come from small towns, some from big cities and some even come from other countries. Niko Micin (left) and Petra Radovic are two people who fall into the latter category. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9435/1/David-Diehl---Croatian-among-Giants---In-NFC-Championship-2008.html David Diehl is an American football player with Croatian and German background. He is an offensive lineman in the National Football League. Diehl is currently a starter on the offensive line for the New York Giants. See him playing for the N.F.C. Championship on TV, January 20th, 2008. Check Grb on his arm. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9422/1/Eduardo-struck-his-sixth-goal-in-four-games-to-give-Arsenal-the-advantage.html Eduardo struck his sixth goal in four games to give Arsenal the advantage at half-time in their FA Cup third-round match at Burnley. The Croatia international seized on to a lofted pass over the top by Kolo Toure and held off Steven Caldwell before slipping the ball neatly past Gabor Kiraly. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9413/1/Filip-Grgiae-world-champion-in-Taekwondo-for-2007-in-Bejing-China.html Filip Grgiæ, Croatia, won gold medal at the prestigous 2007 Bejing WTF World Taekwondo Championships in male bantamweight (under 62kg) category, China. As we know, Taekwondo is an olympic sport. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 01 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9400/1/Compassionate-player-Vedran-Corluka-BiH-and-Croatias-pride.html 'Me and my family have had to fight for everything that we have ever had and I still have that attitude. It has played a big part in helping me deal with life and my profession.'  Raised in the small Bosnian village of Derventa, Corluka and his family fled to Croatia when he was six to escape a Serb onslaught that was to burn down the family house letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 25 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9402/1/Croatia-ranked-10th-in-the-world-by-FIFA.html With few international matches played in the past month, the top 20 remain unchanged with Argentina on 1,523 points ahead of Brazil  (1,502), world champions Italy (1,498), Spain (1,349) and Germany (1,298). The remainder of the top 10 are taken up by Czech Republic (1,290), France (1,243), Portugal (1,241), Netherlands (1,170) and Croatia (1,129). letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 23 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9398/1/Roger-Maris-Croatian-American-baseball-player-snubbed-by-Baseball-Hall-of-Fame.html Baseball's report about player use of steroids and growth hormones was issued last Thursday, the 22nd anniversary of the death of one of the greatest players not in the Hall of Fame. Maybe he'll get there now. Baseball needs him. Maris still holds the American League record for homers in a single season. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9405/1/Ivan--Klasnic-enjoys-fairytale-finish.html Werder Bremen's Ivan Klasnic (left) enjoyed a Christmas fairytale finish to the kidney transplant nightmare - which almost ended his career - with two goals in the 5-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 18 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9384/1/Croatias-Sanja-Jovanovic-sets-50m-backstroke-world-record-Dec-15th-2007.html Croatia's Sanja Jovanovic has set a new world record on her way to winning a short-course swimming race at the European Championships in Hungary. Jovanovic finished the 50-meter backstroke in 26.5 seconds, 0.33 seconds faster than the previous record set by China's Hui Li. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 15 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9390/1/A-Hard-Work-Day-for-Croatias-Borna-Kovac.html   On 12th December 2007 the World Junior Table Tennis Championships (WJTTC) in Palo Alto, California, began for several athletes that did not play in the team events, in the Singles events they made their debuts. One of them was Borna Kovac (left). The sixteen year old Croat started rather weakly in the tournament but improved a great deal. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9379/1/Australian-Boxer-puts-own-money-on-the-line-to-fight-Stipe-Drews.html   Australian boxer Danny Green has put his money on the line to fight reigning light heavyweight world champion Croatia's Stipe Drews (left) in Perth, Australia on Sunday December 16th, 2007. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9374/1/Niko-Dzapo-Croatian-BMX-racer-ranked-1st-in-cruiser-class-in-California.html Niko is ranked 1st in cruiser class and 2nd in expert class in California. He will represent California in Columbus, Ohio at the Columbus Convention Center for the President's Cup. Only the top 15 riders for each class from each state can qualify for this race. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9366/1/Croatia-advances-at-the-XVIII-Womens-World-Handball-Championships.html   Having won both of their preliminary matches against Kazakhstan and Argentina, the Croatian Women's Handball team advances to the next round of the XVIII Women's World Championships being held in France. violicalvert@optusnet.com.au (Violi Calvert) Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9360/1/Basketball-players-from-Croatia-and-Bosna-Herzegovina-in-the-US.html   Toni Kukoc (left) played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks. Have you ever stopped and wondered how many players there are from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina at the university level in the United States? It is an impressive list. vnazor@yahoo.com (Vedran Joseph Nazor) Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9353/1/In-1880-local-Croatian-young-men-began-to-play-football-in-Zupanja.html In 1880 local Croatian young men began to play football in Zupanja. Since there were only nine of the Englishmen who came to Croatia several years before as experts for exploitation of oak forest, they invited local boys to join them. There is the first written record of local young men playing English football and having genuine Englishmen as tutors and team-mates. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9352/1/How-to-build-a-decent-team-Follow-Croatias-lead.html Croatia would have deserved a victory by several more goals. This may have been the greatest display from a visiting nation to Wembley in modern times A nation of 4.7 million people had produced a side that made England, with a population of 10 times that size, look ponderous. The 3-2 result was a sort of ... letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9351/1/Croatia-3--English-Retailers--12-billion.html It's not just English soccer fans who will be gloomily slumped over their pint glass after a loss against Croatia in a qualifying match took the English team out of the Euro 2008, the quadrennial European championship. The Defeat will cost British retailers an estimated £600 million = $1.2 billion. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9350/1/Spectacular-win-3-2-by-Croatia-over-England-at-Wembley-on-Nov-21-2007.html So why is a sport victory so important? It is important because you can not easily corrupt 11 people on the field and if you try, it is obvious. At the moment when Croatia had nothing to lose, since we already qualified for the Euro 2008, our national pride and sportsmanship was, where it should be. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9321/1/Toronto-Croatia-wins-Canadian-Soccer-League-championship-series-title-2007.html Toronto Croatia didn't score a goal in the second leg of their Canadian Soccer League championship series with the Serbian White Eagles. It turns out they didn't need one, meaning Croatia's 4-1 victory in Saturday's first leg was enough to give the Mississauga, Ont.-based team the title. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9320/1/Croatia-surprise-Poland-to-move-up-rankings-in-Rugby.html Poland suffered a surprise 14-15 defeat at home to Croatia in Division 2B of the European Nations Cup (ENC) on 27 October, which also sees them drop four places to 35th place in the latest IRB World Rankings. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9315/1/TENNIS-ATP-Basel-St-Petersburg-Lyon-5-Croatians--5-Victories.html Ivan Ljubicic passed the first round with a victory over Sam Querrey in Lyon, France. Karanusic and Karlovic easily won their opponents in Basel, Switzerland. Dr. Ivo won with 6:3 and 6:2 and Ancic and Cilic won in St. Petersburg, Russia. Our boys are doing great. 5 matches and 5 victories. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9304/1/Ace-king-Karlovic-pounds-out-third-title-of-season-in-Stockholm.html Croatian Ivo Karlovic fired 27 aces to lift his third title of the season on a different surface as he won the indoor Stockholm Open. Along with impeccable Roger Federer, Karlovic is the only other play in the ATP to own titles on three contrasting surfaces during the campaign. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9302/1/Croatia-stays-on-the-top-and-beats-Israel-1-0-in-Euro-2008-qualifying.html Zagreb, Croatia: Eduardo Da Silva scored the lone goal Saturday to lead Croatia over Israel 1-0 in European Championship qualifying. It was Eduardo's 10th for Croatia in 10 qualifying matches. Croatia remains at the top of Group E with 26 points, three more than England. Coach Bilic (left) celebrates with a dance. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 13 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9290/1/Karlovic-dumps-out-Hewitt-to-advance-into-semifinals.html Seventh seed Ivo Karlovic sent former world number one Lleyton Hewitt packing from the Japan Open with a 7-6 (5) 7-6 (6) victory over the fourth seed. The Croatian number two counted on 25 aces to overcome Australia's Hewitt, and in-so-doing became only the fourth player to hit 1,000 aces in one season. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9277/1/Croatia-Advances-at-World-Cup-of-Pool.html Ivica Putnik lines up his shot at the World cup of Pool.  Croatia stunned the 16th seed Russia with an upset victory. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9258/1/EURO-2008-Soccer-Croatia-wins-Andorra-6-0-Estonia-2-0-to-stay-on-top.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9252/1/Ivan-Ljubicic-Ace-Leader.html    TEPESHK@aol.com (Katarina Tepesh) Sat, 08 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9249/1/A-new-star-was-born---Blanka-Vlasic---intelligent-and-sexy.html Blanka Dances with Relaxing and Positive Energy for Gold. Collection of videos.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 04 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9247/1/Croatias-Blanka-Vlasic-wins-GOLD-at-the-World-Athletics-Championships-in-Osaka.html   Blanka Vlasic, Croatian high jumper, confirmed her status as the premier athlete in the women's event with an easy victory at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Croatia's Blanka Vlasic has won 12 out of the 13 outdoor competitions she has entered this year 2007. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 03 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9229/1/Croatia-celebrates-in-Sarajevo---beats-BiH-5-3.html  Mladen Petric (left), celebrates Croatia's 5-3 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina  after yesterday's friendly in Sarajevo. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 23 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9227/1/FIFA-ranks-Croatia-6th-in-the-world.html    letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9225/1/Free-Admission-to-US-Open-Tennis-Qualifying-Matches.html Come see the best Croatian tennis stars, Ivan Ljubicic, Ivo Karlovic, Mario Ancic, and Jelena Kostanic Tosic, as they practice and compete for the 2007 US Open!  TEPESHK@aol.com (Katarina Tepesh) Mon, 20 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9220/1/10th-Annual-Horse-Race-in-Ravni-Kotari.html  U subotu, 18.08.2007.god. s pocetkom u 17h u Polaci odrzat ce se jubilarne 10. medunarodne konjicke utrke galopera i kasaca. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 17 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9218/1/Handball-Egypt-and-Croatia-secure-spot-in-Main-Round.html  Croatia is the second team to secure a spot in the next phase of the Men's Junior World Championships in Macedonia, after drawing 25:25 with neighbours Slovenia. violicalvert@optusnet.com.au (Violi Calvert) Fri, 17 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9211/1/2-Silver-medals-for-Croatia-at-the-World-University-Games.html Josipa Kusanic (right), and Danijela Grgic won silver in Taekwondo and the 400 meter race respectively at the 24th World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9210/1/Martin-Sinkovic-wins-bronze-in-Beijing.html  Martin Sinkovic (left) won a bronze medal at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Beijing, China. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9205/1/10th-International-Boat-Race-in-Metkoviae.html  10th International Boat Race in the southern Croatian town of Metkoviæ on the Neretva River on Saturday, Aug 11, 2007. More than 600 sportsmen in 35 teams compete. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9204/1/The-awakening-of-a-new-Lipik.html   This summer the small town of  is coming back to life. Prior to the Homeland war, Lipik was side to side with the most prestigious European health resorts Baden Baden and Karlovy Vary. In September 1991 everything was burned down and destroyed. ipuscenik@yahoo.com (Ivan Pu��enik) Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9197/1/Karlovic-and-Ancic-won-in-Montreal-Both-into-the-second-round.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9196/1/Rare-air-indeed---Vlasic-Jumps-Second-Highest-in-the-History-of-the-World.html With 2.07, Vlasic moves up to No. 3 all-time in Stockholm Tuesday 7 August 2007. Blanka attacked her own Croatian record of 2.06 with the bar raised to 2.07. All the spectators in the fully packed Olympic Arena will remember Blanka Vlasic's 2.07 leap. bachlea@gmail.com (Lea Bach) Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9185/1/Karlovic-plays-Roddick-today-for-the-finals-at-2-PM-EST-USA.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 04 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9184/1/Croatia-advances-to-the-finals-of-8220Trofeo-Diego-Gianatti8221-by-defeating-Serbia.html Croatia defeated Serbia 84-76 and will face hosts Italy in todays finals.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 04 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9183/1/Great-Success-and-almost-Gold-for-Croatian-Mens-Youth-Hanballers-in-Bahrain-2007.html  The crowd at the nearly complete Manama hall felt all ecstatic about the great performances of both youth teams. Danish Casper Ulrich Mortensen with 9 goals to his credit became the match winner. Manuel Strlek and Hrvoje Tojcic scoring 7 goals each made the Croatian side shining. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 04 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9182/1/Croatian-Karla-Fabrio-a--World-Champion-with-world-record-in-Jump-Blue-2007.html   Karla Fabrio, from Zagreb, Croatia establised a new world record in Jump Blue. Karla Fabrio, natjecateljica iz RK "Geronimo" iz Zagreba na natjecanju je postavila novi slu¾beni svjetski rekord u disciplini Jump Blue s rezultatom od 130,10 metara. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 04 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9173/1/Croatia-in-World-Handball-Semifinals.html  The semi-final line-up for the second World Youth Handball Championship was completed last night, with European powerhouses Croatia, Denmark and Sweden advancing. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9172/1/Blanka-Vlasic-tops-206-in-Thessaloniki-for-a-new-Croatian-Record.html   Clearly the best athlete of the "Olympic Meeting 2007" held in Thessaloniki, Greece, was Croatia's Blanka Vlasic. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9171/1/Fantela-and-Marenic-World-Champions.html  Croatian sailors Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic from Zadar have earned the title of world champions in the under 21 World Junior Championships. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 30 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9159/1/Blanka-Vlasic-wins-again-in-Monte-Carlo-10-victories-in-2007.html  Croatia's best athlete, Blanka Vla¹iæ won her 10th victory of the season! At the Super Grand Prix meet "Herculis 2007" in Monte Carlo, she cleared 2.03 meters for victory. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9152/1/ATP-18th-edition-of-Croatian-Institution-Studena-Croatia-Open-Umag-2007.html As we enter the 18th edition of the tournament...we proved the world that Umag's tournament is not only about tennis. A new look of the main square, an entertainment program just like those in the main world capitals. A Croatian Institution Studena Croatia Open Umag. Croatia Open Director, Slavko Rasberger (photo).   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 25 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9148/1/Danijela-Grgic-wins-Gold-at-the-European-Athletics-Junior-Championships-2007.html   Croatian 400m runner Danijela Grgic is making a habit of hitting top form when it matters most  a quality which will put her in good-stead for the future. Danijela wins gold again. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 22 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9147/1/Croatias-Blanka-Vlasic-cleared-205-metres-to-take-victory-in-Madrid-2007.html   Croatia's Blanka Vlasic beat her own leading mark of the year when she cleared 2.05 metres to take victory in the women's high jump at the IAAF Grand Prix in Madrid on Saturday July 21, 2007 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 22 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9140/1/Zagreb-Mayor-Arena-Construction-Begins-On-July-20.html Arena Zagreb, the future symbol of the city, will be a multi-function hall for sports, but also for cultural, entertainment and business events, and it will be able to hold up to 25,000 people.    letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9126/1/Mark-Viduka-Croatian-Australian.html   Mark Viduka (left) is surprised how much the green and gold shirt has become ingrained in his soul. He has contemplated leaving behind the Australian national team many times. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9124/1/Antun-Vrdoljak-re-elected-to-the-International-Olympic-Committee.html   Antun Vrdoljak (left) was one of 27 members of the International Olympic Committee assembly that was re-elected to an eight-year term in elections on Thursday. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9122/1/Croatia-Wins-In-Thriller.html Led by Marija Vrsaljko (right), the Croatian women's U18 basketball team defeated Montenegro 66-62 in a deciding match to avoid early elimination from the European championships.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9106/1/Get-fit-the-fun-way-with-an-Activity-Holiday-in-Croatia.html If you are always promising yourself an activity holiday, why not try one with a more adventurous edge? letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9098/1/arko-Dolinar-table-tennis-world-champion-and-top-scientist.html   Croatian table tennis player Professor ®arko Dolinar (1920-2003) holds a quite interesting record. He is the only athlete to have won eight world championships while holding a doctorate of science. He taught John Lennon how to play table tennis. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9103/1/Velebit-Trekking---2007.html  A 5th edition of the Velebit Ultra Trail - a two days non-stop ultra trail race for the individuals will take competitors through the Croatian mythical mountain - Velebit. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9090/1/TENNIS-Croatias-Ivan-Ljubicic-wins-the-mens-title-at-the-Ordina-Open-2007.html       letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9089/1/TENNIS-Karlovic-wins-Nottingham-Open-2007.html Ivo Karlovic claimed his second title of the season after coming from a set behind to defeat Arnaud Clement 3-6 6-4 6-4 in the Nottingham Open final. The big-serving Croatian took advantage of an increasingly weary-looking Clement to conclude his preparations for Wimbledon in style.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9087/1/TENNIS-Ljubieiae-and-Karloviae-into-two-different-finals-June-22-2007.html   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 22 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9085/1/TENNIS-Ljubieiae-and-Karloviae-in-semi-finals-in-NETHERLANDS--ENGLAND.html   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9083/1/HNS-Slavi-95-Godina-Postojanja---95th-Birthday-of-Croatian-Soccer-Association.html   Prije 95 godina u Zagrebu je osnovan Hrvatski nogometni savez. HNS je tijekom godina rada izrastao u najbrojniji sportski savez u Hrvatskoj istaknuo je Zorislav Srebriæ na konferenciji za novinare. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 20 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9067/1/Undefeated-Croatian-Heavyweight-Super---Mario-Preskar-wins-with-TKO-in-Poland.html   Dvadesettrogodi¹nji Preskar u svojoj 14. profesionalnoj borbi pobijedio je u poljskim Katowicama 37-godi¹njeg Amerikanca Carla Gathrighta, koji mu je predao meè zbog ozljede, uoèi poèetka èetvrte runde. vnazor@yahoo.com (Vedran Joseph Nazor) Sun, 10 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9062/1/Mario-Preskar-Golota-fight-live-on-MSG-Saturday-June-9--330-pm-.html Undefeated Croatian Heavyweight Mario Preskar (12-0-1, 7 KOs) attempting to improve his record against Carl Gathright (6-9-1, 2 KOs), from Niles, Ill. Preskar last fough January 20, 2007 in Basel, Switzerland where he defeated Italian Champion Paolo Ferrara.   vnazor@yahoo.com (Vedran Joseph Nazor) Thu, 07 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9053/1/First-Indoor-Soccer-School-in-Croatia.html  Croatian indoor-soccer squad players Korab and Kujtim Morina established the first Indoor-soccer academy in Croatia in September last year. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9040/1/Croatias-Stipe-Drews-World-Champion---wins-WBA-title-belt.html  Stipe Drews (32-1, 13 KO's) won a unanimous decision in 12 rounds against Silvio Branco (55-9-2, 34 KO's) to claim the light heavyweight title. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 01 May 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9030/1/FC-Sydney-inks-Croatia-born-Culina-as-coach.html  Croatia-born Branko Culina (left) has signed a two-year contract to coach Sydney FC in Australia's A-League soccer competition, the team's third coach in less than a year. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 25 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9023/1/Return-of-old-familiars-to-Croatia-Open.html Over 1,000 rowers got their 2,000m racing season started in Zagreb with the Croatia Open. In its 24th year, the race has grown to Croatia's biggest rowing regatta and over the weekend athletes from Slovenia, Israel, Turkey, Italy, Austria, Slovakia and Croatia competed.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9022/1/Croatias-Marin-Cilic-wins-Casablanca-Open-April-15th-2007.html   Croatian tennis player Marin Cilic defeated Italian Simone Bolelli in the final to win the Casablanca Open tournament on Sunday April 15th 2007 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 16 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9020/1/Karlovic-blasts-way-to-first-career-ATP-title.html Croatia's Ivo Karlovic (right) powered his way to his first career ATP title on Sunday, using his big serve to capture the U.S. Clay Court Championship with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Mariano Zabaleta.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 16 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9015/1/Croatia-wins-water-polo-gold-in-Melbourne-2007.html   Croatia made their first water polo medal in FINA world championship history a golden one, pulling off an upset overtime defeat of Hungary on a dramatic final day of the tournament in Melbourne today. Not an April Fools' Day joke. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 01 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9014/1/Croatia-Wins-Water-Polo-Gold.html   Croatia wins water polo gold against Hungary   Ivobach2@aol.com (Ivo Bach) Sun, 01 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9012/1/Croatia-dunks-Serbia-10-7-in-world-water-polo-rowdy-semi-final-in-Melbourne-2007.html   Miho Boskovic scored three goals Teo Dogas had two as Croatia dominated the Serbs, leading by as much as 8-3 heading into the final quarter. "We don't have a weak position in our team - we have strong defenders, strong shooters, strong center forwards, strong goalkeepers," said Croatia coach Radko Rudic. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9007/1/Croatia-Beats-Russia-13-3.html   The Croatian water polo team beat Russia 13-3 and achieved their primary aim, entry into the semi finals of the world championship. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9003/1/Croatia-Edges-Australia-in-Thriller.html Miho Boskovic scored four times in a power-packed performance to give Croatia the victory against Australia. Figlioli inspired a third-quarter comeback, scoring four consecutive goals, before Croatia showed its class at Melbourne Aquatic Centre. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9001/1/Euro-2008-Croatia-2---Macedonia-1.html Darijo Srna, right, scored from a superb free kick and then set up Eduardo da Silva who scored the winning goal in Croatia's match against Macedonia.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8972/1/Ivanisevic-Ljubicic-to-Play-for-Children.html Croatian tennis players Goran Ivanisevic and Ivan Ljubicic were set on Friday to play each other in an invitational match in Sarajevo dedicated to children of the city.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8970/1/Croatian-Soccer-Heads-into-Cyberspace-with-new-websites.html Competition in Croatian football has spread to a new areas, with clubs showing an increased interest in improving their presence on the internet. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8954/1/Croatia-to-Compete-in-2007-Bacardi-Cup.html   The Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta expands its reach drawing Croatia for the first time in its 80 - year history. Registrants include Olympic Medalists from 19 countries.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8952/1/Online-Route-planner-For-Cycling-Trips-To-Croatia.html   Holidaymakers thinking of visiting Croatia can now get information online about cycling tours in Istria. Istria's tourist office in Porec has a multilingual service online, where a list of cycling routes can be found. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 20 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8949/1/Ivo-Karlovic-in-the-finals--at-the-SAP-Open-Sunday-Feb-18-2007-in-San-Jose-California.html   Ivo Karlovic, of Croatia, reacts after beating Benjamin Becker, of Germany, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 in a semifinal tennis match at the SAP Open, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2007, in San Jose, California. Final match tomorrow 6 PM EST letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 17 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8943/1/No-quotHand-of-Godquot-Goals-in-Priests-European-Cup.html A hundred Roman Catholic priests from all over Europe swapped their cassocks for football strips in Sarajevo this week to compete in an indoor soccer championship organised by the church.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 16 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8942/1/Karlovic-upsets-Blake-in-San-Jose-February-15-2007.html   American second seed James Blake suffered a shock defeat at the San Jose Open when he lost 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 to world number 103 Ivo Karlovic (right) of Croatia in the second round on Thursday. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 16 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8923/1/Dont-mess-with-Croatians---Cro-Cop----Mirko-Filipovic---Here-Comes-The-Hammer.html Your last resort? Take it and pray for the best. But eight times out of ten, taking this left kick to the head provides a first class ticket to the canvas and unconsciousness. If you don't get knocked out, well, you're one of the few. Welcome to the world of Mirko Cro Cop.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 05 Feb 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8917/1/Terra-Incognita-Croatia-2007.html   Terra Incognita is an Expedition Adventure Race that covers over 400 km through Croatia - one of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes on the European Continent. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 30 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8915/1/Croatia-Advances-to-Quarterfinals-in-2007-Handball-World-Championships.html   Croatia continue to look to be the team to beat in the World Championships as they defeated previously unbeaten Hungary 25-18. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8894/1/John-Mayasich-Olympic-medal-winner-The-First-Miracle-on-Ice.html John Mayasich (right) has enjoyed an outstanding career as one of the top broadcast executives in Minnesota. A talented athlete, he is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and an Olympic medal winner.   olujanovine@hotmail.com (Tomislav Kapular) Thu, 11 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8893/1/Croatias-Ana-Jelusic-en-Route-to-the-Podium.html   Ana Jelusic was excited about her first ever World Cup podium on home soil after twice finishing fourth earlier this season. "I wondered if I could manage such a result here despite the pressure from the crowd and the media and I'm proud to have achieved such a performance in front of so many fans," said the young skier from Rijeka, who turned 20 on Dec. 29. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 10 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8892/1/Ljubicic-beats-Murray-to-win-Qatar-Open-title.html Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia (right) beat Andy Murray of Britain 6-4 and 6-4 to take home the trophy from the one million U.S. dollars Qatar Open tennis tournament on Saturday.    letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 10 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8825/1/Glimpse-of-few-Croatian-Soccer-players-doing-very-well-this-weekend-all-over-Europe.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 19 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8797/1/8220SUPER-MARIO8221-PRESKAR-STAYS-UNDEFEATED-with-6--KO--in-a-row.html   Croatian heavyweight boxer, 22-year-old "Super Mario" Preskar, blitzed his way to 11th win keeping his undefeated record last Saturday, November 4, 2006 in Phoenix, Arizona. Preskar, knocked out Gene Valdez with a powerful left right combination in the first minute  vnazor@yahoo.com (Vedran Joseph Nazor) Fri, 10 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8777/1/Australia-Croatia-win-reserves-league.html Croatia reserves came out league winners when they defeated Lions this weekend with Westlands coming third after a convincing win over Wanderers.   dalmatinac99@vip.hr (Ante Katalinic) Mon, 06 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8787/1/Croatian-Handball-Team-Wins-Statoil-World-Cup.html   violicalvert@optusnet.com.au (Violi Calvert) Sat, 04 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8768/1/Mario-Ancic-triumphs-in-St-Petersburg.html Croatia's Mario Ancic holds his trophy after defeating Sweden's Thomas Johansson in the final match at the St.Petersburg Open tennis tournament in St.Petersburg, October 29, 2006.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Oct 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8769/1/Ivan-Ljubicic-of-Croatia-lifts-the-trophy-after-winning-his-Vienna-Open-2006.html   Ljubicic wins Vienna title. The lanky Croatian, who added to his championships in Chennai and Zagreb, is the first player since Roger Federer in 2002 and 2003 to successfully defend the title "It's great to (successfully) defend a title. It's the first time in my life," said Ljubicic. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 16 Oct 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8743/1/Croatia-Overwhelms-England-2-0.html   ZAGREB, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Croatia claimed a fully-deserved 2-0 win over a lamentable England on Wednesday to go top of Euro 2008 qualifying group E with seven points, above their opponents on goal difference with a game in hand. Ivobach2@aol.com (Ivo Bach) Wed, 11 Oct 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8738/1/Great-escape-by-Bhupathi-Ancic.html Mahesh Bhupathi , left, of India and Mario Ancic of Croatia, right, pose with the winners' check and the trophies after defeating the Indian duo of Rohan Bopanna and Mustafa Ghouse in the doubles finals match of the Kingfisher Open Tennis in Mumbai, India, Monday, Oct. 2, 2006. Bhupathi and Ancic defeated Bopanna-Ghouse 6-4, 6-7, 10-8 to win the doubles' title.   dalmatinac99@vip.hr (Ante Katalinic) Sat, 07 Oct 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8737/1/-Ljubicic-wins-second-place-at-Thailand-Open.html American James Blake dominated top-seeded Croatian Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 6-1 Sunday, Oct. 1, 2006 to win the Thailand Open final. Third-seeded Blake controlled the match from the start with superior ground strokes, wrapping up his fourth title of the year in less than an hour.   dalmatinac99@vip.hr (Ante Katalinic) Sat, 07 Oct 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8741/1/Chicago-Euro-2008-Soccer-Qualifying-Matches-at-the-Croatian-Center.html The Croatian Cultural Center of Chicago will be televising several Euro 2008 qualifying matches. Drinks will be served and food will be served during halftime. Read more... stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Thu, 05 Oct 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8698/1/Ljubicic-Leads-Croatia-Charge-in-China.html Top seed Ivan Ljubicic (right) led a trio of Croatians into the second round of the China Open with a comfortable 6-4 6-2 victory over Japan's Go Soeda on Tuesday.  stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Thu, 14 Sep 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8697/1/Kukoc-Calls-a-Halt-to-NBA-Career.html Toni Kukoc, who played on the last three of Chicago's Michael-Jordan led title-winning teams is to quit the NBA.  stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Thu, 14 Sep 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8694/1/Mirko-quotCro-Copquot-Filipovic-wins-PRIDE-Open-Weight-Grand-Prix.html   On Sunday, September 10, 2006 Heavyweight Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic defeated two top-ranked opponents in one night to be crowned victor in PRIDE FC's Open Weight Grand Prix.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 12 Sep 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8686/1/Ivan-Ljubicic-the-Silent-Type.html   Many things are going right with Ivan Ljubicic (pictured at left), besides his ranking of No. 3. One of them is his beautiful and highly accomplished wife Aida. A fellow refuge from Bosnia, now a graduate of the Law School in Zagreb, Aida, is hoping to become a judge. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Mon, 11 Sep 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8589/1/E-Two-Croatians-in-the-division-Joe-thats-not-something-you-see-everyday.html Bill Belichick: You know, two Croatians in the division, Joe, that's not something you see everyday                              Bill Belichick with Joe Benigno and Sid Rosenberg WFAN, Sports Radio 66AM New YorkJanuary 5, 2005     Host: ...the best coach that there is in the business right now, and that is the head coach of the World Champion New England Patriots, Bill Belichick. Coach, how you doing? Happy New Year. BB: Thank you Joe, Sid. How you doing? Host: Good. Nice to talk to you, Coach. And congratulations again. Let's start right here. Everyone's talking, obviously, about the Steelers' 14-game win streak, and Peyton Manning's record-breaking season. But somehow or another, through it all, your New England Patriots went 14-2, and looks like you're well on your way to another championship †at the very least at least vying for one. So congratulations on a great regular season. BB: I think it's a real accomplishment for our team. You know, they've gone through a lot of adversity, and met a lot of challenges along the way. But right now we're just where a lot of other teams are right now, we're 0-0. The team that wins will be the team that plays the best from here on out. So everybody that's in, is in. Nothing really matters except how we can each do going forward. That's where our focus is, to try to get our game to its highest level. Host: Coach, I know you don't like to lose, and I know you haven't done much of that lately †what is it, 29 out of the last 31? But I thought one of the best things that happened to this team was going down to Miami and losing that game to the Dolphins. Because it seemed like you came right back and smacked my team next week, of course. And then you win the final game of the season to go 14-2. But it seems like maybe that kind of refocused your team again, Coach. Do you agree with that or not? BB: Losing down there was tough. You got an 11-point lead with four minutes to go in the game, and end up losing to Miami. That was pretty disappointing. Host: I guess his answer's no. [Laughter] BB: Yeah, I don't think there were a lot of positives on that one. Host: How about the Steeler game? Let's talk about them for a little bit. Because the chances are, at least if you're asking me, I think the AFC title game is going to be you guys and the Steelers in a couple weeks in Pittsburgh. What happened in that game? Was it just a case that maybe you'd won 21 in a row, and you were due to lose, and you kind of ran into a bus? I mean, what happened that day in Pittsburgh, Coach? BB: You know, they played a lot better than we did. We didn't play very well defensively. We turned the ball over on offense †they ran one back for a touchdown, and recovered another two fumbles inside our 30. We just didn't play well. We got outcoached, outplayed, and they deserved to win, they were the better team. And there was no question about it that day. That's why they're the #1 seed. They're 15-1. You've got to give them all the credit in the world, they've had a tremendous regular season. Host: They did, they won 14 straight games. And everybody's talking about that matchup, Coach, with you and Pittsburgh. But... BB: I wouldn't worry too much about that one right now. Host: Right, that's what I'm saying. There's a good chance you're going to see Peyton Manning along the way, again, and you guys have been very successful here against Peyton Manning. [Both hosts talking at once] He's watching film on Manning right now. I know he won't admit it. Probably so. He's got the projector on as we speak watching Manning, figuring how we're going to beat him again. Now you guys have been very successful against him, Coach. Including back to Week 1 in this regular season, you won that game as well. But you went on to the record-breaking season. I mean, do you think that at this point that you can be successful against Peyton doing the same things you've done in the past, or has his game really gotten to the point now where you're going to have to make some changes? BB: Oh, I think there will have to be some adjustments made. I'm sure they will make some, and I'm sure we will make some. We didn't exactly †I mean, that game came down to a field goal on the last play of the game, and that was the difference. So that could have easily gone either way. I think that at this point we're prepared to play all three teams †the Jets, San Diego, and Indianapolis †depending on how things turn out this weekend. And we have a lot of respect for all three of them. We know that no matter who we play at this time of the season, they're all good. And I think if you look at †you know I'm not a big stat guy, but when you look at the league stats after 16 regular season games, and you see all those teams bunched up there in terms of turnovers, and rushing defense, and red area production, and all those kind of things, they're all right up there at the top. It doesn't really matter who you play at this time of year †everybody's good. It's just a question of which team goes out and plays well. And can you get your best performance on the field at this point in time. And that's really what it comes down to. There's plenty of talent on every team, and I'm sure we'll have some very competitive games as we go through the playoffs. But it'll just come down to the team that can execute the best at critical points in the game. JB: Coach, you know Andy Reid, Philadelphia, had everything wrapped up a couple weeks ago. Andy Reid had his team basically mail it in that game against the Rams and certainly last week against Cincinnati they got killed 38-10. You know, no Westbrook, no McNabb. And even though you really had nothing to play for †you were locked in last week against the 49ers †you still played Brady three quarters in that game, Coach. I mean, how about that? What's your feeling on, you know, do you feel maybe if you don't play your best players in these kind of games that maybe you lose momentum going in to the playoffs? BB: Well I think, Joe, that every coach does what he thinks is best for his football team. And whatever any other coach did, I respect that 100% because I know that that coach is doing what he thinks is best for the team. And where one team is, and where another team is, can often be two different things. In our case, our players are used to being in a routine, they're used to getting ready to play, and playing. They want to play. I don't think that they would have really accepted any other approach. To them it's football season, it's a game, and they want to play in it and they want to be prepared when they walk out on the field to play in it. That's the way we approached it. But we just do what we thought was right for us. I'm not saying that another team should have done it differently, or could have done it differently. We just try to make the decisions in the best interest of our organization. I don't want to tell anybody else how to do their job. Host: We are talking to the coach of the defending World Champion New England Patriots, Bill Belichick. Coach, lots of adjustments you had to make this year, especially on the defensive side of the football with the injuries, Ty Law going down in that Steeler game. And a guy like Troy Brown is out there picking off passes at the cornerback position. And a couple youngsters had to step in for you this year †the kid Wilfork from Miami, and Randall Gay as well. Last couple of years in New England, was this the toughest job you've had to do to kind of patchwork this defense together to get you through the second half of the season? BB: We've had to make some adjustments in the secondary, but on our defensive front we've actually been pretty consistent there with our defensive line and linebackers. We've had a lot of the same guys pretty much every week. So it seems like every year you've always got something, or one position, and sometimes a little more than that. But every team goes through that, and we just have to work our way through it. But Troy's done a nice job for us. And Randall Gay is an undrafted rookie, so he stepped in and probably given more than anybody would have expected from. Although once he started playing, he's played at a good, competitive level. Asante Samuel was our nickleback last year, and has got a lot more opportunity this year, and he's been able to take advantage of that playing time. So that's what a lot of just competitive sports is, are guys preparing and then getting an opportunity. Then a lot of times when they get that opportunity they're able to raise their play to a high competitive level. And that's been the case with some of the players for us in the secondary this year. Host: Coach, how tough has it been with the situation with Charlie Weis? You know, he accepts the Notre Dame job a couple weeks ago, but he's still your offensive coordinator. I guess he's kind of been shuffling back and forth between Foxborough and South Bend. How difficult has that been for you, and more specifically, for Charlie? BB: I think it's been probably more challenging for Charlie. My job hasn't changed a lot, and neither have the players' or any of their coaches. But Charlie's had to manage another situation. But I think all in all that it's gone fairly smoothly. We all know what it is, and there's no question that he's added some responsibilities. But he hasn't really been shuffling back and forth. He's basically been here, and he's done all the things that he would normally do. And he's done a good job. So I think that we can certainly work within the situation that we have to deal with. And I think we can handle that. Host: Talking about Charlie Weis and the offense here, Coach, let's stick with the quarterback position. You know obviously this year Ben Roethlisberger is getting an incredible amount of play. In fact, they started the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award back in 1957, and this year Ben Roethlisberger was the first quarterback ever to win that award. So he has the big year, everybody's talking about him. Peyton Manning breaks the record, everybody's talking about him. And there's the guy that plays for you that's won two Super Bowl MVPs in the last three years, who at least, in my opinion, never seems to get that respect. Tom Brady's name is never mentioned at the top of the list. Now with his accomplishments the last couple of years, do you think it starts to bother Tom at some point, or is he just so business-like it doesn't really matter? BB: Well I think Tom's focused on winning. And I think his record there speaks for itself. Tom's a winner. He prepares hard, he's a great leader, he's good with his teammates, and is a well respected team captain and teammate really from all quarters †offensively, defensively, guys on special teams. He's a player that I think everybody's glad is on this team, and has contributed a lot to our victories. I think that he understands that, and in the end that's the way he wants to be measured. And I think he's done a pretty good job of it. JB: You know, Coach, one thing that I'm sure bothers you †I know it's all about winning championships, obviously, for you †but I take a look at the Pro Bowl voting every year, and I think the only guy on the defense that makes it to the Pro Bowl is Richard Seymour. And I look at guys like McGinest, I look at guys like Tedy Bruschi, and I don't know if there's a better linebacker in the NFL right now than Tedy Bruschi. Does that kind of motivate these guys even more? I mean, you've got so many top-flight players on that defense, yet Baltimore's got like five guys going, and they're not even sniffing the playoffs. And you got one guy from the defense. How about that? BB: Well, Joe, you know, the Pro Bowl voting and all comes from a number of different areas †you know, the fans, the coaches, the players †and so that's the way it's set up. It's really hard, I know just from my standpoint, I don't get to see every single player in the AFC play. I see the ones that we play. So it's a hard thing to get totally accurate, because I don't think everybody gets a good full view of the league. You know, and then you start going on stats and reputation and so forth. So I'm sure that every team in the league has a couple players that they feel like should have gotten more recognition than they did. But, you know, unfortunately that's the way it goes. JB: But I would think, Coach, that that's the way you like it †again, talking to Bill Belichick from the New England Patriots †because going back to when you won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, and you were kind of introduced as a team, and not the individuals. And you guys, in the last couple of years, have kind of epitomized what the team is all about in an era where it seems like it's all about the selfish individual. That's not your football team. So is it fair to say that maybe at the end of the day you're kind of happy? You know you guys are all-pro players, but you're still a team, and not a bunch of individual superstars? BB: I think that our players take a lot of pride in the success of the team. And I think it's important to them to support their teammates, and do their job, and not let their teammates down. So when we all walk out at the end of the day, I think number one you want to feel good about yourself and what you've accomplished. And you know you can't always react to externally what the judgments are †good or bad. I think our players are pretty mature about that, they have a good perspective on it. As long as they feel like they're doing all they can, then that's what counts the most for them. Host: Coach, Nick Saban, who was a protÃgà of yours †you had him in Cleveland as your defensive coordinator †had a tremendous success obviously at LSU, and now he's going to be in the division at Miami. How about that? What kind of a head coach do you think Nick's going to be in the NFL? BB: I think Nick's an outstanding coach, I don't think there's any question about that. I think he's one of the very best I've ever had the opportunity to work with. Nick is strong in every area of the game †personnel, strategy, motivation. He has a lot of experience, and he's very good at, as I say, at everything he does, and he can truly get all the bases covered. I think it just makes this division, which is already very tough, even that much tougher. You know, two Croatians in the division, Joe, that's not something you see everyday. [Laughter] Host: That's got to be a first, right Coach? BB: Probably is. Host: Alright Coach, let you go here. But as you're about to embark here on the playoffs †you're not doing a road game at the very least to get to the Super Bowl, but I think your team is certainly capable of doing that. And you've got all these great players, and Corey Dillon is here this year. You know the one thing that I guess we have to talk about is †no disrespect to Mike Vanderjagt in Indianapolis, or Jeff Reed in Pittsburgh †but the one guy we've got to talk about this time of year, maybe the most clutch kicker in the history of the game, and that's Adam Vinatieri. This is a guy that's made more big kicks for you than anybody can ever remember. BB: Well, you get in a very competitive situation like the playoffs where a lot of times teams are so close, and it comes down to a play or a kick, there's nobody we'd rather have than Adam. He's been familiar with kicking in the weather that we have in the northeast at this time of year †you never know what you're going to get. So, you know, he's a football player. He's not really a kicker, he's a football player. He has a lot of poise, has good talent, and has obviously come through for us in a lot of big situations. But again, his work ethic and his demeanor and what he puts into the game is really just as impressive as his performance. And we'll need everything we've got at this time of year. As I've said, every team we play we know is good, and we'll need every ounce and every resource that we have available. Host: Coach, before I let you go, I've got to ask you about the quarterback of my Jets, Mr. Pennington. Who every time you play him now recently finds the open Tedy Bruschi on a regular basis. What's your feel on him right now, where he is? Give me a little feel on what you think about Pennington right now. BB: I think that offensively the Jets are a good football team. They have a lot of weapons. It starts with Curtis, naturally. I think it always has. And then everything works off of that †the play action game, the vertical routes to McCareins and Moss, the utilization of the tightends, Becht and Baker, especially on those bootlegs and things like that. And they have a good offensive line, so the complementary plays and the complementary part of the offense flows very well together most of the time. Now sometimes when one aspect of it isn't really being productive, then that can effect another aspect. But I think overall the Jets are a good offensive football team. I think they have a lot of balance †one of the better balanced teams in the league †going even to their second tightends, and their fullbacks like Sowell, two good running backs. And a good set of receivers, Wayne as a third receiver, and even the whole receiving crew, Carter, I mean the whole works. So I think they're a good, balanced offensive football team, and I have a lot of respect for them. I have a lot of respect for what they do. And I think Chad's very accurate, and as long as, like any team, as long as you can keep those passing situations to manageable yardage †I mean there's not any quarterback that's really very good on 3rd-and-15 †but you know when it's 3rd-and-four, five, six, and you have a couple different guys that you can throw to, and you got the threat of the running game and all that, then those situations are advantageous for any quarterback in any offense. JB: Coach, you know you chopped him up pretty good two weeks ago. I mean he's got problems with the shoulder. Do you think he's playing hurt right now, in your mind, Pennington? BB: You know, it's hard to say, Joe. I don't know. I think that at this point in the season, every player who's playing a lot is less than 100%. I mean 16 regular season games against this competition, everybody's got bumps and bruises, everybody's sore, everybody would love to feel a lot fresher than they feel right now. But you know what, it's football time of year. It's crunch time, it's playoff time, so everybody just puts that behind them, they reach down, they suck it up. And you know, you're going to see the teams that play their best football now are teams that are going to be mentally tough, they're going to be physically tough, and they're going to be resilient. And I wouldn't worry too much about what happened last week or what happened two weeks ago. You know, it's about right now what every team can muster up and generate going forward. And they're all good, so whichever one of these 12 teams comes out on top, that team will deserve it because they will have mustered up the most energy and the best performance in the coming weeks. And that's what championship football's all about. Host: Coach, you breaking out a new sweatshirt for the playoffs? BB: No, probably not. Host: Did you get rid of that red one that you had on down in Miami when you lost? Did you burn that one? You must have. BB: Yeah, we'll move on from that one. SR: Will there be a 60 Minutes II with Lesley Stahl if you win the Super Bowl again this year? That was fascinating that piece. I love that piece you did last year. BB: No, that's not my call. You know, that's not really my thing, Sid. SR: I know, but you were great. I've got to tell you, Coach, I thought that was fascinating how you go about your work everyday. Even watching Tedy Bruschi a couple of weeks ago during the Monday night game †before the game, Coach, against the Dolphins †how he breaks down video every week. I mean, I don't think the average fan really realizes, Coach, how many hours you put in every single day. How many hours your players put in every day. We all know about practice, but I don't think the average person realizes, Coach, you know, 16, 17, 18-hour days that you guys put in. Do you ever sleep, Coach? BB: It's a very competitive league, and you're going up against the best every week. And every other team that you play, their coaching staff, their players, they're working just as hard as you are. And you just can't leave a stone unturned. You want to make sure that you've got your execution up to its highest level, because that's where it needs to be. It's such a competitive league, especially now. We go to this time of year where one play can mean everything. It determines the whole course of your season. So it's important, and you just want to put everything you have into it and get it right. Hosts: Coach, a great job as always. Appreciate you coming on. Thank you very much, Coach. Good luck in the playoffs. BB: It's a pleasure. And Joe, it's great to talk to you when the sun's up. I don't think we've ever done this before. Host: How about that? Well, you know, this is actually like late in the day for you. Do you ever sleep, Coach? I mean you never do, right? BB: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Host: What, an hour a day? An hour a week? What? BB: Oh, no. When I run low at the end of the day, that's it for me. I just sometimes I get an early start. Not as early as you start it though. Great to catch up with you, too. Host: You too, Coach. Good luck. We'll talk to you down the road, alright? BB: OK. Thank you. Hosts: Alright, there he is, Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. And he gave us quite a bit of time there, Joe. He did. Big fan of Joe Benigno, Bill Belichick. I tell you what, there's no question about it †THE best in the business right now. Yeah, it's not close. I think Parcells really took a beating with Dallas this year. Shanahan †Denver's falling off. Andy Reid †no, he's never even won a Super Bowl. Only guys who have won Super Bowls. You're right, you can't get that level till you win a Super Bowl. Mike Holmgren †you know, forget about it. This guy [BB] is the best right now. He's the best without a doubt. You and I've been saying this for a couple of weeks now, don't be surprised †three times in four years. Absolutely. We'll see, Belichick. Transcribed by the webmaster.Full audio available at WFAN.com  | home | stats | stories | archive | photos | games | super bowls || off the field | about | contact | photo by Andy Lyons, Getty Images c.mateo@verizon.net (Martin Cvjetkovi�) Tue, 11 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8587/1/E-Croatian-NBA-by-Risha.html Croatian NBA by Risha   Toni Kukoc                       Zoran Planinic             Gordan Giricek       Andrew Bogut                     Mario Kasun                 contact Risha: batthound@yahoo.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8585/1/E-The-speed-and-power-of-Mario-Preskar.html The speed and power of Mario Preskar     The speed and power of Mario Preskarby Robert MladinichWhen undefeated heavyweight prospect Mario Preskar began boxing at the age of nine in his native Croatia, he dreamed of becoming the second world champion ever to hail from that country. The only other titlist to come from there is Mate Parlov, who won the WBC light heavyweight title from Miguel Angel Cuello in January 1978. Parlov made two successful defenses before losing the crown to Marvin Johnson nearly two years later. Parlov fought to a draw with Marvin Camel in a bout for the vacant WBC cruiserweight title in December 1979, and then lost a 15 round decision to Camel for the same title almost four months later. The last big name boxer to hail from Croatia was Zeljko Mavrovic, who gave a surprisingly good account of himself in going the distance with Lennox Lewis in a September 1998 WBC heavyweight title fight. He and Preskar are good friends, and they recently did a media blitz together. ÀœMate Parlov is the biggest boxer in the history of Croatia,À said the 22-year-old Preskar who is 9-0-1 (6 KOS) as a pro. But that was then, and this is now. Preskar, who speaks fluid English, gets one step closer to establishing his own boxing legacy when he takes on Matthew Greer, 7-2 (6 KOS), of Parkville, Missouri, on the undercard of IBF junior middleweight champion Roman KarmazinÀ™s title defense against Cory Spinks at the Savvis Center in SpinksÀ™ hometown of St. Louis on Saturday, July 8.ÀœI have dreamed of being a champion for a long time,À said Preskar, who has sparred with Oleg Maskaev, Hasim Rahman, Wayne Braithwaite, Larry Donald, Owen Beck, and Gerald Nobles, among others.ÀœI feel great, ready and eager to step in the ring again. After a long and arduous training period my strength and power have increased and IÀ™m ready for anybody. Hopefully, Mr. Don King can help me achieve my dream.À The wild-haired promoter has been promoting Preskar, whose last fight was a sixth round knockout of Ervin Slonka in December 2005 in Berlin, for his entire professional career, which began with a first round TKO of Roman Armstrong in Las Vegas in July 2003. Since then, Preskar has laced them up three more times in Las Vegas, as well as three times in Germany, once in South Carolina, and once at New YorkÀ™s Madison Square Garden. The one blemish on his record is a four round draw with Marcelino Novaes, who was 5-2, in PreskarÀ™s fourth fight in Las Vegas. According to Vedran Nazor, PreskarÀ™s New York-based advisor and publicist, trainer Yoel Judah told King about Preskar after watching him spar at GleasonÀ™s Gym in Brooklyn. While Judah was unavailable for comment for this article, Bruce Silverglade, the owner of GleasonÀ™s who is not easily impressed, remembers observing Preskar in the ring during that time period. ÀœHeÀ™s a very smart guy, and you have to be smart to be a good boxer,À said Silverglade. ÀœHeÀ™s young, has decent size and strength, is in good condition, works hard, and has a solid plan. With all of those components, he has as good a chance as anyone to go a long way.ÀPreskar began boxing at the urging of his father Zeljko, a cab driver whom he says is his biggest fan. A quick study, he soon began racking up one amateur accolade after another. He is a seven-time Croatian national champion, as well as a gold medalist in numerous European tournaments. His final amateur ring ledger of 45-5 probably would have been better if more boxers were willing to fight him. According to Nazor, a special license had to be obtained to allow Preskar to compete against fighters two to four years older than he was. ÀœIt was hoped that would provide Mario with the challenges he desired,À said Nazor. ÀœIt did not. The young men fell as easily as the boys. He was a prodigy. His combinations are an unbelievable mixture of speed and power punching. He flows inside the ring, delivering crisp straight punches and powerful hooks. HeÀ™s disciplined, intelligent and strong.À There is no question that Preskar is very smart. It takes all of a few seconds of conversation to realize that. Still, he forsook a college education to dedicate himself full-time to boxing. With the support of his parents, Zeljko and Visnjica, sister Zeljka, as well as his longtime trainer Leonardo Pijetraj, and a whole country behind him, he is certain that a championship reign is within punching distance. ÀœI put all my guts and power into my boxing career,À said the always exuberant and extremely positive Preskar. ÀœStep by step, in a few years I see myself with many championship belts.ÀPreskar is much too polite to speak ill of other boxers, but he believes that Wladimir Klitschko is the best of the current heavyweight champions. Whether or not Klitschko is still at the top when PreskarÀ™s time comes to fight for a title is yet to be seen. But one thing is certain. ÀœI will be ready,À said Preskar. ÀœWhen my time comes, I will be ready to beat the best. Everything is coming together, just as planned.ÀThe next step for Preskar is Greer, who might just be a bit more challenging than expected. If he is victorious, Preskar would love to fight at home this summer and become as big an attraction in his native country, which many people consider one of the most naturally beautiful places on Earth, as the Ukrainian-born Klitschko is in his adopted homeland of Germany. Eastern Europeans are dominating the heavyweight landscape these days, and Preskar is eager to get on the bandwagon. ÀœMr. King is working on promoting me in Croatia,À said Preskar, who is 6À™1À and about 220 pounds, which at his age gives him plenty of time and room to fill out. ÀœMaybe that will happen this summer. I hope so, Fighting in Croatia would be great, but fighting in Zagreb, which is the capitol, as well as my hometown, would be really special.ÀœMate Parlov was the biggest athlete there in the last century,À he continued. ÀœI want to be the biggest in this century.ÀContact Robert Mladinich @ TheSweetScience.com http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/4055/speed-power-mario-preskar/ vnazor@yahoo.com (Vedran Joseph Nazor) Sat, 08 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8584/1/E-Undefeted-Mario-Preskar-Wins-Again-in-St-Louis-on-July-8th-2006.html Mario Preskar, of Croatia winner by unanimous decision Mario Preskar, of Croatia, delivers a punch to the body of Matt Greer, left, during their six-round heavyweight fight in St. Louis Saturday, July 8, 2006. Preskar was the winner by unanimous decision. (AP Photo/James A. Finley)Mario Preskar, of Croatia, delivers a punch to the body of Matt Greer, left, during their six-round heavyweight fight in St. Louis Saturday, July 8, 2006. Preskar was the winner by unanimous decision. (AP Photo/James A. Finley)   A boxing fan holds a Croatian flag during the introduction of Mario Preskar of Croatia before his boxing match against Matt Greer in St. Louis Saturday, July 8, 2006. Preskar was the winner by unamous decision. (AP Photo/James A. Finley) vnazor@yahoo.com (Vedran Joseph Nazor) Sat, 08 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8583/1/E-Ancic-and-protesters-fail-to-foil-Federer.html Ancic and protesters fail to foil Federer  By Dominic BlissPublished: July 6 2006 03:00 | Last updated: July 6 2006 03:00Those who believe Roger Federer to be the greatest grass-court player ever received more evidence for their argument on Wednesday when the three-times Wimbledon champion eased through his quarter-final.His opponent Mario Ancic of Croatia played superbly, varying his style between powerful serve-and-volleying and solid baseline play. But it simply was not enough to hold the Swiss at bay. Despite rain breaks and a court invasion by fathers' rights protesters - one of them dressed as a young John McEnroe - Federer was able to maintain concentration and squash Ancic three sets to love, 6-4 6-4 6-4.When play started on Centre Court, thunder clouds were looming above south-west London. Only four games were completed, all going with serve, before the services of the court coverers were called upon.Once back on court, Federer then required only three points to break his opponent. He quickly proceeded to steamroller his way through the rest of the match, thwarting every increasingly desperate attempt Ancic made to resist him.The 22-year-old from Split, who learnt much of his court craft from compatriot Goran Ivanisevic, was the last man to beat Federer at Wimbledon. That was in 2002, however, before the champion had fully asserted his All England Club dominance. Nowadays Federer has elevated his grass-court matches to an entirely different level. There comes a stage halfway through every one of them when his opponent's shoulders start to droop and his facial expression gradually switches from hope to exasperation.The latter emotion began to manifest itself at the beginning of the second set, when Federer had whipped yet another of his angled forehands past the flailing Ancic. Every time Ancic produced a fine shot, the 24-year-old Federer would trump it with something even more brilliant. Deep volleys were met with unreturnable passing shots; dying drop-shots were inevitably retrieved. Players less mentally strong than Ancic would have thrown up their arms in despair.Three-love down in the third set, the Croat needed both luck and immense skill to do it, but finally broke his opponent's serve - only the second time this has happened during the tournament. It was a teasing glimmer of hope that served only to delay Federer's inevitable win by a few minutes.Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006http://www.ft.com/cms/s/68465a82-0c8b-11db-8235-0000779e2340.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 06 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8582/1/E-Anthony-Artukovich-Up-For-US-Junior-National-Team-Competition.html Anthony Artukovich Up For U.S. Junior National Team CompetitionSix Trojans Set Up For U.S. Junior National Team CompetitionUSC players join Junior National Team for tournaments in Italy and Slovakia.Men's Water Polo Trojans Sweep Peter J. Cutino AwardsJune 29, 2006The USC men's water polo team has six players capping up for the U.S. Junior National Team this summer, as the squad is set for competition in Italy and Slovakia beginning this week. Sophomore Arjan Ligtenberg is joined by five incoming freshmen -- Anthony Artukovich, J.W. Krumpholz, Justin Rappel, Matt Sagehorn and Nico Sardo -- as the Trojans playing for Team USA. The U.S. Junior National Team opens international competition June 29-July 2 at the Memorial Tournament in Italy, where teams from Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Italy and Greece will also get in on the action. Those teams may also meet up at the USA's next tournament stop in Slovakia for the High Tatras Cup from July 7-9. The U.S. squad will take the international experience garnered from this European trip to the Junior Pan American Games in August. As a freshman on the USC team, two-meter man Arjan Ligtenberg (Los Altos Hills, Calif./Gunn HS) helped the Trojans to win the 2005 NCAA Championship and post an all-time best 26-1 overall record. He was a member of the U.S. Youth National Team last year, traveling to Slovakia for the Low Tatras Cup last summer. The five USC freshmen on the roster are part of a stellar incoming class for the Trojans. Anthony Artukovich and Matt Sagehorn both hail from Long Beach, Calif., as graduates of Wilson High School. Both are regarded as two of the top young players entering the collegiate ranks this year. Artukovich has trained with the U.S. National Team and also has already competed as a member of the U.S. Youth and Junior teams. Sagehorn has a similar national team resume to Artukovich, and was named the CIF Southern Section Division I Player of the Year as a senior at Wilson HS. He scored nine goals for Team USA at the 2005 Junior World Championships. Also no stranger to the U.S. National Team system is J.W. Krumpholz (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill HS), who played with the men's national team at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, and scored 13 goals at the Junior World Championships while playing alongside future Trojan teammates Artukovich, Sagehorn and Nico Sardo (La Jolla, Calif./Bishop's School), who is making a repeat appearance on the Junior National Team roster. Left-hander Justin Rappel (Sherman Oaks, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) rounds out the Trojan talent pool on this summer's U.S. Junior National Team. http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-wpolo/spec-rel/062906aaa.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 06 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8586/1/E-Baric-to-coach-Albania-for-Euro-2008-qualifiers.html Baric to coach Albania for Euro 2008 qualifiers  Mon Jul 3, 2006 2:01 PM BSTEmail This Article | Print This Article | RSS [-] Text [+] TIRANA, July 3 (Reuters) - Otto Baric will replace German international Hans-Peter Briegel as Albania coach for the Euro 2008 qualifiers, the Croatian said on Monday."Briegel has done a good job with this team, he has taken Albania two or three steps forward," said the 74-year-old, who coached Croatia to third place at the 1998 World Cup."I shall do my best to qualify, but my main aim is to help this team take more steps forward."Albania have been drawn in Group G with the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Belarus and Luxembourg. The qualifiers start on Sept 2 and end in November 2007. The finals run from June 7-29, 2008 in Switzerland and Austria.Under Briegel, the national team became a symbol of reborn Albanian national pride after beating European champions Greece in Tirana.They have risen to 86 in the FIFA world rankings but failed to qualify for the World Cup, finishing fifth in their qualifying group. http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldFootballNews&storyID=2006-07-03T130128Z_01_L03597287_RTRIDST_0_SPORT-SOCCER-ALBANIA-BARIC.XML   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 03 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8590/1/E-MARIO-PRESKAR-BACK-IN-THE-USA.html MARIO PRESKAR BACK IN THE USACroatian heavyweight, 22-year-old Mario Preskar, will box again in the USA. After a string of 3 knockouts at the end of 2005, Preskar will fight after a 7-month pause on Saturday, July 8, 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri at the 22,000-seat capacity Savvis Center. ÀœI feel great, ready and eager to step in the ring again. After a long and arduous training period my strength and power have increased and IÀ™m ready for anybody,À said Preskar, whose opponent has not been announced. Preskar, who is under promotional agreement with legendary promoter Don King has a record of 9 wins (6 by knockout) 1 draw and 0 losses. Don King and his promotional company DKP return to the Gateway City (St. Louis-Gateway to The West) to host the evening with 2 Championship fights including Cory Spinks, against IBF 154-pound champion Roman Karmazin, a former cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck plus others for an evening of 10 bouts. Tickets are $500 (ringside), $300, $200, $100, $60, $45 and $25. For tickets call: (314) 622-5400 or (314) 622-5435. Croatian TV (HTV) will televise PreskarÀ™s match.King visited Croatia last month in advance of World Boxing Council (WBC) 45th Annual Convention which will be held from October 29 to November 4 of this year in Dubrovnik. Leonard Pijetraj, trainer/manager to Preskar was KingÀ™s guide and translator in Dubrovnik. This was KingÀ™s second visit to Croatia in the last 12 months. There are plans to have DKP events in Croatia later this year headlining Mario Preskar. June 27, 2006VJNhttp://15rounds.com/ Preskar to fight July 8 in St. LouisBy Marc AbramsUndefeated Heavyweight prospect, Mario Preskar will return to the U.S on Saturday July 8 in St.Louis to fight on the big Don King Promotions card against a yet to be determined opponent that will be headlined by Roman Karmazin taking Cory Spinks for the IBF Jr. Middleweight championship and Steve "USS" Cunningham battling Gulliermo Jones for the Vaxant IBF Cruiserweight title.Preskar, 9-0-1 with six knockouts will be making his first appearance in a U.S ring since October, 2004. Since then the 22 year old Croatian has scored three knockouts in Germany.http://15rounds.com/boxing/News/2006/06/preskar-062906.php letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 29 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8588/1/E-The-most-pulsating-dramatic-heart-stopping-contest-of-a-thrilling-World-Cup.html Croatia 2 - 2 Australia GIANNI RUSSO in Stuttgart June 23 2006 Scorers: Croatia À“ Srna (3), Kovac (56); Australia À“ Moore (38 pen), Kewell (79)The most pulsating, dramatic, heart-stopping contest of a thrilling World Cup ended with Australia booking a last 16 meeting with Italy.Harry Kewell's 79th-minute angled drive sent Guus Hiddink's Australia charging into the knockout phase for the first time in their history.Yet the mere scoreline does not even start to get close to explaining the story behind a truly extraordinary game which Australia ended with 10 men and Croatia nine.Twice Australia were forced to come from behind to grab the point they required after conceding initially in the second minute, then at the start of the second period following a mistake to rank up with any the competition had ever seen from recalled goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac.Yet, showing the pugnacious spirit which has enabled them to become world champions at so many sports, Australia simply refused to lie down.Craig Moore pulled them level just before half-time when he kept his nerve to fire home from the spot, then, after Australia had another clear spot-kick appeal turned down by the English referee Graham Poll, Kewell drove home the goal which blasted open the door to the second round.Nobody celebrated the draw more enthusiastically than the Australia coach Guus Hiddink, who had almost seen the biggest gamble of his entire coaching career go disastrously wrong.Hiddink stunned his supporters by bringing back Kalac, who spends his winters sat on the AC Milan bench, ahead of established No.1 Mark Schwarzer.Kalac had barely touched the ball when he was picking it out of his own net, a legacy of Mark Viduka's third-minute foul on the Croatia captain Niko Kovac. Up stepped Darijo Srna to stroke a 25-yard free-kick beyond Kalac and into the top corner.For half an hour thereafter, Australia battered the Croatia defence for no reward. Tim Cahill, Mark Viduka and Kewell all wasted chances to equalise and Australia were starting to run out of ideas when Stjepan Tomas stuck up a fist to deflect away a Brett Emerton cross.Poll spotted the infringement and, though the gap between the Premiership official blowing his whistle and Moore stepping up to take the kick seemed to last forever, the former Rangers defender kept his cool to fire home.Then came Kalac's extraordinary aberration. Getting right behind an apparently innocuous Kovac strike, the keeper somehow managed to let the ball slip through his grasp and into the net. With Schwarzer sat not five yards away, Hiddink must have wanted the ground to open up and swallow him.It was another shattering blow. Yet Australia refused to buckle. Time and again they bashed away.Another Tomas handball was missed by Poll, Kewell's shot was brilliantly pushed over by Stipe Pletikosa, Cahill went agonisingly close.Eventually Marco Bresciano floated over a cross from the right and John Aloisi flicked it into Kewell's path. Kewell's talent did not fail him. Control with the chest, finish on the volley. Easy as that.Australia lived on their nerves for those final 10 minutes, though. Dario Simic and Brett Emerton were both red-carded as the action intensified, while Moore booted on effort off the Australian line.Amid the frenzy, Poll booked Josip Siminic, a Melbourne-born Croat, for a second and then a third time, before eventually brandishing red in his face after the final whistle.The Australian fans celebrated as they would any Ashes triumph or rugby victory.Scorers: Croatia À“ Srna (3), Kovac (56); Australia À“ Moore (38 pen), Kewell (79)http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/64673.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 23 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8581/1/E-Match-Schedules-for-Soccer-World-Cup-2006.html Match Schedules for Soccer World Cup 2006   Match Schedules for Soccer World Cup 2006: Click Here Group Standings: Click Here letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8579/1/E-Thank-God-for-Croatia.html Thank God for Croatia Jayaditya Gupta Thursday, June 15, 2006 Kaka saves BrazilÀ™s dull day out We never thought weÀ™d say this in a Brazil match but thank God for Croatia. The team from the Balkans was inventive, purposeful, energetic, and completely unawed by the world champions, and should have gone away with a point. Instead, Brazil began their campaign on a winning note, KakaÀ™s sweetly struck volley just before half time doing the damage. After the match coach Carlos Alberto Parreira pointed out that teams aiming to win the World Cup must pace themselves but at this pace Brazil should be looking at lifting the trophy in 2010, not a month from now. Much of their problem stemmed from their strike force of Ronaldo and Adriano (though for Brazil everyone is a goalscorer), and it is a moot point that the only goal came from a midfielder. Ronaldo, in what was his 100th Brazil match, was palpably unfit; not injured, just overweight. BrazilÀ™s reputation has grown since they last won the World Cup, but in RonaldoÀ™s case only his shadow has got bigger. Too slow to respond to the quicksilver wiles of Ronaldinho and Kaka, he was mercifully taken off just after the hour. And the sparkle shown by his replacement, his Real Madrid teammate Robinho, means Parreira will have a problem keeping the younger player out of the starting line-up. BrazilÀ™s troubles lie elsewhere too. The fact that Croatia enjoyed 50 per cent of the possession is proof of their ability to win the ball in central midfield, where Emerson and Ze Roberto were too often outwitted, especially by Kovac and Babic, the latter also selling Cafu a brilliant dummy towards the end. Though Cafu and Roberto Carlos, with 69 years between them, were not embarrassed today, the pressure will be immense over the next few matches. Harry Kewell, in particular, should enjoy his duel with BrazilÀ™s captain on Sunday. Their next two opponents will be tricky. Australia are on a high after their incredibly last-gasp win, further boosting their typical Oz superconfidence. Japan will be desperate to open their account, and should benefit from some inside knowledge provided by their coach. The ultimate truth, however, is that one writes off Brazil at their peril. Parreira says a slow build-up is part of their plans and in any case we are not dealing with a team of mere mortals. It takes a moment for Kaka, or Ronaldinho, to change the match. It may take substantially longer for Ronaldo to find his form but they didnÀ™t need him yesterday. Conclusion: Brazil have the making of a winning team but must step up at least a couple of gears if they arenÀ™t to be overtaken, possibly much before the home straight. jayaditya.gupta@expressindia.com http://www.indianexpress.com/story/6490.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8578/1/E-Tennis-Players-Showing-Tough-Croatian-Grit.html Tennis Players Showing Tough Croatian Grit   Following an unexpected Davis Cup victory in 2005 and a successful start to the 2006 campaign, Croatian tennis fans had much to be happy about. Still, we had little to look forward to, at least for the spring clay court season. Croat tennis players have long been known for their powerful serves and huge ground strokes, a style that greatly contrasts with the loopy shots and baseline speed needed for success on clay. For this reason, not much was to be expected out of the Croats. However, at the 2006 French Open, the foremost clay court tournament in the world, the Croatians went well represented. Entering Roland Garros 2006, Ivan Ljubicic was not only CroatiaÀ™s #1 ranked tennis player, as he has been since the retirement of legend Goran Ivanisevic, but he was also the 4th-ranked player in the world. Despite his #4 seed at the tournament, ÀœLjuboÀ was not predicted by many to reach the semifinals- he had historically not done well on clay, as his game is predicated upon his huge serve and power. However, Ivan was granted a friendly draw. Ljubicic defeated his first round opponent, Carlos Berlocq of Argentina, in dominant straight-set fashion. Through to the second round, Ivan had already advanced further than the previous year, and was then set to face Spaniard Oscar Hernandez. After getting through, 6-3 6-7(7) 6-1 6-2, Ivan was pitted against ArgentinaÀ™s Juan Monaco in the third round. Although Monaco is a well-known claycourt specialist, Ivan was still considered the favorite to win the match. However, Ljubicic lost the first two sets and appeared ready to bow out of the tournament. But Ivan fought back, and showing tough Croatian grit, he defeated the Argentinean, delighting his fans. Ivan had rallied from two sets down to win in five, grueling sets, and in doing so, had reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for only the second time in his career and for the first time at Roland Garros. Facing another clay court specialist in the fourth round, Ivan next played Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain, who took out 15th seed David Ferrer in the third round. IvanÀ™s stellar clay court play continued, as he took out the Spaniard in four sets. Ivan had now reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, where he was set to play another unseeded player, hometown favorite Julien Benneteau. In the quarters, Ivan quickly dispatched of the unheralded Frenchman, 6-2 6-2 6-3. Despite losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, Ivan Ljubicic put together an unbelievable two weeks of tennis. He made his nation proud in reaching the semifinals for the first time in his career. What made this past French Open so amazing was not just the success of the #4 player in the world. It was the simultaneous success of the #12-ranked player in the world and CroatiaÀ™s #2, Mario Ancic. In this French Open, Mario put his name alongside the top names in tennis on a surface on which he had not found much success in the past. Ancic struggled through the first round, but prevailed, defeating Australian Nathan Healey in four sets. Next up was Paul Capdeville of Chile, a solid clay court player, whom Ancic defeated in straight sets. He was later hit with a $3000 fine for getting into a tiny post-match scuffle with the Chilean, which the chair umpire had to break up. Just like last year, Mario was through to the third round of the French Open. In the third round, Ancic absolutely demolished Albert Montanes of Spain in straight sets, and set up a fourth round encounter with MontanesÀ™ countryman and the #7 player in the world, Tommy Robredo. Robredo had been on an absolute tear during the clay court season, winning the Tennis Masters Series Hamburg and entering the French Open as a threat to take home the trophy. Mario, typically known as a hard court or grass court player, shocked many by taking the first set off of the Spaniard. However, Robredo fired back and took the next two sets in a rather convincing fashion. After the fourth set went in favor of the man from Split, both players fought off cramping and exhaustion in the fifth. After taking a 5-2 lead and squandering it, Mario Ancic finally captured the match, 6-4 4-6 6-2 6-4 7-5, over Tommy Robredo. In doing so, Ancic proved to the world not only that he is a formidable opponent on all surfaces, but that Croatian tennis is here to stay, as our top two players reached the quarterfinals of the French Open. Although Mario would lose to the #1 player in the world, Roger Federer, in the quarterfinals, his French Open run was one to be remembered. With his amazing achievement at the 2006 French Open, Mario Ancic vaulted himself to #9 in the world rankings. For the first time in memory, not one, but two Croats are in the top ten of tennis! And it is not that two Croats made the quarterfinals that is so amazing- though it is truly an accomplishment to behold- but it is that two Croats made the quarterfinals of the French Open. On the surface on which we were not supposed to have success, we had the best success we have had since 2001, when Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon. And even then there were zero Croatians in the top ten, let alone two. With last yearÀ™s Davis Cup victory and the still-more-recent World Team Championship triumph, Croatian tennis was at its new zenith. However with the recent results at the French Open, a new pinnacle has been reached. Only better things can be expected at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships, on the surface on which we are supposed to succeed. Thanks to Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic, who made the semifinals and quarterfinals of the French Open respectively, it has never been a better time to be a fan of Croatian tennis. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8576/1/E-Impressive-Croatia-far-from-humbled-by-Brazil-loss.html Impressive Croatia far from humbled by Brazil loss (Reuters)Updated: 2006-06-14 15:47   Croatia's fans lit flares and celebrated at the end of their 1-0 defeat to Brazil in their opening World Cup match at the Olympiastadion on Tuesday to show just how proud they were of their team. Croatia fans hold flares as they cheer during Group F World Cup 2006 soccer match between Brazil and Croatia in Berlin.[Reuters]Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar said afterwards that they always knew that this would be a game they would probably lose -- but that wins over Japan and Australia in their remaining two Group F fixtures should be enough to see them through. "We always thought we might well find ourselves in this position after the first game so it's no surprise and no real disappointment," he said. "We were perhaps unlucky not to get a point but we know what we have to do to qualify now." Victory in the next two matches cannot be taken for granted of course, but if Croatia play as well against Japan and Australia as they did against Brazil, the odds are probably on them taking all six points. Croatia had far the better of play for about 20 minutes at the start of the second half and only some outstanding saves by Brazilian goalkeeper Dida stopped them reaping reward for inventive midfield play and direct attacking. They probably could have even afforded to be rather more adventurous against Brazil and if Dado Prso had played in a more central role in the Croatia attack rather than trying to cut in from the wings, he might have ended the game with a goal or two. Croatia are desperate to do well in these finals after flopping out at the first-round stage in 2002 following their semi-final appearance on their debut in 1998. WELL ORGANISED Kranjcar's team is well organised and proved against the world champions they could not be intimidated. One brilliant tackle in the second half by Robert Kovac summed up their speed of thought and their commitment. Kranjcar's son Niko had a fine game in his usual attacking midfield role and went close with a header late in the game when Croatia looked as though they were easily capable of securing a draw. Captain Niko Kovac, who failed to finish the game after picking up a rib injury following a heavy challenge from Brazil's Ze Roberto towards the end of the first half, agreed with his coach on what their priorities were now. "We have to win both of the other games. We knew that before but now it's reality," he said. "Now we all need to concentrate on that." He said he would know after training later on Wednesday whether he would be fit in time for the next game against Japan on Sunday in Nuremberg. http://chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2006-06/14/content_616950.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8574/1/E-Emil-Milihram-wins-C1-World-White-Water-Championship.html Emil Milihram wins C1 World White Water Championship Emil Milihram of Croatia on his way to win the C1 race of the World White Water Championships on the Tepla River in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, Wednesday, June 14, 2006. (AP Photo/CTK, Ivan Babej) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8580/1/E-Support-two-youth-from-Croatia-to-further-their-development-at-Tabor-Academy.html www.basketballforchampions.com     Join us as we support two youth from Croatia to further their development as student-athletes at Tabor AcademyIstria Sports Club28-09 Astoria Blvd, Queens, NY 11102 7pm June 21 ST $25 at the door includes appetizers Contact Chris Matesic 646-831-1522  My name is Chris Matesic I am a Croatian-American New Yorker! My father is from Zadar and grew up in Rijeka and my mother was born in Rijeka and came to the US via Genoa, Italy. I have been a basketball coach/trainer in NYC for over five years. I have worked with many elite student-athletes preparing to play college basketball and beyond. It is always been a dream of mine to work with my friends and family in Croatia to bring Croatian players over to the states to train as student-athlete basketball players. I am bringing over two boys Ivan Biondic and Alen Blesic from Rijeka to attend Tabor Academy, a prestigious prep school in Massachusetts. During these two years I will be supporting them to get a basketball scholarship to a University to further their studies in theUS. Ivan and Alen will be pioneers in our new non-profit “Basketball for Champions.” It is the vision of the organization to inspire young to people to be champions in school, on the court and in life! It is our intention that the young people that participate in our programs ultimately be of service to the community. The inspiration for Basketball for Champions came from the late great Drazen Petrovic, a Croatian champion who was of great service to the Croatian community around the world. We are promoting a fundraiser for the boy’s expenses at the Istria Sports Club in Astoria, Queens, New York. The information is on the flyer on the website:www.basketballforchampions.com We invite you all to come and be a part of special evening to celebrate the arrival of two Croatian boys on their journey to the US.With great respect,Chris Matesic 646-831-1522cmatesic@basketballforchampions.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 13 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8577/1/E-Local-Croatians-World-Cup-crazy.html Local Croatians World Cup crazyTue, June 13, 2006Despite loss to powerhouse Brazil, fans happy with gameBy NADIA MOHARIB, CALGARY SUNLosing by just one goal to the best soccer team in the world is a victory in itself, say some Calgary Croats after their home team took on Brazil in today's World Cup match.Ivan Vukelic, president of the Croatian Canadian Cultural Centre at 3010 12 St. N.E. where the game was televised, was one of several hundred supporters to nervously take in the match, which ultimately saw Brazil go home with a 1-0 win."Honesty, I'm very happy with the score," Vukelic said."I wouldn't expect more than that.""If we would tie I would be happy - we were playing against the best team in the world."Watching the game with fellow Croatians, including his father visiting from his homeland, was not an option for Ivo Ceko."I'm actually working this afternoon," Ceko said midway through the match."I'll be late but my boss is English - he's going to understand that."Using an analogy to Canada's national sport Ceko explained his passion for soccer."Over there soccer is like hockey is here," he said."It's soccer first and everything after that."Six-year-old Maria Slisko has yet to be convinced."It's pretty boring and my father's yelling scares me a bit," she said while taking a breather from her overzealous parents to find a quiet corner at the cultural centre."I'm just trying to do my homework in my head."Her mother, Ivanka, said the family has a bigger TV at home but chose to join fellow team Croatia fans so they could tap in to the team spirit.The win sees Brazil open its attempt for a record sixth title.Croatia, which is in just its second World Cup, reached the semifinals in 1998 and must now get points from Japan and Australia to revive its chances for this year.http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2006/06/13/1630550.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 13 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8575/1/E-3-Croatian-Coaches-at-the-World-Cup.html Three Croatian Coaches at the World Cup   From the Los Angeles TimesCoaching Characters Color the LandscapeGet ready for a heavy dose of the offbeat when it comes to the men whoare guiding the soccer dreams of nations all over the world.By Grahame L. JonesTimes Staff Writer June 2, 2006 HAMBURG, Germany À” England Coach Sven Goran Eriksson's much-publicizedaffair with a secretary at the English Football Assn. and his earlierwell-documented fling with a Swedish television producer were ancienthistory by the time he made his third, much more costly, faux pas. That was in January, when he was foolish enough to journey to Dubai tomeet an oil-rich sheik said to be interested in hiring him. Sad to say for Eriksson, the "sheik" turned out to be an impostor in theemploy of an English tabloid newspaper. Eriksson's admission that hewould abandon England for the right opportunity and his incautiousgossip about the foibles of David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinandand the rest of England's high-priced and high-living players made luridtabloid headlines for weeks. The federation, which had turned a more-or-less blind eye to the earlierindiscretions, was not amused and suggested, rather firmly, thatEriksson might want to step down from the $8-million-a-year job it hadgiven him in 2001. After the World Cup, that is, federation officials were quick to add. So England has a lame duck Swede with a colorful resume coaching it intothe 32-nation, 64-game tournament that begins one week from today. Strange to say, there is nothing odd about that. In fact, Eriksson fitsright in with the cast of offbeat characters who will be directingmatters from the wings when their players take the stage, starting June9, in the 18th edition of soccer's quadrennial world championship. Indeed, the 32 World Cup coaches represent 19 nationalities, topped byfive Brazilians (if Costa Rica's Brazilian-born Alexandre Guimaraes isincluded), four Dutchmen, three Frenchmen and three Croatians. And the Cup runneth over with oddball coaches. Take Luiz Felipe Scolari, for instance. "Big Phil," as he is known, isthe gruff, no-nonsense character who coached his native Brazil to thetitle at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He parlayed that into a job with Portugal, which he led to the final ofEuro 2004, only to lose to upstart Greece. This spring, when Englandcame calling in search of a replacement for Eriksson, Scolari rejectedthe advances. He also turned his famous wrath on the Portuguese media, which hadcriticized him for even talking to the English. "Your coaches negotiate, am I any different?" he fumed at reporters inLisbon. The idea "that someone who is born here is a saint and someoneborn on the other side of the Atlantic is a devil, that doesn't exist. "It's time to stop that clown show. I'm just like anybody else. I've gottwo legs, two arms and a head." Colorful language is one thing many of the World Cup coaches have incommon. That and some blunt opinions. Otto Pfister is Togo's coach. He is also German, but that has notstopped him from dismissing Germany's dream of winning the Cup aswishful thinking. "Germany have no chance," Pfister said last month. "I don't think theycan even get to the final, or even the semifinalÀ¦. It's quite simple:you need skill, and Germany doesn't have that." Pfister also ventured far out on a politically incorrect limb when heforbade his Togo players from talking to Korean reporters, because SouthKorea is one of Togo's first-round opponents. Just to make sure, Pfister also ordered them not to talk to Japanese orChinese journalists either. The racist overtones are clear but pale in comparison to the blatantremark recently attributed to Ukraine Coach Oleg Blokhin when he talkedabout player development in his country's professional league. "The more Ukrainians there are playing in the national league, the moreexamples there are for the young generation," Blokhin said. "Let themlearn from [Ukrainian players] and not some zumba-bumba whom they tookoff a tree, gave two bananas and now he plays in the Ukrainian league." Blokhin, incidentally, was Europe's player of the year in 1975 and, inperhaps the most bizarre job-coupling among all the World Cup coaches,is also a Communist Party member of Ukraine's parliament. Human frailties are everywhere to be seen among the 32 coaches. Three of them, for instance, have put relatives on their World Cuprosters. In the case of Mexico's Ricardo Lavolpe, it is his son-in-law,Rafael Garcia, an indifferent player but naturally left-footed. At leastthat was the reason given for his inclusion. In the case of Serbia and Montenegro Coach Ilija Petkovic, it was hisson, Dusan, a truly mediocre player. The reaction was swift, withjournalists and former players calling it "scandalous." Croatia Coach Zlatko Kranjcar also named his son to the team, but NikoKranjcar is a decent midfielder and might have made it no matter whoheld the coaching reins. In any case, the elder Kranjcar has other things about which to worry,such as a rumored drinking problem. "It's true, I like to drink a glass, even a bottle, of good wine, butonly in good company when I'm not working," he said. "I don't let itinterfere with work." The current batch of World Cup coaches vary widely in age. They rangefrom Marco Van Basten of the Netherlands and Juergen Klinsmann ofGermany, each 41, to Togo's Pfister, who is 68. Seven are in their 40s, 16 are in their 50s and nine are in their 60s.Their average age is 55. U.S. Coach Bruce Arena is the longest-serving of the group with eightyears under his belt. Among the coaches are quite a few with a top-level soccer pedigree. Fourof them already have won the World Cup. Germany's Klinsmann won as a player in 1990 and France Coach RaymondDomenech won as an assistant coach in 1998. Scolari did so as coach ofBrazil in 2002, and his compatriot, Carlos Alberto Parreira, won the Cupwith Brazil in 1994. It takes more than coaching talent to win, of course. Luck always playsa part. That might explain the behavior of Spain Coach Luis Aragones, whorefuses to allow the color yellow anywhere around his team because hesays he believes it brings bad luck. Recently, he ordered star strikerRaul to remove a yellow T-shirt when he showed up wearing it totraining. And then there is the good fortune enjoyed by the likes of Poland CoachPawel Janas. Asked about the pressure World Cup coaches are under as thetournament approaches, Janas, smiled. "It is not the end of the world," he told World Soccer magazine. "Sevenyears ago I overcame lymph gland cancer. Can you imagine a biggerpressure? I have already won the most important battle in my life."   Relying on imports Only 15 of the 32 teams in the World Cup are coached by natives of thatcountry: Country Coach Age NationalityAngola Luis Olivera Goncalves 45 AngolanArgentina Jose Pekerman 56 ArgentineAustralia Guus Hiddink 59 DutchBrazil Carlos Alberto Parreira 63 BrazilianCosta Rica Alexandre Guimaraes 46 BrazilianCroatia Zlatko Kranjcar 49 CroatianCzech Republic Karel Bruckner 66 CzechEcuador Luis Fernando Suarez 46 ColombianEngland Sven Goran Eriksson 58 SwedishFrance Raymond Domenech 54 FrenchGermany Juergen Klinsmann 41 GermanGhana Ratomir Dujkovic 54 SerbianIran Branco Ivankovic 52 CroatianItaly Marcello Lippi 58 ItalianIvory Coast Henri Michel 58 FrenchJapan Zico 53 BrazilianMexico Ricardo Lavolpe 54 ArgentineNetherlands Marco Van Basten 41 DutchParaguay Anibal Ruiz 63 UruguayanPoland Pawel Janas 53 PolishPortugal Luiz Felipe Scolari 57 BrazilianSaudi Arabia Marcos Paqueta 47 BrazilianSerbia and Montenegro Ilija Petkovic 60 CroatianSouth Korea Dick Advocaat 58 DutchSpain Luis Aragones 67 SpanishSweden Lars Lagerback 57 SwedishSwitzerland Jakob Kuhn 62 SwissTogo Otto Pfister 68 GermanTrinidad and Tobago Leo Beenhakker 64 DutchTunisia Roger Lemerre 64 FrenchUkraine Oleg Blokhin 53 UkrainianUnited States Bruce Arena 54 American   http://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-soccer2jun02,1,5668457.story?coll=la-headlines-sports letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 13 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8573/1/E-Croatias-Cup-opens-a-world-of-memories.html Croatia's Cup opens a world of memories  Seattle-area immigrants gather to reminisce, cheer homelandBy CASEY MCNERTHNEYTuesday, June 13, 2006Rooting for the home team: This is the fourth in a series of stories created to tap into the passion of soccer through the life experiences of Seattle residents.The friends gathered on Frank Brozovich's back patio looked like an extended family.Upon arrival, each guest was swarmed with a hug and "hello," and given a Dos Equis to celebrate the day. Conversations flowed as though there was no gap between meetings. Men in their 60s were attentive to the 30-somethings as though they were their sons.Jim Bryant / P-I Luka Radic, 2, tries to untie the shoes of his 5-year-old brother Neven. Their father, Zoran Radic, left Croatia in the early 1990s and found a Croatian community in Seattle. The group of 14 Croatian immigrants and children of Croatian immigrants usually meet once every month or so at dances, picnics, weddings or funerals. But it was excitement for Croatia's third World Cup that made Brozovich, Washington state's Croatian consul, gather the group at his South Seattle home.Not all of them were star soccer players, but everyone present has passion for the game.Milan Stipetic, a 67-year-old Ogulin native, recalled the soccer balls neighborhood kids would make from old socks, and feet so injured from playing that he couldn't wear shoes.Branko Kukolja, whose father survived the Bleiburg massacres of 1945, despises cable TV but subscribed to watch the Croatians play Brazil today at noon."When you see people talking about Croatian soccer, it brings back memories and you feel good about it," said immigrant Zoran Radic. "To be a small nation and to be part of such a world event means a lot."And each person at Brozovich's home Saturday went through a lot to be there.Radic was a 20-year-old on the front lines when the Yugoslav People's Army attacked the city of Dubrovnik in 1991, following Croatia's independence. The conflict killed 114 civilians, according to the Croatian Red Cross, and Radic recalls seeing fellow soldiers shot and killed.He jumped ship as a merchant marine and came to Seattle in 1992 to find an uncle. He met Mike Mikacenic, another immigrant and friend of Brozovich.Radic said life was harder then, knowing almost no one from the home he wished he could go back to. His outlet was a motorcycle he drove too fast, and parties that never ended too early.But that changed with time after Brozovich introduced him to others in the Seattle Croatian community. Radic married another Croatian native and has two children: Neven, 5, and Luka, 2.The self-described rebel is now a dad concerned that his sons would drink too much Pepsi without his attention."I was lucky enough to survive," he said, wearing a Croatia soccer jersey.Mikacenic was, too.Yugoslavia -- from which Croatia declared its independence in 1991 -- became a federal independent Communist state under the rule of Marshal Tito after World War II. Mikacenic was 24 when he fled in 1963, dodging police dogs and camping in bushes. He was jailed after arriving in Austria, and was sentenced to 35 days in prison.When released, he went to Montreal, and came to Seattle in 1969 for a job with Lockheed.He grew up playing soccer in Zagreb, Croatia's capital, and started a men's amateur team in Seattle.The team won regional titles in Denver for the U.S. Open Cup and U.S. Amateur Cup. It won the National Amateur Cup in 1982.Thirty years after arriving in Seattle, his daughter, Nancy Mikacenic, graduated from Lakeside High School, where she was a two-time Parade All-American soccer midfielder and Gatorade Circle of Champions state player of the year.Bozidar Yerkovich, who sat across a table from Mikacenic on Saturday, said he was nowhere as talented as Mikacenic, but equally as spirited.Yerkovich was born near Zagreb. Two weeks after completing his undergraduate degree in Croatia, he went to Connecticut for graduate study."I cried my eyes out the first night," he said.He lived in graduate housing, only knowing a few words of English. He woke up the day after his arrival and couldn't cook the canned food he found because he couldn't read the labels."You go to bed with a headache for weeks because of the pressure," said Igor Vuletic, an Opatija native.Friends like those Yerkovich spent time with Saturday have helped him adapt. And watching his team on a global stage brings the fond memories of home."We'll watch the games at somebody's house," Yerkovich said. "It doesn't matter what else is happening that day, the game is the most important event that day for us. Because Croatia is smaller than the state of Washington, it's like we are watching our own family. It feels like an extended family."CROATIAOfficial name: Republika Hrvatska Continent: EuropePopulation: 4.42 millionCapital: Zagreb World Cups: 3rd in 2006Cup titles: NoneLast Cup: 2002 (lost 1st)Cup matches: 10 (6-4)Goals for / against: 13 / 8Coach: Zlatko KranjÃÂar How qualified: Won Group 8 qualifying with a 7-3 record.Famous players: Aljosa Asanovic, Slaven Bilic, Zvonimir Boban, Alen Boksic, Robert Jarni, Drazen Ladic, Robert Prosinecki, Zvonimir Soldo, Stanic Staniæ, Davor Suker, Milan Rapaic.Did you know? Croatia has qualified for every World Cup it has entered as an independent nation (since 1990). ... Croatia has won several international environmental awards for having the cleanest waters in the Mediterranean. ... Slavoljub Eduard Penkala of Croatia became a legend for inventing the mechanical pencil (1906) and solid-ink fountain pen (1907). He also built the first Croatian two-seat airplane in 1909.From Croatia: Cravat (neck tie), electric speedometer, hot water bottle, hydroelectric power plant, parachute, rail-car brake, torpedo.-- Steve Rudmanhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/273703_wccroatia13.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 13 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8571/1/E-Brazil-squeaks-by-Croatia.html Brazil squeaks by Croatia Tuesday, June 13, 2006, at 849 p.m.A goal by Kaka held up for a 1-0 win for World Cup favorite Brazil against Croatia in Group F play today. Brazil will play again Sunday against Australia, which beat Japan 3-1 on Monday. Croatia plays Japan on Sunday. In Group G matches Tuesday, South Korea edged Togo 2-1 and France and Switzerland tied 0-0.See tomorrow’s Times Free Press for more coverage.http://www.tfponline.com/absolutenm/templates/breaking.aspx?articleid=1924&zoneid=41 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 13 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8572/1/E-Croatia-beat-US.html Croatia beat U.S., Czechs upset Argentina Eurosport - 22/05/2006Croatia claimed a 2-1 win over the USA while Czech Republic surprised Argentina with an identical scoreline at the World Team Cup on Monday. Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic overcame American James Blake 5-7 6-3 7-6 in a magnificent contest that hung in the balance until the final point. Robby Ginepri then levelled the tie for the U.S. by beating Ivo Karlovic 6-4 7-6 before Ljubicic and Karlovic defeated the world's top-ranked doubles pair Bob and Mike Bryan 6-3 7-6. Blake, who is finding his feet on clay after once struggling on the surface, made Ljubicic fight hard for his victory. The Croat broke to lead the final set 5-4 but failed to serve out the match. After breaking again at 5-5 with a superb backhand winner, he was still unable to convert two match points as Blake took the contest to a tiebreak. "I think it was a really, really high quality match," said Ljubicic. "I played tough and he played very good. There were winners all over the place, not many unforced errors. Just really good tennis." "I think I deserved the win... I had most of the chances. I just couldn't close it out earlier. I thought I played probably my best match on clay this season." Even Blake could take something from the pulsating battle. "I'll think about the positive things," the American told reporters. "I broke him twice when he was serving for the match, and he's not an easy guy to break at any time. So it's something I take from the match. "I really feel good about my game on clay. It seems just so much better than it was last year at this time and in years past. Hopefully, my clay court game will continue improving." The Czech Republic beat Argentina without Radek Stepanek, who withdrew with exhaustion after being beaten by Tommy Robredo in the Hamburg Masters final on Sunday. Robin Vik defeated Gaston Gaudio 7-6 6-3. The Argentine had broken to lead 6-5 but was unable to serve out the set. Vik sped to a 5-0 lead in the second set before Gaudio offered late resistance. Tomas Berdych then beat David Nalbandian 6-4 6-4, with Nalbandian later complaining of a sore shoulder. The World Team Cup, which features six of the world's top 10 players, is played between eight teams split into two groups, with the winners of each group contesting Saturday's final. http://www.eurosport.com/tennis/world-team-cup/2006/sport_sto890422.shtml letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 22 May 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7729/1/E-ANDREW-BOGUT-INTERVIEW.html ANDREW BOGUT INTERVIEWBy Katarina TepeshNew York â When Milwaukee Bucks played in Madison Square Garden on April 14 in front of the sellout crowd of 19,763, every Bucks player, including Andrew Bogut, was gently booed when the player introductions took place against the New York Knicks. That is basketball, New York style, where the Knicks are the center of the basketball universe and carry thousands of loyal New York followers. However, that the Knicks have been losing almost the entire season, and expectedly lost to the Bucks by the score of 97-80. The game was thrilling and Andrew Bogut played one of his best games of the year, scoring 18 points. The next night, Bogut scored career-high 24 points and 12 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks.Bogut was born on 11/28/1984 in Melbourne, Australia to Croatian parents. Last year, the forward/center was the first overall pick in the NBA draft by Milwaukee Bucks. âThis is a dream come true for me,â€? said Bogut. âIâve worked extremely hard to get to this point and Iâm honored to be a member of the Bucks. I look forward to a successful NBA career.â€?His talent and imposing stature of 7-0 / 213 centimeters and 245 lbs, promises to help him achieve his goal. As a rookie, Bogut averages 9.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists.A starter for the 2004 Australian Olympic Team in Greece, Bogut was a star in Athens Olympics, where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in five games. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2003 FIBA Junior World Championships in Greece. At age 20, Bogut was named the consensus National Player of the Year in 2004-05 out of the University of Utah. As a sophomore, he ranked 19th in the NCAA in scoring 20.4 ppg and 2nd in rebounding 12.2 RPG in 35 starts for the Utes. That year, he was named First Team All-American by the Associated Press. K âWhat is your assessment of your game so far?âMy rookie season has been up and down, inconsistent. Iâm looking forward to improving. During off season I want to work on everything, improve jump shot. We have had one of the toughest schedules in the NBA. Constant traveling and being on the plane so much, even if it is first class, itâs hard to get used to.â€? K â Do you feel a lot of pressure, especially now with the playoffs?âKind of. There is no excuse. We got some key wins against some good teams, but we also struggled against some lower-ranked teams. We need to beat up on them when they come into our house.â€? Andrew is excited about his future, while Australians and Croatians are happy, celebrating Bogutâs talent, personality and work ethic. âMy Croatian parents have raised me strictly and disciplined me a lot. I love Croatian food, especially noklice which is semolina dumplings in soup. I hired a Croatian woman to cook for me when Iâm in Milwaukee. I also like to listen to Croatian music. I will be in Croatia for a couple of weeks again this summer. Iâll spend some time probably in Zagreb, visiting my family and on the island of Brac.â€?In Bogutâs family, team work prevailed and it paid off. Andrewâs success is even more impressive considering that his father, Miso, who is from Osijek, is not a coach or trainer. He ran an auto shop in Melbourne when Andrew was growing up, and the younger Bogut remembered some lean times for the family. His mother Ankica is from Karlovac, now working as a volunteer in the community helping kids from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina with the English language. âMy mom always helped my dad with business and my sister Michelle works as a secretary and studies real estate.â€? Bogut has worked as a waiter in a Salt Lake City sports-themed restaurant to help pay his rent in college. He said he chose that line of work so he could better relate to the average American.The first wave of Croatian migration to Australia was precipitated by the news of the discovery of gold in 1851. Andrewâs parents left Croatia for Australia in the early 70âs.Photos of his parents pride and joy and of grandmotherâs Helen Jurisic beaming smile was widely circulated during Bogutâs selection as No. 1 on July 1, 2005.While his family connection to Croatia is close, Bogut prefers to stay clear of turbulent Croatian politics. âThe war is over; itâs been over ten years. Itâs tough obviously. Itâs a war-torn country.â€?Bogut said he wasnât even a fan of any Australian players when he was growing up playing basketball, rugby, soccer and tennis. One of his idols is late Drazen Petrovic. âWhat impressed me most about Drazen was his work ethic. He was always motivated to improve his game. I hope that I can be true to Drazenâs example of work.â€? Bogut visited Petrovicâs grave on first visit to Croatia in 2003. Andrew was quoted on Miami center Shaquille OâNeal, âHeâs going to be looked at like George Mikan; he is going to have a legacy that will carry on forever.â€? The quote came about during the 2005, when Shaq ended up paying for Mikanâs funeral. Mikan was born in the United States to Croatian parents.George Mikan was first superstar and the ABAâs first commissioner. At six-foot-ten and 240 pounds, Mikan was a dominating force that altered the history of the game. âMikan was a fundamentalist,â€? adds Bogut. Bogut admires other players of Croatian descent currently in the NBA, saying that Kasun from Orlando Magic, Planinic from New Jersey Nets and Giricek from Utah Jazz, âare all solid players.â€? As for other Milwaukee Bucks players, Bogut said, âWe have some great guys on the team, great characters that make traveling much more fun. Iâve been hanging out with guys like Toni Kukoc and Jiri Welsch on the road. Thatâs been my group of guys that I get together with and have lunch and dinner with before games. Theyâre a lot of fun.â€? In the beginning of the NBA season, Bogut said, âScoring isnât going to be my role too much this year, so Iâm just trying to get the rebounds, steals, blocks and assists.â€? Since then Bogut has been dealing with critique. As a rookie he has been closely scrutinized, as the Leagueâs first pick usually is. âBogut has made a nice contribution to the Bucksâ success, perhaps not of the level production that would be expected of a No. 1 overall draft pick,â€? said one critic. Another stated, âNo one questions that Bogut is a good player with the potential to be great. But whether he is worth the No. 1 pick is a matter of debate.â€?On the court, the Milwaukee Bucksâ mission is to play hard and pursue victory. Off the court, the Bucks mission is to contribute to a better quality of life in Milwaukee and Wisconsin and to positively affect the lives of all people in this community. During 2005, Bogut decided, âIâm going to make a lot of money in my life and I donât need it all. If I can give back to people who have nothing, especially young people who might be stuck in crime or drugs, maybe putting a basketball in their hands will get them out of that.â€? According to Bogutâs agent, David Bauman from SFX Basketball, Bogut would probably earn $26 million over five years and $100 million during his career.When asked about his charity Andrew Bogut 4 Foundation to benefit underprivileged youth in Australia, Milwaukee, Utah, and Croatia, Bogut said, âIâm working on it trying to set it up. Itâs kind of hard, Iâm so busy. We will do camp sometimes next year in Croatia and Australia. I have other plans for the future. This summer, Iâm so busy getting ready to play World Championship in Australia.â€? Bogut has already donated $125,000 to University of Utah to buy new lockers. He also distributed gifts to kids in Milwaukee during Christmas 2005. âFinancially, Iâm taking care of my family and friends who were there when I needed them,â€? explains Bogut.Andrew has played all 82 NBA games despite a broken nose suffered on November 23 against Philadelphia. He underwent surgery and had to wear a face mask which he hated and was planning on lighting it on fire. Later, once he took it off, he changed his mind. âI think the plan is to auction off the two masks and raise some money through my foundation for basketball camps.â€? Besides basketball, Andrewâs passion is to watch Seinfeld, a long-running TV sitcom, and the Sopranos, a drama series about a New Jersey mafia family. âI have a DVD player now watching movies to keep me amused and keep me sane when Iâm on the airplane for so long.â€? Fans can read Andrew Bogut blog at www.bucks.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 21 Apr 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7732/1/E-Kostelic-breaks-season-points-record.html ÂKostelic breaks season points record Mar. 19, 2006 12:00 AM Janica Kostelic won the women's World Cup giant slalom finale Saturday at Are, Sweden, and broke the record of Pernilla Wiberg for the number of points in a single season. Kostelic, who clinched the World Cup overall title on Thursday, ended the season with 1,970 points after the last of 36 races. Sweden's Wiberg had 1,960 points in the 1996-97 season. The Croat needed to win Saturday's giant slalom to break the record. "That's cool, right?" Kostelic said. "Maybe next year someone will say '10 more points and we'll beat Janica's record.' It's good to be one of those people whose record has to be beaten. I'm on top now, so it's great." Anja Paerson clinched the World Cup giant slalom title by finishing ahead of Maria Jose Rienda Contreras. Rienda Contreras, who had hoped to give Spain its first World Cup title, had entered the race trailing Paerson by 45 points.http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0319sptbriefs0319.htmlKostelic breaks recordMost points for a single season By ERICA BULMANKostelic's brother criticizes Swedish organizers Janica Kostelic of Croatia speeds down the course on her way to win an Alpine Ski World Cup Women's giant slalom, at the World Cup finals, in Are, Sweden, Saturday, March,18, 2006. (AP Photo/Enrico Lodi) ARE, Sweden (AP) - Janica Kostelic won the women's World Cup giant slalom finale Saturday to break the record for points in a single season. Kostelic ended the season with 1,970 points after 36 races, surpassing former Swedish ski star Pernilla Wiberg's mark of 1,960 points in the 1996-97 season. Kostelic had needed to win the giant slalom to break the record. Sweden's Anja Paerson finished seventh to clinch the World Cup giant slalom title. Her only remaining challenger, Maria Jose Rienda Contreras finished eighth. Contreras, who had hoped to give Spain its first World Cup title, entered the race trailing Paerson by 45 points. It marked Paerson's sixth career World Cup title. She won the overall in the two previous seasons, and has one slalom and three giant slalom globes. "When I stood up there before the second run I was tired," Paerson said. "But I thought this could be the last race in a long time so I just wanted to enjoy it and have fun and I did. "I ended the season the way I wanted. I won the downhill here and won the giant slalom World Cup." Croatia's Kostelic, who led after the opening run, finished with an aggregate two-run time of 2 minutes, 6.41 seconds. Canada's Genevieve Simard moved from third into second in 2:07.02 with a strong second run. Austria's Nicole Hosp, who was second after the opening run, tied for third with Tanja Poutiainen in 2:07.95. Paerson, who last year edged Kostelic by three points for the overall title, was runner-up with 1,662. Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria, who is retiring, finished third with 1,364 points. Paerson topped the season-ending giant slalom standings with 586 points. Contreras was second with 537, while Kostelic finished third with 464. Kostelic clinched the World Cup overall title on Thursday with a fourth-placed finish in the final super-G, and won the slalom title in Levi, Finland, last week. AP Sports Writer Stephan Nasstrom in Are, Sweden, contributed to this report.http://www.canoe.ca/Slam/Skiing/2006/03/18/1494198-ap.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7731/1/H-Janica-osvojila-Veliki-kristalni-globus-slalomski-globus-i-.html ÂJanica osvojila Veliki kristalni globus, slalomski globus i postavila rekord u Svjetskom kupu Skijanje, zavrsnica Svjetskoga kupa Aare, Svedska 15. do 18. ozujka 2006. Janica osvojila Veliki kristalni globus, slalomski globus i postavila rekord u Svjetskom kupu 17. ozujka. - Janica Kostelić treći je put u karijeri osvojila Veliki kristalni globus namijenjen ukupnoj pobjednici Svjetskoga kupa! Naslove je osvojila i 2001. i 2003. godine. Usto, Janica je ukupna pobjednica u slalomu, u kojem se od 2002. godine u svim utrkama u kojima je zavrsila obje voznje penjala na pobjedniÄ?ko postolje. No to nije sve. Snjezna kraljica je postala i apsolutna rekorderka po broju osvojenih bodova u sezoni. S 1.970 bodova prestigla je dosadasnju rekorderku SveÄ'anku Pernillu Wiberg, koja je 1997. godine skupila 1.960 bodova. To je sjajno. Lijepo je kad si ti taj koga svi zele 'skinuti'. Ovo je najbolji mogući zavrsetak sezone, zakljuÄ?ila je Janica. Janica na zavrsnicu stigla s 254 boda prednosti Janica je na zavrsnicu sezone u svedskom Aareu stigla s 254 boda prednosti ispred najveće konkurentice, domaće skijasice Anje Paerson. JaniÄ?in tim odluÄ?io je propustiti utrku spusta, kako bi se dobro odmorila za veliki finis. To je Anja iskoristila i u posljednjoj ovosezonskoj utrci spusta izborila 34. pobjedu u Svjetskom kupu. S novih stotinu bodova tri utrke prije kraja svedska je skijasica smanjila zaostatak za nasom Janicom na 154 boda. Sreća prati hrabre Anja ipak nije izdrzala pritisak lova na bodove. Sljedeći je dan u utrci superveleslaloma promasila jedna vrata u gornjem dijelu staze i ostala bez plasmana. Janica je sigurnom voznjom doskijala do izvrsnog Ä?etvrtog mjesta, s 87 stotinki zaostatka za pobjednicom, Austrijankom Nicole Hosp. Druga je bila jos jedna Austrijanka, Michaela Dormeister, koja je jos prije osigurala naslov pobjednice u superveleslalomu (i spustu), a treća Njemica Martina Ertl-Renz. 204 boda viska za novo slavlje S novih 50 bodova Janica je otisla na nedostiznih 1770 bodova, 204 boda vise od Paerson. Nakon sto je prosle sezone izgubila tijesnu borbu sa SveÄ'ankom za samo tri boda, iako je zbog bolesti propustila velik broj utrka, ove sezone Janica je dokazala svoju superiornost i pitanje ukupne pobjednice rijesila dvije utrke prije kraja sezone. Veselje, ali i ozbiljnost do samoga kraja sezone Sretna sam, naravno da sam sretna, jer sad mogu uzivati u skijanju preostala dva dana. Nisam oÄ?ekivala da će se sve zavrsiti nakon danasnjeg super G-ija, Ä?ak ni kad sam Ä?ula da je Anja izasla sa staze, rekla je Janica i dodala da ne namjerava jos slaviti jer pred njom su jos dvije utrke. Veliki globus mozda nije tako Ä?aroban kao olimpijska pobjeda, ali je to konstantni play-off, koji se sastoji od 36 utrka u kojima moras biti dobar i zato je to sportski najvrjednija nagrada, rekao je JaniÄ?in otac i trener Ante. Demonstracija moći u slalomu S ukupnom pobjedom i slalomskim kristalnim globusom u dzepu, Janica je trećeg dana zavrsnice lezerno odvezla svoju najjaÄ?u disciplinu - slalom. Opustena i moćna Janica bila je sigurna u obje voznje i popela se na najvisu stepenicu pobjedniÄ?kog postolja. Drugo mjesto osvojila je Austrijanka Marlies Schild, a treća je bila SveÄ'anka Anja Paerson. Nove bodove osvojile su i Ana Jelusić plasmanom na 11. i Nika Fleis na 15. mjesto. Pobjedom u veleslalomu Janica zakljuÄ?ila sezonu Rekord Pernille Wiberg nasa je skijasica srusila na impresivan naÄ?in - drugom ovosezonskom pobjedom u veleslalomu, posljednjoj utrci sezone. Ponovno je ostvarila najbolje rezultate u prvoj i drugoj voznji. Drugoplasiranu KanaÄ'anku Genevieve Simard ostavila je za 61 stotinku, a treće su mjesto podijelile Finkinja Tanja Poutiainen i Austrijanka Nicole Hosp. U sjeni JaniÄ?ina senzacionalnog uspjeha, veleslalomski kristalni globus osvojila je Paerson, koja je osmim mjestom pred svojim navijaÄ?ima pretekla izravnu konkurenticu Spanjolku Riendu Contreras. Cilj mi je bilo pobjedniÄ?ko postolje, a znala sam da ću imati prigodu i za pobjedu. Dva ovosezonska slavlja u veleslalomu ulijevaju mi jos veće povjerenje u sebe za sljedeću sezonu u toj disciplini, rekla je Janica, dodavsi: Bila sam opustena, a kad ne razmisljas previse i jednostavno odskijas najbolje sto znas, dobre stvari se dogaÄ'aju. Snjezna kraljica slavila u svih pet disciplina Svoju svestranost Janica je pokazala pobijedivsi ove sezone u svih pet disciplina (slalom, veleslalom, superveleslalom, spust, kombinacija) i ostvarivsi ukupno devet pobjeda, uz pet drugih i tri treća mjesta. U karijeri je ostvarila 30 pobjeda u Svjetskome kupu. TakoÄ'er, sezonu će zavrsiti meÄ'u pet prvoplasiranih u svim disciplinama, s velikim i malim kristalnim globusom, te olimpijskim zlatom u kombinaciji i srebrom u superveleslalomu! KonaÄ?ni poredak u Svjetskom kupu 1. Janica Kostelić (HRV) 1970 2. Anja Paerson (Sve) 1662 3. M. Dorfmeister (Aut) 1364 4. Nicole Hosp (Aut) 1112 5. Lindsey Kildow (SAD) 1067 6. Marlies Schild (Aut) 961 7. Kathrin Zettel (Aut) 872 8. Julia Mancuso (SAD) 755 9. A. Meissnitzer (Aut) 753 10. Elisabeth Goergl (Aut) 602   KonaÄ?ni poredak u slalomu 1. Janica Kostelić (HRV) 740 2. Marlies Schild (Aut) 550 3. Anja Paerson (Sve) 485 4. Kathrin Zettel (Aut) 399 5. Tanja Poutiainen (Fin) 320 6. Nicole Hosp (Aut) 307 7. Therese Borssen (Sve) 248 8. Laure Pequegnot (Fra) 227 9. Lindsey Kildow (SAD) 214 10. Sarka Zahrobska (Čes) 206 Izvor: http://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/izdvojeno/06/janica_velikigl.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7730/1/H-Lynne-Yelich-pocasni-gost-na-ZADRU-2006.html ÂLynne YelichZASTUPNICA U KANADSKOM PARLAMENTU – POCASNI GOST NA HRVTASKIM SVJETSKIM IGRAMA U ZADRUÂÂwww.lynneyelich.com www.zadar2006.com Lynne Yelich, treca generacija kanadskih Hrvata i zastupnica u kanadskom Parlamentu s odusevljenjem se odazvala na poziv da bude pocasni gost Hrvatskih svjetskih igara u Zadru ove godine. I ako je gdja Yelich treca generacija Hrvata, vrlo je ponosna svojim hrvatskim porijeklom sto i istice na poslovnoj internet stranici na kojoj uz kanadski barjak, stoji i hrvatski!Lynne Yelich zivi sa suprugom Matt-om i kcerima Aleana-om i Ivanom u malom prerijskom mjestu Kenaston, u Provinciji Saskatchewan. Kenasto je nekad bio jaka hrvatska zajednica. Hrvati su ovamo doselili pocetkom dvadesetog stoljeca iz Lovinca u Lici i uglavnom se bavili poljoprivredom. Lynne Yelich je Hrvatsku posjetila samo jedan put, 1989. godine, i to je putovanje bilo katalist osjecaja koje je vec odavno gajila prema Hrvatskoj. ÂPo dolasku u Liku osjecala sam neku duboku povezanost, osjecaj prpadnosti. Kao da sam vec tamo bila, a Lovinac sam poznavala samo iz prica prenesenih od mojih pradjedova na moje djedove i roditelje. kaze Lynne Yelich. ÂTaj je posjet ucvrstio moju bliskost s Hrvatima, ne samo u Kanadi, vec svugdje po svijetu.Osjetila sam da je to moj narod.' O Hrvatskim svijetskim igrama rekla je slijedece: ÂKad sam cula sam za 'Hrvatske svjetske igre' koje ce se ovog ljeta odrzati u Zadru, bila sam istinski radosna da ce se omoguciti mladima rodjenim izvan Domovine da se upoznaju, druze i da razvijaju zajednicke interese za sport. Uvjerena sam da je to najbolji nacin povezivanja Hrvata s Domovinom i medjusobno. Nasa kci Ivan se je prijavila za kosarku i nasa ce cijela obitelj putovati u Zadar na Igre. Nadam se da ce se Igre nastaviti svake godine ili barem svake druge godine. To bi mogao biti jedan prekrasan pocetak zajednicke suradnje i stvaranje hrvtaskih veza po cijelom svijetu.'Katrina Pejakovic, OttawaÂOttawa Parliamentary Office 715 Confederation Building House of Commons Ottawa Ontario K1A 0A6 Yelich.L@parl.gc.ca 613-995-5653  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7733/1/EH-Ivo-Karlovic-beat-No-3-seed.html   Ivo Karlovic beat No. 3 seed Tommy Robredo  Scroll Down for English  Ivo Karlovic nezadrzivo je projurio medu cetiri najbolja tenisaca na 380.000 dolara vrijednome ATP turniru u Las vegasu. Div sa Salate veceras je sa 7:6 (4) i 6:4 pobijedio trecega nositelja i 18. igraca svijeta, Spanjolca Tommyja Robreda. To je bio drugi sudar ove dvojice tenisaca i druga pobjeda Zagrepcanina, koji je prvi put slavio na zemlji u Rimu 2004. godine.Tijekom citavog dvoboja Karlovic je sigurno drzao svoj pocetni udarac, Robredo nije uspio doci niti do jedne jedine prilike za break. S druge strane, Spanjolac je uspio prvi set dovesti do odlucujuce igre, ali jedan mini-break bio je dovoljan Karlovicu za osvajanje te dionice.Odmah u prvome gemu drugoga seta Karlovic je izborio prvu priliku za oduzimanje servisa, ali ju nije iskoristio. Propusteno je ispravio kod rezultata 3:3, kada je ostvario jedini break u mecu, a zatim je bez problema jos dva puta drzao svoj pocetni udarac.U polufinalu Karlovic ce igrati protiv pobjednika dvoboja izmedu petog nositelja Amerikanca Jamesa Blakea i Danca Kennetha Carlsena.To je drugo Karlovo polufinale u karijeri. Najveci uspjeh ove godine bilo mu je cetvrtfinale Zagreb Indoorsa, gdje je izgubio od Austrijanca Stefana Koubeka. Dosad mu je najveci uspjeh u pojedinacnoj konkurenciji finale u londonskome Queen's Clubu prosle godine.Ove je sezone vrlo dobar bio u paru, pa je prosli tjedan u Memphisu osvojio svoj prvi naslov uopce u kombinaciji s Juznoafrikancem Chrisom Haggardom.HRTweb sport (am)Ivo Karlovic beat No. 3 seed Tommy Robredo LAS VEGAS -- Ivo Karlovic beat No. 3 seed Tommy Robredo, and top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt cruised to an easy victory Friday in the quarterfinals of the Tennis Channel Open. Playing in winds gusting from 30-40 mph, Karlovic downed Robredo 7-6 (4), 6-4. Hewitt made the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber.Karlovic, a 6-foot-10 Croatian, dominated his match with hard serves, some surpassing 140 mph."I was not trying to think about the wind," Karlovic said. "I was trying to concentrate on my game. I was happy that I won. I'm playing well, but with the wind it's difficult for me to play to my potential."   Formatted for CROWN by Ivo Bach  Distributed by CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! Ivobach2@aol.com (Ivo Bach) Fri, 03 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7744/1/E-Dado-Prso-presents-the-FIFA-World-Cup-2006-kits.html ÂCroatia's Dado PrsoÂInternational soccer players (L-R) Australia's Marco Bresciano, Damarcus Beasley of the U.S., South Korea's JS Park, Netherland's Ruud van Nistelrooy, Brazil's Adriano, Portugal's Luis Figo, Croatia's Dado Prso and Mexico's Jared Borgetti present the FIFA World Cup 2006 kits at the Olympic stadium in Berlin February 13, 2006. On Monday the kits of eight national soccer teams in the FIFA World Cup 2006 were presented to the media. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7737/1/E-Zadar-2006-Razgovor-Jure-Strika.html ÂSnimak razgovora sa Jurom Strikom - Zadar 2006Âhttp://www.lijepanasadomovinahrvatska.com/audio06/22.01.06_Jure_Strika.wma- audio - snimak razgovora sa Jurom Strikom 22.01.2006 - posjetite http://www.zadar2006.com/ÂRazgovor vodila Veronika Topic slusajte "Hrvatski informativni program" svake nedjelje u 9pm (EST) , 03:00 sati (ujutro) po hrvatskom vremenu na AM530 http://www.am530.ca diljem svijeta letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7736/1/H-Hajducki-zakoni.html ÂHajdučki zakoniAutor: Jura Ozmecjura.ozmec@hrt.hr Priznajem, ja sam tradicionalist. Vise me zanima skijasko trčanje u kojem se ljudi natječu od pamtivijeka, nego novokomponirano prebacivanje preko glave (čitaj: egzibicionizam) na jednoj dasci, po ledu, u disciplini imena pola-cijevi, tj. 'snjezni kanal'. No, i to je olimpijski sport, a ja kao tradicionalist cijenim olimpijsku tradiciju i samim time postujem nečiji odabir sporta na rasporedu olimpijskih igara. No, istodobno sam svjestan da su olimpijski glavesine svojedobno morali popustiti pritiscima sponzora i uvrstiti i 'kanal' i skakanje po hupserima kao olimpijski sport. Inače bi se te igre ugasile (mislili su oni tada...). Smijesno, da nije bolno. Za koljena poglavito.Ali u toj svojoj tradicionalističkoj odrednici neću ovdje dalje pisati o olimpijskim sportovima i procjenama koji je skijaski vid popularniji - alpsko ili nordijsko skijanje. To si, naime, dozvoljavaju neki novinari, pa i skijaski djelatnici ovih dana, nakon sto je 'učinjena sramota' Albertu Tombu i nije on upalio olimpijski plamen, nego 'nekakva' Stefania Belmondo.... Smjesno, drugi put.A smijesno treći put je vezano uz Hajduka. Zapravo, idem redom. Prvo, tradicionalist u meni kaze da mi je iznimno drago da u Splitu toliko jako drze do tradicije, da su ne samo proslavili svojih 95 godina, nego su dizajnirali posebne dresove, doveli na priredbu i Premijera, da su ga uspjeli nagovoriti da predlozi da Split dobije ulicu HNK Hajduka. To sve potpisujem, to je prava stvar, jer bez tradicije, bez podsjećanja na nju, bez dokaza da godinama postoji konstanta u sportu nema napretka, nema uspona sporta. Bilo kojega. Kad za 50 godina prezivi 'snjezni kanal' kao olimpijski sport, onda ću i ja s postovanjem govoriti o pobjednicima koji su osvajali medalje. Ako prezivi.Vraćam se Hajduku. Premijer je navijač Hajduka. Zasto ne bi bio? I ministar čija je domena i sport je navijač Hajduka. Zasto ne bi bio? A Hajduk je pred stečajem. Zasto ne bi bio, reći ćete vi, jer vi ponekad dobijete dojam da se nalazimo u pravnoj drzavi u kojoj se svi pridrzavaju Zakona. Ali neće to isto reći i spomenuta dvojica visokih duznosnika Vlade RH. Njih dvojica već nekoliko dana forsiraju prihvaćanje i usvajanje novoga Zakona o sportu, koji će - napokon, kazu oni - rijesiti probleme (i) Hajduka. Premijeru je netko nedovoljno informiran (ili predobro informiran?) ubacio i misao o tome kako bi svi klubovi Prve HNL morali u 4. ligu, zbog financijskih problema, pa ju i Premijer ponavlja, uporno. A nije tako. Ne bi bas svi klubovi 1. HNL u 4. ligu. Samo neki, uključujući i Hajduk. A tamo, na tom stadionu, u tom gradu, u toj regiji, čini mi se da i Premijer računa na neke glasove na skorim ili bilo kojim izborima? Slično je, jasno, i u drugim regijama iz kojih bi nogometni klubovi mogli u stečaj, pa samim time i u 4. ligu, a navijači (zbog toga) u neku drugu stranku.....Ali za Hajduk i za sve oko njega, ispada, zakoni ove Drzave uopće ne vrijede. Jer i po postojećem Zakonu Hajduk (i svi slični klubovi) bi morao u stečaj i samim time u 4. ligu. Pa postupak je pokrenut, uostalom. Novi Zakon o sportu samo nudi potencijalnim ulagačima s viskom novaca (bas me zanima koliko će takvih biti) ili na koncu i Drzavi samoj da Hajduka (i slične klubove) izvuče iz kome.... Po postojećim zakonima ne samo na drzavnoj razini (po Zakonu o sportu, a vjerojatno i po zakonu o javnom okupljanju), nego i u nasoj nogometnoj organizaciji, utakmica koju gomila divljaka prekine na 10 ili čak i vise minuta paleći bezbrojne baklje (a nije im prvi put!) mora biti prekinuta i registrirana 3:0 za protivnika, uz privodjenje i kaznjavanje prestupnika. Uključujući i one koji su dopustili unosenje stotina baklji na gradski stadion. A klub domaćin mora biti kaznjen, kako zbog baklji, jos vise zbog rasističkog vrijedjanja gostujućih igrača. To i Europa kaznjava, jako, pa i retroaktivno, pa i kaznjavajući cijeli Savez, reprezentaciju, druge predstavnike u euronatjecanjima. A Hrvatska bi organizaciju EP?Ali, sto to nas briga, kad kod nas to nije uopće vazno. Kad i Premijer svojom pojavom i glasnim spominjanjem rjesavanja problema 'čim usvojimo novi Zakon' zapravo radi prekrsaj? Pa, ponavljam - zar ova Hrvatska nema već neke zakone? Zar sve već odavno nije rijeseno, napisano, objasnjeno? Očito, sudeći prema izjavama Premijera, nije. Nego čekamo novi Zakon, kojeg se opet neće nitko pridrzavati? Blago pravnicima....A, kad Premijer svjesno zaobilazi zakone (jer, ruku na srce, neki zakon mu to sigurno omogućava), pa zasto bi ih se pridrzavali divljaci koji unose i pale baklje, gadjaju kamenjem kamermane HTV-a i napadaju novinare, divljaci koji tuku predstavnike gostujućeg kluba na svečanoj tribini, divljaci koji zaustavljaju aute i pale ih dok su putnici jos u njima. Nitko od njih nije, a kako se čini niti neće, biti osudjen.Zivjeli zakoni! Da nije tragično, bilo bi smijesno.13. veljače 2006.http://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/aktualno/hajducki_zakoni.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7738/1/E-Zadar-2006---Daniel-Kraljevics-Story.html ÂZADAR 2006: CROATIAN WORLD GAMESBASKETBALLER DANIEL KRALJEVIC OUT TO IMPRESS AS WELL AS HAVE FUNBy: Tonci Prusac / Croatian Herald / 03.02.2006MELBOURNE - Melbourne's Daniel Kraljevic will be keen to prove that Andrew Bogut isn't the only Australian Croat who can play basketball, when he takes to the court to represent the Australian Croatian community at the inaugural Croatian World Games 'Zadar 2006' (15-21 July) later this year. The friendly giant, who lives in the outer south-western suburb of Altona, has signed up with several friends to play basketball in the inaugural games, aimed at uniting Croats from all over the world through the ambitious week-long festival.We caught up with Daniel earlier in the week to discover exactly what he plans to achieve in this exciting sporting/cultural event.- CROATIAN HERALD (CH): How did you first get into basketball?- DANIEL KRALJEVIC (DK): I used to play soccer up until 2003 when I was 19. Then I finally decided that I was too tall to play soccer so I changed over to basketball. A teacher from my old high school is involved with the Altona Gators, who compete in the BigV Division 1. He told me to start training with them.At first I thought training at an elite level was going to be beyond me but hard work and determination has helped me get better and I am looking forward to the future.- CH: How did you find out about Zadar 2006?- DK: Last year I kept hearing from a lot of people that there was going to be an Olympics style competition held in Zadar. I found the website www.zadar2006.com while searching the internet and decided to apply from there.- CH: Do you know anyone else from Melbourne that will be going?- DK: I have managed to convince my friend Joe Pajic to come along and participate. We are both going to Croatia in July so I thought he might as well play in the games as well. I have heard on the Melbourne Croatia (youth) forum there might be some other people from Melbourne that will be going. The more people the better the experience will be.- CH: What are you hoping to achieve at the games in the sporting sense?- DK: I am hoping to have fun and play well. It is a chance to see how I compare to other players from around the world. It is a dream of mine to be good enough to play overseas and I see this as a great opportunity to show others what I can do.- CH: What are you most looking forward to at Zadar 2006?-ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂDK: Being able to meet other Croatians from around the world and to spend a week with them is going to be an experience I will never forget. I haven't been back to Croatia since 1998 so I am looking forward to this holiday. I can't imagine a better experience that playing basketball for a week and spending the rest of my holiday visiting the islands on our beloved coast.www.zadar2006.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 12 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7735/1/H-Kostelici---cijela-istina---nova-knjiga-Tomislava-Birtica.html ÂKostelici Cijela IstinaÂwww.tomislavbirtic.com ÂKnjigu mozete kupiti direktno od autora.ÂJANICA D.D. - PRVI DIOObitelj Kostelić - tvornica novcaOd najvećeg sponzorskog ugovora - tri milijuna eura za dvije i pol godine - Ante Kostelić trazio je samo 5.000 dolara mjesečnoPise: Tomislav BirtićTomislav Birtić, novinar koji je objavio 'aferu stitnjača', dvije je godine radio na knjizi o obitelji Kostelić koja će pod naslovom 'Kostelići - cijela istina' svjetlo dana ugledati u veljači. Neautorizirana biografija obitelji nastala je na temelju svjedočanstava vise od sto zivotnih suputnika bez premca najpopularnijih Hrvata, a poslovni tjednik Lider u nastavcima ekskluzivno donosi ekonomske aspekte njihove zivotne priče.T-Mobile nije ni potvrdio ni zanijekao da je vrijednost sponzorskog ugovora s Hrvatskim skijaskim savezom 3,000.000 eura. Sektor za odnose s javnosću i interne komunikacije kaze: 'Ugovorom potpisanim u studenome 2003. godine HTmobile se obvezao da će do kraja trećeg mjeseca 2006. godine biti generalni pokrovitelj Hrvatskog skijaskog saveza, i to hrvatskih alpskih skijaskih reprezentacija te hrvatske snowboard reprezentacije. Tata Williams odbio milijun i priskrbio 60 milijuna dolara godisnjeKad se već vidjelo da će sestre Venus i Serena Williams napraviti velike teniske karijere, jedan je proizvodjač sportske opreme Williamsovima ponudio ugovor na milijun dolara. 'A sto kazete na 107 milijuna?' hladno je odgovorio otac Richard Williams. Nedugo zatim, potpisavsi ugovor za ne bas 107 milijuna, ali ni za mnogo manje, svojih je pet minuta, koje traju i danas, dočekao na Amerikancima najvidljivijem teniskom tlu, polufinalu US Opena u koje su se plasirale obje kćeri. U lozi namijenjenoj obiteljima i prijateljima sportasa, usred tog, kako su ga mediji nazvali Williams Showa, tata Williams je, okrenut prema sky-boxu kompanije kojoj je dao kosaricu, stajao s transparentom napravljenim od stijenke kartonske kutije: 'Jesam li vam rekao!' Samo od Pume obje sestre Williams zaradjuju 12,000.000 dolara na godinu, a reklamirajući proizvodjača reketa Wilson, McDonald s, mliječne proizvode... oko 60,000.000 na godinu.HTmobile ujedno je osobni sponzor Janice Kostelić, a vezano uz navedenu suradnju u ime HTmobilea pregovarao je HTmobile tim. Vrijednost ugovora poslovni je podatak kompanije'.Interes Hrvatskog telekoma bio je vrlo jasan. Postavsi 'suvlasnikom' jedne od najvećih hrvatskih dragocjenosti, dobivsi ujedno visegodisnji monopol nad telekomunikacijama, automatizmom je postao jedna od omrazenijih kompanija. Kad udje na neko trziste, jedan od kraćih putova prema popularnosti za novoga je igrača sponzoriranje sporta. Janica Kostelić ne samo da je svojim licem Hrvatski telekom učinila prihvatljivim hrvatskoj javnosti nego čak i simpatičnim, a bilo bi vise nego zanimljivo saznati podatke kompanijskih i neovisnih istrazivanja i analiza o svim konkretnim koristima Hrvatskog telekoma, danas T-Mobilea, od suradnje s Janicom i Hrvatskim skijaskim savezom. Posebnu pohvalu, u ovom slučaju, zasluzuje onaj tko je čelnim ljudima kompanije sugerirao da poslovno suradjuju bas s Janicom Kostelić. Vjerojatno ne postoji Hrvat koji nije njezin navijač, pa posredno i 'navijač' njezinih sponzora.'Katkad cilj nije nastaviti rast, nego se zadrzati na dostignutoj razini poslovanja', kaze Alen Basić iz tvrtke za sportski marketing Hecron, savjetnik nekoliko kompanija u pregovorima sa sportskim drustvima koja te kompanije namjeravaju sponzorirati. 'Recimo, koliko je meni poznato, Hrvatski skijaski savez na koristenje je dobio 32 Renaultova automobila, a Renault je na trziste izbacio i model s Janičinim potpisom. Partnerstvo mozda nije rezultiralo rastom prodaje, ali suradnja s Kostelićima, jer Hrvatski skijaski savez zapravo su Kostelići, najbolji je mogući potez za svaku tvrtku.'Svojedobno mi se direktor marketinga Radenske zalio: 'Dok god Jamnicu reklamiraju Janica i Ivica, nijedan proizvodjač vode na hrvatskom trzistu nema nikakvih izgleda da im se suprotstavi. Toliko je jak njihov utjecaj na prodaju.Konkretno, jedini način da se Jamnica pobijedi u Hrvatskoj sklapanje je sponzorskih ugovora s Janicom i Ivicom.' sto ne bi bilo nimalo lako jer je Jamnica jedan od prvih sponzora obitelji Kostelić pa iako je posao uglavnom samo posao, tesko je zaboraviti da ti je netko pruzio ruku u vrijeme kad je stotinjak tisuća kuna značilo vise nego danas milijun eura...Hypo, OMV Istrabenz, Mizuno, Salomon - sve su to investitori koji, prije nego sto novac uloze u sport, sto puta promisle je li njihov 'maneken' od onih koji jedno lice imaju danju, a drugo noću. Ćudljivost nekih sportskih zvijezda, lose ponasanje, kakav ispad u sekundi nepromisljenosti moze donijeti vise stete nego četiri godine koristi. Ali odabravsi Janicu Kostelić, svi su njezini partneri počeli suradnju s posebnom djevojkom koja jednostavno ne moze ljudski pogrijesiti, pa tako ni naklonost publike ne moze doći u pitanje...Posebna je cijela obitelj Kostelić predvodjena glavom Antom Kostelićem, koje se sve to gotovo uopće ne tiče. Dobro, tiče ih se u mjeri ostvarivanja slobode nesmetanog sportskog napredovanja, no isti izvor koji je donio vijest o ugovoru vrijednom 3,000.000 eura kaze da je Ante Kostelić, kad su ga pregovarači Hrvatskog skijaskog saveza pitali sto on zahtijeva od cijeloga kolača, lakonski odgovorio: 'Sve moje potrebe zadovoljava kuća, koju već imam, i 5.000 dolara na mjesec.' Za sedam Tour de Francea i pobjedu protiv raka - 15 milijuna dolara na godinuLance Armstrong, sedmerostruki uzastopni pobjednik najslavnije biciklističke utrke Tour de France pobijedio je rak testisa. Godine 1993. Armstrong je postao najmladji pobjednik etapne utrke na Touru, tri godine zatim potpisao je s francuskom momčadi Cofidis ugovor vrijedan vise od 2,000.000 dolara na godinu da bi mu se svijet ukrasen predivnom kućom u Austinu i Porcheom u garazi srusio kad je osjetio bol u testisima. Nekoliko dana prije 25. rodjendana povraćao je krv. Operacijom mu je bolesni testis uklonjen, ali rak se već prosirio na pluća, abdomen i mozak. Craig Nochols, doktor koji ga je liječio, kaze da u zivotu nije vidio osobu snaznije volje: Armstrong je pobijedio rak.Prvi pokusaj povratka biciklizmu zavrsio je lose, iscrpljenosću i depresijom. Ali radost ponovnog rodjenja zasladjena je mahnitim treniranjem, a karizma nepobjedivog sportasa neslomljiva duha, plus pobjede na najnapornijem natjecanju koje sport poznaje, danas vrijede 15,000.000 dolara na godinu. Usput rečeno, kad bi mu do toga bilo stalo, financijski savjetnik mogao mu je spasiti dio plaće sugerirajući mu da je dolar nestabilna valuta, pa ako već ne zeli ugovorenu ratu vezati za japanski jen ili svicarski franak, neka je bar umjesto za dolar veze za euro. Ali Kosteliću je to nevazno, kao sto nije imao nista ni s Janičinim prijavljivanjem boravista u Monte Carlu...Doista, neobična priča, sva sila nula  i otkvačena obitelj koja ih je, bit će, i zaradila jer nikad nije bila opterećena novcem.Ante Kostelić, u mladosti rukometas Poleta (kasnije preimenovanog u Dinamo), Mladosti i Zagreba, o odnosu prema novcu odredio se jos kad se, osvojivsi sa Zagrebom prvenstvo Jugoslavije, domogao sanse da putuje u inozemstvo i, svercajući u socijalizmu trazenu robu, znatno popravi svoj standard. Treba biti posten i reći: Ante Kostelić bio je dovoljno dobar za jugoslavensku reprezentaciju, ali pratio ga je glas osvijestenog hrvatskog domoljuba, a ta je karakteristika bila pogubnija od poznatoga 'ključa', sastavljanja reprezentacija tako da u njima budu zastupljeni svi narodi i narodnosti. I kad se osvojenom titulom prvaka drzave izborio bar za pravo da kao vrhunski sportas moze putovati po svijetu, donositi u Zagreb britvice, najlonke i ostalo sto su sportasi preprodavali jer im je to vlast presutno odobravala, Kostelić se iz Zagreba vratio u sasvim prosječnu Mladost.Jednostavno, nije bio zadovoljan minutazom. 'Čuj, stari, bolje je biti prvi u selu nego drugi u gradu', rekao je začudjenim prijateljima i vratio se u klub koji se nedugo zatim rasformirao.Dok je bio rukometas, Ante Kostelić doslovce je isijavao volju da suigrače, sve oko sebe, istrgne porazu iz ruku, no njegova gorljivost bila je podjednako neshvaćena i kad je postao, jer od nečega se moralo zivjeti, trenerom. Velimir Kljaić, kovač hrvatske zlatne olimpijske medalje osvojene u rukometu u Atlanti 1996. godine, i Zoran Gobac, mozda kontroverzni administrativac, ali u svakom slučaju glavni logističar svih hrvatskih rukometnih uspjeha, ne dvoje:'Da je Ante Kostelić kojim slučajem bio Rus ili Ukrajinac, danas nitko ne bi ni znao za Igora Turčina. Jugoslavija nije sustavno rjesavala pitanje uvjeta za treniranje niti se disciplina igrača podrazumijevala, sto je u Sovjetskom Savezu bio slučaj. Kostelić je, kao rukometni trener, bio znatno ispred svoga vremena, u ondasnjem je vremenu zahtijevao istinski profesionalizam ili, drukčije rečeno, nije shvaćao kako se netko moze baviti sportom, a da mu se potpuno ne preda.Zato je mnogo puta 'izgorio', uprave bi ga potjerale jer bi se igrači pobunili. Njima je to bila puka zabava, a njemu smisao zivota.'U doba kad je Ante Kostelić bio rukometni trener igračicama bi vise nego dovoljan razlog za prelazak iz kluba u klub bilo zaposlenje u nekoj tvrtki (fiktivno ili stvarno) ili upis na fakultet preko veze, no zakleti nepusač Kostelić nikako nije mogao prihvatiti da sportasica ili sportas puse. Jednom postavsi trener Tresnjevke, već je na upoznavanju s Marinom Njirić, jednom od igračica na kojima je klub gradio nadolazeću sezonu (igrom slučaja danasnjom suprugom direktora rukometnih reprezentacija Silvija Njirića), igračicu najurio jer je pila kavu i pusila.Ali mozda to i nije najbolji primjer... Jednom zgodom Kljaić mu je pronasao angazman u Njemačkoj, u nizeligasu Nürnbergu. Igračice navikle vjezbati dva ili najvise tri puta na tjedan jos su nekako i prihvatile svakodnevne treninge, ali Kostelić je u Nürnbergu 'trajao' samo sedam dana jer je, ni manje ni vise, iz ekipe izbacio zenu predsjednika kluba koji je ujedno bio i jedini financijer!Naravno da je unaprijed bio svjestan posljedica svoje odluke, ali doista nije bilo, nema, niti će biti izgleda da taj čovjek prihvati kompromis na stetu njemu jedinoga svetog ideala  djevičanski čistog sporta. Svjesno se iz vise nego snosljive, svojom odlukom, vratio u vrlo neizvjesnu egzistenciju... Jedna od knjiga o Michaelu Jordanu najboljeg kosarkasa svih vremena savrseno portretira već samim naslovom - When Nothing Else Matter - kad nista drugo, osim kosarke, nije vazno. Kostelića bi jednako dobro opisao naslov, ne knjige, nego cijelog zivota: Kad je samo olimpijsko zlato vazno! Medjutim, kad mu je oduzeta prilika da smisao zivota ostvari kao sportas, a zatim i kao trener u nekom kolektivnom sportu (izrazena nacionalna crta bila je funkcija-eliminator i kad je riječ o izbornicima), sansu je dočekao kao trener svoje djece, Ivice i Janice.'Bas me zanima kako će Austrijanci lomiti jezik izgovarajući I-vica Ko-stelić kad se bude penjao na pobjedničko postolje', zabavljao je svoje prijatelje izgovarajući sretni zavrsetak vizije kao da prepričava nesto sto se već dogodilo, a ne kao da je riječ o mastariji čija je vjerojatnost ispunjenja jednaka nuli.Nakon silnih putesestvija po rukometnim klubovima, vrativsi se zauvijek u Zagreb, Ante Kostelić zaposlio se kao trener u skijaskom klubu Zagreb koji je krajem osamdesetih bio najbolji neslovenski klub u Jugoslaviji. U Medvesčaku ga nisu htjeli jer ga je pratio glas da, zaludjen sportom, vise trenira sebe nego druge, a bio je i previse impulzivan. No predsjednik Zagreba Ivo Drinković zaključio je da boljega kondicijskog trenera od Kostelića nikako ne bi mogli pronaći.Zagreb je imao pet trenera, a dobro poslujući, organizirajući turistička putovanja u inozemna zimovalista te ubirući članarinu od svojih tisuću članova, uprava je uspjela kupiti i dva autobusa i tri kombija, sto je znatno smanjilo cijenu vlastitih putovanja. Novo radno mjesto Kostelić je preuzeo s odvaznom rečenicom: 'Čuj, Ivo, ja sam ovamo dosao napraviti svjetske sampione!' U Zagrebovoj upravi, naravno, nisu vjerovali u svjetske sampione, nadali su se konačnom priključivanju Slovencima i da bi s Kostelićem u ekipi mogli stvoriti bar jednog natjecatelja koji će se natjecati u Svjetskom kupu.Kostelić je u trenu podigao kvalitetu suhih treninga, a upravu je začudio poznatom koncepcijom winning without technology - pobjedjivanje bez tehnologije: ne treba mu voki-toki, ni kolci, ni busilice... nista, on sve to ima u glavi.Medjutim, ubrzo je enormno povećao broj snjeznih treninga, sa sto na sto i pedeset ili sto i sezdeset dana, pri čemu je morao svladati otpor dijela roditelja. Zapravo, na kraju svake natjecateljske godine roditelji su ga pokusavali smijeniti, ali uprava nije dala trenera čiji je rad nagovjestavao ostvarenje dugogodisnjih snova, priključenje Slovencima.Kostelić je, osim juniora, trenirao i svoga sina Ivicu, a Janica je sa strane gledala treninge i trčkarala uokolo.- Kaj bus s malom? pitao je Kostelića jednom zgodom Drinković.- Ona bu ili balerina ili tenisačica.- Ma, jesi ti lud?! Ne vidis kakve motoričke sposobnosti ima?- Ali, nemam novca za dvoje djece...Ipak, uoči putovanja na Kaprun, gdje su zagrebasi trenirali, Drinković je 1988. godine Janici darovao skije svoga sina, rodjenog iste godine kao i Janica, 1982. Svi koji su vidjeli te doslovce prve Janičine skijaske korake bili su zaprepasteni njezinim talentom. Poput Mise Talja, koji je kao sestogodisnji dječak, gledajući sahovske partije svog oca i njegova prijatelja, bez ičijih uputa naučio pravila i čim je i sam počeo igrati, pokazao zavidno razumijevanje igre, tako je i Janica prvi put stavsi na skije odmah i skijala.Beskrajno talentirana djevojčica iz neskijaske zemlje vrlo je brzo, i to u serijama, počela sokirati svijet, ma kako 'svijet' zvučao samo hrvatski i slovenski. Skijajući na natjecanjima slovenskih vrsnjakinja, Janica je pobjedjivala s tolikom prednosću da su i suci i okupljena publika sumnjali da se elektronska stoperica pokvarila. Jednom su malu Hrvaticu  sto je grubo krsenje pravila  jos umornu od voznje vratili na start i natjerali je da vozi ponovno, ali pomoći nije bilo. Iako zakinuta, i u tim je neravnopravnim uvjetima pobijedila.Godine 1997. Janica je startala u dvadeset i dvije utrke i u svima pobijedila. U tom se pobjedničkom nizu nasla i najcjenjenija dječja utrka Troffeo Topolino koji, a to posebno vrijedi kad je riječ o skijasicama, gotovo nepogresivo predvidja seniorske prvakinje.Svijet mozda i nije shvaćao da će Janica dominirati skijanjem najmanje idućih deset godina, ali sjeverni susjedi vise nisu sumnjali u njezine krajnje dosege.Već su dovoljno dugo gledali kako se moćna hrvatska gomilica, odlučna da udje u povijest, muči iznad granica ljudske izdrzljivosti, i Slovenci su odaslali ponudu: 500.000 njemačkih maraka za 'transfer', to jest da Janica uzme njihovo drzavljanstvo, plus idealni uvjeti za trening i premije. Otac modernog slovenskog skijanja Tone Vogrinec negira da je Slovenija to ponudila Kostelićima. Preciznije, kaze: 'Da je takve ponude bilo, ja bih za to morao znati. A ne znam.' No Vogrinec nije demantirao izjavu danu novinaru Danu Figenwaldu. Takodjer, kad je autor ovog teksta kolegu Figenwalda suočio s Vogrinčevom tvrdnjom, novinar nije uzmaknuo ni za milimetar, a i sam Kostelić je, kad je tema naturaliziranih sportasa reaktualizirana stajanjem plivača Duje Draganje pod katarsku zastavu, rekao da se njegova obitelj imala priliku izbaviti iz nevolja uzimanjem drugog drzavljanstva...Ante Kostelić je inzistirao da njegova djeca olimpijske i druge medalje osvajaju pod hrvatskom zastavom, a to se uskoro počelo i dogadjati. Janica je počela pobjedjivati i u seniorskoj konkurenciji.Nakon niza dobrih rezultata u FIS utrkama, koje bi se mogle nazvati predvorjem elite, Janica je na Olimpijskim igrama u Naganu osvojila osmo mjestu u kombinaciji.Sljedeću je sezonu, kako se to kaze sportskim zargonom, eksplodirala. Dana 5. prosinca 1999. godine u francuskom Serre Chevalieru prvi je put pobijedila u slalomu, i to ostavivsi drugoplasiranu Trinu Bakke čak 1,78 sekundi iza sebe. Nekoliko dana poslije u talijanskom je Sestrieresu opet pobijedila s prednosću većom od jedne sekunde. Sa samo 17 godina bila je vodeća u Svjetskom kupu, a medju najboljih deset u svim disciplinama. Nazalost, serija veličanstvenih pobjeda prekinuta je jezivim padom na treningu spusta u St. Moritzu.Liječnici su bili skeptični, čula su se i misljenja da će biti sretna bude li uopće mogla hodati. Ali vratila se u najvećem stilu.U Svjetskom kupu 2000./2001. pobijedila je osam puta i usla u neizvjesnu zavrsnicu s Renate Goetschl, koja nije izdrzala psiholoski pritisak. U almanasima će ostati zapisano da je Janica u zavrsnici u Aareu bila u tako losem zdravstvenom stanju da se na startu utrka nije svom snagom sjurivala na stazu, nego se samo odgurivala stapovima. Kako bilo, osvojila je Veliki kristalni globus, za pobjedu u ukupnom redoslijedu Svjetskoga kupa, i Mali, za slalom.U proljeće i ljeto tri je puta operirana, sto je znatno skratilo vrijeme priprema za natjecanje koje je lajtmotiv cijelog zivota Kostelićevih.Olimpijske igre u Salt Lake Cityju.Sretna je okolnost bila sto je te sezone briljirao Ivica pa su oči domaće i svjetske javnosti, koje stalno moraju imati na oku bar nekoga iz obitelji Kostelić, bile uprte u njega.Ante Kostelić je odlučio: sto se Janice tiče, Svjetski kup ide u drugi plan, sve će biti podredjeno pripremama za Olimpijske igre. Epilog: zlatne medalje u kombinaciji, slalomu i veleslalomu, srebrna olimpijska medalja u superveleslalomu!I tako dalje i tako dalje...Medju onime sto se Kosteliće savrseno ne tiče nije na odmet spomenuti ni čudjenje Ivice Vidovića, prvog čovjeka McCann-Ericksona Hrvatska, sto se čelni ljudi hrvatskog turizma jos nisu dosjetili Janicu i Ivicu Kostelića iskoristiti kao glavna lica medjunarodne kampanje Jadranske obale. Vidović smatra da bolji 'manekeni' za to ne postoje.Kosteliće, junake priče o 'speku, luku i olimpijskom zlatu', nije previse briga postoji li uopće iznos koji, nekoć HTmobile, a danas T-Mobile ne bi trebao platiti u zamjenu za popularnost koju im je vjerojatno samo Janica mogla donijeti. I tu treba biti posten pa se retorički zapitati: Postoji li ijedan sportas u Hrvatskoj koji bi ne bas omiljenu kompaniju mogao dovesti makar do 'pozitivne nule popularnosti', a kamoli je učiniti simpatičnom osim Janice Kostelić?! I poznajući sposobnosti Vedrana Pavleka, stvarno bi bilo zanimljivo domoći se nekakvog stenograma pregovora vodjenih u studenome 2003. godine i prije jer u zraku je morala visjeti prijetnja prelaska najljućem konkurentu VIPnetu...Često čujemo: 'Eh, da je, recimo, Talijanka ili Amerikanka, zaradjivala bi sav novac ovog svijeta.' Ali dovoljno je biti i Hrvatica pa da los menadzer Rosignola dobije po prstima ili da mu se 'odrubi glava' jer je bio u prilici sklopiti ugovor s Janicom Kostelić, sto je učinio netko pametan u Salomonu...Podcijenjena Tamara BorosSportskim znalcima kristalno je jasno koliko su vrijedni njezini rezultati, ali ona druga priča, proizvodnja ekonomske vrijednosti, zahtijeva nekog Vedrana Pavleka u Hrvatskom stolnoteniskom savezu, a takvog čovjeka ondje, nazalost, nema. Skromna djevojka rodjena je 1977. u vojvodjanskoj Senti, a 1993. s obitelji se preselila u Hrvatsku. Trnja, dakle, ne nedostaje, a ako su se okolnosti pobrinule za dramaturgiju, Tamara se napornim radom domogla zvijezda. Samo, Tamara Boros je najveći hrvatski marketinsko-sportski grijeh: u njezinu se sportu nije nasao nijedan čovjek dovoljno uporan da naciji objasni koliko je ta djevojka zapravo veličanstvena sportasica. Ni u kojem slučaju ne umanjujući grandiozan uspjeh obitelji Kostelić, ne treba zaboraviti da Tamari Boros na putu stoji stotinjak milijuna suparnica vise - Kineskinja.Tamara Boros je prva Europljanka koja je na nekom svjetskom prvenstvu uspjela osvojiti medalju, a u posljednjih trideset godina taj su pothvat izvele jos samo tri neazijke! Drugoplasirana na svjetskoj rang-listi u najmanju je ruku ravna Goranu Ivaniseviću, a to nije pravedno valorizirano. Ne samo da se ne smije zaboraviti da su dva milijuna Kineskinja unutar 'dva boda razlike' nego ni da je jedan od temelja sportske metodike stolnoteniske velesile 'kloniranje' suparnica i suparnika. To znači da najbolje Kineskinje, prije nego sto se za stolom susretnu s Tamarom Boros, imaju sate i sate treninga sa sunarodnjakinjama čija je igra do u detalje identična Tamarinoj. U tom svjetlu ne smije se zaboraviti ni nepravda Tamarine 'podeksponiranosti' u hrvatskoj javnosti, a ni grijeh indolentnosti ljudi iz Hrvatskog stolnoteniskog saveza koji nisu uspjeli kapitalizirati sportsku heroinu veliku koliko i Janica Kostelić.© Lider press, 2005www.liderpress.hr letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 11 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7742/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-plans-to-compete-in-all-five-skiing-disciplines.html ÂJanica Kostelic plans to compete in all five skiing disciplines at the Winter OlympicsÂTURIN, Italy Feb 7, 2006 (AP)The Croatian, who won three gold medals at the Salt Lake City Games four years ago, has battled bad knees throughout her career. But on Tuesday, her official Web site said "if Janica will be in optimal form â her competing in all those disciplines shouldn't be doubtful." The site said Kostelic made the decision after consulting with her father and coach, Ante Kostelic, and national team director Vedran Pavlek. Kostelic won the slalom, giant slalom and combined in Salt Lake City to become only the third Alpine skier to win three golds at a single games Toni Sailer in 1956 and Jean-Claude Killy in 1968 are the others. This season on the World Cup tour, Kostelic became only the second woman to win five different disciplines in a season. She won the slalom Sunday in Ofterschwang, Germany, while fighting the flu. Besides defending her golds in the slalom, giant slalom and combined, Kostelic will also compete in the super-G and downhill. On the Net: Janica Kostelic: http://www.janica.hr http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=1589406 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7747/1/E-Croatia-defeat-Austria---Davis-Cup-2006.html ÂCroatia in quarterfinals Croatia became the first titleholder in two years to survive the opening roundÂMario and Ivan - Amazing duo. Little Croatia with two Tennis GiantsÂLONDON: Defending champion Croatia, Argentina, France, Russia, Belarus and Chile advanced to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup on Saturday by winning doubles rubbers to seal unbeatable 3-0 leads. Survives Croatia became the first titleholder in two years to survive the opening round when Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic rallied from 2-0 down to defeat Jurgen Melzer and Julian Knowle 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 8-6. Croatia will host Argentina in April's quarterfinals. Last year they met in the semifinals. The results: At Minsk: Belarus 3, Spain 0: Vladimir Voltchkov & Max Mirnyi bt Feliciano Lopez & Fernando Verdasco 7-6(2),6-4,7-5. At Geneva: Switzerland 1, Australia 2: Yves Allegro & Stanislas Wawrinka lost to Wayne Arthurs & Paul Hanley 7-6(6),6-4,4-6,7-6(5). At Amsterdam: The Netherlands 0, Russia 3: Raemon Sluiter & John van Lottum lost to Igor Andreev & Mikhail Youzhni 6-2,3-6,6-4,6-4. At Halle: Germany 0, France 3: Tommy Haas & Alexander Waske lost to Arnaud Clement & Michael Llodra 6-7(6),6-3,6-4,6-1. At Buenos Aires: Argentina 3, Sweden 0: David Nalbandian & Agustin Calleri bt Jonas Bjorkman & Simon Aspelin 6-2, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-4. At Graz: Austria 0, Croatia 3: Jurgen Melzer & Julian Knowle lost to Mario Ancic & Ivan Ljubicic 3-6,3-6,6-4,6-4,8-6. At La Jolla: U.S. 2, Romania 1: Bob and Mike Bryan bt Victor Hanescu and Horia-Vlad Tecau 6-2, retired. At Rancagua: Chile 3, Slovakia 0: Nicolas Massu and Fernando Gonzalez bt Michal Mertinak and Lukas Lacko 6-2, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. â Agencieshttp://www.hindu.com/2006/02/13/stories/2006021310471700.htm Croatia at AustriaPosted on February 06, 2006Site: Schwarzl Freizeit Zentrum, Graz, AustriaSurface: Red clay indoorsBall: Wilson Tour Davis CupThe Austrians will need their homecourt advantage, the slow red clay, and then some against the Davis Cup defending champion Croatian team comprised of Ivan Ljubicic and Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic. On Sunday, Croatian fans in Zagreb got a Davis Cup preview when Ljubicic easily handled the hot-handed Austrian Stefan Koubek in the final. Jurgen Melzer will join Koubek in shoring up the Austrian singles, with Julian Knowle and Alexander Peya likely taking up the doubles duty.Melzer beat Ljubicic last year in their only career meeting but that was on the slick lawns at Wimbledon, and the Austrian has never faced Ancic. Koubek is now 3-3 versus Ljubicic, but those wins came before the Croat's confidence surged with his standing in the Top 10, and after injury has caused Koubek's ranking to plummet. As with Melzer, Ancic has likewise never faced Koubek.The slower the dirt, the better chance the Austrians will have, so look for a mud bog in Graz and for the scrappy Melzer and Koubek to potentially make it interesting.-- Tennis-X.comhttp://www.tennis-x.com/story/2006-02-06/h.php  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7739/1/E-TENNIS-SENSATION-MARIN-CILIC.html ÂUp Close and Personal with Newest Croatian Tennis Sensation Marin Cilic Âby Jeffrey LesserÂMen's tennis returned to Zagreb this week for the first time in nine years. Along with the PBZ Zagreb Indoors came a chance for Croatia to showcase its players. Croatia's three marquee players, Ivan Ljubicic, Mario Ancic, and Ivo Karlovic, were all featured, and Ljubicic actually put together terrific tennis to win the event. However, the biggest story of the tournament was of the player who received a special wild-card invitation to the tournament- 17-year-old Marin Cilic, the 585th-ranked Zagreb resident. Fans may remember Cilic, the 2nd best Junior in the world, as the boy who won the 2005 French Open Junior Championships. To put it in fewer words, he is the future of Croatian tennis.Cilic had played only one ATP match in his entire career, which was at the Croatian Open in Umag, where he was also a wild-card invite. In that match, Marin lost to 73rd-ranked Kristof Vliegen of Belgium, 7-5 6-2. In the first round at the Zagreb Indoors this past week, Marin was given an even tougher task- to play the 7th seed and 25th-ranked player in all the world, Igor Andreev of Russia. The extreme underdog, Marin Cilic showed his potential to be a great player, as he shocked the tennis world by defeating Andreev. In the second round, Cilic even had a one-set advantage over 55th-ranked Andreas Seppi of Italy before losing, 4-6 6-4 6-4. In his performance, Marin showed that the future for Croatian tennis is shining brighter than ever.I had the opportunity to meet with and interview Cilic at the 2005 US Open. In our sit-down conversation, I learned much about Marin's inherent desire to succeed and found out that he truly has what it takes to be a great pro. First, we talked about the French Open. He conceded that he was not confident that he could win the French Open until he reached the semifinals. While I was extremely impressed by his results at the Juniors level, Marin downplayed his past. He said that it was far easier to win on clay in the Juniors, because there are no real clay court specialists, whereas in the pros, it is a different story. Cilic, who practices on clay courts in the hot Croatian weather and on hard, indoor courts for the remaining six months of the year, had past experience on clay that proved vital during the tournament. He continued to put his success into perspective rarely seen in a kid his age. "Juniors in Grand Slams are good to improve your game," he remarked. Not dwelling on Juniors success, Marin seems to look towards life as a pro.This professional mindset was never more evident than when I asked him about his favorite match he ever played. I expected to hear that winning the French Open Juniors was his greatest moment to date. However, he had another response in store. Marin said that his favorite match was his only pro match, the "big experience" against Vliegen. His greatest moment was his only professional moment. This sophisticated answer showed unbelievable poise and determination to become a great pro. Cilic said he is also willing to put in the hours necessary to succeed at the professional level. He currently practices about five hours every day and "will do a lot in my training" to become stronger physically in the next few years. Marin wants to improve his serve, adding power and placement. Even though he plans to be a hard-serving baseliner (much like the man off whom he models his game, Marat Safin of Russia), Cilic wants to improve his volleying. He considers his current groundstrokes strong enough to enable him to compete at a high level in the pros. Marin said that the main difference between himself and professionals is his lack of mental strength. "Professional players are very calm," he said, whereas he occasionally throws his racket. However, mental toughness comes with experience. Marin believes that he could have defeated Vliegen at Umag, except that due to his lack of match experience, Cilic was "a little nervous" playing in front of his country. I brought to his attention that Andrew Murray, the Brit who Marin defeated at the semifinals of the French Open Juniors, has been achieving success at the professional level. He said that this success happened as a result of Murray playing lots of challengers and futures events. Cilic resolved that in 2006 he "will try to play more Futures and Challengers" in order to gain match play experience and mental toughness, as well as valuable ranking points. He plans to officially turn pro and ditch the Juniors after succeeding in the Futures and Challengers events.By dismissing most of his Juniors success as mere practice for the pros, Marin Cilic has showed he is ready for the pros and ready to commit his life to becoming a better tennis player. Still, while he is playing on the tour, he is separated from his parents and brothers. Being on the road means that there is "not a lot of time for friends and family," but Marin is prepared to sacrifice this to become a successful pro.This past week, Marin Cilic confirmed my belief that he has what it takes to become a fantastic pro. Forget about Futures and Challengers. After beating Igor Andreev and giving Andreas Seppi all he could handle in the second round, Marin Cilic proved that he is not only the future of Croatian tennis, but also the present. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7745/1/E-Croatia-Sending-24-Athletes-to-Compete-in-Turin-Olympiad.html ÂCroatia Sending 24 Athletes to Compete in Turin OlympiadText of report in English by Croatian news agency HINA Zagreb, 4 February: Seven days remain before the start of the 20th Winter Olympic Games in the Italian city of Turin. Croatia will be represented by 24 athletes in six sports. The most numerous Croatian team will be in Alpine skiing with 12 skiers: five representatives in women's competitions and seven in men's races. Croatia's team has also qualified for four man bobsleigh competitions. Other Croatians will compete in figure skating, Nordic combined, skeleton and biathlon. The triple Olympic gold winner, skier Janica Kostelic, will carry the Croatian flag during the ceremony of the opening of the games on 10 February. It will be Italian Giorgio Rocca to take the solemn oath of the athlete at the ceremony. Over 2,500 athletes coming from 85 nations will compete in the Games.http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/379838/croatia_sending_24_athletes_to_compete_in_turin_olympiad/index.html?source=r_technology letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 05 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7743/1/E-Croatian-World-Games-are-awaiting-you-from-July-15---22-2006-in-Zadar.html ÂJuly 2006 in Zadar: Croatian World GamesÂAre you a Croatian aficionado? Have you ever wanted to meet Croatians from all over the world in one place? Are you found of sports? Spread the word - the first Croatian World Games are awaiting you from July 15 - July 22, 2006 in Zadar, Croatia!Participants from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Argentina, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and other countries have started to apply and will be competing in 15 disciplines, such as Athletics, Swimming, Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Soccer, etc. Imagine the Olympics with only Croatian players competing!The goal of this event is to bring Croatians from Croatia and Croatians from all over the Globe closer together! Don't worry if you are not a pro in any of these disciplines; join the crowd and compete for your own fun and pleasure. If you feel that you are a pro, go and prove it to the world! You might be discovered as a talent and accepted into one of the Croatian national sportÂteams!For the price of EUR 285, you getÂa seven day accommodation with two meals a day in a bungalow atÂthe popular tourist district of Zaton, a chance to participate in the athletic part of the Games, to enjoy free entrance to all Games sites and an entertainment program, to use the recreation facilities in the sports village and transportation within the sports village, as well asthe unlimited access to the IT center.Visit www.zadar2006.com and find out more about this first global ÂCroatian sports event.Sign up today and be part of this unique Croatian event! However, if youÂalready haveÂother plansÂfor the Summer 2006, send this article to all ofÂyour friends, relatives and acquaintances.ÂGive everybody you know a chanceÂto participateÂin this truly unique opportunity! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 05 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7741/1/E-Stjepan-Beg-Rab-Croatia--Roman-Stoisavljevic-Zagreb-Croatia.html ÂMen’s Tennis Blanks Utah State Courtesy: New Mexico State UniversityRelease: 02/05/2006Courtesy: Julie BaishThe men's tennis team downed WAC foe Utah State 7-0, Saturday afternoon. Las Cruces, N.M. – The New Mexico State men’s tennis team dominated the Utah State Aggies 7-0, Saturday afternoon at the NMSU Tennis Center. The Aggies are now 2-0 in WAC matches in 2006 and 3-1 overall.NMSU started strong in doubles action as they won two of three matches where the team of Stjepan Beg (Rab, Croatia) and Brice Magnanou (Montauban, France) defeated Zelle and Pinho 8-6 in the number one position andRoman Stoisavljevic (Zagreb, Croatia) and Tim America (Roermond, Netherlands) beat Tyden and Young 8-4 at the number two spot.In singles action, the Aggies won all six matches, five of them in straight sets as Beg defeated Zelle (6-2, 6-4), Magnanou defeated Pinho (7-5, 6-3) and Stoisavljevic beat Netto (6-0, 6-2) in the one, two and three spots. In the four, five and six positions, Ricardo Gorostiaga defeated Young (6-1, 6-2), America dropped Marchant (6-2, 7-5) and Halligan beat Tyden (6-0, 1-6, 6-2).“We played a little shaky in doubles play, but managed to hang on for the win, so that was good,” Aggie head coach Don Ball said. “Then we won five of six singles matches and the number six match was pretty close, but the others were never really in question. Both of our tennis teams are now 4-0 for the weekend and you can’t complain about that. The men now have two conference wins under their belt and overall it was a pretty good day.”The Aggie men will be back in action tomorrow as they take on Northern Colorado at 9:00 a.m. at the Youth Tennis Center in El Paso.Aggie ResultsDoubles: 1. Beg/ Magnanou (NMSU) d. Zelle/ Pinho (USU) – 8-6 2. Stoisavljevic/ America (NMSU) d. Tyden/ Young (USU) – 8-4 3. Banks/ Marchant (USU) d. Gorostiaga/ Pfeifer (NMSU) – 8-6 Singles: 1. Beg (NMSU) d. Zelle (USU) – 6-2, 6-4 2. Magnanou (NMSU) d. Pinho (USU) – 7-5, 6-3 3. Stoisavljevic (NMSU) d. Netto (USU) – 6-0, 6-2 4. Gorostiaga (NMSU) d. Young (USU) – 6-1, 6-2 5. America (NMSU) d. Marchant (USU) – 6-2, 7-5 6. Halligan (NMSU) d. Tyden (USU) – 6-0, 1-6, 6-2http://www.nmstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1900&ATCLID=234711 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 05 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7740/1/E-Tamara-Boros-of-Croatia-won-Liu-Jia-at-the-European-Top-12-finals.html ÂTamara Boros won European Top 12 ÂTamara Boros of Croatia returns a shot to Liu Jia of Austria during the women's final at the European Top 12 table tennis tournament at the KB Stadium Hall in Copenhagen February 5, 2006. Boros won 11-9, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8. NORWAY OUT DENMARK OUT SWEDEN OUT NO THIRD PARTY SALES REUTERS/Jakob Boserup/Scanpix  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 05 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7746/1/E-Croatia-is-first-among-140-countries-in-the-world.html ÂCroatia is first among 140 countries in the world Current Davis Cup Rankings Rank Nation Points Played Previous 1 Croatia 25,002.5 10 [4] 2 Spain 23,200.0 12 [1] 3 Slovak Republic 13,942.5 10 [6] 4 Russia 13,643.8 11 [2] 5 Argentina 13,575.0 11 [7] 6 Australia 13,500.0 10 [3] 7 USA 12,397.5 11 [8] 8 France 11,500.0 11 [5] 9 Belarus 7,110.0 10 [9] 10 Switzerland 7,046.9 9 [10] 11 Netherlands 4,906.3 8 [11] 12 Sweden 4,843.8 8 [12] 13 Romania 3,928.1 8 [13] 14 Austria 2,957.5 9 [14] 15 Chile 2,930.0 9 [15] 16 Germany 2,762.5 8 [16] 17 India 2,187.5 11 [17] 18 Czech Republic 2,081.3 8 [18] 19 Thailand 1,932.5 12 [19] 20 Ecuador 1,920.0 10 [20] 21 Canada 1,835.0 9 [21] 22 Belgium 1,662.5 8 [22] 23 Italy 1,570.0 10 [23] 24 Pakistan 1,570.0 12 [24] 25 Great Britain 1,562.5 8 [25] 26 Japan 1,507.5 9 [26] 27 Paraguay 1,270.0 11 [27] 28 Uzbekistan 1,155.0 8 [28] 29 Morocco 1,145.0 9 [29] 30 Venezuela 1,122.8 10 [30] 31 Peru 1,035.0 11 [31] 32 Luxembourg 1,011.9 9 [32] 33 Israel 956.3 8 [33] 34 Serbia & Montenegro 951.3 10 [34] 35 Chinese Taipei 949.4 9 [35] 36 China, P.R. 768.8 10 [36] 37 Korea, Rep. 735.0 12 [37] 38 Mexico 733.8 10 [38] 39 Zimbabwe 720.0 10 [39] 40 Brazil 657.5 10 [40] 41 Ukraine 568.8 9 [41] 42 Portugal 535.0 10 [42] 43 South Africa 534.4 9 [43] 44 Finland 503.1 8 [44] 45 New Zealand 500.0 10 [45] 46 Indonesia 492.5 9 [46] 47 Dominican Republic 426.9 13 [47] 48 Bulgaria 406.6 9 [48] 49 Uruguay 402.5 10 [49] 50 Slovenia 330.0 10 [50] 51 Hungary 297.2 12 [51] 52 Poland 254.7 12 [52] 53 Greece 250.0 9 [53] 54 Norway 221.6 10 [54] 55 Kuwait 210.9 11 [55] 56 Algeria 198.8 14 [56] 57 Hong Kong, China 162.8 12 [57] 58 Bahamas 155.0 9 [58] 59 Denmark 152.5 12 [59] 60 Lebanon 150.0 9 [60] 61 Latvia 145.0 11 [61] 62 Netherlands Antilles 140.3 11 [62] 63 Pacific Oceania 130.0 17 [63] 64 Colombia 103.8 11 [64] 65 Kazakhstan 95.0 11 [65] 66 Georgia 94.5 14 [66] 67 Jamaica 93.8 14 [67] 68 Cuba 92.5 8 [68] 69 Philippines 91.3 8 [69] 70 Ireland 85.0 11 [70] 71 Cote D'Ivoire 70.0 11 [71] 72 Iran 61.3 11 [72] 73 Haiti 55.6 14 [73] 74 Egypt 55.0 11 [74] 75 Macedonia, F.Y.R. 43.8 19 [75] 76 Cyprus 42.5 18 [76] 77 Guatemala 37.5 17 [77] 78 = Honduras 35.0 20 [78=] 78 = Bolivia 35.0 20 [78=] 80 Tunisia 33.8 14 [80] 81 Lithuania 31.3 19 [81] 82 El Salvador 31.3 20 [82] 83 Vietnam 30.3 14 [83] 84 Malaysia 30.0 14 [84] 85 Puerto Rico 28.8 17 [85] 86 Turkey 28.8 19 [86] 87 Bahrain 28.3 20 [87] 88 Ghana 27.5 10 [88] 89 Nigeria 25.5 18 [89] 90 Monaco 21.3 14 [90] 91 Namibia 21.3 19 [91] 92 Qatar 21.3 20 [92] 93 Armenia 21.0 17 [93] 94 Bosnia/Herzegovina 20.0 20 [94] 95 Sri Lanka 19.0 17 [95] 96 Iceland 19.0 18 [96] 97 Saudi Arabia 18.0 19 [97] 98 Estonia 17.5 15 [98] 99 Tajikistan 17.5 17 [99] 100 United Arab Emirates 16.8 19 [100] 101 Panama 16.5 20 [101] 102 Singapore 16.3 17 [102] 103 Oman 15.3 18 [103] 104 Moldova 15.0 16 [104] 105 Andorra 13.8 16 [105] 106 Bangladesh 13.5 16 [106] 107 Costa Rica 13.3 19 [107] 108 Azerbaijan 13.0 15 [108] 109 Rwanda 13.0 19 [109] 110 Barbados 12.0 19 [110] 111 Syria 11.5 19 [111] 112 Madagascar 11.3 17 [112] 113 Trinidad & Tobago 11.0 16 [113] 114 Botswana 11.0 18 [114] 115 Senegal 10.0 13 [115] 116 San Marino 9.0 19 [116] 117 Benin 8.0 8 [117] 118 Kyrgyzstan 8.0 18 [118] 119 St. Lucia 8.0 20 [119] 120 Kenya 7.8 16 [120] 121 US Virgin Islands 7.8 19 [121] 122 Myanmar 7.5 12 [122] 123 Angola 7.0 10 [123] 124 Jordan 7.0 14 [124] 125 Bermuda 7.0 19 [125] 126 Malta 5.0 17 [126] 127 Togo 4.0 4 [127] 128 Uganda 3.5 19 [128] 129 Burkina Faso 3.0 4 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 30 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7757/1/E-Hungary-and-Croatia-hold-meeting-in-Budapest.html ÂHungary and Croatia hold meeting in Budapest13:35 2006-01-26Croatia's efforts to join the European Union, cooperation on energy matters, and a joint bid to host soccer's 2012 European Championships are expected to dominate Thursday's joint Cabinet session between Hungary and Croatia. Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany and his Croatian counterpart, Ivo Sanader, will lead the session, to be held at Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts. The EU opened accession talks with Croatia, a prelude to eventual membership, on Oct. 4, after delaying them for months because of Croatia's failure to capture a top war crimes suspect, Ante Gotovina. Gotovina was eventually arrested in Spain on Dec. 7. Hungary, which joined the EU in 2004, has been a solid supporter of the accession of Croatia, home to an ethnic Hungarian minority of around 17,000 people. Croatia hopes to join the EU in 2009. Linking the two countries' natural gas pipelines and cooperation on the management of oil reserves are among the energy issues the governments are expected to discuss Thursday. The two Cabinets are also expected to reiterate their support for a joint bid to host soccer's 2012 European championships. The winning bid is planned to be chosen Dec. 8 and the other two finalists are Italy and a joint bid by Poland and Ukraine. The meeting will not be held in parliament "so the shadows of history are not projected onto cooperation in the modern era between Hungary and Croatia," Gyurcsany told Hungarian state news wire MTI. Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until World War I and under some form of Hungarian or Austrian authority as far back as the 12th century. Sanader and his Cabinet are also scheduled to meet with Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom later Thursday, reports the AP. N.U.http://newsfromrussia.com/world/2006/01/26/71824.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7752/1/E-Tomislav-Japec-a-victory-in-his-opening-match.html Tomislav Japec, victory in his opening matchÂÂIan Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor Overcoming Nerves Photo By: Sanjin Strukic LIEBHERR Croatian Open, Zagreb Tomislav JAPEC, a nervous start but victory in his opening match 1/24/2006The disappointment for table tennis fans intending to watch the Liebherr Croatian Open in Zagreb is the withdrawal from the Men’s Singles of top seed Germany’s Timo BOLL. Nevertheless, the tournament still has a host of world class players on duty and on the morning of Tuesday 24th January 2006 the home supporters had smiles on their faces, thanks to the efforts of twenty-one year old Tomislav JAPEC.He recovered from a two games to nil deficit to beat Janez PETROVCIC of Slovenia 7-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7.'I was nervous before the start of the match and I was tentative in the first game', said a somewhat relieved Tomislav JAPEC. 'It’s a long time since I’ve played in Croatia and that had an effect on me, in fact my last tournament in Croatia was the Liebherr Croatian Open a year ago.'PressurePlaying in front of your home crowd adds a degree of pressure to the situation; it’s a fact that was endorsed last week by Lleyton HEWITT at the Grand Slam tennis tournament in Australia after he had lost to Juan Ignacio CHELA of Argentina in the second round of the Men’s Singles event and it’s a scenario that seemingly haunts Great Britain’s Tim HENMAN with regards to Wimbledon. They are both tremendous sportsman, superb tennis players but on home soil so much is expected, the pressure is that much greater and both cannot win the title they so crave, the Grand Slam event in their own country.Nevertheless after a below par first two games JAPEC recovered and duly won the last four games to secure victory. DeterminedTomislav JAPEC is one of Croatia’s most promising new generation of players and he is a determined young man. One of the national leagues that has grown in strength in the past decade is undoubtedly the French League and for the 2005-2006 season JAPEC moved joined Hennebont in the south of France, having previously played for STK Vecenrnji List in Zagreb. The competition for places in the men’s team in Hennebont is severe but the practice available is of a very high level. BAI Feng Tian, WANG Xin, Artur GRIGORYEV, DÃniel GORAK and the man currently ranked number eleven in the world, Kalinikos KREANGA all play for the club. 'I want to make progress, I want to improve, I want to play professionally', said Tomislav JAPEC in a determined tone of voice. 'In Hennebont we have a good coach and of course the players to train with is outstanding.' The coach in question is Milan STENCIL who for several years guided the fortunes of Croatia’s current leading player, Zoran PRIMORAC and has worked for several clubs and national associations in Europe. He is a man with a wealth of knowledge and JAPEC will most certainly benefit from his tutelage.Improvements'In the last year I think my head is better, mentally I’ve improved', continued JAPEC. 'I ‘m more professional and I think I appreciate more what I have to do in order to play at a high level.'The mental aspect of sport is crucial to success. Ask any of the superb Chinese players why they won and time and time again they will tell you that it was because they were mentally strong and had a clear mind. Also, they are the best in the world when it comes to returning the ball short over the net, the deft returns, the flicks, just as important in table tennis as the booming forehand winners. In this area of play Tomislav JAPEC believes he has improved. 'I’m better at short, short', he said. 'My control and feeling have improved, also my forehand has got better in the last twelve months, my backhand has always been my strength but now my forehand is catching up.'ConqueredHe is improving and today he conquered both his adversary and himself. 'The first two games were not good, I was nervous, people watching expected a lot of me', he added. 'After the second game I had to really fight but as I got more into the match I moved better, I served better and of course it motivated me when I heard people cheering for me.'It was a tough opening match, another match on the learning curve to a higher status. He was nervous but he was strong enough to recognise that fact and he conquered his nerves. More and more Tomislav JAPEC knows what it takes to be a high level table tennis table and furthermore he would seem to have the appetite to succeed.http://www.ittf.com/stories/Stories_detail.asp?Year=2006&General_Catigory=General&ID=8548 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7751/1/E-Were-magicians---Small-Is-Big-in-Mens-Tennis.html ÂSmall Is Big in Men's Tennis, Where Swiss, Croatians Top U.S. Listen Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Switzerland's Roger Federer, the No. 1 player in men's tennis, comes from a country with fewer people than New York City. The sport's top team title, the Davis Cup, belongs to Croatia, a nation four years younger than second- ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain. Small countries rule and traditional men's tennis powers such as the U.S. are struggling as the sport plays its first Grand Slam tournament of the year at the Australian Open. Federer began the Open in Melbourne having won five of the eight majors over the past two years. Ivan Ljubicic may be playing the best tennis in the world after leading 15-year-old Croatia to the Davis Cup in December. Andy Roddick is the top American at No. 3 and hasn't won a Grand Slam tournament in three years. ``These smaller countries are concentrating on what they have, rather than having so much to select from,'' said Nick Bollettieri, who helped develop former top-ranked U.S. players such as Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. ``They can see what they have and give it enough financial support.'' Promising players can train at one place and are treated as an elite group with a strong support system, said Bollettieri, 74, who also worked with Grand Slam title record-holder Pete Sampras and 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova.The U.S. Tennis Association spent $64 million on developing players in 2004, according to the group's most recent figures. Switzerland's governing body for tennis spent about 3 million Swiss francs ($2.34 million) on development last year, while Croatia's federation spent about $500,000. "We're magicians,'' Marina Mihelic, executive director of the Croatian Tennis Association, said in a telephone interview. New Champions Federer, 24, became the first man from Switzerland, population 7.3 million, to win a Grand Slam title when he beat Mark Philippoussis of Australia at Wimbledon three years ago. Ljubicic's 11-match winning streak in the Davis Cup helped Croatia defeat 13-year-old Slovakia for the title. Ljubicic ended last year ranked ninth after reaching finals in four of his last six events, winning two. He won the Chennai Open in India last month as the 2006 season began. Nadal, Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain have won the French Open over the last eight years after another Spaniard, Sergi Bruguera, ended an 18-year winless Grand Slam spell among men for their country at the same tournament in 1993. Argentina has three players in the top 10. ``The writing's been on the wall,'' said Courier, 35, formerly No. 1 in the world with four Grand Slam titles. ``Tennis takes us all over the world. People aspire to be the players they see on TV, and that's where dreams come from.''Croatian Boom Croatia's interest in tennis boomed when Goran Ivanisevic beat Australia's Patrick Rafter in a five-set final at Wimbledon five years ago, said Micho Dushanovic, a former Croatian junior player who works as a tennis broadcaster for state-run HRTV. Interest in the Davis Cup victory among Croatia's 4.4 million citizens might have surpassed that for the national soccer team's third-place finish at the 1998 World Cup, he added. The country's success in tennis may continue with players such as 17-year-old Marin Cilic, the world's top-ranked junior. ``After soccer, tennis is for sure No. 2 in popularity,'' Dushanovic, 54, said in a telephone interview. ``It wasn't like that in the past.'' Tennis officials say the shift from big to small hasn't affected marketing. The Association of Tennis Professionals spends $5 million on marketing every year, said Richard Davies, chief executive of the commercial wing of the men's tour.``As a global sport, we can afford to have pockets of strength and relative evenness, without really affecting the total pie,'' Davies said in a telephone interview. ``Growth is never a bad thing.'' Sponsors In November, the ATP signed a three-year contract extension with Daimler-Chrysler's Mercedes Benz, the German-based No. 2 luxury automaker and a chief partner. ``Most of the revenue for the tour has always come out of Europe,'' Davies said. ``America has never really dominated.'' The U.S. still needs to produce successful men's players to maintain American interest in the game, said Michael Stirling, founder of London-based Global Sponsors, which provides advice to companies on sponsorship strategies. ``It's important because it attracts youth and the investment required to maintain standards,'' Stirling said in a telephone interview. ``If you have a long period where you don't have a star, it'll be even harder to find one.'' Roddick, 23, ended 2003 ranked first and has failed to reach the semifinals at five of eight Grand Slams since. The 35- year-old Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, is the only other American in the top 15. He skipped the Australian Open with an ankle injury after losing to Federer in the U.S. Open final last September. The bright spots for the U.S. include James Blake, who rebounded from a broken neck to make the top 25, and Robby Ginepri, who reached the U.S. Open semifinals in New York. He lost in the second-round of the Australian Open to 177th-ranked Denis Gremelmayr. Donald Young, 16, is second to Cilic in the junior rankings.To contact the reporter on this story:Ravi Ubha in London at rubha@bloomberg.net .http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=acmojJHJI6cY&refer=europe  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 25 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7755/1/E-LJUBICICS-TRIUMPH-DESPITE-LOSS.html ÂIvan Ljubicic represented Croatian tennis in superlative fashion and should be exceptionally proud of his achievementIVAN LJUBICIC'S TRIUMPH DESPITE LOSSBy Jeff LesserÂFor the second straight year, Ivan Ljubicic, Croatiaâs #1 player and the 7th ranked player in the world, fell in the Australian Open to unseeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. While this would normally sound like a severe upset and a certain Grand Slam choke-job by the 6â4ââ Croat, this was anything but the case. Instead of losing in the second round, as he did last year, Ljubicic was defeated this time three rounds laterâ in the quarterfinals. It was an extremely impressive showing for the Croatian that will only bolster his confidence and success in the coming year. Ljubicic broke through in the rankings during the latter portion of last year to become one of the top ten players in the world. This recent rise in rank left Ivan the highest-ranked player to have advanced past the third round in a Grand Slam in his entire career. In this yearâs Australian Open, Ljubicic posted an extremely valiant effort, as he finally performed well in a major to reach the quarterfinals. In doing so, Ljubicic dispatched a formidable first round foe, hard-serving Australian Chris Guccione, in straight sets. In his first ever match in Rod Laver Arena, the main court at the Australian Open, he easily sent home Germanyâs Philipp Kohlschreiber. The third round pitted Ivan against 31st-ranked Feliciano Lopez, and Ivan played another great match, again winning impressively in straight sets. At this point, he had already had the best Grand Slam showing of his career, reaching the fourth round.In the fourth round, Ljubicic played one of the greatest matches of his life, with a surprisingly-easy dismissal of the 10th-seeded 2002 champion, Swedenâs Thomas Johansson. Ivan had entered the quarterfinals of a major for the first time in his life and, in doing so, had not dropped a set. In the quarters, Ivan was set to face Marcos Baghdatis, who shockingly defeated second-seeded Andy Roddick in the fourth round. Baghdatis carried with him a versatile game, a large and vocal fan base, and enormous confidence.The quarterfinal match began well for Baghdatis, as he took the first two sets with little resistance from Ljubicic. However, Ivan fought tremendously, and took the next two sets on the strength of solid play and more aggressive groundstrokes. The dedicated Croatian fans had much to cheer about, as the atmosphere was more like a Davis Cup rubber than a Grand Slam match. It appeared that Ljubicic had the momentum, the experience, and the crowd support to pull out the fifth-set victory and reach the semifinals. However, Baghdatisâ relentless play wore on Ljubicic and youth prevailed over age, as the 20-year-old Cypriot defeated a man six years his senior and 47 ranking spots his superior. Baghdatis ultimately won the match, 6-4 6-2 4-6 3-6 6-3. Ivan Ljubicic battled and put forth a more-than-respectable effort in not only pushing Baghdatis to the fifth set, but in reaching the quarterfinals in the first place.Fans who see only the score will get an incorrect picture. They will see that the seventh seed lost to an unseeded player in the quarterfinals, getting outclassed in the fifth set. They will think that a player who has played fantastic tennis in the past half year simply choked in the quarterfinals of a major tournament. However, those familiar to Ivan Ljubicic and his past trials and tribulations know what a success story this is. Ivan Ljubicic finally broke through in a major. He put up such a valiant struggle in the quarterfinals that he almost pulled off a comeback from being down two-sets-to-none. Ivan Ljubicic built off of his Davis Cup recent ATP tournament success to put together the greatest Grand Slam showing of his career. This performance will only add to his confidence and game. Fans should expect only bigger and better things from Ivan, as he will use this quarterfinal appearance to achieve greater feats. With a successful Grand Slam under his belt, Ivan Ljubicic has solidified his position at the top of the tennis game. In reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Ivan Ljubicic represented Croatian tennis in superlative fashion and should be exceptionally proud of his achievement. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7749/1/E-US-Mens-Figure-Skating-Champ-Johnny-Weir-Skates-to-Croatian-Music.html ÂUS Men's Figure Skating Champ Johnny Weir Skates to Croatian MusicJohnny Weir won the 2006 US Men's Figure Skating Championship in St. Louis, MO., this past Saturday, January 14, 2006. For his long-form, free skating program, Weir skated to the music of Croatian painist Maksim Mrvica (the songs used are "Amazonic", Hana's Eyes" and "Wonderland").Weir was the US 2004 and 2005 champion and is a top contender to win a medal at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7748/1/E-Blanka-Vlasic-of-Croatia-celebrates-her-victory-in-Moscow.html ÂBlanka Vlasic of Croatia celebrates her victoryÂBlanka Vlasic of Croatia celebrates her victory in the High Jump event at the Russian Winter Indoor Athletics meeting in Moscow January 25, 2006. Vlasic won with 2.00 metres. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor Blanka Vlasic of Croatia competes in the High Jump event at the Russian Winter Indoor Athletics meeting in Moscow January 25, 2006. Vlasic won with 2.00 metres. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7758/1/E-Gordan-Giricek-Playing-Ball-with-the-Jazz.html ÂPlaying Ball with the JazzGordan Giricek talks about life in the NBAGordan Giricek, right, with Jazz assistant coach Scott Layden.By Frank Vinko MustacGordan Giricek, who plays shooting guard for the Utah Jazz of the National Basket­ball Association (NBA), was in Wash­ington, D.C., on January 9 to play the Washington Wizards.For the game, which Utah Jazz won 97-89. Giricek had 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot. For the season, Giricek averages 10.6 points per contest.Before the game, the 6-foot 5-inch 210-pound 28-year-old Zagreb native spoke with the Croatian Chronicle about life as an NBA player, the phone call he received a while ago from NBA rookie Andrew Bogut and living so far from his daughter, family and friends back in Croatia.Giricek also had some choice words to say about the media as well as the many people back in his homeland who do not often speak kindly towards successful Croat­ians.Croatian Chronicle: What is life for you like in the NBA?Gordan Gircek: Pretty good. Everything is organized and the only thing you have to worry about is playing the games, everything else they do for you.CC: You probably did not have time to go back to Croatia for the Christmas holidays. How did you spend the holidays?GG: No, we didn't have time. The only time off we have is the All Star break in Feb­ruary and after the season. So I didn't have time to go home, but I spent Christmas at my friend's house in Salt Lake City. It was nice.CC: Did you have what could be considered a traditional Croatian Christmas meal?GG: Yeah, we had pork and francuska salata (French salad) and prsut (procuitto), eggs, and all the things you eat for Christ­mas.CC: Talk about the story that appeared in a Salt Lake City newspaper that Milwaukee Bucks rookie Andrew Bogut, who is Aus­tralian of Croatian descent, left you a message on your answering machine and that you didn't return his phone call. What happened?GG: They made a big deal of it. Even in the Croatian newspapers. Bogut probably got angry or something. I don't know. I really don't want to go into it, because it's ridiculous for me. I told my side of the story. I'm the only guy that knows what happened. He tried to leave a message in Croatian, and let's be honest, he didn't speak Croatian well at that time. I didn't understand any word, so I thought someone was messing with me. I listened to the message twice or three times and I erased it because I really couldn't understand any words he was saying. I erased the phone number also with the message. So basically I didn't call back the number. CC: The same newspaper article reported that you met Bogut at a restaurant in Salt Lake City after that.GG: No I didn't meet him after that. You know newspapers. They always add something to make a story. No, we didn't meet after that, only when we played against each other.CC: Talk about how you came from Zagreb to play in the NBA.GG: I started professionally when I was 16. I considered that professional because I started to practice twice a day for a professional club. Then I came to play for Cibona, the main club in Zagreb.Then at 24, I signed with CSKA in Mos­cow, Russia. Then the year after that, I went to the NBA, to the Memphis Grizzlies. And then they traded me to Orlando, then Orlando traded me to Utah.This is my second year, going on my third, playing for Utah. I like it. I would like to stay here. NBA Utah Jazz player Gordan Giricek, from Zagreb, after a team shoot around at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., January 9. CC: How would you compare playing in Europe to playing in the NBA?GG: It's way harder. The guys you play against in the NBA are very tough, very competitive. Every night you have a hard job, especially playing defense against shoot­ing guards. You have to guard all these guys that score above 20 points a game. So it's very hard. We're also traveling a lot. Every other day we're in an airplane. But that's why the NBA teams make it very easy for us. They do everything for us, because they know it's a hard rhythm, so we need to rest and we need to concentrate on the games.I mean I like it. It's better than the Euro­pean leagues. The NBA is tougher, but it's better organized. At the end, it's safer money. It's guaranteed, so whatever you sign for, at the end of the season you end up getting. It's okay. It's good.CC: Were there any particular cultural challenges you faced or things that surprised you about the United States?GG: No. I'm a pretty easy-going guy. I can adapt. I can adjust to any culture. I don't have problems with that.But I know I won't be able to live here after my career that's for sure. The main reason is because it's so far away from Europe, and I still have my family and all my friends back in Croatia. After the season, all the Utah Jazz players go away from Salt Lake City. If I stay there, I have no one to hang out with. And I'm too old to make new friends right now outside of basketball. I have my old friends from my high school and my childhood, and all of them are in Croatia. Also, my parents and my daughter are back in Croatia. My heart is back in Croatia. I go back every summer.CC: What do you miss about Croatia?GG: I miss the country. I miss my friends and my family. I don't miss other people, to be honest with you. Definitely I'm going to have one other option in Europe to live somewhere.In our country, Croatia, they don't treat you too well. I don't say they have to admire me, but at least have respect, because they always try to find some bad things to say about you. CC: You mean the media?GG: Everybody. Generally people are very jealous. I know it's a very hard situation in Croatia economically, but when you have money, people usually assume you stole something from somebody, that you don't deserve that money. And it's just not a good atmosphere for me.I'm in the kind of position of someone who goes back for two months, and I start feeling that pressure. People are always asking for something, and if you don't want to do something then you're acting like a star. I would like to please everybody, but sometimes it's not possible. I have to have my own rhythm, my own life. People start talking, and then the rumors spread very fast. Then you end up being a bad guy, but you're not that kind of guy. So I have to have some other options. I'll probably move to Spain. That's my dream right now. So we're going to see. For me, life is not playing chess, making all the right moves.I'm going to try and fulfill a dream to live in two places, Croatia and Spain.CC: Do you hear the same kind of thing from other Croatian professional athletes?GG: I didn't hear, we didn't talk about it, but I think they have the same situation, the way I see it. I think all successful people are pushed away from living in Croatia, because people start talking badly to the newspapers. Every newspaper is a gossip newspaper. Successful people try to run away from it. They don't want to invest there. It's not good for us. That's what I think.The country is the greatest. I never saw a country with more qualities than Croatia, but something is always missing.What I can tell from socializing with people, Croatians don't appreciate ... I mean here, if you're a legend, you're always a legend. In Croatia, I'm not talking about myself, I'm talking about guys that did some good things in their careers. They make a few mis­takes, then they're considered the worst people. But what about the things they did before? I mean you have to respect something.Many Croatian people don't respect anything. They just try to pull you down. That's the only thing I don't like.CC: Growing up, who did you admire as a player?GG: Drazen Petrovic, definitely. He was the only guy who was put on the table for me at that time. When I was living in Zag­reb, he was playing for Cibona, so I had a chance to see him play. He was one of the best players for sure.He opened it up for all the European guys to come play in the NBA. He had, I think, the hardest time coming here, but he overcame all that. CC: How about some of the American players?GG: At that time, I think I admired Scottie Pippen and Grant Hill. CC: And now, who are some of the toughest NBA players to defend against for you?GG: All these guys can average 20 shots a game, because you know they're going to take their shots and it's very hard to guard them. You know there are two or three screens in a row are coming for you. You have to get ready every game for that job.Sometimes Allen Iverson plays the two-guard. Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, Richard Hamilton. I mean all these guys. So it's a pretty hard job for us to do, for me to do.CC: Is there a Croatian community in Salt Lake City?GG: There are lots of Bosnian people. Some Croatians and a little bit Serbs. I hang out with them all. They all helped me out. They helped me a lot when I came the first time there. I even found a Croatian restaurant, a Croatian guy from Bosnia from around the border between Croatia and Bosnia. His wife is Serbian. Everyday I'm there. It's close to my house. I like it.CC: Do you ever get calls from people in the Croatian community while you're on the road like in Chicago or New York?GG: Not really. You know what, I don't have time. Sometimes I don't have the will or I'm tired. I want to rest. Like I said, I want to please everybody, but sometimes you just can't. I hope no one will take that as a bad thing. Sometimes I just want to stay in my room and watch TV and rest, because I had a tough night, a tough game.CC: Do you have a family?GG: I'm divorced, but I have a daughter, Lara. She will be 2 years old in March. She's in Croatia. I can hardly wait to see her.Right now I'm seeing her over an Internet Web camera. Last night was the first time I saw her on the Web camera, so it was nice.CC: Anything else you would like to add?GG: In general everything is good. I like Salt Lake City. It's a great city, very clean. The only bad thing about Salt Lake City is it's far away. When I'm going back home to Croatia, it's pretty far. That's the only bad thing. Everything else for me is perfect. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 23 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7753/1/E-Tennis-rackets-flying-out-of-the-sports-stores-in-Croatia.html Croatia's Davis Cup triumph has tennis rackets "flying" out of the sports storesLjubicic willing to captain Croatia's Davis Cup team Jan. 18, 2006CBS SportsLine.com wire reports MELBOURNE, Australia -- Croatia's Davis Cup triumph has tennis rackets "flying" out of the sports stores, and increased the focus on who should get the job of leading the country's title defense. Ivan Ljubicic, who has agreed to be player-captain for the Feb. 10-12 match in Graz, Austria, says that 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic will meet Saturday with the Croatian Tennis Federation about the issue. "We wait for Goran's decision, what he wants to do," Ljubicic said Wednesday after advancing to the third round of the Australian Open with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany. "So, we'll see what his ideas are about it. But, yeah, I am at the moment the playing captain." Radimir Cacic, the head of the federation, announced on Monday that Ljubicic, who helped Croatia win the Davis Cup for the first time last month, was stepping up after last year's leader Nikki Pilic and Ivanisevic refused the job. Ivanisevic said in December he would take over as captain, but when the Croatian federation asked Pilic to stay on as an adviser, Ivanisevic reportedly said he did not want to take over the team until Pilic was no longer part of it. "If Goran decided not to take the team over for the first round, I am ready to do it," Ljubicic said Wednesday, adding he had already taken some preparatory steps. "I called some people who I am interested in as being like assistants to me," he said. Mario Ancic, who teamed with Ljubicic to lead Croatia's victory over Slovakia in December's final, said he was unfazed by the issue. "I think the most important thing is to keep this team spirit - and I think we all have that - and a willingness to win," said Ancic, who also moved into the third round in Melbourne on Wednesday by beating Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Despite the uncertainty, both Ljubicic and Ancic are in no doubt about the effect the win has had in their homeland. "A lot of people are buying rackets and starting to play, like when Goran won Wimbledon and was top" said Ancic. Ljubicic agreed. "I have some friends who are owning shops and they say the rackets are flying (out), they are selling really good," said Ljubicic. "I hope it's going to have a good impact and I hope a lot of kids are going to start playing tennis." AP NEWShttp://www.sportsline.com/tennis/story/9172020 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 23 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7756/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-of-Croatia-celebrates-another-victory-in-St-Moritz.html ÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates on the St Moritz's podiumÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates on the podium following her victory in the women's Alpine Ski World Cup super-combined race that consists of one downhill and one slalom run in the Swiss resort of St Moritz January 22, 2006. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay Janica Kostelic of Croatia throws flowers into the crowd following her victory in the women's Alpine Ski World Cup super-combined race that consists of one downhill and one slalom run in the Swiss resort of St Moritz January 22, 2006. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay ÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia attaches her country's flag to the skis following her victory in the women's Alpine Ski World Cup super-combined race that consists of one downhill and one slalom run in the Swiss resort of St Moritz January 22, 2006. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 22 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7750/1/H-HRVATSKI-BOB-OSIGURAO-NASTUP-U-TORINU.html ÂZOI 2006.: HRVATSKI BOB OSIGURAO NASTUP U TORINU! ÂÂ22.01.2006 Hrvatski bob četvorosjed u sastavu Ivan Åola, Dejan Vojnović, Slaven Krajačić i Jurica GrabuÅić izborio je plasman na Zimske olimpijske igre u Torinu.Na poznatoj bob stazi u Koening Feu naÅ je bob osvojio četvrto mjesto u konkurenciji deset posada i time iskoristio posljednju prigodu za plasman na XX. OI, koje će se od 10. do 26. veljače održati u Torinu.To će, nakon Salt Lake Cityja, biti naÅ drugi nastup na olimpijskim igrama i to viÅe nije slučajno posebno kada se zna da je smanjen broj posada za čak sedam pa će u Torinu nastupiti 26 četverosjeda, a mi smo trenutačno po rezultatima 24 među njima, rekao Åola napominjući da je među naÅim guračima u jednoj vožnji četvorosjeda bio i Slovenac Matej Juhart, jer je Jurica GrabuÅić s vozačem Nikijem Drpićem pokuÅao izboriti plasman u Torinu i u dvosjedu, ali u tome, unatoč najboljim vremenima na treningu, nisu uspjeli zbog pogreÅke na bobu.Plasman u Torino ostao je san i za naÅu žensku posadu u bobu dvosjedu Martinu MakoÅ, Anabelu Stragu i Ivanu Lažetu. No, realne izglede da se nađu među putnicima imaju naÅi predstavnici u skeletonu, a za to mjesto danas poslije podne borit će se Nikola Nimac i Ivan Pokos, ali će samo jedan od njih otputovati u Torino.Sada viÅe veslač Igor Boraska nije jedini hrvatski sportaÅ koji je nastupio na zimskim i ljetnim olimpijskim igrama. Naime, i atletičari Dejan Vojnović i Slaven Krajačić, koji su nastupili na OI-ju u Sydneyu 2000., te Jurica GrabuÅić u Ateni 2004., imaju priliku nastupiti i na ZOI-ju u Torinu.Hina/HRTweb sport (il) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 22 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7759/1/E-Seventh-seed-Ljubicic-beats-Lopez-in-Melbourne.html ÂSeventh seed Ljubicic beats Lopez in MelbourneÂÂLjubicic has been well-supported by Melbourne's expatriate Croatian community. ÂFri Jan 20, 2006 12:40 PM GMT MELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Seventh seed Ivan Ljubicic extended his good start to the new year with a 7-5 7-6 6-0 victory over Spain's Feliciano Lopez in the Australian Open third round on Friday.Ljubicic, who beat Carlos Moya in the Chennai Open final before arriving in Australia, is unbeaten in seven competitive matches in 2006 and this victory moved him into the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the first time in seven appearances. The 26-year-old, in Croatia's Davis Cup-winning team in December, dominated against the left-handed 31st seed despite the close score in the first two sets.The match would have been closer to a rout had Ljubicic converted more than just five of the 17 break points he accumulated. Three of his five breaks came in the final set. Ljubicic will now meet 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson in what should be a raucous occasion. Johannson has been cheered by a large group of Swedish fans wearing traditional blue and yellow t-shirts and Viking helmets while Ljubicic has been well-supported by Melbourne's expatriate Croatian community. http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=tennisNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20060120:MTFH07165_2006-0 1-20_12-40-41_SP10094:1  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 20 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7754/1/E-15-Croatian-tennis-player-on-Australian-Open-2006.html ÂMario Ancic Men's Singles Luka Belic Jr. Boy's Singles Ivo Karlovic Men's Singles Men's Doubles Ivan Ljubicic Men's Singles Nikola Mektic Jr. Boy's Singles Antonio Sancic Jr. Boy's Singles Sasa Tuksar Men's Qual Singles Antonio Veic Jr. Boy's Singles Ivana Abramovic Women's Qual Singles Jelena Kostanic Women's Singles Women's Doubles Ivana Lisjak Women's Qual Singles Tereza Mrdeza Jr. Girl's Singles Nika Ozegovic Women's Qual Singles Karolina Sprem Women's Singles Women's Doubles Silvija Talaja Women's Doubles Women's Qual Singles  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 20 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7764/1/E-If-interested-in-becoming-a-Fan-Reporter-sign-up-here.html ÂWe Want YouIf you are interested in becoming a Fan Reporter forwww.allsports.com , you can sign up here.http://www.allsports.com/cgi-bin/storydb.cgi?action=signup Paerson wins downhill, Kostelic retains overall lead in World CupJanuary 13, 2006BAD KLEINKIRCHHEIM, Austria (Ticker) - Anja Paerson of Sweden won the second World Cup downhill race of her career, edging out Austrian Michaela Dorfmeister on Friday. The 24-year-old Paerson, who trails Croatia's Janica Kostelic in the overall World Cup standings, won with a time of 1 minute, 37.70 seconds, just 0.04 seconds quicker than Dorfmeister. After being quickest on the top section, Switzerland's Fraenzi Aufdenblatten finished third at 1 minute, 37.78 seconds and Kostelic was .01 seconds behind her for fourth. It was the fourth victory of the season and first downhill triumph for the Swede. Paerson won slalom events in Aspen, Colorado on December 11 and Splindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic 11 days later. She took home a giant slalom championship in Lienz, Austria on December 28. Kostelic, who has one win, four runner-ups and two third-place finishes, leads the overall standings with 782 points, 97 points ahead of Paerson, the reigning World Cup champion. Dorfmeister is in third place with 590 points. Marlies Schild of Austria, who won each of the last three events all slaloms - finished a disappointing 22nd and dropped to fourth in the overall standings with 519 points. Lindsey Kildow of the United States finished ninth at 1 hour, 38.59 seconds and moved into fifth overall with 507 points. Kildow excels in downhill, having won events in Lake Louise, Alberta and Val d'Isere, France in December. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Be the first to Post A Comment on this story.Recommend this story to a friendWe Want YouIf you are interested in becoming a Fan Reporter forwww.allsports.com , you can sign uphere.http://www.allsports.com/cgi-bin/storydb.cgi?action=signup http://www.allsports.com/cgi-bin/showstory.cgi?story_id=57453  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 15 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7763/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-of-Croatia-won-Downhill-race-in-Bad-Kleinkirchheim.html ÂJanica on the top againÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates after winning an Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Downhill, in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006.(AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta) Nike Bent of Sweden (L), Janica Kostelic of Croatia (C) and Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria celebrate on the podium after the women's Alpine Ski World Cup Downhill race in Bad Kleinkirchheim January 14, 2006. Kostelic won the race in a time of one minute 37.96 seconds ahead of Bent and Dorfmeister. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 15 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7762/1/E-Croatian-Al-Miller-on-Indy-500.html ÂCroatian Al Miller on Indy 500ÂThis photograph taken on Indiannapolis Motor Speedway in 1967 will probably make every Croat's heart skip a beat, until they realize it can't be *that*. Well, can't it?ÂThis is car is Gerhardt-Ford entered by Walter 'Willy' Weir for Indy 500 in '67, sponsored by Cleaver-Brooks. The car was never a contender but Weir nevertheless invited Italian Grand Prix driver Lorenzo Bandini to drive it for him (as he explained it his reason was "These foreigners know how to drive these rear engine cars."). Unfortunately Bandini lost his life in Monaco Grand Prix six days before he was to qualify for the Indy race and his place was taken by Al Miller. He qualified 31st and last- his effort deprived Jim Hurtubise a place on the grid (that would have been the last appearance of a roadster at Indy 500). Nevertheless, he was in the good company in the last row on the grid- Austrian Jochen Rindt (Grand Prix World Champion in 1970) and Graham Hill (two times World Champion, in 1962 and 1968, winner of Le Mans in 1972 and Indy 500 in 1966) were there, with Sir Jackie Stewart (triple World Champion, in 1969, 1971 and 1973) only a row in front of them. Miller retired the car on 73rd lap of the race with an oil leak.Al Miller was born on 23 Nov 1921 in Detroit, Michigan, and died on 28 Jul 1978 in Mount Clemens, Michigan. His real name was Albert Krulock, although the family's old name was Krulac, before it was Americanized. He was definitely of Croatian origin (from the Spanico area), and that might explain the checkers of historic Croatian coat of arms on his car.The 'author' wishes to thank experts and enthusiasts at The Nostalgia Forum @ AtlasF1 Bulletin Board for supplying most of the information herein (I merely enqured them about this photo and instantly recieved most helpful information I presented here).http://www.indy500.com/photo/large.php?photo_id=13582&series_id=Array&o=hKindest regards,Tomislav PetricevicOvo je fotografija automobila Al Millera (pravim imenom Albert Krulock, sto je amerikanizirano iz Krulac), naseg porijekla koji je 1967 nastupio na 500 milja Indiannapolisa. Inace je taj auto trebao voziti (pretpostavljam da onda ne bi bio tako lijepo obojan) poznati talijanski vozac Lorenzo Bandini, koji je nazalost tragicno poginuo na Velikoj Nagradi Monaca nekoliko tjedana prije kvalifikacija za Indy.Naljljepsi pozdravi,Tomislav PetricevicÂhttp://www.indy500.com/photo/large.php?photo_id=13582&series_id=Array&o=h  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 15 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7761/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-of-Croatia-celebrates-historic-moment.html ÂJanica winning Super G, makes historyÂCroatia's Janica Kostelic claimed her first World Cup super-G victory on Sunday to become the first woman with wins in six different disciplines on the skiing circuit.  Janica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates in the finish area after winning an Alpine Ski World Cup Women's super-g race, in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006.(AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta) ÂÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia competes in the women's Alpine Ski World Cup super-G race in Bad Kleinkirchheim January 15, 2006. Kostelic won the race in a time of one minute 9.41 seconds, ahead of Austria's team mates Michaela Dorfmeister and Alexandra Meissnitzer. REUTERS/Calle Toernstroem ÂÂWinner Janica Kostelic from Croatia, center, is flanked on the podium by the two second placed Austrians Michaela Dorfmeister, left, and Alexandra Meissnitzer, right, after the women's super-G skiing World Cup race in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, on Sunday, Jan 15, 2006. (AP Photo/Gert Eggenberger) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 15 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7760/1/E-Croatias-Janica-Kostelic-makes-history-with-World-Cup-super-G-win.html ÂJanica Kostelic makes history with World Cup super-G winÂÂKostelic bests Bent in women's downhill. Croatia's Janica Kostelic claimed her first World Cup super-G victory on Sunday to become the first woman with wins in six different disciplines on the skiing circuit. Kostelic conquered the course in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, in one minute 9.41 seconds. She finished .10 seconds ahead of Austrians Michaela Dorfmeister and Alexandra Meissnitzer, this season's top two super-G racers who tied for second place. Allison Forsyth of Nanaimo, B.C., tied for 17th in a time of 1:10.46. Emily Brydon of Fernie, B.C., was 25th. Kostelic' previous best result in the super-G was in 2002 when she won Olympic silver and was second in Aspen. "It's funny. I feel like laughing, like crying – it was my goal," said Kostelic, one of the favourites for the upcoming Torino Games. "It's the dream of all skiers to win every discipline." It's been an amazing three-week period for the 24-year-old, who won three gold medals at both the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and last year's world championships. Kostelic won her first World Cup downhill race on Saturday and her first giant slalom on the tour three weeks ago. She now has 24 World Cup victories, including wins in all five main disciplines: the giant slalom, downhill, slalom, super-G and combined. Only two other have accomplished that feat: Sweden's Pernilla Wiberg and Austria's Petra Kronberger.Unlike Wiberg and Kronberger, however, Kostelic also has a victory in the new super-combi race. She won the first-ever race in the new discipline last February in San Sicario, Italy. With her victory on Sunday, Kostelic tops this season's overall standings with 982 points. Dorfmeister is in second with 730. Sweden's Anja Paerson is third at 685. Despite her brilliant form as of late, Kostelic isn't taking gold-medal success in Turin for granted. "It's hard to say. I'm in good form now, but I want to concentrate on the World Cup," Kostelic said. "We'll see at the Olympics." http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/sports/alpineskiing/stories/index.shtml?/story/olympics/national/2006/01/15/Sports/superg_kostelic.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 15 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7765/1/E-Croatia-eyes-another-rising-soccer-star.html ÂCroatia eyes another rising soccer star14:09 2006-01-11Croatia's soccer federation has its eye on another Australian-born player of Croatian descent. Croatian soccer chief Vlatko Markovic is interested in 17-year-old Mathew Spiranovic for the World Cup-bound Croatian national squad, according to the leading sports daily Sportske Novosti. Spiranovic, who was recently accepted into Australian Institute of Sport development program, is described as a robust striker with exceptional dexterity on and off the ball. The interest in Spiranovic is expected to rekindle tensions between Croatia and Australia, who have been drawn together in Group F of this year's World Cup in Germany. Also in the group are Japan and five-time champion Brazil. Croatia and Australia have already clashed over loyalties. The Croatian team presently has three players - Joey Didulica, Anthony Seric and Joe Simunic - who opted to represent the country of their origin rather than the country of their birth. On the other hand, Australia has eight players of Croatian heritage in its squad, including captain Mark Viduka and midfielder Josip Skoko, who have had spells with Croatia's leading clubs. Australia, a multicultural haven for millions of immigrants, made it to the World Cup after a 32-year hiatus and is eager to stem the flow of its homegrown talent offshore, the AP reports. V.Y. http://newsfromrussia.com/sport/2006/01/11/71004.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 11 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7768/1/EH-Janica-Kostelic-leads-the-World-Cup-2005-2006.html JANICA KOSTELIĆ DRUGA U MARIBORU JANICA KOSTELIĆ LEADING THE WORLD CUP Unplanned day off gives Kostelic recovery time SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2006 MARIBOR, Slovenia Janica Kostelic got an extra day to nurse her swollen right hand before she resumed her quest to beat Sweden's Anja Paerson for the overall World Cup title. A giant slalom race in Maribor, Slovenia, had been canceled on Saturday because warm weather created dangerously soft conditions, but organizers were able to fix the course in time for a Sunday slalom. Paerson, the defending overall World Cup champion and a seven-time winner at Maribor, skied out in her first run on Sunday. That mistake could allow Kostelic to extend her lead at the top of the overall standings. After the first run, the Austrian Kathrin Zettel was leading. Zettel posted a time of 51.89 seconds, with her compatriot Marlies Schild half a second behind and Annemarie Gerg of Germany in third place. Zettel has emerged this season with some strong performances, including a second place in the slalom in Zagreb, Croatia, on Thursday and three other podium finishes. Kostelic injured her hand in that slalom on Thursday. "It's O.K., I can ski with this hand," Kostelic said Saturday. "My hand is pretty good - better than yesterday. I can hold the pole now." Her hand is still being rubbed with salves to reduce swelling after the injury in Zagreb. There, Kostelic thrilled her home crowd of 25,000 by finishing third despite losing her pole and glove at the start of her second run. She could barely move her fingers after slapping the gates with her bare hand all the way down. Kostelic is already looking ahead to the Winter Olympics, starting Feb. 10 in Turin, but the Croat was not predicting a repeat of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, where she claimed three golds. "My goal this time is one gold medal," Kostelic said. Kostelic has 652 points in the overall standings, compared with Paerson's 585. The Swede won the season honors last year, edging her rival by three points. In the giant slalom standings, Paerson has a 285 to 270 lead over Kostelic with three races left before the Olympics. Rain over the past few days, along with rising temperatures, led to the softening of the snow on Saturday. Many racers agreed the conditions were too risky. More than 2,000 fans had turned out at the Pohorje course, hoping to see the local favorite, Tina Maze, repeat her victory from last season in the giant slalom. But most skiers approved of the decision not to run the race. One of the skiers supporting that decision was Lindsey Kildow, the American who leads the downhill standings. She posted a career-best ninth in the giant slalom last year in Maribor. "I was really looking forward to the race, because I know I can do well on this hill," Kildow said. "But I really wouldn't want to compromise my health by racing in conditions like today." Organizers said the giant slalom may be rescheduled at another World Cup event. Among other methods, in order to harden the snow for the race on Sunday the organizers watered the slope so it would freeze. Kostelic, meanwhile, was upbeat about her injury. "I think nothing's broken," she told state-run Croatian Radio. "It'll be O.K., I think." "If I won't be able to hold the pole, they should tie it to my hand," she jokingly added. She said, however, that the injury was "so painful I thought I wouldn't be able to do it." "But I had to do it this year because of the crowd," she added. Kostelic did not finish her home event last year after missing a gate. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/08/sports/women.php 08.01.2006      Janica Kostelić osvojila je drugo mjesto na petom slalomu sezone Svjetskog kupa u Mariboru, čime je sačuvala svoje vodstvo u ukupnom poretku Svjetskog kupa i u slalomu.  Nakon Sljemena, Austrijanka Marlies Schild je slavila i u Mariboru s vremenom 1:48,34 minute, a Janica je na drugom mjestu zaostala 57 stotinki. Kostelić je i u petoj slalomskoj utrci sezone zaredom doÅla do pobjedničkog postolja, a na stazi na Pohorju, koju prema vlastitom priznanju ne voli, u posljednje je tri nastupa svaki puta bila druga.  U prvoj vožnji Janica je bila osma, ali je zato imala najbolje vrijeme druge vožnje, dijelom i zbog tehnički vrlo zahtjevne staze koju je postavio njezin otac Ante Kostelić.  Nakon pet slalomskih utrka vode Kostelić i Schild s po 360 bodova, a u ukupnom poretku hrvatska Snježna kraljica uvjerljivo vodi sa 732 boda, odnosno 147 viÅe od drugoplasirane Åveđanke Anje Paersson, koja je odustala u prvoj vožnji.  Nika Fleiss je sa zaostatkom od 2,59 sekundi osvojila 11. mjesto, Åto joj je najbolji rezultat u Mariboru, a Ana JeluÅić je bila 19. s 5,50 sekundi sporijim vremenom od Schild.  Treće mjesto u Mariboru osvojila je Åveđanka Therese Borssen, a Matea Ferk je u prvoj vožnji bila 56.  Rezultati:  1. Marlies Schild (Aut) 52,19 / 56,15 / 1:48,34  2. Janica Kostelić (Hrv) 53,05 / 55,86 / 1:48,91  3. Therese Borssen (Åve) 52,89 / 56,14 / 1:49,03  4. Kristina Koznick (SAD) 52,91 / 56,61 / 1:49,52  5. Nicole Hosp (Aut) 52,74 / 56,92 / 1:49,66  6. Martina Ertl-Renz (Njem) 53,53 / 56,56 / 1:50,09  7. Laure Pequegnot (Fra) 53,40 / 56,81 / 1:50,21  8. Maria Pietilae-Holmner (Åve) 53,80 / 56,72 / 1:50,52  9. Lindsey Kildow (SAD) 53,84 / 56,92 / 1:50,76  10. Michaela Kirchgasser (Aut) 54,41 / 56,38 / 1:50,79  11. Nika Fleiss (Hrv) 53,76 / 57,17 / 1:50,93  19. Ana JeluÅić (Hrv) 54,90 / 58,94 / 1:53,84  Ukupni poredak Svjetskog kupa nakon 15 utrka:  1. Janica Kostelić (HRV) 732  2. Anja PÃrson (ÅVE) 585  3. Michaela Dorfmeister (AUT) 510  . Marlies Schild (AUT) 510  5. Lindsey C. Kildow (SAD) 478  6. Kathrin Zettel (AUT) 470  7. Alexandra Meissnitzer (AUT) 427  8. Nicole Hosp (AUT) 382  9. Andrea Fischbacher (AUT) 273  10. Julia Mancuso (SAD) 259  33. NIKA FLEISS (HRV) 114  48. ANA JELUÅIĆ (HRV) 58  Poredak u slalomu nakon pet utrka:  1. Janica Kostelić (HRV) 360  Marlies Schild (AUT) 360  3. Nicole Hosp (AUT) 247  4. Anja PÃrson (ÅVE) 245  5. Kathrin Zettel (AUT) 230  6. Kristina Koznick (SAD) 180  7. Laure Pequegnot (FRA) 155  8. Tanja Poutiainen (FIN) 149  9. Therese Borssen (ÅVE) 138  10. Annemarie Gerg (NJEM) 119  13. Nika Fleiss (HRV) 89  22. Ana JeluÅić (HRV) 58  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 08 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7766/1/EH-IVAN-LJUBICIC-WINS-IN-CHENNAI.html ÂLJUBICIC WINS IN CHENNAI ÂIvan Ljubicic claimed victory in Sunday's final at the Chennai Open.ÂLjubicic, the top seed from Croatia, proved too strong for Carlos Moya, the former world number one from Spain.Ljubicic was made to work for the first set, edging the third seed 8-6 in a tie-break.However, the second set was somewhat easier with Ljubicic taking it 6-2 to wrap up victory.Ljubicic comes into 2006 off his best ever year when he helped Croatia win the Davis Cup.  TENIS: IVAN LJUBICIC POBJEDNIK ATP TURNIRA U CHENNAIJU! 08.01.2006       Najbolji hrvatski tenisač Ivan Ljubičić osvojio je svoj četvrti ATP turnir u profesionalnoj karijeri. Nakon Lyona 2001. godine te Metza i Beča proÅle godine, Ivan Ljubičić slavio je i na otvaranju ATP sezone u indijskome Chennaiju, u kojem je bio postavljen za prvog nositelja.  Za svoj četvrti naslov u karijeri Ljubičić je morao danas odigrati dva vrlo teÅka meča. Najprije je zavrÅio jučer prekinuti polufinalni dvoboj protiv Belgijanca Kristofa Vliegena, u kojemu je slavio sa 6:3, 3:6 i 7:6 (6), a zatim je za nekoliko sati slijedio i težak finale protiv iskusnog Åpanjolca Carlosa Moye.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 08 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7769/1/E-Stipe-Drews-Light-Heavyweight-European-Champion.html ÂStipe Drews, 32, of CroatiaLight Heavyweight European ChampionÂStipe Drews, 32, of Croatia poses after his victory against Antonio Brancalion of Italy during their Light Heavyweight European Championship fight in Munich January 7, 2006. Drews won the fight by points. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle  Light Heavyweight Stipe Drews, 32, of Croatia celebrates his victory against Antonio Brancalion of Italy during their Light Heavyweight European Championship fight in Munich January 7, 2006. Drews won. Light Heavyweight Stipe Drews (L) 32, of Croatia and his competitor Antonio Brancalion, 29, of Italy pose during the official weigh-in in a Munich hotel January 6, 2006. Drews and Brancalion will fight for a Light Heavyweight European Championship title on Saturday in Munich. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle Email Photo Print Photo. Stipe Drews (L), 32, of Croatia lands a punch against Antonio Brancalion, 29, of Italy during their Light Heavyweight European Championship fight in Munich January 7, 2006. Drews won the fight by points. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle Reuters - Jan 07 2006  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 07 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7771/1/E-Oregon-States-Sasa-Cuic-15-from-Croatia-dunk-against-California.html ÂOregon State's Sasa Cuic (15) from CroatiaÂÂOregon State's Sasa Cuic (15) from Croatia, and teammate Marcel Jones react after Cuic's dunk against California late in the second half of an NCAA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006 in Berkeley, Calif. Oregon State won 72-64. (AP Photo/Dino Vournas)  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 06 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7772/1/E-Kostelic-Captivates-Croatia-With-a-Slalom-Run-for-the-Ages.html ÂKostelic Captivates Croatia With a Slalom Run for the Ages By NATHANIEL VINTONPublished: January 6, 2006ZAGREB, Croatia, Jan. 5 - Janica Kostelic lost a ski pole while pushing out of the starting gate but still managed to finish third in a World Cup slalom race in her homeland on Thursday. Kostelic was the main draw for the 25,000 fans who braved the cold at Sljeme, a small ski area just north of Zagreb, the capital. Thousands more watched on a wall of televisions in the city's main square."Janica Kostelic is very important to us here," said Milan Bandic, the mayor of Zagreb, a city of about 800,000. "We are a small people, but we have a winner's mentality."Marlies Schild of Austria won the two-run race in 1 minute 53.63 seconds, with her countrywoman Kathrin Zettel 0.44 seconds behind. Kostelic finished 1.45 seconds off the pace and clutched her hand in pain after losing her pole at the top of the second run. "I wanted to quit because it was hurting so much," said Kostelic, who dragged her bare right hand in the snow on half the turns, and knocked the gates out of the way with it on the others. "But at the end of the flat part I realized I only had 20 more gates, and I thought it would be best to finish for my fans."Ski poles are essential to skiers for balance, but racers often ski without them as a training drill.The race was held on Kostelic's 24th birthday, at the slope where she learned to ski. The second run was held at night, under floodlights, to maximize the ratings of the live television broadcast.Kostelic became a national hero by winning four medals at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City: gold in combined, downhill and slalom, and silver in super-G. Croatia has passionately embraced the sport of Alpine ski racing ever since. Growing up, Kostelic and her brother, Ivica, were the ultimate outsiders, sleeping in their car at races to save money and being coached by their father, Ante. In Croatia, which has a population of 4.5 million, the Kostelic family story is sometimes called the miracle. On Thursday, athletes, coaches, journalists and ski technicians were transported to the mountain in a lengthy police convoy, which left a downtown hotel at 12:15 p.m. and arrived at the top of the mountain 40 minutes later. The athletes found thousands of fans lining the length of the race hill, clutching road flares that they did not light until Kostelic came down. With a budget of $3.59 million and the biggest purse of the season, the Zagreb race may be the most enthusiastically organized event of the women's World Cup. Last year the same mountain was the site of Croatia's first World Cup race. Kostelic's fans were disappointed when she failed to finish that event, but they showed more patience than they had in 2003, when they threw snowballs at Anja Paerson of Sweden while she descended the course.On Thursday, Kostelic lost her right pole at the starting gate, and the pole's retention strap pulled her mitten off with it. Fans groaned, then went wild when Kostelic registered faster times at each of the timing splits. "She is No. 1 in our eyes because of her will," said Goran Kratofil, who for 20 years has been the proprietor of the Golden Bear restaurant at the top of the Sljeme slope. "When she gets hurt, she wants to recover so badly, and she always does."The top Americans in the race were Kristina Koznick in seventh place and Resi Stiegler in 10th. They have probably clinched positions in the slalom for the Olympics in February in Turin, Italy, although the United States team will not be named until Jan. 25.http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/06/sports/othersports/06ski.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7770/1/E-Sljeme-Croatia-2006-World-Cup-at-night.html ÂSljeme 2006 World Cup at night, Croatia photo Igor Kralj letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7775/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-regained-the-World-Cup-overall-lead.html ÂSchild Wins Slalom, Kostelic Regains Lead Thursday, December 29, 2005Marlies Schild led a 1-2 Austrian finish in a slalom race, and Janica Kostelic was third Thursday to regain the World Cup overall lead.Schild covered the Schlossberg marathon course in a two-run time of 1 minute, 57.92 seconds, a whopping 1.02 seconds ahead of teammate Nicole Hosp. Kostelic was timed in 1:59.65."I was really surprised to win with such a large margin," Schild said after posting the fastest times in both runs and getting her fifth career World Cup victory. "I didn't feel so good on the course and it was tough work."American Kristina Koznick finished fourth in 1:59.81. Lindsey Kildow led the rest of the Americans with a finish of eighth. Sarah Schleper tied for 13th, Julia Mancuso was 15th, Lauren Ross 23rd and Resi Stiegler 26th.Triple Olympic champion Kostelic of Croatia, who said she woke up feeling weak and ill, took both the overall and slalom points leads from Anja Paerson of Sweden.Paerson, who won Wednesday's giant slalom, slid out on the fall-away in the opening leg. It was the first time in almost a year that she has failed to qualify for the second run of a World Cup slalom.Paerson also broke one of her best skis, with which she won the season's first two slalom races, in Aspen, Colo., and Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic.Kostelic leads the overall with 592 points. Paerson dropped to second with 540.Paerson, who defeated Kostelic for last season's overall title by three points, was not upset by her losses in the standings."My goal is the Olympics this year," she said. "I'm not chasing points for the World Cup title, so I am risking everything, trying to go for it all the time, to win races so I can do it in Turin."Kostelic also tops the slalom table with 220 points. Paerson is second with 200 and Schild third with 160.It was the first time Austrian women have taken the top two spots in a slalom on home snow and the team's third victory of the season."When you see the Austrians leading at home it kind of hurts," Paerson told The Associated Press. "I'm going to come back in Zagreb and push for it."The women next race Jan. 5 in Zagreb, Croatia.Austrian Kathrin Zettel was fifth.Defending slalom champion Tanja Poutiainen was sixth. The Finn, also the defending giant slalom champion, has struggled in both events this season, with no finishes better than sixth after she dominated the slalom and won the title last season by late January.Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria tore ligaments in her left ankle after crashing on the final pitch in the first run. The team said her ankle was already vulnerable after a training crash in New Zealand in August.http://www.baynews9.com/content/40/2005/12/29/136421.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7773/1/E-Prosinecki-aiming-to-save-Croatia-regional-Savski-Marof.html ÂProsinecki: 'I have decided to try and help Savski Marof because it is a club that my late father loved'. ÂCroatia great returns - for loveFrom correspondents in Zagreb19dec05FORMER Croatia footballing great Robert Prosinecki has ended his two-year retirement to help save a team his late father loved from relegation. Prosinecki, 37 next month, is aiming to save Croatia regional side Savski Marof from relegation and does not want to be paid for it. 'I have decided to try and help Savski Marof because it is a club that my late father loved,' he said. 'It always gives me pleasure to play when my body allows me to,' added Prosinecki, who was a member of the Yugoslavia side that reached the second round of the 1990 World Cup finals and the Croatia team which finished third in 1998. Prosinecki retired in 2003 after a distinguished career which saw him number among his clubs Red Star Belgrade (with which he won the 1991 European Cup), Real Madrid and Barcelona. http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17608940%255E23215,00.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7767/1/E-July-2006-in-Zadar-Croatian-World-Games.html ÂJuly 2006 in Zadar: Croatian World GamesÂAre you a Croatian aficionado? Have you ever wanted to meet Croatians from all over the world at one place? Are you fond of sports enthusiasts?Spread the word - the first Croatian World Games are awaiting you from July 15 - July 22, 2006 in Zadar, Croatia!People from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Argentina, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and other countries have started to apply and will be competing in 15 disciplines, such as Athletics, Swimming, Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Soccer etc. Imagine the Olympics, but with only Croatians and people of Croatian descent competing...The goal of this event is to bring Croatians from Croatia and Croatians from the Diaspora closer to each other. Don't worry if you are not a pro in any of this disciplines - join the crowd and compete for your own fun and pleasure. If you feel you are a pro, go and prove it to the world - you might be discovered as a sports talent and accepted into one of the Croatian national teams!For only EUR 285.-- you get to lodge seven days with half-pension in a bungalow in the popular tourist district of Zaton, participate in the athletic part of the Games, enjoy free entrance at all Games sites and entertainment program, use the recreation facilities in the sports village, take advantage of the provided transportation within the sports village, as well as access the IT center unlimitedly.Visit www.zadar2006.com and find out more about this first global Croatian sports event.Sign up today and be part of this unique Croatian gathering. If you are tied up with other plans during Summer 2006, send this email to all your friends, relatives and acquaintances... give everybody you know a chance of participating in a truly energetic event! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7774/1/H-Hrvatski-Sport-u-2005.html ÂSIJEČANJ Početak nove godine obilježio je Niko Kranjčar, koji je napustio Dinamo i na veliko razočaranje brojnih navijača Dinama, skrasio se u njegovu najvećem konkurentu - splitskom Hajduku. Ivan Ljubičić je najavio izvrsnu sezonu plasmanom u finale ATP turnira u Dohi, gdje ga je zaustavio Federer. Janica Kostelić je u borbi za Veliki kristalni globus osvojila druga mjesta na spustu u Cortini d'Ampezzo i slalomu u Mariboru, ali nije uspjela slaviti na prvome sljemenskom slalomu, gdje je najbolja bila Poutiainen. TENIS, ATP U DOHI:Roger Federer pobijedio Ivana Ljubičića u finaluOLIMPIJSKE IGRE GLUHIH:Zlato hrvatskih rukometaÅa SKIJANJE, SVJETSKI KUP:Janica 2. u spustu u Cortini d'Ampezzo,Ivica 2. u slalomu u Wengenu;Janica i Ivica na postolju u istome danuAUTOMOBILIZAM, DAKARSKI RELI:Peterhansel obranio naslov, Martinčević i Frčko 72.SKIJANJE, SVJETSKI KUP:Poutiainen pobjednica prvoga sljemenskog slaloma; Fleiss 8., JeluÅić 9., Janica odustala u prvoj vožnjiNOGOMET:Niko Kranjčar potpisao za Hajduk!HOKEJ NA LEDU:MedveÅčak zaustavljen u polufinalu InterligeSTOLNI TENIS, ITTF PRO TOUR:Samsonov pobjednik CROP-a, BoroÅ ispala u polufinalupovratak na vrhVELJAČANakon vrlo dobrih nastupa u većem dijelu Svjetskoga prvenstva u Tunisu, hrvatski su rukometaÅi doživjeli težak poraz u finalu od Åpanjolske te tako nisu uspjeli obraniti naslov iz Portugala. Za veliko slavlje u Hrvatskoj pobrinula se Janica Kostelić, koja je osvojila tri zlata na Svjetskome prvenstvu u skijanju u Italiji, a vrlo dobrim nastupima u San Sicariju nastavila je i borbu za Veliki kristalni globus. Ivan Ljubičić nastavio je izvrsno igrati, ali je zaustavljen u finalima u Marseilleu, Rotterdamu i Dubaiju. RUKOMET, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO: Težak poraz u finalu od ÅpanjolskeKARATE, JUNIORSKO EP:Zlato, dva srebra i bronca za hrvatske reprezentativceSKIJANJE, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO: Tri zlata za Janicu KostelićTENIS, ATP:Ljubičić u finalu Marseillea,Rotterdama i Dubaija, a Ančić u finalu ScottsdaleaATLETIKA:Blanka VlaÅić operirala ÅtitnjačuKOÅARKA:Åibenik Jolly JBS pobjednik Trocal lige, aZadar pobjednik Kupa KreÅimira ĆosićaSKIJANJE, JUNIORSKO SP:Ana JeluÅić osvojila broncu u slalomuSKIJANJE, SVJETSKI KUP:Janica Kostelić osvojila kombinaciju te drugo mjesto u spustu u San SicarijuGIMNASTIKA, SVJETSKI KUP:Seligman 3. na konju s hvataljkama u New Yorkupovratak na vrhOŽUJAKNakon izvrsnih nastupa na ATP turnirima, hrvatski su tenisači priredili najveće iznenađenje u 1. kolu Svjetske skupine Davis Cupa. Nakrilima Ivana Ljubičića Hrvatska je s 3:2 slavila u gostima kod SAD-a. Nažalost, Janica Kostelić nije uspjela osvojiti Veliki kristalni globus, koji joj je izmaknuo za samo devet stotinki. Dinamo je priredio neugodno iznenađenje svojim navijačima ne plasiravÅi se u Ligu za prvaka Prve HNL Ožujsko, ali zato hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija nije razočarala u kvalifikacijama za SP.ÂTENIS, DAVIS CUP:Hrvatska slavila u SAD-uSKIJANJE, SVJETSKI KUP:Janica Kostelić druga u ukupnom poretku za Veliki kristalni globusSKIJANJE, OTVORENO PRVENSTVO HRVATSKE:Janica i Ivica Kostelić slavili u superveleslalomu islalomu, aJanica Kostelić i Natko Zrnčić Dim u veleslalomu NOGOMET, 1. HNL OŽUJSKO:Slaven Belupo izbacio Dinamo iz Lige za prvakaKOÅARKA:Gospić Industrogradnja osvojila Kup Ružice Meglaj RimacTAJLANDSKI BOKS, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO:Muslić osvojio broncuNOGOMET, KVALIFIKACIJE ZA SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO:Hrvatska slavila protiv Islanda i MalteSTOLNI TENIS, EKIPNO EP:ÂHrvatska ženska reprezentacija obranila srebroKOÅARKA:ÂCibona zavrÅila natjecanje u Euroligi porazom u posljednjem kolupovratak na vrhTRAVANJU prvim zavrÅnicama prvenstava i kupova uglavnom su potvrđene tradicionalne vrijednosti. Rukometni kup osvojio je Zagreb, Prvenstvo odbojkaÅice Mladosti, a rukometaÅice Lokomotive pobrinule su se za iznenađenje osvojivÅi domaći kup. Stolnotenisačica Tamara BoroÅ je u paru s Rumunjkom Steff osvojila europsko zlato, a tomu je dodala i broncu u pojedinačnoj konkurenciji. Europsku je broncu osvojio i Zoran Primorac. Pehistica je ponovno bila Janica Kostelić, kojoj je napuknuo miÅić. STOLNI TENIS, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:ÂZlato BoroÅ i Steff u paru, bronce BoroÅ i Primorca u singluKOÅARKA, FIBA KUP:Croatia četvrta na napuljskom Final FouruSKIJANJE:Janici Kostelić napuknuo miÅićODBOJKA:Andrej Urnaut izbornik hrvatske muÅke reprezentacijeTAEKWONDO, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO:Sandra Åarić osvojila broncu HRVANJE, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:Neven Žugaj osvojio brončanu medalju RUKOMET, KUP HRVATSKE: Zagrebu 12. naslov u Kupu;Lokomotiva osvojila Kup nakon 12 godinaTENIS, FED CUP:Tajland - Hrvatska 2:3 ODBOJKA, PRVENSTVO HRVATSKE: Varaždincima drugi naslov zaredom;MladostaÅice i treći put u finalu bolje od Azenepovratak na vrhSVIBANJHajduk je u Splitu obranio naslov prvaka države, no u finalu Kupa uspjeÅniji su bili Riječani, kojima je to bio prvi trofej nakon 26 godina. RukometaÅi Zagreba rutinski su osvojili 14. naslov, a porazom u finalu zavrÅili su pustolovinu u europskom Kupu kupova. Na korak do najviÅeg postolja u Kupu kupova zaustavljena je i Podravka. Vaterpolisti Juga također su ponovili proÅlogodiÅnji uspjeh, obranivÅi naslov prvaka države, a Miroslav Blažević napokon je ostvario san - postao je trener Hajduka.RUKOMET, KUP KUPOVA:Zagreb i Podravka zaustavljeni u finaluNOGOMET, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO (U-17):Hrvatska četvrta u Europi, no bez SP-aKARATE, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:Tri medalje za Hrvatsku, Naranđa na najviÅem postoljuVATERPOLO: Jug CO obranio naslov prvaka države iosvojio četvrto mjesto u EuroligiTENIS, ZAGREB OPEN:Ljubičić bez izgubljena seta do naslovaNOGOMET:Hajduk obranio naslov, aÂRijeka slavila u kupu i osvojila trofej nakon 26 godinaRUKOMET, PRVENSTVO HRVATSKE:Zagreb i 14. put zaredom prvak državeKOÅARKA, PRVENSTVO HRVATSKE: Croatia prvak NOGOMET:Miroslav Blažević novi trener HajdukaKAJAK NA DIVLJIM VODAMA, SVJETSKI KUP:Hohnjecu ukupno srebro, Gojiću broncapovratak na vrhLIPANJSjajan mjesec tenisača - prva ATP titula u karijeri Marija Ančića u Hertogenboschu i juniorski naslov u Roland Garrosu za Marina Čilića. Možda i najbolja igra nogometaÅa Zlatka Kranjčara u kvalifikacijskom ciklusu u Sofiji donijela je pobjedu od 1:3 protiv Bugarske, a u prvim danima lipnja Podravka je nastavila uspjeÅan niz iz svibnja osvajanjem prvenstva. Najveći uspjeh u povijesti hrvatske gimnastike ostvario je Osječanin Robert Seligman. Bronca mu je u Debrecenu izmaknula za 0,63 boda.RUKOMET, PRVENSTVO HRVATSKE: Podravka osvojila 12. naslov prvakinjaBOKS:Stjepan Božić postao svjetski prvak,Stipe DrviÅ WBO interkontinentalni prvak, a Biliću svjetski juniorski naslovKUGLANJE, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO:Zlato i tri bronce za Hrvatsku NOGOMET, KVALIFIKACIJE ZA SP: Sjajna igra i trijumf Hrvatske u SofijiGIMNASTIKA, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:Seligman četvrtimÂmjestom ostvario najveći uspjeh hrvatske gimnastikeTENIS:Marinu Čiliću juniorski Roland Garros,Mario Ančić osvojio prvi ATP naslov u karijeri, aIvo Karlović poražen u finalu Queen's ClubaSKIJANJE:Janici operirano desno koljenoODBOJKA:Rade Malević ponovno izbornikATLETIKA: Blanka odgodila povratak na skakaliÅtaKOÅARKA, PRVENSTVO HRVATSKE:Nakon Kupa, Zadrani osvojili i prvenstvopovratak na vrhSRPANJNa Svjetskome prvenstvu u vodenim sportovima u Montrealu, Hrvatska je prvi put imala predstavnike u svim sportovima: plivanju, vaterpolu, skokovima u vodu te sinkroniziranom i daljinskom plivanju. Do medalje je doÅao samo sprinter Duje Draganja, koji je osvojio srebro na 50 m slobodno. Na Mediteranskim igrama u Almeriji Hrvatski su sportaÅi osvojili 26 odličja - pet zlatnih, deset srebrnih i jedanaest brončanih odličja, a naÅ najuspjeÅniji sportaÅ bio je kajakaÅ Stjepan Janić, koji je osvojio dva zlatna odličja.MEDITERANSKE IGRE:Hrvatski sportaÅi osvojili 26 medaljaVESLANJE, SVJETSKI KUP:SiniÅa i NikÅa Skelin pobjednici Svjetskoga kupaTENIS, FED CUP:Njemačka preko Hrvatske doÅla do skupine 1NOGOMET, SUPERKUP:Hajduk obranio naslovATLETIKA, JUNIORSKO SP I EP:Rekord i srebro za Danijelu Grgić;Grgić i Vincek europski prvaci na 400 m,Koturu zlato na 400 prepone, a SrÅi srebro u kladivuTENIS, DAVIS CUP:Hrvati u četvrtfinalu bolji od RumunjaKAJAK/KANU, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:Stjepanu Janiću bronca na mirnim vodama;tri medalje za hrvatske divljevodaÅe u spustuVODENI SPORTOVI, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO:Duje Draganja srebrni na 50 m slobodno, vaterpolisti korak do medaljepovratak na vrhKOLOVOZU kolovozu su nas tradicionalno razveselili naÅi mladi jedriličari, koji su u samo tjedan dana osvojili četiri europska zlata, dva srebra i jednu broncu. Usto, naslov svjetskih juniorskih prvaka osvojili su Åime Fantela i Igor Marenić u olimpijskoj klasi 470. Iako je bila riječ o prijateljskoj utakmici, dolazak brazilske nogometne reprezentacije na Poljud privukao je 30.000 gledatelja. Izabranici Zlatka Kranjčara izvukli su remi protiv peterostrukih svjetskih prvaka. Strijelci u Splitu bili su Niko Kranjčar i Ricardinho. JEDRENJE:Fantela i Marenić svjetski juniorski prvaci;četiri europska naslova za naÅe mlade jedriličareNOGOMET, PRETKOLA LIGE PRVAKA I KUPA UEFA-e:Debrecen deklasirao Hajduk;ispali i Inter i Rijeka VESLANJE, JUNIORSKO SP:Srebro za Jurinu i Holija u dvojcu na parićeRUKOMET, MLAĐE JUNIORSKO SP:'Mali pakleni' osvojili brončanu medaljuSAMOSTREL, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO (FIELD):Četiri zlata i bronca za hrvatsku reprezentacijuNOGOMET, PRIJATELJSKA UTAKMICA:Remi Hrvatske i Brazila na PoljuduSPORT INVALIDA:Četiri medalje za Iveković i Vuković na Europskom atletskom prvenstvu za osobe s invaliditetomVATERPOLO, JUNIORSKO EP:Hrvatska obranila europsko srebroPLIVANJE:RogoÅić uspjeÅno otplivao maraton od Savudrije do Prevlakepovratak na vrhRUJANS mnogo nade očekivali smo Europsko koÅarkaÅko prvenstvo u Srbiji i Crnoj Gori. Nažalost, Neven Spahija i naÅi reprezentativci osvojili su tek sedmo mjesto i ostali bez plasmana na Svjetsko prvenstvo, Åto je uoči europske smotre izgledalo kao ostvariv cilj. Za bolje vijesti u hrvatskom sportu pobrinuli su se naÅi teniski reprezentativci, koji su se pobjedom nad Rusijom plasirali u finale Davis Cupa. Nakon Europskog prvenstva u Zagrebu i PuliBarbara Ružić se oprostila od aktivnog bavljenja sportom.NOGOMET, KVALIFIKACIJE ZA SP:TeÅki kiks Hrvatske na MaltiBOĆANJE, JUNIORSKO SP:ÂS pet medalja hrvatski boćari najuspjeÅnijiJEDRENJE, JUNIORSKO SP U FINNU:Kljaković-GaÅpić svjetski juniorski prvakSTRELIČARSTVO, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:Zorman druga u juniorskoj konkurencijiNOGOMET:Ćiro ponovno otiÅao iz hrvatskog nogometa; Gudelj novi trener HajdukaKOÅARKA, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:Hrvatska bez polufinala i Svjetskoga prvenstvaODBOJKA, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:Hrvatice osme, oproÅtaj Barbare Ružić od aktivnog igranjaRUKOMET, EP GLUHIH:Hrvatska europski prvakTENIS, WTA U CALCUTTI:Poraz Karoline Åprem u finaluTENIS, DAVIS CUP:Hrvatski tenisači preko Rusa do finalapovratak na vrhLISTOPADHrvatska nogometna reprezentacija u listopadu je potvrdila plasman na Svjetsko nogometno prvenstvo 2006. Ivan Ljubičić je ponovno bio uspjeÅan te je osvojio ATP naslove u Metzu i u Beču, a na Mastersu u Madridu za dlaku je bolji bio Nadal. Alen GuÅtin okitio se zlatom na SP-u u boćanju, juniorska vaterpolska reprezentacija osvojila je svjetsko srebro, a hrvatski taekwondoaÅi osvojili su tri medalje na EP-u u Rigi. Janica Kostelić sezonu je otvorila drugim, a Nika Fleiss 15. mjestom u veleslalomu u Soeldenu.NOGOMET, KVALIFIKACIJE ZA SP:Hrvatska potvrdila plasman u Njemačku TENIS:Ivan Ljubičić osvojio ATP naslove u Metzu iu Beču,poražen u finalu Mastersa u Madridu TENIS, ATP U TOKIJU:Mario Ančić poražen u finalu BOĆANJE, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO:Alen GuÅtin opet svjetski prvak VATERPOLO, JUNIORSKO SP:Hrvatska viceprvak svijetaTAEKWONDO, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:Zlato i dvije bronce Hrvatskoj STRELJAÅTVO OSOBA S INVALIDITETOM, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO:Hrvatskoj zlato i srebroSKIJANJE, SVJETSKI KUP:Janica Kostelić sezonu otvorila drugim, a Nika Fleiss 15. mjestom;Zagreb dobio organizaciju muÅkog slaloma u veljači 2008.RIBOLOV, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO:Hrvati svjetski prvaci u lovu na ÅaraneGIMNASTIKA, SVJETSKI KUP:Erceg druga u Mariborupovratak na vrhSTUDENIU studenom smo dobili svjetskog doprvaka u boksu - Marija Åivoliju. Najbolji hrvatski sportaÅ u ovoj godini, Ivan Ljubičić, nije uspio osvojiti prvi naslov na turniru iz Masters serije u Parizu, ali je izborio zavrÅni Masters Cup u Åangaju. Sjajnu sezonu Ljubo i Mario Ančić zavrÅili su na najboljim pozicijama u karijeri. Na dvoranskom EP-u u samostrelu field Hrvati su osvojile čak osam medalja. Od nogometnih vijesti izdvajamo prolaz u uži krug hrvatsko-mađarske kandidature za domaćina Europskoga prvenstva 2012. godine.BOKS, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO:Mario Åivolija svjetski doprvakTENIS:Ljubičić poražen na Mastersu u Parizu,bez polufinala na zavrÅnom Masters Cupu u ÅangajuTENIS, ATP LJESTVICE:Ljubičić i Ančić na najboljim pozicijama u karijeriSAMOSTREL, DVORANSKO EP (FIELD):Hrvatima osam medalja.NOGOMET:U-21 reprezentacija bez zavrÅnice EP-a,Portugal u pripremnoj utakmici bolji od KockastihKARATE, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO: Juniori i kadeti osvojilipojedinačne iekipne medaljePLIVANJE:Duje Draganja će plivati za KatarKOÅARKA:Hrvatska bez pozivnice za SP;teÅka ozljeda Mateja Mamića NOGOMET:Hrvatska i Mađarska kandidatura za EURO 2012. proÅla u uži krug,Beckenbauer posjetio HrvatskuTENIS: Zagreb dobio dvoranski ATP turnirpovratak na vrhPROSINACKrunu na uspjeÅnu sezonu hrvatski tenisači stavili su osvajanjem Davis Cupa u Bratislavi, nakon Åto su u finalu Mario Ančić i Ivan Ljubičić svladali Slovačku s 3:2, za jedan od najvećih uspjeha hrvatskog sporta u povijesti! Hrvatski su nogometaÅi saznali prve suparnike na SP-u u Njemačkoj. Natjecanje će otvoriti dvobojem s Brazilcima 13. lipnja. Pet dana poslije odmjerit će snage s Japanom, a u posljednjoj utakmici skupine F 9. srpnja igraju s Australijom. Janica Kostelić i ove sezone nas oduÅevljava, godinu je zavrÅila na prvome mjestu u ukupnom poretku Svjetskog kupa. TENIS, DAVIS CUP:Hrvatska osvojila naslov pobjednikaBOKS:Stjepan Božić obranio naslov svjetskog prvakaPLIVANJE, EUROPSKO PRVENSTVO (MALI BAZENI):Bronca Gordana Kožulja na 200 m leđnoRUKOMET, LIGA PRVAKA:Flensburg izbacio Zagreb u osmini finalaKOÅARKA:Izbornik Spahija potvrdio ostavkuNOGOMET, SVJETSKO PRVENSTVO:Hrvatska s Brazilom, Japanom i Australijom u skupini FSKIJANJE, SVJETSKI KUP:ÂJanica prva i druga u ČeÅkoj; Janica druga, Ana 10. u slalomu u Aspenu; Janica peta u spustu; Janica preuzela vodstvo u Svjetskom kupu i slalomuNOGOMET, DVORANSKO PRVENSTVO HRVATSKE:Zagreb prvi dvoranski prvakODBOJKA, KUP HRVATSKE: Mladost i Rijeka KWSO osvajači KupaVATERPOLO, KUP HRVATSKE: Mladost u finalu bolja od JugaJanica Kostelić, Ivan Ljubičić, tenisači i stolnotenisačice sportaÅi godine u izboru SN-aOlimpijsko zlato rukometaÅa naj-događaj u samostalnoj HrvatskojÂpovratak na vrhÂÂhttp://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/godisnja/2005/index.asp letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 01 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7780/1/E-Andrew-Bogut--Toni-Kukoc-last-second-win.html ÂTwo Croatians in ActionAndrew Bogut hitting a winning short shot with seven tenths of a second left in overtime ! Pass by Toni Kukoc !ÂÂMilwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut from Australia (R) is hugged by guard Mo Williams (L) after hitting a short shot with seven tenths of a second left in overtime to defeat the San Antonio Spurs at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 20, 2005. Toni Kukoc from Croatia threw an in bounds pass to Bogut for the winning basket in the 109-107 final. REUTERS/Allen Fredrickson  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 22 Dec 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7779/1/E-Kostelic-Wins-World-Cup-Giant-Slalom.html ÂKostelic Wins World Cup Giant Slalom 12.21.2005, 10:44 AM Janica Kostelic of Croatia rallied on the second run Wednesday and got the first World Cup giant slalom victory of her career. Kostelic, third after opening leg, covered the Cerna course in a combined time of 2 minutes, 21.30 seconds to win the first World Cup alpine race held in the Czech Republic. She performed a particularly skillful cartwheel in ski boots in the finish area after she saw the last skier come down, then clambered over the barrier to kiss her father and coach. "I guess this is proof I can win GS," Kostelic said. "It's a special feeling because when you wait for something so long it makes you so happy, but there is no time to celebrate because there's another race tomorrow." Kathrin Zettel of Austria was second in 2:21.38, followed by teammate Marlies Schild in 2:21.40. Kostelic leads the giant slalom standings with 230 points, 40 more than Zettel. Kostelic also is third in the overall standings. Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria leads with 502 points, 80 more than teammate Alexandra Meissnitzer. Kostelic is another 10 points back. Kostelic won three gold medals at the Salt Lake City Olympics and has two overall World Cup titles. She also took the world championship in the downhill, slalom and combined last winter in Bormio, Italy. It was the 22nd World Cup victory for Kostelic, a multi-medal favorite heading into the Turin Olympics. The top American was Julia Mancuso, who finished 14th, 1:19 off the pace. Mancuso, the world championship bronze medalist in the slalom last winter, crashed in the finish area after the first leg but was unhurt. Teammate Kristina Koznick, fourth following the opening leg, dropped to 16th after making a mistake on the second run. It was the first victory of the season for Kostelic, who had surgery on her right knee in June. It was the most recent operation in a career disrupted by injury and illness. Kostelic finished runner-up in the season-opening giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, and fourth in Aspen, Colo. She also was second in the slalom in Aspen.After undergoing three knee operations and having her thyroid removed, she missed the entire 2003-04 season only to come back last season and win three world titles. Nicole Hosp of Austria was the fastest in the first leg but slipped to fourth after the second run. http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2005/12/21/ap2407509.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 22 Dec 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7776/1/E-Vote-for-Janica-Kostelic.html ÂVote for Janica Kostelichttp://www.eurosport.com/ In the lower bottom right corner, find a voting square. Till January 1st 2006.JANICA KOSTELIC VODI U EUROSPORTOVOJ ANKETI ZA SPORTSKU OSOBU GODINE U izboru za sportasa godine na internetskim stanicama satelitske postaje Eurosporta uvjerljivo vodi Janica Kostelic sa cak 75 posto glasova, a do sada je stiglo vise od 25000 glasova. Koliko Janica znaci u svijetu sporta, govori i podatak da su iza nje po broju glasova najbolji nogometas danasnjice Ronaldinho, motociklist Valentino Rossi i tenisac Roger Federer. Zelite li i sami dati glas za Janicu, napravite to do 1. sijecnja, do kada traje glasovanje. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 22 Dec 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7778/1/E-Mario-Preskar-Wins-by-a-TKO-in-Berlin.html ÂMARIO PRESKAR TKO WIN AGAINÂÂMoving up fast along Heavyweight Boxing ladder 21-year-old undefeated Croatian Heavyweight Mario Preskar won again Saturday, December 17 in Berlin's Max Schmeling Halle. Czech Ervin Slonka was the victim. Preskar who came in at 219 lbs overwhelmed his more experienced opponent (23 fights, Preskar's 10th fight) in barrage of assault that began in the first round. Throwing combinations from the start Preskar was looking for an opening. Slonka, who was afraid to exchange and therefore be exposed to an early knockout stayed in a locked stance throughout the match and absorbed tremendous punishment. 'At the start of the 6th round my trainer told me to go and finish him. Before that he was closed up. I felt super throughout the match. I was working fast and had excellent tempo. In the 6th round I came in with everything and he went down' The referee started counting. After another series of punches the second countdown did not go to ten as referee mercifully stopped the fight. TKO win Mario Preskar who improves his record to 9-0-1. The fight was televised by Croatian TV (HTV) and is a first in a series of fights that will feature Mario Preskar. Television deal signed by HTV and DKP (Don King Productions) is an indication that Preskar's career is about to take off. 'We are going to take of couple of weeks off said Preskar's manager/trainer Leonard Pijetraj. Mario has been training very hard the whole year. It was a good finish, 3 knockouts in the last 2 months.' Zeljko Preskar, Mario's father said friends and neighbors were calling all night and offering congratulations. In the feature fight undefeated Nicolay Valuev became the tallest and heaviest world champion in boxing history by winning the WBA heavyweight title over John Ruiz. The seven-foot tall, 324 lbs. Valuev (44-0, 31 KOs) who goes by the nickname 'Beast from the East' or simply 'Beast' was able to use his huge reach advantage to become the first Russian Heavyweight Champion.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Dec 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7777/1/E-The-Ultimate-Triumph-CROATIANS-WIN-DAVIS-CUP.html ÂThe Ultimate TriumphBY JEFFREY LESSERCroatians and croatophiles alike, the time to celebrate is now. On December 4th, 2005 in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, the greatest team achievement in Croatian history took place. Under the leadership of Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic, the Croatian men’s tennis team won what is by far the most important team event in all of tennis, the Davis Cup.The Croatians won the year-long four-round event after beginning their conquest in February, defeating the United States’ dream team that featured Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, and the Bryan Brothers, who had never lost even a set in doubles in five previous Davis Cup appearances. Ancic and Ljubicic then took their two man wrecking crew back home to Croatia, where they faced Romania, defeating the overmatched Andrei Pavel and Victor Hanescu by a 4-1 margin. Then the Croatians, on the strength of Ivan Ljubicic’s five set win over Mikhail Youzhny on the first day and a Ljubicic-Ancic doubles victory on the second, defeated Russia in the semifinals. This set them up for their showdown against the Slovaks.The first Davis Cup final ever to feature two unseeded teams did not disappoint. In the first match, Ivan Ljubicic, who had been on fire in the latter half of the year, shooting up in the world rankings to an all-time high of number nine in the world, faced 308th-ranked Karol Kucera, who filled in for an ailing Karol Beck. The match was as lopsided as the rankings would suggest, as Ljubicic simply overpowered the hapless Slovak, 6-3 6-4 6-3. Although the Croatian section had much to cheer for in an otherwise-partisan arena, only one point was secured for the Croatians. Team victory required three points, not just one. What was perhaps most amazing about this victory was that it was Ivan Ljubicic’s tenth Davis Cup match win. After the match, he had a record of 7-0 in singles and 3-0 in doubles for the year in Davis Cup competition. Every one of his wins took place when the outcome of the tie was still undecided— before Croatia secured three match wins. Nobody in the history of the event has ever secured so meaningful many wins in one year. In the second match of the day, the solid Slovak number one, Dominik Hrbaty, defeated Mario Ancic in four long sets. After day one of the final, it was Croatia, 1; Slovak Republic, 1. Because the first day left the teams knotted up at one, the doubles became more important than ever. The winner would have to win only one of the two singles matches on Sunday to secure its respective nation’s first ever Davis Cup title. Ancic and Ljubicic, despite a shaky start, overcame their Slovak foes, Hrbaty and Michal Mertinak, in the first set in a tight tiebreak. The next set, and the match, fell to the Croatians, sending the fans and players into frenzy. After a 7-6(5) 6-3 7-6(5) victory, Croatia was up 2-1 in the finals. One more win would not only secure Ivan Ljubicic a perfect year in Davis Cup, but also possession of the Davis Cup.Croatian fans could sense victory as soon as it was announced that Ivan Ljubicic would be facing Dominik Hrbaty in the first match on Sunday. Ljubicic had a 5-0 career record against Hrbaty and, more importantly, an undefeated record in Davis Cup to date. After easily notching the first set, an ailing Ljubicic shockingly dropped the next two to the Slovak, who was clearly rising to the occasion, playing one of the best matches of his career. Still, Ljubicic, who had vomited in between sets and called the decision on whether or not he would play “one of the toughest decisions of my career,” found a way to win the fourth set. In a match of indescribable intensity and fan passion with so much at stake, Ljubicic finally folded to the home fans’ pressure in the tenth game of the fifth set, serving at 4-5. Hrbaty had won the match, 4-6 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-4, and not only prevented Croatian triumph but had stopped the previously unstoppable Ljubicic, handing Ljubicic his first Davis Cup defeat of the year.Hrbaty’s victory guaranteed that the winner of the fifth match would take home the Cup. The fate of the Davis Cup rested on the broad shoulders of 21-year-old Mario Ancic, who was to face Michal Mertinak, thrown into the singles equation in place of the ineffective Karol Kucera. Mertinak, more known for his doubles play than his singles and ranked only 162 in the world, started off well against the 22nd-ranked Ancic, forcing a tiebreak against the 6’5’’ Croat. Ancic, the heavy favorite in the match, easily won the tiebreak, giving Croatia a one set edge in the decisive battle. The second set was much easier for Mario, who brought Croatia painfully close to the coveted Cup. After an early break in the third set, Ancic lost his serve for the first time in the match to even up the third set, giving Slovak fans hope once again. However, Mertinak lost his serve at 4-4 in the third set, allowing Mario to serve for the match and the Davis Cup. Ancic came through. The Croatians had won the ultimate prize of team tennis, the Davis Cup! The celebration was only fitting. Ljubicic jumped into the arms of Ancic on the court, and both jumped up and down in each other’s arms. Watching the Tennis Channel, which provided live coverage of the events, and in the comforts of my own home, I followed suit. When I saw how happy Ljubicic was (he called himself “the happiest loser in the world”), I cried. Croatia won the Davis Cup!Partying will ensue all over Croatia. Tennis fans will not underestimate the prestige of the Davis Cup, and neither should you. Give Ancic and Ljubicic praise where it is due— which, right now, is everywhere.For at least 2005, Croatian tennis is the best in the world.*** letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 06 Dec 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7782/1/E-Croatias-Davis-Cup-hero-Ljubicic-wins-first-match-Shanghai.html ÂCroatia's Davis Cup hero Ljubicic wins first match ShanghaiThe eight singles players pose for photos at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Tennis Masters Cup held at the Qi Zhong stadium in Shanghai, China, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2005. The round robin competition featuring some of the world's top players with a prize money of US$4.45 million begins tomorrow. Players from right United State's Andre Agassi, Argentine's Guillermo Coria, Russia's Nikolay Davydenko, Switzerland's Roger Federer, Argentine's Gaston Gaudio, Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic, Spain's Rafael Nadal, Argentine's David Nalbandian. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) ÂOp-edLet's learn from Chinese, how image and branding of the country and its CULTURE is important. This photo says it all.NBÂCroatia's Davis Cup hero Ljubicic saw his fine run of form continue as he beat Coria.The 1.93-meter Ljubicic, who was one of the last to qualify for the tournament, used his height advantage to punch his way to an emphatic victory. He recorded six aces to the Argentine's one and frequently left his opponent standing as he executed lightning-quick volleys and smashes.'My game had to be really physical in the sense of hitting hard. He (Coria) is fast, but he is not faster than the ball,' said Ljubicic. 'I think I played a great match...everything went my way, especially in the first set.' In a late-season run of form, the Croatian number one reached the finals in four of his last five tournaments, taking victory in Metz and Vienna and ensuring his qualification for Shanghai. Next up for him, however, is the daunting prospect of Federer. 'I don't think it's going to be the key match of the group, so I can relax,' the Croatian said. Ljubicic has met and lost to Federer in three 2005 finals, each time on a hard surface. 'I don't think it's an advantage for me that I've played so many matches against him because he's going to be really careful how he faces this match. He knows that I can give him some trouble,' he said. SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Roger Federer made hard work of the start of his Masters Cup defense on Sunday before recovering to squeeze past Argentine David Nalbandian 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. The runaway world number one is chasing a third consecutive finale title -- a feat last achieved by Ivan Lendl in 1985-87. In Sunday's second Red Group match, Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic beat another Argentine, Guillermo Coria, 6-2, 6-3. Monday's Gold Group matches will pit Andre Agassi against Nikolay Davydenko and Rafael Nadal against Gaston Gaudio. Federer was playing his first match since being sidelined by an ankle injury after winning his 11th title of the season on October 2 and appeared rusty at stages. He made an unusually high number of unforced errors against last-minute qualifier Nalbandian and found himself 3-1down in the final set after a break of serve. However a crunch backhand volley gave the Swiss a chance to claw his way back in the fifth game of the set at the state-of-the-art Qizhong Stadium and he never looked back.'Thank God I got out of that one,' the Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion said. 'I was mentally ready for a two-sets defeat...(but) I took the opportunity he gave me and I'm very happy right now.' Nalbandian -- who now leads Federer 5-4 in matches played having won the pair's first five meetings -- was less thrilledwith his performance. 'I feel I didn't prepare a hundred percent for this Masters. I was already on holiday when I received a last-minute call to come here,' he said. 'GREAT PLAYER''He (Federer) is a great, great player with a lot of confidence. When I took the break (in the third set) I knew it was a very important game and I tried to stay focused but it wasn't enough.'http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051113/sp_nm/atp_masters_dc_2  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 13 Nov 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7781/1/E-Makybe-Diva-Historic-hat-trick-the-stuff-of-legends.html ÂHistoric hat-trick the stuff of legendsHands up if you backed the winner: jockey Glenn Boss salutes the jubilant crowd as Makybe Diva returns to the Melbourne Cup winners' enclosure for the third straight year. Picture: Paul TreziseÂRon Reed02nov05DIVA fever started early at Flemington yesterday – and will be a long time finishing.Melbourne Cup Picture Galleries: Trainer Lee Freedman summed it up perfectly as he emerged from the bar in which he had watched his amazing mare Makybe Diva win her third Melbourne Cup, a feat never achieved in the 144 years that Australia's most famous race has been generating folklore and legends. "Go and find the smallest child on this course and you'll have the only person who'll live long enough to see this again," he said, fighting to control his emotions.A few days earlier, he had expressed the same sentiment slightly differently: "If the fairytale comes true and she runs and wins, we'll never see the like again." Well, it did come true – and he's right. We won't.We certainly won't see Makybe Diva again, with Freedman and owner Tony Santic deciding before the trophy presentation that the horse had done more than enough and would not be asked to race again.The day will never be forgotten by the 106,479 who packed the nation's premier racecourse to witness an animal achieving the sort of immortality few humans manage.For them and for the millions more who were transfixed by TV sets, it was as if they had been transported by time machine back to 1930 when the incomparable Phar Lap won the Cup on the way to dominating the Spring Racing Carnival like no other horse has done, including mighty Makybe.Since the Diva won last month's Cox Plate, the race the purists rank above the Cup as a true test of a racehorse's greatness, arguments have raged non-stop about whether she is entitled to stand alongside Big Red as the best we've seen.Freedman has been among those who regard such a debate as essentially futile because so much has changed, but even he said yesterday: "I don't want to put down Phar Lap, but I haven't seen him win three Melbourne Cups." Indeed, Phar Lap won only one – and only four others managed two.That daunting spot of history combined with various other reasons to convince many that the task would be beyond Makybe Diva, although the skeptics were like everyone else – they dearly wanted to see her win, and were willing her to do so.That's why she was always the hot favourite, even when Freedman and Santic were threatening not to run her if they felt the task and the track would be too hard.Even long before the race she was the centre of amazing scenes – at first, without even being there.More than three hours before the race, a Freedman stable strapper led a horse into the holding stall No 75, with her name over the door. Instantly, almost 200 people materialised and, standing eight deep, began snapping away with cameras and mobile phones.The startled strapper suddenly realised what was happening and told them they had the wrong horse and Makybe hadn't arrived yet. It made little difference. They kept taking photographs of each other standing in front of the empty box.And when the Diva did turn up, accompanied by three security guards, it was elbow room only in the sweaty heat for well over two hours until Freedman arrived to dress her for her big date.The race itself was almost an anti-climax in the competitive sense, so early did jockey Glen Boss have the horse in a perfect position and so authoritatively did she complete the job.It was the easiest of her three wins and the fast-talking Sydney hoop, who has partnered her in them all, said: "I have never enjoyed a race so much."That probably applied to the entire awestruck crowd, who stood to salute as the Diva passed the post and stayed on their feet until the ceremonial aftermath was complete.If there has been a more uplifting "great moment in sport" in recent Australian memory, then it can only have been at precisely the same place and time three years ago when Damien Oliver won on Media Puzzle, saluting his dead brother as he did so.Freedman mused that perhaps the monumental Olympic performances of swimmer Kieren Perkins and runner Cathy Freeman might be up there, and suggested his own sporting hero, boxer Muhammad Ali, could enter into such a debate."But they weren't asked to carry 58kg of dead weight," he noted dryly.Of one thing, though, he was certain – after the Cox Plate, Makybe Diva was the best horse he'd trained and now she was the best he'd seen.If there was a soul on the racecourse prepared to disagree with that, he or she went unheard above the applause for a horse who will be talked about reverently for another 75 years – at least. http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17109703%5E2862,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Nov 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7783/1/E-Mario-Preskar-Wins-by-a-TKO.html ÂDON KING: 'MARIO PRESKAR IS A WHITE MIKE TYSON !' After almost 1 year, (50 weeks to be exact) 21 year-old Croatian heavyweight boxer undefeated Mario Preskar 7-0-1 (218 lbs.) won in Dusseldorf, Germany on Saturday, October 15, 2005. Working very fast, Preskar exposed much heavier opponent Vlado Szabo (242 lbs) in 2 quick rounds scoring a TKO win. Szabo could not answer the bell at the start of third round after being knocked down by a vicious uppercut at the end of the round two. 'I started working my jab, and was breaking down his guard. Then I went head, body, head and I was really opening him up. It was just a matter of time,' said jubilant Preskar. 'I waited a really long time for this match, but after a tremendous training camp I’m much stronger, as fast and more explosive. I want to fight anybody that my manager schedules.' Leonard Pijetraj who is a former world-class competitor and Preskar’s manager/trainer urged Preskar’s promoter Don King to visit Croatia at the invitation of President Stjepan Mesic and Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic. King promoted over 500 world championship fights so far. Nearly 100 boxers have earned $1 million or more in Don King Productions promoted fights so far.'Croatians are beautiful people, who have alone won their independence," said King. American promoter is convinced that Mario Preskar has tremendous potential and that one day he will be a World Heavyweight Champion. The real reason for King’s visit to Croatia is to promote Preskar’s matches and to negotiate a TV contract. Don King set all kinds of viewing records with TV, pay-per-view TV and close circuit TV. Public wants raw puncher, aggressive fighting style and that is just what Preskar has. During his 15 months over 2 years in the United States Preskar sparred with some of the biggest names in Heavyweight division and according to his trainer Pijetraj won over 90% of rounds. Don King people closely watched many of those sparring sessions. They know what they have in Preskar. With the right TV contract that is already agreed to in principle we are going to see a lot more of Mario Preskar. His next fight is scheduled for November 26, 2005 in Leverkusen, Germany. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 28 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7790/1/E-Ivan-Ljubicic-did-it-again.html ÂIvan Ljubicic did it again! REPEATING THE FEATBy Jeff Lesser Ivan Ljubicic did it again! For the second week in a row, Croat Ivan Ljubicic won a high-level ATP tournament. After not having won a tournament in four years, Ivan has put together an amazing streak, winning 13 straight matches (As of the time I write this article, he has just won the first round of the Madrid Tennis Masters). Prior to these two weeks of fabulous play, Ivan has appeared in four finals this year, only to lose in each and every one. This includes three losses to dominant world #1 Roger Federer and one to hard-hitting Swede Joachim Johansson. Now, however, Ljubicic has reversed the curse. He is in the midst what is by far his best season ever. Despite still not having reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam, the Bosnian born 26-year-old has reached the finals of six tournaments, winning two of them. Going into the Tennis Masters Madrid, he is clearly the hottest player. It would not be a surprise for him to do extremely well, with a relatively easy draw and without Roger Federer in the tournament.Ljubicic has had more success than just making it to the finals of six events, which would surely qualify a tremedous season for almost every tour player. Besides for this, he has almost single-handedly vaulted Croatia into the Davis Cup finals, to be held December 2-4. He was responsible for all three victories [two singles, one doubles victory (with partner Mario Ancic)] in Croatia's first round shocking upset over the United States, who had assembled what was potentially the best Davis Cup team to ever play. This feat, alone, was unheard of, as the United States media made a tremendous deal of one man single-handedly defeating ANY team, let alone the United States. In the next two rounds, Croatia played Romania and Russia. Against both, Ljubicic repeated the amazing feat he first unleashed on the United States, winning all three matches. This has truly been a great year.Ivan Ljubicic has also reached a career-high ranking of #12, matching what he obtained in the beginning of the season with another hot streak of tennis. It has now become clear that Ivan Ljubicic has the talent and the opportunity to crack the top ten. Add to all this his six finals appearances, two straight tournament victories, 13 straight match wins, and his instrumental role in putting Croatia in the Davis Cup final for the first time in the nation's young history, and Ivan Ljubicic is quickly rising as one of the best players on the men's tennis tour. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7789/1/E-Ivanisevic-the-joker-still-has-some-aces-left.html ÂIvanisevic the joker still has some aces leftÂBy Mark Hodgkinson (Filed: 20/10/2005)There were several occasions during our conversation when it sounded as though Goran Ivanisevic had just been watching old tapes of Teletubbies, the children's television programme with all the gibberish and silliness that provided him with inspiration during the 2001 Wimbledon fortnight. Here was Ivanisevic in cheerful, surreal, and ever so slightly demented mood.And which Goran was this talking anyway? How were the Split personalities in that eccentric head of his, Good Goran, Bad Goran and Emergency Goran? "The three Gorans still exist, for sure they still exist," he said. "They are best friends and they are worst enemies. It depends on the day. They are not like before - it is slightly more relaxed. They have all achieved what they wanted to achieve. But they still have their misunderstandings, and they have to negotiate which way it will be like in my head that day. They still have their fights."Ivanisevic was as sharp, wickedly funny, self-deprecating, and honest as you would have expected, but it was just that he was a little more outlandish and enthusiastic than normal. It could well have been Teletubbies-driven, but perhaps not. Retirement has certainly not blunted and dulled the Croatian. In fact, it has almost certainly had quite the opposite effect, with Ivanisevic explaining how he is planning to come out of retirement as a fully-fit and well-primed fourth member of his country's Davis Cup team for the final in December.It all sounds rather improbable, this notion that Ivanisevic may play an active role in the final against Slovakia in Bratislava. The 34-year-old said that he could feature in the doubles rubber and, if the tie is already decided, in one of the dead singles rubbers. "If you had put some money at the start of the season on Croatia and Slovakia being in the Davis Cup final, and also that I would be in the team for the final, I think that you would be a very rich man, that you would have made millions. The odds were huge," said Ivanisevic, who returned to proper training a fortnight ago.But then again, Ivanisevic has always had a great talent for achieving the silly and improbable. When he won Wimbledon in 2001 he did so as a wild card with a dodgy shoulder, a triple-figure ranking and the knowledge that most observers had predicted at the start of the tournament that he would do well to even reach the second week of the grasscourt grand slam.Ivanisevic thought that he had ended his career at the highest level when he was defeated in the third round of last year's Wimbledon and then cavorted around the lawns in his red-and-white checked Croatian football shirt. It was the "crazy exit" he had promised.And even before that goodbye in south-west London, he had been struggling around the world with a series of ailments, not least the recurring shoulder injury that had hampered his ability to hit that gargantuan left-handed service action of his. The last time he played at anything near full capacity was probably Wimbledon four years ago. And even then he had that damned shoulder to deal with.And yet Ivanisevic still believes that he could be a force in a Croatian team including Ivan Ljubicic, Mario Ancic (otherwise known as "Baby Goran") and Ivo Karlovic. Ivanisevic feels he deserves a chance to play with the younger men."The Davis Cup final is the only thing that could have brought me out of retirement. I have always had a dream that I would be in the Davis Cup final and help win it for Croatia. That would be a big, big thing for me, a real dream for me. I know that I am still good enough to play doubles in a Davis Cup final," he said."I helped in the semi-final against Russia. To be honest, I can't say what exactly my role was. I had a lot of roles. I was the assistant coach, the ball boy, the sparring partner, the guy for the atmosphere, the cheerleader. I don't know, there were too many roles for me, and hopefully in the final I will have another role as the fourth guy in the team. I am good for the team. It can get a bit serious without me, and I help to keep it fun. But it makes me really nervous now just thinking about getting the chance to play in a Davis Cup final."Ivanisevic is not exactly in the best shape of his life. He confessed that he spent much of the summer lounging and luxuriating on his boat, and may well have been on his way to developing a half-decent beer belly. "Yes, I was drinking beer on the boat, eating lots, and doing a bit of fishing and taking a little swim every now and then. I wasn't doing anything. So I think I started to get a bit fat. I put my body into a bad shape. I was on my boat for two months and I didn't even touch my racquet, I didn't even make two steps," he said."I want to be fit and ready to play, and then who knows. I don't want to go there just to sit there and be the fourth guy with a stomach. I need to know in my mind that I'm there if they need me," said Ivanisevic. He has kept his racquet skills ticking over by playing on the Champions (seniors) tour against John McEnroe and the other old swingers.It was a shock to his boat-softened body when he started out on the physical regime that will hopefully have him slimmed and ready for Bratislava. "The first time I went running and went to the gym, I couldn't get off the bed again for about three days. Oh my God, I was so sore and all the muscles in my body were aching. I'm still pretty slow and the body is a little stiff and it is still the same old story with my shoulder," Ivanisevic said.Ivanisevic provided some exceptional plot-lines on the way to his Wimbledon triumph. As well as the reliance on Teletubbies, he ate the same meal at the same table of the same restaurant for a fortnight. It was remarkable that not just his suspect shoulder, but also his digestive system, held up for the tournament, culminating in that glorious third Monday when he defeated Australian Pat Rafter. On his return to his home town of Split, Ivanisevic did a striptease in front of his delirious public."Whatever happens in the Davis Cup final, Wimbledon will still be the most beautiful moment in my career. By far," he said. "Every time I think about Wimbledon I think about the way I won, how I won, why I won, and I still don't know how or why, but who cares? I won." If Ivanisevic had lost that Wimbledon final, he said that his life would be very different now. He would not be comfortable with his career or whether he had made the most of his talents. "I think if I had lost that match, my fourth final, I would have had to move to the North Pole, or maybe I would have killed myself by hanging myself off some bridge. So I don't like to think about it too much and what would have happened if I had lost. Sometimes I start to think about it and then almost straight away I have to stop," he said.There have been dark whispers and rumours circulating in Croatia since the summer that Ivanisevic was on the verge of bankruptcy, that he had lost most of his money on bad investments in the construction industry. Not so, said Ivanisevic, who strongly denied that he has been forced to play on the seniors tour to avoid destitution. He did admit, however, that he lost a substantial amount of money on some of his investments.Away from tennis, there is plenty in Ivanisevic's life. He has been appointed the vice-president of Croatia's Olympic association, wants to know more about business, and has a two-year-old daughter, Amber-Maria, who he calls his "little vampire" on account of the fact that she often wakes him up five to six times a night. "I have to be a good father to my daughter. That takes a lot of time and energy. She needs a lot of attention," Ivanisevic said.Ivanisevic appreciates his life membership of the All England Club, a purple-and-green tie that allows him to return there and "drink tea" whenever he pleases. "It is really nice that the people in England still remember what I did at Wimbledon. I think I had a special relationship with English crowds even before I won. And England enjoyed the way I won Wimbledon, that I showed that I was a bit temperamental. I think that English people liked that because people in England are temperamental too," he said.And just to seal his Anglophile tendencies, Ivanisevic revealed that he now supports an English football team, West Bromwich Albion. He was introduced to Albion by an English PR on the seniors tour, and now even has a replica shirt with his name on the back."They are not doing that well, but that is okay. You have to support a team when they don't do well. It's easy to support Chelsea, with a guy who puts in a lot of money and if he sees a player he wants to buy, he buys, even if he doesn't need him. It doesn't matter to me if they are in the Premiership or not. I am the same for life, I don't change my team," said Ivanisevic.Ivanisevic recalled last year's struggle against relegation with affection. "Last year was very dramatic," he said. "My life is very dramatic so I must support a dramatic football team as well. I can't be normal, nothing is normal with me. But it's good that way. Not being normal means that you have so much more fun in life."www.telegraph.co.uk/hodgkinsonhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2005/10/20/sthodg20.xml&sSheet=/sport/2005/10/20/ixtenn.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7788/1/E-Ivo-Karlovic-from-Croatia-beats-Andy-Roddick-from-USA.html ÂIvo Karlovic from Croatia beats Andy Roddick from USAAssociated PressOct. 19 MADRID, Spain â Andy Roddick blew a match point and lost 3-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3) to Ivo Karlovic on Wednesday in the second round of the Madrid Masters in a contest between big servers. Roddick, seeded second, was playing his first match since losing in the first round of the U.S. Open. 'For two sets, I don't think I could have played better,' Roddick said. 'It was the highest quality match we've played.' He had an easy first set and held match point at 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker against the 6-foot-10 Croat, the ATP Tour's tallest player. Karlovic won the tiebreak 9-7 on his second set point when Roddick's return went wide. Both players had chances to break in the deciding set, but they served to another tiebreaker before Karlovic took a 3-1 lead. 'You're going to have two or three points per tiebreaker that's either going to go your way or it's not,' Roddick said. 'It didn't go my way tonight. In the second tiebreaker, I don't think I played a bad point.' Earlier, Rafael Nadal beat Victor Hanescu of Romania 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the second round, the top-seeded Spaniard's first match before a home crowd since his French Open victory. Nadal has not trained for three weeks because of knee tendinitis. He received a first-round bye along with the 15 other seeded players in the ATP Masters Series event. 'The match was not easy,' he said. 'I was a bit nervous, a bit slow.' Nadal trailed 3-1 in the first set and 3-0 in the tiebreaker before rallying. In the second set, Nadal broke to lead 4-3 and broke again to win. Other winners were third-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, fourth-seeded Guillermo Coria of Argentina, sixth-seeded Mariano Puerta of Argentina and eighth-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia. Seventh-seeded Gaston Gaudio lost to Jose Acasuso 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the second round in an all-Argentine match. Gaudio dropped his fifth straight match, hurting his chances of qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup next month in Shanghai, China. Four already have secured berths: Nadal, Roddick, Roger Federer and Marat Safin. Davydenko beat Slovakia's Karol Beck 6-4, 6-1, and Coria defeated Belgian qualifier Christophe Rochus 6-3, 6-4 to improve his chances of making the season finale. 'It was an ugly match, boring for spectators,' Coria said. 'But the important thing was to win.' Rochus' younger brother, Olivier, knocked out 12th-seeded Mario Ancic of Croatia 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5); Puerta edged Max Mirnyi of Belarus 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5); and Ljubicic defeated Alberto Martin of Spain 6-3, 7-6 (7). Also, ninth-seeded Thomas Johansson of Sweden beat Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela 7-6 (2), 6-3; 10th-seeded Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic rallied past Britain's Tim Henman 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; and 14th-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia eliminated Germany's Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-2. http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/ESPNSports/story?id=1231085 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7787/1/E-Ivo-Karlovic-from-Croatia-beats-Greg-Rusedski-from-Britain.html ÂIvo Karlovic from Croatia beats Greg Rusedski from BritainRusedski crashes out of Madrid Masters 18 Oct 2005 Greg Rusedski has crashed out of the Madrid Masters at the first-round stage at the hands of 6ft 10in Croatian Ivo Karlovic. The British number two made the best possible start against Karlovic, taking the first set 7-5 on a tie-break. But the tallest man on the ATP Tour fought back to claim a 6-7 7-6 7-6 victory and book his place in the second round. http://www.channel4.com/news/content/news-storypage.jsp?id=870141 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 18 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7786/1/E-Oba-su-pala-Ivan-Ljubicic-osvaja-dva-ATP-turnira-za-redom.html ÂTENIS: LJUBICIC OSVOJIO ATP TURNIR U BECU 16.10.2005 Najbolji hrvatski tenisac Ivan Ljubicic nastavlja pobjednicki niz. Nakon sto je prosloga tjedna osvojio ATP turnir u francuskome Metzu, Ljubicic je pokorio i vrlo jaki turnir u Becu. U finalu 565.000 eura vrijednoga turnira u glavnome gradu Austrije Ljubicic je sa 6:2 , 6:4 i 7:6 (5) slavio protiv bivsega najboljeg svjetskog tenisaca, spanjolca Juana Carlosa Ferrera.Ljubicic je do treceg turnira u karijeri, te drugog ove sezone u sest finala, dosao nakon dva sata i 30 minuta igre. Bila je to ujedno i 12. pobjeda Ljubicica u nizu, koji je posljednji put izgubio u trecem kolu Grand Slam turnira US Opena od Francuza Richarda Gasqueta, nakon cega su uslijedile dvije pobjede u polufinalu Davis Cupa protiv Rusije, pet pobjeda u Metzu prosloga tjedna, te pet pobjeda u Becu.Dobar pocetak LjubicicaLjubicic je izvrsno otvorio dvoboj s Ferrerom te je vec u cetvrtom gemu uspio iskoristiti drugu break-loptu za vodstvo od 3:1. Vec u sljedecem gemu Ferrero je imao priliku uzvratiti Ljubicicu, ali se hrvatski tenisac uspio spasiti. Pri rezultatu 5:2 Ljubicic je jos jedanput osvojio spanjolcev servis te dobio prvi set sa 6:2.Vec u prvome gemu drugoga seta Ferrero je imao priliku oduzeti Ljubicicev servis, ali se hrvatski tenisac jos jedanput izvukao. U nastavku drugoga seta oba su tenisaca cvrsto drzala svoje servise sve do rezultata 5:4 za Ljubicica, kada je Ljubo jos jedanput oduzeo servis Ferreru i poveo s 2:0 u setovima.Treci set odlucen u tie-breakuU trecem setu Ljubicic je bio opasniji, iako se cinilo da sve teze prati naporni finalni dvoboj. Kod rezultata 4:4 Ferrero je imao break-loptu, ali je Ljubicic osvojio vrlo tezak poen od cak 36 izmjena udaraca. U sljedecem gemu Ljubicic je imao mec loptu, ali ju nije uspio iskoristiti te se morao igrati tie-break.Odlucujuci gem spanjolac je otvorio dvostrukom servis pogreskom te je tu prednost Ljubicic uspjesno zadrzao do kraja za konacnih 6:2, 6:4 i 7:6 (5).Druga pobjeda u sest finalaU prijasnjih pet finala ove sezone samo je jedanput pobijedio (Metz), dok je u preostala cetiri zavrsna nastupa (Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Marseille) izgubio, no na tri od ta cetiri turnira protivnik mu je bio najbolji svjetski tenisac svijeta, svicarac Roger Federer.Bio je ovo cetvrti susret Ljubicica i Ferrera i omjer je 3:1 u korist nasega igraca. Jedini poraz protiv spanjolskoga tenisaca dozivio je prije dvije godine u polufinalu turnira u tajlandskom Bangkoku.Svi finali Ivana Ljubicica:ATP LYON (2001.) - El Aynaoui - 6:3, 6:2ATP Doha (2004.) - Escude - 3:6, 6:7 (4)ATP Doha (2005.) - Federer - 3:6, 1:6ATP Marseille (2005.) - J.Johansson - 5:7, 4:6ATP Rotterdam (2005.) - Federer - 7:5, 5:7, 6:7 (5)ATP Dubai (2005.) - Federer - 1:6, 7:6 (6), 3:6ATP METZ (2005.) - Monfils - 7:6, 6:0ATP BEc (2005.) - Ferrero - 6:2, 6:4, 7:6 (5)Hina/HRTweb sport (vh) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7784/1/E-Zadar-2006-Invitation-to-all-Croatian-athletes-around-the-world.html ÂVamos svi together nach Zadar! Invitation to all Croatian athletes around the world!Applications for the Croatian World Games in Zadar 2006 under way. Visit our website for further info and on-line applications:www.zadar2006.comJoin this unique sports and entertainment event and meet Croatians from more than 20 countries.Disciplines at the Games:athletics / badminton / boccia / judo / karate / basketball / basketball hoops / soccer / futsal (indoor soccer) / beach soccer / soccer - seniors / volleyball / beach volleyball / swimming / handball / table tennis / taekwondo / tennisÂSo far we have received applications from following countries:Argentina / Australia / Austria / Belgium / Chile / Demnark / England / France / Italy / Canada / Macedonia / Norway / Germany / Peru / USA / Slovenia / Sweden / Switzerland / Uruguay / VenezuelaHrvatske svjetske igre (Croatian World Games)Put Bokanjca 18, 23000 Zadar, CroatiaOffice hours: mon - fri 9.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. (CET) sat 10.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m.Tel: 00385 23 220 649Fax: 00385 23 220 691Email: info@zadar2006.com ÂVamos svi together nach Zadar! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 15 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7785/1/H-Gustin-svjetski-prvak-bronca-za-Papka-i-Gulju-u-Bocanju.html ÂGustin svjetski prvak, bronca za Papka i GuljuÂBocanje, Svjetsko prvenstvoTorino (26. rujna - 1. listopada 2005.) 1. listopada 2005. - Hrvatska bocarska reprezentacija osvojila je tri medalje na Svjetskome prvenstvu u talijanskome Torinu. Zlatnu medalju osvojio je Alen Gustin u blizanju i izbijanju u krug, a broncom su se okitili Ante Papak u brzinskom izbijanju te Sandro Gulja u preciznom izbijanju.Gustin je do svjetskog naslova dosao nakon sto je u finalu pobijedio predstavnika Srbije i Crne Gore Đurovica s 26:21.Finalni je dvoboj u pocetku bio dosta izjednacen, no pred kraj je do izrazaja doslo iskustvo nasega Gustina gdje se vidjelo da je izvrsno pripremljen za ovu svjetsku smotru. Uostalom, zasluzio je to jer je bio uvjerljivo najbolji cijelo natjecanje, rekao je trener Slaven Parlov.Gustin je u istoj disciplini prije dvije godine na proslom Svjetskom prvenstvu odrzanom u Nici osvojio broncanu medalju. Papak je u dvoboju za trece mjesto u brzinskom izbijanju s 37:32 svladao Tunizanina Klaija, a Gulja je u finalu preciznog izbijanja osvojio 20 bodova, jedan manje od Slovenca Sofronievskog i Dodiga iz Bosne i Hercegovine.Nazalost, bez medalje su ostali Papak i Josko Mardesic, koji su u stafeti izgubili u borbi za broncu. U dvoboju za trece mjesto izgubili su od Slovenaca causevica i Novaka s 43:49.http://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/izdvojeno/05/bocanje.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 14 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7792/1/E-Croatians-donate-blood-to-see-key-soccer-game.html ÂCroatians donate blood to see key soccer game Monday, October 10, 2005 Croatian soccer fans rushed to donate blood this week in exchange for tickets for the national team’s decisive World Cup qualifying game against Sweden, the Vecernji List daily reported Friday. The game’s organizers set aside 300 tickets for the occasion but the number of volunteer blood donors in Zagreb was several times higher. Students cut classes and employees used their lunch breaks to queue in the hospital, the daily said. “I have always been afraid of syringes, but for Croatia I found the courage,” student Ivica Brnadic told the daily. reutershttp://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_10-10-2005_pg9_13  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7791/1/E-ISU-junior-Grand-Prix-figure-skating-competition-in-Zagreb.html ÂMikhailova and Sergeev win ice dancing title in junior Grand PrixSunday, October 09, 2005ZAGREB, Croatia (CP) - Russians Natalia Mikhailova and Arkadi Sergeev won the ice dancing title at the ISU junior Grand Prix figure skating competition Sunday and the Canadian team of Sabryna Rettino and Michael Whitehead finished eighth.Mikhailova and Sergeev posted a winning score of 160.33. Americans Trina Pratt and Todd Giles were second with 155.64 and Russians Kristina Gorshkova and Vitali Butikov with 146.58. Rettino of St-Basile-le-Grand, Que., and Whitehead, from Holland Landing, Ont., compiled a score of 118.41. Bridget Namiotka and John Coughlin of the U.S. took the pairs title and teammates Julia Vlassov and Drew Meekins were third. The Russian pair of Ksenia Krasilnokova and Konstantin Bezmaternikh was second. There was no Canadian team entered in pairs.  The Canadian Press 2005http://www.canada.com/sports/skating/story.html?id=25e3b7ba-c5ea-41d2-8e8a-8609a65c5212 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7794/1/E-Ancic-almost-there-to-win-Japan-Open-title.html ÂMoodie upsets Ancic to win Japan Open titleSunday, 09 October , 2005, 14:50 Tokyo: Underdog Wesley Moodie stormed back from the brink of defeat to beat Mario Ancic of Croatia for his first career title at the Japan Open tennis tournament on Sunday. The unseeded South African, who saved four match points to win the semifinals on Saturday, staved off another two in the second-set tie-breaker before scoring a stunning 1-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 victory. "It feels great to win my first title, especially being match points down in the semis and the finals. I was fortunate to come back and playing well. It's an amazing feeling," said Moodie. The women's singles final was won by Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic after Tatiana Golovin of France abandoned it due to a left foot injury at 7-6 (7/4), 3-2 and 30-15. http://sify.com/sports/tennis/fullstory.php?id=13959762 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7793/1/E-Croatia-beats-Sweden-to-secure-a-berth-in-2006-FIFA-World-Cup.html ÂCroatia beats Sweden to secure a berth in 2006 FIFA World Cup Croatia beat Sweden 1-0 on Saturday evening with the help of a penalty, to secure a berth in the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, said reports from the Croatian capital of Zagreb. The decisive moments for Croatia came in the 56th minute when Sweden captain Olof Mellberg handled in the area and Darijo Srna of Croatia kept his cool from the spot to decide a tightly contested match. Croatia moved above Sweden atop Group 8 with 23 points and are sure to either top the group or finish as one of Europe's two best-placed runners-up. Eight group winners advance to the World Cup finals as well as the two best runners-up. The other runners-up playoff for another three places. The win on Saturday evening sees Croatia continue their record of qualifying for all three World Cups they have entered since its independence in 1991. Sweden, who were without Juventus star Zlatan Ibrahimovic because of a knee injury, can still secure a place in the World Cup finals with a home victory over Iceland in the final qualifying match on Wednesday, when Croatia face Hungary in Budapest. Source: Xinhua http://english.people.com.cn/200510/09/eng20051009_213438.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7796/1/H-Veljko-Rogosic-Croatian-symbol-of-endurance-made-history.html  www.veljkorogosic.org Veljko Rogosic was named International Long Distance Swimming Federation World Champion four times between 1971 and 1974. In 1992 this outstanding sportsman entered the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Florida, USA. He was participant of the Homeland War during Greater-Serbian aggression on Croatia. Recipient of the Medal of Homeland War from president Franjo Tudjman. His motto and message to young people is WITH SPORT AGAINST DRUGS Rogosic swam La Manche (45 km) in 2004 at the age of 63! For this he needed 11 hours and 27 minutes. His name was written in the 'Gold book of La Manche' as the first Croatian and the oldest man to do so. In the summer 2005 he swam almost 1,000 km along Croatian coast (from Savudrija to Rt Ostro in Konavle) in less than two months, at the age of 64! Also, this is the ultra-marathon swimming world record (880 km in 222 hours, in 57 etapes in less than 58 days). CROATIAOverview of History, Culture, and Sciencemain menu letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7795/1/E-LJUBO-THE-SAINT.html ÂLJUBO THE SAINT CROATIA IN DAVIS CUP FINAL - an inspiration to CROATIAN JUNIORS ÂBy Katarina TepeshNew York, September 26, 2005 – Ivan Ljubicic, ranked 15 best tennis player in the world, has taken Croatia to the Davis Cup final almost single-handedly. “I do realize that winning nine points out of nine is fantastic. I just want to bring Davis Cup to Croatia. We’ve got one more match to go against Slovakia in December and I hope we won’t stop here because the road has been very long and very rough,” said Ljubicic.His five-set victory over Andy Roddick in California during March gave Croatia a 3-1 lead in that tie, while against Romania he came to the rescue by beating Victor Hanescu after Ancic had been beaten in five-sets by Andrei Pavel. This weekend, Ljubicic beat powerful Russian team of Mikhail Youzhny to level the tie at 1-1 on Friday after Davydenko had earlier beaten Ancic, then teamed up with Ancic on Saturday to beat Dmitry Tursunov and Igor Andreev. Ljubicic is the biggest news in Croatia right now. He knocked off from front pages Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, President of Croatia Mesic and Croatian Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, who is visiting Washington. Croatians have been celebrating since Sunday. As soon as Ljubicic won, the 5,000 people in the sports hall in Split, burst out screaming, “Ljubo, Ljubo.” and singing “Veceras je Nasa Festa” and “Necemo Doma do Zore.” Speakers blasted, “We are the Champions.” Imagine what an inspiration reaching the first Davis Cup Final will be for the Croatian Juniors recently playing at the US Open 2005. One of the boys below will one day took over to carry on historic event. Which one will it be?The high hopes are on MARIN CILIC, who was born on 9/28/1988 in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ranked No. 2 among Juniors, Cilic at age 16, provides high quality tennis, already attracting hundreds of spectators. In Boys’ Singles Cilic convincingly defeated McClune in First Round with easy 6-2, 6-2; Spencer in Second Round with 7-6, 6-4 and Kirillov 7-6, 6-4 in Third Round; Cilic lost in Quarterfinals to No. 7 Chardy, in two out of three sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Cilic did less well in Boy’s Doubles partnering with Tristan Farron. They lost in the Second Round, with Cilic having great difficulty keeping the focus on doubles play. He behaved as if he was forced to play doubles. Day before, in preparation for the US Open 2005, Cilic was seen practicing with his mentor and idol, Ivan Ljubicic. ANTONIO VEIC was born 2/18/1988. He reached Second Round in Singles and First Round in Doubles. Feisty Veic competes with his heart and soul. Since playing last year at the US Open Juniors, 17-year-old Veic suffered an accident during a soccer game. He broke his left leg in two places. LUKA BELIC was born 10/14/1988. A latecomer to US Open 2005, who at age 16 did not submit any personal info or a photo, Luka is coached by former tennis player and FED CUP Croatian coach Goran Prpic. In Boys’ Singles, Luka managed to reach the Second Round, while in Boys’ Doubles Luka partnered with Antonio Veic and lost in First Round. NIKOLA MEKTIC lost in the First Round in Boys’ Singles, but played exceptionally well in Boys’ Doubles with his partner, 17-year-old Ivan Sergeyev from Ukraine. The two managed to reach the Quarterfinals. PETAR JELENIC, was born 6/13/1987 and is ranked No. 11 among Juniors. He lost in the First Round in Boys’ Singles to Vitulli 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, due to anger and bad temper. Grabbing his private parts and shouting obscenities is not the way to play gentlemen’s tennis. 18-year-old Jelenic displayed total disrespect towards tennis officials as well as making hateful remarks towards his white opponent from Kenya, who had an enthusiastic support from a large group of mostly black boys and girls. The status in Croatia for Junior Girls’ tennis players is pretty good. But that is on paper only! In reality, the training and financial support is at its worst for girls. No Croatian Junior girls participated at the US Open 2005. Favoritism, politics and who is your daddy still plays a large part in Croatian tennis. For example, Ivan Ljubicic and Marin Cilic, both born in Bosnia & Herzegovina requested and received tremendous financial support as well as training. Even Mario Ancic, whose father owns a chain of supermarkets, received all out support. Whereas, Zagreb born Ivo Karlovic, Karolina Sprem from Varazdin and Ivana Lisjak from Cakovec, have not received any financial support from the Croatian tennis association or Croatian government. Their tennis career is financed privately, mostly from their families. Case in point is MARINA ERAKOVIC who was born on 3/6/1988 in Split, Croatia. When Marina was four years old, her family, father Mladen and mother Ljiljana, moved to New Zealand. Marina, now 17 years old, lives in Auckland and represents New Zealand. She has one sister Djurdjica Julia. Marina plays right-handed with double handed backhand. She began playing tennis at age 6 and is coached by Chris Lewis. Marina’s ambition in tennis is to be No. 1. She adores tennis player Monica Seles and her hobbies include reading and soccer. At the US Open 2005, Marina was ranked No. 6 in Girls’ Singles. She successfully competed and won in Quarterfinals. During Semifinals against Victoria Azarenka ranked No.1, Marina was forced to retire due to an injury. She also played Girls’ Doubles with Victoria. They won until Semifinals, when medical assistance was called and the game stopped. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7798/1/E-Brazil-draw-with-Croatia-in-Split-Croatia-2005.html ÂBrazil draw with Croatia in friendlySPLIT, Croatia, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Croatia held Brazil to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday in a friendly dominated by the world champions. The home side's early hard work paid off in the 32nd minute when CSKA Moscow forward Ivica Olic hit the post and Niko Kranjcar slotted in the rebound. Brazil hit back 10 minutes later when Ricardinho sent an 18-metre free kick into the top right-hand corner of the net. The South Americans went close to taking the lead in the 69th minute when Adriano struck the post. Adriano also went wide with a header, as did Ronaldo with a shot from the edge of the box. Both countries fielded their strongest possible teams as they warmed up for World Cup qualifiers in September. Brazil were only without Ronaldinho and Roque Junior, who are suspended for the tie with Chile on September 4. "It was evident that my players are not yet in their best condition. They are still lacking regular competitive rhythm. Taking all that into consideration, I think that a draw was a fair outcome," Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira told reporters. Croatia, who missed injured Rangers striker Dado Prso, top European Zone Group Eight with 16 points. They are one point ahead of Sweden and six ahead of Hungary. Croatia go to Iceland for their next qualifier on September 3 before meeting Malta four days later. Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar said: "We showed that we can compete with the best players in the world. "My team fulfilled the tasks I gave them and I'm convinced we can look forward to our coming World Cup qualifiers with optimism." Brazil have not lost to a European team since they were beaten 2-1 by Portugal in March 2003. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/18/content_470163.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7799/1/E-Branco-Panic-playing-for-Sabah-Malaysia.html ÂBranco Panic of Croatia playing for SabahÂTough time ahead: Jose 14 August, 2005 Kota Kinabalu: Sabah are expecting a tough match with Selangor PKNS team at the Stadium Larkin, Johor, despite the latter occupying the last spot in Malaysia Cup Group A table. Coach Jose Garrido said midfielder Rosdin Wasli is still injured while defender Ronny Harun is in Kuala Lumpur training with the national Under-23 football team. The latest records showed that the Rhinos are third in the table while Terengganu, on top with three points and Perlis, second, also with three points. "It'll be a tough match considering we've never met PKNS previously," he said on Saturday. Although the Portuguese coach did not elaborate, his words clearly reflected the situation Sabah are facing. Beaten by Perlis 1-2 earlier this month, the Rhinos has been struggling to make good its pledge to win at least one trophy this season. It lost its chances in the FA Cup and was demoted from the Super League to the Premier League. Nevertheless, Sabah FA (Safa) President, Datuk Anifah Aman, believes that his players hold the key to the match outcome. "I was informed by the coach (Garrido) that the players did really well during training. "Hence, they should apply the form they displayed during training throughout the 90 minutes game on Sunday because at the end of the day, it is the players who decided the outcome of the match," he said. He said playing an away or home match does not make any difference because the Rhinos had proven they are not invincible even when playing on home ground. "What's more important is that the players produce their best while they are in the field," he stressed. Meanwhile, Anifah expressed hope that the import players adapt to the environment in Sabah fast so that they could help the Rhinos do well in the tournament. The import players are Brazilians Julio Cesar Rodrigues and Ivan Martin, Nigerian Udensi Christopher Ikechukwu and Branco Panic of Croatia. Garrido said apart from Rosdin and Ronny, the rest of the players could be fielded in the Sabah-Selangor PKNS match. Probable line-up:Shamsul Sabtu, Md Reithudin Embran, Madzalan Emoi, Branco Panic, Mafry Ballang, Mohd Arsyah Mohd Ayob, Henry Soimpon, Joey Ryan Gundok, Zainizam Marjan, Julio Cesar Rodrigues and Udensi Christopher Ikechukwu DAILY EXPRESS NEWS http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=36439 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7797/1/E-Ivo-Karlovic---the-Croatian-Giant.html ÂIvo Karlovic - the Croatian Giant ÂTrying to Catch a Breakby Jeffrey LesserNEW YORKSix-foot-ten Ivo Karlovic is the tallest man ever to be ranked among the top hundred tennis professionals. Equipped with a serve Andy Roddick calls “the biggest weapon in tennis,” Ivo should without a doubt have a big leg up on the rest of the men’s field. However, the Croat giant has reached a career-high ranking of only 51 and has since nestled into a ranking of around 80 (82 as of August 8, 2005). While his Croatian compatriots, Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic, have flourished and come into their own as tennis players, 26-year-old Karlovic has failed to do so. As the 2005 hard court season progresses, Ivo will have to reverse his mindset and habits in order to turn around his game, and consequently, his ranking.While playing at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, D.C. last week, Ivo was very impressive in defeating hard-servers Kenneth Carlsen, Max Mirnyi, and Greg Rusedski (both Mirnyi and Rusedski were seeded in the tournament). Reaching the quarterfinals of a non-grass court event for the first time in his life was an enormous achievement for Karlovic, who was playing extremely well and was considered a legitimate threat to defeat top seeded Andy Roddick. The first set of the match went wonderfully for Ivo, who beat the American in a thrilling tiebreak that ended 9-7 in favor of the man from Zagreb. In the second set the two stayed on serve until 5-5, when Roddick broke Karlovic and served out the set successfully. The third and decisive set was 4-4 and at 15-15 on Ivo’s serve. Ivo responded to the pressure-filled situation with two double faults and lost the game, allowing Roddick to serve out the set and the match. Just like that, Ivo Karlovic blew his chance to not only reach the semifinals of the Legg Mason Classic, but also to defeat a top ten player not named Lleyton Hewitt for the first time in his life.“With (Ivo’s) serve, I am surprised he doesn’t win more,” remarked Cliff Drysdale, who along with Roddick’s former coach Brad Gilbert, commentated the Karlovic-Roddick showdown. Drysdale, unfortunately, has no reason to be surprised. The reason Ivo does not win more often is because of his dreadful return game. As Gilbert noted, Ivo has the worst break percentage of any player in the ATP top 100. That is, he breaks his opponents’ serve at the worst frequency out of any of the top hundred professionals (just six percent of the time, to be exact). In order to win a set, Ivo probably has to force a tiebreak. To do that, with his six percent break rate, he has to hold his own serve every time. That transforms his serve, “the biggest weapon in tennis,” into a shot that only keeps him in the match. When he enters tiebreaks, Karlovic, despite owning a better serve than his opponent, wins only fifty percent of the time. This can be attributed to his penchant for committing costly errors. Karlovic is not an extremely steady player, and if his opponent can return his serve back to the other side of the court, there is a decent probability that Ivo will miss the put-away or lose the point one way or the other. Considering Ivo has great difficulty winning a point on his opponent’s serve, one Karlovic mistake can give his opponent the set in tiebreak.The only things that stand between Ivo Karlovic and tremendous success is his erraticism and his return game. His inclination to make an error can be easily diminished and made insignificant by his tremendous serve. Simply raising the rate at which he earns a break of serve from six to twelve will increase the number of matches he wins by a remarkable amount. If he can continue holding serve the way he has in the past, and his return game slightly improves, Karlovic will become not only a dangerous player, but perhaps a truly great one.“He needs to improve his return game just a little, and then he can be a top 25 player,” stated Gilbert during Ivo’s duel with Roddick. To go from 82nd in the world to 25th, all Ivo needs to do is learn to return serve. It sounds easy enough, but only time will tell. Stay tuned for the rest of the summer to the Ivo Show, which culminates at the 2005 US Open. In Flushing Meadows, he will certainly be a threat to win a round or two, but if he can break serve there, who knows? Maybe six-foot-ten Ivo Karlovic can be the tallest man to win the US Open.JEFFREY LESSER lives in West Orange, New Jersey, where he is a 16-year-old high school senior. A "straight A" student, Jeffrey is the editorials editor of his school newspaper, the Pioneer, and frequently contributes editorials, mainly about politics. Jeff is the captain of the boys' tennis team at West Orange High School. He hopes to attend Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wants to major in sports medicine and become a licensed physician. His mother said that Jeff is such a big fan of Croatian tennis, he might as well just move to Croatia altogether. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7802/1/E-Bucks-sign-Kukoc-to-1-year-deal.html ÂBucks sign Kukoc to 1-year dealBY CHARLES F. GARDNERPosted on Fri, Aug. 05, 2005 Milwaukee Journal SentinelMILWAUKEE - (KRT) - Toni Kukoc will indeed be back with the Milwaukee Bucks next season.The 6-foot-11 forward will begin his fourth season with the Bucks next fall, after being signed to a one-year deal on Friday. The 36-year-old free agent had attracted interest from other National Basketball Association teams, including the Chicago Bulls and league champion San Antonio Spurs."I think it's great for our team moving into next season," Bucks general manager Larry Harris said. "He has tremendous basketball knowledge. "He likes Milwaukee and he likes the fans. This is really where he wants to be."The signing of Kukoc to a contract worth nearly $2 million makes it highly unlikely that the Bucks will match the Atlanta Hawks' four-year, $16 million offer sheet to restricted free agent Zaza Pachulia.The Hawks signed the 6-11 Pachulia on Wednesday. The Bucks have seven days to match the offer or lose the 21-year-old to Atlanta. It is expected that the Bucks will sign free-agent forward Bobby Simmons on Monday and guard Michael Redd and center Dan Gadzuric later in the week. Simmons, named the NBA's most improved player last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, has agreed to a five-year, $47 million deal. Redd has agreed to a six-year contract worth more than $90 million and Gadzuric has agreed to a six-year, $36 million deal.Since joining the Bucks for the 2002-03 season, Kukoc has averaged 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 189 regular-season games. n"He's thrilled," said Kukoc's Chicago-based agent, Herb Rudoy. "He had the opportunity to go to five or six teams. From the beginning, he told me to get it done with Milwaukee."Earlier this summer, Rudoy expressed doubts that Kukoc would be able to return to the Bucks because of their off-season spending on other free agents. But Rudoy continued to have a dialogue with Harris, and it eventually led Kukoc back to Milwaukee. "I think he loves the reception he gets from the fans," Rudoy said. "That was a big part of his decision to stay there. And he feels he could be a great mentor to some of their young kids."Toni is a basketball genius; he really understands the game." Kukoc, who lives with his family in Highland Park, Ill., has worked closely with the other Bucks big men, including Gadzuric and Pachulia. Now he will have an opportunity to work with the top pick in the June NBA draft, 7-1 Andrew Bogut.Kukoc is a native of Split, Croatia, and the 20-year-old Bogut is a native of Australia and of Croatian descent."Andrew has a high respect for him," Harris said. "Certainly Toni will be a great learning tool and a great person he can lean on. I know Andrew will be a sponge, and Toni has always been great with our big guys."His wealth of knowledge about basketball is important for the young team we have."Kukoc was limited to 53 games last season by a hip injury, and he averaged a career-low 5.6 points in 20.7 minutes per game. But when he was healthy, the Bucks' bench was more productive and the team was more successful.It is expected that Kukoc will play at both forward spots. He will be used with Joe Smith and Simmons at the power forward spot, and will mix in with Simmons and Desmond Mason at small forward."He'll be a forward," Harris said. "It's all about matchups, and he will do whatever it takes to get himself on the floor. He just wants to win." Rudoy said Kukoc was excited about the Bucks' off-season moves, adding Simmons, retaining Gadzuric and Redd and drafting Bogut. "He likes playing with Redd," Rudoy said. "He thinks Redd is terrific."Kukoc was a second-round draft choice of the Bulls in 1990 and played on three NBA championship teams in Chicago (in 1996, '97 and '98). Before coming to the NBA, Kukoc played in the former Yugoslavia and Italy, winning three European championships and three European player-of-the-year awards.Rudoy declined to speculate on whether the upcoming season, Kukoc's 13th in the NBA, would be his last."He's going to take it one year at a time," Rudoy said. "He decided he just wants to see how the year goes. He didn't want anybody to be tied into that (a longer contract)." 2005, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.Visit JSOnline, the Journal Sentinel's World Wide Web site, at http://www.jsonline.comDistributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/12316309.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7800/1/E-Andrew-Bogut-Two-Radio-Interviews-on-WISN.html ÂAndrew BogutCroatian PrideÂClick here for Andrew Bogot Interview 6/08/05 -NBA Draft Pick Andrew BogutClick here for Andrew Bogot Interview 2 6/30/05 - #1 NBA Draft Pick Andrew BogutOp-edWe are grateful to Steve “The Homer” True , WISN, Tomislav Kuzmanovic (who brought this to you) and Andrew Bogut, our Croatian pride. Email Homer at thehomer@inet-pc.com and shower him with good wishes and thank him personaly for the radio interviews. He is becoming an honorary Croatian.Nenad BachSteve “The Homer” True Steve “The Homer” True is the host of “The World’s Greatest Sports Talk Show”, heard from 6pm-8:00pm weeknights on News/Talk 1130 WISN. He is called “The Homer” because he roots for the home team. However, just because he roots for the home team does not mean that he supports all decisions made by local teams. Thus, the First Rule of Homerism is- “I am a Homer, but I am not an idiot”.Homer is a legend in his own mind, having made radio stops in Alliance, Nebraska; Appleton, Wisconsin; and Madison, Wisconsin; before arriving at News/Talk 1130 WISN in November of 1989.The Homer played tennis at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. By his own admission, he is the worst athlete to ever be a Badger letter winner.ÂSource: http://www.newstalk1130.com/homer_bio.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7801/1/E-Rusedski-falls-to-Karlovic.html ÂRusedski falls to KarlovicFrom correspondents in Washington05aug05BRITAIN'S Greg Rusedski was eliminated from the ATP Washington Classic today, falling to Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 7-6 6-2 in a third-round match at the US Open tune-up. Karlovic fired 14 aces, twice as many as Rusedski, and advanced to a quarter-final tomorrow against the winner of a later match between American top seed Andy Roddick and Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela. Rusedski, 31, won last month at Newport and reached the Indianapolis semi-finals but the 37th-ranked Briton suffered his first career loss in three meetings with 75th-rated Karlovic in falling to 20-14 on the season. Karlovic saved two break points in the first and third games of the match and battled Rusedski into a tiebreaker with neither losing serve. Rusedski sent a forehand long and netted a forehand to drop the tiebreaker, then surrendered a break to open the second set. Karlovic saved a break point with a service winner in the sixth game and Rusedski double faulted away another break. Karlovic held at love and ended it with an ace after 77 minutes. http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,16159282%255E23216,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7803/1/E-Croatias-Duje-Draganja-2nd-fastest-in-the-world.html ÂCroatia's Duje Draganja took the silverat world swimming championshipPosted on Sun, Jul. 31, 2005 Crocker beats Phelps at world swimming championshipsAmerican breaks own world recordBy PAUL NEWBERRYTHE ASSOCIATED PRESSMONTREAL - Ian Crocker put the Athens Olympics behind him - and Michael Phelps, too.Crocker broke his own world record in the 100-meter butterfly Saturday and turned a much-anticipated rematch with Phelps into a rout.The two Americans were virtually even off the blocks, but Crocker already had a sizable lead when their heads emerged from the water. He was about a half-body length ahead at the turn, and didn't have to worry about Phelps making one his patented charges in the final 50 meters.With arms pumping furiously, Crocker stretched out his advantage all the way to the wall. He touched in 50.40 seconds - easily eclipsing the mark of 50.76 that he set in beating Phelps at last year's U.S. Olympic trials.But Phelps won the race that really mattered, overtaking Crocker at the Athens Olympics.That didn't sit well with Crocker, who was determined to regain the upper hand in his trademark event, even though it meant beating the world's best swimmer."It was definitely my goal to break the record," he said. "I didn't know it would be by that much. When you're racing against Phelps, you always have to assume it's going to take a world record to win. My time definitely surprised me."Crocker didn't have to worry about Phelps, who took the silver but wasn't even close to the winner at 51.65. Ukraine's Andriy Serdinov claimed the bronze."I haven't trained much fly this year," Phelps said. "But I don't want to use that as an excuse. That was a horrible swim for me."While Phelps has won four golds medals and, now, a silver at the world championships, he's not happy with his performance. He failed to qualify for the final of the 400 freestyle and was a disappointing seventh in the 100 free.Two of his four golds have come on relay teams, and Grant Hackett is likely to win the most individual medals on the men's side. The Australian star already has two golds and a silver, and he's an overwhelming favorite in today's 1,500 free."Every thing that has happened this week is a wake-up call," Phelps said. "It's all going to be used for motivation. I don't want to be in a position where I'm disappointed and upset with a race. I want to be happy with the way I'm swimming. This year, hopefully, there will be big improvements."Crocker wants to become the first swimmer to break the 50-second barrier in the 100 fly. He is only looking forward - not back to Athens."The Olympics didn't end quite the way I wanted them to," Crocker said. "I didn't happen to be the best on that day."It was another big night for the Africans, an emerging force at these championships.South Africa's Roland Schoeman captured his second gold by winning the 50 free in 21.69. That was just five-hundredths of a second off Alexander Popov's world record, but did beat Popov's meet record from 2003.Croatia's Duje Draganja took the silver and Poland's Bartosz Kizierowski the bronze.Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry completed a sweep of the 100-200 backstroke, winning the longer event in 2:08.52. She also has a silver from the 200 individual medley, making her one of the biggest female stars of the meet.Margaret Hoelzer of the United States claimed silver, Japan's Reiko Nakamura the bronze.Australia's Danni Miatke won the 50 butterfly, a non-Olympic event. The silver and bronze went to a pair of Swedish swimmers, Anna-Karin Kammerling and Therese Alshammar.http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/sports/12267260.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 03 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7808/1/E-A-new-Croatian-soccer-team-CSC-Oakville-Hrvat.html ÂA new Croatian soccer team, C.S.C. Oakville HrvatÂis online atwww.oakvillehrvat.comÂCroNetwork: The Croatian-American Organization for Young Professionals. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7807/1/E-Second-annual-Velika-Gospa-golf-outing-in-Chicago.html ÂSecond annual Velika Gospa golf outing in ChicagoOn Saturday, August 13th around noon, St. Jerome is holding its second annual Velika Gospa golf outing. This year it will be held at Highland Woods Golf Course in Hoffman Estates. 100% of the proceeds benefits children's orphanages in Croatia. We are asking for donations or your participation in 18 holes of golf. Cost for 18 holes of golf: $125.00Includes: Golf shirt, sleeve of golf balls, club rag, and huge pig and lamb roast after the event. If you have a business that you would like to promote, we are offering sponsor banners for $150.00. They will be placed on one of the 18 holes with your company logo etc. Currently we have over 50 golfers and 30 company or personal sponsors. It is for a great cause and we are asking for everyone's help. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Marko Karacic at 773-716-7400. Or mail your check made payable to "St. Jerome Church" and send it to: Marko Karacic6186 N. KeatingChicago, IL. 60646RE: St. Jerome Golf OutingThank you once again and I hope we can raise enough money to make all the children smile for at least one day knowing that someone was thinking of them.Marko KaracicCroNetwork: The Croatian-American Organization for Young Professionals. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7806/1/E-Davis-Cup-Semis--Russia-vs-Croatia.html ÂDavis Cup Semis- Russia vs Croatiaby: Filip MalaricIn the first round of this year’s Davis Cup, Ljubicic and Ancic overcame a strong U.S. team in the U.S., including Agassi, Roddick, and the Bryan brothers, three matches to two. Again in the quarterfinals in Split, Ljubicic and Ancic led their Croatian Davis Cup team to victory against Romania. They will now meet Russia in semis who defeated France in their quarterfinal round. The same stadium in Split will be used for the semis.Our team will be the same with Ljubicic, Ancic, Karlovic, and Tuksar. Ljubicic and Ancic will most likely play doubles. They are a great team and they communicate and work together well. They will probably be playing singles as well and their huge serves will get another boost on the fast surface. Karlovic and Tuksar are kept as reserves if one of the main players are unable to play. Surprisingly, Nikola Pilic, our Davis Cup coach, has never beaten Russia while coaching.The Russians have an extremely strong team in Safin, Davydenko, Andreev, and Youzhny. Marat Safin who is currently no. 5 in the world has still not confirmed if he will play. No. 7 in the world, Nikolay Davydenko, has been having the best year of his career. He doesn’t have a huge weapon but is a very consistent all-around player who can cause us trouble. Mikhail Youzhny and Igor Andreev will most likely play doubles but, against France, they seemed rusty and did not communicate well.The semis against Russia will definitely be challenging. If our doubles team can secure their win, we will have a great advantage. This is the first time Croatia has advanced to the semis. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7805/1/E-Phoenix-1st-Annual-Croatian-Small-Goals-Tournament.html ÂPhoenix 1st Annual Croatian 'Small Goals Tournament'ÂOctober 22nd, 2005Hosted by Mladi Hrvati Phoenix & NK Croatia Arizona6 vs 6$1000 Cash Prizefor winning team-12 player maximum per team-$500 entry fee per team (includes admission to banquet that night for eachplayer)Games will run all day Saturday October 22nd w/ banquet that night(All teams must submit a registration form with payment no later than Sept1st. 2005)For more info/ registration forms contact:Pepo Alaupovic CroatiaArizona@Hotmail.com Katarina Zovko Katarina022@aol.com Teams from AZ, Chicago, San Pedro, Los Angeles, Nor Cal & other parts of theUS are expected !!CroNetwork: The Croatian-American Organization for Young Professionals. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7804/1/H-Veljko-Rogosic-u-Novalji.html ÂVeljko Rogosic u NovaljiÂÂÂwww.veljkorogosic.orgÂÂÂÂVeljko u Novalji ! - [Dudići (O. Pag) - Novalja (O. Pag)] Uz glasni i srdačni doček, Novalja je dočekala legendu plivanja. Iako po jugu i relativno valovitom moru, Veljko je od Dudića do Novalje doplivao u 14:15 (tocno u minutu prema izracunima pilota Fedje), Åto znači da je plivao preko 6 sati. Udaljenost: cca 15,5 km. Na obali mnoÅtvo ljudi, predstavnici Novalje i Turističke zajednice Novalja, posjetitelji i mjeÅtani.Dozet se opasno priprema za finale, pa tako je i danas pratio Veljka zadnjih 600 tinjak metara :)Sutra je na redu relativno kratka dionica od Novalje do Åimuna, ali prema prognozama po dosta loÅem vremenu. Tip of the day: Veljko u pol puta stane i kaže pilotu: "Već su me dva pilota napustila, a ti imaŠžuti karton" i ode dalje :) No comment.7/18/2005Rano jutros Veljko krenuo iz Dudića prema Novalji - [Dudići (O. Pag) - Novalja (O. Pag)] Po relativno loÅem vremenu za plivanje, a to znači jugozapadni vjetar sa morem 2 do 3, Veljko je u 8 i 15 započeo etapu do Novalje. Očekuje se da će po ovakvim vremenskim uvjetima Veljko plivati do Novalje viÅe od 5 sati, pa bi u cilju trebao biti između 13 i 14 sati. Duljina ove dionice prema proračunima iznosi 19.200 m.7/18/2005 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7811/1/H-HRVATSKE-SVJETSKE-IGRE---ZADAR-2006.html ÂHRVATSKE SVJETSKE IGRE - ZADAR 2006KONFERENCIJA ZA TISAKTURISTIČKO NASELJE ZATON - 13.07.20051. Hrvatske svjetske igre projekt su Hrvatskog svjetskog kongresa (HSK), krovne iseljeničke udruge sa sjediÅtem u Åvicarskoj i 30 predstavniÅtva diljem svijeta. Hrvatski svjetski kongres osnovan je 1993 godine i uživa članstvo nevladine udruge pri UN-u sa konzultativnim statusom u ECOSOC-u.2. U jesen 2002. godine rođena je ideja o održavanju Hrvatskih svjetskih igara pod radnim nazivom "Crolimpijada". Projekt prvi put predstavljen IzvrÅnom odboru HSK-a na sastanku u Zagrebu u ožujku 2003 godine i proslijeđen na detaljnu izradu. Sljedeće godine u srpnju na sastanku Glavnog odbora HSK-a u Sarajevu donesena je konačna odluka o održavanju Hrvatskih svjetskih igara u Zadru 2006..3. Prethodno konačnoj odluci članovi IzvrÅnog odbora HSK-a posjetili su razne institucije u RH - Vladu RH, Grad Zadar, Županiju zadarsku, Hrvatsku maticu iseljenika, Nadbiskupiju zadarsku i Hrvatski olimpijski odbor - i dobili pozitivne signale u smislu potpore i pokroviteljstva. 4. Hrvatske svjetske igre prvo su globalno sportsko natjecanje u Hrvata. Domaća selekcija sportaÅa natjecati će se protiv selekcija država hrvatske dijaspore i selekcije Hrvata iz Bosne i Hercegovine. Svi sudionici Igara moraju biti hrvatskih korijena i mogu jedino nastupiti za delegaciju zemlje u kojoj borave barem zadnje tri godine.5. Ciljevi HSI-a: Približavanje domovinske i iseljene Hrvatske, promocija grada i županije domaćina, promocija hrvatskog turizma, približavanje hrvatskih sportskih talenata domovini.6. Hrvatske svjetske igre biti će održane u Gradu Zadru i na području Zadarske županije. Igre će trajati od 15.07.2006 do 21.07.2006 i biti će svečano otvorene mimohodom delegacija u centru Zadra. Svi sudionici Igara biti će smjeÅtenu u TN Zaton koje će biti sportsko selo za vrijeme Igara.7. Discipline na Igrama: Atletika, badminton, boćanje, judo, karate, koÅarka, koÅarka-hakl, nogomet, nogomet na pijesku, mali nogomet, nogomet veterana, odbojka, odbojka na pijesku, plivanje, rukomet, stolni tenis, taekwondo, tenis8. Dob sudionika: od 16 do 40 godina, za boćanje i maraton (atletika) nema starosnog ograničenja. Veteranski nogomet od 36 godina bez gornjeg ograničenja.9. Pored sportaÅa mogu se prijaviti i treneri, suci, predstavnici i volonteri za aktivne uloge na Igrama. Åesta kategorija je pasivna, ali možda za neke najatraktivnija - "prijatelji Igara". Predviđeno za osobe koji za vrijeme Igara žele biti sa ostalim u sportskom selu ali bez obaveza prema programu. 10. DosadaÅnji tijek prijava: do danaÅnjeg dana stigle su oko 430 prijava iz 21zemlje. Prijave uglavnom iz manje organiziranih sredina i dobrim dijelom u pojedinačnim disciplinama. Očekivanja su bila takva da će ekipni sportovi iz organiziranih hrvatskih zajednica prednjačiti. Iako iznenađujuća - vrlo pozitivna situacija!11. Novosti za drugi prijavni rok - pored Interneta prijave moguće također putem telefona ili faksa. Ured HSI-a u Zadru otvara 15.8.2005. Promjena nekih ograničenja u svezi starosne dob sudionika, ali najveća novost je kategorija "prijatelji Igara" koja omogućuje baÅ svakome da bude sudionik Igara (sudjeluju u mimohodu). Nogomet veterana uvrÅten u službeni dio programa (od 36 godina).12. Delegacije Hrvatske i BIH - Detaljne informacije u rujnu / listopadu 2005. Razmatramo mogućnost održavanja kvalifikacijskih turnira u suradnji sa sportskim savezima. 13. Cijena sudjelovanja - 285 EUR za sve aktivne kategorije / 450 EUR za prijatelje Igara, volonteri ako su smjeÅteni u naselju također 285 EUR, ako u samostalnom aranžmanu besplatno. U cijeni uključeno je sudjelovanje na sportskom dijelu Igara, na otvaranju i zatvaranju Igara, smjeÅtaj u TN Zaton polu-pansion u bungalowu, jedan obrok na sportskim terenima, ulaz na sva natjecanja, ulaz na kompletni zabavni program, oprema prema potrebi (osim tenisica i oprema za borilačke sportove), transport unutar prijevoznog sistema Igara, koriÅtenje IT centra i doživotno članstvo HSI-a. Jure Strikawww.zadar2006.com Kontakt Tel: 091 / 768 3316 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7810/1/E-Ivan-Ljubicic-celebrates-victory---Croatia-into-semifinals.html ÂIvan Ljubicic celebrates victory - Croatia into semifinalsÂCroatia's Ivan Ljubicic celebrates victory in the doubles with Mario Ancic during a Davis Cup world group quarter-final tennis match against Romania's Andrei Pavel and Gabriel Trifu at Split, Croatia, July 16, 2005. Ljubicic and Ancic defeated Pavel and Trifu 5-7 6-4 6-7 6-4 6 6-4. REUTERS/Matko BiljakÂIvan i MarioCroatia's Ivan Ljubicic (R) and his partner Mario Ancic react during their Davis Cup world group quarterfinal doubles against Romania's Ander Pavel and Gabriel Trifu at Split, Croatia July 16, 2005. REUTERS/Matko Biljak letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7809/1/E-Ljubicic-steers-Croatia-into-Davis-Cup-semis.html ÂLjubicic steers Croatia into Davis Cup semisCroatia:Romania 4-1Sun Jul 17, 2005 7:05 PM BSTPrinter Friendly | Email Article | RSSÂLONDON, July 17 (Reuters) - Croatia reached the Davis Cup semi-finals for the first time on Sunday after Ivan Ljubicic beat Romania's Andrei Pavel in the first reverse singles in Split.Ljubicic, who fired down 21 aces, brushed aside Pavel 6-3 6-4 6-3 to hand Croatia an unassailable 3-1 lead.Croatia, who defeated the United States in the opening round, now take on 2002 champions Russia in September."This was one of my best feelings on a tennis court," said Ljubicic. "The spectators were great, I had goose bumps for the whole of the third set."A break in the sixth game was enough for Ljubicic to secure the opening set. Pavel broke early in the second but the Croat reeled off five consecutive games to take command of the match."I was mad at myself losing the serve in the second set," said Ljubicic. "It was all me, and my mistakes, but once I got back on track I knew I had to win this match in three sets."Mario Ancic completed a 4-1 victory with a 7-6 7-6 win over Victor Hanescu in the dead rubber.Âhttp://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=tennisNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20050717:MTFH50492_2005-07-17_18-05-17_L17701772:1 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7814/1/E-Croatias-Ukic-to-join-Raptors-on-October-1st.html ÂCroatia's Ukic to join Raptors ÂÂSports Friday, July 15, 2005 Time is GMT + 8 hoursPosted: 15-Jul-2005 20:51 hrs Croatia's international point guard Roko Leni Ukic is to join the National Basketball Assocation's Toronto Raptors for the next three seasons. Croatia's international point guard Roko Leni Ukic is to join the National Basketball Assocation's Toronto Raptors for the next three seasons, head of his Split CO club told AFP. ."I am not familiar with the details of his contract, but I know that everything has been arranged. It is certain," Dino Radja said Friday..The amount of the transfer is three million dollars, according to the local Sportske Novosti daily. ."Toronto was always my wish," the 21-year-old Ukic told the daily.."I will appear in Toronto on October 1," Ukic said adding that he would first play for Croatia at the European basketball championship in September in Serbia. â AFP http://www.todayonline.com/articles/61674.asp letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7813/1/E-Free-Admission-to-Tennis.html ÂFree Admission to TennisBy Katarina TepeshFree admission to US Open Qualifying Tournament starting Tuesday, August 23 â Friday, August 26, 2005. Gates open at 10:00 am at the USTA National Tennis Center. Come see tomorrowâs Croatian tennis stars today at one of the largest tennis tournaments in the United States. Admission to all US Open qualifying matches is FREE! Also Free admission Open Practice Day on Sunday, August 28, 2005; Gates open at 11:00 am. Come see your favorite Croatian tennis star up close and personal as they practice for the 2005 US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS.Support Croatian tennis stars IVAN LJUBICIC, MARIO ANCIC, IVO KARLOVIC, KAROLINA SPREM, JELENA KOSTANIC, SANDRA MAMIC, SILVIJA TALAJA, ROKO KARANUSIC, SASA TUKSAR, ZELJKO KRAJAN, MAJA PALAVERSIC COOPERSMITH, LOVRO ZOVKO and others. Competing among Juniors will be MARIN CILIC, SANJA ANCIC, PETAR JELINIC, IVANA ABRAMOVIC, JOSKO TOPIC, NIKA OZEGOVIC and others. Playing at US OPEN, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York from August 29 â September 12, 2005. Prize money is rising from last year and the Menâs and Womenâs singles champions will each get a record $1.1 million.To purchase tickets for 2005 US OPEN, go to TicketMaster.com or call TicketMaster at 1-866-OPEN-TIX Tickets are available for groups of 25 or more. One Free Ticket for every 25 tickets purchased per session. Call 718-760-6200 menu option #1. The US Open is the highest annually attended sporting event in the world with more than 625,000 fans. More than 86 million viewers watched the US Open on CBS and USA Network, and international broadcasts reached 199 countries. For more info see www.usopen.org Transportation: Subway at Grand Central Station/Times Square take Flushing bound IRT number 7 train to Willets Point-Shea Stadium stop. *** letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 14 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7815/1/E-Veljko-Rogosic---Amazing-Test-of-Human-Endurance.html ÂVeljko Rogosic - Amazing Test of Human Endurance Veljko Rogosic (64), four time International Long Distance Swimming Federation World Champion, is on his way to win another worldâs best. This outstanding sportsman entered the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1998. Rogosic swam La Manche (38 km) in 2004 at the age of 63, to be the oldest ever and the only Croatian to do so!Rogosic is taking on another professional and personal challenge this summer. A young 64-year-old Croatian legend is swimming a marathon down the entire Adriatic coast, from Savudria in North to Prevlaka in the South - 1,000 km (622 miles) - in less than 60 days!For more information, map and a daily journal of his amazing adventure, as well as a large photo gallery, please visit: www.veljkorogosic.org .Please do contact me for any further information, pictures, clips or anything else you may need.Warm regards from sunny and hot Croatia!Marina StanojevicPress/ MarketingTeam Veljko Rogosicpress@veljkorogosic.org +385 91 552 4022 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 12 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7812/1/E-Mario-Carevic-training-with-VFB-Stuttgart.html ÂMario Carevic training with VFB StuttgartFormer Hajduk Split midfielder Mario Carevic (Mario Carević) who spent the last season playing in Saudi Arabia could continue his career in Germany if he fulfills the expectation of VFB Stuttgart coach Giovanni Trapattoni. The 23 year old has left Croatia and Hajduk last summer after playing 102 league game in First Division plus scoring 7 goals, and from then on we lost his trace in Saudi Arabia and Al-Ittihad, a club that just bought Jared Borgetti the best player of Mexico at Confederations Cup in Germany.Now Carevic appears to be back from Middle East and is accordingly to German media reported to be seen at the training session with VFB Stuttgart. Will he stay or not will probably depend of the Giovanni Trapattoni impressions of the Croat. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 12 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7819/1/E-Croatia-defeating-Russia-12-7-in-New-York.html ÂIn the group B semifinal today in New York:Croatia defeating Russia 12-7Canadian Water PoloCanada loses 14-8 to Spain in World League menâs water polo semifinal tournamentJuly 6, 2005TORONTO.- A rebuilding Canadian menâs team got caught in an scoring festival with Spain on Wednesday and lost 14-8 in the opening game of the A group World League menâs water polo semifinal tournament being held this week at the University of Toronto.The Canadians who were 0-6 in the round robin portion of the tournament which took place last month in Europe were led by Kevin Mitchell of Vancouver with three goals, Thomas Marks of Vancouver with two while Kevin Graham of Regina, Noah Miller of Regina and Jean Sayegh of Montreal notched one apiece. The score was 9-4 Spain at the half. âThis was by far our worst game weâve played so far in the World League,â€? said Canadaâs head coach Dragan Jovanovich of Calgary. âThe mistakes we made tonight were incredible. This was the first time we were playing at home and we looked paralysed out there. The only positive is we only lost by six goals. We hadnât played in 10 days and I think we lost our rhythm. We need to get back to our defensive ethic and ball control.â€?Guillermo Molina led Spain with four goals while Felipe Perrone, Kiko Perrone, Jose Rodriguez and Xavi Valles added two each with singles to R. Diaz and Ivan Perez.In Wednesdayâs other game here Greece defeated Serbia and Montenegro, the Olympic silver medallists 8-7. Greece led 5-4 at the half. It was Serbia and Montenegroâs first lost of the tournament. Scoring for Greece were Antonis Vlontakis, Stefanos Santa and G Nioskas with two goals each and Argyrios Theodoropoulos and Theodoros Chatzitheodorou with one each. Aleksandar Sapic, the leagueâs top scorer, scored four times for Serbia Montenegro with singles to Danilo Ikodinovic, Vladimir Vujasinovic and B. Zlokovic.On Thursday, Canada has the bye with Serbia Montenegro facing Germany at 7 p.m. and Spain vs Greece at 8:30 p.m. Canadaâs next game is Friday against Serbia Montenegro, the Olympic silver medallists in Athens.The group B semifinal also started today in New York with Croatia defeating Russia 12-7 and Italy edging the U.S., 6-4. The top-three teams from the two groups advance to the World League final next month in Belgrade. More than $430,000 (U.S.) is up for cash prizes in the tournament.More information at: www.waterpolo.ca and www.fina.org Source: http://www.sportsfeatures.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7817/1/E-Croatia-sniper-Marasovic-overpowers-City-in-13-minutes.html ÂMarasovic, Croatia sniper, overpowers CityMarasovic scored all three Toronto Croatia goalsÂCroatia 3, City 1 By KATHY RUMLESKI -- London Free PressIn the battle between the top two teams in the Canadian Professional Soccer League, Toronto Croatia emphatically made its case that it is now supreme. Croatia scored three goals in 13 minutes, all by Leo Marasovic, to defeat London City 3-1 last night at Cove Road field. Marasovic, with his speed and height, was able to cruise through City's defence and shoot bullets at goalkeeper Ibrahim Hadzic. Croatia, last year's league champions, improved to 4-1-1 atop the Eastern Conference while City fell to 5-3 but still remains tops in the West. City manager Harry Gauss was frustrated that his team didn't stick to basic plays. "We're meat and potatoes -- we're not filet mignon." London got on the board first in the 27th minute on a goal by Jeff Johnson, playing in his first game for City this year. He last played for City two years ago. Croatia tied the game just over a minute into the second half. Marasovic dribbled past two defenders and sent the ball over the head of Hadzic.Marasovic then popped in two more goals in the 56th and 60th minutes. Two minutes later and Hadzic had to knock out two more shots. "(Hadzic) still did a good job," said Gauss. One of Hadzic's best saves came in the 12th minute when he came out of the net to steal the ball from Croatia's Leo Laurito. Hadzic had to guard the net after starting goalie Haidar Al-Shaibani learned this week he'll be out for six weeks. Al-Shaibani suffered a torn hamstring while playing as a full- back in last Friday's game. Another London player was injured last night. City defender Shawn Ord was knocked to the ground late in the game when Croatia's Tom Granic hit Ord in the face with his shoulder. Ord had to be helped off the field. City's Erik Elmauer received a red card at the end of the game when he booted the ball at referee Justin Tasev, a former Western player. Elmauer and Tasev later shook hands. London was playing without two starting midfielders, Dennis Peeters and Eris Tafaj, the team's leading scorer. Peeters and Tafaj were selected to play for the CPSL all-stars in a game today against Glasgow Rangers. That game is at the University of Toronto at 6 p.m. GAME GLANCE Croatia 3, City 1 Toronto goals: Leo Marasovic (3) London goal: Jeff Johnson Next: The North York Astros come to Cove Road field Friday for an 8:38 p.m. game. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2005/07/09/1124329-sun.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7816/1/E-MARIN-CILIC-JUNIOR-CHAMPION.html ÂMARIN CILIC, JUNIOR WINNER AT ROLAND GARROSNew Croatian Tennis StarBy Katarina Tepesh & Jeffrey LesserIn an amazing turn of events, 16-year-old Croat Marin Cilic won the boysâ junior championship at Roland Garros to become the first Croatian champion of the event in French Open history.In his title run, the unseeded Cilic won six matches in a row, including a third-round dismantling of the #3 seed, Son-Yong Kim, Jr. of Korea, a straight set victory over 5th seeded Sergei Bubka of the Ukraine, and a semifinal shocker over #1 seed Andrew Murray of Britain. After defeating three seeded players in a row, Cilic faced Antal Van Der Duim of the Netherlands in the final, and won the title convincingly, 6-3 6-1. Marin Cilic, an unseeded player not expected to do much damage on clay at the French Open, had won the title in superlative fashion.Cilic, who now officially represents Croatia, moved to Zagreb in 2002 from his home in Medjugorje, Bosnia & Herzegovina, the same village where in 1981 youngsters affirmed that they had seen the Virgin Mary âQueen of Peace.â€? Said Cilic of how he became involved in tennis, âOne of my relatives was playing tennis. So I started to play initially just to get involved with sports. I learned pretty fast and I started to think that perhaps I have a future in tennis.â€? He realized this potential was genuine in 2004. âI was thrilled when as a 14-year-old, my idol Goran Ivanisevic invited me to train with him and asked me to play doubles with him at the Zagreb Open,â€? Cilic remembered. It was truly unexpected that Cilic, an unseeded underdog in almost all of his matches at Roland Garros, won the clay-court tournament, because he greatly favors playing on hard courts and grass. This should say something for his ability to win the US Open and the upcoming Wimbledon junior championships.Cilic is sure to no longer have financial troubles, which plagued him greatly in the past. A delighted Cilic noted, âThe Croatian tennis association is paying for my apartment in Zagreb and I also receive 2000 kunas pay. Now that I won at Roland Garros, I will receive additional money from Zagreb municipality.â€? On his imminent sponsorship opportunities, Cilic remarked, âI also received several offers from well known sponsors. Now Iâm in the process to seriously consider them. Of course, my main sponsor Fila will definitely increase my pay.â€?Training in Zagreb with coach Andrej Tonejc, to whom Cilic greatly attributes his success, Cilic hopes to do more than just win the boysâ junior championship at Roland Garros. âMy goal is to one day reach top 50,â€? said the 16-year-old tennis phenom.While playing in Croatia has helped his tennis game, it has not come without its drawbacks. âI miss my family who are still living in Medjugorje. I hope we will be together soon,â€? said Cilic. For all wishing to get a chance to see Cilic play live, he competed among Juniors at US Open 2004 and therefore is sure to play at the US Open 2005. With his great preference for hard courts, perhaps Cilic is better suited to winning this tournament than even Roland Garros.**** letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7818/1/E-Croatia-parliament-approves-Euro-2012-joint-bid.html ÂCroatia parliament approves Euro 2012 joint bidÂThu Jul 7, 2005 4:11 PM BSTPrinter Friendly | Email Article | RSS ZAGREB, July 7 (Reuters) - Croatia's parliament gave its support on Thursday to a joint bid with Hungary to stage the 2012 European soccer championships finals. Hungary's parliament approved the bid earlier this week.It is Croatia's second attempt to host the tournament after a joint bid with Bosnia for the 2008 finals failed.The other bidders for 2012 are Greece, Italy, Russia, Turkey and Poland and Ukraine jointly. The decision will be made in December 2006.Austria and Switzerland are joint hosts of Euro 2008. http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldFootballNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20050707:MTFH54978_2005- letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 08 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7823/1/E-I-love-the-water-To-wake-up-every-day-it-would-be-good-to-see-that.html ÂI love the water. To wake up every day it would be good to see thatÂBogut Ready to Begin Work With BucksÂÂBy JAMES A. CARLSONAssociated Press WriterJune 30, 2005, 7:47 AM EDTST. FRANCIS, Wis. -- Now that the NBA draft is over, Andrew Bogut is ready to show the Milwaukee Bucks just what they got with the No. 1 pick. Bogut was introduced by the Bucks on Wednesday, one day after the former Utah star was chosen with the first selection in the NBA draft. The 7-foot center is looking to get some rest, learn about his new teammates and concentrate on basketball -- a game he started playing at 11 in Australia. "I think this is the best part. Things quiet down, and now I'll just let my game do the talking," he said. Bogut said he's a good fit for Milwaukee, which he called a blue-collar place that fits his background in Australia. It was there that he worked his way through the youth program to the national team and became a starter for the 2004 Australian Olympic squad. Bogut, 20, who earned college player of the year honors last season, said he's eager to get to work. He seemed to welcome the heavy expectations placed on his shoulders by the Bucks -- a team coming off its worst record (30-52) in nearly a decade. "I really believe within the next five years you're going to look at the best center in the Eastern Conference," general manager Larry Harris said. Harris' focus will now turn to re-signing top scorer Michael Redd and other free agents, and hiring a replacement for Terry Porter, the second-year coach who was fired last week. When the Bucks selected Bogut on Tuesday night, the news quickly spread down to Australia. "I heard that they stopped every television program and put on a news break about the draft, which is very special," he said. "You know, basketball is not the biggest sport in Australia so it's very special to me to have something like that. ... The country actually stopped for five minutes and they had that break. The people down there are very proud of me." Bogut was impressed that fans in Milwaukee's Bradley Center on draft night displayed flags of Australia and of Croatia, honoring his ethnic heritage. "You don't get that in many NBA arenas," he said. "I think the people here are very proud to have me and I'm very proud to have them." Bogut is among the young Bucks players expected to get a taste of NBA competition during summer league play. He said one of his priorities will be finding a home in Milwaukee with a view of Lake Michigan instead of the Southern Pacific Ocean shores of his hometown. "I'm going to get an apartment somewhere looking at the water," he said. "I love the water. To wake up every day it would be good to see that." http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/sns-ap-bkn-draft-bogut,0,3326684.story?coll=ny-basketball-headlines letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 05 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7821/1/E-Major-interest-for-Croatian-World-Games.html ÂMajor interest for Croatian World GamesÂMedia news conference July 13th, 2005 / Zaton Holiday VillageAs our first application deadline has expired, one thing has become evident - the Croatian World Games have drawn enormous interest and attention in Croatian communities worldwide. A couple hundred applications from over twenty countries are an excellent introduction to what has to become the first "Croatian Olympics" in history. But this is only the beginning of the story! The real promotion has to start yet. We believe there are many individuals around that have heard about the Games but didn't quite understand that they're invited themselves. In addition, there are many of those that already have the wish to participate but don't know how to enroll.Because of these and other reasons, the organizing committee has set July 13th, 2005 as the date for the the first media conference which will take place at the Zaton Holiday Village, the same place which will act as "Olympic village" during the Games. The conference will cover the first application period and its results, the new application deadline, application possibilities apart from the internet and other issues of importance connected with the Games. At the same time the news conference will serve as project presentation for the domestic public.Apart from our hosts, invitations for the news conference have gone out to all Games patrons and co-patrons (Government of Rep. Croatia, City of Zadar, Zadar County, the Archbishopric of Zadar, the Croatian Heritage Foundation, Croatian Olympic Committee). A number of sport celebrities are also expected to make a presence at the conference.Detailed information about the news conference you will find soon on our official website www.zadar2006.com .Organizing committee letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 05 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7820/1/E-Tosic-Roko-won-silver-at-the-XV-Mediterranean-Games.html ÂRoko Tosic ÂÂCroatia's Tosic Roko prepares to serve against Italy's Min Yang during the men's singles table tennis final match at the Mediterranean Games in Almeria, southern Spain, July 3, 2005. Yang won the gold medal, Roko took the silver. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 05 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7822/1/E-Im-the-proudest-grandmother-in-the-world-today.html ÂHelen Jurisic: "I'm the proudest grandmother in the world today."ÂBogut's in the big Bucks as No.1 pickBy Martin BlakeJune 30, 2005Cap that â Bogut after he was drafted as No.1Photo: ReutersHe was always going to the NBA. It was just a matter of a number for Andrew Bogut, Australian basketball's latest and most famous export.NBA commissioner David Stern stood before a lectern at Madison Square Garden in New York and read from a card: "With their first pick, the Milwaukee Bucks select Andrew Bogut."With a hug for his father Michael and mother Ann, Bogut stepped into the sporting stratosphere. In the land of opportunity, someone jammed a Bucks cap on his head just before he shook hands with Stern, towering over the man who has presided over the game for some years. Welcome to the Big Time.At the Lexus Centre in Melbourne, Collingwood's home territory, a crowd had gathered at the NBA's behest for breakfast and to watch the draft telecast on ESPN and see if the speculation about Bogut's being the No.1 selection would be correct. When it turned out to be so, his grandmother Helen Jurisic, who emigrated to Melbourne from Zagreb in Croatia 30 years ago, was handed the microphone."I think you deserve it," she told the 20-year-old, who was listening on a satellite hook-up from New York. "I'm the proudest grandmother in the world today."AdvertisementBogut, 213 centimetres, is not the first Australian to reach the NBA. The likes of Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Chris Anstey and Luc Longley have done it before him, the latter winning three championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.But Bogut is the first Australian to be the No.1 draft pick and as such becomes the hottest property in US basketball.The sport in this country quickly claimed this as its little piece of history.He will earn $US14.2 million ($19m) in his first three years with the Bucks, who missed the NBA play-offs this year. A new endorsement deal with Nike is likely to earn him another $US5m over five years, and his new agent said this week that Bogut would probably earn $US100m during his career.Bogut intends buying "a house and a car" with his new-found wealth, and will fulfil another dream when he buys a Monaro back at home. He could afford something better, an interviewer suggested. "That's just for Australia," Bogut retorted.His start has not been without a hitch or two. Earlier this week, finding himself the centre of pre- draft attention in New York, Bogut said he did not want to be compared with the likes of Longley, Gaze, Anstey or Heal, implying that he was better.Yesterday Longley said he would advise Bogut to "pull his head in and get on with the job for a while before he starts mouthing off"."My advice to Andrew Bogut would probably be that there's a good time for blowing your own horn, and that's when you've got the runs on the board, and that being drafted doesn't prove anything," Longley said."Now's when he proves himself. I'm sure he will."Bogut yesterday backed down from his earlier comments: "I'm very disappointed in the way things were written," he said. "I definitely would not be up here without him [Andrew Gaze], Shane Heal, Luc Longley. It was certainly taken out of context and I want to apologise â it was not what I meant."Two of his junior coaches at Dandenong, Daniel and Joe Ramanauskas, came along with a photo of one of his Rangers teams, Bogut in the middle wearing the No.10 on his jersey. Bogut has said that his omission from an under-16s team drove him to his success, a fact that the Ramanauskases (the brother and father of Essendon footballer Adam) wanted to clarify."I don't think he was ever cut," Daniel Ramanauskas said. "There was an abundance of tall kids and he got put into the second side. It was more for him to develop and play more minutes. At the time he might have thought it a kick in the guts, but look at him today. We're just so proud of the kid and to say we've had some minute part of the kid getting there, it's incredible."http://www.smh.com.au/news/basketball/boguts-in-the-big-bucks-as-no1-pick/2005/06/29/1119724697051.html?oneclick=true letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 03 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7824/1/E-Edis-Elkasevic-won-the-gold-at-the-XV-Mediterranean-Games.html ÂEdis ElkasevicÂÂwon the goldÂCroatia's Edis Elkasevic competes in the men's shot put final at the XV Mediterranean Games in Almeria, southern Spain, July 2, 2005. Elkasevic won the gold medal with Spain's Manuel Martinez taking the silver and Bosnia Herzegovina's Hamza Alic bronze. REUTERS/Victor Fraile Reuters - Jul 02 1:28 PM letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 02 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7826/1/E-Cro-Cop-Mirko-Filipovic-KOs-Magomedov-in-1st-round.html ÂCro Cop Mirko KOs Magomedov!Mirko ended his 20th MMA bout in a brilliant way, by a 1st round KO win over Ibragim Magomedov. From the start of the fight Mirko was the one in control and it was obvious that the fight won't be too long. Mirko was superior in stand-up as expected, he landed some solid left straight punches, but the fight was decided by Mirko's middle-kicks. Two of them landed very hard and after the 2nd one Ibragim was unable to continue the fight.A very impressive win for Mirko and now we can definitely say: "Fedor, you're next!"http://www.mirko-crocop.com/ From Dream Stage EntertainmentJune 9, 2005TOKYO, Japan â Two more non-tournament bouts have been announced for PRIDE FIGHTINGâS next event, CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005. In the first bout, Mirko âCro Copâ€? Filipovic will take on Russiaâs Ibragim Magomedov and in the second Judo Olympic gold-medallist Makoto Takimoto will take on Japanese star Kiyoshi Tamura. Previously announced non-tournament bouts include Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira of the Brazilian Top Team versus Polandâs 1996 Judo Olympic gold-medallist, Pawel Nastula and Russiaâs Sergei Kharitonov versus veteran heavyweight, Pedro âThe Rockâ€? Rizzo of Brazil.http://www.cagewarriors.com/page.asp?ID=1056ULTIMATE FIGHT: MIRKO FILIPOVIĆ SREDIO I MAGOMEDOVA, POTVRĐENA BORBA ZA NASLOV S FEDOROM U KOLOVOZU 26.06.2005 Hrvatski majstor borilačkih vjeÅtina Mirko Filipović danas je u tokijskoj Saitama Areni u dvoboju ultimate fighta pobijedio Rusa Ibragima Magomedova.Meč je odlučen u prvoj rundi, nakon Åto je Filipović lijevom nogom pogodio Magomedova u rebra. Magomedov je posrnuo na tlo i meč je prekinut.Filipoviću je to 16. pobjeda u karijeri u ultimate figthu.Magomedov je u dosadaÅnjoj karijeri ostvario 12 pobjeda i dva poraza, a dolazi iz momčadi svjetskoga prvaka u teÅkoj kategoriji po Pride verziji, Fedora Emelianenka. Upravo bi Emelianenko trebao biti sljedeći Filipovićev protivnik. Meč za naslov svjetskoga prvaka trebao bi se održati 28. kolovoza ove godine.Odmah nakon meča Filipović je u ring pozvao Emelianenka, koji je obećao da će se suprostaviti hrvatskom borcu 28. kolovoza u borbi za naslov svjetskog prvaka.Hina/HRTweb sport (kd)Source: http://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/default.aspContact:SLAVEN VUJIC, CroCop's PRslaven@mirko-crocop.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 25 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7825/1/E-Soccer-win-for-Croatia.html Soccer win for Croatia ÂJune 26, 2005THE MISSISSAUGA NEWSAMIT GOSSAI Jun 24, 2005 The defending Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL) champions, Toronto Croatia, earned their first victory of the season last Saturday in Laval, Quebec. The Mississauga-based team had lost and tied earlier contests, before edging the Dynamite, 2-1. "We're not in shape as yet," said team manager Theo Krajacic. "We're going to take a while getting into the season." Newly-acquired strikers Miles O'Conner and Haydan Fitzwilliams scored goals at the 43rd and 85th minute marks respectively, leading Toronto to victory. The win improved Croatia's record to 1-1-1. Their four points are good enough for third place in the Eastern Conference standings. Croatia are back home at Memorial Park in Streetsville tonight to face the Durham Storm. "Conditioning is the biggest thing," said Krajacic. "We haven't had time to condition ourselves and that explains why we haven't gotten off the ground fast enough." During the off-season, Fitzwilliams and Caswain Mason were added to the Croatia roster in an exchange for cash from the Metro Lions, while O'Conner was acquired from the Hamilton Thunder for midfielder Marko Bedenikovic. Defenders Robert Fran and Domagoj Sain return to Croatia's roster after a year on loan players to the Toronto Supra. THE MISSISSAUGA NEWShttp://www.mississauga.com/mi/sports/story/2875509p-3330572c.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 25 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7827/1/E-Edis-Elkasevic-won-the-NCAA-title-and-a-national-record.html ÂSEC Honors Auburn NCAA Champion ÂEdis Elkasevic By Staff Reports Inside the Auburn TigersDate: Jun 20, 2005Auburn, Ala.--NCAA shot put champion Edis Elkasevic has been named SEC Outdoor Field Athlete on Monday. The Auburn University sophomore was selected for the honor by a vote of the league's 12 track and field head coaches. He won the NCAA title with an Auburn record toss of 68 feet, 6 inches, which is also a national record for an athlete from Croatia. He also won the SEC indoor and outdoor shot put titles and the SEC discus competition. âHe had quite an outdoor season,â€? says Auburn assistant coach Jerry Clayton, who coaches the throwers. âHe was undefeated by collegiate throwers except for once during the outdoor season as one person threw ahead of him at Georgia Tech. He had an outstanding year and this quite an honor for him.â€? The sophomore also won the NCAA Mideast Regional shot put title and was named the Mideast Regional Male Athlete of the Year. Auburn head coach Ralph Spry says, "Edis contributed a lot to the team at the conference, regional and national meets. He started the year off with a terrific indoor season and was able to continue that and excel even more as the outdoor season progressed. We look forward to having him for two more years and it will be exciting to see what he has in store in that time.â€? Elkasevic will compete in the Croatian national championships and the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland this summer.http://auburn.scout.com/2/389155.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7828/1/E-Croatias-Ancic-wins-first-ATP-title.html ÂCroatia's Ancic wins first ATP titleCroatia's Mario Ancic holds his first ATP trophy Croatia's Mario Ancic holds his trophy after his victory over France's Michael Llodra at the Ordina Open tennis tournament in the Dutch town of Rosmalen June 19, 2005. Ancic underlined his grasscourt credentials on Sunday, beating defending champion Llodra 7-5 6-4 to win the Ordina Open. REUTERS/Toussaint Kluiters ÂCroatia's Ancic wins first ATP title21-year-old beats Llorda in Ordina Open finalThe Associated PressUpdated: 11:18 a.m. ET June 19, 2005DEN BOSCH, Netherlands - Mario Ancic of Croatia won his first ATP title at the Ordina Open on Sunday, beating defending champion Michael Llodra 7-5, 6-4.It was the first victory in three finals for the 21-year-old Ancic, whose powerful serve befuddled his opponent. âI played some good points when I needed them,â€? Ancic said.Ancic reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last year after also making the semifinals at Den Bosch. He said he hoped to âcontinue the traditionâ€? in his opening match this year at Wimbledon, which starts Monday. Ancic, seeded 10th, will meet German qualifier Tobias Summerer in his first match.Ancic was the last man to beat No. 1 Roger Federer at Wimbledon, knocking him out in the first round three years ago. Asked whether Federer can be beaten this year, Ancic said, âYou have to play unbelievable, and he has to be not 100 percent on top of his game.â€?Llodra said he also felt more confident for Wimbledon, despite the loss. He plays ninth-seed Sebastien Grosjean, also from France, in the first round.Against Llodra, Ancic had eight aces and dropped only three points on his serve in the first set.But Llodra played faultless serve-and-volley, losing only one of his service points until the 11th game. Ancic passed the Frenchman at the net, hit a service return winner down the line and a winner at the net. Rattled, Llodra double faulted at game point, and Ancic comfortably served out the set.Ancic won the fifth game of the second set with a cross-court pass to go up a break. Llodra saved two match points to hold in the next game, but Ancic moved up to the net for the winning points to close out the match.âI have been serving very good all week. For sure it is my biggest weapon,â€? Ancic said. âI didnât give him too many chances to return.â€?http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8277824/http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=tennisNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20050619:MTFH37985_2005-06-19_12-30-07_L19183036:1http://inhome.rediff.com/sports/2005/jun/19ancic.htm Ancic secures Ordina Open title Latest results Croatia's Mario Ancic confirmed he will be a threat at Wimbledon by winning the Ordina Open on grass on Sunday. The third seed, who will be seeded 10th at Wimbledon after reaching the last four last year, beat defending champion Michael Llodra 7-5 6-4. Ancic dropped just three points on serve in the opening set and broke his French opponent in the 11th game. Llodra saved two break points in the fifth game of the second set before Ancic finally broke to set up victory. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4108740.stm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 16 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7829/1/E-Croatias-Marin-Cilic-wins-the-French-Open.html ÂCroatia's Marin Cilic wins the French OpenÂCroatia's Marin Cilic shows his trophy after winning the Boys' final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Netherlands' Antal van der Duim, at the Roland Garros stadium, Sunday June 5, 2005 in Paris. ( AP Photo/Francois Mori) AP - Jun 05 5:56 AMÂFifty random musings from Roland GarrosPosted: Sunday June 5, 2005 11:12PM; Updated: Monday June 6, 2005 9:53AMRafael Nadal's 24-match win streak is the longest by a male teenager in the Open era.Bob Martin/SI Buy French Open TicketsGotickets.com provides tickets for all sessions of the French Open at Roland Garros... www.gotickets.comBuy 2005 Official French Open TicketsFrench Open specialists. Championship Tennis Tours, since 1987, offers guaranteed great... www.tennistours.comBuy Tickets to the French OpenTennisTickets.com sells tickets to all French Open matches. Check our site for prices,... www.tennistickets.comFrench Open Tickets at TicketCity.comTicketCity.com sells tickets to the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. View... www.ticketcity.com Cleaning out the notebook from Roland Garros. Herewith, 50 scattered thoughts ...1. Rafael Nadal showed as much mettle beating Mariano Puerta in the (surprisingly entertaining) French Open final as he did beating Roger Federer a round earlier. There's an inevitable letdown after beating the world's No.1; your nerves surface, you're off your game, the other guy is swinging away with reckless abandon, the crowd wants the underdog to win, the conditions are less than ideal. When you still find a way to grind out the win, it says a lot.2. Justine (Allez cat) Henin-Hardenne, the women's champion, has now won four of the last seven majors she's entered. She staves off match points against poor Svetlana Kuznetsova in round four and then doesn't drop a set. In fact, her destruction of Mary Pierce in the final was her toughest match of the tournament.3. Did we read right, Nadal is entered in the singles AND DOUBLES in Halle this week? Nadal on grass is an intriguing prospect, but boy has he played a lot of tennis heading into the tournament.4. What's this we hear that Larry Brown has been furtively interviewing for Tony Roche's job?5.The most feared weapon in women's tennis is Henin-Hardenne's guts. It is she -- and not Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova -- who now has the regal aura and intimidation factor good for a few games a set.6. Answer: Igor Andreev. Question: Who was the last player to have beaten Nadal?7. On his 25th birthday Marat Safin beat Federer in the Australian Open semifinals. On his 19th birthday, Nadal beat Federer in the French Open semifinals. Coincidence? Hildegard Vandromme of Brussels notes that Joachim Johansson has a birthday on July 1. Hmmm.8. Federer has lost three matches all year and hasn't reached a Grand Slam final. Think he might fear Nadal a little? He is 1-2 against him with the one win coming on hard courts when he was two points from defeat.9. Who says Americans can't play on clay? The Bryan Brothers reached the French Open final before wilting in the third set against Max Mirnyi and Jonas Bjorkman. The Bryans are a terrific team and a lot of fun to watch; but their record in finals is troubling at best.10. Unseeded Marin Cilic of Croatia beat Antal Van de Duim to win the boys title. Agnes Szavay beat Raluca Olaru of Romania to win the girls championship.11. Is there a more underrated tennis story than the success of Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez? After beating Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final, they won their eighth Grand Slam title.12. The incongruous team of Fabrice "The Magician" Santoro and Daniela Hantuchova won the mixed doubles, beating the ageless Martina Navratilova and Leander Paes in the finals.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/jon_wertheim/06/05/frenchopen.50.thoughts/?cnn=yes  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7831/1/E-Preview-fastest-European-girls-in-Rijeka-Croatia.html ÂPreview fastest European girls in Rijeka, CroatiaEU Women's Cup: Rijeka previewRacing series BIKE Date 2005-06-06 The exciting challenge among the fastest European girls is back again! The second round of the European Women's Cup will take place in the Rijeka-Grobnik circuit in Croatia next Sunday, June 12th, together with the European Championship (125 cc, 250 cc, Supersport, Superstock 600, Women's Cup). Among the favourites, of course, the Italian riders who won the Vallelunga race, Alessia Polita (in the 600 cc class) and Samuela De Nardi (in the 1000 cc class), but also the French Fabienne Migout, who has proved fast even in a circuit she didn't know before, and the Hungarian Petra Sovegjarto, who's familiar with the Rijeka circuit, having raced this track in the Alpe Adria cup. Great expectations for Ela Seestaller, the German rider who, having missed the Vallelunga race, will measure herself against the other European racers for the first time. Next Sunday race results will be decisive for the championship standings, looking forward to the third and last round in Schleiz (Germany) that will crown the two European champions (600 cc and 1000 cc) of the first all-female European Road Racing Championship in the history of motorcycling. Timetable: Sunday June, 12th Warm up: 9.40 a.m. Race: 11.15 a.m. http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=187550&FS= letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7830/1/E-Bulgaria-1-Croatia-3.html ÂBulgaria 1 Croatia3Bulgaria are all but out of contention for the World Cup 2006 finals after a home defeat to unbeaten Group Eight leaders Croatia.Coming into the game on the back of two disappointing results in the March round of qualification matches, Bulgaria's coach Hristo Stoichkov needed a win to keep his side's hopes for Germany 2006 alive, while the visitors could have afforded a draw at the hostile Vasil Levski stadium. Starting the game with three up front, Bulgaria soon found themselves overwhelmed in midfield, and it came as no surprise when Marko Babic scored for the visitors in the 18th minute. Niko Kovac created space down the left before passing to Niko Kranjcar who in turn set up Babic to strike a fine shot into the back of the net.The best chance Bulgaria had for an equaliser came in the 31st minute, but Dimitar Berbatov headed over from seven metres. The second-half started off with the visitors looking confident and comfortable, soaking up pressure and then hitting Bulgaria on the counter attack.One such counter attack resulted in the second goal in the 58th minute when Igor Tudor scored a splendid solo effort from just inside the area.The Bulgarians attacked until the end, but had to rely on set pieces to threaten Croatia's goal. Bulgaria got themselves back into the game in the 73rd minute through a well-struck free-kick by Martin Petrov which deceived Tomislav Butina in the Croatia goal.Though the goal injected some spirit into the Bulgarian squad, their hopes for getting something out of the game were soon ended by the visitors. In the 80th minute a bad pass in his own area by substitute Zdravko Lazarov gifted the ball to the visitors.Niko Kranjcar picked the ball up and went past Iliyan Stoyanov before going one-on-one with Ivankov in the penalty area and beating him easily with a well placed shot.An additional blow to Stoichkov's squad was a needless yellow card late on by Berbatov - earned for kicking a ball after the whistle was blown and meaning he will miss the next game against Sweden.Teams: Bulgaria Ivankov, Kirilov, Iliev, Stoyanov, Kishishev (Lazarov 55), Stilian Petrov, Georgiev, Yankov, Martin Petrov, Ivanov (Bojinov 46), Berbatov. Subs Not Used: Kolev, Topuzakov, Aleksandrov, Yanev, Kamburov. Booked: Stoyanov, Berbatov. Goals: Martin Petrov 72. Croatia Butina, Robert Kovac, Tomas, Simunic, Tudor, Srna, Babic, Nico Kovac, Kranjcar (Jerko Leko 82), Prso, Olic (Balaban 90). Subs Not Used: Pletikosa, Simic, Tokic, Klasnic, Ivan Leko. Booked: Olic, Tudor, Robert Kovac. Goals: Babic 18, Tudor 58, Kranjcar 80. Att: 30,738 Ref: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark).http://www.sportinglife.com/football/worldcup2006/reports/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=soccer/05/06/04/SOCCER_Bul-Bulgaria_Nightlead.html&TEAMHD=soccer letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 05 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7833/1/E-Peasants-Olympic-Games-in-Radosic-near-Split-Croatia.html   Peasants' Olympic Games in Radosic near Split, Croatia  Bulls fight during the Peasants' Olympic Games in Radosic near Split, Croatia May 28, 2005. During the year villagers train their bulls weighting from 800 to 1,200 kilograms (1764 to 2646 pounds) to participate on this event hoping to get the prestigious first prize. REUTERS/Matko Biljak   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 28 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7832/1/E-Robert-Kovac-and-Mladen-Krstajic-playing-on-German-soccer-cup-final.html   Robert Kovac and Mladen Krstajic playing on German soccer cup final   Bayern Munich's players present the Cup to the fans after the German soccer cup final between Bayern Munich against Schalke 04 in Berlin Olympic stadium Saturday, May 28, 2005. Munich won with 2-1. From left to right: Lucio from Brazil, unidentified, Michael Ballack, Oliver Kahn, Claudio Pizzaro from Peru, Ze Roberto from Brazil, Robert Kovac from Croatia. (AP Photo/Roberto Pfeil) AP - May 28 6:21 PM   Munich's Dutch soccer player Roy Makaay, left, and Schalkes soccer player Mladen Krstajic from Croatia, right, challenge for the ball during the German soccer cup final match between FC Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 in Berlin's Olympia stadium on Saturday, May 28, 2005. Munich won the match 2-1. (AP Photo/Christof Stache) AP - May 28 6:31 PM  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 28 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7834/1/E-Croatian-Tennis-Tournament-in-New-York-May-21-2005.html Croatian Tennis Tournament May 21, 2005 Tournament starting at 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Buffet dinner starts at 7 p.m. at Istria Sports Club, 28-09 Astoria Boulevard, Astoria, NY. RSVP by May 14, 2005: Call Croatian American Chamber of Commerce at (718) 937-4040 - Monday to Friday 10 AM to 1 PM or (646) 244-1594 Web site: CroAmChamber.org E-mail: mcroner@nyc.rr.com  At famous Flushing Meadows Tennis Courts Flushing, New YorkMay 21, 2005 www.croamchamber.org   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 14 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7836/1/E-Croatia-is-now-undefeated---Croatia-wins-thriller.html ÂCroatia wins thrillerÂCroatia is now undefeated from three games so farFriday, 8 April 2005Croatia scored a thrilling a four-three victory over a gallant Westlands United at Croatia park on Sunday that moves them closer to a league cup final berth.Croatia were first to score after 10 minutes when John Morris was pulled down in the box and Robert Rendulic converted the spot kick for a one nil lead.Croatia made it two nil five minutes later as Morris slotted in one of his own and Croatia looked to be coasting. Westlands though are showing good signs already this year and they pulled a goal back through the nippy Peter Rincon and just before half-time a header from Tallen Kilpatrick made it two-two. Westlands then got off to a perfect start in the second half as Matt Ellis latched onto a square ball to give his club a three-two lead. With 20 minutes to go Rendulic got his second as he rounded the keeper to make it three-three. With the game up for grabs, veteran Theo Stamoulis won the match with five minutes to go as his header found the net from a Nicolas Todd cross. Croatia is now undefeated from three games so far, while Westlands are showing they'll also be hard to beat this season.http://whyalla.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=sport&subclass=local&category=general%20sport&story_id=384521&y=2005&m=4 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7835/1/E-Soccer-World-Cup-tickets-sold-out-for-Croatia.html ÂSoccer World Cup tickets sold out for CroatiaLONDON, May 8 (IranMania) - There are no longer World Cup tickets available for some 24 countries, among them Iran, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy, France, Netherlands and England, the vice-president of the 2006 World Cup Organizing Committee, Wolfgang Niersbach, announced in Frankfurt on Saturday. "Tickets for 13 countries were sold out at the end of the first phase. As of midday Tuesday, tickets are no longer available for 11 more nations," Niersbach said. At the current time, the following 24 team series are sold out: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, USA, Switzerland, Sweden and Ukraine. However tickets are still available for some 81 other nations, according to Niersbach. http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=31646&NewsKind=Sport letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 08 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7838/1/H-Sport-okuplja-Hrvate-sa-svih-kontinenata.html ÂSport okuplja Hrvate sa svih kontinenata Âwww.zadar2006.comÂGrad Zadar bit ce od 15. do 21. srpnja 2006. godine domacin prvih Hrvatskih svjetskih igara. Ideja se rodila 2002. godine, a cilj joj je kroz sportske igre okupiti Hrvate sa svih kontinenata i ojacati njihove veze s domovinom. "Nasa je zelja da okupimo preko tisucu sportasa iz inozemstva i Hrvatske. Za ocekivati je da ce biti prijava iz oko dvadesetak zemalja, sa svih kontinenata", izjavio nam je Jure Strika, ravnatelj Igara. "U ovom trenutku vec imamo prijave sa cetiri razlicita kontinenta. Jako nas vesele prijave iz Venezuele i Perua i daju nam potvrdu da ovaj projekt jednostavno mora uspjeti. Sigurno je da ce SAD, Kanada, Australija i Njemacka biti najmnogobrojnije delegacije." Organizator igara, Hrvatski svjetski kongres vec je najavio mocna pokroviteljstva Vlade Republike Hrvatske, Grada Zadra, Zupanije zadarske, Nadbiskupije zadarske, Hrvatske matice iseljenika i supokroviteljstva Hrvatskoga olimpijskog odbora. Zelja organizatora je da se kroz Igre promoviraju bogatstvo hrvatskoga nacionalnog bica, grad i zupanija domacina, hrvatski turizam, ali i sport kao oblik zdravog zivota. "Logicno bi bilo da se Igre odrze svake tri do cetiri godine. Upravo zbog Svjetskog prvenstva u nogometu sljedece godine odlucili smo se da termin prvig Igara bude od 15. do 21. srpnja 2006. To je tocno tjedan dana nakon zavrsetka SP. Vjerujemo da ce mnogo sudionika upravo spojiti ove dvije stvari, jer se ne dolazi bas svake godine u Hrvatsku iz udaljenih zemalja." Natjecanja su predviÃena u 17 ljetnih disciplina (atletika, badminton, bocanje, judo, karate, kosarka, kosarka-hakl, nogomet, nogomet na pijesku, mali nogomet, odbojka, odbojka na pijesku, plivanje, rukomet, stolni tenis, taekwondo i tenis) u razdoblju od tjedan dana nakon svecanog otvorenja u samom sredistu Zadra. Sama pomisao o vise od tisucu sportasa pod razlicitim zastavama u centru povijesnoga grada Zadra, djeluje spektakularno. "U Zadru je pet osoba koji se brinu za realizaciju projekta. U pojedinim drzavama imamo osobe koje se brinu za promidzbu kao i medijske pokrovitelje, no isto tako drzimo da svaki pojedinac moze biti najbolji veleposlanik Igara u svom okruzenju i upoznati svoje prijatelje s Igrama. Vazno je naglasiti da se sve prijave vrse pojedinacno, neovisno o sportskim klubovima i kulturnim udrugama po svijetu. Dakle, sudjelovati moze svatko, pod uvjetom da ima hrvatske korjene i da je stariji od 16 godina", napominje gospodin Strika. Natjecanja ce teci na nacin da ce se jedna domaca hrvatska selekcija sportasa natjecati protiv selekcija drzava iz kojih dolaze hrvatski sportasi (Argentina, Njemacka, Âvedska, Australija, Kanada, SAD...) i nacionalne selekcije Hrvata iz Bosne i Hercegovine. Zanimljivo je da ce se smjestaj za sportase organizirati u Sportskom selu, koje ce po uzoru na Olimpijsko selo tijekom Olimpijskih igara, predstavljati mjesto gdje ce se sportasi upoznavati, druziti i spremati za natjecanja. "Prijava se iskljucivo moze izvrsiti putem interneta na nasim sluzbenim stranicama www.zadar2006.com. Postoje cetiri razlicite kategorije za sudjelovanje: sportasi, suci, predstavnici i volonteri. Bitno je procitati pravila sudjelovanja prije same prijave. Sve prijave se rade pojedinacno, bez obzira na ekipne sportove. Upravo zato apeliramo na predstavnike klubova da motiviraju svoje clanove na sudjelovanje i da predstave drzavu u kojoj zive. Ovim putem posebno zelimo pozvati sportase na sveucilistima da se takoÃer prikljuce." Mnogim Hrvatima sa svih kontinenata ovo bi mogla biti idealna prilika da provedu vrijeme u domovini, povecaju broj poznanstava, informacija, povezu se s ljudima unutar i izvan Hrvatske i usput sudjeluju u zanimljivoj sportskoj i turistickoj manifestaciji.www.zadar2006.com Izvor: sportnet.hr.Croatian World Games - Zadar 2006North American promo tourFind our information booth in following cities:Pittsburgh PA / April 23rd 2005New York NY / April 24th 2005London ON / April 29th 2005Ottawa ON / April 30th 2005 Toronto & Mississauga ON / May 1st 2005Vancouver BC / May 4th 2005San Jose CA / May 6th 2005 Los Angeles CA / May 7th 2005 For details visit the official Games website:www.zadar2006.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7837/1/E-North-American-promo-tour-for-Zadar-2006-CWG.html ÂCroatian World Games - Zadar 2006 North American promo tourFind our information booth in following cities:www.zadar2006.com Pittsburgh PA / April 23rd 2005New York NY / April 24th 2005London ON / April 29th 2005Ottawa ON / April 30th 2005 Toronto & Mississauga ON / May 1st 2005Vancouver BC / May 4th 2005San Jose CA / May 6th 2005 Los Angeles CA / May 7th 2005 For details visit the official Games website:www.zadar2006.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7840/1/E-Loncarevic-has-returned-to-Libya-as-a-head-coach.html ÂLoncarevic returns to Libya By Amr Shaheen BBC Sport, North Africa Loncarevic has returned to Libya nine months after being sacked Croatia's Ilija Loncarevic has signed a one-year contract to take charge of Libya just nine months after being sacked from the post. The 60-year-old was surprisingly dismissed last July, shortly after guiding the Libyans to a 1-0 victory in Sudan in a Group Three 2006 World Cup and Cup of Nations qualifier. Yet following a meeting in Tripoli with Mohamed Gaddafi, head of the interim committee that is currently managing the affairs of the Libyan Football Federation (LFF), Loncarevic has returned to the vacant post. Libya coach resigns The former coach of Croatia champions Dinamo Zagreb succeeds Mohamed El Khemisy, who resigned after a 4-1 defeat to North African rivals Egypt last month in a World Cup qualifier. During his first term in charge, the Croatian coach was credited for his role in bringing young talents such as Walid Osman, Younes El-Shebani and Nader Tarhouni into the national squad. Loncarevic's biggest success in management came when he won the Croatian championship with Dinamo Zagreb in 1999 and he also led Inker Zapresic to the Croatian Cup in 1992. Libya currently lie fourth in Group Three, behind table-toppers Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Egypt but ahead of Benin and Sudan. Locarevic's first task will be to lead the side in their next encounter against the Ivorians on 3 June in Tripoli. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/4454123.stm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7839/1/E-Croatia-natives-Pair-Of-International-Stars-For-2005-Season.html ÂCroatia natives Sara Radosevic and Luna Rebrovic ink NLIs with the Green Wave in late signing periodÂVolleyball Signs Pair Of International Stars For 2005 Season April 16, 2005NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Tulane University volleyball program added a pair of international stars as outside hitter Sara Radosevic and setter Luna Rebrovic signed National Letters of Intent with the Green Wave, first-year head coach Liz Kritza announced Saturday. Radosevic and Rebrovic both hail from Zagreb, Croatia, and will be eligible to play for the Green Wave as freshmen in 2005. The international duo will join a solid corps of returning players that finished 17-12 last season. "Sara and Luna have achieved great success as members of one of the most successful generations in Croatian volleyball history," Kritza said. "Their years of international playing experience and continual, year-round training will add to a bright future for Tulane volleyball. "They carry themselves well both on and of the volleyball court. We welcome both of these talented young women into the Green Wave family with great enthusiasm."Rebrovic was a member of Volleyball Club "Zagreb" that finished second in the Croatian Junior National Championships, and is regarded as one of the top junior setters in the country. She also played with Volleyball Club "Mladost," which won the Croatian Junior Championship. "Luna is a hard-working, energetic setter who brings with her a great deal of international playing experience," Kritza said. She is an excellent student and a fierce competitor which will ensure her continued success as part of Tulane's volleyball program." Radosevic, meanwhile, was a teammate of Rebrovic on both Volleyball Club "Zagreb" and Volleyball Club "Mladost." In addition, Radosevic has been a member of both Croatian National Teams at the Youth and Junior levels since 2001. She helped lead the Junior National Team to a fourth-place finish at the European Junior Championships in 2004 and qualify for the World Junior Championships in 2005. Radosevic also trained with the Youth National Team that won the 2003 European Youth Championship. "Sara brings Tulane a new dimension with international playing experience against some of the world's best young players," Kritza said. "Beyond her volleyball accolades, Sara is an accomplished student and a highly motivated young woman." http://tulanegreenwave.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/041605aaa.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7841/1/E-Andrews-identity-is-with-Australia-and-Croatia.html ÂAndrew's identity is with Australia andCroatiaÂBogut the Air apparentBy David SygallApril 3, 2005The Sun-Herald"He's also set up a foundation to help underprivileged kids in Australia, Croatia and the NBA city he will play for. He doesn't want to be one of these NBA guys who only cares about jewellery and cars."Page ToolsEmail to a friend Printer format Rising star ... Andrew Bogut's abilities and appeal are tipped to put him into the marketing stratospherePhoto: APBasketballer Andrew Bogut's marketing power will be the equal of Michael "His Airness" Jordan's and has the potential to influence the Australian economy, his manager David Bauman claims.Bauman said Bogut's ties to Australia, North America and Europe - coupled with his extraordinary basketball skills - made him unique in the NBA, challenged only by 229 centimetre Houston Rockets player Yao Ming, who is a superstar in his native China.Bogut is expected to be the No.1 choice at the NBA draft in New York on June 28 after becoming a household name in the US during a remarkable college season for Utah.He was named the Associated Press US college basketball player of the year on Friday and is favourite for the Naismith Award, to be announced today, and next week the Wooden Award, whose winners include NBA legends Jordan, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.Bauman said he and the 20-year-old would be meeting major sports shoe manufacturers this weekend to assess their offers."It looks as if Andrew's going to get a very lucrative multi-year contract with one of them," Bauman said.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Andrew has become known across the United States in the past six weeks - his name is across headlines in every newspaper in the country. That's why the shoe companies are lining up with their chequebooks open."He's so marketable also because we have the Australian market, the North American market and, because of his Croatian roots and his success [at the junior world championship and Olympic Games] in Greece, he's a known entity in Europe."Andrew has told me his identityis with Australia and Croatia. He has said to me numerous times he wants to utilise his profile in Australia and form associations with some big companies there and raise their profile in the States."It's not out of the question that Bogut has the potential to have an impact on the Australian economy."Michael Jordan has a separate brand within Nike. That brand is the third or fourth largest shoe company in the world."There's no reason Andrew can't be a very successful multinational corporation himself, with substantial financial ties to Australia."Bogut's former Australian Boomers teammate and roommate Shane Heal, who played with NBA side the Minnesota Timberwolves, said he hoped Bogut was dealing with the right people, as interest in him would be enormous."He would have had every top agent in the world swarming over him for the past two years," Heal said. "His decisions now will be the most important ones of his career. It'll be interesting to see what unfolds over the next month."Bogut has selected Bauman, a Washington DC-based lawyer whose company SFX represents 20 per cent of NBA players, including Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, to guide him throughout his career.Asked what the hype over Bogut was like compared to that for Bryant at the same stage in his career, Bauman said: "I haven't seen anything like this. This is really something unbelievable."It started two years ago when he dominated kids his age at the world junior championships. He won the championship almost single-handedly."At the Olympics he got to play against NBA players, a very high level. That's when the hype started."He skyrocketed from No.15 in the charts to No.1. He is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else in the draft."The comparisons I'm hearing are with Bill Walton, the last great white centre who was No.1 draft pick - that was in 1974. They're saying Andrew will be the first great player like that in 30 years. He is in the company of some very, very good players."Bauman said he was impressed by how well adjusted Bogut was in the face of all this attention."He is the most grounded player I've come across in 14 years."His first instinct when he knew he was in for a lot of money was to give back to the school [University of Utah]. He donated $US125,000 [$162,000] before he even had it, to build a new locker room for his teammates."He's also set up a foundation to help underprivileged kids in Australia, Croatia and the NBA city he will play for. He doesn't want to be one of these NBA guys who only cares about jewellery and cars."http://www.smh.com.au/news/Basketball/Bogut-the-Air-apparent/2005/04/02/1112302291322.html?oneclick=true letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 08 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7842/1/E-Croatia-Soar-to-Summit.html Croatia Soar to Summit Dado Prso(R) of Croatia and Kevin Sammut of Malta fight for the ball during a qualification match in Zagreb for the 2006 World Cup. Coratia won 3-0(AFP/Denis Lovrovic) ÂBy Steve Douglas, PA International Croatia climbed to the top of World Cup European Zone qualifying Group Eight with a 3-0 win over Malta at the Stadion Maksimir. With previous leaders Sweden not having a qualifying game tonight, the Croats took full advantage as they overran the group minnows in a one-sided contest.Two first-half goals by Rangersâ Dado Prso, who scored in the 24th and 35th minute, set the home side on their way before Igor Tudor fired home in the 80th minute to see off the plucky visitors.The Czech Republic claimed their fifth win in Group One with a comprehensive 4-0 drubbing of bottom side Andorra at the Estadio Comunal de Aixovall.The visitors, vying with Holland for top spot in the table, took a two-goal lead into the break thanks to Marek Jankulovskiâs penalty and Liverpoolâs Milan Baros.Further strikes in the second period by Vratislav Lokvenc and Tomas Rosicky â who netted a last-minute penalty â sealed the win for the Czechs.A second-half goal by forward Sergei Terehhov earned Estonia a surprise point in the 1-1 home draw with Group Three rivals Russia. Terehhov struck just after the hour mark to derail Russiaâs hopes of challenging Slovakia and Portugal. The visitors had taken the lead through Andrei Arshavin after 18 minutes.Elsewhere in the group, Luxembourg are still without a point after they were soundly beaten 4-0 at Latvia.Imants Bleidelis put the hosts ahead in the 33rd minute before Juris Laizans fired home a 38th-minute penalty.Maris Verpakovskis added a second-half double to wrap up the comfortable win for Latvia, who remain in fourth place but close the gap on Russia to just one point.http://sport.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4328987 Croatia cruise past Malta to lead groupWed Mar 30, 2005 7:17 PM GMTPrinter Friendly | Email Article | RSS ZAGREB, March 30 (Reuters) - Croatia moved top of European zone Group Eight on Wednesday as two goals from Dado Prso and one from Igor Tudor gave them a 3-0 victory over Malta.Croatia leapfrogged Sweden to lead their World Cup qualifying group with 13 points to Sweden's 12.Rangers striker Prso outjumped Malta goalkeeper Justin Haber to open the scoring after 24 minutes and 12 minutes later he doubled the lead after latching on to a Niko Kranjcar pass.Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar reshuffled his side at halftime and they had to wait until 10 minutes from time to add a third when Siena defender Tudor shot home from the edge of the area. http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldFootballNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20050330:MTFH35270_2005-03-30_18-17-05_L30307837:1Croatia Takes Easy 3-0 on MaltaSports: 30 March 2005, Wednesday.Croatia has defeated Malta in an easy home win 3-0 on Wednesday. The outsider Malta confirmed preliminary expectations it is too small against the strength of Croatia who has a bunch of good footballers. Only a few days ago Iceland came to Croatia and lost 4-0. Malta did draw 0-0 with Iceland but that is their only point so far. The win for Croatia put them on top of Group 8 ahead of Sweden. They beat Sweden away earlier. Malta has conceded 13 goals in 4 games but seven of those did come in just one game when they lost 7-0 at home to Sweden. They were also beaten hard by Bulgaria, which is playing later on Wednesday its crucial qualified against Hungary.http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=46139  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 30 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7843/1/EH-Hrvatska-vs-Island-40-Croatia-vs-Island-40.html ÂEuropean WCQ Group 8 Wrap: Croatia Make No Mistake Against Iceland, Swedes Defeat Bulgaria3/26/2005 10:05:00 PMCroatia beat Iceland 4-0 in Saturdayâs Group 8 World Cup qualifier in Zagreb to underline their determination to take part in the Germany 2006 Finals.Hertha Berlinâs midfielder Niko Kovac scored in the 40th minute after a somewhat nervous start for the hosts. The goal relaxed the Croatian team, so suddenly it was just a question of how many goals they would manage to put past Icelandâs goalkeeper Arason. The second came in the 72nd minute when another Hertha Berlinâs player, Josip Simunic, scored after a good assist from Darijo Srna. A great day for Herthaâs players in the Croatian national team continued in the 76th minute. Another precise assist from Darijo Srna and Niko Kovac scored his second goal. Glasgow Rangersâ striker Dado Prso scored in the 90th minute from a distance of some 18 meters to seal a very good performance. ââMy players did it in a magnificent way tonight. The only version I see right now is a victory against Malta when we host them on Wednesdayââ, commented Croatian coach Zlatko Kranjcar. However, for Wednedayâs match he will not be able to count on Saturdayâs scorer Josip Simunic - or one of his best players Darijo Srna â because of yellow cards they picked up. By defeating Iceland, Croatia now have ten points from four games in Group 8. They are second, two points behind Sweden. However, Sweden have earned their 12 points from 5 matches. The Swedes maintained their grip on top spot with vital and impressive victory in Sofia against Bulgaria. Freddie Ljungberg netted twice (in the 13th and 90th minutes) and Erik Edman hit the other (73rd) in a 3-0 victory over the Bulgarians, who were reduced to 10 men when Markov was shown a second yellow card in the 58th minute. Lazarov and Kishishev were also booked for Bulgaria, while Ibrahimovic, Ljungberg and Ostlund were cautioned for the Swedes. http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=53730&progr=0 NOGOMET, KVALIFIKACIJE ZA SP: DARIJO ASISTIRAO, NIKO I JOE ZABIJALI 26.03.2005 U susretu četvrtoga kola osme kvalifikacijske skupine za Svjetsko prvenstvo 2006. godine Hrvatska je u Maksimiru svladala Island s 4:0. Dvostruki strijelac za kockaste bio je Niko Kovač, a suparničku mrežu jednom su zatresli Josip Joe Åimunić i Dado PrÅo. Trostruki asistent bio je Darijo Srna, koji je ubijao goste svojim savrÅenim centarÅutovima. Tako Hrvatska nakon četiri utakmice ima 10 bodova, dva manje od Åvedske, koja ima i susret viÅe, a koja je danas u Sofiji svladala Bugarsku s visokih 3:0.Slab početak HrvatskeMaksimirski dvoboj Hrvatska je počela u najavljenom sastavu, s Anthonyjem Åerićem na lijevom boku te sa Stjepanom Tomasom u obrani umjesto požutjelih Marka Babića i Roberta Kovača.U prvih deset minuta nije bilo nijedne prave kombinacije hrvatske izabrane vrste, čak su gosti bolje izgledali na terenu. Lopte su u uvodnim tenucima bježale Dadi PrÅi i Ivanu Leki, a jedina opasnija situacija bio je udarac Nike Kovača iz velike daljine u sedmoj minuti.Opasni Kranjčarovi prekidiTri minute kasnije Niko Kranjčar zaprijetio je iz slobodnog udarca, izvedenog gotovo uz korner liniju s lijeve strane, no vratar Arason izbio je loptu upućenu u svoj dalji kut vrÅcima prstiju. Dva slobodna udarca Kranjčara s lijeve strane gostujućeg kaznenog prostora urodila su s dvije Åanse - u 12. minuti ponovno je izvrsno nabacio na glavu imenjaka Nike Kovača, koji je sa sedam-osam metara pogodio vratnicu.Kockasti vezni red bio je u tim trenucima prilično neinspiriran, za Åto dio zasluga sigurno pripada i gustoj sredini gostiju, pa su napadači bili odsječeni. Ipak smo prijetili, najviÅe iz prekida. Najbolja prilika u dotadaÅnjem tijeku utakmice nastala je nakon Kranjčarova udarca iz kuta u 19. minuti. Na drugoj vratnici okvir gola zatresao je Ivan Klasnić, lopta se odbila do PrÅe, koji je glavom s dva metra prebacio gol.Domaća momčad je, kako je poluvrijeme odmicalo, pomalo uspostavljala dominaciju na maksimirskom travnjaku, no nije to bila tečna igra, a napadački dvojac PrÅo - Klasnić nije bio previÅe raspoložen za individualne pokuÅaje. U 26. minuti islandskoga vratara je ipak na iskuÅenje opasnim udarcem pod prečku sa 18 metara stavio napadač bremenskog Werdera, ali brza lopta iÅla je previÅe po sredini gola. ViÅe od Islanđana publiku je iziritirao južnoafrički sudac Jerome Damon, koji je čak dao žuti karton PrÅi za samo njemu vidljiv prekrÅaj u napadu, a donosio je i niz drugih čudnih odluka.Niko Kovač glavom za 1:0Grubi ulazak u noge Srni u 38. minuti osvetio se Islanđanima. Darijo je sam izveo slobodni udarac zdesna, s nekih 40-ak metara, i izvrsno nabacio na drugu vratnicu, a loptu je u mrežu glavom sa Åest metara poslao kapetan Niko Kovač - 1:0 za Hrvatsku u 39. minuti!Iako bez velike igre, momčad Zlatka Kranjčara zasluženo je povela, jer gosti nisu stvorili nijednu pravu priliku sve do sudačke nadoknade, kad je nakon kornera glavom zaprijetio potpuno nečuvani gostujući napadač.Nastavak donio razigranog PrÅuU nastavak obje momčadi uÅle su s identičnim sastavima, a prva prava prijetnja bio je prodor PrÅe po lijevoj strani gostujućeg Åesnaesterca u 50. minuti, kad je branič Islanda u zadnji trenutak izbacio loptu u korner. Uslijedilo je nekoliko minuta konstantne gužve u islandskom kaznenom prostoru, no igrači u plavom su se nekako uspijevali spasiti.U 63. minuti možda i najljepÅa akcija hrvatske vrste. Nekoliko izvrsnih dodavanja zavrÅilo je prodorom Åerića uz korner liniju, povratna lopta krenula je prema PrÅi, koji je bio na pet-Åest metara od gola, no islandski branič u posljednji je trenutak presjekao dodavanje i spriječio gotovo siguran pogodak.Četiri minute kasnije PrÅo, koji se razigrao u drugome poluvremenu, sapleten je u protivničkom kaznenom prostoru nakon niskog udarca iz kuta Darija Srne, no južnoafrički sudac ostao je nijem. Svoj show nastavio je i u 69. minuti, kad je PrÅo povučen s leđa na liniji peterca, ponovno bez posljedica.U četiri minute razrijeÅene sve dvojbe No, pogodak Josipa Åimunića u 71. minuti rijeÅio je sve dvojbe. CentarÅut Srne smirio je nekako u padu Ivica Olić, koji je zamijenio Klasnića, lopta se dokotrljala do Åimunića, a on je s pet metara smireno poslao u suprotni kut protivničkoga gola - 2:0 za Hrvatsku!Tada se igra otvorila, a i treći gol Hrvatske pao je nakon slobodnog udarca Srne. Udarac je izveden praktično s desne aut linije, a Niko Kovač je i drugi put izvrsno reagirao na ubačaj, pogodivÅi nogom bliži gornji kut gola. Bila je to 75. minuta utakmice, a Srna se upisao u statistiku kao trostruki asistent.PrÅo zapečatio pobjeduDeset minuta prije kraja utakmice gosti su imali priliku iz slobodnjaka sa 17 metara, a minutu kasnije nakon nesmotrenog ispucavanja Butine Island je doÅao do jedine prave prilike, no naÅ vratar iskupio se dobrom obranom.Dvoboj je mirno priveden kraju, čak su Srna i Åimunić uspjeli zaraditi žute kartone, pa će propustiti utakmicu s Maltom i sigurno biti na raspolaganju za važnije susrete. U samoj zavrÅnici pobjedu je uljepÅao Dado PrÅo izvrsnim udarcem u suprotni kut, čime je naplatio svoju odličnu igru u drugome poluvremenu. Bilo je to konačnih 4:0 za Hrvatsku.HRVATSKA - ISLAND 4:0 (1:0)Strijelci: Niko Kovač (39, 76), Åimunić (71), PrÅo (90)HRVATSKA: Butina, Tomas, Tudor, Åimunić, Srna, N.Kovač, I.Leko (od 78. J.Leko), Åerić (od 85. BoÅnjak), Kranjčar, Klasnić (od 67. Olić), PrÅoISLAND: A.G. Arason, K.Sigurdsson, Bjarnason, I.Sigurdsson, Marteinsson (od 73. Gislason), Vidarsson (od 47. Steinsson), Hreidarsson, Gunnarson, Helguson, J.Gudjonsson (od 60. B.Gudjonsson), EinarssonŽuti kartoni: PrÅo (27), N.Kovač (55), Srna (83), Åimunić (86), J.Leko (90), Helguson (31), Sigurdsson (38)Sudac: Jerome Damon (Južna Afrika)DanaÅnji rezultati i ljestvica osme skupine:Bugarska - Åvedska 0:3 (0:1) HRVATSKA - Island 4:0 (1:0) 1. Åvedska 5 4 0 1 17:2 12 2. HRVATSKA 4 3 1 0 10:2 10 3. Bugarska 4 2 1 1 9:7 7 4. Mađarska 4 2 0 2 5:8 6 5. Island 5 0 1 4 4:14 1 6. Malta 4 0 1 3 1:13 1 http://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/default.asp letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 26 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7844/1/E-Croatian-Andrew-Bogut-is-Basketballs-latest-rising-star.html ÂCroatian Andrew Bogut is Basketball's latest rising starI just found out that college basketball star Andrew Bogut of the Utah Utes is Croatian. He is an Australian of Croatian heritage and plays for Australia's national team. He was doing an interview for CBS and was wearing an Australian shirt and a Dinamo touque. The significance is that he is projected by most experts to be the number 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.Mike PocrnicBasketball is an international game, and 7-foot Andrew Bogut is its latest rising star. Utah's Bogut sure to be a tourney attraction[published on Thu, Mar 17, 2005] By BOB BAUM The Associated Press TUCSON, Ariz. – He was born in Australia. The roots of his game are from his parents' native Croatia. He was a star in Athens, and he has carried Utah into the NCAA tournament. Basketball is an international game, and 7-foot Andrew Bogut is its latest rising star. Soon, the NBA will make him a lottery pick, maybe the No. 1 choice overall. Before that, though, Bogut has some unfinished business with the Utes. "Here's a guy that no one's been able to stop all year," UTEP coach Doc Sadler said. "He's probably the premier guy in college basketball. If they're talking about whether or not you're going to be the third pick or the first pick, that's pretty good. I mean, what can't he do?" Sadler's 11th-seeded Miners (27-7) will try to contain Bogut and the No. 6 seed Utes (27-5) today in a first-round Austin Region game at Arizona's McKale Center. The game will be the second afternoon contest. In the first game, No. 3 seed Oklahoma (24-7), the Big 12 regular-season champion, will play 14th-seeded Niagara (20-9), making its first NCAA tournament appearance in 35 years. The evening contests feature teams from the Albuquerque Region. No. 3 seed Gonzaga (25-4) faces No. 14 Winthrop (27-5), and sixth seed Texas Tech (20-10) plays No. 11 seed UCLA (18-10) in the nightcap. Utah wants Bogut to touch the ball on every possession. If he does not score – and he can even hit an occasional three-pointer – then the collapsing zone defense or double-team leave a teammate wide open. "He's throwing it out, and we're basically playing horse out there," Ute guard Tim Drisdom said. "We get a lot of open jump shots, and it's up to us to knock them down." Bogut was recruited by Rick Majerus and was Mountain West freshman of the year last season. But his game truly blossomed with the Australian national team at the Athens Olympics, where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in five games. He returned to the college game a wiser player. "I'm playing with guys my age again," the 20-year-old from Melbourne said. "In the Olympics, you're playing guys who are 26, 27 with experience playing all around the world. I came back to play against guys my age and my strength. I thought I could do very well, and I've done pretty well to this point." Bogut is averaging 20.7 points and is third in Division I at 12.3 rebounds a game. He made 64 percent of his shots, third-best in the country. "To see what he's been able to do for this team and this program this year is really amazing," said coach Ray Giacoletti, hired after last season when Majerus resigned for health reasons. "He's the focal point, but the rest of the group has really bought in to understand that he needs to touch the basketball whether it be in transition or the halfcourt game. That's something, to me, that is even more special." UTEP, in its first season under Sadler, wants to make Bogut and the rest of the Utes run. "He's going to get his points and rebounds," UTEP forward Omar Thomas said. "We know he's a good player, that he's a top-five pick. He's going to do what he does. We're just going to hope he doesn't kill us too bad. We're going to play UTEP basketball and make him run up and down the court, what he's not used to, and make him guard our big man." Thomas leads the Miners in scoring at 20.4 points per game, but Puerto Rican point guard Filiberto Rivera makes the team go. The Purple Eagles of Niagara, whose long trip to Tucson included a 4-hour flight delay, are relishing their underdog status against the Sooners. "Like I always say," coach Joe Mihalich said, "they've got McDonald's all-Americans on their team, and we've got guys that eat at McDonald's." Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson, of course, was having none of that. He said that Juan Mendez "could start for any team in our conference." "We just played a fast, I mean fast, point guard in Jarrius Jackson (of Texas Tech) and Alvin Cruz is every bit as fast," Sampson said. Gonzaga and Winthrop bring the two longest active winning streaks into the NCAA tournament. The 'Zags have won 12 in a row, Winthrop 18. Gonzaga is in its seventh straight NCAA tournament and has its second consecutive high seeding. It was No. 2 last year. The finale Thursday features Bob Knight's Red Raiders against a UCLA team that barely made the NCAA field. Texas Tech is in the tournament for the third time in Knight's four seasons at the school. UCLA, meanwhile, has its lowest seed in history in a tournament it has won 11 times.http://www.nwherald.com/SportsSection/college/283680824811736.php  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7847/1/E-Heroism-Failure-Redemption-in-Davis-Cup.html ÂHeroism, Failure, Redemption in Davis CupWednesday, March 9, 2005By Mert Ertungamertertunga@sports-central.orgDramatic!Sensational!Stunning!Call it what you will...There is nothing like it!Over the weekend, the Davis Cup once again provided the tennis fans with a different kind of excitement. This is not your everyday tennis tournament type of excitement. In Davis Cup, one look at the players' face proves that this is not about that player or about his battle. What one sees on the player's face is so much more than tension about how to win the next point. The Davis Cup is the moment where the eyes of the player are fixated on the ball and the court, but his mind is slowly, but steadily crushed under the responsibility of representing the vast population that live in his country, and that country's flag. What you see on the player's face is the stress of the whirlwind of thoughts circulating in his mind, including what his teammates are thinking of him, what the millions of viewers are thinking about him when he commits that double fault on that crucial point, or how he will celebrate the win and what a hero he will become to his country's fans if he could just ... oh just ... win the next two games.Take it from a guy who has played the deciding fifth match of a Davis Cup tie, a match that lasted five sets. The picture slowly forming in front of you is composed of a large, very large, group of people (millions in most cases), with a group of boxing gloves enough for all of them laying on one side, and a huge layer gifts and flowers laying on the other. If you win, you are showered with one. If you lose you are punished with the other. Get it?One guy experienced the punishment side three years ago at the pinnacle of Davis Cup. In the 2002 Davis Cup finals in Paris, then 20-year-old Paul Henri Mathieu played Mikhail Youzhny for the deciding fifth match. Mathieu, much to the delight of the home crowd, won the first and second sets. Then the nightmare began and two hours later Youzhny was the hero and Mathieu was the guy who choked the Davis Cup away in five sets. If one did not think Mathieu was haunted by that memory for three years, one probably did not see last weekend's tie between Sweden and France. Mathieu was once again put in the same position against Thomas Johansson, one of the more composed players on the tour. This time around, the location was Strasbourg, France. Mathieu again won the first two sets. And then the nightmare began again. After leading most of the third set, Mathieu squandered away the set in a tiebreaker failing to capitalize on three match points, and went down a break in the fourth. That third set lasted 77 minutes, longest minutes of Mathieu's career, maybe his life. Yet Mathieu clamped down, and won the fourth set by winning the last four games in a row. Immediately, tears came pouring down on his face. Those tears also took away from his body three years of heavyweights that were hanging in his mind since the nightmare in Paris. This time around, he was the hero. Meanwhile in California, the U.S. Team composed of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and the best doubles team in the world, the Bryan Brothers, could not possibly lose to Croatia, right? Wrong!When Agassi went down to the young but bolding Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, the alarm bells appeared for Patrick McEnroe. Then the bells started ringing loud and clear when the Bryan brothers, who had yet to lose a set in Davis Cup prior to last weekend, went down in four sets to Ljubicic and Mario Ancic. Surely, Roddick and Agassi could still bring the victory to Croatia the next day, couldn't they? Well, that next day was a day of absolute heroism for Ljubicic and a colossal failure for Roddick. Ljubicic, battling injuries and cramps in the fifth set, defeated Roddick to move his country to the quarterfinals. More than Roddick, this defeat leaves question marks regarding the coaching ability of Patrick McEnroe. All through the fifth set, Roddick rushed the points, tried to hurry his shots, and made silly mistakes against a guy who had very little left in the tank. It was almost like Roddick helped Ljubicic's cause by keeping the points short and giving several away on easy unforced errors. You would think that McEnroe on the sidelines would have a few words of wisdom for Roddick during that set. After all, that is one advantage of Davis Cup. The coach can intervene during play. But neither McEnroe showed the ability to guide his player in the right direction, nor Roddick showed his court wit to take a player mentally down that was already physically down.In other ties, a Roger Federer-less Switzerland, without his automatic two wins, lost to Netherlands. Romania defeated Belarus in a thriller, mainly thanks to the home court advantage. On paper, Mirnyi and Voltchkov should have taken care of business against Pavel and Hanescu. But the home crowd helped the Romanians win five tiebreakers in singles matches vs. only one for Belarus. Russia took out Chile and Argentina and Australia blanked their opponents advancing to the quarterfinals.The biggest surprise on paper after Croatia's win was the debacle of the defending champions Spain in Slovakia. However, after considering a couple of factors, it pales in "surprise" element to the U.S.' failure. First of all, Spain did not have the services of Davis Cup veterans Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Second, the tie was played in Slovakia, indoors on carpet. Probably the last time Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez played on carpet was when they were little kids in their bedrooms.There is heroism, choking, failure, and revenge on the ATP Tour. The Davis Cup offers the kind that is not available in ATP tournaments. In the Davis Cup, heroes and victims do not have the luxury of being selfish. Therefore, successes and failures are truly heartfelt. To steal from TNT's commercial line: "Drama is Davis Cup."http://www.sports-central.org/sports/2005/03/09/heroism_failure_redemption_in_davis_cup.php  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 09 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7845/1/E-Davis-Cup-Photo-Gallery-2005.html ÂSan Pedro Croatian Fans at the Roddick - Ljubicic tennis match March 6, 2005Click here: Davis Cup - Popup Gallery Window http://www.daviscup.com/gallery/popup.asp?id=13210&current=4099 Mariana Hazdovac213.955.4534 direct323.843.9762 fax letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 08 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7846/1/E-Croatia-shocks-US-in-Davis-Cup.html ÂCroatia shocks U.S. in Davis CupLjubicic's five-set victory over Roddick seals Americans' fateCroatia seemed to have almost as many fans as the U.S. team in the lively, drum-banging and somewhat rowdy crowd of 6,584. Southern California is home to a large number of transplanted Croatians.ÂÂKevork Djansezian / APCroatia's Ivan Ljubicic, center, celebrates with the rest of his teammates and officials after he defeated Andy Roddick of the United States on Sunday, clinching the first-round Davis Cup tie for Croatia. Ljubicic won 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11), 6-7(7), 6-2. The Associated PressUnited States' Andy Roddick (news), right, congratulates Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic (news) after Roddick lost their first round reverse singles match of Davis Cup at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., Sunday, March 6, 2005. Ljubicic won 4-6,6-3,7-6,(11), 6-7(7), 6-2 to eliminate the U.S. and advance Croatia to the Davis Cup quarter-finals.(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian) ÂUpdated: 10:19 p.m. ET March 6, 2005CARSON, Calif. - The United States remains in a Davis Cup slump.Ivan Ljubicic beat Andy Roddick in a taut, five-set marathon Sunday to give Croatia an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the opening-round Davis Cup matches. Playing iron man for his country, Ljubicic outlasted Roddick 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11), 6-7 (7), 6-2 in a match that lasted almost 4 hours. The one remaining singles match became essentially an exhibition since Croatia had clinched the round. Andre Agassi was scheduled to play Mario Ancic, but doubles specialist Bob Bryan subbed for the United States.The 25-year-old Ljubicic began the round with a straight-set win over Agassi, then teamed with Ancic to hand Bryan and his twin brother, Mike, their first Davis Cup loss in six matches.Ljubicic also played and won three first-round matches in 2003 in Zagreb when Croatia eliminated the United States.The Americans, who lost to Spain in the finals last year, have won the Cup 31 times, but havenât taken it since 1995. The drought is their longest in 68 years.The 34-year-old Agassi, who hadnât played for the United States since 2000, rejoined the team to try to help end the winless string, but lost to Ljubicic in Fridayâs opening singles. Roddick beat Ancic in four sets in their match the first day.Both Roddick and Ljubicic played extremely well in what was an exciting match, with one of Roddickâs serves hitting 152 mph. But Ljubicic was able to punch back his opponentâs powerful serves much of the match, setting up a string of lengthy rallies from the baseline.After winning the fourth-set tiebreaker, Roddick immediately lost his serve in the opening game of the fifth set. Ljubicic broke Roddickâs serve again in the fifth game to take clear control.When Ljubicic finished it off with a service winner, the Croatian team locked arms and broke into an impromptu jig on the court.Croatia seemed to have almost as many fans as the U.S. team in the lively, drum-banging and somewhat rowdy crowd of 6,584. Southern California is home to a large number of transplanted Croatians.Croatia moves on to the quarterfinals against Romania, which defeated Belarus in the first round.Source: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7111772/  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 06 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7848/1/E-US-Hosts-Croatia-in-Davis-Cup-Match-Today-on-TV.html ÂUS Hosts Croatia in Davis Cup Match on TV today 4 pm EST (USA)ÂBy Steve Schy Washington03 March 2005Veteran tennis star Andre Agassi will play for the United States Davis Cup team for the first time in five years Friday, as the Americans host Croatia in a first round World Group Match in suburban Los Angeles, California. The 34-year-old Agassi has a 30-5 record playing in Davis Cup singles matches. Andre Agassi and former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick will lead the United States against Croatia in the three-day competition. Agassi and Roddick are scheduled to play singles, while brothers Bob and Mike Bryan are set to play doubles. Croatia beat the Americans in the first round two years ago and has chosen Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic to lead its team. Former U.S. Davis Cup captain John McEnroe, who is now a tennis analyst, says with Agassi back, the U.S is favored but it should be an interesting matchup. "Andre is one of the legends and [one of] the greatest players that ever played and Roddick is one of the best players in the world, and they have got the number-one doubles team, so on paper obviously they should win," he said. "But it is also a highly competitive match potentially, because Ljubicic is one of the hottest players out there this year. I think he has been in four finals now this year already. And Ancic is someone who got to the semis at Wimbledon and just last week got to the finals of a tournament - very dangerous. This is certainly not 'a gimmee' by any means."The U.S. team has won the Davis Cup a record 31 times, but is in the middle of its longest-ever championship drought. The last time the Americans won the trophy was in 1995. In other first round matches getting under way Friday, defending champion Spain visits Bratislava to take on Slovakia, Switzerland hosts the Netherlands, Australian Open champion Marat Safin of Russia leads his nation against Chile in Moscow, nine-time champion France takes on seven-time winner Sweden and Belarus visits Romania in Brasov. The winners of this weekend's best-of-five match series meet in the quarterfinals in July. The Davis Cup final is in December. http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-03-03-voa56.cfm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 04 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7853/1/E-Croatia-striker-Dado-Prso-scored-twice-Rangers-on-top.html ÂCroatian striker Dado Prso scored twice for Rangers Rangers back on top in ScotlandÂPrso hit the woodwork as well as scoring twice for RangersAlex McLeish and Rangers are back on top in Scotland Saturday, February 12 2005 6:30Croatia striker Dado Prso scored twice for Rangers in a 3-0 win over third-placed Hibernian which put the Glasgow giants top of the Scottish Premier League table.Rangers dominated the game and could have scored a hatful of goals if Hibernian goalkeeper Simon Brown had not been in superb form.Brown saved a penalty by Nacho Novo just before halftime after Novo was fouled. Prso hit the woodwork after scoring his first goal with a header from a corner.Prso scored his second five minutes after halftime to put the game beyond Hibernian's reach before Belgian striker Thomas Buffel added a third.Rangers, with 62 points, lead on goal difference from Celtic who play at Inverness Caledonian Thistle tomorrow.Hearts, in fourth, beat Kilmarnock 3-0 and Aberdeen (fifth) went down 2-1 at Dunfermline Athletic. This evening, Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood branded Ireland Under-21 star Richie Byrne's defending as amateurish after he allowed Dunfermline substitute Simon Donnelly to score a late winner in the 2-1 defeat at East End Park.Another Irish underage star, Billy Mehmet, had put the Pars ahead in the 53rd minute before Alexander Diamond's equaliser 20 minutes looked to have secured a share of the points for the Pittodrie side.But, with seven minutes remaining, slack defending by former Pars' defender Byrne allowed the former Celtic man grab a late winner.Ex Shamrock Rovers star Byrne was jeered by the home support throughout the game but the Aberdeen manager refused to sympathise with the Irishman.Calderwood said: "I don't feel sorry for him, it was amateur stuff. I feel more sorry for Jimmy Nicholl and myself. I think he was affected by the crowd big time and he's just been told that. I was disappointed and I spoke to him afterwards."Byrne remained tight-lipped about Calderwood's criticism but denied the Pars' crowd had played any part in his slip.He said: "I'm not going to comment on what he (Calderwood) said. The gaffer said a couple of things to me after the game and I'm not going to discuss them outside the dressing room. You can't blame fans for getting the hump, they are the ones who make the game. It is quite enjoyable when they are booing a player." http://www.rte.ie/sport/2005/0212/rangers.html Prso goals send Rangers to the topSaturday, February 12, 2005 Posted: 1711 GMT (0111 HKT) Prso hit the woodwork as well as scoring twice for Rangers GLASGOW, Scotland (Reuters) -- Croatia striker Dado Prso scored twice in a 3-0 win over third-placed Hibernian which put Rangers on top of the Scottish Premier League.Rangers, with 62 points, lead on goal difference from Glasgow rivals Celtic who play at Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Sunday.Hearts, in fourth spot, beat Kilmarnock 3-0 and Aberdeen (fifth) went down 2-1 at Dunfermline Athletic.Rangers dominated the game and it needed a superb display by Hibernian goalkeeper Simon Brown to restrict their tally to three.Brown saved a penalty from Nacho Novo just before halftime after Novo was fouled.Prso hit the woodwork after scoring his first goal with a header from a corner.Prso scored his second five minutes after halftime and Belgian striker Thomas Buffel added a third.http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SPORT/football/02/12/scotland.rangers.reut/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 13 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7852/1/E-Bahrain-coach-Srecko-Juricic-of-Croatia.html ÂBahrain coach Srecko Juricic of CroatiaBAHRAINIS HOLD IRAN By RAMI HULAYYELBAHRAIN, sponsored by Batelco, were held to a goalless draw by Iran in their opening Group B match of the 2006 World Cup second qualifying round last night at the National Stadium.Playing in front of a capacity crowd of 30,000 cheering spectators, Bahrain proved the better side but a spate of poor finishing saw them throw away a golden opportunity to make a winning start to their dream campaign of booking a place in the World Cup finals for the first time."It was a very important match for us. But we missed a good chance of making a winning start," said Bahrain coach Srecko Juricic of Croatia."Such matches require great concentration and experience. It was a tactical game and our players played well. Bahrain created more scoring opportunities while Iran showed a good defence and I think the result is fair," added Juricic."I am quite satisfied with the overall performance of my players and look forward for our next match against North Korea for which we have a different strategy," added Juricic.Iran's coach Ivankovic Branco, also of Croatia, said the match was very tough for both the teams."Bahrain is a strong team and we tried to find a way through their defence but it was not possible," said Branco."It was a very tense and dynamic match although both Bahraini and Iranian players managed to hold their nerve," added Branco.Bahrain enjoyed better share of the ball and put increasing pressure on the Iranian defence through midfielders Mohammed Salmeen, Rashid Al Dossary and Mohammed Hubail who created most of the home team's moves.Playing with three strikers - Talal Yousef, Daij Nasser and Salman Isa - Bahrain were always in aggressive mode but the Iranian defence commanded by Rahman Rezaei and Yahya Golmohammadi stood firm.Bahrain's best chance came on the hour mark when Al Marzooqi's close-range header was tipped over by Iran's goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour.On the other hand, Iran, who reached the World Cup finals twice in Argentina in 1978 and 20 years later in France, made most of their moves through Asia's 2004 best player Ali Karimi.But like their hosts they were unable to find the target.Iran's veteran captain Ali Daei and Vahid Hashemian were kept at bay by Bahrain's defence of Hussain Baba, Abdulla Al Marzooqi and Sayed Mohammed Adnan while Bahrain's goalkeeper Ali Hassan was hardly tested. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=104028&Sn=SPOR&IssueID=27327 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 13 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7850/1/E-Bill-Belichick-Head-Coach.html ÂBill Belichick Head Coach Croatian PrideYear: 30 Yrs/Pat: 6 Acquired: 1999School: WesleyanMajor: EconomicsBorn: Apr 16, 1952 Nashville Tenn. Personal--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bill Belichick was born April 16, 1952 in Nashville, Tenn. and raised in Annapolis, Md. His father, Steve, played fullback for the Detroit Lions in 1941 and coached for 33 years at the Naval Academy. Bill was a standout prep athlete at Annapolis High, where he has since been inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., before enrolling at Wesleyan, where he earned his bachelor's degree in economics in 1975. He and his wife, Debby, have three children: Amanda, Stephen and Brian. Coaching History--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bill Belichick returned to New England when Patriots owner Robert Kraft named him the 14th head coach in Patriots history on Jan. 27, 2000. Belichick, who was a defensive assistant and assistant head coach for the Patriots when the team won a conference title in 1996, took over and quickly molded the Patriots into one of the elite teams in the NFL. On Feb. 3, 2002, he became the first head coach in the franchise's 42-year history to lead the team to a league title, AFL or NFL, with a dramatic 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Then, on Feb. 1, 2004, after the Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers, 32-29, in Super Bowl XXXVIII. He became just the sixth head coach in NFL history to win two Super Bowls in a three year span.The Super Bowl XXXVIII victory improved Belichick's record in the playoffs to 6-0 since joining the Patriots in 2000 and gave him seven career playoff victories in eight postseason games. His current six-game postseason win streak is the third longest in NFL history. To put that into perspective, consider that in the franchise's first 40 seasons, the team had only won seven of its 17 playoff games. Belichick's three playoff victories last season improved his career winning percentage in the playoffs to .875. The only coach to enjoy a better rate of success in the playoffs is the coach whose name is now emblazoned on the Super Bowl trophy, Vince Lombardi. Lombardi won nine of his 10 playoff appearances, including the league's first two Super Bowl titles while coaching the Green Bay Packers.With his Super Bowl XXXVIII triumph, Belichick became just the 12th head coach in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowl titles. Chuck Noll (4), Joe Gibbs (3) and Bill Walsh (3) are the only head coaches in the history of the game to have won more Super Bowls than Belichick.The recent Super Bowl win was the fourth of Belichick's distinguished NFL career, a career that began in 1975. Now in his 30th season in the NFL, he has more years of NFL experience than any of the other 31 head coaches. In his first 29 seasons, his teams qualified for the playoffs 13 times and won nine division titles, five conference championships and four Super Bowls. He won his first two Super Bowls as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants in 1986 and again in 1990 before claiming his two Super Bowl championships with the Patriots in the past three years. George Seifert is the only other man to have won multiple Super Bowls both as a head coach and as an assistant coach.Entering his fifth season as the Patriots head coach, Belichick already owns the franchise's highest career winning percentage (.643) and needs just nine more wins to move ahead of Mike Holovak's (1961-68) franchise record of 53 wins. In 2001, he rebounded from a 5-11 record the previous season to improve to 11-5, tying the then franchise regular season record for wins. With a 20-17 victory over the Rams in the Super Bowl, the Patriots tied the franchise's record of 14 wins in a season and set another record with a nine-game season-ending win streak. In 2003, the Patriots eclipsed each of those marks, posting a 14-2 record in the regular season and notching 17 total wins on the season, including a season-ending 15-game win streak. The 15 consecutive wins in a single season is the second-longest streak in NFL history (Miami's 17-0 in 1972). The team's 17-2 overall record in 2003 was also the third-best in NFL history, trailing the 1985 Chicago Bears (18-1) and the 1984 San Francisco 49ers (18-1).In Belichick's last three seasons, the Patriots have won 40 games, claimed two division titles, two conference titles and two Super Bowl titles. His 40 wins during that time (2001-03) are not only the most in the NFL, but also the most during any three-year span in Patriots history. Both championship seasons were met with early season adversity and relied on the depth of the roster to overcome injuries. In 2001, the Patriots opened the season 0-2 before rebounding to win 14 of the next 17 games. In 2003, a 31-0 season-opening setback in Buffalo was answered triumphantly, as the team rebounded to win 17 of the next 18 games, including a 15-game season-ending win streak.The 2003 squad featured one of the most talented defensive units in franchise history. On November 16, the Patriots recorded their first shutout victory in seven years with a 12-0 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. It was the first of three shutouts in 2003, including a 31-0 payback when they hosted the Buffalo Bills in the regular-season finale. The three shutouts set a franchise record and brought the Patriots' points allowed average for the season to a league-low 14.9 points per game (238 points for the season). In their last six regular-season home games, the Patriots allowed just one touchdown and a lowly average of 3.7 points per game. The defense was a ball-hawking, opportunistic unit that was credited with interceptions in 15 of their 16 regular season games and led the NFL with 29 interceptions, the second-highest total in franchise history. They also recovered 12 fumbles for a total of 41 takeaways, which led the AFC and ranked second in the NFL. With just 24 turnovers surrendered, the Patriots finished the year with a plus-17 turnover ratio, the second highest in the league and the highest in team history.The Patriots were 12-0 when recording a positive turnover ratio and 10-0 against teams with winning records, including the playoffs. For the first time in franchise history, the team was also undefeated at home, 10-0, including the postseason.Coach Belichick's accomplishments were lauded, as Associated Press was one of the first to name him their 2003 NFL Coach of the Year. It was just the second time in the franchise's history that a Patriots coach received the AP honor. It was the first of many NFL Coach of the Year awards, including honors from The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, SI.com, NFL.com, Dallas Morning News, San Francisco Chronicle, NFL Alumni, FOX TV/Terry Bradshaw, the Victor Awards and the AFC Coach of the Year honors presented by the 101 Football Awards in Kansas City, just to name a few.Over the past three seasons, the Patriots have been the best in the league at maintaining a lead late in the game. Since 2001, the Patriots have won 27 consecutive regular season games when leading after three quarters. Only Tennessee (19), Kansas City (15) and Dallas (10) have double digit streaks going into the 2004 season. In addition, the Patriots have played their best football late in the season. Since 2001, the Patriots have a 28-4 (.875) overall record in games played after November 1.When the Patriots announced Belichick's hiring, many regarded him as one of the premier defensive strategists in the game. That reputation was earned over a 25-year NFL coaching career that included Super Bowl titles as the defensive architect of the New York Giants in 1986 and 1990 and a conference championship as the assistant head coach and defensive assistant for the Patriots in 1996. When he returned to the Patriots in 2000, he followed a sound architectural plan, fortifying the foundation of the roster with team-oriented free agents who would support his overall team philosophy. After directing the Patriots from a worst-to-first turnaround in 2001 and claiming two Super Bowl titles in the past three years, many now regard him as the premier head coach in the game. He enters the 2004 season ranked ninth among the league's active head coaches with 82 career wins, including a 7-1 record in the playoffs.In 2002, the Patriots valiantly defended their title and remained in playoff contention through the final game of the regular season. A dramatic come-from-behind victory over the Miami Dolphins in the 2002 season finale gave the Patriots their ninth win of the season and a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Unfortunately, just three hours later, the Patriots were eliminated from the postseason when the New York Jets upset the Green Bay Packers to claim the remaining playoff position.After an unspectacular 1-3 start in 2001, the Patriots rebounded to win 10 of their last 12 games to claim the division title for the first time in four years. A six-game win streak propelled the Patriots into the playoffs, where their team-first philosophy earned national acclaim. In each playoff game, the offense, defense and special teams units played critical roles, enabling the Patriots to systematically defeat three favored opponents throughout the playoffs with wins over the Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and St. Louis Rams. The victories extended their streak to a then-franchise record nine games and earned the team New England's first Lombardi Trophy. That season, the Patriots averaged 23.2 points per game while surrendering just 17 points per contest. The 23.2 point average was the highest by a Patriots team since 1996 (26.1 ppg), while the 17 points allowed was the lowest since 1977 (15.5 ppg.)During the 2000 season, Belichick started the rebuilding process with the acquisition of 30 new players. That year, the Patriots set a team record by having 13 of their 16 games played decided by eight points or less. Never had so many Patriots games been decided by such a small margin during the course of a season, but the Patriots were only 4-9 in those games. One marked area of improvement was the team's overall reduction in turnovers, dropping from 33 in 1999 to just 25 in 2000 (fourth-best in franchise history).Belichick returned to the Patriots as head coach after three seasons with the New York Jets, where his defenses were credited for New York's intra-division success against the high-octane offenses of the Patriots, Dolphins, Bills and Colts. He was also credited for successfully defusing the Indianapolis Colts' offensive arsenal, limiting the conference's most prolific offense to an average of just 14.5 points in their two matchups. That year, the Colts averaged over 28 points per game in their 14 other games.In 1998, the Jets surrendered just 266 points, one point shy of Miami's league-leading 265. The 16.6 points allowed per game was the third lowest season average in Jets history and propelled the team to their first division title with a franchise-best 12-4 overall record. The Jets advanced to the AFC Championship game, but were defeated by the returning Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos, who went on to repeat as champions.Following the season, Belichick filled in for Bill Parcells as the head coach of the AFC's squad in the 1999 Pro Bowl. The AFC won the matchup, a game in which Ty Law was named co-MVP.Belichick was named head coach of the New York Jets on Feb. 3, 1997, an interim position he held until Parcells was formally announced as head coach a week later. During that week, Belichick hired Scott Pioli as his director of pro personnel. After Parcells was named head coach, Belichick became the assistant head coach/secondary coach responsible for calling the team's defensive signals. In his first season with the Jets, his defense surrendered just 287 points, an average of 17.9 points per game. That marked a significant 10.5-point improvement per game from 1996. The 287 points allowed ranked second in the AFC, sixth overall, and was critical to the Jets' rise from 1-15 in 1996 to 9-7 in 1997. In three seasons in New York, his defenses were credited with 90 takeaways, improving each season from 25 in 1997 to 30 in 1998 to 35 in 1999.Patriots fans witnessed his impact on a team firsthand in 1996 when Belichick joined the Patriots after five seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. That year, the Patriots claimed their first division title in 10 years with an 11-5 record and won their first two playoff games at Foxboro Stadium to advance to Super Bowl XXXI. Characteristically, Belichick's defensive influence was credited for the team's overall defensive success down the stretch and through the playoffs. That year, the Patriots' defense allowed just 19.6 points per game and forced 34 turnovers, second in the AFC. The defense was at its best in the "red zone," finishing second in the AFC by allowing touchdowns just 42.3 percent of the time. In two playoff games, the defense allowed just nine points combined, propelling the Patriots to victories over Pittsburgh (28-3) and Jacksonville (20-6). Their victory over Jacksonville gave the Patriots their second AFC Championship and a return to New Orleans for Super Bowl XXXI vs. Green Bay.Prior to joining the Patriots, he spent five seasons (1991-95) rebuilding the Cleveland Browns, whose 3-13 finish in 1990 was the worst in the history of the franchise. By 1994, the Browns were again one of the elite teams in the NFL, boasting the second-best record in the AFC. That head coaching opportunity came following the 1990 season, when Belichick's defensive efforts with the New York Giants helped claim a second Super Bowl title in five years. Cleveland wasted no time in hiring the talented young defensive coordinator, naming him the franchise's 10th head coach on Feb. 5, 1991. At the age of 38, he became the NFL's youngest head coach. In his first season, he began the rebuilding process by restoring the foundation of the aging squad he inherited. In 1991, the Browns improved to 6-10 and played in 11 games that were decided by a touchdown or less. The most dramatic improvement came in the category of turnovers. In 1990, the Browns surrendered 46 turnovers. In Belichick's first season as head coach, the team established a franchise record by turning the ball over just 18 times - four shy of the NFL record set by the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants the previous season. The Browns led the AFC with a plus-15 turnover ratio, a remarkable 39-turnover improvement from their NFL-low negative-24 ratio the year before.Following back-to-back 7-9 campaigns in 1992 and 1993, the Browns improved to 11-5 in 1994. Only Pittsburgh, who won the division with a 12-4 record, had a better record in the AFC that season. In their return to the playoffs, the Browns eliminated Parcells' Patriots, 20-13, in a first-round wild-card game on New Year's Day 1995. The Browns advanced to the divisional playoff round before being bumped by the Steelers. The 1994 squad was defined by its defense, which allowed a league-low 204 points (12.8 ppg) and just 301.6 yards per game, second in the AFC.The 1995 season was disrupted by the mid-season announcement that the franchise would be moved to Baltimore at the conclusion of the season. The announcement caused an inextricable mid-season distraction resulting in a 5-11 finish. Belichick did not accompany the franchise's move to Baltimore after the 1995 season.Belichick originally began his coaching career after graduating from Wesleyan University and accepting a staff assistant position with the Baltimore Colts in 1975. At the age of 23, he was named special assistant to Head Coach Ted Marchibroda.In 1976, he joined Rick Forzano's staff with the Detroit Lions as an assistant special teams coach. The following year, he was given his first positional coaching assignment as the Lions' tight ends and receivers coach. In 1978, Denver Broncos Head Coach Red Miller hired Belichick as the assistant special teams coach and assistant to defensive coordinator Joe Collier.In 1979, he joined Ray Perkins' staff with the New York Giants as a defensive assistant and special teams coach, launching a 12-year tenure with the Giants. After the 1980 campaign, he drew the added responsibility of coaching the Giants linebackers. In 1983, he began coordinating the defense on Bill Parcells' staff and continued coaching the linebackers, a unit that would become known as one of the most dominant groups of all-time. He was officially appointed defensive coordinator in 1985, a position he held for the next six seasons. During his time as the defensive signal caller, his units were never ranked lower than 11th in the NFL and finished as high as second in the league three times, including the Super Bowl seasons of 1986 and 1990. His contributions with the Giants throughout the 1980s brought him national recognition as one of the best young assistant coaches in the NFL. His reward came just nine days after Super Bowl XXV when the Cleveland Browns hired him as their head coach. PlayingBelichick lettered in football, lacrosse and squash while attending college at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. He earned three letters in football while competing at center and tight end. As a senior, he was named captain of his lacrosse team. http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=coachbio&bio=506  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 13 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7849/1/E-Bill-Belichicks-Radio-Interview---says-he-is-Croatian.html ÂBill BelichickÂhttp://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=coachbio&bio=506 ÂJanuary 5th 200512:50 (on the twelve minutes and 50 seconds of the interview)ÂÂWith two Croatians....(Belichick and Saban)http://www.croatia.org/crown/oldphotos/BelichickCroatian.smil - Click on this link and hear the Interviewhttp://wfan.com/joebsid/?b_start=60 Courtesy of WFANÂThis may be the turning point or tipping point for Croatians around the world for self-respect and pride.Bill Belicheck - The Man - said it on the paramount of his carrier, when there was nothing to gain for himself, but just to give and be generous to the Croatian Community and for all us who long for recognition... overdue recognition of who we really are.ÂThank you,Nenad BachÂhttp://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=coachbio&bio=506 http://www.patriots.com/homepage/  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 13 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7854/1/E-Bucks-at-best-when-Kukoc-gets-minutes.html ÂBucks at best when Kukoc gets minutesÂJust give him some timeBy CHARLES F. GARDNERcgardner@journalsentinel.comPosted: Feb. 11, 2005St. Francis - Call him Ten-minute Toni, if you must.Toni Kukoc has been a key in some of the Bucks’ best victories.The truth is, Milwaukee Bucks veteran Toni Kukoc has played so well lately that his time in the lineup has been extended to 15, even 27 or 33 minutes. And he is staying on the floor at the end of games, with the outcome on the line, and helping the Bucks win.And that 10-minute bit? Well, that comes about because the Bucks have a gaudy 11-4 record this season when the 36-year-old forward plays at least 10 minutes in a game.Kukoc has overcome a hip problem that sidelined him for 23 games earlier in the season, and is again showing the flair and passing skills that have endeared him to Bucks fans since his arrival in the fall of 2002.It's no coincidence that the Bucks have won four of their last five games, giving them a chance to go into the National Basketball Association all-star break next weekend on a positive note. The Bucks play three more games before the break, starting tonight at home against the Atlanta Hawks."I think finally he's feeling a lot better physically," Bucks general manager Larry Harris said. "He's getting some consistent minutes to get into a rhythm."With all the other injuries that have taken place, it has allowed him to get back on the floor and play some major minutes."Kukoc made the most of his opportunity when starter Desmond Mason was out with the flu on Feb. 1. The 6-foot-11 native of Split, Croatia, was inserted in the starting lineup at small forward and played 33 productive minutes, contributing nine points, six rebounds and five assists in the Bucks' 91-86 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.Since then, Kukoc has come off the bench and provided a spark, along with fellow reserves Mike James, Zaza Pachulia, Keith Van Horn and Erick Strickland."We're getting used to each other," Kukoc said after the Bucks' practice Friday. "We had some injuries that kind of messed up the lineups. Lately, we're pretty sure when we go in what we've got to do. We're getting in the right positions, getting the chemistry right, and that's why we're winning games."With Van Horn limited to about 15 minutes per game because of a foot injury, coach Terry Porter has used Kukoc more often at the small-forward position. The Bucks have been able to take advantage of some size mismatches, using the taller Kukoc to post up smaller defenders.Kukoc scored a key basket late in the victory over Minnesota when he got the ball in post-up position against Timberwolves guard Sam Cassell."The other night in Toronto, we tried to use him as much as possible, because he had the advantage over Jalen (Rose), height-wise," Porter said. "We were just solid, and we tried to play out of his hands."If Kukoc does get double-teamed in the post, he has the knack for finding the open man. And he is usually lethal when he has the ball in the open floor, with options on his right and his left."I am getting more assists from the three spot," Kukoc said. "I can see the floor better, I guess, and I have the ball more often."Kukoc had four assists during the Bucks' 22-0 knockout run against Boston in the second quarter on Tuesday, as Milwaukee went on to an easy victory. Then he posted his best all-around game of the season with 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds Wednesday night in the Bucks' 110-107 victory at Toronto.With Kukoc on the floor, Pachulia is taking advantage of some chances in the paint, and point guard Mike James is getting better looks from the perimeter.James sank eight of 13 three-pointers against Boston, and he hit six of 10 overall (2 for 4 from three-point range) against Toronto."When he's in there with that Toni lineup, it gives him a chance to get other shots," Porter said of James. "He doesn't worry so much about trying to create his own, and he gets quality looks when he's in there."Kukoc termed his hip about 75% healed but said he was not sure whether it would improve this season."It's not that I'm going to go out and play 35 minutes every night," he said. "But 20, 25 or 28 minutes, I think I can handle that."I actually feel pretty good right now, knock on wood. If it stays like this, everybody will be happy."Rumor season:With less than two weeks left until the Feb. 24 league trading deadline, rumors are everywhere.A TNT report on Thursday said the Bucks and 76ers were considering a deal that would bring forward Glenn Robinson back to Milwaukee and send Van Horn to Philadelphia, where he played during the 2002-'03 season.Van Horn is the Bucks' highest-paid player and is under contract through the 2005-'06 season, when he will make $15.7 million. The 32-year-old Robinson, who has not played for Philadelphia this year, is owed $12 million this season but is not under contract for next season.The Bucks might be tempted to clear some room under the salary cap so they can make additional moves in the off-season or sign guard Michael Redd to a long-term deal.Redd, who will be a free agent at the end of the current season, also has been the subject of intense trade speculation.Harris said he expected to have numerous conversations with other NBA general managers in the next two weeks, but he stressed that he will not respond publicly to specific trade talk."It's that time of year, and there will be a lot of conversations throughout the whole league, no doubt about it," Harris said. "But I cannot comment on trade rumors."From the Feb. 12, 2005, editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Get the Journal Sentinel delivered to your home. Subscribe now.http://www.jsonline.com/sports/buck/feb05/301097.asp  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7851/1/E-Queen-of-Croatia-Delivers-Third-Gold.html ÂQueen of Croatia Delivers Third Gold Janica Kostelic of Croatia plays with her gold medals after winning the women's slalom competition at the Alpine skiing World Championships in Santa Caterina, February 11, 2005. Kostelic of Croatia won the women's slalom at the world championships on Friday in a provisional combined time of one minute 47.98 seconds. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich 1 Janica Kostelic of Croatia shows her three gold medals she won at the World Alpine Ski Championships, in Santa Caterina Valfurva, Italy, Friday. (AP/Luca Bruno) 2/12/2005] - Queen of Croatia Delivers Third Gold Janica Kostelic delivered a near flawless run on a course set by her father, Ante, and outskied Tanja Poutiainen to take the gold medal last night in slalom. With this, her third while in Bormio, she outdid even her last performance at the St. Moritz Worlds when she took gold in both slalom and combined. The 23-year old has amassed victories in 20 World Cup races and now has a total of nine medals between two World Championships and one Olympic Games, with only one of those medals being a silver. This queen of Croatian skiing clearly has a passion for all that is golden.Tanja Poutiainen of Finland, the current overall World Cup leader, won the first slalom run but could not hold off the Kostelic attack brought on for the second run. The Finn was satisfied with her performance and was quoted as saying, "I think I really won the silver medal today rather than losing the gold one. It was really not easy, I was glad to make it to the finish." Poutiainen struggled on top but re-grouped for the bottom part of the course to maintain her spot on the podium.Celebrating her 20th birthday on race day, Sarka Zahrobska from the Czech Republic found that the surprise awaiting her after blowing out the cake candles was a bronze medal. This is the first medal for the Czechs, and although Zahrobska has never been on a World Cup podium prior to yesterday, she has placed among the top ten on nine different occasions.For the American squad, Resi Stiegler, Sarah Schleper, and Julia Mancuso finished 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively. With her now signature kitty ears adorning her helmet, young Stiegler was the strongest among the three and actually had a second run of 56.30 that beat the top three finishers. Had her first run not been sluggish and affected, like many skiers, by illness, Resi may have seen the view from the podium. http://www.fantaski.it/ol/eng/home/leggonews.asp?id=244 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7855/1/EHS-HRVATSKE-SVJETSKE-IGRE---ZADAR-2006.html Âwww.zadar2006.com ÂÂHRVATSKE SVJETSKE IGRE - ZADAR 2006 Postovani gospodine Bach i citaoci CROWN-aRadujem se da Vas danas mogu izvjestiti o pocetku nase sluzbene promocije. Molimo Vas da objavite ovu vijest na Vasim stranicama, po mogucnost sa vizualnim linkom na Vasoj prvoj stranici. U prilogu Vam saljem nas promotivni materijal.HRVATSKESVJETSKE IGRE - ZADAR 2006 CROATIAN WORLD GAMES - ZADAR 2006 JUEGOS CROATAS MUNDIALES - ZADAR 2006 www.zadar2006.com Zahvaljujem Vam se unaprijed i stojim Vam na raspolaganju za moguca pitanja. Srdacan pozdrav iz Zadra Jure Strika jstrika@lycos.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 08 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7858/1/E-Croatia-wins-SM-in-Handball.html ÂCroatia wins S&M in HandballÂCroatia's Denis Buntic (R) fights for the ball against Serbia's Ratko Nikolic during their Men's Handball World Championship second round match in Nabeul, Tunisia, February 3, 2005. REUTERS/Jean Paul Pelissier Reuters - Feb 03 10:14 AMÂCroatia's handball players Niska Kaleb, left, and his compatriots Blazenko Lackovic, 2nd right, and Igor Vori, right, stop handball player Vladica Stojanovic, 3th left, beside his compatriot Ratko Nikolic, 3th right, during the main round match between Croatia and Serbia Montenegro at the 19th World Handball Championship in Nabeul, Tunisia, on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005. Serbia and Montenegro lost the match 24-23. (AP Photo/Christof Stache) Croatia's Ivano Balic (R) and Igor Vori celebrates after their victory against Serbia during their Men's Handball World Championship second round match in Nabeul, Tunisia, February 3, 2005. Croatia defeated Serbia 24-23 and is qualified for the semi-finals in Tunis. REUTERS/Jean Paul Pelissier  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 05 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7857/1/E-Kostelic-claims-historic-downhill-title-for-Croatia.html ÂJanica Kostelic claims historic downhill title for CroatiaÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia takes a curve to win women's downhill race at the Alpine Ski World Championship in the northern Italian resort of Santa Caterina, February 6, 2005. Kostelic won ahead of Elena Fanchini of Italy and Renate Goetschl of Austria. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini ÂÂ52Croatia's Janica Kostelic celebrates on the podium after winning the gold medal in the Women's Downhill at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Santa Caterina Valfurva, Italy, Sunday Feb. 6, 2005. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer) The women's downhill event three medalists L-R silver medal Elena Fanchini of Italy, gold medal Janica Kostelic of Croatia and bronze medal Renate Goetschl of Austria pose on the podium at the Alpine skiing World Championship in Santa Caterina, February 6, 2005. REUTERS/Andreas Meier ÂKostelic claims historic downhill title for Croatia02-06-2005, 13h23Thomas Coex - (AFP) SANTA CATERINA, Italy (AFP) - Triple Olympic champion Janica Kostelic claimed her second crown of the world ski championships when she won the women's downhill. Kostelic, the winner of the women's combined a few days ago, hit speeds of over 122 km/h to dislodge early leader Elena Fanchini of Italy from the leaderboard with a winning time of 1min 39.90sec. Fanchini, with a time of 1:40.16, eventually finished in second having led the race for nearly an hour having started with bib number eight. The 19-year-old Italian did however pick up what will be a valuable silver medal after Austria's former world downhill champion Renate Gotschl could only finish in third. Kostelic, who has been more of a slalom/combined specialist, exploded with joy upon realising that she had won the title, her fourth world title overall and the first world downhill title won by a Croatian "It's fantastic, it is incredible, I just never expected a result like this. It is just so nice," she said. "When I saw Fanchini's time I thought we might as well go home, I thought no one could catch that time. "But I was relaxed and had a smooth run and to win a downhill gold medal is simply incredible for me," added Kostelic, who has also won the slalom world title, in 2003, and two combined titles. Sweden's reigning World Cup champion Anja Paerson, the winner of the women's super-G title here and a runner-up in the combined behind Kostelic, could only finish in seventh place after losing time on the second half of her run during which she had led her Croatian rival. The 23-year-old Kostelic's victory was all the more special as she has only returned to World Cup skiing this season having spent the whole of the 2003/04 season sidelined, nursing knee injuries and having thyroid surgery. Kostelic made history at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002 when she became the first women to win three gold medals in alpine Olympic events. Michaela Dorfmeister, one of the co-favourites for the title, crashed out shortly after landing from the main jump after her left ski pulled away from her. The Austrian sustained no serious injuries in the crash. American Lindsey Kildow, a bronze medal winner from the super-G, just missed out on the bronze this time, coming fourth at 0.62 adrift of Kostelic. http://www.turkishpress.com/sports/news.asp?id=050206132334.j25jh36y.xml letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 05 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7856/1/E-Handball---Croatia-takes-second-place-in-the-World-2005.html  Croatia Takes Silver - Second in the World Sun Jan 23,12:40 PM ET  Mirza Dzomba of Croatia is embraced by goalkeeper Venio Losert following their victory over France in their men's World Handball Championships semi-final match, in Rades stadium near Tunis, February 5, 2005. Croatia won 35- 32. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier Reuters - Feb 05 10:30 AMArgentina's Eric Gull (R) shoots to score a goal against Croatia's Denis Spoljaric during their men's Handball World Championship Group C match in Sfax, Tunisia, January 23, 2005. Croatia defeated Argentina 36-23. REUTERS/Jean Paul Pelissier Australia's Bevan Calvert (C) breaks through Croatia's defender Goran Sprem (L) to score a goal against Croatia's goalkeeper Ognjen Latinovic (L) during their Men's Handball World Championship Group C match in Sfax, Tunisia, January 26, 2005. REUTERS/Jean Paul Pelissier Croatian player Ivano Balic, right, competes for the ball with French player Gueric Kervadec, during the semifinal of the World Handball Championship between France and Croatia in the Rades stadium in Tunis, Tunisia, Saturday Feb. 5, 2005. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere) AP - Feb 05 9:48 AM Spain clinches World Handball title after beating Croatia in TunisiaEl Pais Spain | STAFF REPORTERMadrid In an overwhelming show of power, Spain's national handball team beat Sunday World and Olympic champions Croatia in the final of the Handball World Championships, held in Tunisia. This is the first time the Spanish team has clinched victory in the World Championship.Spain, which had gained a major confidence boost after beating host team Tunisia in the semi-finals, appeared undaunted Sunday before Croatia's impressive track record of recent years, and beat the Olympic gold medalists 40-34.After pulling ahead by one point in the 10th minute, Juan Carlos Pastor's men held on to their lead for the rest of the game. The Spaniards reached half-time eight points ahead, quashing with their effective defense several powerful attacks by Ivano Balic, the star of the Croatian team."This has been an incredible final. Spanish handball deserved this title. This is a great way to start the sporting year for Spain," Jaime Lissavetzky, secretary of state for sports, said after the game.Lissavetzky traveled to Tunisia to witness the finals along with royal princess Cristina de BorbÃn and her husband, IÃaki UrdangarÃn, a former member of the national handball team.France, the 2003 World Champions, took third place after a tight game in which they beat Tunisia 26-25. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 05 Feb 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7859/1/E-Mladen-Stanicic-assistant-coache-to-US-Navy-water-polo.html ÂMladen Stanicic assistant coache to US Navy water polo1/24/2005 - Men's Water PoloNavy Water Polo Adds Two Assistant CoachesMike Schofield has announced that Mladen Stanicic and Kevin Foster will join his staff as assistant coaches. ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy water polo head coach Michael Schofield has announced that Mladen Stanicic and Kevin Foster will join his staff for the upcoming season. Stanicic will be an assistant coach, while Foster will serve as a volunteer assistant. The Mids posted a 19-12 record last season, their 23rd straight season with at least 19 wins.Stanicic is a graduate of the University of Split, Croatia and has worked with the Naval Academy Aquatic Club since 1988. His Navy AC women's team has been the top club team in the East for many years, with many graduates earning scholarships to top NCAA programs. He has developed numerous NCAA All-Americans, both male and female, and is recongnized as one of the top goalie coaches in the U.S. Stanicic and his wife Miriam, daughter Blaise, and son Maro reside in Arnold. Foster, from Davis, Calif., is a 2003 graduate of Princeton University, and played under Navy grad and current Princeton coach Luis Nicolao, earning All-American honors all four years with the Tigers. He spent 2004 playing professionally in Adelaide, Australia and was the top foreign goal scorer in the Australian pro league. Kevin's older brother, Sean, graduated from Navy in 2001, and was a two-time All-American and Eastern Championship MVP in 2000. He is currently flying P-3's in the Navy. "I think we have really strengthened our program with Mladen and Kevin. Anyone who has watched us play over the past couple years would tell you that we are a bit weak in the goal and at the center position," said Schofield. "Mladen has developed multiple national team goalies in both genders, and Kevin is one of the best centers to have ever played in our conference. They will be a big help and I think our players are really happy about having these two with us. Both of them know our program and our players very well, and have already made a positive impact on our practices." The duo joins Schofield, who ranks as Navy's all-time winningest coach. He will enter his 21st season with a career 442-177-1 record at Navy.http://www.navysports.com/sports/mwpolo/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=17154  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 25 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7861/1/E-Bill-Belichick-one-victory-away-from-best-record-in-playoffs.html ÂCroatian coach about to set the best record in playoffsBill Belichick one victory away from best record in playoffsMonday, January 24, 2005AFC: NotebookBelichick set to pass LombardiA victory in Super Bowl would give Patriots coach best record in playoffs.PITTSBURGH -- Bill Belichick is one victory away from another Vince Lombardi trophy -- and one of Lombardi's most impressive records, too. The New England Patriots coach stymied the Steelers on Sunday night, guiding New England to a 41-27 victory over Pittsburgh to reach the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. A victory on Feb. 6 and Belichick will hoist the trophy named for Lombardi while passing him for the best playoff coaching record in NFL history. "It's very flattering to be mentioned in the same breath with Vince Lombardi," he said after earning the right to play the Philadelphia Eagles for his third NFL title. "That's why the trophy has his name on it. I don't think I deserve it." Belichick improved to 9-1 in the postseason over his career, and will pass Lombardi atop the NFL's all-time list with a victory over Philadelphia in the Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla. Belichick has never lost with a conference or NFL title on the line. Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls in Pittsburgh, Joe Gibbs won three in Washington and Bill Walsh won three in San Francisco. Belichick is among nine men who have won two as a head coach, though he also has two rings as a New York Giants assistant. "I'm just happy to play for him," defensive lineman Vince Wilfork said. "Hands down, he goes down as one of the best coaches in history. I'm just happy to be a part of it." A week after embarrassing NFL MVP Peyton Manning, the Patriots defense did the same with rookie of the year Ben Roethlisberger, jumping to an early lead on a frigid Pittsburgh night in a stadium full of Terrible Towel-waving fans. New England picked Roethlisberger off three times -- the first on his very first pass of the game and the second for an 87-yard touchdown return by Rodney Harrison that gave New England a 24-3 lead. Eugene Wilson grabbed his second interception of the game when Roethlisberger overthrew Hines Ward with 7:29 remaining and the Steelers running out of chances. Under the guidance of Belichick and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, who is expected to be hired as Cleveland's head coach after the Super Bowl, a depleted Patriots' defense held Roethlisberger to 224 yards passing. Jerome Bettis carried 17 times for 64 yards but fumbled on a first-quarter fourth-and-1 and a fourth-quarter third-and-goal from the 3 that forced the Steelers to settle for a field goal. "The strength of their team is the running game. Any time you can take that away and make it a one-dimensional team, that's your goal," said defensive lineman Jarvis Green, who subbed when All-Pro Richard Seymour was scratched. "Your goal is to stop (Bettis) and make a rookie quarterback throw the ball downfield," linebacker Rosevelt Colvin said. "With Bill, it's pretty much cut and dry. He tells you 'This is going to work. This is not going to work.' He presents the players with a great opportunity to be successful. All we have to do is go out and perform." And they've done that better than any other team in football over the past two seasons, going 14-2 and reaching the Super Bowl in consecutive years. "It's tough but very gratifying. This team has worked hard," Belichick said. "We demand a lot of them. They lay it on the line. I've never been around a harder-working group of guys." In last week's playoff game against Indianapolis, the Patriots held Manning without a touchdown -- or even a pass longer than 18 yards -- to beat the Colts 20-3. Roethlisberger had not lost as a starter coming into the game, though he struggled last week against the New York Jets with two interceptions. But Pittsburgh was still awash in signs praising "Big Ben" as he tried to become the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to the Super Bowl. Things didn't start well for him. On the third play of the game, his pass went off Antwaan Randle El's hands, off each hand of Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel and into Wilson's. New England drove to the Pittsburgh 30 before Adam Vinatieri's field goal made it 3-0. Steelers Coach Bill Cowher went for it on a fourth-and-1 from the Patriots 39, but Colvin forced Bettis to fumble and Mike Vrabel recovered it. On the next play, Tom Brady hit Deion Branch on a 60-yard touchdown pass -- the Patriots' longest pass play of the season -- to make it 10-0. New England was playing without starting cornerbacks Ty Law and Tyrone Poole, who have been out most of the season, and lineman Richard Seymour, who has missed the last three games with a left knee injury. Record returnRodney Harrison's 87-yard interception return for a touchdown was the longest run back for a score in Patriots history. It was Harrison's fourth playoff interception in two seasons with New England, tying him with Ty Law for the most in franchise history. The 87-yard return topped Law's 47-yard return against the Rams in the 2002 Super Bowl. Fans in Ben Roethlisberger's home town of Findlay, Ohio, painted their faces black and gold ... but they quickly turned blue. The Steelers quarterback who won his first 14 starts and was trying to become the first rookie to take his team to the Super Bowl threw three interceptions Sunday. Roethlisberger's hometown fans, though, said the loss wouldn't diminish his season. "I think they ought to have the biggest parade they've ever had for him," Findlay's Bev Phillips said. "How can you not be proud of him?" New England was playing without starting cornerbacks Ty Law and Tyrone Poole, who have been out most of the season, and lineman Richard Seymour, who has had a left-knee injury. Detroit News wire serviceshttp://www.detnews.com/2005/lions/0501/24/D06-68385.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 24 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7860/1/E-Croatian-Priests-the-best-soccer-players-in-Europe.html ÂCroatian priests the best soccer players in EuropeWednesday, Jan 19, 2005 http:/www.index.hr/The Croatian Priests' Soccer Team won first place in the European championship games that were played in Austria. The Croatian priests achieved that title by recording six victories. Besides the Croatian priests, the championship games were also represented by priests' soccer teams from Austria, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Bosnia and HerzegovinaOne of the representatives, Fra Zarko Relota commented for the Croatian Catholic radio, that the Croatians achieved first place with superiority, without any defeat. Fra Zarko expressed hope that many teams will also participate in the next championships, which will be held in Croatia .Help in the logistics during the preparations and the actual appearance of the Croatian priests' team was assured by the Croatian Bishops' Conference and by the Croatian Soccer Union. HinaTranslated for CROWN by Hilda Marija Foley letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 24 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7865/1/E-But-we-still-cant-stop-the-Croatian-dudes.html ÂBut we still can't stop the Croatian dudesÂJoliet is set; what about Croatia?Victorious Illini win one battle vs. Northwestern but lose anotherMonday, January 17, 2005By JOHN SUPINIEof COPLEY NEWS SERVICEÂThe Joliet-area connection handled the paint, but Illinois had trouble covering the Croatian combination of Vedran Vukusic (20 points) and Davor Duvancic (13 points). The mobile big men scored primarily thanks to drives and long-range jumpers."I thought we did a good job on (Thompson),'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "They never let him get in a rhythm. But we still can't stop the Croatian dudes.''Although they both played high school basketball in New Lenox, Illinois' James Augustine and Northwestern's Mike Thompson never met in a varsity game. The college big men finally went face to face Saturday as No. 1 Illinois rolled to a 78-66 victory over the Wildcats at Evanston.The match up inside was a key variable as Illinois set school records for consecutive victories in a single season and to start a season. After Illinois improved to 18-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten Conference, Augustine suggested it wasn't a grudge match between two guys from rival high schools."It wasn't like it was a big reunion,'' he said.Thompson left Joliet to play at New Lenox Providence. Augustine prepped at New Lenox Lincoln Way Central."I was supposed to play him in high school, but I broke my foot the night before,'' Augustine said. "They were the Catholic school in our town. We never usually played them in anything except wrestling, and I didn't wrestle.''Thompson, who averaged 14 points over the previous three games, was left ineffective as Augustine and senior Roger Powell, the former Joliet star, controlled the paint. Thompson, a McDonald's All-American who transferred to Northwestern from Duke last season, finished with seven points and three rebounds.Powell had 15 points and seven rebounds. Augustine had nine points and seven rebounds."It was kind of cool playing against him,'' Powell said. "We used to be good friends.''The Joliet-area connection handled the paint, but Illinois had trouble covering the Croatian combination of Vedran Vukusic (20 points) and Davor Duvancic (13 points). The mobile big men scored primarily thanks to drives and long-range jumpers."I thought we did a good job on (Thompson),'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "They never let him get in a rhythm. But we still can't stop the Croatian dudes.''The Illini, who took Sunday off, play host at 6 p.m. Thursday to No. 24 Iowa. The Illinois victory Saturday avenged a 10-point loss at Northwestern last season when the Illini blew a nine-point halftime lead. Illinois is 34-3 since then.These days, the fans yell, "Bruuu-ce'' during pregame introductions. After the loss last season at Northwestern, they shouted something else."I think it was a boo, not a Bruce,'' Weber said.If the short-term objective is a victory in Illinois' only game this week, the next key date comes Jan. 25 at Wisconsin. The Badgers rallied past No. 15 Michigan State 62-59 Sunday to improve their home winning streak to 38 games.Illinois' school record for consecutive victories is 25, set in a span from 1914 to 1916. Reaching that milestone will take some work, because the Illini have upcoming road games against Wisconsin, Michigan State and Michigan.The Illini are within reach of surpassing the school record of 31 victories set in 1988-89."We want to win a Big Ten championship and make a nice run in March and April,'' Weber said. "If you do that, you're going to get a lot of wins.''Unlike last season, Illinois showed a killer instinct in the second half Saturday. Illinois built an 18-point lead after halftime. "Before the game, the last thing I talked about was 40 minutes,'' Weber said. "We went into the locker room too comfortable (last season). This year was a little different story. We understand what it's about. We didn't want to lose here.''http://www.pjstar.com/stories/011705/ILL_B5AP7PAU.W02.shtml  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 20 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7863/1/E-Welcome-To-Zagreb-LIEBHERR-Croatian-Open.html ÂWelcome To Zagreb Sinisa Bozic & Ian Marshall Photo by: An Sung HoLIEBHERR Croatian Open, ZagrebThe capital city of the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb, once again hosts an ITTF Pro Tour tournament with the Liebherr Croatian Open being held in the Zagreb Sports Hall from Wednesday 19 to Saturday 23 January 2005.Croatia gained independence in 1991 with Zagreb being established as the political and administrative centre for the Republic of Croatia. Tamara BOROS seeking victory on home soil in Zagreb An old Central European city, Zagreb lies on the intersection of important routes between the Adriatic coast and Central Europe, for centuries being a focal point of culture and science. Nowadays it is not only a centre of commerce and industry, it is also the hub of the business, academic, cultural, artistic and sporting worlds in Croatia (a university, ten theatres, twenty-one museums, fourteen galleries, twelve art collections).AtmosphereMany famed scientists, artists and athletes come from the city, or work in it and visitors can enjoy the Baroque atmosphere of the Upper Town, picturesque open-air markets, diverse shopping facilities, an abundant selection of crafts and a choice cuisine. Zagreb is a city of green parks and walks, with many places to visit in the beautiful surroundings. The city enters the third millennium with a population of one million and in spite of the rapid development of the economy and transportation, it has retained its charm and a relaxed feeling that makes it a genuinely human city. Zagreb has a continental climate, the average temperature in winter being one degree centigrade. Why choose Zagreb as the host city of the Liebherr Croatian Open? It is a city steeped in the traditions of table tennis and as the host of a major international tournament it has two main advantages that no other city can offer. The venue, the Zagreb Sports Hall and the accommodation, the Hotel Panorama are extremely near to each other, in fact they are only one hundred and fifty metres distant. Croatian PlayersHome supporters will no doubt be hoping that their leading two players Zoran PRIMORAC and Tamara BOROS can rise to the occasion. However, PRIMORAC has never won an ITTF Pro Tour tournament in Croatia. He has come close but he has never scaled the top step of the medal podium on home soil. Currently ranked number twenty-seven in the World, he didn't play in Slovenia but has prepared in Belgium for the Liebherr Croatian Open.âItâs true that the Croatian Open and myself have never been the best of friendsâ€?, said PRIMORAC. âI do not know the real reason but it's hard to play in front your crowd. Iâve made a good start in 2005; Iâve beaten the World champion Werner SCHLAGER and I was pleased with my performance against the Olympic winner RYU Seung Min. I think i can play a major role this year, I know I am not one of the favourites, but do not sign off me too early.â€?Meanwhile, Tamara BOROS won the Womenâs Singles at the Croatian Open in 1999;whilst at the most recent ITTF Pro Tour tournament, the Liebherr Slovenian Open she reached the semi-finals, losing to Hong Kongâs LIN Ling. She is the only European player who is in the top fifteen ranked female players in the World, currently the number four ranked woman.PRIMORAC and BOROS have both shown over the years that they can compete at the highest levels, they are fine players and undoubtedly a good performance from the countryâs two leading players this week would be welcomed by the organisers of the Liebherr Croatian Open; home success would certainly provide a major boost to the tournament and would certainly attract the media. Can they succeed? Watch this http://www.ittf.com/stories/Stories_detail.asp?Year=2005&General_Catigory=General&ID=6861 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 20 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7864/1/E-Thousands-celebrate-Croatias-capital-first-World-Cup-event.html ÂThousands celebrate Croatia's capital first World Cup event01-19-2005, 19h48Vincenzo Pinto - (AFP/File) ZAGREB, Croatia (AFP) - Some ten thousand people gathered evening at the Croatian capital's main square to attend a public draw and celebrate the hosting of the country's first World Cup skiing event, the women's slalom, a first for a capital. "Ever since I have started to ski this was my dream. I hope that everyone here is happy. I'll try to do my best tomorrow to win," triple Olympic champion Janica Kostelic, dubbed "the Snow Queen" here, told the crowd. She spoke from an improvised stage at the Ban Josip Jelacic square after the draw for Thursday's race in which she will start from seventh position. Organisers of Thursday's event at the mount Sljeme overlooking the capital repeatedly paid tribute to Janica Kostelic and her world men's slalom champion brother Ivica stressing that their great results enabled Zagreb to get the race.The Kostelic siblings made their skiing debuts on the Sljeme slopes with their father Ante, who was coaching them. Kostelic said earlier that if she wins on Thursday it would be her most memorable victory in the World Cup. "It think it would be great for Janica that she wins tomorrow. She deserves it as a crown of all her successes," Zeljko Matic, a 21-year-old architecture student, told AFP. "Tomorrow's event means a lot for us. Zagreb can finally support Janica and repay her for all her successes which made us famous abroad," said Vanda-Sandra Domijan, a 32-year-old fashion designer. After the draw an open air World Cup party was organised at the square with performances of several popular pop bands and singers. This season Kostelic made a great comeback on the slopes after missing all of the last campaign with a recurring knee injury and thyroid gland surgery. She is currently second in the overall World Cup standings after 21 races. The first run on Thursday is due at 3:00 pm (1400 GMT) and the second one three hours later. http://www.turkishpress.com/sports/news.asp?id=050119194810.mbihombj.xml  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7862/1/H-Hrvatski-svecenici-najbolji-nogometasi-u-Europi.html ÂHrvatski svecenici najbolji nogometasi u EuropiSrijeda, 19. sijecnja 2005. HRVATSKA svecenicka nogometna reprezentacija osvojila je prvo mjesto na Europskom prvenstvu, koje je odrzano u Austriji. Hrvatski svecenici su do naslova dosli ubiljezivsi sest pobjeda. Osim hrvatskih svecenika na prvenstvu su nastupile i svecenicke reprezentacije iz Austrije, Njemacke, Madjarske, Ceske, Slovenije i Bosne i Hercegovine.Jedan od reprezentativaca fra Zarko Relota u izjavi za Hrvatski katolicki radio rekao je da su Hrvati superiorno osvojili prvo mjesto bez poraza. Fra Zarko je izrazio nadu da ce brojne reprezentacije sudjelovati i na sljedecem prvenstvu sto ce odrzati u Hrvatskoj. Pomocu u logistici tijekom priprema i samih nastupa hrvatskoj svecenickoj reprezentaciji osigurala je Hrvatska biskupska konferencija i Hrvatski nogometni savez. Hinahttp://www.index.hr/  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7866/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-took-over-the-World-Cup-overall-standings.html ÂJanica Kostelic takes overall World Cup leadÂJanica Kostelic took over the World Cup overall standingsThe Croatian missed last season due to hyper-thyroidismAgence France PresseKostelic 739 Goetschl 718 Poutiainen 7061/15/2005, 9:36 a.m. ETBy ANDREW DAMPF The Associated Press CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) â Austria's Renate Goetschl showed again Saturday she is the queen of Cortina, winning a downhill for her third victory in four days. And Croatia's Janica Kostelic showed she is back at the summit of World Cup skiing after missing all of last season.Goetschl posted a winning time of 1 minute, 37.27 seconds â 0.29 ahead of Kostelic. Lindsey Kildow of the United States finished third, 0.44 behind, for her sixth top-three finish this season.This was Goetschl's eighth victory on the Olympia delle Tofane course. It was also her 36th World Cup victory, tying her with Germany's Katja Seizinger for third place on the career list."It was a goal of mine to reach Katja. I'm happy that it's now, I didn't expect it so soon," said Goetschl, who had not won this season before arriving in this resort town, which is known as the queen of the Dolomite mountain range.Kostelic finished second for her best career downhill result and took the lead in the overall World Cup standings."It's pretty good, but there are still a lot of races to come," said Kostelic, who celebrated wildly after her finish. "I'm not really into that right now. I'm really not thinking about it. I'm just going race to race."A former two-time overall champion who missed last season because of illness and injuries, Kostelic now leads with 739 points. Goetschl moved into second with 718 and Finland's Tanja Poutiainen, who began the day with the lead, dropped to third with 706. Poutiainen does not compete in speed events and is taking the week off.Defending overall winner Anja Paerson of Sweden finished 29th and dropped from second to fourth with 661 points.With five super giant slalom wins and three downhill victories on this course, Goetschl matched Ingemar Stenmark for most wins at one resort. The Swedish great won eight slaloms and giant slaloms at Madonna Di Campiglio between 1974 and 1983."I'm just really happy about this now," Goetschl said. "It's not every day you get three victories day after day," she said.Kildow lost her lead in the downhill standings to Goetschl after the race. She also trails the Austrian in the super-G standings. Kildow finished second to Goetschl in Friday's super-G. Goetschl also won a super-G on Wednesday, her first win of the season.Racing in her shiny gold helmet and the red boots of the Austrian "Wunderteam," Goetschl was the first top skier to hit the course. She finished 1.02 seconds ahead of previous leader Kirsten Clark of the United States, who ended up eighth. In other American finishes, Caroline Lalive was 12th and Julia Mancuso 17th.Despite perfect conditions that held up throughout the morning, no skier could catch Goetschl."On some other slope maybe," Kostelic said. "Being behind her here is like winning because she's too fast for everyone."http://pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/sports-6/110579904946840.xml&storylist=pahomepagephoto:janica50Janica Kostelic took over the World Cup overall standingsThe Croatian missed last season due to hyper-thyroidismAgence France Presse Goetschl wins first of two downhills at Cortina; Kildow thirdBy Hank McKeeJanuary 15, 2005 The track at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Olympia delle Tofane, has some interesting nuances. Tap into them and you own the place. Regine Cavagnoud won four races there. Isolde Kostner won five. Katja Seizinger won four. But Renate Goetschl has changed the locks and parked her car in the garage with eight Cortina World Cup wins, the most by nearly double of any competitor.Saturday, Jan. 15, with a day left yet to run, she had collected three wins at Cortina this season in four days. None of the margins were big, but they were big enough. "On some other slope, maybe" said runner-up Croatian star Janica Kostelic. "But, being behind her here is like winning... She's too fast for everyone."With the most recent win Goetschl caught Katja Seizinger for third on the all time women's World Cup wins list with 36. It was something she had aimed at doing, "but I didn't expect it this soon." At 29, she could elect to go after the top two on the list, Vreni Schneider with 55 and Annemarie Moser-Proell with 62, but those marks will be well off into the future.The second place result was nearly as exciting for Kostelic as first was for Goetschl. The Croate moved into the lead for the World Cup overall title with her first ever downhill podium. Both she and Goetschl overtook Finn Tanja Poutiainen who has led the tour from the early going with nothing but slalom and GS points. Poutiainen does not race downhill. "It's pretty good," said an elated Kostelic, "but there are still a lot of races to come." Thirteen in fact, assuming the schedule is completed in this weather dependent sport, (3DH, 3GS, 3SG, 3SL and 1 combined).The happy news on the U.S. front was the sixth podium of the season for Lindsey Kildow who finished third. The 20 year old was set back in the downhill standings to second by Goetschl, but she is obviously still in the fight and still throwing punches. She skied brilliantly high on the course and may be having a set of Olympia delle Tofane keys made. In five races over two seasons she has never finished worse than fifth.Kirsten Clark finished eighth, her best result of the season, but she had the unenviable delight of holding the lead before Goetschl came down and pushed her to second place by more than a second. The U.S. got it's usual five scoring finishers with Caroline Lalive in 12th, Julia Mancuso in 17th and Jonna Mendes in 23rd. Bryna McCarty was 38 missing points by .64. Libby Ludlow finished 42nd.The Canadians suffered two DNF's and had Kelly Vanderbeek in 26th place. The only other Canadian racer to cross the finish line was Sophie Splawinski in 44th. This result didnât come without any hardships: Approximately a kilometer into the race, Splawinski, the last racer out of the start gate, was yellow flagged after the skier ahead of her fell. Splawinski had to take the chairlift back to the summit of the course, and then hike up to the start hut positioned between two impressive rocks at the highest point on the mountain. Splawinski courageously regrouped herself and managed to ski a solid run considering her young experience on the World Cup circuit.âIâm very happy about my run,â€? said Splawinski. âI stayed calm and I even found a way to use my re-run to my advantage. I talked to my coach and he gave me a few pointers on what I could do better in that first section. I guess every time you get another chance on this hill itâs a bonus!â€?Also noteworthy was the return of former World Cup downhill title holder (2000) German Regine Haeusl. It was her first scoring race (27th place) in nearly a year as she attempts to rebound, at age 31, from torn left knee ligaments sustained a year ago. She had been a DNF in both Cortina SG's and had finished in the 30's and 40's in earlier races this season.World CupWomen's DownhillCortina d'Ampezzo, ItalyJan. 15, 20041. Renate Goetschl, AUT 1:37.272. Janica Kostelic, CRO 1:37.563. Lindsey Kildow, USA 1:37.714. Hilde Gerg, GER 1:37.805. Michaela Dorfmeister, AUT 1:37.956. Ingrid Jacquemod, FRA 1:37.987. Nadia Styger, SUI 1:38.208. Kirsten Clark, USA 1:38/299. Janette Hargin, SWE 1:38.3310. Alexandra Meissnitzer, AUT 1:38.4811. Karin Blaser, AUT 1:38.5312. Caroline Lalive, USA 1:38.5512. Jessica Lindell-Vikarby, SWE 1:38.5514. Sylvaine Berthod, SUI 1:38.6915. Isolde Kostner, ITA 1:38.7516. Fraenzi Aufdenblatten, SUI 1:38.8017. Julia Mancuso, USA 1:38.8318. Astrid Vierthaler, AUT 1:38.9619. Carole Montillet-Carles, FRA 1:39.0320. Andrea Fischbacher, AUT 1:39.0921. Petra Haltmayr, GER 1:39.1222. Marie Marchand-Arvier, FRA 1:39.2223. Jonna Mendes, USA 1:39.2324. Magda Mattel, FRA 1:39.2824. Isabelle Huber, GER 1:39.2826. Kelly Vanderbeek, CAN 1:39.3727. Katja Wirth, AUT 1:39.4127. Regine Haeusl, GER 1:39.4129. Anja Paerson, SWE 1:39.4230. Selina Heregger, AUT 1:39.52other North Americans:38. Bryna McCarty, USA 1:40.1642. Libby Ludlow, USA 1:40.7044. Sophie Splawinski, CAN 1:40.99DNF: Emily Brydon, Anne-Marie LeFrancois, CANTHE SCOOPBy Hank McKeeequipmentWomen's Downhill, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Jan. 15, 2005 Skier, skis/boots/bindings1 Goetschl, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon2 Kostelic, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon3 Kildow, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol4 Gerg, Volkl/Lange/Marker5 Dorfmeister, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic6 Jacquemod, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon7 Styger, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon8 Clark, Fischer/Salomon/Marker9 Hargin, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol10 Meissnitzer, Volkl/Tecnica/MarkerWomen's Downhill, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy Jan. 15, 2005. ... It is the 20th race of the women's 32 race (plus 1 combined) schedule. ... The fifth of eight scheduled downhills. ... Winning margin is .29 and the top seven are in the same second.It is the 36th career victory for Renate Goetschl. ... third of the season and third in four days. ... It is her eighth win at Cortina. ... It is her 18th DH win. She is now tied with Katja Seizinger for third on all time women's victory list (behind Annemarie Moser-Proell and Vreni Schneider); and is second all time on the DH win list behind Moser-Proell.It is the 34th career podium for Janica Kostelic. ... Her fifth of the season. ... It is her first career podium in DH.It is the seventh career podium for Lindsey Kildow. ... Her sixth of the season. ... Her second in two days.It is the best finish of the season for Kirsten Clark. ... It is her 29th career top 10. ... her fifth at Cortina. ... It is the sixth best of 10 scoring results this season for Caroline Lalive. ... She has been in the top 12 of all five DH's this season. ... It is the 12th scoring result of the season for Julia Mancuso. ...Her fourth in DH. ... It is the seventh scoring result of the season for Jonna Mendes. ... It is the fifth scoring result of the season for Kelly Vanderbeek.It is the first scoring race in nearly a year (1/18/04) for 31 year old Regina Haeusl. ... she is returning from torn left knee ligaments 1/28/04. ... She had been a DNF in both Cortina SG's and had finished in the 30's and 40's in earlier races this season.Both Janica Kostelic and Renate Goetschl moved past Tanja Poutiainen (did not race) and Anja Paerson (29th) in the overall standings... Kostelic holds the lead 739-718 over Goetschl. ... Poutiainen is third at 706 and Paerson fourth at 661. Top American is Lindsey Kildow in fifth at 625. ... Goetschl has the downhill standings lead 355-335 over Kildow with Hilde Gerg (finished 4th) third at 315. ... Caroline Lalive is next best American in eighth at 138. Austria leads the women's Nations Cup standings 3556-2074. ... The Germans are third at 1578.http://www.skiracing.com/news/news_display.php/2126/ALPINE  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 15 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7867/1/E-Bill-Belichick--Nick-Saban-Croatian-Coaches-in-the-NFL.html ÂBill Belichick & Nick Saban two Croatians Coaches in the NFLHost: Coach, Nick Saban, who was a protÃgà of yours â you had him in Cleveland as your defensive coordinator â had a tremendous success obviously at LSU, and now he's going to be in the division at Miami. How about that? What kind of a head coach do you think Nick's going to be in the NFL?BB: I think Nick's an outstanding coach, I don't think there's any question about that. I think he's one of the very best I've ever had the opportunity to work with. Nick is strong in every area of the game â personnel, strategy, motivation. He has a lot of experience, and he's very good at, as I say, at everything he does, and he can truly get all the bases covered.I think it just makes this division, which is already very tough, even that much tougher. You know, two Croatians in the division, Joe, that's not something you see everyday. [Laughter]Host: That's got to be a first, right Coach?http://www.allthingsbillbelichick.com/transcripts/joebenignotranscript.htmBill Belichick with Joe Benigno and Sid Rosenberg WFAN, Sports Radio 66AM New YorkJanuary 5, 2005--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Host: ...the best coach that there is in the business right now, and that is the head coach of the World Champion New England Patriots, Bill Belichick. Coach, how you doing? Happy New Year.BB: Thank you Joe, Sid. How you doing?Host: Good. Nice to talk to you, Coach. And congratulations again. Let's start right here. Everyone's talking, obviously, about the Steelers' 14-game win streak, and Peyton Manning's record-breaking season. But somehow or another, through it all, your New England Patriots went 14-2, and looks like you're well on your way to another championship â at the very least at least vying for one. So congratulations on a great regular season.BB: I think it's a real accomplishment for our team. You know, they've gone through a lot of adversity, and met a lot of challenges along the way. But right now we're just where a lot of other teams are right now, we're 0-0. The team that wins will be the team that plays the best from here on out. So everybody that's in, is in. Nothing really matters except how we can each do going forward. That's where our focus is, to try to get our game to its highest level.Host: Coach, I know you don't like to lose, and I know you haven't done much of that lately â what is it, 29 out of the last 31? But I thought one of the best things that happened to this team was going down to Miami and losing that game to the Dolphins. Because it seemed like you came right back and smacked my team next week, of course. And then you win the final game of the season to go 14-2. But it seems like maybe that kind of refocused your team again, Coach. Do you agree with that or not?BB: Losing down there was tough. You got an 11-point lead with four minutes to go in the game, and end up losing to Miami. That was pretty disappointing.Host: I guess his answer's no. [Laughter]BB: Yeah, I don't think there were a lot of positives on that one.Host: How about the Steeler game? Let's talk about them for a little bit. Because the chances are, at least if you're asking me, I think the AFC title game is going to be you guys and the Steelers in a couple weeks in Pittsburgh. What happened in that game? Was it just a case that maybe you'd won 21 in a row, and you were due to lose, and you kind of ran into a bus? I mean, what happened that day in Pittsburgh, Coach?BB: You know, they played a lot better than we did. We didn't play very well defensively. We turned the ball over on offense â they ran one back for a touchdown, and recovered another two fumbles inside our 30. We just didn't play well. We got outcoached, outplayed, and they deserved to win, they were the better team. And there was no question about it that day. That's why they're the #1 seed. They're 15-1. You've got to give them all the credit in the world, they've had a tremendous regular season.Host: They did, they won 14 straight games. And everybody's talking about that matchup, Coach, with you and Pittsburgh. But...BB: I wouldn't worry too much about that one right now.Host: Right, that's what I'm saying. There's a good chance you're going to see Peyton Manning along the way, again, and you guys have been very successful here against Peyton Manning. [Both hosts talking at once] He's watching film on Manning right now. I know he won't admit it. Probably so. He's got the projector on as we speak watching Manning, figuring how we're going to beat him again. Now you guys have been very successful against him, Coach. Including back to Week 1 in this regular season, you won that game as well. But you went on to the record-breaking season. I mean, do you think that at this point that you can be successful against Peyton doing the same things you've done in the past, or has his game really gotten to the point now where you're going to have to make some changes?BB: Oh, I think there will have to be some adjustments made. I'm sure they will make some, and I'm sure we will make some. We didn't exactly â I mean, that game came down to a field goal on the last play of the game, and that was the difference. So that could have easily gone either way. I think that at this point we're prepared to play all three teams â the Jets, San Diego, and Indianapolis â depending on how things turn out this weekend. And we have a lot of respect for all three of them. We know that no matter who we play at this time of the season, they're all good. And I think if you look at â you know I'm not a big stat guy, but when you look at the league stats after 16 regular season games, and you see all those teams bunched up there in terms of turnovers, and rushing defense, and red area production, and all those kind of things, they're all right up there at the top. It doesn't really matter who you play at this time of year â everybody's good. It's just a question of which team goes out and plays well. And can you get your best performance on the field at this point in time. And that's really what it comes down to. There's plenty of talent on every team, and I'm sure we'll have some very competitive games as we go through the playoffs. But it'll just come down to the team that can execute the best at critical points in the game.JB: Coach, you know Andy Reid, Philadelphia, had everything wrapped up a couple weeks ago. Andy Reid had his team basically mail it in that game against the Rams and certainly last week against Cincinnati they got killed 38-10. You know, no Westbrook, no McNabb. And even though you really had nothing to play for â you were locked in last week against the 49ers â you still played Brady three quarters in that game, Coach. I mean, how about that? What's your feeling on, you know, do you feel maybe if you don't play your best players in these kind of games that maybe you lose momentum going in to the playoffs?BB: Well I think, Joe, that every coach does what he thinks is best for his football team. And whatever any other coach did, I respect that 100% because I know that that coach is doing what he thinks is best for the team. And where one team is, and where another team is, can often be two different things. In our case, our players are used to being in a routine, they're used to getting ready to play, and playing. They want to play. I don't think that they would have really accepted any other approach. To them it's football season, it's a game, and they want to play in it and they want to be prepared when they walk out on the field to play in it. That's the way we approached it. But we just do what we thought was right for us. I'm not saying that another team should have done it differently, or could have done it differently. We just try to make the decisions in the best interest of our organization. I don't want to tell anybody else how to do their job.Host: We are talking to the coach of the defending World Champion New England Patriots, Bill Belichick. Coach, lots of adjustments you had to make this year, especially on the defensive side of the football with the injuries, Ty Law going down in that Steeler game. And a guy like Troy Brown is out there picking off passes at the cornerback position. And a couple youngsters had to step in for you this year â the kid Wilfork from Miami, and Randall Gay as well. Last couple of years in New England, was this the toughest job you've had to do to kind of patchwork this defense together to get you through the second half of the season?BB: We've had to make some adjustments in the secondary, but on our defensive front we've actually been pretty consistent there with our defensive line and linebackers. We've had a lot of the same guys pretty much every week. So it seems like every year you've always got something, or one position, and sometimes a little more than that. But every team goes through that, and we just have to work our way through it. But Troy's done a nice job for us. And Randall Gay is an undrafted rookie, so he stepped in and probably given more than anybody would have expected from. Although once he started playing, he's played at a good, competitive level. Asante Samuel was our nickleback last year, and has got a lot more opportunity this year, and he's been able to take advantage of that playing time. So that's what a lot of just competitive sports is, are guys preparing and then getting an opportunity. Then a lot of times when they get that opportunity they're able to raise their play to a high competitive level. And that's been the case with some of the players for us in the secondary this year.Host: Coach, how tough has it been with the situation with Charlie Weis? You know, he accepts the Notre Dame job a couple weeks ago, but he's still your offensive coordinator. I guess he's kind of been shuffling back and forth between Foxborough and South Bend. How difficult has that been for you, and more specifically, for Charlie?BB: I think it's been probably more challenging for Charlie. My job hasn't changed a lot, and neither have the players' or any of their coaches. But Charlie's had to manage another situation. But I think all in all that it's gone fairly smoothly. We all know what it is, and there's no question that he's added some responsibilities. But he hasn't really been shuffling back and forth. He's basically been here, and he's done all the things that he would normally do. And he's done a good job. So I think that we can certainly work within the situation that we have to deal with. And I think we can handle that.Host: Talking about Charlie Weis and the offense here, Coach, let's stick with the quarterback position. You know obviously this year Ben Roethlisberger is getting an incredible amount of play. In fact, they started the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award back in 1957, and this year Ben Roethlisberger was the first quarterback ever to win that award. So he has the big year, everybody's talking about him. Peyton Manning breaks the record, everybody's talking about him. And there's the guy that plays for you that's won two Super Bowl MVPs in the last three years, who at least, in my opinion, never seems to get that respect. Tom Brady's name is never mentioned at the top of the list. Now with his accomplishments the last couple of years, do you think it starts to bother Tom at some point, or is he just so business-like it doesn't really matter?BB: Well I think Tom's focused on winning. And I think his record there speaks for itself. Tom's a winner. He prepares hard, he's a great leader, he's good with his teammates, and is a well respected team captain and teammate really from all quarters â offensively, defensively, guys on special teams. He's a player that I think everybody's glad is on this team, and has contributed a lot to our victories. I think that he understands that, and in the end that's the way he wants to be measured. And I think he's done a pretty good job of it.JB: You know, Coach, one thing that I'm sure bothers you â I know it's all about winning championships, obviously, for you â but I take a look at the Pro Bowl voting every year, and I think the only guy on the defense that makes it to the Pro Bowl is Richard Seymour. And I look at guys like McGinest, I look at guys like Tedy Bruschi, and I don't know if there's a better linebacker in the NFL right now than Tedy Bruschi. Does that kind of motivate these guys even more? I mean, you've got so many top-flight players on that defense, yet Baltimore's got like five guys going, and they're not even sniffing the playoffs. And you got one guy from the defense. How about that?BB: Well, Joe, you know, the Pro Bowl voting and all comes from a number of different areas â you know, the fans, the coaches, the players â and so that's the way it's set up. It's really hard, I know just from my standpoint, I don't get to see every single player in the AFC play. I see the ones that we play. So it's a hard thing to get totally accurate, because I don't think everybody gets a good full view of the league. You know, and then you start going on stats and reputation and so forth. So I'm sure that every team in the league has a couple players that they feel like should have gotten more recognition than they did. But, you know, unfortunately that's the way it goes.JB: But I would think, Coach, that that's the way you like it â again, talking to Bill Belichick from the New England Patriots â because going back to when you won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, and you were kind of introduced as a team, and not the individuals. And you guys, in the last couple of years, have kind of epitomized what the team is all about in an era where it seems like it's all about the selfish individual. That's not your football team. So is it fair to say that maybe at the end of the day you're kind of happy? You know you guys are all-pro players, but you're still a team, and not a bunch of individual superstars?BB: I think that our players take a lot of pride in the success of the team. And I think it's important to them to support their teammates, and do their job, and not let their teammates down. So when we all walk out at the end of the day, I think number one you want to feel good about yourself and what you've accomplished. And you know you can't always react to externally what the judgments are â good or bad. I think our players are pretty mature about that, they have a good perspective on it. As long as they feel like they're doing all they can, then that's what counts the most for them.Host: Coach, Nick Saban, who was a protÃgà of yours â you had him in Cleveland as your defensive coordinator â had a tremendous success obviously at LSU, and now he's going to be in the division at Miami. How about that? What kind of a head coach do you think Nick's going to be in the NFL?BB: I think Nick's an outstanding coach, I don't think there's any question about that. I think he's one of the very best I've ever had the opportunity to work with. Nick is strong in every area of the game â personnel, strategy, motivation. He has a lot of experience, and he's very good at, as I say, at everything he does, and he can truly get all the bases covered. I think it just makes this division, which is already very tough, even that much tougher.You know, two Croatiansin the division, Joe, that's not something you see everyday. [Laughter]Host: That's got to be a first, right Coach?BB: Probably is.Host: Alright Coach, let you go here. But as you're about to embark here on the playoffs â you're not doing a road game at the very least to get to the Super Bowl, but I think your team is certainly capable of doing that. And you've got all these great players, and Corey Dillon is here this year. You know the one thing that I guess we have to talk about is â no disrespect to Mike Vanderjagt in Indianapolis, or Jeff Reed in Pittsburgh â but the one guy we've got to talk about this time of year, maybe the most clutch kicker in the history of the game, and that's Adam Vinatieri. This is a guy that's made more big kicks for you than anybody can ever remember.BB: Well, you get in a very competitive situation like the playoffs where a lot of times teams are so close, and it comes down to a play or a kick, there's nobody we'd rather have than Adam. He's been familiar with kicking in the weather that we have in the northeast at this time of year â you never know what you're going to get. So, you know, he's a football player. He's not really a kicker, he's a football player. He has a lot of poise, has good talent, and has obviously come through for us in a lot of big situations. But again, his work ethic and his demeanor and what he puts into the game is really just as impressive as his performance. And we'll need everything we've got at this time of year. As I've said, every team we play we know is good, and we'll need every ounce and every resource that we have available.Host: Coach, before I let you go, I've got to ask you about the quarterback of my Jets, Mr. Pennington. Who every time you play him now recently finds the open Tedy Bruschi on a regular basis. What's your feel on him right now, where he is? Give me a little feel on what you think about Pennington right now.BB: I think that offensively the Jets are a good football team. They have a lot of weapons. It starts with Curtis, naturally. I think it always has. And then everything works off of that â the play action game, the vertical routes to McCareins and Moss, the utilization of the tightends, Becht and Baker, especially on those bootlegs and things like that. And they have a good offensive line, so the complementary plays and the complementary part of the offense flows very well together most of the time. Now sometimes when one aspect of it isn't really being productive, then that can effect another aspect. But I think overall the Jets are a good offensive football team. I think they have a lot of balance â one of the better balanced teams in the league â going even to their second tightends, and their fullbacks like Sowell, two good running backs. And a good set of receivers, Wayne as a third receiver, and even the whole receiving crew, Carter, I mean the whole works. So I think they're a good, balanced offensive football team, and I have a lot of respect for them. I have a lot of respect for what they do. And I think Chad's very accurate, and as long as, like any team, as long as you can keep those passing situations to manageable yardage â I mean there's not any quarterback that's really very good on 3rd-and-15 â but you know when it's 3rd-and-four, five, six, and you have a couple different guys that you can throw to, and you got the threat of the running game and all that, then those situations are advantageous for any quarterback in any offense.JB: Coach, you know you chopped him up pretty good two weeks ago. I mean he's got problems with the shoulder. Do you think he's playing hurt right now, in your mind, Pennington?BB: You know, it's hard to say, Joe. I don't know. I think that at this point in the season, every player who's playing a lot is less than 100%. I mean 16 regular season games against this competition, everybody's got bumps and bruises, everybody's sore, everybody would love to feel a lot fresher than they feel right now. But you know what, it's football time of year. It's crunch time, it's playoff time, so everybody just puts that behind them, they reach down, they suck it up. And you know, you're going to see the teams that play their best football now are teams that are going to be mentally tough, they're going to be physically tough, and they're going to be resilient. And I wouldn't worry too much about what happened last week or what happened two weeks ago. You know, it's about right now what every team can muster up and generate going forward. And they're all good, so whichever one of these 12 teams comes out on top, that team will deserve it because they will have mustered up the most energy and the best performance in the coming weeks. And that's what championship football's all about.Host: Coach, you breaking out a new sweatshirt for the playoffs?BB: No, probably not.Host: Did you get rid of that red one that you had on down in Miami when you lost? Did you burn that one? You must have.BB: Yeah, we'll move on from that one.SR: Will there be a 60 Minutes II with Lesley Stahl if you win the Super Bowl again this year? That was fascinating that piece. I love that piece you did last year.BB: No, that's not my call. You know, that's not really my thing, Sid.SR: I know, but you were great. I've got to tell you, Coach, I thought that was fascinating how you go about your work everyday. Even watching Tedy Bruschi a couple of weeks ago during the Monday night game â before the game, Coach, against the Dolphins â how he breaks down video every week. I mean, I don't think the average fan really realizes, Coach, how many hours you put in every single day. How many hours your players put in every day. We all know about practice, but I don't think the average person realizes, Coach, you know, 16, 17, 18-hour days that you guys put in. Do you ever sleep, Coach?BB: It's a very competitive league, and you're going up against the best every week. And every other team that you play, their coaching staff, their players, they're working just as hard as you are. And you just can't leave a stone unturned. You want to make sure that you've got your execution up to its highest level, because that's where it needs to be. It's such a competitive league, especially now. We go to this time of year where one play can mean everything. It determines the whole course of your season. So it's important, and you just want to put everything you have into it and get it right.Hosts: Coach, a great job as always. Appreciate you coming on. Thank you very much, Coach. Good luck in the playoffs.BB: It's a pleasure. And Joe, it's great to talk to you when the sun's up. I don't think we've ever done this before.Host: How about that? Well, you know, this is actually like late in the day for you. Do you ever sleep, Coach? I mean you never do, right?BB: Oh, yeah. Yeah.Host: What, an hour a day? An hour a week? What?BB: Oh, no. When I run low at the end of the day, that's it for me. I just sometimes I get an early start. Not as early as you start it though. Great to catch up with you, too.Host: You too, Coach. Good luck. We'll talk to you down the road, alright?BB: OK. Thank you.Hosts: Alright, there he is, Coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. And he gave us quite a bit of time there, Joe. He did. Big fan of Joe Benigno, Bill Belichick. I tell you what, there's no question about it â THE best in the business right now. Yeah, it's not close. I think Parcells really took a beating with Dallas this year. Shanahan â Denver's falling off. Andy Reid â no, he's never even won a Super Bowl. Only guys who have won Super Bowls. You're right, you can't get that level till you win a Super Bowl. Mike Holmgren â you know, forget about it. This guy [BB] is the best right now. He's the best without a doubt. You and I've been saying this for a couple of weeks now, don't be surprised â three times in four years. Absolutely. We'll see, Belichick.Transcribed by the webmaster.Full audio available at www.WFAN.com http://www.allthingsbillbelichick.com/transcripts/joebenignotranscript.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 13 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7868/1/E-Terra-Incognita-Croatia-2005---Adventure-Race.html ÂTerra Incognit a Croatia 2005ÂMedia releaseYou can start registering for the 6th edition of adventure race Terra Incognita 2005 in Croatia. We provided brief news about the race 2005. Terra Incognita is one of the toughest competition in the world. It relies heavily on teamwork, endurance and navigation as well as individual skills. Mixed gender teams of four race together for 400 km through a series of checkpoints to get to the finish line as quick as they can. To assist them they have mountain bikes, ropes, kayaks and personal equipment.MORE...This event is designed to push the envelope of human endurance. Teams race 24 hours a day for five days - the clock never stops. The rules are quite simple. The team must get from the start to the finish by themselves and with no outside help. The pressure of racing must be dispersed through a solid team structure. If a person drops the entire team must halt. When an individual reaches total exhaustion resulting in complete body shutdown the entire team is condemned to the same fate. They must carry with them what they need to survive. During the race they receive no hot food or morale support, they must provide this themselves. If they dare they can sleep. Extreme situations cause emotions to develop in very quick sequences and even after five days of racing, success and failure almost touch.www.adventurerace.hr Posted by: Megan on Jan 11, 05 http://www.4ar.info/comments.php?id=1831_0_1_0_C  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 12 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7870/1/E-Vukusics-play-key-in-Northwesterns-victory.html ÂVukusic's play key in Northwestern's victoryÂBY JOHN MULLINChicago TribunePosted on Sat, Dec. 18, 2004 CHICAGO - (KRT) - He was late coming out of the locker room after the game because he was busy eating birthday cake and he had to endure good-natured ribbing from teammates as he talked about his role in Northwestern's 53-44 victory over Seton Hall.But Vedran Vukusic will take this kind of birthday anytime.With Northwestern (4-4) struggling and trailing 39-38 with eight minutes remaining Saturday, the 22-year-old junior forward from Croatia, simply took over a game that was slipping away from the Wildcats. Vukusic collected a pair of layups, a three-pointer and two steals in the span of three minutes and effectively secured Northwestern's third straight victory and second in a row over a winning team."He's getting that go-to feeling and he's starting to really step up," coach Bill Carmody said. "I wish we could get him more shots."Vukusic finished with a game-high 14 points to go with seven rebounds, two assists, no turnovers and two blocked shots. Guard T.J. Parker contributed 13 points and center Mike Thompson had 12 in a game where he shot better under pressure from the field (4 of 10) than he did at the free throw line (4 of 11)."That's something we'll work on tomorrow," Thompson said, laughing.What Northwestern worked on before a crowd of 4,306 Saturday, however, was defense. Seton Hall (4-3) has four starters averaging double figures but the Pirates had no one in double figures and shot an appalling 28.6 percent.Seton Hall center Kelly Whitney, from Marshall High School, was limited to a season-low six points on 2 of 15 shooting by a swarming defense. Virtually every Wildcat got into the act at one time or another swatting at the ball anytime Whitney put it on the floor."We knew coming in that he was their go-to guy and I wanted to take him out of the game," said Thompson, who led Northwestern with nine rebounds.He thought the defense got inside Whitney's head as the game wore on."The defense was making him afraid to dribble and that helped a lot," he said.Seton Hall had 21 offensive rebounds to offset their poor overall shooting partially. The Pirates put in eight points off offensive rebounds to overtake Northwestern at 39-38 before Vukusic's explosion, which coincided with Seton Hall suffering a turnover, blocked shot or offensive foul on five of six possessions and going nearly five minutes without scoring.The very physical game saw players sprawled on the floor repeatedly in the second half but it was the kind of matchup that can only help Northwestern getting ready for the Big Ten season in January."You have to have some physical games," Parker said. "Michigan State's going to be the same thing." 2004, Chicago Tribune.http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/10449849.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7869/1/E-Croatian-fans-donate-potatoes-for-salaries.html ÂCroatian fans donate potatoes for salariesÂFans of a soccer team in Nedeljanec, Croatia, donated six tons of potatoes to be sold to raise money to pay players' salaries. . . .http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031779759101&path=!sports!punch&s=1045855935482 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7872/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-on-the-podium-in-Zauchensee-Austria.html ÂJanica Kostelic on the podium in Zauchensee, AustriaÂWinner of the women's slalom World Cup race Finland's Tanja Poutiainen, center, celebrates on the podium with second placed Austrian Marlies Schild, left, and third placed Janica Kostelic from Croatia in Zauchensee, Austria, on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2004. (AP Photo/Claudio Scaccini) Sun Dec 12, 7:56 AM ET Croatia's Janica Kostelic clears a gate during the women's slalom World Cup race in Zauchensee, Austria, on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2004. Kostelic placed third behind Finland's Tanja Poutiainen and Austria's Marlis Schild. (AP Photo/Claudio Scaccini)  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 15 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7871/1/E-Water-Polo-Coach-Rudic-Returns-to-Croatia.html ÂWater Polo Coach Rudic Returns to CroatiaÂU.S. Coach Rudic to take over his native Croatia's team(12-09) 12:22 PST LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. (AP) Ratko Rudic is stepping down as U.S. men's water polo coach to take over his native Croatia's team. Rudic's departure comes after he recently signed a four-year contract extension with USA Water Polo. He is the most successful Olympic coach in the sport's history, having won gold medals in 1984 and '88 with Yugoslavia and in 1992 with Italy. He guided the Americans to a seventh-place finish in the Athens Olympics. "We are sad to see Ratko leave," USA Water Polo executive director Tom Seitz said Thursday. "He brought innovation to our training and organization that will benefit our program for years to come." Rudic took over the U.S. men's team in 2001, months after coaching Italy to a fifth-place finish over the Americans in the Sydney Games. The United States finished second in the 2003 U.S. Cup, won gold at the 2003 Pan American Games and finished third in the 2003 FINA World League Super Final. Rudic helped launch the American Water Polo League as a way to professionalize the sport in the United States, like it is in Europe. Rudic will take over a Croatian team that finished 10th in Athens. A search is under way for his replacement. Âhttp://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/12/09/sports1519EST0338.DTL letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 15 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7875/1/E-Croatian-Tomic-to-Play-Volleyball-for-FSU.html ÂFSU Volleyball Signs Croatian Setter To National Letter Of IntentÂZrinka Tomic becomes the second member of the 2005 recruiting class ÂDec. 1, 2004TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State University volleyball head coach Todd Kress announced today (Wednesday, December 1, 2004) that 5-foot-11 setter, Zrinka Tomic, signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and compete in volleyball at the University next fall. Tomic, a native of Vinkovci, Croatia, is a junior college transfer from Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas. "Zrinka is an all-around outstanding player," FSU associate head coach Rita Buck-Crockett said. "Having a left-handed setter is always a positive because they have a natural attack. Also, her defense is exceptional which will compliment Jessica Skower, our other setter, so they can work together as a good setting team. Jessica is a power player and Zrinka is a defensive player, so they will combine to be a strong force for our team next season." Tomic led the Garden City Broncbusters to a 20-14 record and they finished their season at the Region VI Division I Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., where Tomià paced her squad with three service aces in the final match. She earned first team All-Region VI honors for the second time in her career. Before junior college, she played for Vibrobeton in the First League of Croatia. Tomic is the third international volleyball player the Seminoles have signed in as many years. "International players are unique because they grow up playing the game," continued Buck-Crockett, who played professionally and coached international volleyball for over 25 years. "Their court sense is better because they've devoted their whole life playing one sport. As Americans, we were raised playing volleyball, basketball, running track, etc., so we don't entirely devote all our time to one sport as international players do. I think Zrinka will come to Florida State with a passion to play and we expect big things out of her." Outside of athletics, Tomic has a perfect 4.0 GPA at Garden City Community College. http://www.collegesports.com/sports/w-volley/stories/120104aae.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7873/1/E-Vukusic-scores-25-points-for-Northwestern.html ÂCroatian Vukusic scores 25 points for NorthwesternNo. 25 Virginia (4-0) at Northwestern (1-3) 9:30 pm ESTEVANSTON, Illinois (Ticker) -- No. 25 Virginia will look to continue the Atlantic Coast Conference's dominance over the Big Ten Conference when it visits Northwestern on Wednesday.With big wins by Georgia Tech, Duke and Florida State on Tuesday, the ACC improved to 4-1 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge this season.The Cavaliers, who beat Minnesota at home in the event last year, face Northwestern for the first time.Defense has been the hallmark with the Cavaliers holding each of their four opponents below 61 points. On Sunday, Virginia posted an 85-58 win over Richmond. Devin Smith scored 26 points with five 3-pointers and Elton Brown added 12 points and 10 rebounds.The Wildcats, who have failed to crack 60 points in each of their last two games, will attempt to halt a three-game losing streak.Despite Vedran Vukusic scoring 25 points, Northwestern lost to Colorado, 66-57. A native of Croatia, Vukusic has averaged 17.3 points, but is shooting just 39 percent from the field. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/preview?gameId=243360077 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7874/1/E-Israel-to-host-Croatia-in-Jerusalem.html ÂIsrael to host Croatia in JerusalemTue 30 November, 2004 10:22 JERUSALEM, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Israel will host Croatia in a friendly in Jerusalem on February 9, the Israel Football Association said.The match will be Israel's only preparation fixture against international opponents before home World Cup qualifiers against Ireland on March 26 and France four days later.Israel's 2-1 victory in Cyprus this month left them on eight points from four Group Four games, the same as leaders Ireland and second-placed France.The match in Jerusalem is the first international there since February 1999 and the first outside the Tel Aviv area for the national team since 2001.When UEFA allowed Israel to host matches again last April following a two-year ban due to security concerns, it specified that all games under its jurisdiction must be played in the Tel Aviv area.The Croatia friendly is not sanctioned by UEFA and can therefore be held at another venue.http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldFootballNews&storyID=6951453&section=news letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7876/1/E-Successful-Santic-now-fishing-for-a-Cox-Plate.html ÂSuccessful Santic now fishing for a Cox PlateÂTony ArroldNovember 03, 2004THE OWNER WITH Makybe Diva delivering two Melbourne Cups and a Sydney Cup within a year, owner-breeder Tony Santic has one further ambition: to win a Cox Plate."I don't think I will be doing that with this mare," Santic, 52, said of his record-breaking mare, "but, hopefully, I can win it somewhere down the track."The Melbourne and Sydney Cups sit in the Santic home showcase in Port Lincoln, South Australia, alongside a Cox Plate trophy of national significance. That one is an 18-carat trophy won by the great Phar Lap, in 1931. Santic bought it at public auction for $420,000 -- claimed at the time as a national record for a piece of sporting memorabilia -- just days after Rogan Josh's Cup win in 1999. One of the three biggest tuna farmers in Australia, Santic is among the nation's biggest individual owners of bloodstock, with about 200 horses on his books. He has 47 in training and the rest is made up of breeding stock and foals, weanlings and yearlings. His latest venture in the racing-breeding side of his business is Smytzer's Lodge, a breeding operation built at substantial cost at Geelong, south-west of Melbourne. Santic deflected questions about the turnover of his tuna farming and export business to Japan and Europe. "I couldn't say what my turnover is -- it fluctuates so much. But it keeps the horses going," Santic said. Croatian-born Santic, husband to Christine and father of five children, entered BRW's rich list in 2003, with his wealth then estimated at $200 million. His burgeoning tuna farming business, which was set up in Port Lincoln, has expanded to his native Croatia. All Santic-owned runners race in red, white and blue colours, with the top half of the jacket featuring the Southern Cross, the bottom half the red and white checks of Croatia's national flag. Makybe Diva, a six-year-old mare who has had only 25 starts over three seasons, contributes heavily to cash-flow requirements of Santic's racing-breeding operation. When she ran up and took the lead from the crack European stayer Vinnie Roe in the closing 300 metres and went on to become the first mare in 144 years to win the Cup for a second time, she picked up a winner's cheque of $2.7 million and associated trophies valued at $80,000. That bounty lifts Makybe Diva's lifetime earnings to $7,157,135 in prizemoney, becoming the second highest stakes-winning mare in Australian history, after Sunline's $11.1m. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11269874%255E2722,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 30 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7878/1/E-Croatia--Hungary-Plan-Joint-Euro-Bid-for-Soccer-2012.html ÂCroatia & Hungary Plan Joint Euro BidÂ11/28/2004 12:51:00 PMCroatia and Hungary are planning a bid to jointly host the European Football Championships in 2012, Croatia minister of Education and Sports Dragan Primorac revealed to journalists after contacts with Hungarian partners. Minister Primorac announced that the two countries would give a final decision on becoming joint candidates for Euro 2012 on December 16th. ''I'm convinced we would place a bid to organize the European championship together with Hungary'', said Primorac. He added that he expected to have a positive reaction from Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader as well. http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=36041&progr=1  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7877/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-is-back-with-a-win-in-Colorado.html ÂJanica Kostelic is back with a win in ColoradoÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia (C) celebrates her win in the women's World Cup slalom in Aspen, Colorado, November 27, 2004 with second placed Anja Paerson (L) of Sweden and third place Tanja Poutiainen of Finland. REUTERS/Mark LeffingwellCroatia's Janica Kostelic celebrates after winning the women's World Cup Slalom race in Aspen, Colo., on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004. (AP Photo/Alex Trovati) Croatia's Janica Kostelic slams past gates during the second run on her way to winning the World Cup Slalom in Aspen, Colo., on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004. (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow) Croatia's Janica Kostelic sprays champagne into the crowd after winning the Women's World Cup slalom with a time of one minute and 43.70 seconds in Aspen, Colorado, November 27, 2004. REUTERS/Mark Leffingwell Winner Janica Kostelic (C) of Croatia, second-placed Anja Paerson (L) of Sweden and third-placed Tanja Poutiainen of Finland celebrate on the podium after the World Cup slalom in Aspen.(AFP/Don Emmert) Croatia's Janica Kostelic in action during her second run, to a first place finish at the Women's World Cup Slalom in Aspen, Colorado November 27, 2004. Kostelic had a time of one minute, 43.70 seconds. Sweden's Anja Paerson was second with a time of one minute, 44.97 seconds and Finland's Tanja Poutiainen was third with a time of one minute, 45.02 seconds. Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7881/1/E-Croatia-represented-in-Mexico-with-martial-arts.html ÂBahrain martial arts squad to vie for gloryTHE Bahrain national Hoi Jeon Moo Sool team will vie for glory at the World Championship which takes place today in Cancun, Mexico.A total of 12 countries - South Korea, US, Finland, Spain, Oman, Canada, Brazil, the UAE, France, Croatia, Mexico and Bahrain are in the fray for this one-day event.The 20-member team underwent the weighing-in procedures yesterday and are ready to compete with top martial arts players from across the world.Mohammed Bakhsh, Ammar Rafei, Mahdi Farhadi and Mahmood Al Shuala will take part in the first dan black belt competition, while Ahmed Janahi, Mohammed Isa, Mohammed Habib and Mohammed Al Bastaki are in the fray for the second and third dan contest.Rafei, Al Shuala, Habib, Salah Al Kharraz and Faisal Taqi will participate in the free style competition. In the sword demonstration event, Al Shuala, Habib, Al Kharraz, Taqi and Hamad Al Bastiki will be in the fray, while Taqi will take part in the stick demonstration contest.Seven team members - Jamal Al Khaldi, Al Shuala, Mohammed Farooq, Mohammed Isa, Hussain Ahmed, Al Kharraz and Taqi will participate in the self defence contest.The final competition will be the special kicks in which 10 players will be taking part. They are Rafei, Al Shuala, Habib, Al Kharraz, Taqi, Bakhsh, Mohammed Merza, Jamal Al Mutawa, Janahi and Isa.The Bahraini team started their preparations two months ago at the Hoi Jeon Moo Sool Gym located on Budaiya highway next Bahrain International Hospital under their eighth Dan black belt Korean coach Kang Kio Sig.The delegation is headed by team manager Yousef Al Taho and includes coach Sig, administrator Sanad Al Mutawa and physiotherapist King Huan Yang.Vol XXVII NO. 246 Sunday 21November 2004 http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=97091&Sn=SPOR&IssueID=27246  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 22 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7879/1/E-Senior-Goran-Milic-from-Dubrovnik-Croatia-had-four-goals.html ÂSenior Goran Milic (Dubrovnik, Croatia) had four goals Cal Baptist Falls To No. 3 Southern CalNov. 20, 2004From California Baptist Athletics RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.calbaptist.edu/athletics) -- The #19 California Baptist University men's water polo team ended the 2004 season with a 15-7 loss to #3 USC at the Lancer Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon. The Lancers finish the year with a 19-15 record. USC, which has the MPSF Tournament coming up, is 20-4. CBU senior utility Goran Milic (Dubrovnik, Croatia) scored four goals today. He ends his Lancer career with 188 goals in his career and 86 this season. Both marks put him in second place in CBU's record books. The Trojans were led by senior utility Cameron Kaiser, who had five goals, and junior 2-meter Zuraj Zatovic, who scored four times. CBU kept the game close early, as the Trojans held a 5-3 lead partway through the second quarter. But USC scored the game's next six goals (three by Kaiser) to take an 11-3 lead late in the third quarter. http://www.collegesports.com/sports/m-wpolo/stories/112004aai.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 22 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7880/1/E-New-Territory-For-Croatians.html ÂNew Territory For Croatians ÂIan Marshall, Editor of Table Tennis IllustratedPro Tour Austrian Open, WelsCroatia’s Andreja BAKULA and Sandra PAOVIC are the only European pairing to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s Doubles at the Vegeta Austrian Open in Wels; the other three pairs are all from Asia. Top seeds GUO Yue and NIU Jianfeng, the title favourites are joined by their Chinese compatriots CAO Zhen and LI Xiaoxia plus Japan’s Haruna FUKUOKA and An KONISHI.NIU Jianfeng, through to the semi-finals of the Women's Doubles with GUO YueThe semi-final stage of an ITTF Pro Tour tournament is unexplored territory for the Croatians Andreja BAKULA and Sandra PAOVIC. The furthest they have progressed on the ITTF Pro Tour as a pair, prior to the Vegeta Austrian Open, is the round of the last sixteen. It is a feat they have achieved on three occasions: in Zagreb in 2000 at the Croatian Open when they lost to the Germans Olga NEMES and Jing TIAN-ZÖRNER, in Magdeburg at the German Open in 2002 when they were beaten by the Austrians LIU Jia and Judit HERCZIG and earlier in 2004 in Warsaw at the Polish Open, when Japan’s Yuka SHIOSAKI and MIKIE TAKAHASHI ended progress.Both girls enjoyed successful junior careers and gained medals at European Youth Championships. BAKULA was the runner up in the Cadet Girls’ Singles in 1996 in Frydek-Mistek being beaten at the final hurdle by Slovenia’s Martina SAFRAN, whilst three years later in the same Czech town, she reached the final of the Junior Girls’ Singles, losing to Austria’s LIU Jia. However, she does have four European Youth Championship titles to her credit. In 1996 she won the Cadet Girls’ Doubles with colleague Bojana POLJAK and the Cadet Mixed Doubles with Germany’s Dominic HALCOUR, whilst in 1999 she was a member of the Croatian side that won the Junior Girls’ Team title and partnered Italy’s WANG Yu to gold in the Junior Girls’ Doubles.On the ITTF Pro Tour the furthest she has ever been in any event is the quarter-final stage, a round she reached with Croatia’s Eldijana AGANOVIC-BENTSEN in Cairo in 2002 at the Egypt Open, the pair losing to the North Koreans, KIM Hyang Mi and KIM Hyon Hui.Meawhile, Sandra PAOVIC won a hat-trick of titles at the European Youth Championships in Topolcany, Slovakia in 1997. She was a member of the Croatian team who clinched the Cadet Girls’ Team title; she won the Cadet Girls’ Singles beating Italy’s Nicoletta STEFANOVA in the final and partnered Jiri VRABLIK of the Czech Republic to success in the Cadet Mixed Doubles overcoming Brice OLLIVIER and Elisabeth GLADIEUX of France in the final. Three years later in Bratislava she was the runner up to Croatia’s Cornelia VAIDA in the Junior Girls’ Singles and with Nicoletta STEFANOVA won the Junior Girls’ Doubles, whilst in 1999 she was a member of the Croatian team with BAKULA who became Junior Girls’ Team Champions.The Vegeta Austrian Open has seen them reach new heights; in the semis they play the Chinese duo of CAO Zhen and LI Xiaoxia, the winners of the ITTF Pro Tour Panasonic China Open in September 2004, whilst in the top half of the draw GUO Yue and NIU Jianfeng meet Japan’s Haruna FUKUOKA and An KIONISHI.http://www.ittf.com/stories/Stories_detail.asp?Year=2004&General_Catigory=General&ID=6640  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7886/1/E-Croatia-Star-Rapaic-Joins-Standard.html ÂCroatia Star Rapaic Joins Standard ÂÂÂPreviously unemployed Croatia forward Milan Rapaic will play with Belgian side Standard Liege for the next two seasons. "I am happy and in good shape. I trained with Ancona until August 15th, and then continued training with Hajduk Split until a short while ago," the player said after signing on a free. Rapaic was one of Croatia's best players in the past European Championships. Besides Ancona, his major club experiences were at Perugia and Fenerbahce. ÂRelated Information:Milan Rapaic - http://www.goal.com/DWH_Actor.aspx?idPersona=2303 Standard - http://www.goal.com/DWH_Team.aspx?idSquadra=460 http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=31280&progr=0 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 11 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7885/1/E-Karmen-Jericevic-of-Croatia-to-play-guard-at-MLC.html ÂKarmen Jericevic of Croatia to play guard at MLCÂBy Brent Wasenius/Managing-Sports EditorSeveral new faces are expected to play prominent roles for the Midland Lutheran College women's basketball team in 2004-05.The Lady Warriors open the season at 7:30 tonight at Hopkins Arena against Peru State. On Saturday, Midland plays College of St. Mary at 4 p.m. in Hopkins.Midland lost several players from last year's squad that finished 16-13 overall, including 7-11 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference."We need some experience individually and as a team," Midland coach Joanne Bracker said. "It is a younger group. It takes a while to get to know each other's tendencies and strengths and weaknesses."Among the players lost to graduation were Jill Hayden, a four-year starter at point guard. The Lady Warriors will also be without the services of Prague native Trisha Petrzelka. The junior forward will miss the season while recovering from knee surgery.Bracker does, however, have five players with varsity playing experience.Rebecca Garrelts, a 6-0 center, started seven games last year while averaging 8.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Garrelts missed several games because of illness last winter, but is back to 100 percent."She looks great," Bracker said. "She is 6-foot, but she can score with a 3-point shot. She has a nice jumper or can go inside and post up. Her strength is her scoring ability."Shari Elofson, a 6-2 junior from North Bend, played in 27 games last year while averaging 5.6 points and 4 rebounds per game.Liz Sneed, a 5-10 sophomore, is expected to play a bigger role this season. Sneed was bothered by injuries and illness as a freshman."She is capable of huge offensive numbers," Bracker said. "If she is healthy, she could be a great player for us."Sophomore Kendra Kuncl, a 5-4 guard, is the leading candidate to replace Hayden at point guard. Melanie Hinken, a 5-6 sophomore guard from Fremont, also figures to play more this year."She is an outstanding athlete and plays great defense," Bracker said.Allie Rippe, a 5-9 forward-center from Johnson, is one of the newcomers expected to contribute."She plays inside, but adds a different dimension," Bracker said. "She is real quick and has excellent court sense. She is one of those players that was very active on the court in high school. She has had some excellent scrimmage games."Karmen Jericevic (5-8) of Croatia will play both guard positions. Tremaine Toussaint (5-8), a transfer from Penn Valley (Kan.) Community College, will also provide backcourt depth.Additional help is expected to come from Ashley Bruegman, a 5-10 forward from Pierce, Allen native Angie Sullivan (5-8) and Stacia Fricke (5-11) of Ulysses."This is an outstanding group to coach," Bracker said. "It is one of those situations that we should see improvement with each practice and game. That is always motivating and rewarding."http://www.fremontneb.com/articles/2004/11/05/sports/sports2.txt letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 11 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7884/1/E-Croatian-Antonia-Perhat-setter-for-Lancers.html ÂCroatian Antonia Perhat, setter for LancersÂLancers take aim at junior college volleyball titleBY ALAN DELL CORRESPONDENTBRADENTON -- They've come from all over the world seeking a second chance. What they've gotten is an opportunity of a lifetime.The undefeated Manatee Community College volleyball team, ranked sixth in the country, begins state tournament play today with its eye on a national championship. It supersedes anything the players had in mind when they gathered for their first practice last August in a scene that resembled a United Nations convention.Alicia Stritz, one of the few area women on the team, joined MCC after she gave up basketball because she could not regain the speed she lost when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament as a senior at Out-Of-Door-Academy.Antonia Perhat, the Lancers' setter from Croatia, came to MCC when her college of choice, Oral Roberts University, had too many setters and couldn't make good on the scholarship she was promised when she left her country.Vanessa Targino from Brazil tried out for the team because she needed scholarship money to attend college. The oldest player at 25, she was a first-team Suncoast Conference selection.Palmetto High graduate Rachel Taylor came to MCC because she is a self-described "homebody," who couldn't bear to be away from her family.Alexandra Karastathi, the Lancers' 6-foot-2 middle arrived from Athens, Greece, needing time to heal a surgically repaired shoulder that scared Division I coaches away, at least temporarily. She is the 2004 Suncoast Conference Player of the Year.Judit Vass, who was born in Hungary and came to Sarasota at 14 where she played for Booker High, was just looking for a place to play when she asked for a tryout at MCC. She responded by leading the Lancers with 444 digs and was a first-team Suncoast Conference choice.Marjolein Vermeersch from Belgium, another six-foot-plus hitter, came to Sarasota on a visit, decided to try out for the team on a whim and hasn't left.The orchestrator of this international symphony is Ken Deterding, Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year. He wanted to coach volleyball so badly he agreed to work on a sod farm in Arcadia after leaving his coaching duties at Idaho State because he couldn't bear the freezing weather anymore.Now 48, Deterding subsequently founded the Gulf Coast Juniors Volleyball Club in Clearwater, which has gained statewide prominence.The girls have come together and after running to a 23-0 record and a Suncoast Conference Championship, the goals are much loftier. They are talking about bringing home the school's first national volleyball championship.Deterding thinks that's a real possibility, and his opinion should be respected. Before leaving Idaho State for Arcadia, the Illinois native traveled throughout the Midwest and was highly successful coaching women's volleyball.What he likes best about this MCC team is its athleticism and attitude."This could be the most talented team I've ever had," Deterding said.The girls said the bond they have formed, despite sometimes having to fight their way through various versions of English accents to communicate, is their biggest asset.They all agree a key to their success is Perhat, a 5-foot-11, sleek setter, who looks more like a point guard than a volleyball standout.She is quick, tall and has a 25-inch vertical jump.Being left-handed is a bonus because it throws the other teams off, Deterding said.On the shy and quiet side, Perhat feels she landed in a fantasy world ever since she stepped off the plane in Florida. She leads the Lancers with 643 assists and added 226 kills and 64 aces."In Croatia, you can't mix sports and education. You have to do one or the other, but here they are connected and that's why I came," she said. "I was in a cultural shock when I first got here. I couldn't breathe because it was so hot and humid. In Croatia, people never say hello and how are you doing to people they don't know. People here always saying 'I am sorry; I am sorry,' when they don't have to. It makes you feel good."Karastathi, the Lancers' youngest player, who leads the team with 346 kills and has 36 blocks, looks as if she could muscle her way around the low post if she ever decided to play basketball."I like volleyball because there is no touch with the other team. It's everything about the ball," the 17-year-old Karastathi said. "Basketball is more of a touch game, and sometimes you get into fighting, which I don't like. Volleyball, it's just you and the ball."The 5-foot-10 Taylor, who has 254 kills, said the camaraderie between the girls is its strongest asset."We don't have a lot of cat fights and we don't talk about each other a lot," Taylor said. "If we didn't get along we wouldn't do that well on the court. We care about each other, and that makes us play better as a team."MCC opens state tournament play today at Brevard Community College in Titusville. If the Lancers win the Florida Gulf District section of the tournament it qualifies for the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament, slated for Nov. 22-24 in West Plains, Mo.http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041104/SPORTS/411040592/1006&Page=2 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 11 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7883/1/E-Kayaking-championship-in-Croatia-next-year.html ÂKayaking championship in Croatia next yearÂFerguson has one more golden era in his sights By TERRY MADDAFORD Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald's last stand - at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics - spelt the end of the golden era for New Zealand canoeing and for the next decade flatwater kayaking was little more than a ripple on recreational lakes. Ben Fouhy then paddled into view, quickly becoming world champion and then Olympic silver medallist. His switch from whitewater and multisport gave new hope. Ferguson, now national coach, then had his passion for the sport rekindled. He and his small team went flat out but came up just short at the Athens Olympics leaving many wondering where to now. Ferguson has no doubts. "I'm determined not to let it go to sleep like it did after Paul and I quit," Ferguson said. "There are a lot of paddlers out there who need help. Our sights now have to be set on [the 2008 Olympics] Beijing. "I want to get more coaches involved. We are in the process of setting up an identification process. "It is good to have a group of young guys coming through. They need all the help we can give them. "We have a 17, 18 and 20-year-old out there. Anyone of them could be a world-beater. That excites me." There will be changes. Fouhy and Steven Ferguson of the old guard are certain to be at the forefront of the next Olympic campaign. Mike Walker and Peter Longdill are taking a break, but Ferguson expects they will continue, as will rising star Troy Burbridge. He says we have seen the last of Australian-based Dave Kennedy and Owen Hughes. Ferguson is loathe to dwell on the Hughes outburst during the Olympics. "I pretty much ignored Owen Hughes. We were given a top 13 criteria by the Olympic selectors. He did not meet that. It was not my decision. I don't understand the boy's brain. "He wanted something he could not have. I don't know why he picked on me. He got grumpy and spat the dummy." Ferguson prefers to look ahead saying both Fouhy and his son Steven have unfinished business. "Steve is doing some swimming while Ben is taking a break but keeping himself in shape with multisport and some mountain biking. He is doing more paddling than riding though. He is still down at the [canoe] club regularly. "He is just taking a break from strict kayak training. He was so intense for two years. Nothing got in way of his training. I have never met anyone so focused. I want him to win at the next Olympics." Having his longtime girlfriend Katie Pocock involved helps Fouhy's focus. Ferguson said while it is unlikely Pocock's favoured K1 1000m will be introduced in Beijing, he was keen to help her increase her speed. Ferguson is unsure of Fouhy's plans for next year's world championships in Croatia in August where he would defend his K1 1000m title. "I'm not going to ask him about that until after he has had a break. I want him ready for Beijing but if he came to me in March, he would be ready to race in April." Ferguson was surprised at suggestions that Fouhy was giving the sport a break."He was talking candidly and it seems his comments were taken too literally. He was surprised it came out like that. "I hope Ben will compete at our nationals in February but I know he won't unless he feels he would be competitive. Knowing him as I do, I'm sure he will be." http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/sportsstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3607525&thesection=sport&thesubsection=watersports&thesecondsubsection=general letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 11 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7882/1/E-Nenad-Sulava-of-Croatia-plays-chess-in-France.html ÂNenad Sulava of Croatia plays chess in FranceÂAnand enters Corsica chess final[Sports India]: Corsica (France), Nov 4 : Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand entered the final of the Corsica Masters chess tournament with a comprehensive 2-0 win over Etienne Bacrot of France in the semi-finals.If Anand goes on beat Russia's Sergei Rublevsky in the final, it will be his fifth straight Corsica title.Rublevsky beat Alexander Motylev 1.5-0.5 in the other semi-final Wednesday night.NIIT brand ambassador Anand has now won five of the six games he has played in three matches here. His only draw was against Nenad Sulava of Croatia in the pre-quarters after which he blanked Mikhail Gurevich 2-0 and now Bacrot.Anand outplayed local hope and French No. 1 Bacrot in front of over 500 spectators at the Bastia theatre.Anand first demolished Bacrot with black in the first game and then crushed the Frenchman with white in the second game for good measure. In the crucial first game, Anand surprised with the Marshall Gambit of the Ruy Lopez. Bacrot declined and entered an obscure sideline with 9.d4. He soon landed in an inferior position, and Anand wrapped things up on the queenside.The other semi-final was much harder-fought, with the all-Russian duel between Motylev and Rublevsky came down to the final seconds. As the score suggests, former Russian champion Motylev went from forcing mate to being mated on a single move at the end.Anand and Rublevsky have met in a rapid match before, way back in 1996 when they played in the Moscow PCA Grand Prix. Anand needed to win a blitz tiebreak game to go through. The 30-year-old Rublevsky is one of the many very strong "second tier" Russian GMs.--Indo-Asian News Service http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=40812 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 10 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7887/1/E-Croatian-Johnny-Pesky-and-the-Red-Sox.html ÂCroatian Johnny Pesky and the Red SoxÂÂÂDom DiMaggio (left) and Bobby Eoerr (center) joined Johnny PeskyÂfor Game 2 of the Wolrd Series at Fenway Park Elsa/Getty ImagesÂÂRed Sox Star, Croatian Johnny Pesky, at World SeriesÂFor those not familiar with American sports, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series championship on October 27, 2004. Despite consistently being one of the best teams in baseball, the Red Sox had previously not won a World Series since 1918 - in other words, longer than the existence of Yugoslavia!One of the primary persons involved in Red Sox history is 85 year oldCroatian American Johnny Pesky who is still involved in the organization and was interviewed by members of the press in the Red Sox locker room as the team celebrated their victory. In Pesky's honor, one of the portions of Fenway Park in Boston is called Pesky's Pole (it is one of the home run poles in outfield) and he is a member of the Red Sox hall of fame.The following piece comes from the web page of the Baseball Biography Project (http://bioproj.sabr.org). Since this initially appeared, Bill Nowlin has written a full length biography about Pesky which appeared in March 2004 ("Johnny Pesky: Mr. Red Sox"). Pesky along with Red Sox great Ted Williams and others was the subject of another book which appeared in 2002 by award winning writer David Halberstam called "The Teammates." You can get both books at many book stores or on Amazon.************************************************************************Johnny Peskyby Bill NowlinJohnny Pesky's career got off to an unparalleled start, and could have propelled him into the Hall of Fame had World War II not pulled three prime years out. Pesky set a rookie record with 205 hits his freshman year (1942) but then served in the Navy for the next three years. When he came back, he twice more he produced over 200 hits, in the Red Sox pennant-winning year of 1946 and in 1947. Had he managed over 200 hits for each of his three missing years, there is every possibility this lifetime .307 hitter could have made the Hall.Born John Michael Paveskovich in Portland, Oregon on September 27, 1919, Johnny Pesky (he changed his name legally in 1947) was the son of Croatian immigrants. His father Jakov never did really understand baseball, but he and Johnny's mother Marija were both supportive of their middle of three sons when he took to hanging around the Portland Beavers ballpark located a few blocks from the family home. Johnny was just one of the kids around the park, but groundskeeper Rocky Benevento invited him in and put him to work. Before too long, Johnny was one of the visitors' clubhouse kids - and clearly recalls hanging up the laundry of Pacific Coast League players only a year or two older than himself - players with names like Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr.Johnny had an older brother Anthony, a younger brother Vincent - who spent a little bit of time in the Yankees' system - and three sisters: Anica (Ann), Milica (Millie) and Danica (Dee.) Jakov worked in the sawmills until asthma forced him to retire. The older children took jobs; Vincent was the youngest and Johnny next-to-youngest. There was enough money coming in that it freed up the two boys to play some baseball.From an early age, Johnny was doing everything he could to better himself at baseball. The young middle infielder also played American Legion ball, and on a number of city teams in Portland, as well as on some semipro teams. Before he'd graduated from Lincoln High School in Portland, he spent the summer of 1937 with the Bend Elks in the town of Bend, Oregon and led the league with a .543 average. The team won the state league title. Both the summers of 1938 and 1939 were spent with the Silverton Red Sox. Both the Bend and Silverton teams were summer league teams associated with local timber companies. Surprisingly, Boston Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey owned the Silver Falls Timber Company, so Johnny was actually with the Red Sox (albeit the Silverton Red Sox) even before Boston's scout Earl Johnson signed him. Twice Johnny was part of a Northwest team that went to Wichita and competed nationally. The Silverton team won 34 games and lost two, and sometimes played exhibition games against touring teams like the House of David aggregation and the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs.Johnny was offered $2500 as a bonus by the St. Louis Cardinals, but signed with Boston for $500, because Johnson had so impressed Johnny's parents. They felt he'd look out for Johnny if he signed with the Red Sox. Johnson had offered an additional $1000 if Johnny stayed in the organization for two years. His pay was $150 per month, and the Sox sent him the full thousand after just his first year.Johnny's first year in pro ball, after signing with Boston, was 1940 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, playing for the Rocky Mount Red Sox of the Piedmont League, under manager Heinie Manush, who Johnny credits as a major influence. Johnny hit a club-leading .325. He had 55 runs batted in but, ever the table-setter, scored 114 times. Pesky led the league with 187 hits and 16 triples. That .325 average placed him third in the league.In 1941, Pesky progressed from Class B ball in Rocky Mount to Louisville where he played for the Colonels, again hitting .325. Louisville was a Double A team in the American Assocation, managed by Bill Burwell. Pesky hit for precisely the same average - .325, and once again led the league in hits, this time with 195. He won the MVP award in the American Association for 1941.By year's end, he was bound for Boston, offered $4000 for his first year's salary. Johnny joined the Sox for spring training just three months after Pearl Harbor. War loomed large over all of baseball, and during Johnny's rookie year, he spent three evenings a week beginning in May taking classroom for the United States Navy where he was in training to become a Naval aviator, in the same program as teammate Ted Williams. Pesky won the shortstop spot in spring training and was assigned number 6. Despite the need to balance baseball with Naval training, Johnny Pesky finished the season with a .331 batting average, second only to Ted Williams (.356) in the American League. He led the league in sacrifice hits. There was no "rookie of the year" award yet. That same year, The Sporting News named Johnny the shortstop on All Star Major League team. Johnny came in third in MVP voting, behind Joe Gordon and Ted Williams.Tom Yawkey had his own prize for Pesky. At season's end, there was a $5000 bonus for the rookie shortstop - enough to buy his parents a home in Portland. Johnny Pesky never forgot Tom Yawkey's generosity at a time when Johnny was off to military service, perhaps never to return. Yawkey won fierce loyalty from many of his players; with gestures like this, one can understand why.WWII took three years out of Johnny's baseball career, but while in the Navy he met his future wife, Ruth Hickey. She was a WAVE who Johnny met while serving as an Operations officer in Atlanta. Nearly sixty years later, Ruthie and Johnny remain very happily married. In 1953, they adopted a five-month old son through Catholic Charities - David Pesky, who was born in December 1952. Like a lot of ballplayers, Johnny had many opportunities to play baseball during the war and even played in the AL vs. NL All-Star Game at Furlong Field, Honolulu in 1945.In 1946, the war over, Johnny and the Red Sox won the pennant, and took the fight right down to the 9th inning of the seventh game of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Johnny hit safely a league-leading 208 times that season, with a .335 average (3rd in the league), scoring 115 times (second behind Ted's 142.). The Series was a disappointing one for Pesky, as it was for two other players named Musial (who batted .222 in Series play) and Williams (.200). And generations of baseball aficionados have heard that "Pesky held the ball" on a key play in the 8th inning of Game Seven, allowing Enos Slaughter to score the winning run from first base on Harry Walker's hit to left center. Cardinals 4, Red Sox 3. Films of the play do not show a clear hesitation, and perhaps sportswriter Bob Broeg was right in arguing that credit should go to Slaughter for his "mad dash" around the bases rather than blame being assigned Pesky for what was, at most, momentary surprise that Slaughter was streaking toward the plate rather than secure at third.The following year, Pesky again collected his 200 hits (207 this time around) - the third year in a row he'd led the league. He and Dom DiMaggio were the table-setters for Ted Williams, and the speedy Pesky was usually discouraged from stretching a single into a double, because a double just meant the other team would walk Ted to fill the unoccupied sack at first. Pesky was a clever infielder as well; three times he pulled the rare hidden ball trick, and would have done so a fourth time had the pitcher not stepped off the rubber at the wrong moment.The Red Sox came within a game of winning the pennant both in 1948 and 1949, and were only four games behind in 1950. These were some great Red Sox teams. Pesky's place, though, never seemed secure - a strange spot to be in for a top-ranking shortstop. When Johnny joined the team for spring training in '48, he was unsure where he'd be playing, since Boston had acquired Vern Stephens from the St. Louis Browns and it looked like Billy Goodman - another infielder - would make the team. Stephens contributed 137 RBI in '48; clearly manager Joe McCarthy's decision to play him proved wise. (Stephens led the league in RBI in '49 and '50. Goodman stuck, and hit .310. In 1950, he won the AL batting title with a .354 average - with a bit of an assist from Pesky. Johnny approached 1950 manager Steve O'Neill late in the season and offered to take himself out of the lineup so that Goodman could accumulate the necessary at-bats to qualify.)The problem was an embarrassment of riches. There were just too many good hitters on these Red Sox teams. Johnny Pesky's average fell off sharply in 1948, down to .281. Almost certainly part of the reason was that McCarthy slotted Stephens in at short, and shuffled Pesky over to third. He put a brave "team face" on it, but being asked to learn a new position was unsettling. So, too, was the pay cut Joe Cronin imposed on him after the 1947 season. All he'd done was led the league in hits for each of his first three years, but Cronin cut his $20,000 pay down to $17,500 for 1948. "They asked me how many home runs I hit and how many runs I had knocked in," Johnny explained fifty years later. This was certainly a discouraging situation, and Pesky did pop a career-high three home runs in 1948. He may have been pressing more than a little.1949 saw a bit of a rebound, his average back up to .306 and, earning an even 100 walks, elevated his on base percentage to .408. Johnny, always a team booster, allowed, "What a lucky guy I am. Instead of wearing these shoes, I'd probably be shining them for some other guy in the Coast League." There were endless rumors, though, about trades said to feature Pesky. From time to time, he admits, these rumored trades proved distracting for him.The 1950 season was a tremendous year offensively for Boston. Pesky hit .312, walked 104 times and boosted his OBP to a solid .437. His fielding at third base drew frequent accolades in the Boston press. Scoring 112 runs, he joined teammate Ted Williams as the only other player to have scored 100 or more runs each of his first six seasons of major league ball. This was the year Pesky, in effect, took himself out of the lineup so that Billy Goodman could have a shot at the batting title. Boston Herald sportswriter Bill Cunningham wrote, "The sporting part about his gesture is that he made it for the man who took the job away from him." Years later, in 1985, the Lynn Sunday Post editorialized that Johnny Pesky led the majors in "Most Friends."By 1951, though, the bloom was off the rose, and when the Marines called Williams back in 1952 to fly combat in Korea, the golden days were gone. There were signs that Pesky was slowing a bit. He only stole 2 bases each in '50 and '51, down somewhat from earlier years. He maybe wasn't getting to as many balls as an infielder as he had earlier. Lou Boudreau had been brought in by Yawkey, and was projected as the shortstop. Even though Pesky's career .316 average at the time ranked him fifth among active players, here he was - once again - having to fight for a spot. Johnny got off to a slow start, but wound up the season at .313. Boudreau hit .267.Johnny's 1952 season began poorly, and he was hardly ever used by Boudreau, now the manager and seeking a "youth movement" in Boston. Hampered by injuries, he was hitting a pitiful .149 when he traded to the Tigers in a monster deal. Boston sent five players to Detroit, a full 20% of the 25-man roster. In exchange for Pesky, Walt Dropo, Fred Hatfield, Don Lenhardt and Bill Wight, they got four Tiger players (Hoot Evers, George Kell, Johnny Lipon & Dizzy Trout.) Johnny pulled it together a bit and hit .254 for Detroit. 1952 truly was a sub-par season.He cracked 300 at-bats in 1953, and hit .292 but he was in decline. After appearing in 20 games for the Tigers in '54, Detroit traded him to Washington, where he finished his playing career with a .246 mark between the two teams.Johnny Pesky wound up his major league career with a .307 average, and an On-Base Percentage of .394.His life in baseball, though, was just entering a new phase. Johnny coached with the Denver Bears in the Yankees organization in 1955, then managed five different minor league teams for the Detroit Tigers from 1956-1960.Most of his sixty-plus years in baseball, however, have been with the Red Sox. After his years with Detroit, the Red Sox called him back following the 1960 season. Johnny managed the Sox' Seattle minor league team in 1961 and 1962, and managed the big league Boston Red Sox in '63 and '64. As manager, he brought some fire to the position, after years of yawns under the likes of Pinky Higgins. Some felt he was a little too fiery; he had a few run-ins with "Dr. Strangeglove" Dick Stuart, who committed 29 errors at first in 1963 - but hit 42 homers and had collected a league-leading 118 runs batted in. He also clashed with Carl Yastrzemski a number of times, and Carl made clear his discontent. As much as anything that may explain Yawkey's refusal to find a position for Pesky within the organization when Higgins finally dismissed Pesky late in 1964. Yaz was like a son to Yawkey, and Higgins was one of Yawkey's drinking buddies. Pesky had originally been brought in as manager despite Higgins' opposition.When relieved as manager, Pesky hooked on with the Pirates and served as major league coach for two years, while managing the Pirates' Columbus club for a third.From 1969-1974, he served as broadcaster for Boston, working with Ken Coleman and Ned Martin as a color commentator. Though he worked hard at improving himself, he never felt comfortable except during rain delays when he could really stretch out with stories about players from his era.During the same period, Pesky called on clients for the Sox, initiating a fledgling marketing department for the club, working in tandem with former catcher Bob Montgomery. Johnny Pesky probably appeared at more banquets and events around New England than any other figure in Red Sox history.He's also one of the only people in baseball to have a part of a ballpark named after him. Fenway's famed "Pesky Pole" - the right field foul pole - was given the nickname by Sox broadcaster Mel Parnell. A former teammate, Parnell was poking a little fun at Johnny's lack of power - he hit just 17 home runs, and only six at Fenway - every one of which went out past the right field foul pole, now the shortest distance for a home run in major league ball.From 1975-1984, he was first base coach under Sox skippers Darrell Johnson, Don Zimmer and Ralph Houk. From 1985 to the present, Johnny has been a special assignment instructor, evaluating players at lower levels in the Red Sox system, but also working with generations of Red Sox players at spring training and at Fenway. As late as 2003, Johnny Pesky - "Mr. Red Sox" in the eyes of decades of New Englanders - could be found on the field at Fenway before games, hitting fungoes to infielders and generally serving as a goodwill ambassador throughout the region. Johnny Pesky is a charter member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.SourcesMost of the information for this article was gleaned from many hours of conversation with Johnny Pesky, who gave unsparingly of his time as I worked on the book Johnny Pesky: Mr. Red Sox, scheduled for publication by Rounder Books in 2004. In addition to the newspapers cited in the text, I consulted Total Baseball (7th edition) for statistics, and the microfilmed records of the Boston Globe newspaper for the years of Pesky's career. Other information was provided by personal interviews with Ken Coleman, Bob Montgomery and Vincent Paveskovich.http://bioproj.sabr.org letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7888/1/E-Croatians-Fine-Form-Continues---Tamara-Boros.html ÂCroatian's Fine Form Continues Tamara BOROS, currently the highest ranked European female player ÂÂZhou Xin, Xinhua News Agency, China & Ian Marshall Photo by: Xin ZhouXIAOSHAN, Zhejiang Province, Oct. 27 -- Croatia's Tamara BOROS, currently the highest ranked European female player on the ITTF Women's World Ranking list, started the first day of play in the Bosideng Multiglory Women's World Cup in Xiaoshen, by beating the reigning European champion, Otilia BADESCU of Romania. The result undoubtedly gave her confidence for in the evening session of play she beat the player ranked five places higher in than her in the World Rankings, the World number three, NIU Jianfeng of China.Tamara BOROS ended the opening day's play unbeaten The result undoubtedly gave her confidence for in the evening session of play she beat the player ranked five places higher in than her in the World Rankings, the World number three, NIU Jianfeng of China.Winner of the Volkswagen Grand Finals last year and the reigning Asian champion, NIU Jianfeng was beaten in four straight games 11-9, 12-10, 11-4, 11-8; the Croatian's powerful topspin play proving the dominant factor.`I wasn't in my best form but I felt NIU Jianfeng was in an even worse form; it was important that I won the first two games', said BOROS. `I became more confident and started play in a more relaxed way.'`I'm in a tough group together with NIU Jianfeng, LAU Sui Fei and Otilia BADESCU', she added. `What I expect in the World Cup is to play step by step and to win point by point.' The victory almost guarantees BOROS a place I the quarter-finals whilst for NIU Jianfeng, the runner up last year, the chances of repeat appearance in the second stage have all but evaporated.NIU Jianfeng lost her first match of the day to Hong Kong's LAU Sui Fei, who in the evening session of play was beaten by Otilia BADESCU, and even if the Chinese star beats Otilia BADESCU her fate relies on the result of the Tamara BOROS versus LAU Sui Fei encounter.Meanwhile, the Olympic champion recorded her second win of the day beating Singapore's LI Jia Wei as did GAO Jun of the USA and Viktoria PAVLOVICH of Belarus; the former beat the Dominican Republic's WU Xue whilst the latter's defensive skills proved too consistent for Nigeria's Funke OSHONAIKE.http://www.ittf.com/Protour_new/Stories_detail.asp?ID=6550&PT_Title=&s_Year=&  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7889/1/E-Jump-into-the-200-meter-deep-Mamet-cave-Croatia.html ÂJump into the 200 meter deep Mamet cave, CroatiaÂÂÂAustrian extreme BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner jumps into the 200 meter deep Mamet cave in the Paklenica National Park in Croatia, October 17, 2004. The jump, lasting only 7.2 seconds, required precise timing to calculate the moment to open the parachute. Picture taken October 17, 2004.REUTERS/sportsandnews/Flo Hagena/Handout Reuters - Oct 19 3:59 AM letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7891/1/E-Aljosa-Asanovic-in-CHICAGO--THIS-WEEKEND.html ÂALJOSA ASANOVIC IN CHICAGO -THIS WEEKEND!Due to conflict with Croatian School this Saturday - the Youth Camp andClinic with Aljosa Asanovic has been pushed back to approximately 1pm.Please try and have your children their as soon as possible immediatelyafter Croatian school this Saturday. Also, due to demand we will have 2groups of kids, those between the ages of 7-9 yrs old and 10-13 yrs old.The friendly match featuring Aljosa Asanovic as well as all your favoriteChicago All-stars featuring players from Jadran, Hrvat and HNK Zrinski willbe held shortly after the Youth Camp and Clinic.Please contact Phil Lisnich at 773-818-4479 orphillisnich@comcast.net HNK Zrinski Chicago and the Croatian Cultural Center of Chicago welcomeAljosa Asanovic to Chicago this weekend! Please come out and supportChicago Croatian soccer while cheering on one of Croatia's finest playersever to put on the Hajduk Split jersey and one of the stars of the famousWorld Cup France 1998 3rd Place World Cup team for Croatia. Fans will havean opportunity to meet with Aljosa for autographs and purchase Aljosa's bookwritten by author Andrija Kacic Karlin - "Vatreni Lakat" as well as the DVDbased on the best selling book "Nase Vatrene Godine".Aljosa and author Andrija Kacic Karlin will be in attendance at thefollowing locations this weekend as well as many other locations around theChicago Croatian Community.Saturday, October 23rd - Hawthorne Park1:00pm - 3:30pm - Croatian Youth Soccer Camp hosted by HNK Zrinski andAljosa Asanovic, boys between the ages of 10-13 are welcome. Bring youchildren out to meet Aljosa in person and have him help improve your child'ssoccer skills. You do not need to be registered with the HNK Zrinski'syouth team to participate in the clinic. All kids are invited and welcome -Parents, please have kids there as close to 1:00pm as possible..3:30pm - 5:00p - come see Aljosa play with some of the finest Chicago landplayers from all 3 of our Croatian Clubs here in Chicago as well as somespecial guests from around the country....all your favorite players from HNKZrinski, Hrvat and Jadran will be in attendance for this special match!** Hawthorne Park is located on 31st Street and Central Ave. From I-55 (TheStevenson Expressway) Exit at Central Ave North, continue approx 1.5 mileson Central Ave to Hawthorne Park and look for the stadium located on theEast Side of the street...ample parking is available.Sunday, October 24th- Redmond Park - Bensenville, IL5pm-7pm - Come out and see Aljosa Asanovic suit up and play with HNK Zrinskiin their final regular season match in one of Chicago's toughest leagues theMetropolitan Soccer League. Come out and help cheer on HNK Zrinski againstone of our toughest rivals as Zrinski will battle the Ukranian Lions at 5pm.The game is a road game for Zrinski and will be played in Bensenville, ILunder the lights at Redmond Stadium.** Redmond Park is located in Bensenville, IL off of York Rd. Take I-290West to York Rd and exit York Rd North. Take York Rd North about 1 mile,you will pass Grand Ave and look for George St. Turn right or East onGeorge. Go 4 blocks to John St and turn left and you will see Redmond Parkup ahead...ample parking is available.Monday, October 25th - Croatian Cultural Center of Chicago7pm - Stop by and have a drink with Aljosa and Andrija - books and DVD'swill be for sale as well as a showing of the DVD "Nase Vatrene Godine"Please call or email Phillip Lisnich at 773-818-4479 orphillisnich@comcast.net with any questions.CroNetwork: The Croatian-American Organization for Young Professionals. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7890/1/E-Annemarie-Miskovic-Associate-Head-Swimming-Coach.html ÂAnnemarie Miskovic Named Associate Head Swimming Coach at ASUThis appears in today's Arizona Republic concerning Annemarie Miskovic of Rijeka. John KraljicArizona State swimming head coach Michael Chasson announced the promotions of Annemarie Miskovic to associate head coach and Phil Spiniello to assistant coach.Miskovic, from Rijeka, Croatia, graduated from University of Zagreb in 1996 and earned a master's degree in motor learning and development from ASU in 1998.She joined the ASU staff last year after coaching for four years at the University of Virginia.Spiniello was a graduate assistant last year for the Sun Devils and also coaches high school participants in Sun Devil Aquatics, a year-round club team.Spiniello was a four-year letterman on the swimming team at Franklin and Marshall College. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 20 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7893/1/E-Croatias-Mario-Ancic-gets-tennis-world-record.html ÂCroatia's Mario Ancic gets tennis world recordÂAncic beats RusedskiCroatia's Mario Ancic beat Britain's Greg Rusedski 11-9 in the Superset Tennis sudden-death shoot-out final to walk away with the £250,000 winner-takes-all prize at Wembley Arena on Sunday night.Ancic, aged 20 and ranked 20 in the world, and 31-year-old Rusedski traded serves for 20 games before Rusedski finally capitulated on the third set point. Victory gave Ancic a world record reward for three sets of tennis.The battle of the big servers went with serve for the first 19 games before Rusedski, after saving two match points, was beaten by a forehand down the line. Ancic, the Wimbledon conqueror of Tim Henman, said: "It's been a great year in England for me and right now I'm speechless."It's my first tournament win, it isn't an ATP event but it was worth fighting for. I was just concentrating on serving."Rusedski reflected: "I wish I'd lost in the first round because I wouldn't be feeling so bad now. But Mario served too well and good luck to him." After beating American Robby Ginepri in the first round, Ancic was involved in a long semi-final when 45-year-old John McEnroe pushed him all the way.The three-times Wimbledon champion had already handed Britain's latest prospect Andrew Murray a 24-minute masterclass, crushing the recent US Open boys' singles champion 6-1. Then, revelling in the razzmatazz of sudden-death tennis, he stretched Ancic to 9-7 before finally coming to a double fault.Both Ancic and Murray admitted they had never met anyone like McEnroe, with the young Croatian conceding: "He played unbelievable tennis. That's the best guy at serve and volley. For one set he is so tough. "He picked up volleys and half-volleys and showed he is a true legend."McEnroe revealed that he is ready to try and help Murray reach the top. "He's the type of player I hope I will be involved with because I think he has the potential to be a good player," said the American. "The whole idea is that I will be helping the LTA initiative by working with some kids and he's the obvious choice."At first the idea was I would be a figurehead but I want to get down in the trenches and hit with the kids," said McEnroe, who paid 17-year-old Murray respect by never easing up. "You risk losing if you do something like that. I smothered him before he had a chance to get into it," added the veteran.Superset Tennis was making its European debut and is set to return to London in the future. Wimbledon it isn't, despite the All England championships' referee Alan Mills being in charge. Rock music blaring, players marching on court in a fashion more suited to a boxing world title fight, court-side coaches giving advice and the latest hi-tech equipment giving players the chance to challenge controversial line calls were just a few of the innovations.The use of Hawkeye to decide any line disputes was unanimously welcomed by the players, with McEnroe saying: "They are ahead of their time with that as it could be introduced on the tour in the next couple of years."in tennis.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 07 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7892/1/E-Mario-Preskar-Wins-in-37-seconds-at-Madison-Square-Garden.html ÂMario Preskar Wins in 37 seconds at Madison Square Garden ÂLast night in Madison Square Garden after six hours ofboxing, ten bouts which included four world championshipfights, the Ricardo Mayorga vs. Felix Trinidad “Back with aVengeance” main event produced enough adrenaline to liftthe 17,046 fans in attendance to their feet, grossed thethird largest gate in Madison Square Garden history, with$4.65 million, and most certainly is a candidate for thecelebrated “Fight of the Year.”In the opening bout of the evening, Croatian heavyweightprospect Mario Preskar (212 lbs.) from Zagreb knocked outDanny Weyland (210 lbs.) in 37 seconds of the first round.Preskar (5-0-1, 3 KO’s) landed a left hook to Weylands jawand the Arkansas native went down and remained on thecanvas for the remainder of referee Eddie Cotton’sten-count.Preskar next fight is in Tampa, Florida on Friday, October22 then again in Madison Square Garden on Saturday,November 13, 2004 in a "Struggle for Supremacy" eveningthat will feature at least 8 Heavyweight fights including:John Ruiz WBA Champion, Andrew Golota, Chris Byrd IBFChampion, Jameel McCline, Four-Time Heavyweight WorldChampion Evander Holyfield, Larry Donald, Kali Meehan,former WBC and IBF Champion Hasim Rahman, former WBCHeavyweight Champion Oliver McCall, Mario Preskar andothers. source: www.fightnews.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 07 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7895/1/E-JUNIORS--SENIORS-AT-US-OPEN.html ÂJUNIOR GIRLS & BOYS AND SUPER SENIORS TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPÂBy Katarina TepeshEvery year during the US OPEN the ITF or International Tennis Federation organizes the JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS for JUNIOR GIRLS and JUNIOR BOYS to compete. The event provides the stars of tomorrow with plenty of opportunities to make their dreams of tennis glory come true.In the world of international junior tennis, several Croatians created a buzz.Among seeded players is MIRNA MARINOVIC, ranked 73rd and seeded No. 4. Unfortunately, Mirna did not qualify to compete among "Girls' Singles" and lost in the 1st round in "Girls' Doubles."Sixteen-year-old SANJA ANCIC from Split also lost in the first round of Girls' Singles and Doubles. "My ambition in tennis is to reach the top 10," says Sanja. Her sponsor is "Prince," tennis racquet and clothing company, as well as her parents, owners of a supermarket chain. "I began playing tennis at age 5. I play right-handed and prefer to play on clay courts. My favorite players are Martina Hingis (retired), Jennifer Capriati and of course, Goran Ivanisevic." Her coach is Jozo Dumanic and Neno Ancic. "When I'm not in school or playing tennis, I like to read and go to the cinema." Brother MARIO ANCIC, seeded No. 28, had an unfortunate experience competing among professionals by losing in his first round in Singles and Doubles. Mario's next tennis tournament is in Florida. Due to hurricane Frances, Mario continues to practice at the US Open tennis courts in Corona, Queens. The tennis center, home of the US Open, is the world's largest public tennis facility. It has 45 Deco Turf II courts, 3 stadium courts, 33 outdoor courts (22 of which have "US Open quality lights" for night play) and 9 indoor courts. Chosen as the LL or lucky loser during the qualifying matches, ANTONIO VEIC had the most successful run among Croatian boys and girls. He reached 3rd round of Jr. Boys Singles. In the 2nd round, Veic defeated Spanish player Pablo Andujar, seeded No. 12. In the 3rd round, Veic lost to a Russian player seeded No. 7, Sergey Stakhovsky 6-0, 6-4. On tennis court, Veic moves really well and plays aggressive tennis. Using diversified shots and strong serve, his game looks very promising. Given proper guidance, the talented junior will have a terrific future in tennis. Qualifier MARIN CILIC reached 2nd round in Jr. Boys Singles, but lost in 1st round Doubles. FRANCO SKUGOR lost in 2nd round of Jr. Boys Singles and 1st round in Doubles.Qualifier JURICA GRUBISIC lost in 1st round of Jr. Boys Singles and Doubles. PETAR JELENIC arrived in New York City, played and lost in qualifying matches.Representing Canada, Katarina Zoricic played in qualifying Jr. Girls Singles and lost. WTA or Women's Tennis Association www.wtatour.com lists several Croatian players who did not qualify to compete at the US OPEN due to their ranking. IVANA ABRAMOVIC ranked 148, DARIJA JURAK ranked 203, IVANA LISJAK ranked 223, SANDA MAMIC ranked 229, LUCIJA KRZELJ ranked 259, LANA POPADIC ranked 293, MIRJANA LUCIC ranked 335, NIKA OZEGOVIC ranked 360, ANA VRLJIC ranked 365, MATEA MEZAK ranked 379, IVANA VISIC ranked 477, PETRA DIZDAR ranked 528, NADA PAVIC ranked 648, MARIJA ABRAMOVIC ranked 696, IVANA SOKAC ranked 943, ANA ABRAMOVIC ranked 951, GIANNA DOZ ranked 1051 and IVANA BRACUN ranked 1072. WTA members established a first mentor program in pro sports, which helps rising stars shine even brighter. Among protégés and mentors who have completed formal requirements of Partners for Success are MIRJANA LUCIC and her mentor MARTINA NAVRATILOVA. The professional Development Department tried to help Lucic to continue to compete in tennis tournaments. Mirjana won 1996 US OPEN Junior Girl's Singles Champion and was the youngest to win a WTA tour Singles title in 1997 at 15 years, 1 month and 25 days old. It happened at Bol, the island of Brac. Mirjana won again in 1998. The tournament owned by a native of Hvar, Mr. Plenkovic, is no longer active due to shortage of sponsors. In 1998 Mirjana and Martina Hingis won Australian Open Doubles Championship. IVA MAJOLI announced retirement from Tennis. She lives in Zagreb and is in the process of building a tennis academy. Iva won the French Open 1997 Roland Garros and reached her career high No. 4 on February 5, 1996. Iva's total career prize money reached over $4,390,192. Recipient of WTA Tour 1993 Most Impressive Newcomer and 2000 Comeback Player of the Year Awards. SENIOR TENNIS LEGENDS The US OPEN sponsors annual MASTERS INVITATIONALS where the leading figures in the sport of tennis compete in following categories:Men's 35s Doubles Masters, Men's 45s Doubles Masters, Women's Doubles Masters and Super Senior Doubles. The international Masters Invitational includes legendary champions such as Pat Cash from Australia, Jana Novotna from Czech Republic, Guillermo Vilas from Argentina, Virginia Wade from Great Britain, Ilie Nastase from Romania, Stan Smith from USA and MIMA JAUSOVEC from Maribor, Slovenia. Representing former Yugoslavia, Mima won the French Open 1977 Roland Garros. She was a finalist in 1978 and 1983 in Singles and won 1978 Roland Garros Doubles Championship. At Wimbledon Mima was a finalist in Doubles. Having won in total 5 Singles titles including 1976 in Rome, 1976 Canadian Open, 1978 Hamburg German Open and 1982 Avon Los Angeles. Mima cracked top 10 on March 20, 1977 as No. 9 while she reached her career high as No. 6 on March 22, 1982. Her career prize money reached $933, 926. Mima opened a tennis club in Zagreb. Demolished due to improper building permits, Mima moved to Slovenia. I hope that someday we will see Iva Majoli and Goran Ivanisevic, 2001 Wimbledon Champion, participating at the Masters Invitational along with Nikola Pilic, 1970 US Open Men's Doubles Champion. Pilic had 7 wins in total and 9 as a finalist, while his winning % in finals is .437 .One of the regulars at the US Open is Donald Trump with his Slovenian fiancée Melanie Knauss. To acknowledge the third anniversary of the attacks on America, on September 11, the internationally renowned opera star Jessye Norman will sing "Amazing Grace" and "America the Beautiful." 38 members of the American Boychoir and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and color guards will accompany Norman from the New York Police and Fire Departments. Tennis players from over 50 countries, along with over 30,000 hours of international TV coverage in more than 160 nations - make the US Open a showcase for tennis with a global reach. Steffi Graf is the Founder and Chairperson of Children for Tomorrow, a nonprofit foundation. With the goal of implementing and developing projects to support children who have been traumatized by war or other crises. During her tennis career, she earned well over 22 million dollars. Steffi is directly involved in the running of the foundation and makes regular financial contributions to the organization.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 10 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7897/1/E-Croatia-stunned-Sweden-with-a-1-0-in-a-World-Cup.html ÂCroatia stunned Sweden with a 1-0 in World Cup qualifying GroupÂDarijo Srna of Croatia, left, celebrates with teammate Josip Simunic after scoring against Sweden during the World Cup 2006 Group 8 qualifying match Sweden vs Croatia Wednesday Sept. 8, 2004, in Gothenburg, Sweden. (AP Photo /Pressens Bild, Niklas Larsson) SWednesday, September 8, 2004 Posted: 2141 GMT (0541 HKT) GOTHENBURG, Sweden (Reuters) -- Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Darijo Srna netted a second-half winner as Croatia stunned Sweden with a 1-0 away win in World Cup qualifying Group Eight on Wednesday. Srna crashed home a free kick on 63 minutes in an ill-tempered match to hand Croatia their second win in as many games after cruising to a 3-0 success over Hungary on Saturday.Sweden, who routed Malta 7-0 in their opening game, were denied an equaliser when striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a goal ruled out for a push on Croatian goalkeeper Tomislav Butina. Tempers flared towards the end with Josip Simunic and Sweden substitute Mattias Jonson booked. Sweden defender Marcus Allback went close to an equaliser in stoppage time but was denied by a save from Butina.Happy HungaryA goal 10 minutes from time from Imre Szabics handed Hungary, thrashed 3-0 by Croatia in their opening World Cup qualifier on Saturday, a thrilling 3-2 win over Iceland in on Wednesday.The visitors went ahead against the run of play five minutes before halftime when Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen headed home a cross from Arnar Gretarsson.Hungary levelled in the 64th minute with captain Zoltan Gera pouncing to score from close range.Three goals in a five-minute spell set up an exciting climax.Hungary substitute strikers Sandor Torghelle put the home side ahead 15 minutes from time, Indridi Sigurdsson levelled but Szabics rifled in the winner.http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/football/09/08/world.group8.reut/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 09 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7894/1/E-Mario-Preskar-Wins-Again.html ÂMARIO PRESKAR WINS AGAINÂAfter a much needed summer rest undefeated 20 years oldCroatian heavyweight prospect Mario Preskar (from Dubrava,Zagreb) returned to boxing ring against John Turlington onSaturday night, September 4, at Mandalay Bay Resort &Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. By winning a 4 round boutunanimously on all 3 judges scorecards, Preskar defeatedhis 8 years older opponent in a tactical match to improvehis record to 4-0-1 (2 KOs). Mario's next fight against DanWhetzel 228 lbs. with a record of (2-2) is in MadisonSquare Garden, New York City on Saturday, October 2. Fortickets call 212.307.7171.Pictures:1. Preskar (red trunks) vs. Turlington (photo by Mary AnnOwen - www.boxinginlasvegas.com)2. Croats from New York in Las Vegas at Preskar's fightSource:http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=202618 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 09 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7896/1/E-Knicks-sign-Croatian-Baskeball-player-Sundov.html ÂKnicks sign Croatian Bruno SundovÂSeptember 8, 2004NEW YORK (Ticker) -- The New York Knicks signed free agent center Bruno Sundov on Wednesday, adding much-needed depth to their frontcourt. Sundov appeared in five games last season - four with the Cleveland Cavaliers and one with the Knicks. The native of Croatia, who was signed to a 10-day contract by New York on January 21, 2004, averaged 2.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.6 minutes. A six-year veteran, Sundov has appeared in 81 career games, averaging 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds for the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Cavaliers and Knicks. "Bruno will add size and depth to our frontcourt," Knicks president of basketball operations Isiah Thomas said. "I have monitored his progress throughout his career. We have seen his improvement and feel we are getting him at the right stage of his development." http://www.allsports.com/cgi-bin/showstory.cgi?story_id=51043 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 08 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7899/1/E-Croatia-cruise-to-3-0-victory-over-unadventurous-Hungary.html ÂCroatia cruise to 3-0 victory over unadventurous HungaryÂSunday September 5, 06:42 AM ZAGREB, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Croatia opened their World Cup qualifying campaign with a well deserved 3-0 win over a defence-minded Hungary on Saturday.Hungary made it even easier for Croatia than it might have been with the 11th minute dismissal of defender Szabolcs Huszti, red carded for elbowing Darijo Srna in the head.Croatia striker Dado Prso opened the scoring in the 32th minute, seizing only a loose ball from Balazs Molnar in the box to hammer the ball home. Ivan Klasnic made it 2-0 in the 57th minute with a left-foot shot from the edge of the box and Gabor Gyepes put through his own net when he mis-judged Croatia substitute Jerko Leko's fine cross in the 80th minute.The Hungarians best chance came five minutes into the second half when goalkeeper Tomislav Butina saved a close-range header from Zoltan Gera."We showed decent creativity for most of the game and it boosts our confidence," said Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar who took over in July after Croatia's disappointing first-round exit from Euro 2004 in Portugal.Croatia play away against Sweden, while Hungary meet Iceland in Budapest in their second qualifying matches next Wednesday. http://au.news.yahoo.com/040904/15/qn0t.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 05 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7898/1/E-Croatia-shades-Wolves.html ÂCroatia shades Wolves THE MISSISSAUGA NEWSAMIT GOSSAI Sep 1, 2004 Croatia's Velemir Crljan kept his Streetsville team's hopes for a Canadian Professional Soccer League playoff berth alive when he scored late for a 1-0 victory over St. Catharines Roma Wolves, Friday night at Streetsville Memorial Park. "It felt really nice to score in the last three minutes and get the game-winning goal," said Crljan. "I think we now have a very good chance of making the playoffs." Croatia now has 18 points (5-6-3), just two points behind Brampton Hitmen and London City, who are tied for the third and final playoff spot with 20 points in the CPSL's Western Conference, with six games remaining. Playing against a St. Catharines team that stands last in the West with a record of 2-9-5, Croatia seemed uninspired through most of what should have been an easy win. "The last goal got at least 50 pounds off my back," said Croatia head coach Aldo Krajcar. http://www.mississauga.com/mi/sports/story/2175571p-2521027c.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 04 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7901/1/E-IVO-IS-MY-MAN.html Â"IVO IS MY MAN"IVO KARLOVIC AT US OPENBy Katarina TepeshI was working in the media room on the first day of the US OPEN, when approached by the famous NBC commentator BUD COLLINS. Shaking hands and smiling widely, "I have seen you before?" Sure, last year at the IVO KARLOVIC press conference. "Yes, IVO IS MY MAN!" exclaimed Collins and raised his hands in delight. Legendary Collins, along with his beautiful wife Anita, are always on the lookout for new tennis talent and took the time to learn a few words in Croatian long time ago when Goran Ivanisevic played and eventually won Wimbledon. "Kako si? Dobro…. Hvala" and so on. Last year, Collins took an intense interest to the newcomer to the US Open and wrote a very complimentary article on Karlovic.Disappointingly, this year Ivo Karlovic lost in the first round to No. 5 seed British Tim Henman 7-6, 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Karlovic had 39 aces to Henman's 10. It was a very close match, played point by point. Despite Henman's severe back problems, he had 33 unforced errors versus 54 from Karlovic. "Karlovic has definitely got one of the best serves. It's coming from an angle that I've never seen before," said Henman. Six-foot, 10-inch Karlovic's serve is a study of technique and rhythm, as well as a lesson in the physics of being almost a foot taller than most players are. His fastest serve was 138 mph, a speed Roddick reaches regularly, but Karlovic hits the ball at such severe angle that his serve oftentimes resembles an overhead smash struck from midcourt. During the match, the British fans playfully chanted, "Hen - man, Hen - man…" In turn, Croatian fans responded with chanting "Ivo - Ivo - Ivo."Karlovic provides the most intense tennis matches and is a very serious person. He only breaks into a wide smile when I ask about his girlfriend. It turns out, I was talking about his girlfriend from last year, the medical student from Zagreb. However, Karlovic tells me, he already moved on to a new girlfriend from Miami. He was happy that she joined him in New York. Coached by Goran Oresic, 25-year-old Karlovic began playing tennis at age six. His father Vlado works as a meteorologist and mother Gordana works in agriculture. Has one older sister, Ana, who used to play when she was younger. Ivo played for Croatia Davis Cup team since 2000. However, there is trouble in paradise. Captain Nikola Pilic does not treat him well and Karlovic vowed not to work with Pilic again. In general, every person talking with Ivo must have patience to carefully listen and understand his speech impediment, slurring his words. By the way, watching the match of Mario Ancic vs. Olivier Rochus was No. 2 player in the world Kim Clijsters from Belgium rooting for compatriot Rochus.There are more Croatian fans at US Open this year than ever before. It is even nicer when a total stranger takes an interest to Ivo Karlovic, Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic. The loyal fan is Jeffrey Lesser from New York and he wants to move to the beautiful Croatia! Not to mention the super attractive Croatian players of Karolina Sprem, Jelena Kostanic and Silvija Talaja.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 02 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7900/1/E-TALAJA-KOSTANIC--KARLOVIC.html ÂTALAJA, KOSTANIC, KARLOVIC, ANCIC & LJUBICICat US OPEN on 9/2/2004By Katarina TepeshANCIC & LJUBICIC IN MEN'S DOUBLES:At US Open 2004, Croatia is represented by six players. Usually, they all play at the same time on different courts. While I was covering Karlovic in the stadium, the "Slobodna Dalmacija" sports reporter Davor Burazin received an "exclusive" directly from Ljubicic how his injury is so severe it will take 10 days to heal. Since Ljubicic played only two sets in Singles and gave up due to injury, it made sense he will not be able to play in Doubles. What a difference a day makes! Ancic & Ljubicic did play in Men's Doubles and lost 6-4, 6-2 in the first round to Leander Paes & David Riki seeded 13. Why did Ljubicic play while injured with fractured rib? Money is the answer! Ljubicic & Ancic received $10,000 for an hour's "work"! Would you get up from the bed and play for $10,000? The Double's money is on top of Singles pay, which is $14,000 for each player, even if you do not complete the play! Nice work if you get it, right? Well, it turns out that ANCIC & KOSTANIC registered to play in MIXED DOUBLES but were not accepted because together, they do not have enough points to make them eligible. This year's US Open purse tops $17.75 million and will potentially exceed more than $19 million, which is distributed. Every player is paid, from the lowest qualifier to the top champion! SILVIJA TALAJA lives in Makarska. Born January 14, 1978 makes a tennis veteran. Talaja's Singles ranking is 112, and No. 67 in Doubles. In her 1st Round at 2004 US Open, Talaja played and lost to Eleni Daniilidio, No. 29. Talaja fought a good fight by winning first set, losing second and third was very close 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Talaja moved on to play in Women's Doubles with tennis partner Caroline Dhenin from France and completed the match by winning 6-3, 6-1 against No. 11 best in the world Vento-Kabchi & Widjaja. Talaja's sparring partner and boyfriend travels with her. She no longer has a tennis coach. Talaja is a powerful, fast baseline player who prefers clay courts. Her father Vlado is a tennis club director and mother Bosiljka. Talaja has an older sister Slavica who is a former tennis coach. "One of my old-time greatest experiences was participating in the 2000 Olympics….I am sentimental, stubborn, open with people and like to be around happy people…I love to visit Australia, especially Melbourne."JELENA KOSTANIC: after beating Karolina Sprem in Singles, Kostanic moved on to win in the 2nd Round against 17-year-old Eugenia Linetskaya with 6-4, 6-3. Russian player was so inexperienced that she kept turning to her coach in the stands for instructions. "Davaj, davaj!" the coach told her but Croatian Kostanic won relatively easily in comparison with her match against Sprem. Kostanic also won in Women's Doubles 1st round with her tennis partner Claudine Schaul from Luxembourg with scores 7-5, 6-3 against Beltrame & Vinci from France and Italy respectively. IVO KARLOVIC: after losing in Singles to No. 5 Tim Henman, Karlovic moved on to play and win in Men's Doubles 1st round. With his tennis partner Tomas Berdych, from Czech Republic they defeated Ginepri & Merklein 7-5, 7-6(4). Exciting and spirited game attracted a huge crowd. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 02 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7902/1/E-IDEMO-HRVATSKA-at-US-OPEN.html ÂKAROLINA SPREM vs. JELENA KOSTANICBy Katarina TepeshAt US OPEN on opening day, JELENA KOSTANIC, ranked 40th defeated KAROLINA SPREM, ranked 18th with 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 results. Despite heat and humidity, the two Croatian players produced a dramatic tennis match with many Croatians in the audience spurring them on with "Idemo Hrvatska!" or "Go Croatians!" Jelena Kostanic was born on July 6, 1981 in Split. According to Women's Tennis Association www.wtatour.com , Jelena's rank is 34th in Doubles and 40th in Singles. "Capturing the Junior Australian Open is my most memorable experience," says Kostanic. She plays left-handed like her idol Goran Ivanisevic, who comes from the same tennis club in Split. Jelena's coach is Petar Buljevic and her off-court trainer is Goran Zufar. Jelena's father works as an external bank auditor and her mother is a dental nurse. The Kostanic family has a private tennis court and Jelena has been competing since 1996. Her career prize money is close to a million dollars. "I enjoy comedies, movies with Tom Hanks, love to read Leo Tolstoy and admire Michael Jordan along with Ivanisevic as the greatest sportsman of all time." Like Ivanisevic, Kostanic is not beyond cursing during a heated match. She is all smiles when it comes to Olympics "I love it." Born on October 25, 1984 in Varazdin, Karolina Sprem started to play tennis at age nine. Karolina's best results so far were quarterfinals at Wimbledon 2004 and finals in Strasbourg and Vienna 2003. Officially, Karolina emerged among the "Most Improved Players" along with a couple of Russian players, who have surged up the rankings during 2004. From No. 66 Sprem moved to No. 18. Wearing her signature outfit, a pink blouse with a very low cut white skirt, Karolina's photo was prominently displayed in the official US Open program. Karolina was even considered as a serious contender for the US Open champion title along with a million dollar check. Nevertheless, she lost in the first round and arrived at the press conference with a big smile on her face, appearing casual and seemingly carefree. Peppered with questions from reporters, Karolina said "I don't mind that I lost….Sometimes I win and sometime I lose….I can't win all the time….I will continue to play other (much smaller) tennis tournaments for the rest of the year….I play every tournament as if it is Grand Slam!"When asked about very recent turbulent breakup with her longtime coach Sasa Hirszon, who coached her for the past five years, she adamantly repeated in English and Croatian, "I don't want to talk about it!"She turned professional in 2001. Her former coach Sasa Hirszon, used to be a tennis player himself. "I usually have four hours of training every day plus fitness," say Karolina. Her father Gabro sells artificial flowers at the market in Varazdin. Mother's name is Bozena. Her sister's name is Gordana and she was seating in the stands at US Open. "No one else plays tennis in the family, but we are very close. It is important to me to have a coach from Croatia, so that I can be with my family in Varazdin and train at the same time," says 19-year-old Karolina. Wearing her signature outfit, a pink blouse with a very low cut white skirt. Karolina bids adieu to US Open with a $14,000.00 check in her pocket for play less than 2 hours long. Qualifying Round:The bright future of tennis took center stage several days prior to US Open, as the schedule featured several players making transition from junior ranks and attempting to make the transition to big-time professional players. Unfortunately, the following Croatian players did not qualify to enter US Open: IVANA ABRAMOVIC, ranked 169; ROKO KARANUSIC ranked 190 and LANA POPADIC. Other listed Croatian players are SANDA MAMIC, ranked 147; ZELJKO KRAJAN ranked 191; SASA TUKSAR ranked 234; US OPEN PRIZE MONEY:This year's US Open purse tops $17.75 million and will potentially exceed more than $19 million - the highest purse in sports. For the 32nd consecutive year, the USTA is offering equal prize money to both men and women - a Grand Slam first and a US Open tradition dating back to 1973. All players also receive per diem payment to help with the cost of accommodations and other expenses. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 31 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7904/1/E-Croatia-break-through-for-gold-on-final-day-of-Olympics.html ÂCroatia break through for handball gold on final day of OlympicsATHENS (AFP) - World champions Croatia claimed their country's first gold medal at the Athens Olympics with victory in the men's handball final. Croatia added the gold medal to the one they won at the 1996 Atlanta Games in downing Germany 26-24 in a charged final at Helliniko. Up to the last day of competition in Athens, Croatia had won two silver and two bronze medals. Croatia finished strongly in the final stages of the gold medal play-off pulling out to a 24-21 lead with two minutes left. The Germans had been up by three goals, 15-12 early in the second half, but the inspired Croats were too quick on the break and defended their goal area powerfully. Mirza Dzomba topscored with nine goals, the same as the Germans' most dangerous attacking player Stefan Kretzschmar. Germany were bidding for their second handball gold medal at the Olympics after winning in Berlin in 1936, although the former East Germany won the title in Moscow in 1980. Croatia raced to an early 2-0 lead in the charged full-house atmosphere generated by the two sets of opposing supporters with every physical exchange cheered. Germany took until the fifth minute to score through pivot Christian Schwarzer but gradually reeled Croatia in and hit the front 4-3 with a 12th-minute goal by classy left-winger Kretzschmar. Germany went on a run of four goals, two of them to Kretzschmar, to jump to a 8-5 lead on 17 minutes, but lost tall right-back Volker Zerbe to a two-minute suspension. The Germans lost right-back Christian Zeitz to another two-minute suspension as Croatia clawed back to level at 9-9 with left-winger Goran Sprem's third goal in the 25th minute. Left-back Daniel Stephan netted twice in three minutes to put the Germans out to a 12-10 advantage, but their third two-minute suspension, this time to left-back Frank von Behren gave Croatia the opportunity to pull one back in the final seconds before halftime to right-winger Dzomba. Germany led 15-12 after 36 minutes but Croatia gradually turned things around with Dzomba and Petar Metlicic among the goals. They lost centre-back Slavko Goluza twice for two-minute suspensions, but with the scores tied at 20-20 and five minutes left the Germans lost centre-back Markus Baur for knocking the arm of Dzomba as he broke away and bore down on the German goal. His two-minute suspension left the Germans with five men and Croatia took advantage storming out to 22-20 and building it to 24-21 with left-winger Niksa Kaleb's second goal in as many minutes. It was a margin that the Germans could not overhaul. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040829/sp_wl_afp/oly_2004_handball_men_040829154644 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7903/1/E-Croatia-Wins-Gold-defeating-Germany-26-24.html ÂAnother Gold for CroatiaCroatia's Blazenko Lackovic raises his arms and shouts to celebrate after they won their men's handball finals match against Germany at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (news - web sites) August 29, 2004. Croatia defeated Germany 26-24. REUTERS/Paul Hanna Croatia's Petar Metlicic celebrates as he waves his country's flag after they won their men's handball finals match against Germany at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (news - web sites) August 29, 2004. Croatia defeated Germany 26-24. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay ÂCroatia win tight men's handball finalSunday, August 29 2004 4:50Croatia were crowned Olympic handball champions today, after fighting back from a 10-point half-time deficit to beat Germany in the men's final. Mirza Dzomba netted eight times for Croatia in their narrow 26-24 victory. The Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader was one of the first to offer his congratulations to the team. "I am very happy because it is our first gold medal and our handball team are world champions and now Olympic champions so I am very proud," he said. "It is a result that will give great happiness to everyone in Croatia. The best thing was that they didn't play very well and they still won. And that goes to show the great strength of the team."Leading 21-11 (???) at half-time, the Germans held the initiative until the 55th minute when goals from Dzomba and Niksa Kaleb gave Croatia a two-goal advantage that they kept to the end.Russia took the bronze.Filed by James Boylanhttp://www.rte.ie/sport/2004/0829/handball1.html?OLYSTORY letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7909/1/EH-Croatia-wins-another-medal-in-handball.html ÂCROATIA 33 - 31 HUNGARY(18- 15) - (16- 15) Helliniko Indoor Arena - FRI 27 AUG 2004 - Start Time: 14:30 Referees: (13) ARNALDSSON Stefan / (14) VIDARSSON Johann gunnar (IHF) They will be playing in the finals for gold. Slijedeca utakmica je finale za zlato.HRVATSKI RUKOMETAŠI NA OI 2004.HRVATSKA U POLUFINALU NADIGRALA MAÐARE 27.08.2004 Hrvatska rukometna reprezentacija izborila je finale na Olimpijskim igrama u Ateni. Nakon pet pobjeda u skupini, pobjede u cetvrtfinalu protiv Grcke, hrvatski su rukometaši u polufinalu s 33:31 bili bolji od Madarske, te tako osigurali najmanje srebrnu medalju. Nakon što su osvojili olimpijsko zlato u Atlanti (1996.), a nisu izborili nastup u Sydneyu (2000.), hrvatski su rukometaši ponovno izborili priliku da se popnu na rukometni Olimp.Oprezan pocetakNe želeci podcijeniti protivnika, hrvatski su rukometaši opreznije ušli u susret, koncentrirajuci se na obranu, dok su u napadau najrazigraniji bili Ivano Balic i Mirza Džomba. Prvih desetak minuta padali su pogodak na pogodak, te naši rukometaši nisu uspjeli steci neku vecu prednost. Tada se polovicom prvoga dijela razbranio Venio Losert, a napad je uspio probiti cvrstu madarsku obranu, te su naši rukometaši prvi put poveli s tri pogotka razlike.Ta prednost dala je dodatna krila našim rukometašima, koji su poceli igrati sve bolje, te su u 28. minuti stigli prvi put na pet pogodak prednosti (18:13). Nakon toga, dogodio se mali pad i Madari su s tri uzastopna pogotka do kraja prvoga dijela uspjeli smanjiti na samo dva pogotka minusa (18:16).Šola zakljucao svoja vrataU drugome dijelu na naša vrata stao je Vlado Šola, te mu je trebalo samo nekoliko minuta pokaže zašto je jedan od najboljih svjetskih vratara. Kod rezultata 20:17 Šola je zakljucao svoja vrata i sljedecih šest minuta Madari nisu uspjeli postici pogodak. To su iskoristili naši rukometaši, koji su pogocima Igora Vorija, Blaženka Lackovica i Mirze Džombe stigli na šest pogodaka prednosti (23:17).Nakon toga naši su rukometaši vrlo suvereno kontrolirali igru, te nisu Madarima dopuštali da ugroze naš prolazak u finale. Madari su jedino pet minuta prije kraja stigli na samo tri pogotka manjka, te su imali i kontru za samo minus dva, ali tada je zicer skinuo Šola, te su naši s dva pogotka ponovno pobjegli na plus pet.Do kraja susreta naši su rukometaši težili atraktivnim potezima, te su Madari na kraju uspojeli ublažiti poraz na 33:31.Hrvatski su rukometaši tako nastavili niz nepobjedivosti u Ateni, a u finalu, koje na rasporedu u nedjelju u 15.45, ocekuju ih bolji iz susreta Njemacke i Rusije.HRTweb sport (vh) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 27 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7905/1/E-ANCIC--LJUBICIC-TO-RECEIVE-HONORS-AT-US-OPEN.html ÂUS OPEN SPECIAL CEREMONY TO HONOR OLYMPIC TENNIS MEDALISTSÂBy Katarina TepeshA special ceremony on Monday evening, August 30, will honor medalists in the tennis competition at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.MARIO ANCIC & IVAN LJUBICIC will represent Croatia for winning the bronze medal in Men's Doubles Tennis.The US Open Draw event was held at the United Nations in New York City on August 25, reinforcing the US Open's connection to New York City and the international scope of the Open which features players from more than 70 countries and is broadcast in more than 160 countries.Sport is about participation and inclusion. It is a way of bringing individuals and communities together, as players and audience, showcasing what we have in common and bridging differences. That is also what the United Nations seeks to do. Like the world of sports, the United Nations upholds the principles of tolerance, cooperation, understanding and respect. As the draw ceremony was done in front of hundreds of people, it is fair and square. By coincidence KAROLINA SPREM seeded 18 in US Open, will be playing in the first round against JELENA KOSTANIC ranked 40. Another revelation is the draw for IVO KARLOVIC ranked 54, playing in the first round against Tim Henman seeded number 5 player. The buzz at the UN draw ceremony when it came to Croatian players was all about KAROLINA SPREM. Captain of the U.S. Fed Cup Zina Garrison said, "The young Karolina Sprem is not afraid of older, more experienced tennis players.""Karolina Sprem is capable of surprising us and win the tournament" predicted Patrick McEnroe, the captain of the US Davis Cup. In celebration of opening night of the US Open, the Empire State Building will for the second straight year be lit in "tennis ball yellow" on August 30, 2004. Tennis tickets are on sale by phone through Ticketmaster at 1-866-OPEN-TIX, at the tennis stadium box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets and atwww.usopen.org . For information, call the US Open ticket office at (718) 760-6200.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 27 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7908/1/E-Natasa-Vezmar-into-the-quarterfinals.html ÂNatasa Vezmar into the quarterfinalsÂTaekwondo draw completedATHENS, 25 August - The draw for Athens 2004 Olympic Games Taekwondo competition has been completed at the Faliro Sports Pavillion and has produced a highlight match to be conducted on Saturday, 28 August in the Men's -80kg category. Iraq's Raid RASHEED has been drawn against Steven LOPEZ (USA), the defending gold medal champion from the Sydney 2000 Olympics, in a bout that is sure to raise some interest. There are four women who will sleep a little easier tonight, as a result of their draw moving them directly into the quarterfinals with a first round bye.Yanelis Yuliet LABRADA DIAZ (CUB), Irina KAYDASHOVA (UZB), Ineabelle DIAZ (PUR) and Croatia's Natasa VEZMAR will have the opportunity to gauge their opponents' technique before meeting them in the last eight.The Taekwondo competition begins on Thursday, 26 August at 09:00, commencing with the Women's u49kg Preliminary Round of 16.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 23 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7907/1/E-MIKE-CELIZIC-REPORTING-FROM-THE-OLYMPICS.html ÂÂMIKE CELIZIC Reporting from the Olympics ÂBy Katarina TepeshMike Celizic writes regularly for NBCSports.com and is a freelance writer based in New York. At the present time, Celizic is one of the most prominent commentators from Games of the XXVIII Olympiad: Athens, Greece.Mike's parents are longtime members of the Croatian Fraternal Union or CFU from Pittsburg. In his recent column, "Race has nothing to do with NBA's success - League needs heroes, compelling stories, no matter what color." Celizic included the late DRAZEN PETROVIC (1964-1993), legendary Croatian basketball player who was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers of the NBA in the third round of the 1986 draft and later played for the Nets. He tragically died in a car accident. Celizic agrees that 'Petro' fueled Europe's passion for NBA. Celizic attended Petrovic memorial in Croatian Center on 41st Street.In June, Celizic wrote about the Nets taking Croatian swing man ZORAN PLANINIC.Celizic can be easily recognized at the sporting events wearing a unique hat. In the old days, when Celizic wrote for a New Jersey newspaper, he used to wear what looked like a hat from Slavonia. Nowadays, he wears an expensive type, usually a classic fedora or Stetson, but still - always a hat!As recently as yesterday, concerning the gymnast controversy at the Olympics, Celizic wrote a widely quoted column "Hamm should give up gold - American has the opportunity to show he's true champion." A few days ago, Celizic wrote "At Games, it's a woman's world - why do women's sports rule the Olympics?" He wrote how within eight years, the IOC has promised, the gender split will be 50-50. Mike Celizic is the author of "Courage: American Role Models in Sports" and "The Biggest Game of Them All: Notre Dame, Michigan State & the Fall of '66" and co-author of six books.Celizic can be reached at Celizic@yahoo.com . letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 23 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7906/1/E-Veljko-Rogosic-63-year-old-Croatian-swam-across-La-Mancha.html ÂVeljko Rogosic, 63 well-known Croatian marathon swimmer swam between 43 and 45 kilometers in 11 hours and 27 minutes.VjesnikDobrila Stella, Ivan Smircic, Aug 16, 2004translated by Hilda M. FoleyThe best known Croatian marathon swimmer, 63 year old Veljko Rogosic from Split, swam across the La Manche Channel Sunday night. He needed for this feat 11 hours and 27 minutes. In spite of very bad weather conditions the Croatian marathon swimmer succeeded at his second try to cross the sea passage which connects the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea, while rain, driven by strong winds that raised high waves, accompanied him all the way to his goal, causing him quite some physical difficulties. Practically the same weather conditions occurred a year ago, when Rogosic tried crossing La Manche for the first time. In spite of his very good physical condition and excellent health, Rogosic was not able at that time to cross the sea passage between France and England, because it was judged that such a try would be too risky, in effect, life threatening for our marathon swimmer. A few months later Rogosic nevertheless succeeded this great undertaking, commenting about it with these words: "You cannot even imagine what it was like. Frightening. I thought my very soul would come into my mouth". Rogosic said that the unfavorable weather conditions exhausted him to such an extent, that the accomplishment of this undertaking was only thanks to the great physical but also psychic exertions in which he invested. "I am very happy, though it was difficult and indeed dangerous to enter a sea the strength of four bofors. Still it became the most difficult for me after four hours of swimming when I started vomiting in spite of the tablets, and I thought then that all is finished" said Rogosic, emphasizing that many have tried to talk him out of the attempt to swim across La Manche, telling him that such an undertaking very few could accomplish.Rogosic emphasized that four more marathon swimmers, including a woman, attempted the crossing, and all of them accept for himself and an American gave up in the middle of the Channel, where the sea strength reached seven bofors. "I crossed La Manche and I must say that this is one of my most difficult marathons, not because of the extreme cold, but because of the vomiting that caused me such difficulties that I thought I will suffocate. I am so physically exhausted that after this success I could not even drink a drop of liquid" said the overjoyed Rogosic, adding that the route he managed to swim is between 43 and 45 kilometers. Rogosic is the world's four-times first place winner in the swim marathon and winner on all Continents.The "King of cold waters" , as he is called by the press, is inducted in the International Hall of Sports Greats in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Rogosic was 142 times Yugoslavia's leader in various disciplines, and topped 52 times the country's record. He swam across the Nile, Michigan, Cook's Passage, Ontario, La Plata, Missouri and Mississippi and on the Adriatic alone he swam 22 marathons. Previously he was also twice first place leader in the Balkans, while, looking at the rank lists of the best time, he is listed as fourth in the world in the crawl style at 1500 meters. According to the official count of his swimming miles Rogocic circumvented the globe six times. The Croatian marathon swimmer was congratulated for his achievement by president Mesic this Sunday.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 23 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7911/1/H-Greska-sudaca-se-priznaje-samo-za-odabrane.html ÂOI 2004.: SPORTSKI ARBITRAŽNI SUD ODUZEO ZLATO NIJEMCIMA, FIG PRIZNAO POGREŠKU SUDACA 21.08.2004 Sportski arbitražni sud u Lauseanni (CAS) odlucio je prihvatiti žalbu Francuske, Velike Britanije i SAD-a, te njemackoj reprezentaciji u konjickome sportu i njezinoj clanica Bettini Hoy oduzeti zlatne medalje osvojene u eventingu.CAS je pozitivno riješio žalbu Francuske, Velike Britanije i SAD-a koje su tražile da se njemackoj jahacici Bettini Hoy doda 12 kaznenih bodova zbog pogrešnog polaska u posljednju disciplinu, preskakanje prepona. Hoy je prerano krenula, pa se vratila, odnosno dva puta prešla preko startne linije i zbog toga su joj suci dodali 12 kaznenih bodova. Njemacka se na tu sudacku odluku žalila, Medunarodna konjicka federacija je tu žalbu prihvatila, ali potom su Francuzi, Britanci i Amerikanci citav slucaj predali CAS-u koji je presudio u njihovu korist.Nakon dodanih 12 bodova Bettini Hoy, zlato u ekipnome natjecanju pripalo je Francuskoj, srebro Velikoj Britaniji, a bronca SAD-u, dok su medalje u pojedinacnoj konkurenciji pripale Britanki Leslie Law (zlato), Amerikanki Kimberly Severson (srebro) i Britanki Philippi Funnell (bronca).Medunarodna gimnasticka federacija priznala pogrešku sudaca, ali ne mijenja konacan poredak višebojaMedunarodna gimnasticka federacija je nakon dodatne istrage priznala kako su suci tijekom olimpijskoga višeboja zakinuli korejskoga vježbaca Yang Tae Younga za jednu desetinku, ali bez obzira na ociglednu pogrešku sudaca Yang nece biti proglašen olimpijskim pobjednikom, vec ce zlatna medalja ostati u vlasništvu Amerikanca Paula Hamma.Yang je, naime, s 57,774 boda osvojio broncanu medalju, iza Hamma s 57,823 i sunarodnjaka Kim Dae Euna s 57,811. Kada bi mu se dodalo oduzetih 0,1 bodova, Yang bi skocio na prvo mjesto sa 57,874 bodova. Pogrešku su napravili suci na rucama koji su pogreškom kao pocetnu ocjenu za Yangovu vježbu uzeli 9,9 umjesto 10.Prema pravilima FIG-a ne postoji mogucnost pritužbi na sudacke ocjene. One bi trebale biti prihvacene kao konacne i nepromjenjive. Takoder, FIG izražava žaljenje zbog nastale situacije, piše u izjavi FIG-a.Hina/HRTweb sport (vh) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 22 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7910/1/H-Rogosic-preplivao-La-Manche.html ÂRogosic preplivao La MancheÂVeljko Rogosic, 63 year old man from Croatia, swam over La MancheOp-edIt would be nice if someone could translate this article.NBÂVjesnik, Dobrila Stella, Ivan Smircic, 16. kolovoza 2004. Poznati splitski maratonac preplivao je izmedju 43 i 45 kilometara za 11 sati i 27 minutaSPLIT - Najpoznatiji hrvatski maratonac, sezdesettrogodisnji Splicanin Veljko Rogosic, preplivao je u noci na nedjelju kanal La Manche. Za taj podvig Rogosicu je trebalo 11 sati i 27 minuta. Unatoc vrlo losim vremenskim uvjetima, hrvatski je maratonac u drugom pokusaju uspio preplivati morski prolaz koji spaja Atlantski ocean sa Sjevernim morem, a cijelim putem do krajnjeg cilja pratila ga je kisa nosena jakim vjetrom, koji je podizao velike valove, sto je Rogosicu stvaralo nemale fizicke poteskoce. Gotovo istovjetne vremenske prilike bile su i prije godinu dana, kada je Rogosic prvi put pokusao preplivati La Manche. Iako u vrlo dobroj fizickoj kondiciji i s odlicnom zdravstvenom slikom, Rogosic tada nije uspio preplivati morski prolaz izmedju Francuske i Engleske, jer je procijenjeno da bi takav pokusaj bio preriskantan, odnosno, opasan po zivot naseg maratonca. Nekoliko mjeseci poslije, Rogosic je ipak uspio ostvariti veliki podvig koji je prokomentirao rijecima: "Ne mozete ni zamisliti kako je bilo. Prestrasno. Mislio sam da ce mi sama dusa izaci na usta". Rogosic je rekao da su ga nepovoljni vremenski uvjeti iscrpili do te mjere da je ovaj pothvat ostvaren zahvaljujuci golemim fizickim, ali i psihickim naporima koje je ulozio. "Presretan sam iako je bilo tesko pa i opasno uci u more jacine cetiri bofora. Ipak, najteze mi je bilo nakon cetiri sata plivanja kada sam, unatoc tabletama, poceo povracati i tada sam pomislio da je sve gotovo", kazao je Rogosic naglasivsi kako su ga mnogi odvracali od pokusaja da prepliva La Manche porucujuci da takav pothvat malo tko moze ostvariti.Rogosic je istaknuo da su u pokusaju preplivavanja La Mancha sudjelovala jos cetiri maratonca, medju kojima i jedna zena, ali da su svi, osim njega i jednog Amerikanca, odustali na sredini kanala, gdje je more bilo jacine sedam bofora. "Preplivao sam La Manche i mogu reci da je ovo jedan od mojih najtezih maratona, ali ne zbog velike hladnoce, nego zbog povracanja koje mi je stvaralo tolike poteskoce da sam imao osjecaj kako cu se ugusiti. Toliko sam fizicki iscrpljen da poslije ovog uspjeha nisam mogao popiti cak ni kap tekucine", kazao je presretni Rogosic dodajuci da je ruta koju je uspio preplivati duga izmedju 43 i 45 kilometara. Rogosic je cetverostruki prvak svijeta u plivackom maratonu te pobjednik svih kontinenata."Kralj hladnih voda", kako ga nazivaju novinari, uvrsten je i u Medjunarodnu dvoranu sportskih velikana u Fort Lauderdaleu na Floridi. Rogosic je 142 puta bio prvak Jugoslavije u raznim disciplinama, a 52 puta srusio je drzavni rekord. Preplivao je Nil, Michigen, Cookov prolaz, Ontario, La Platu, Missouri i Mississippi, a samo na Jadranu isplivao je 22 maratona. Svojedobno je bio i dvostruki prvak Balkana, dok je, gledajuci rang-liste najboljih vremena, zabiljezen kao cetvrti na svijetu stilom kraul na 1500 metara. Prema sluzbenom zbroju njegovih preplivanih milja, Rogosic je cak sest puta oplivao Zemlju. Hrvatskom plivackom maratoncu na ovom je podvigu u nedjelju cestitao predsjednik Stjepan Mesic.http://www.vjesnik.hr/  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 22 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7913/1/H-SINISA-I-NIKSA-SKELIN-SREBRNI-U-DVOJCU.html ÂHRVATSKI VESLACI NA OI 2004 SINIŠA I NIKŠA SKELIN SREBRNI Presretni Skelini21.08.2004 Hrvatski veslaci braca Siniša i Nikša Skelin osvojili su srebrnu medalju u dvojcu bez kormilara na Olimpijskim igrama u Ateni.Hrvatska posada je na svim prolazima, na 500, 1.000 i 1.500 metara, bila druga. Na prolazu na 500 metara najbliži pratitelji bili su im Nijemci, na polovici staze prijetila im je posada Srbije i Crne Gore, a nakon 1.500 metara bilo je jasno da ce o medaljama odlucivati vodeci Australci, te hrvatska i južnoafricka posada. Južnoafrikanci, koji su poznati po odlicnom finišu, vodili su sa Skelinima do kraja utrke veliku borbu za srebro. No, hrvatska je posada uspjela odbiti sve njihove napade. Na kraju zlato je pripalo svjetskim prvacima Australcima Ginnu i Tomkinsu. Braca Skelin osvojila su srebro, zaostavši za njima sekundu i 88 stotinki. Bronca odlazi u Južnoafricku Republiku, koja je za 76 stotinki bila sporija od hrvatske posade. Braci Skelin je ovo druga olimpijska medalja, nakon što su u Sydneyu bili clanovi broncanog osmerca. Hrvatska se, pak, nakon bronce Nikolaja Pešalova, srebra Duje Draganje i bronce Ancica i Ljubicica, domogla cetvrte medalje. Za ovo smo radili posljednje cetiri godine, rekao je Siniša i dodao: U startu smo izašli prvi, kao što smo i ocekivali, ali smo znali smo da ce nas Australci napasti i povesti. Mislili smo, ipak, da nam nece toliko pobjeci prije zadnjih 500 metara, kada smo dizali finiš. Nismo ih uspjeli stici, ali smo do kraja uspjeli kontrolirati Južnoafrikance, koji su bili iza nas.Nikša je napomenuo da su utrku uspjeli odveslati kao što su se dogovorili, ali da su ocekivali da ce Australci, kojima je pripalo zlato, barem malo pasti u finišu. Zadnjih 250 metara bilo mi je najteže u životu. Veslali smo kao što smo se dogovorili, nismo mijenjali taktiku. Ocekivali smo da ce Australci pasti barem malo u zadnjih 500 metara, no to se nije dogodilo. Znali smo da su Južnoafrikanci velika opasnost u zadnjih 500 metara, ali smo ih dobro kontrolirali. I do sada smo ih dobivali, tako da smo bili prilicno sigurni da nas nece iznenaditi u finišu.MUŠKARCI, DVOJAC BEZ, FINALE: 1. Drew Ginn/James Tomkins (Aus) 6:30.76 2. Siniša Skelin/Nikša Skelin (Hrv) 6:32.64 3. Donovan Cech/Ramon Di Clemente (JAR) 6:33.40 4. Nathan Twaddle/George Bridgewater (NZL) 6:34.24 5. Nikola Stojic/Mladen Stegic (SCG) 6:39.74 6. Tobias Kuehne/Jan Herzog (Nje) 6:46.50  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 21 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7912/1/E-Croatia-wins-4th-medal-with-rowing-silver-2004-Olympics.html ÂCroatia wins rowing silverAugust 21, 2004 - 5:14PMEmail to a friend Printer format Australian rowers Drew Ginn and James Tomkins won the men's pairs rowing gold medal at the Olympics. Both had been members of the Oarsome Foursome coxless four that won gold in Atlanta eight years ago.The Australians, renowned for their long, elegant style, beat Croatia' Skelin brothers - Sinisa and Niksa - by half a length. South Africans Donovan Cech and Ramon di Clement finished in the bronze medal place.G and T, as they are known, drew out a length lead by the 1,000 metres half-way mark and held on at the finish.For Tomkins, 39, it was his third rowing gold medal after victory in Barcelona in 1992 in the original Oarsome Foursome. Ginn, 29, joined that crew for the next Olympics.Tomkins also won bronze in Sydney 2000 in a scratch pairs crew after Ginn pulled out prior to the Games with a back injury.http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/21/1092972815151.html?oneclick=true  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 21 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7916/1/E-Croatia-defeating-Russia-in-Handball-on-2004-Olympics.html ÂCroatia : Russia 26-25Croatia's Denis Spoljaric and Drago Vukovic embrace team mates after defeating Russia during the pool A handball competition at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (news - web sites) August 20, 2004. Croatia defeated Russia 26-25. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber Men : Olympic champion in troubleATHENS, 20 August - The 2003 World champion, Croatia, achieved its fourth victory from four matches at the Olympic tournament, beating reigning Olympic champion, Russia, 26-25 (halftime 10-14). Croatia will now play Spain on 22 August and is seeking its fifth victory which would give it first place in Group A. Russia meets Iceland the same day facing elimination from the tournament if it loses. Russia pressed hard for victory today, but was let down by lack of physical strength in the dying moments and paid for its mistakes. Having managed to control the pace from the 10th minute of the match, Russia led until the 10th minute of the second half. From that point on Croatia took control, gained the lead and managed to achieve its fourth straight victory. Star players from both teams had a bad day. Alexey RASTVORTSEV (RUS) scored six goals out of 16 attempts, while Eduard KOKCHAROV (RUS) scored four goals out of nine attempts. Ivano BALIC (CRO) did a good job organizing the game, but offensively things were different. BALIC scored three goals out of eight attempts. Dmitri TORGOVANOV (RUS) was excellent from the pivot place scoring six goals in six attempts, while Blazenko LACKOVIC (CRO) scored nine goals out of 13 attempts. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 20 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7915/1/E-Duje-Draganja-of-Croatia-celebrates-Silver-medal.html ÂDuje Draganja Croatian Olympic Silver 2004ÂMissed gold by one-hundredth of a second. Duje Draganja of Croatiacelebrates his second place in the 50 meter freestyle final at the Olympic Aquatics Center in Athens August 20, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (news - web sites) swimming competition. REUTERS/Yves Herman ÂGold medallist Gary Hall (R) of the U.S. and silver medallist Duje Draganja of Croatia celebrate after the 50 metre freestyle final at the Olympic Aquatics Center in Athens August 20, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (news - web sites) swimming competition. REUTERS/Jeff J Mitchell Â50-meter freestyle medalists from left; Bronze medalist Roland Mark Schoeman, of South Africa, gold-medalist Gary Hall, of the United States, and Silver-medalist Duje Draganja, of Croatia stand on the podium at the Olympic Aquatic Centre during the 2004 Olympic Games (news - web sites) in Athens, Friday, Aug. 20, 2004. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) It was an especially sweet victory for the irreverent Hall, who was upset about being left off a couple of U.S. relay teams. Swimming as though he had something to prove, he recovered from a slow start to touch in 21.93 - beating Croatia's Duje Draganja by one-hundredth of a second. Hall ripped off his cap, threw up his arms in a defiant pose and climbed out of the pool to take a bow. He plans to be back in 2008. "Why not?" he said, savoring the 10th medal of his career. "Defiance. It's fun."  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 20 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7914/1/E-Croatia-is-such-a-small-country-so-this-is-huge-Any-medal-is-huge.html ÂCroatians win marathon 16-14 third set for doubles bronze Aug. 20, 2004SportsLine.com wire reports "Croatia is such a small country, so this is huge. Any medal is huge," Ljubicic said.ÂÂCroatia's Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic celebrate victory after their men's doubles finals bronze medal match against Indias Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games August 20, 2004. Croatia's Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic won 7-5 4-6 14-13. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Croatia's Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic celebrate victory after their men's doubles finals bronze medal match against Indias Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games August 20, 2004. Croatia's Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic won 7-5 4-6 14-13. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Mario Ancic (news) (R) and Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia celebrate with their country's flag after winning the bronze medal in the men's doubles tournament at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games August 20, 2004. Ancic and Ljubicic defeated Indian pair Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes 7-6, 4-6, 16-14. REUTERS/Carlos Barria ÂATHENS, Greece -- Excited about winning a bronze medal, Mario Ancic tried flinging his racket into the stands. It fell a few feet short, rattling on the court. Perfectly understandable: Croatia's Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic had just played four hours before finally pulling out a 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 16-14 victory over India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes in a match that started Friday night and ended the next day at 1:05 a.m. About 300 fans stuck it out on Court 1. While Ancic was preparing to serve at 14-14, one spectator shouted out: "Time to go home!" The Indian duo went ahead love-40 in that game, but Ancic kept his team in it by winning five straight points with an ace, three volleys and a service winner. "If we had broken there," Paes said, "that's all she wrote." In the next game, the Croatians converted their fourth match point -- an hour after their first two arrived while leading 8-7. They had another match point when Paes served in the 26th game of the third set. The marathon match ended when Ancic smacked a forehand that Paes volleyed into the net, allowing the Croatians to break Paes' serve. The match was this tight: Each team won 164 points. Ancic leaped into Ljubicic's arms for a hug, then they took off their shirts and threw them to a group of Croatian fans who stayed right to the end, chanting, clapping and banging their feet on the metal bleachers. The cheering was a bit overzealous for Paes' taste. Serving at 13-12, he hit a backhand near the line and a voice from that section of the stands yelled, "Out!" Play continued, and Paes dumped a volley into the net. He pointed in the direction of the Croatian group and yelled, "Shut up!" Bhupathi went over to complain to chair umpire Javier Moreno, who intoned: "Please, for both teams, be quiet." It's the third Olympic tennis medal in Croatia's history, all bronzes, and second medal of these games. "Croatia is such a small country, so this is huge. Any medal is huge," Ljubicic said. He and Ancic, a singles semifinalist at Wimbledon last month, were playing just their fourth tournament together. Bhupathi and Paes have been on-and-off doubles partners for years, winning three Grand Slam titles: the French Open in 1999 and 2000, and Wimbledon in 1999. They split for good, it appeared, in May 2002, but recently teamed up again in hopes of winning an Olympic medal. "With all the work we've done in the past month, going back empty-handed - it's mind-boggling," Paes said. "I don't think we've had this much disappointment in a long time." Shortly after the match ended, Ljubicic received a text message on his cell phone from 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic. "He said he lost 100 years of his life watching this," Ljubicic said. It wasn't the longest final set in an Olympic men's doubles match, though. Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde of Australia beat Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis of the Netherlands 18-16 in the third set of a semifinal at the 1996 Atlanta Games. In Saturday's gold medal match, Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu of Chile will play Nicolas Kiefer and Rainer Schuettler of Germany. http://www.sportsline.com/olympics/story/7598399/1  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 20 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7924/1/H-Zanimljivosti-iz-Atene.html Zanimljivosti iz AteneHRVATSKI OLIMPIJCI NA OI 2004.: PEPE PUCH U KONKURENCIJI 73 KONJANIKA U konjickoj disciplini eventing na Olimpijskim igrama u Ateni nastupit ce 73 jahacka para iz 23 zemlje, a cak 14 reprezentacija ima ekipe sastavljene od tri, cetiri ili pet jahaca, koji ce nastupiti u ekipnome dijelu. Hrvatska ce imati predstavnika u pojedinacnoj konkurenciji, a boje Hrvatske branit ce Austrijanac Josef Pepo Puch. Opširnije... OI 2004.: OTVORENA HRVATSKA KUCA U ATENI Prigodnom ceremonijom danas je u Ateni i službeno otvorena Hrvatska kuca, mjesto na kojem ce se za vrijeme Olimpijskih igara susretati sportaši, novinari, sponzori i brojni gosti. Kompleks u atenskome predgradu Maroussi HOO-u je na korištenje ustupio hrvatski gospodarstvenik Slavko Šimunovic. On je na simbolican nacin ustupio kljuc Hrvatske kuce ministru obrazovanja, znanosti i sporta Draganu Primorcu, koji je zatim kljuc urucio predsjedniku HOO-a Zlatku Mateši. Opširnije... HRVATSKI BOKSACI NA OI 2004.: ŠIVOLIJA SUTRA PROTIV VENEZUELANCA MUNOZA MATE Naš boksac u kategoriji do 81 kilograma Mario Šivolija sutra ce u prvom kolu snage odmjeriti s predstavnikom Venezuele Edgarom Ramonom Munozom Matom u 21.15 h. U slucaju pobjede dalje bi boksao protiv boljega iz meca Bjelorusa Magomeda Aripgadžijeva i Meksikanca Ramira Gobena Reducinda Radille. Optimist sam i vjerujem kako bi Mario mogao cak do medalje, izjavio je izbornik boksacke reprezentacije Pero Tadic. Opširnije... OI 2004., UOCI SVECANOG OTVORENJA: DUBRAVKO ŠIMENC VECERAS NOSI ZASTAVU U svecanom mimohodu na otvorenju XXVIII. olimpijskih igara modernog doba medu 10.500 sportaša iz 202 zemlje bit ce i vecina od 81. hrvatskog olimpijaca, koje ce predvoditi stjegonoša vaterpolista Dubravko Šimenc. Svecana ceremonija otvorenja Igara jedan je od najvecih medijskih dogadaja u svijetu jer ce ga, uz 75 000 gledatelja na olimpijskom stadionu, preko TV ekrana pratiti više milijuna gledatelja diljem svijeta. Opširnije... OI 2004.: OZLIJEÃENI KENTERIS I THANOU U PONEDJELJAK NA SASLUŠANJU Nakon što se jucer olimpijski pobjednik iz Sydneya na 200 m Grk Costas Kenteris i njegova sunarodnjakinja Katerina Thanou nisu pojavili na dogovorenoj dopinškoj kontroli, dvoje atleticara doživjelo je sinoc prometnu nesrecu. Buduci da su trenutacno u bolnici, pred nadležnom Komisijom za doping MOO-a pojavit ce se u ponedjeljak. Americka sprinterica Marion Jones ipak ce biti u sastavu štafete 4x100. Opširnije... 12.08.2004, cetvrtak OI 2004. - STOLNOTENISKI TURNIR: VAIDA S AUSTRALKOM LAY Stolnotenisacica Cornelia Vaida igrat ce u prvome kolu Olimpijskog turnira s Australkom Jiang Feng Lay, dok su Tamara Boroš i Zoran Primorac slobodni u prvim kolima. Boroš je kao nositeljica slobodna u prva dva kola, a u trecem ce 17. kolovoza igrati ili s Rumunjkom Otiliom Badescu ili s Izraelkom Kravcenko. Primorac je kao nositelj slobodan u prvome kolu, a u drugome ide na pobjednika dvoboja Milicevica iz BiH i Australca Lavalea. Opširnije... OI 2004. - NOGOMETNI TURNIR: REMI ITALIJE I GANE, PORTUGAL IZGUBIO OD IRAKA Nogometaši Iraka priredili su veliko iznenadenje drugog dana olimpijskog nogometnog turnira. U dvoboju prvoga kola skupine D pobijedili su europske viceprvake, Portugal, s 4:2. Dodajmo tomu da je Portugal od 51. minute igrao bez iskljucenog Luisa Boa Morte. Još jedna europska momcad loše je otvorila nogometni turnir. Talijani su remizirali s Ganom s 2:2 u dvoboju skupine B. U istoj je skupini Paragvaj s 4:3 svladao Japan. Opširnije... OI 2004.: PAPINA PORUKA ZA OLIMPIJSKE IGRE Papa Ivan Pavao II. u poruci koju je danas uputio grckom predsjedniku republike, Costantinosu Stephanopuolosu, poželio je da Olimpijske igre koje pocinju 13. kolovoza budu oznacene bratstvom medu narodima. Olimpijada u Ateni neka bude prilika za bratstvo medu narodima i kulturama, porucio je Papa u poruci šefu grcke države, a time i cijeloj olimpijskoj zajednici. Opširnije... HRVATSKI JEDRILICARI NA OI 2004.: PRVI TRENING U ISTOCNOSARONSKOM ZALJEVU Hrvatska jedrilicarska reprezentacija uspješno je obavila prve treninge na regatnom polju Istocnosaronskog zaljeva, gdje ce 14. kolovoza, prvoga dana Igara prvi nastupiti Karlo Kuret u klasi Finn i posada u klasi 470 Tomislav Bašic-Petar Cupac, a dan kasnije svoj nastup zapocinje i Mate Arapov u Laseru.Opširnije... HRVATSKI OLIMPIJCI NA OI 2004.: RUKOMETAŠI NERVOZNI, 86 HRVATA NA SVECANOM OTVARANJU U Hrvatskoj kuci u Maroussiu održana je prva konferencija za novinare na kojoj su nazocili hrvatski sportaši. Gosti izvanrednog zdanja kojeg je vlasnik Slavko Šimunovic ustupio Hrvatskom olimpijskom odboru bili su rukometni izbornik Lino Cervar, vaterpolist Dubravko Šimenc, te plivaci Sanja Jovanovic i Gordan Kožulj.Opširnije... OI 2004.: KOREJKE NA TRENINGU POSTAVILE DVA SVJETSKA REKORDA U STRELICARSTVU Južnokorejske strelicarke danas su na treningu pred olimpijska natjecanja u Ateni postavile dva nova svjetska rekorda. Park Sung Hyun je sa 682 boda iz 72 strelice postavila novi svjetski rekord u pojedinacnoj konkurenciji, popravivši stari rekord Talijanke Natalije Valeeve za tri boda, a zajedno s reprezentativnim kolegicama Lee Sung Jin i Yun Mi Jin postavila je i novi svjetski ekipni rekord, s 2030 bodova iz 216 strelica. Opširnije... OI 2004. - TENISKI TURNIR: ANCIC NA HAASA, PA NA RODDICKA Hrvatski tenisaci i tenisacice danas su saznali imena svojih protivnika u prvome kolu olimpijskog turnira, koji zapocinje u nedjelju. Mario Ancic igrat ce protiv Nijemca Tommyja Haasa, Ivan Ljubicic za protivnika je dobio Armenca Sargisa Sargsiana, a Ivo Karlovic odmjerit ce snage s 13. nositeljem, Rumunjem Andrejem Pavelom. U ženskoj konkurenciji Hrvatsku ce predstavljati Karolina Šprem, koja ce u prvome kolu igrati protiv Argentinke Gisele Dulko, te Jelena Kostanic, koja je za protivnicu u prvome kolu dobila Portorikanku Kristinu Brandi. Opširnije... OI 2004.: SVI HRVATSKI SPORTAŠI ZDRAVI I SPREMNI ZA NASTUP Prvi dani hrvatskih olimpijaca u Olimpijskom selu Parnitha proticu iznimno mirno, a osim manjih tehnickih problema izuzetno smo zadovoljni smještajem, izjavio je šef Misije HOO-a u Ateni Damir Šegota. Cijela hrvatska repezentacija nalazi se u paviljonu GA 12, u samome središtu sela. Dva dana prije pocetka Igara u Selu je trenutacno 98 Hrvata, a nedostaju visašica Blanka Vlašic, te tekvandoašice Sandra Šaric i Nataša Vezmar, koje u Atenu stižu 24. kolovoza. Opširnije... 11.08.2004, srijeda OI 2004. - NOGOMETNI TURNIR: UVJERLJIVE NJEMICE I ARGENTINCI Iako ce tek u petak Olimpijske igre biti službeno otvorene prigodnom ceremonijom, danas su pocela prva natjecanja. Na nogometnom turniru najuvjerljivije su kod žena bile Njemice, koje su u skupini F s 8:0 razbile Kinu. Junakinja utakmice bila je Birgit Prinz, koja je postigla cetiri pogotka (13, 21, 73, 88). U susretu prvog kola skupine G reprezentacija SAD-a pobijedila je domacina Grcku 3:0 (2:0). Na muškom turniru Argentina je sa 6:0 deklasirala Srbiju i Crnu Goru.Opširnije... OI 2004.: JAVLJANJEM U SREDIŠNJI DNEVNIK POCEO OLIMPIJSKI PROGRAM HTV-a Na Olimpijskim igrama u Ateni vec su pocela natjecanja na ženskom i muškom nogometnom turniru, koja vec tradicionalno pocinju prije službenog otvaranja Igara. Hrvatska televizija obilježila je neslužbeni pocetaka Igara prvim javljanjem iz improviziranog televizijskog centra u Ateni, koji je zapravo cjelovita mala televizija. Bit ce to dosad najkompletnije i najopširnije pracenje OI u povijesti Hrvatske televizije, a sva izvješca bit ce emitirana iz atenskog studija. Opširnije... ATLETIKA: TORRI EDWARDS SUSPENDIRANA Svjetska atletska prvakinja na 100 metara Amerikanka Torri Edwards (27) suspendirana je na dvije godine zbog uzimanje nedozvoljenog stimulansa nikethamidea. Torri Edwards je najavila žalbu Arbitražnom sudu u Lausannei, braneci se kako je za njezin pozitivan dopinški nalaz kriv lijecnik. Opširnije... OI 2004.: OTKAZALA I SERENA, JENSENU MILIJUN ZA POBJEDU NAD HACKETTOM Nakon što je jucer objavljeno da je americka tenisacica Jennifer Capriati odustala od nastupa u Ateni, nedolazak na Igre potvrdila je i njezina sunarodnjakinja Serena Williams, koja je prije cetiri godine na Olimpijskim igrama u Sydneyu sa sestrom Venus osvojila zlatnu medalju u paru. Americki plivacki savez (USAS) nagradit ce Larsena Jensena s milijun dolara ako u olimpijskoj utrci na 1.500 metara pobijedi Australca Granta Hacketta i pritom postavi novi svjetski rekord. Opširnije... OI 2004.: HRVATSKI SE SPORTAŠI SMJESTILI U REKORDNOM ROKU Skupina od 110 hrvatskih sportaša, trenera i medicinskog osoblja koja je kasno sinoc posebnim carter-letom iz Zagreba doputovala u Atenu, smjestila se u iznimno kratkom roku u Olimpijsko selo Parnitha. Prema rijecima glavnog tajnika Hrvatskoga olimpijskog odbora Ivice Stošica Miocica, dvosatni let protekao je u najboljem redu, a akreditacijski proces u samoj zracnoj luci Elefteros Venizelos obavljen je u rekordnom roku. Opširnije... http://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/olympics04/index.asp  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7922/1/E-Israel-vs-Croatia-in-World-Cup-warmup-tonight.html ÂIsrael vs. Croatia in WC warm-up tonight By Haarets Sports Staff Israel takes on Croatia tonight (live broadcast on Channel 10 at 9.15 P.M.) in its final warm-up game ahead of its 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign which kicks off on September 4 against France. Since the end of its failed Euro 2004 campaign, Israel has been unbeaten in four friendly matches, winning three and tying the other. Coach Avraham Grant has yet to announce who will captain Israeli in tonight's game. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/466021.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7921/1/E-Tamara-Boros-of-Croatia-winning-in-Athens.html ÂTamara Boros of Croatia, winning in AthensKravchenko run loses steamBy FRANKIE SACHSIn table tennis, Marina Kravchenko's brave run came to an end when she was defeated 11-8, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, by the world No. 6 Tamara Boros of Croatia, the top non-Asian player on the circuit.Marina Kravchenko lost her third-round match against Tamara Boros of Croatia on Tuesday after shocking the European champion in the previous round.After four days of competition during which half of Israel's 36 athletes have already taken part, only four have distinguished themselves so far. Although weather conditions have cancelled several races in the men's Mistral windsailing, Gal Friedman is doing his part to remain in medal contention. In men's tennis doubles, Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich reached the quarterfinals, and table tennis player Marina Kravchenko, a virtual unknown last week, became Israel's sweetheart with two wins in the opening rounds of the competition before bowing out Tuesday. On the other hand, shooter Alex Danilov has failed to meet expectations for the second Olympics in a row, while the other five sailors Lee Korsitz in women's Mistral and 470 class windsurfing pairs Udi Gal & Gidi Kliger and Vered Bouskila & Nike Kornecki are on their way to joining him in the disappointment category.Kravchenko went out in straight sets to Croatia's Tamara Boros, but nevertheless will be remembered for an impressive and exciting Olympic run. The classic underdog, Kravchenko swept aside local favorite Archontoula Volakaki in the first round and eliminated reigning European champion Otilia Bodescu of Romania in the second before falling to the fifth seed 11-8, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7. "I m quite pleased with my result," Kravchenko told Channel 1 afterwards. "I got the most of my abilities here." The 30-year-old kept it close in the opening set and even tied the score at 8-8, but Boros won the next three points to win the set and never looked back. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1092712291797&p=1006953079949 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7920/1/E-Croatia-beat-Korea-29-26---Handball-Olympics-2004.html ÂCroatia beat Korea 29-26Croatia's Igor Vori (R) celebrates victory with his team mates after the men's preliminary round, pool A handball match against South Korea (news - web sites) at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (news - web sites), August 18, 2004. Croatia won the match 29-26. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor In the preliminary round of men's handball on Wednesday, Croatia beat Korea 29-26.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7919/1/E-Orlando-Magic-sign-Croatian-Mario-Kasun.html ÂMagic sign Mario KasunOrlando Magic News / Aug 16, 2004 The Orlando Magic have signed center Mario Kasun (pronounced "kah-SOON"), General Manager John Weisbrod announced. Per team policy, terms of the deal are not disclosed. Kasun (7’1”, 260, 4/5/80) was originally selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. His draft rights were traded to Orlando in exchange for future considerations on June 26, 2002. Kasun spent the 2003-04 season with the Opel Skyliners in Frankfurt, Germany. He averaged 9.3 ppg., 7.1 rpg. and 2.3 blkpg. in 27 games. Kasun has been a member of the Magic’s summer league teams during the last three summers. He played in five games during the 2004 Pepsi Pro Summer League in Orlando, averaging 8.8 ppg., 5.4 rpg., 1.0 apg. and 1.00 blkpg. in 21.8 minpg., while shooting .556 from the field. During five games at the 2004 Reebok Vegas Summer League, Kasun averaged 10.6 ppg., 7.6 rpg., 2.8 apg. and 1.00 blkpg. in 27.8 minpg., while shooting .575 from the floor. Kasun has spent the last two seasons in Frankfurt, Germany with the Opel Skyliners. In 2002-03, he averaged 10.3 ppg., 5.5 rpg. and 1.00 blkpg. He also played two seasons with KK Zagreb in Croatia. Kasun played for the Croatian Junior National Team in 1998-99 and was a member of the Croatian Under-21 National Team in 2000. http://www.insidehoops.com/mario-kasun-081604.shtml  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7918/1/E-Tamara-BOROS-heads-European-hopes.html ÂBOROS heads European hopes ÂÂKen Muhr Photo by: Kazuyuki TakahashiTamara BOROS, (Croatia), 26, Europe’s highest world ranked women player – she is currently no.7 and no.5 Olympic seed, made her first and successful women’s singles appearance today, comfortably beating Marina KRACHENKO of Israel, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7.Playing in red, BOROS had too much topspin power on both forehands and backhands for the Israeli attacker. The Croatian is the European the Asians fear most, though her length of stroke can make her a fraction slow at the very highest level. BOROS top European In the same series of matches, world no.1 and top seed ZHANG Yining (China), aged 21, put out 42 year old New Zealander LI Chunli, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7. It was a clash between the new generation of Chinese international represented by the two wing top-spinning ZHANG, and the fast short pimples, pen-hold hitting style of LI, who was a former member of the Chinese team in the 1980’s. Ultimately, although she is fantastically fit and determined, LI Chunli is too old to win at the very highest level. About playing ZHANG she said, “It is very difficult to confront the No.1 in the world. If I had taken the 2nd game perhaps I could have played with more confidence. I am very pleased with my participation in the Athens Olympics.” ZHANG was happy with her performance. “I played well, better than yesterday and I felt very calm. At the Olympic Games all the games are very difficult but I was very well prepared.” http://www.ittf.com/Protour_new/Stories_detail.asp?ID=6136&PT_Title=&Year1=&  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7917/1/E-First-medal-for-Croatia-at-the-2004-Olympic-Games.html ÂFirstCroatian medal at the 2004 OlympicsNikolay Pechalov takes a bronze. Â1 ZHANG Guozheng 1974 A 68.74 152.5 157.5 160.0 160.0 187.5 192.5 192.5 187.5 347.5 2 LEE Bae Young 1979 A 68.43 147.5 152.5 152.5 152.5 185.0 190.0 195.0 190.0 342.5 3 PECHALOV Nikolay 1970 A 68.07 150.0 150.0 155.0 150.0 182.5 187.5 192.5 187.5 337.5 If you want to know what all of these numbers mean click on:http://www.athens2004.com/en/WeightliftingMen/results?rsc=WLM069B01&frag=WLM069000_C73  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7923/1/E-CROATIA-34-ICELAND-30-in-Handball---Olympics-2004.html ÂMen : CROATIA 34-ICELAND 30 14 Aug. 2004 ATHENS, 14 August - World champions Croatia defeated Iceland in their opening game in the Olympic tournament 34-30 (halftime 16-12).Croatia was superior to Iceland throughout the greater part of the match but for the first 20 minutes of the game both teams were very close. Croatia started to widen the gap using their strong defence, good offensive combinations and taking advantage of any mistakes that Iceland would make.Igor VORI (CRO) played an exceptional game today, offering critical help to his team by scoring 6 goals and playing hard defence.Croatian line player Ivano BALIC organized the offence and made the play for his team.Iceland showed that it has a strong team, pushing Croatia all the way. The best player of the match, Olaf STEFANSSON, caused many problems to the Croatian defence, forcing the Croatian coach to change his zone defence and to play him man-to-man.At the 34 minute mark HALLGRIMSSON Asgeir Om was expelled from the game due to hard play.ATHENS, 14 August - Comments from the coaches, Lino CERVAR (CRO) and Gudmundur GUDMUNDSSON (ISL).Lino CERVAR (CRO) – CoachOn the match:"My team played well and at certain times I think we played exciting handball. On the other hand there were some points where we faced difficulties with our offence."On his team's defence:"I believe we executed the 3-2-1 defence really well. By using this kind of defence we found our rhythm and we won a game against a tough team, who I want to congratulate."Gudmundur GUDMUNDSSON (ISL) – CoachOn the game against Croatia:"We played against one of the best teams in the whole world. I’m satisfied with the way we played. Our defence stood up to their strong offence. Eventually we made a lot of critical mistakes and we could not take our chances."On the problem concerning the two minute suspensions:"In this game we had to play a lot times with 4 against 6 or 5 against 6. This was the point where we could not keep up our offence and as a result the Croatians scored too many goals on fast breaks. They had 14 fast breaks and this is a number that we cannot overcome."http://www.athens2004.com/en/resultsHandball/results?oid=fd19b3de0ee5ef00VgnVCM4000002b130c0aRCRD&dcpnews=1&rsc=HB0000000  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 14 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7926/1/E-Irish-Mum-fights-flying-fear-for-Olympian-son-that-practice-in-Croatia.html ÂIrish Mum fights flying fear for Olympian Gearóid13/08/2004 - 2:54:26 PMOne Irish mother has conquered her greatest fear today so she could see her son battle it out for an Olympic gold medal in Athens. Carmel Towey, from Kilworth, Co Cork, mother of rower Gearóid, is terrified of flying but was determined not to miss out on seeing her son take part in his third Olympic Games. She overcame her flying phobia today when she jetted out to the ancient city, along with her husband Jerry, her son David and his wife, Niamh, her sister-in-law Annette O'Connor and members of Fermoy Rowing Club. Her other son, Martin, and daughter Janette will stay at home. This is the first time she will be there to watch her son compete in the Olympics. Gearóid's father Jerry was in Sydney in 2000 when he flew the flag for Ireland in the rowing event. Carmel chose to stay at home, due to her fear of flying, and had to settle for watching her son compete on TV. This time around she wanted to be closer to the action. "This has always been his big dream. My husband was there with him in Sydney but I watched on TV. I hate flying. But it will be nice to be there this time. He can only do his best and please God they will do well." The reunion will be a special one as the family have not seen Gearóid in a while."I last saw him in early June. He has been training in Sweden and then Croatia. We are in constant contact though, texting is great. We got a message from him today wishing us a safe trip." Gearóid and his rowing partner Sam Lynch from Limerick will take to the waters against a team from the US on Sunday morning at 7.30am. Locals in Fermoy have pasted posters of good luck for the Cork athlete all over Kilworth and Fermoy. Over the next 16 days, Gearóid, will be among more than 10,500 athletes from more than 200 countries who will be battling it out for gold medals in 28 different sports at 35 venues across Athens. The sporting event was due to get underway today, amid the highest security level ever for an Olympic Games. A 70,000 strong security force, including soldiers carrying machine guns and armed police with dogs, were on stand by. The opening event was due to get underway at 6.30pm and run until 10pm. It will be televised on Network 2. More than 77,000 spectators will be in the stadium to witness the event first-hand, having paid up to €1,500 for the privilege. A further four billion TV viewers are also expected to tune in. RTÉ's Bill O'Herlihy will present live coverage of the Opening Ceremony from Athens on Network 2 from 6.30pm. The ceremony will be of particular interest to Ireland, as Cork man Dr Martin Barrett has played a huge role in the preparations for the event. He is the Envisaging Director of the Olympic Games, which means he is responsible for creating the vision behind the opening and closing ceremonies.As Sam and Gearóid take to the waters, Monkstown man Billy Twomey will be taking to the sky. Billy, who will act as a reserve for the Irish Equestrian Team, flies out to the Games on Sunday. Meanwhile, Munster athletes Robert Heffernan from Togher who will take part in the 20km walk and Cobh woman Sonia O'Sullivan who will participate in the 5,000m race, will come under the spotlight next Friday, August 20. On the same day, Cork's Mark Mansfield will take to his boat to show his sailing skills. The other Munster athletes, including Derval O'Rourke, Gillian O'Sullivan, Mark Carroll, Olive Loughnane and Maria Coleman, will all participate during the second week of the Games. http://www.eecho.ie/news/bstory.asp?j=93728580&p=937z9y6x&n=93729189  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 13 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7925/1/E-Blanka-Vlasic-jumps-203---personal-best.html ÂBlanka Vlasic jumps 2.03 - personal bestBlanka Vlasic (CROATIA) (Göran Lenz) Vlasic jumps 2.03 Wednesday 11 August 2004 Ljubljana, Slovenia - A 2.03 clearance by Blanka Vlasic of Croatia in the women's High Jump, a final pre-Olympic tune up by Ana Guevara, and double sprint wins by Athens-bound locals, highlighted the Ljubljana EAA permit meeting in Slovenia's capital.Vlasic - personal bestAfter early misses at 1.87 and 1.96, Vlasic, the 19-year-old two-time World junior champion topped 2 metres and 2.03 on her first attempt."I'm surprised with these heights because sometimes they're really problematic for me," said Vlasic, who has now bettered 2 metres three times this season, including a previous PB of 2.02 from Bastad three-and-a-half weeks ago. "Two meters is still a barrier in my mind. I'm glad that I'm getting over it more easily now." While pleased with her efforts, her clearances, she said, weren't perfect jumps, and she doesn't want to read too much into what might be in store in Athens."I don't want to get too much confidence, because then it's not right. This jump only means that I have a new PB of 2.03; it doesn't mean that I'll finish in the top three in Athens." Choosing to relax and avoid the hustle and bustle of Athens, Vlasic won't be arriving in the Greek capital until August 24, and will compete once more in Freiburg on Friday.http://www.iaaf.org/OLY04/news/Kind=2/newsId=26575.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 12 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7930/1/E-2004-US-OPEN-CHAMPIONSHIPS.html ÂUS Open 2004ÂThe US Open is the highest attended annual sporting event in the worldÂCome see the world's best tennis players and support your favorite Croatian tennis stars MARIO ANCIC ranked 16 and KAROLINA SPREM ranked 19 best in the world. Along with IVAN LJUBICIC, JELENA KOSTANIC, IVO KARLOVIC, ROKO KARANUSIC, MIRJANA LUCIC, ZELJKO KRAJAN, MAJA PALAVERSIC COOPERSMITH, LOVRO ZOVKO and others. Playing at US OPEN, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York from August 30th - September 12th, 2004. Free admission Open Practice Day on Sunday, August 29, 2004 gates open at 11:00 amFree admission to US Open Qualifying Tournament starting Tuesday, August 24 - Friday, August 27. Gates open at 10:00 am. Come see tomorrow's Croatian stars at one of the largest tennis tournaments in the U.S. Admission to all US Open qualifying matches are FREE! To purchase tickets for 2004 US OPEN, go to Ticketmaster.com or call Ticketmaster at 1-866-OPEN-TIX The US Open is the highest attended annual sporting event in the worldwww.usopen.org Transportation: Subway at Grand Central Station/Times Square take Flushing bound IRT number 7 train to Willets Point-Shea Stadium stop. Submitted by: Katarina Tepeshtepeshk@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7928/1/E-Israel-travels-to-Croatia-Friday-for-its-final-training-camp.html ÂGrant to track national squad's fitnessIsrael national soccer coach Avraham Grant plans to employ a team of scouts to to track the fitness of players on the squad. The data will be analyzed regularly by statistical experts, with each player receiving a personalized training program based on the results. Grant also plans to ask for regular reports from the coaches of teams on which Israel's overseas-based players Tal Ben Haim, Yossi Benayoun, Omri Afek and Pini Balili play. Israel travels to Croatia Friday for its final training camp prior to its opening World Cup qualifying group match against France September 4. (Haaretz Sports Staff)http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/462050.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 08 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7929/1/E-Duje-Draganja-a-UC-Berkeley-senior-goes-to-Olympics.html ÂDuje Draganja, a UC Berkeley senior goes to OlympicsAt the Olympics, Cal swimmers become competitors, representing Croatia, Poland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Malaysia ...By Gretchen Kell, Media Relations | 9 August 2004At swimmers' training bases in Eastern Europe this summer, three UC Berkeley students, three alumni and an incoming freshman have been preparing together for the sports event of their lives – the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. But while each of these top-notch athletes is associated with the UC Berkeley men's swim team, when they arrive in Athens this week for the Aug. 13-29 games they will become opponents, representing the countries of their roots – Croatia, Poland, Lithuania, Slovenia and Malaysia."They will be competing against each other," said UC Berkeley men's co-head swim coach Mike Bottom, who has been with these seven swimmers since June, in a recent overseas phone interview. "Yet, they'd rather be competing against each other than against anyone else."The UC Berkeley men's swim team "is a great example of Cal diversity," said Duje Draganja, a UC Berkeley senior, via e-mail from Croatia. "We have almost the same number of foreigners as Americans, so it's really fun to train together and swim with people who have completely different opinions and are from different regimes."In addition to Draganja, the young men heading from Eastern Europe to Greece are Milorad Cavic, a junior on Serbia-Montenegro's team; alumnus Alex Lim, swimming for Malaysia; alumnus Bart Kizierowski, on Poland's team; sophomore Rolandas Gimbutis, swimming for Lithuania; Gordon Kozulj, an alumnus also on Croatia's team; and Godec Jernejgodec, an incoming freshman, on the Slovenian team.Bottom said Draganja and Cavic, both 6' 5" teammates and good friends, would race against each other in at least one Olympic event. Cavic, raised in Anaheim, has parents who hail from Serbia – known for its bitter past with Draganja's native country, Croatia."We've never once judged each other based on the opinions of the countries we swim for," e-mailed Cavic earlier this summer from Slovenia. He said Draganja saw the violence firsthand as a teenager."Our families have met before, and I have visited him in (Croatia) for leisure," said Cavic. "We try our best to keep politics out of sport.""They laugh, then they spar, then they tell each other jokes. It's like watching a couple of lion cubs wrestling around," said Bottom. "They support each other in everything they do … Swimming is the common denominator with all these guys."Also: Interview with Miguel MolinaIn addition to the swimmers who have been practicing in Eastern Europe, other Cal-affiliated male swimmers at the Olympics will include Ricky Barbosa, a junior, and alumnus Renato Gueraldi, both swimming for Brazil; Daniel Lysaught, a sophomore on Australia's team; junior Miguel Molina, swimming for the Philippines; alumnus Ratapong Sirisanont, swimming for Thailand; and sophomore Jonas Tilly, who will swim for Sweden.The fact that these student-athletes aren't swimming for the United States doesn't bother Coach Bottom at all. "When they have an opportunity to represent another country," he said, "I encourage them to get as much experience as they can."A coach on a missionBottom, one of the world's top sprint coaches, said he pushes his Cal swimmers to go for the gold in part because he was a 1980 Olympic swimmer who never got to compete. That was the year the United States Olympic Committee boycotted the Moscow Olympic Games."As a result, my passion is to get as many guys as I can to go," said Bottom, who coached the two American swimmers who tied for a gold medal in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney – UC Berkeley alumnus Anthony Ervin and Gary Hall, Jr.Bottom added that he "interjects (striving to be an Olympian) into every swimmers' thought pattern because it's the ultimate."He said he enjoys being overseas with great UC Berkeley student-athletes because they help him recruit new swimmers. This summer in Slovenia and Croatia, he led a World Sprint Team that included the Cal swimmers."Whenever I'm with great Cal athletes, that's recruiting," said Bottom, who at UC Berkeley runs the men's swim team with head coach Nort Thornton. "Part of it is selfish– I want Cal to have great athletes in the future. The Eastern European guys are really interested in bettering themselves academically and athletically. They want a degree, they want to graduate, and then to go back to their countries to do something with it."Bottom also coaches swimmers off campus because he feels he has much to offer them as a specialty sprint coach, preparing them for races of 100 meters or less. Cavic called Bottom a "sprint guru.""I was the best in the world as a high school senior," said Bottom, "but I didn't swim my best until after college because of a coach that didn't know how to coach sprinters."Inspired by two fathersCavic, 20, who calls Bottom "a second father," was born in California just months after his parents arrived there from Serbia. They were seeking, he said, "the land of opportunity and a better life." At age 6, he learned to swim, but didn't join a swim team until he was 9. He initially thought competitive swimming took a lot of fun out of being in the pool.But his father, Dusko, wouldn't let him quit, especially after his son proved how skilled he was in the water."My father has watched some documentaries on other pro athletes and how they made it to the top," he said. "Most of them were similar in the way their fathers forced them to keep doing what they did well, which was exactly what happened for me."Bottom helped convince Cavic, years later as a high school senior, to further his swimming at UC Berkeley. By the time Cavic arrived in the East Bay, he had already participated in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney."The most important factor (in choosing UC Berkeley) was my feeling for the relationship I would have with my coach," said Cavic. "The second factor was the education and prestige. I knew that if I ever became injured and could not continue my career in swimming, I would have the opportunity to graduate with a strong diploma, which would help me feel more secure about my future."Although Cavic was raised in the United States, he said his parents have instilled in him a pride for his background and for Serbia, and he holds dual citizenship in both places.He's on the team for Serbia-Montenegro, in part, he said, to help "put it on the map for swimming."Bottom called Cavic "an incredibly talented athlete" who will qualify to swim the 100-meter long course butterfly and the 50-meter freestyle at the Olympics. "But they're both on the same day, half an hour apart," said Bottom, "and it's really difficult to try to swim them both. You can't do both, do well in both."Being on this summer's Olympic team has given Cavic, who broke the world record in the 100-meter butterfly in the European Short Course Swimming Championships last December representing Serbia-Montenegro, a "perk," he said. " I'm somewhat famous (in that country). People there recognize me everywhere I go, and it makes me feel good about what I'm doing."Cavic wears Cal gear when he's overseas, he said, particularly a Cal baseball cap. "I usually end up giving away most of what I brought with me from Cal because people just want it," he said. "It's always fun coming back to Serbia the next year and seeing people wearing those things."Few are as competitiveDraganja, 21, was born in the Croatian city of Split, one of the oldest cities on the Adriatic coast and a place with a long tradition in sports. Like Cavic, he began swimming at age 6 and also was recruited at age 17 by Bottom to attend UC Berkeley. He left his entire family behind in Croatia."I chose Berkeley because of the diversity and the academics," he said. "Berkeley is a well-known school in the world, and everybody advised me to go there."Bottom said Draganja brings a "great spirit" to UC Berkeley's men's swim team. "He's funny and always makes you laugh," he said. "He's always lighthearted, and yet he's so competitive. I don't know of many people as competitive as Duje."Earlier this year at the NCAA Championships, Draganja broke the world record in the short course 100-meter freestyle. But when he saw that American Ian Crocker also had broken the world record, but with a faster time, Draganja was dejected, Bottom said."When he touched the wall … I was there," said Bottom, "and I put my face in his face to tell him how great he was, how great he did, that I didn't want to see a look of dejection on someone who just broke a world record.""For him, it's not enough," he said, "He has to be number one."Draganja said he expects to swim in the Olympics in the 400-meter freestyle relay, the 100-meter butterfly, and the 50- and 100-meter freestyle. " My best event," he said, "is the 100 freestyle."He knows he may swim against his pal, Cavic, in a race or two, and added, "He is a great swimmer, and I enjoy training and competing against him."If Draganja has his way, he'll wear his Cal swim cap in Athens. "I always wear my Cal cap whenever I want, but the Olympics is a special case. But I will try."As they readied to travel to Greece, both Cavic and Draganja said they felt a bit nervous, but prepared to compete.Like Cavic, Draganja has participated in the Olympics before – at the 2000 games in Sydney - "so there's no reason to panic," he said. "I consider the Olympics just another meet, and that way I don't put pressure on myself. After all, I'm pretty young and can go on to another Olympics if I want."But Cavic simply glows when looking ahead to Athens."This is the summer we've dreamed would come again after four years, and now, finally, it's here," he said. "It's time to put our abilities to the ultimate test."For information on Cal Olympians in Athens – when they'll compete, in which events, and how well they do – go to CalBears.com and click on 2004 Cal Olympians. Information is not currently available on each Cal Olympian, especially those competing for countries other than the United States. Also check NBC Olympics.com for TV listings, schedules for each sport, and more.UC Berkeley | NewsCenter | Comments? E-mail newscenter@pa.urel.berkeley.eduCopyright UC Regents letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 07 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7927/1/E-US-men-with-Croatian-coach-edge-Croatia-to-advance-to-final.html ÂU.S. men edge Croatia to advance to finalNBCOlympics.com staff reportPOSTED: Saturday, August 7, 9:32 a.m.The U.S. men's water polo team defeated Croatia 12-11 on Friday, advancing to the final of the Belgrade Trophy tournament in Serbia and Montenegro.Tied 6-6 after regulation, the Americans edged out the tough Croatian squad in a sudden-death shootout at Tasmajdan Pool."What is important is that we were prepared, we had a game plan," U.S. coach Ratko Rudic said. "The players realized what we needed to do. It was a great disciplined game."American Tony Azevedo scored late in the fourth quarter to put the U.S. up by a goal, but Croatia scored with two minutes remaining to send the match into a shootout. Azevedo and Ryan Bailey each scored three goals for the U.S., while three Croatian players put in three apiece.In the other semifinal, Serbia and Montenegro defeated Russia 12-11, also in a penalty shootout. The U.S. plays Serbia and Montenegro in the championship match on Saturday."The victory against Croatia is really important because it shows we can train hard and still beat one of the best teams in the world," Rudic said. "We're one of the teams that everybody must take into consideration."The U.S. team will face Croatia again in its opening Olympic match in Athens on Aug. 15.http://www.nbcolympics.com/waterpolo/5029815/detail.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 07 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7931/1/E-Petra-Banovic---Croatia-Swimming-Olympic-Games-2004.html ÂPetra Banovic - Croatia, Swimming @ Olympic Games 2004Sun Devils strive for Olympic glory16 past and present ASU coaches, athletes to compete in Athensby Christopher DrexelASU junior-to-be diver Joona Puhakka practices dives at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. Puhakka, a two-time NCAA champion, will represent Finland in the Athens Olympics. Swimmer Agnes Kovacs of HungaryJunior-to-be sprinter Lewis Banda of Zimbabwe.The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, will certainly have maroon and gold undertones to it.ASU athletics will be well represented when the Olympics' opening ceremonies commence on Aug. 13. On that night, 16 current and former Sun Devils will march into Olympic Stadium, ready to compete or coach on the international stage over the following 16 days. However, much of the maroon and gold at the Games will not translate into red, white and blue. Of ASU's 16 representatives, only three will be there in an attempt to bring home gold for the United States. The other 13 will represent nine other nations. There will be 441 athletes total at the Games. Of the 16 Sun Devil representatives, seven are current ASU athletes, four are former ASU athletes, three are current ASU coaches and one is a former ASU athlete-turned coach. No doubt the Sun Devils will look to add to an already healthy Olympic tradition at the school. Over the years Sun Devil athletes have brought home 53 Olympic medals, including 23 gold, 10 silver and 20 bronze. Two current Sun Devils and one former ASU competitor will return for their second Olympics, while two Sun Devil coaches are former Olympians themselves.Seven athletes and two coaches from ASU will have their competition in the water for various swimming and diving events. The nine aquatic Sun Devils will represent six nations. One current and two former ASU athletes representing three nations will compete on the track. And one coach and one former Sun Devil athlete will help to jumpstart the host nation on the softball diamond. Here are their stories:THE ASU ATHLETESLewis Banda -- Zimbabwe, SprintsAfter just two years as a member of the ASU track team, Banda is already one of the more accomplished athletes in the program's history. The 5-foot-6 native of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, has already logged five Top 8 finishes in NCAA meets, has been a five-time All-American and a four-time Pac-10 champion for the Sun Devils. Banda, an accounting major, has won the last two Pac-10 400m dash titles and finished fourth in the event at the at the NCAA Championships in June. Banda will be one of just 11 total athletes from his homeland to compete in Athens, and one of just five in track and field. He earned the invitation after competing in the African Championships held in Brazzaville, Congo, from July 14-18. Banda placed fourth in the 200m dash with a time of 21.08 and ran the second leg of a gold medal-winning 4x400m relay that clocked a time of 3:02.38.Petra Banovic -- Croatia, SwimmingThis senior middle distance swimmer enjoyed an impressive two years in Tempe after competing for San Jose State University as an underclassman. In 2003, the marketing major raked in four All-American honors and put her name in the Sun Devil record books in five individual events and three relays, including setting the school record in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:47.59 at the NCAA preliminaries. She then placed 12th in the event at nationals. In 2004, Banovic -- a Zagreb, Croatia, native -- swam one leg of an 800m freestyle relay that set a school record with a time of 8:00.69 at NCAAs. She also recorded ASU's second fastest time ever (147.17) in the 200m freestyle while swimming the opening leg of the relay at the Pac-10 Championships.Ahmed Hussein -- Egypt, SwimmingThis backstroke and freestyle swimmer recently competed an impressive four-year collegiate career and will be competing in his second Olympiad after swimming for Egypt at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. In 2002, the civil engineering major set an ASU record in the 100m backstroke by recording a time of 47.62 as part of the first leg of the Sun Devil medley relay team at the Pac-10 Invitational. In 2003, he repeated the feat at the Pac-10 Championships and took home honorable mention All-American honors in the 400m freestyle relay and the 800m freestyle relay.This season, he took fifth at the Pac-10s in the 100m backstroke (48.03) and seventh in the 200m backstroke (1:46.38). Hussein was born in Cairo, Egypt, but went to high school in Fullerton, Calif.David Kolozar -- Hungary, SwimmingKolozar, a young butterfly and freestyle swimmer, has already made plenty of noise after two years as a Sun Devil. As a freshman in 2003, the recreation tourism major earned honorable mention All-American honors in the 200m butterfly and 800m freestyle relay. He also clocked the second fastest 200m butterfly time in ASU history (145:16) at the NCAA Championships, placing 11th. This season, Kolozar took home a fourth place finish in the 200m butterfly with a time of 1:45.75 at the Pac-10 Championships, and made up one-fourth of an 800m freestyle relay team that placed 12th at the NCAA Championships.The Budapest, Hungary, native has competed extensively on the international level and was the 2003 Hungarian National Champion in the 200m butterfly. Agnes Kovacs -- Hungary, SwimmingAthens will be the second Olympiad for Kovacs, who won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney, Australia, Games in the 200m breaststroke. In Tempe, Kovacs has competed as a Sun Devil for three years, and when it is all said and done, she may be considered the best female swimmer to ever don the maroon and gold.As a freshman in 2002, the supply chain management major set ASU records in the 200m breaststroke (2:07.64) and 200m individual medley (4:10.77). She also finished second at the NCAA Championships in the 200m breaststroke and was the Pac-10 champion in the same event. 2003 saw Kovacs earn four All-American honors including first-team acclaim in the 100m and 200m breaststroke. She also placed third nationally in the 200m breaststroke and fourth in the 100m breaststroke.In 2004, Kovacs had an uncharacteristic season, but was still successful by anyone's standards, as she finished sixth at the NCAA Championships in both the 100m breaststroke and 200 individual medley. Kovacs was born in Budapest, Hungary, and was named her nation's female athlete of the year from 1997 to 2000 and was a seven-time European Champion. Joona Puhakka -- Finland, DivingWithout a doubt, Puhakka can be called the Michael Jordan of male collegiate diving, but after the Olympics, he hopes to call himself the best diver in the world, period. After just two years as a Sun Devil, the business major already has two national championships under his belt. During his freshman season in 2003, Puhakka became the first NCAA men's diving champion from ASU in 35 years as he went undefeated all year in the 1-meter springboard. He also placed third nationally in the 3-meter and earned three All-American honors, including first team status on the 1-meter and 3-meter before being named the Pac-10 diver and newcomer of the year. This season saw Puhakka take home the national crown in the 3-meter and finish third in the 1-meter before being named the Pac-10's diver of the year for the second straight season. He was born in Helsinki, Finland, and won the bronze medal in the 2003 diving World Championships. Florencia Szigeti -- Argentina, SwimmingWhat quarterback Andrew Walter has been to the football team, Szigeti has been to the ASU women's swimming team. The supply chain management major may be set for her senior year, but has already established herself as one of the most dominant freestyle swimmers in the school's history. In 2003, Szigeti earned six All-American honors, including first-team in the 400m freestyle relay. She finished 15th at the NCAA Championships in the 200m freestyle. This season, Szigeti set a school record in the first leg of the 400m freestyle relay before finishing ninth in the 200m freestyle at the NCAAs with a school record time of 1:58.48. Szigeti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and attended high school in Mendoza, Argentina. THE FORMER ASU ATHLETESMichael Campbell -- Jamaica, TrackThis former Sun Devil competed for two seasons with ASU but has competed for his country for much longer than that. During his time in Tempe, Campbell was a standout in the 400m, which he will continue to do in Athens this month, as he will run one leg of Jamaica's 4x400m relay. In the 2000 season, Campbell was the Pac-10 runner-up in the 400m with a time of 46.69.Prior to attending ASU, Campbell ran for Central Arizona Community College. He hails from Kingston, Jamaica. Stacey Farnworth -- Greece, SoftballWhile your average Greek cannot tell a softball from a grapefruit, the powers that picked Greece's first Olympic softball team have called upon a band of American players with Greek heritage to take to the diamond. Stacey Farnworth is no exception. A native of Upland, Calif., Farnworth was the lone senior on the 2001 Sun Devil softball team. She has stuck around Tempe since and served as both a graduate assistant and administrative assistant for ASU. Farnworth played third base during her junior year, batting .270. She then made the switch to catcher her senior year, starting all 58 of the team's games and finishing second in the Pac-10 with five pick offs. She played at Utah as an underclassmen. Farnworth will be reunited with her former ASU coach, Linda Wells, who will serve as the Greeks' skipper.Gavin Meadows, Great Britain, SwimmingA native of Leeds, England, Meadows hopes to make a splash in the pool for his tiny, but mighty island of a homeland. Meadows spent two seasons with the Sun Devils after the new millennium began. In 2001, he garnered first-team All-American honors with the 800m freestyle relay team, which finished fourth nationally with the second-best time in school history (6:26.27). Individually, he gained honorable mention All-American status in the 200m freestyle. He also qualified nationally in the 500m freestyle. Meadows has also swam internationally, winning a bronze medal in the 1998 World Games in the 800m freestyle relay. Dwight Phillips -- United States, Long JumpThis 2000 ASU graduate has gone on to become perhaps the most recognizable Sun Devil to compete in Athens, at least locally. But that is likely because he is the only ASU competitor to be donning the red, white and blue of the United States. Phillips had a solid collegiate career in Tempe, but the long jumper has recently gained many more accolades on the international level. In 2000, Phillips placed second at the U.S. Team Trials before finishing eighth in the long jump at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He then won the 2003 U.S. Outdoor long jump title, the 2003 World Indoor title and the 2003 World Outdoor title. Phillips began his collegiate career at Kentucky where he set a number of school records. Then during his junior year with ASU in 1999, the Tucker, Ga., native placed fourth in the long jump and triple jump at the NCAA Championships. In 2000, Phillips finished as the national runner-up in the long jump and also earned All-America honors in the 4x100m relay. THE ASU COACHESMark Bradshaw -- Finland, DivingIn 2004, Bradshaw finished his eighth season at the helm of ASU's diving program, and with prized possession Joona Puhakka, has taken the team to new heights. Now, Bradshaw will get a chance to return the favor to Puhakka and guide the young Fin in the biggest competition of his life, as Bradshaw has been named Finland's diving coach for Athens. In his last two seasons at ASU, Bradshaw has gained about as much recognition as a coach can. In 2003, he was named the NCAA diving coach of the year and the men's Pac-10 diving coach of the year. This season he took home the top coaching honor in the conference for both the men and the women. He has generated five All-Americans at ASU. As a competitor himself, Bradshaw was a member of the U.S. National Diving Team for 16 years, winning seven national championships and competing for America in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, where he placed fifth in the 3-meter springboard. He was also a four-time All-American at Ohio State. Mike Chasson -- Egypt, SwimmingMuch like his diving counterpart, Chasson will have a chance to coach one of his Sun Devil pupils in Athens when he guides Ahmed Hussein and the Egyptian swim team. Six years ago, Chasson became the first person to ever coach both the men's and women's swim teams at ASU, and the improvement his teams have shown has been evident. In 2003, Chasson led both teams to top-12 finishes in the NCAA Championships, something that hasn't occurred since 1987 and just the third time in school history. Prior to this season, his swimmers have established 36 school records and 189 All-American honors. Before coaching in Tempe, Chasson coached at Harvard and Stanford. His wife, Jill was an Olympian at the 1992 Games, competing in the 200m breaststroke. Zeke Jones -- United States, Men's Freestyle WrestlingA 1990 graduate of ASU, Jones left Tempe as one of the most decorated wrestlers in the program's history, and still is. Jones was a three-time All-American during his time as a Sun Devil and his 134 wins rank third on the school's all-time list. He won three Pac-10 championships in the 118-pound weight class and was runner-up at the 1990 NCAA Championships after an undefeated season. Jones then went on to be an assistant coach at ASU, helping the team to a 60-37 record, and is now assistant head coach at West Virginia University.Jones has already been to the Olympics as a competitor, as he won the silver medal at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain, at 114.5 pounds. He also won the gold at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. In December, Jones was named as an assistant to USA freestyle wrestling's coaching staff for Athens. Townsend Saunders -- United States, Women's Freestyle WrestlingThe former Sun Devil and U.S. Olympian recently finished his third season as an assistant coach for ASU wrestling under head coach Thom Ortiz. Now, he will put his grappling knowledge to the test as he guides the first women's freestyle wrestling team for the United States. Athens will be the first Olympics to feature women's wrestling. Saunders wrestled with Ortiz in the late '80s at ASU and compiled a 77-9 record -- including 40 wins in 1988-89 -- as a Sun Devil and is tied for fourth on the school's all-time list with a .895 winning percentage. He finished second at the NCAA Championships at 142 pounds in 1989 and third in 1990 at 150 pounds, while winning the Pac-10 crown both seasons. Saunders competed in both the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta where he won the silver medal. Linda Wells -- Greece, SoftballThe country of Greece is by and large not familiar with softball or baseball. In Athens, however, the country will get acquainted with both sports very quickly, as Greece will field its first national teams on the diamond, as the host nation gets an automatic berth in the tournament. But while the Greeks may be short on softball knowledge, they couldn't have found a coach with more experience in the sport than Wells, who has 884 career Division I victories on her resume. Like her players, Wells possesses some Greek blood, but is a native of the United States, specifically Pacific, Missouri. Wells is just the second coach in ASU's 37-year history, and she possesses a career record in Tempe of 533-389. Her Sun Devil teams have reached the College World Series on two occasions, including a third place finish in 2002. Wells is just four victories shy of becoming the school's all-time winningest coach, a feat she will accomplish before retiring as ASU's skipper at the end of the 2005 season. Reach the reporter at Christopher.Drexel@asu.edu. http://www.asuwebdevil.com/issues/2004/08/03/specialreports/680623 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 06 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7933/1/E-Croatians-on-European-Blind-Goalball-Championship.html ÂCroatians on European Blind Goalball Championship Aug 01, '04 (IsraelNN.com) The European championship in goalball for the blind will be held for the first time in Israel starting today. As of Friday (July 30) athletic delegations began arriving in Israel from Europe - Italy, Holland, Norway, Belgium, Croatia and Ukraine. Goalball is an Olympic sport included in the Paralympic Games, and the Israeli team has even won in this sport in the past, in the 1990 world championship and the 1991 European championship. This year, for the first time, the International Blind Sports Federation has decided to hold the European championship games in Israel. Minister of Tourism Gideon Ezra welcomed the decision to hold the games in Israel, and will attend the finals to distribute the awards to the winning teams. Minister Ezra noted that the Ministry of Tourism considers that holding the games in Israel is of the greatest significance and will encourage disabled people to visit Israel as tourists. Representatives of the Ministry of Tourism welcomed the sporting delegations at the airport and presented them with a token gift. The ministry is also organizing a special tour of Jerusalem for the participants, visiting Christian holy sites and the Western Wall tunnels. The championship games will be held at the national sports stadium for the blind in the Jerusalem Institute for the Blind, and the Beit Halochem Stadium in Tel Aviv. The championships are being organized jointly by the Israel Disabled Sports Federation, the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization and the Jerusalem Institute for the Blind. The games are open to the general public free of charge.http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=66625  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7932/1/E-Paul-Spoljaric-Still-Carrying-a-Torch-for-the-Major-Leagues.html ÂPaul Spoljaric Still Carrying a Torch for the Major LeaguesBy RICK WESTHEADCanada's Paul Spoljaric, pitching in an independent league in Ontario, last played in the majors in 2000. ORONTO, July 30 - Paul Spoljaric's fastball no longer pops a catcher's glove, and he has not sent major league scouts scribbling for at least several years.Spoljaric, 33, a left-hander whose tenure in the majors from 1994 to 2000 included stops in Toronto, Seattle, Philadelphia and Kansas City, has spent the past two years pitching once a week for about $6 in gasoline and meal money in Ontario's Inter-County Baseball League.Although it has helped keep him in shape, the stint in the independent league - a former home to pitchers like Ferguson Jenkins and Denny McLain - will not get Spoljaric back in the big leagues. For that, he will have to play in Athens."He's facing an uphill battle," said Jon LaLonde, the Toronto Blue Jays' director of scouting. "But with the state of left-handed pitching being what it is, if he goes out and gets hitters out, you never know."For Spoljaric, the Olympic tournament represents more than a "way to cap my career." It is also a last-chance audition.Teams are always on the lookout for talent, and most major league clubs will send scouts to the Olympics, especially to scrutinize the Cuban team, said Craig Shipley, director of international scouting for the Boston Red Sox.Canada enters the Olympics as a medal contender thanks partly to the unlikely absence of the United States, which lost out to Canada and Mexico in a qualifying tournament last year.Spoljaric will be handed the ball in almost any situation against the high-scoring Cuban and Japanese teams, said Greg Hamilton, the Canadian team's general manager."The only thing he won't do is close," Hamilton said, "but he brings an awful lot of flexibility and experience."The son of an immigrant construction worker from Croatia, Spoljaric began playing baseball at 13 when a friend's team was short a player. He said his father soon agreed to build a pitching mound on an empty lot next to his family's home in Kelowna, British Columbia, complemented by a makeshift strike zone built with two-by-fours.In 1989, Spoljaric signed as a free agent with the Blue Jays for $35,000, and after seven years in the minors, he became a major league regular. In 1997, he was traded to Seattle. Two years later, after trades to Philadelphia and back to Toronto, he was traded again, this time to the St. Louis Cardinals. They released him before the start of the 2000 season after he injured his back while bending to tie his shoes.In 195 games and 277 1/3 innings, Spoljaric posted an 8-17 record with a 5.52 earned run average. "Paul left the game out of frustration and didn't read the sports section for at least a year," said Lisa, his wife. "Baseball just wasn't talked about."Instead, Spoljaric began working in a Toronto suburb as a project supervisor for a construction company. Playing in the Inter-County League started as a way to help re-establish ties to the sport, Spoljaric said."Playing here has helped me get past the 'Woe is me, I don't belong here, I'm better than this' mentality," said Spoljaric, who made as much as $450,000 a year in the major leagues.Last year, pitching against mostly former United States college players and those with low-level professional experience, Spoljaric was the Inter-County League's most valuable player with an 11-0 record and a 1.61 E.R.A."The stigma he faces is why he hasn't been in pro ball recently," LaLonde said. Another concern could be Spoljaric's arm strength. His fastball averages 85 miles an hour, about four miles an hour slower than when he was last in the major leagues.Spoljaric will not necessarily be playing with Canada's best. Hamilton will not have access to all his country's top talent because the tournament runs Aug. 15-25, at a time when major league teams may be poised for a pennant race.Among the players absent from the Canadian lineup are the Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Adam Loewen, the fourth pick in the 2002 draft, who signed a $4 million contract, and Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who was recently recalled to the majors."I'm not trying to snuggle up to anyone, and I'd tell you if I thought teams were giving us a hard time, but they've been very accommodating," Hamilton said. "If you look at Morneau, the Twins are fighting for the playoffs and he's batting near .300. How can you argue with that call-up?"The Colorado Rockies have not said whether they plan to allow the left-handed pitcher Jeff Francis, the ninth pick over all in 2002 and now in Class AAA, to participate in Athens, Hamilton said.Spoljaric, meanwhile, said the Olympics was just the high-profile event he needed to bolster his comeback attempt."I can pitch and go out there and do the job," he said. "I may not throw as hard as I once did, but I'm a better pitcher today than I was when I broke into the majors. I just need to have a few teams see what I can do."http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/31/sports/olympics/31canada.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 02 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7934/1/E-Croatians-and-Olympics-1890-1980s.html ÂCROATIA AT THE OLYMPICS, 1890's-1980'sBy Adam S. EterovichGreat honor has come to Croatia in Utah. The Battleship USS Utah was sunk at the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Chief Petty Officer Peter Tomich, Croatian American, gave his life saving his fellow sailors and was awarded America's highest honor and awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery beyond the call of duty. No next of kin could not be found and this Medal of Honor lays unclaimed; it is on display in Salt Lake City, Utah as he has been adopted by the State of Utah.Now, a young Croatian girl, Janica Kostelic, was honored with a Medal of Gold at the Olympic Games in Utah.Croatian Olympic Champions Credited to Italy, Austria and EnglandCroatians participated in all Olympic Games since the start of the modern games in the 1890's. Credit was always given those that ruled her. Milan Neralic was awarded a Bronze medal in Fencing for Austria in 1900. He was a Croatian. Croatia was a part of Austria. Petar Ivanov, Ante, Frano, Simun Katalinic, Viktor Ljubic and Bruno Soric were awarded Bronze medals in Rowing for Italy in 1924. They were from Zadar; Zadar was then part of Italy. Paolo Radmilovich from Dubrovnik was awarded a Gold medal in swimming for England in 1908, and a Gold medal for waterpolo in 1908, 1912, 1924 and 1928.Many Croatians won Olympic medals while controlled by Yugoslavia. Croatia and Croatians should not allow Austria, Italy or Yugoslavia to any longer take credit for something that is not theirs. These are spoils of war and national heritage theft.From the beginning of the Olympic Games to the 1980's, Croatia won approximately 170 Olympic medals including 51 Gold medals. Croatian Olympic Gold winners included:Name Year SportCOSIC, KRESIMIR 1980 BASKETBALLJERKOV, ZELJKO 1980 BASKETBALLKNEGO, ANDRO 1980 BASKETBALLKRSTULOVIC, DUJE 1980 BASKETBALLNAKIC, MIHOVIL 1980 BASKETBALLSKROCE, BRANKO 1980 BASKETBALLPARLOV, MATE 1972 BOXINGBASIC, MIRKO 1984 HANDBALLHORVAT, HRVOJE 1972 HANDBALLJURINA, PAVAO 1984 HANDBALLMILJAK, ZDRAVKO 1972 HANDBALLOGNJENOVIC, MIRJAN 1984 HANDBALLPRIBANIC, MIROSLAV 1972 HANDBALLPTUJEC, JASNA 1984 HANDBALLVIDOVIC, ALBIN 1972 HANDBALLVISNJIC, BISERKA 1984 HANDBALLZORKO, ZDENKO 1972 HANDBALLZOVKO, ZDRAVKO 1984 HANDBALLLJUBEK, MATIJA 1976 KAYAKLJUBEK, MATIJA 1984 KAYAKBONACIC, DUJE 1952 ROWINGSEGOVIC, PETAR 1952 ROWINGTROJANOVIC, MATE 1952 ROWINGVALENTA, VELIMIR 1952 ROWINGANKOVICH, ANTE 1960 SOCCERBEGO, ZVONKO 1960 SOCCERMATUS, ZELJKO 1960 SOCCERPERUSIC, ZALJKO 1960 SOCCERZANETIC, ANTE 1960 SOCCERBJEDOV, DURDICA 1968 SWIMMINGBEBIC, MILIVOJ 1984 WATERPOLOBEZMALINOVIC, MISLA 1988 WATERPOLOBONACICH, OZREN 1964 WATERPOLOBUKIC, PERICA 1984 WATERPOLODUHO, VESELIN 1988 WATERPOLOHEBEL, ZDRAVKO 1968 WATERPOLOLOPATNY, RONALD 1968 WATERPOLOLUSIC, DENI 1984 WATERPOLOLUSIC, DENI 1988 WATERPOLOPASKVALIN, TOMISLAV 1984 WATERPOLOPASKVALIN, TOMISLAV 1988 WATERPOLOPOLJAK, MIROSLAV 1968 WATERPOLOPOSINKOVIC, RENCO 1988 WATERPOLOROJE, ZORAN 1984 WATERPOLOSIMENC, DUBRAVKO 1988 WATERPOLOSTIPANIC, KARLO 1968 WATERPOLOSUKNO, GORAN 1984 WATERPOLOTRUMBIC, IVO 1968 WATERPOLOVULETIC, BOZO 1984 WATERPOLOLISJAK, VLADO 1984 WRESTLINGAmerican Croatian Olympic ContributionsFormer National Amateur Athletic Union and World's Diving Champion, Helen Crlenkovich is about to make a perfect entry into the water after a dive from the highboard. Known popularly as "Clenkie", Crlenkovich was National Outdoor Springboard Champion in 1939, 1941, and 1945; National Platform Champion in 1941 and 1945, and the National Indoor Three Meter titleholder from 1939 to 1942. She won the Olympic Gold Medal in Diving in 1932. The former University of California student and native of San Francisco, California died of cancer in 1955 only one week after learning that she had been named to the Helms Foundation Diving Hall of Fame. Helen Crlenkovich is a Croatian American.Sacramento's George Stanich was John Wooden's first All-American at University of California at Los Angeles. Stanich played guard for the Bruins and earned his honors in 1950. An all-around athlete, he captured a Bronze Medal in the high jump at the 14th Olympic Games in London and later pitched for Oakland of the Pacific Coast Baseball League. Stanich coached basketball at El Camino College in Los Angeles for 15 years and in 1971 coached Yugoplastika of Split to the national basketball championship. He was Professor of Physical Education at El Camino College in Los Angeles. George Stanich is a Croatian American.The "Miracle on Ice" still ranks among the nation's greatest sporting moments and, in many ways, Mark Pavelich was symbolic of the American team. The conversation quickly moves to that night in Lake Placid, N.Y., against the Soviet Union, more than 20 years ago, when he collected the puck along the boards and slid it in front of the net. That puck ended up on the stick of teammate Mike Eruzione, who scored to give the U.S. squad an upset over the USSR on the way to a Gold Medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Pavelich was small for the game, never growing taller than 5 feet 8, but all those childhood days on outdoor rinks molded him into a clever skater and stickhandler. "A throwback player who could control the puck like he had it on a string," says Baker, who grew up nearby in Grand Rapids. He was born in nearby Eveleth, in rugged country known as the Iron Range, where boys learn to hunt and fish from an early age. The town claims to have the world's largest hockey stick at 107 feet long, so they also learn to play. In the late 1970s, those skills made Pavelich one of the greatest players in the history of the University of Minnesota Duluth. They subsequently earned him a spot on the Olympic team. He earned respect with his work ethic and a knack for passing the puck. Former goaltender Jim Craig recalls him as "an honest man, just a wonderful guy to be around." Little was expected of the Americans that winter, their coach reportedly telling them before the Olympics it would take some luck to win a bronze. But after an opening tie against Sweden, they rolled to four consecutive victories against the likes of Norway and Romania to reach the medal round against the powerhouse Soviets. Pavelich played an essential, supporting role that night, assisting on two of the four goals. Two days later, the U.S. defeated Finland to win the gold medal, and Pavelich wound up with six assists in the seven Lake Placid games. The players became overnight heroes, appearing on television, visiting the White House, attending promotional events across the nation.Robert Minerich was asked by the United States Olympic Committee, to become Director of Olympic Village and Public Facilities for the VIII Winter Olympics to be held at Squaw Valley, California in 1960. Bob, Minerich was in charge of designing and directing the housing and feeding arrangements for the athletes, National and International Olympic Committee Members and heads of the many corporations involved in the Olympics. After the Olympics, as a management consultant, he helped plan, organize and staff a new ski facility, Alpine Meadows in the Squaw Valley, California area. In 1979-80, when the United States Olympic Committee again called upon his expertise. He took a three month leave of absence to become the liaison of the USA Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee to help solve the problems confronting the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Bob Minerich received a football scholarship from Northwestern University of Evanston, Illinois. Bob Minerich is a Croatian American. Sandra Bezic, a 1972 Olympian and former Canadian pairs champion, joined NBC Sports in 1990 as an analyst for its figure skating coverage. Sandra skated competitively with her brother, Val, from 1967 through the mid-1970s. She and her brother won the Canadian pairs novice title in 1967 and the Canadian senior competition four straight times from 1970-1973. Sandra has served as the analyst on numerous NBC Sports' figure skating events, including four World Figure Skating Championships 1991-1993 and 1995 and the World Professional Figure Skating Championships from 1990-1995. She has designed programs for many top skaters, including Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi and Kurt Browning. Sandra Bezic has choreographed and/or produced more than 25 television specials in Canada and the United States, including the Emmy Award-wining "Carmen on Ice." She won Gemini awards for producing Browning's "You Must Remember This" and Brian Orser's "Night Moves." Bezic also produced the North American Tour of "Stars on Ice" and is the author of "Passion to Skate: An Intimate View of Figure Skating." Sandra and her brother Val are Canadian Croatians.Croatian Contributions Goran Ivanisevic was born on September 13, 1971 in Split, Croatia. He played tennis for the Croatian National Davis Cup teams; he was awarded an Olympic Bronze Medal in 1992, individually and in pair with G. Prpic. He is Wimbledon Champion in 2001 and was Wimbledon finalist 1992); Wimbledon semi-finalist (1990); best placing on ATP list: fourth place, 1992. He was awarded Best Sportsman of Croatia in 1992. Drazen Petrovic led the Croatian team to the Olympic Final against the American Dream Team and won the Silver Medal in Barcelona. In 1988 Drazen joined "Real", a club from Madrid and after three years of successful playing he accomplished the dream of the dreams of all basketball players, when he scored his first goal for the colors of the best World League-the American NBA. At first he played for Portland Trail Blazers and from 1991 to his death he was wearing the colors of New Jersey Nets. During the nine years of his brilliant carrier he was the number one player on all basketball levels, in Spain, even in the USA where he was scorer number one of the NETS and the scorer number eleven of the NBA League. Toni Kukoc is a professional basketball player. Born September 18, 1969 in Split, Dalmatia, Croatia. married with one child. Olympic Silver Medal 1988, Olympic Silver Medal 1992. Played professional basketball in Chicago for the Chicago Bulls. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7936/1/E-Croatia-awards-Spains-Moya-medal-of-honour.html ÂCroatia awards Spain’s Moya medal of honourZAGREB (Croatia): Spanish tennis star Carlos Moya was awarded a top state honour on Wednesday for helping promote Croatia abroad. Moya, who has won the Croatia Open four times and is making his 10th appearance at the tournament in the northern Adriatic resort of Umag, received a medal of honour from President Stipe Mesic. “Moya kept returning to Umag even in the years when many evaded the country out of fears from the perils of war, proving that he is a true friend of sport and Croatia,” Mesic said as he presented the medal. The tournament in Umag has been part of the ATP Tour for 15 years but many players skipped it from 1991-95, when Croatia fought an intermittent war with minority Serbs, who opposed the country’s independence from Yugoslavia. Moya, who won his first-round match against Roko Karanusic on Tuesday, has won 17 ATP tournaments, including the French Open. “I have been coming here for 10 years and hope to come back for 10 more,” Moya, the world number four, said. – AP http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/7/23/sports/8502470&sec=sports letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 28 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7935/1/E-Croatia-Moves-Into-First-Place-Tie-With-Win.html ÂCroatia Moves Into First Place Tie With Win Gamecock sophomores propel their native country to victory July 25, 2004 Bretagne, France - South Carolina women's basketball players Iva Sliskovic and Lea Fabbri teamed to lift Croatia to an 81-73 win over Belgium in first round action at the FIBA European Championships for Under-20 Women on Sunday. Gamecock signee Ilona Burgrova was also in action at the tournament, as her Czech Republic squad was upset by Hungary, 66-57. Sliskovic again led the Croatian team, scoring 16 points and hauling in seven rebounds. She added a blocked shot and a steal as well. For the second consecutive game, Fabbri played all 40 minutes in the backcourt, scoring 10 points and dishing out a game-high six assists. Burgrova scored nine points and brought in eight rebounds in defeat for the Czech Republic, as she had difficulty with Belgium's defense inside, converting on only 4-of-11 shots from the field. The Czechs' loss, coupled with the Croatians' win, moved the two teams into a four-way tie for first place in their group at 2-1 with Poland and Hungary. All teams still have two games yet to play in the first round, with the top two teams advancing to the semifinals. The Czech Republic faces Belgium (1-2) on Tuesday before locking horns with Poland (2-1) on Wednesday. Croatia can control its own destiny if it can knock off Poland Tuesday and concludes preliminary round action with Spain (0-3) on Wednesday. http://uscsports.collegesports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/072504aaa.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 28 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7938/1/E-Croatia-takes-silver-on-Global-Games.html ÂCroatia Takes Silver at the Global GamesÂGLOBAL GAMES NOTESPosted on Sun, Jul. 04, 2004 Scouts keep it in familyBy John MillerStar-Telegram Staff WriterDALLAS - For the first time since 2000, NBA Director of Scouting Marty Blake did not attend the Global Games.But the tournament got the next best thing with his son, Ryan Blake, there to represent the NBA.Blake followed his father's footsteps into basketball scouting, and, as the NBA's assistant director of scouting, he spent most of the week scouting the young talent at the Global Games."It's a lot of work, but it's been great," Ryan said. "I knew exactly what I was getting into. Being around [Marty Blake] is a learning experience. He's just a wealth of information and you learn by example."Blake grew up traveling the country with his father, who was one of the pioneers of basketball scouting and has been nicknamed "Super Scout." The younger Blake started scouting games when he was 16 and took it up full time in 1995 after a stint as a professional tennis player.The father-son duo advises teams on players to watch and not to watch, puts together profiles of players and makes a database with scouting reports.Twenty-eight of the 30 NBA teams sent representatives to the Global Games.Hard knock victoryWith 9:12 left in the fourth quarter of the fifth-place game against Puerto Rico, former Dunbar player Jeremis Smith fell and hit his head, rendering him unconscious for a brief period of time."I didn't know I was on the ground until I saw everybody standing above me and looking at me," Smith said.Smith was helped off the court and sat behind the Team USA bench as he recovered.He returned with 5:21 to play in regulation and connected on a key three-point play in the final minute before fouling out in overtime in Team USA's 108-107 victory."Mainly, I wanted to help my team," Smith said. "I didn't want to quit on my team. I got the three-point play and made the free throw like I was supposed to and then my team finished it up from there."Smith and teammate Anthony Morrow, a fellow Georgia Tech signee, were both named to the All-Global Games Team.Ukraine wins goldOleksiy Pecherov led all scorers with 31 points as Ukraine claimed the gold medal with an 84-79 win over Croatia.Ukraine was down by as many as seven points late in the third quarter, but Pecherov hit two free throws to tie the game at 63 midway through the fourth. After Croatia pulled to within three points with a minute left, Pecherov hit a field goal and two free throws.Pecherov and Croatia's Marko Banic, who scored 26 points Saturday, were named co-MVPs of the Global Games.In the bronze-medal game, Leonardo Mainoldi scored 39 points and had eight rebounds to lead Argentina to a 94-88 win over Lithuania, which had three players score 20 or more points.Staff Writer Mercedes Mayer contributed to this report.http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/9078884.htm?1c  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7937/1/E-Hibs-knocked-out-of-Intertoto-after-loss-in-Croatia.html ÂHibs knocked out of Intertoto after loss inCroatiaby Paul Cachia, di-ve sport Slaven Belupo - Hibernians 3-0Saturday, June 27 2004 NK Slaven Belupo ended Hibernians' Intertoto Cup hopes in the first round with a fine win in the second leg in Croatia. A 2-1 win in the first leg last week gave the Maltese side hope but VRUNICA's goal after 15 minutes started the slide. VISKOVIC doubled the lead after 76 minutes, converting a penalty kick. MIJATOVIC wrapped things up with one minute from time. Hibernians had hoped to progress into the second round of the Intertoto Cup. But they were left to rue the fact they failed to make the most of their chances in the first leg as their Croatian hosts stamped their authority in the return at the Koprivnica Stadium. http://www.di-ve.com/dive/portal/portal.jhtml?id=141091&pid=32 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7940/1/E-BOROS-took-second-place-in-Chicago-at-the-US-Open.html ÂBOROS took second place in Chicago at the US OpenÂUS OpenSingapore's LI Jia Wei won her first ever Women's Singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour when she beat Tamara BOROS of Croatia in the final in Chicago on Saturday 3 July 2004; her previous best being in Wels, Austria when on Sunday 27 January 2002 when she had finished runner up to the Chinese penholder, LI Nan.The final was a match between the topspin player with the gravity defying high toss serve, Tamara BOROS, and the close to the table attacker who serves continually with the backhand, LI Jia Wei, a player renowned for her fast backhand topspin before the ball has reached the peak of the bounce. LI Jia Wei, won her first Women's Singles title on the ITTF Pro Tour in ChicagoThe girl from Singapore started in the fast lane, she won the first three games 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 and in the fourth went 4-1 ahead but then something happened. `I wanted to win and became timid, I played too softly,' said LI Jia Wei after the match; from that stage what appeared to be one way traffic became a duel.BOROS won the next nine points to lead 10-4, eventually winning 11-8. In the fifth she led throughout, winning again 11-8 and in the sixth BOROS made a splendid start, she went ahead 4-1 but then lost five points in a row! It seemed the tide had turned back in favour of LI Jia Wei, who serving, went ahead 7-5; the next seven points were all won by the server and at 10-9 LI Jia Wei had her first match point. She served, played a backhand topspin, BOROS returned with a brave forehand topspin, won the point and then the next two, to level proceedings. Throughout the seventh game BOROS was the aggressor but she had to plan the strategy herself, at 2-2 in the sixth game her coach, Neven CEGNAR, having been warned earlier was red carded and had to leave his courtside seat. However, BOROS made errors; the watershed came at 5-4 with LI Jia Wei leading. The Singapore girl played a weak topspin but BOROS missed the opportunity, her attacking stroke missing the end of the table; the very next point exactly the same thing happened but with one difference, the BOROS smash didn't miss. However, it seemed the earlier error had affected her confidence; she lost the next five points to trail 5-10. A desperate situation but BOROS kept fighting, she served and followed with a searing backhand topspin to save match point; then she won the next point, possibly the best of the match, hitting winner after winner before finally actually winning the point! However, it was to be the last point she would win, LI Jia Wei composed herself won the next point and the ITTF Pro Tour Killerspin US Open Women's Singles title, 11-6, 11-6, 11-4, 8-11, 8-11, 11-13, 11-7.`Relax, don't worry about the score, stay aggressive', was LI Jia Wei's relieved comment after the match and the key to her victory. `I played the wrong tactics. I was too far from the table and couldn't play strong backhands,' added BOROS. `I need to stay closer to the table against her.' BOROS further explained that she had experienced trouble concentrating the first three games and was obviously bothered by the backhand she'd missed at 5-4 in the seventh and on how it had affected her concentration; on such crucial points are championships won and lost. http://www.ittf.com/stories/Stories_detail.asp?Year=2004&General_Catigory=General&ID=6021& letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 04 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7939/1/E-New-world-game-series---Tour-to-Italy-and-Croatia.html ÂNew world game series Tour to Italy and CroatiaAn area of exceptional beauty, natural attractions and uniqueness.ÂA Mondial tour to romantic Italy and beautiful Croatia, a Lm50 Malta International Airport shopping voucher and a year's membership in the Scrabble Club await the lucky winner of the new word game series starting today. The tour will be made between August 24-31 and includes sightseeing in Rijeka and Trieste.There will be an optional full day city tour of Zagreb and the northern Croatian city of Varadzin, the administrative, economic, cultural and educational centre of the country on the right bank of the river Drava.Another optional excursion will be to Ljubljana, the capital of neighbouring Slovenia - a charming, inexpensive city with a relaxed pace, active café life and fondness for poets, referred to by visitors as "the Prague without tourists".Yet Ljubljana still has its own distinctive character with every nook and cranny filled with whimsical and delightful surprises.The tour offers an optional excursion to the beautiful national park of the Plitvice lakes, an area of exceptional beauty, natural attractions and uniqueness, declared by Unesco as a World's natural inheritance area. Rijeka, one of the most important port cities of Croatia and Trieste, a beautiful city in an idyllic setting backed by a white limestone plateau and facing the Adriatic are included in the tour. Other excursions will be to the unique city of Venice, to the most famous of all Italian resorts, Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the snow-covered Dolomite mountains and to Padua, the city of St Anthony.The winner of the word game which ended last Saturday is being drawn on Tuesday. The prize is a free place on Mondial's Mediterranean Cruise between July 16-23 and a year's membership in the Scrabble Club. The six nine-letter words for the series were undertone, nefarious, pervasive, sentiment, harlequin and undercoat.http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=156240  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 04 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7945/1/E-Ancic-rises-from-a-ball-boy-to-becoming-the-next-Ivanisevic.html ÂAncic rises from a ball-boy to becoming the next IvanisevicÂToday's result: Second seeded American Andy Roddick beat Croatia's Mario Ancic 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5FROM starry-eyed ball boy to Wimbledon quarter-finalist, Croatia's Mario Ancic has been asked for years whether he is the next Goran Ivanisevic. Just days after his adored countryman bowed out of the All England club and tennis, the likeable 20-year-old is bidding to emulate Ivanisevic's 2001 triumph here as he prepares to take on Britain's Tim Henman in the last eight. And, rather than tiring of people drawing parallels between himself and Ivanisevic, for whom he used to be a ball boy, Ancic has just gotten used to it.Croatia's Mario Ancic returns to Belgium's Xavier Malisse during their fourth round match at Wimbledon on Monday. Maslisse later retired from the match injured. -- APpic "I was answering the questions, 'are you the next Goran,' since I was 13," said Ancic, who advanced after Belgian Xavier Malisse retired injured with the Croatian leading 7-5, 3-1. "I'll be happy if I can just progress like he did. It was great for Croatian tennis, especially at a time when it was war and he was playing so good and waving a Croatian flag. "It was great for all Croatians so I think not only me but (Ivo) Karlovic and (Ivan) Ljubicic and everybody can try to do the same." Ljubicic was knocked out in the first round by South African Wayne Ferreira this year. But Karlovic, who upset defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in the opening round of 2003, made it through to the fourth round before bowing out to Roger Federer 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5) on Monday. It was the first time two Croatians had reached the round of 16 at a grand slam in the Open Era. Ancic's place in the quarter-finals represents his best grand slam performance after he reached the round of 16 at last year's Australian Open. And unseeded Ancic will be looking to build on his strong record against seeded players at Wimbledon. On his Grand Slam debut, as a qualifier in 2002 at Wimbledon, he upset No7 seed Federer in the opening round. This year, he beat number 33 seed Luis Horna and 25th seed Dominik Hrbaty in first and third rounds respectively. - AFP http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/6/30/sports/8329846&sec=sports  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 03 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7943/1/E-Lanka-Zimbabwe-Croatia-win-global-youth-hockey-marathon.html ÂLanka, Zimbabwe, Croatia win global youth hockey marathon New Delhi, July 3. (PTI): Sri Lanka in Asia along with Zimbabwe (Africa) and Croatia (Europe) have been selected as winners of the global youth hockey marathon held in May this year. According to the International Hockey Federation, the three countries were declared winners yesterday by a jury comprising members of the FIH Working Group Youth and the FIH Youth Panel. Fortyfive countries took part in the May 15-16 marathon, designed to stimulate interest in all aspects of the game, an FIH release said here today. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/007200407031860.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 03 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7942/1/E-Tamara-BOROS-beat-LEE-Hyang-Mi-of-Korea-at-the-US-Open.html ÂTamara BOROS beat LEE Hyang Mi of Korea at the US OpenThe top four seeds in the Women's Singles event at the ITTF Pro Tour Killerspin Open in Chicago, KIM Kyung Ah of Korea, Tamara BOROS of Croatia, LIU Jia of Austria and LIA Jia Wei of Singapore all came through the second round unscathed on Friday 2 July 2004 and furthermore, they all won in impressive style, non of the quartet dropping a single game. Tamara BOROS, the runner up in Brazil, safely through to the quarter-finals in Chicago Top seed KIM Kyung Ah, ranked number six in the world proved too strong for Romania'a Adriana ZAMFIR. `What surprised me was how good her serve was,' said ZAMFIR. `You don't usually expect that from a backspin player.' KIM Kyung Ah won 11-7, 11-3, 11-9. 11-6. `I'd push, push, push, then topspin, then either smash or push again, what made it difficult is that she has a very good quick hit.'Meanwhile, second seeded Tamarao BOROS beat LEE Hyang Mi of Korea 11-7, 11-6, 11-3, 11-3; third seeded LIU Jia defeated KWOK Fong Fong, from Hong Kong but now resident in Korea, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4, whilst fourth seeded LI Jia Wei overcame Sayaka HIRANO of Japan, 11-2, 12-10, 11-6, 12-10. Also safely through is Ruta BUDIENE-GARKAUSKAITE of Lithuania; a player who has developed a habit of beating higher ranked opposition on the ITTF Pro Tour this year; at the Greek Open she beat non other than the player currently ranked number three in the World, NIU Jianfeng of China. In Chicago she once again beat higher ranked opposition; this time in the guise of Japan's Ai FUJINUMA, she won 12-10, 11-8, 2-11, 5-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8. `I played her at the Greek Pro Tour, and won four-nil', said BUDIENE-GARKAUSKAITE. `This time I didn't feel as good and made many simple mistakes, because she's left-handed, I played my backhand to her forehand effectively, and attacked her middle. I started most rallies with short balls, then attacked deep.'The quarterfinal matches see KIM Kyung Ah versus Ruta BUDIENE-GARKAUSKAITE whilst Cornelia VAIDA plays LI Jia Wei; LIU Jia is in opposition to Viktoria PAVLOVICH and An KONISHI confronts Tamara BOROS.http://www.ittf.com/stories/Stories_detail.asp?Year=2004&General_Catigory=General&ID=6009&  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 03 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7941/1/E-Croatia-produced-top-talents-having-a-population-of-just-45-million.html ÂMagical Mario - the latest Croatian star Croatia has produced several top talents despite having a population of just 4.5 million. And this despite Croatian sport having no structure for nurturing talent earlyÂFriday, 02 July , 2004, 19:17 London: Wimbledon semi-finalist Mario Ancic is the latest in a long line of sportsmen from the tiny Balkan republic of Croatia to make an impact on the world stage. Since declaring independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, Croatia has produced several top talents despite having a population of just 4.5 million. For Croatia to produce tennis stars like Goran Ivanisevic, Iva Majoli, Ivo Karlovic and Karolina Sprem would be achievement enough. But the republic's football team reached the quarter-finals of the European Championships in 1996 and earned a third place at the 1998 World Cup with players such as Davor Suker, Slaven Bilic and Zvonimir Boban. Croatia are the world champions at handball while skier Janica Kostelic pulled off the unprecedented feat of winning three gold medals at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Her brother, Ivica, is the world slalom champion. Meanwhile, basketballers such as Toni Kukoc, with the Chicago Bulls, and the late Drazan Petrovic, who made his name at the New Jersey Nets, distingushed themselves in America's NBA. And this despite Croatian sport having no structure for nurturing talent early."No system is the best system," jokes Neven Berticevic, a journalist with Croatian sports daily Sportske Novosti. "The truth is that we really do not have a sports system in our country. There is no system in schools or universities, everything is based on clubs in all the sports." Success in individual persuits has dramatically risen since independence. Team sports were very strong in the old Yugoslavia, with competitive leagues in football, handball and basketball. Sport funding was distributed centrally, whereas today the emphasis is on individuals finding the money themselves. Stars must make themselves in Croatia. So it helps to have the family on their side. Ivanisevic senior sold the family home when his son was fourteen in order to invest in Goran's talent. When Ivanisevic junior made it as a professional, capping his career with the 2001 Wimbledon title, the family got their house back. "They are not going to have any contracts or any money until they get to the top level of their sports, but it's not big money," said Berticevic. "That's one of the reasons that of the Croatian team at Euro 2004, only one plays in the domestic league. "If you want to succeed at a higher level and make big bucks, then you have to go abroad. A lot more people leave now." But despite the flight of talent from Croatia once it has reached international level, the fight to have made it stays with their players. "He represented Croatia in so many ways," Ancic said of his mentor Ivanisevic. "You saw here great Croatian performances. I think it's great for a small country that it is going to start developing even more. I think that's good."http://sify.com/sports/tennis/fullstory.php?id=13512392  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 03 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7944/1/E-Favourites-forever---The-tennis-world-will-miss-Goran.html Favourites foreverThis year's Wimbledon will occupy a special place in the hearts of tennis fans. The legendary Martina Navratilova returned to singles after 10 long years and the flamboyant Goran Ivanisevic bade goodbye to the game in his inimitable style, writes Rubinder Gill.Martina Navratilova waves after winning her first-round match at Wimbledon. Goran Ivanisevic, wearing a Croatian football shirt, makes his last stand on Centre Court. - AFP/ Reuters photos The Wimbledon Championship this year will primarily be remembered for two reasons. The return of 47-year-old Martina Navratilova to singles at her beloved championship after 10 years and crowd favourite Goran Ivanisevic bidding goodbye to his favourite tournament in his trademark style.Navratilova, after her French Open first round exit, showed all that she still had traces of the talent and style that netted her nine singles titles here. Nearing the half-century mark, she still served and volleyed with aplomb. Competing with players less than half her age made no difference to the legend.She may not have been able to go beyond the second round but she has set precedents which will be tough to follow for others. Navratilova made her debut at Wimbledon in 1973. That she was still competing at the top level after 31 years is beyond comparison.The maverick Croat Ivanisevic endured pain to come back to the tournament where he has experienced intense ecstasy and agony. The agony years were 1992, 1994 and 1998. He invariably came off second best to Americans Andre Agassi (1992) and Pete Sampras (1994, 98).Ecstasy came in 2001. After famously having made a pact with God (that if he won the title he would not mind if he never played again), he triumphed in a five-setter against Pat Rafter. That he was able to take the centre stage was due to the benevolence of the organisers, who gave him a wild card. After a magical two weeks, he wrote his name on the prized trophy, the first wild card in the history of the championship to do so. In the process, the fans and the champion came across the third Goran. After the good Goran and the bad Goran came the level-headed Goran who would try to keep peace between the two warring Gorans. The split personality from the town of Split in Croatia later said God had heard him too well. Ivanisevic could not return to defend his title, injuries took over. It was time for him to keep his side of the pact. The popular champion returned this year, courtesy the organisers, who gave him a wild card again. He did not disappoint the faithful. He recreated the magic initially again, stealing the limelight from the defending champion Roger Federer. He bid goodbye on his favourite Centre Court, bowing out to a younger and fitter Lleyton Hewitt.The Croat went out in his own style as he knew his time was up. He donned a Croatian football shirt, waving to all corners of the court. He had fulfilled his wish of returning to the Centre Court once again. The tennis world will miss the entertainer, who once broke so many rackets during a match that he had to forfeit the tie. He will be remembered as much for his booming serve and sublime skills as his antics on the court, his scowl and the ready smile.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040703/spr-trib.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 02 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7948/1/E-Majoli-retires-at-26.html Majoli retires at 26Tue 29 June, 2004 15:51 ZAGREB, June 29 (Reuters) - Croatia's Iva Majoli, the 1997 French Open champion, announced her retirement from competitive tennis on Tuesday saying she lacked motivation."There may be some exhibition matches or doubles, but my career is over," the 26-year-old Majoli told sports gazette Sportske Novosti."I have fallen too low," she said. "I am practically back at the beginning and would have to work like a maniac to get back to the top. I realised I was not ready for that."Majoli, who beat Swiss Martina Hingis in the 1997 Roland Garros final, was once rated as high as number four but has seen her world ranking plummet to 294.The winner of eight career WTA Tour titles, including the French Open, Majoli was not at Wimbledon this year having slipped too far in the rankings and she did not try to qualify.Majoli has played only five matches since Wimbledon 2003 and lost four of them.http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=tennisNews&storyID=5543075&section=news letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 30 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7947/1/E-Henman-warned-about-Ancic.html Henman warned about Ancic Jun 29 2004Tim Henman launches his bid to reach the Wimbledon semi-final for the fifth time on Wednesday with the support of two of the game's legends.But both John McEnroe and Boris Becker warned the British number one not to underestimate unseeded Mario Ancic of Croatia.Henman and his 20-year-old opponent have never played each other before but 6ft 5ins Ancic, a tennis disciple of Goran Ivanisevic, is recognised as one of the most dangerous floaters in the draw on a surface which suits his big-serving game.He has the scalp of reigning champion Roger Federer, who he beat in the first round two years ago, to prove it."Tim is playing much better when he's not supposed to win easily," said Becker. "He does not have the game to blow away opponents so he has to find a way to win the points but he has proved in the past that he has the ability to beat Federer and Roddick."Yes, he has the weapons. His problem is to get to the semi-final without losing too much energy. He always struggles when he is supposed to win easily."McEnroe also added his warning, not that it will lower the expectations of a Centre Court crowd who are beginning to believe that this really could be the year when Henman ends the 68-year wait for a British men's singles champion following his thrilling fourth-round triumph against Mark Philippoussis."In his first three matches he did not play up to his capabilities," said McEnroe, speaking at an event launching the Stanford Financial Champions Tour Rankings."I think he did against Philippoussis. It would have been nicer to win it easier but then it would not be Tim Henman. It always seems to be a rollercoaster."Henman could be a programmer for the BBC. The ratings must be very good. But Ancic is very dangerous. He beat Federer here two years ago. I would pick Tim to win but he's got to be ready. Ancic is dangerous."http://icteesside.icnetwork.co.uk/0200sport/sportlatest/tm_objectid=14377638&method=full&siteid=50081&headline=henman-warned-about-ancic-name_page.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 30 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7946/1/E-Croatian-Super-Mario-beats-Henman-for-semifinals.html Â"Croatian Super Mario"ÂÂTim Henman has crashed out of Wimbledon, losing in the quarter-finals to Mario Ancic in straight sets. The 20-year-old Croat won 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-2. Full report soon. LONDON (Reuters) - Croatia's Mario Ancic has won against Tim Henman in their quarter-final match at Wimbledon. Ancic won the sets 7-6 6-4 6-2 in front of a packed Centre Court on Wednesday.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 30 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7949/1/E-Defeat-fails-to-deflate-Croatians.html Defeat fails to deflate CroatiansBy Tom Geoghegan BBC News Online in Chelsea At the final whistle, the 120 Croatia fans leapt upand celebrated as if they had won the match. Crammed into the top room in The Cadogan Arms,Chelsea, they launched into what one bystanderexplained was a favourite national song. Jubilation greeted the goals She said: "It roughly means 'Tonight is our party andwe're going to drink and dance'." They had cheered on their team with a fierce intensitythat never threatened to change to bitterness whenEngland's 4-2 victory was confirmed. Underlining this positive attitude, Anita Stulic, 27,said: "Of course we're going to celebrate. I wishCroatia had won but I'm going to party anyway. It wasa great game." Maia Palecek said: "We won in our hearts. We had agreat day and that's the most important thing. It'sonly a game. I don't feel sorry for the players, theyget paid more than surgeons who save lives." No hard feelings - Marina and boyfriend Geoff She said it was her first Croatian gathering sincemoving to London 12 years ago and she had loved it. The room was arranged by the president of the CroatiaStudents and Young Professionals Network, MarkoKrznaric, who asked the pub to show Croatia's Euro2004 games, as it did in the World Cup. Arriving at the pub before the match, it looked like ahaven for England fans, with St George's flagsfluttering and hundreds of England supporters at thebar preparing for the big game. Upstairs, the red and white colours remained but itwas chequered - except for one England shirt. One Welsh Geoff Noden, 27, was accompanying his Croatiangirlfriend Marina Pusic, 26, and they brought a flageach for their country. She joked: "I know he won't behave himself so I toldhim he had to go downstairs." CROAT TERRACE CHANTS Ma daj, sudac, jesi slijep? (Come on ref, are youblind?) A koji Wayne? (Wayne who?) Ne mozete proci Igora Tudora (You'll never beat IgorTudor) Sjecate li se Ivanisevica i Henmana? (RememberIvanisevic and Henman?) The crowd, which was mostly female, was drawn fromCroatian nationals and descendants, plus one Welshman.The cheers which followed the national anthem werereplaced by boos when Posh Spice loomed into view onthe big screen. But minutes into the match, Niko Kovac's goal sent thefans into delirium - as one girl remarked: "I'm indreamland." Reality set in before half-time with two Englandgoals, but optimism prevailed. For some it was too much to bear Iva Stanishic, 27, said: "Croatia will win 3-2. GoranIvanisevic won and we have to win too, it's our day.England has the Queen and the pound so you have togive us this." For Croatians, sport is a source of immense nationalpride, especially for a nation which declared itsindependence in 1991. Tommy Slavich, 33, explained: "Its about nationalpride for a relatively young country. "Football has put us on the map more than anythingelse. It show people we're here and we exist." We lost, but let's party anyway The tension remained throughout the second half, whenevery Croatian save, kick and intervention was greetedwith a roar. And the party showed no sign of flagging at the finalwhistle. Geoff consoled Marina with a hug and she saidshe'd cheer on England from now on. Others climbed on the tables and continued thecelebrations. "Look on the bright side, there's always the tennis,"said one. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3827031.stm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 22 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7950/1/E-Ante-Jazics-next-stop-may-be-in-Russia.html ÂGlobe-trotting Croatian-Canadian soccer player from Halifax looks to club in RussiaNEIL DAVIDSON Canadian Press Wednesday, June 16, 2004KINGSTON, Ont. (CP) - After club stints in Croatia and Austria, it looks like Ante Jazic's next stop may be in Russia. The Halifax defender-midfielder has spent the last three years with Rapid Vienna. His contract just expired and the club's subsequent two-year offer called for a pay cut of almost 40 per cent. He turned it down, as did five or six of his teammates. "I'm 28 now, I have to go where I'm going to make a little more money and think about the future," Jazic said in an interview prior to Canada's World Cup qualifying game against Belize on Wednesday night. Russian club FC Kuban is interested. The team isn't doing well in the standings, has ambitions and the funds to match, and is looking to buy players. The club is located in the southern part of Russia on the Black Sea. "Climate-wise it's supposed to be the nicest place in Russia, if there is a good climate in Russia," Jazic said. "Apparently it's supposed to be really nice. "I'm taking it as an educational experience too. I went to Croatia and Austria, so why not Russia?' He is scheduled to fly o Europe on Saturday night and meet with the Russians."Hopefully something else will come up too so I have options. But I definitely won't be in Austria next season." That's a pity, in many ways. Jazic loved his time in Vienna, although his club has had financial troubles. "I had a beautiful set-up. I know wherever I go now, I'll never have those accommodations. I had a flat right downtown, I had a car, everything." Canadian millionaire businessman Frank Stronach, whose roots are Austrian, owns rival Austria Vienna. Jazic says Stronach's club is known as the paycheque team, the Chelsea of Austria. "He pumps so much money into Austrian football, it's ridiculous," Jazic said. "It's just too bad that money isn't going into Canadian soccer. He loves football." Stronach has even bought a second division Austrian team, where he wants to develop young local talent in advance of the 2008 European Championships in Austria. "Too had we didn't have a guy who was willing to do that in Canada," Jazic lamented. Jazic's time with the Canadian team has been limited, partly through untimely injuries and partly because of a poor relationship with the previous coach. He has just seven caps, spread over six years. But he is back in the fold and enjoying life under new coach Frank Yallop. "We've been together for three weeks and I know back at my club team when we go away for two weeks for a training camp, after 10 days guys are just having runs at each other. But this has been like a vacation. "When it's time to train, we're serious but off the pitch everyone's been getting along. I think a lot of team bonding has happened. We're all close and I think the future looks bright." Home for Jazic "will always be Halifax," where his family and friends are. He plans to settle there once his soccer career is over. He's single at the moment, which allows for the travel often needed from a pro soccer player. "I've always said I'd sort my own life out before I let anybody else in," he said. "Because I don't know where I'm going to finish up. I happened to stay at Rapid for 3½ years but there was a chance I could have went to Japan. If you have  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7951/1/E-Croatia-v-France-draw-2-2-Min-by-Min.html ÂÂCroatia - France 2:2ÂCroatia's Dado Prso, 2nd right, is mobbed by his teammates after scoring his sides second goal during the Euro 2004 Group B soccer match between France and Croatia at the Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa Stadium in Leiria, Portugal, Thursday June 17, 2004. The other teams in Group B are Switzerland and England. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) ÂÂFrance's goalkeeper Fabien Barthez (C) fails to stop a penalty kick from Croatia's Milan Rapaic (C Rear) in their Euro 2004 Group B soccer match at the Magalhaes Pessoa stadium in Leiria, June 17, 2004. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier ÂCroatia's Dado Prso, right, cheers after scoring with teammate Dovani Rosso during the Euro 2004 Group B soccer match between France and Croatia at the Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa Stadium in Leiria, Portugal, Thursday June 17, 2004. The other teams in Group B are Switzerland and England. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Euro-Croatia hold champions France to 2-2 drawThu 17 June, 2004 21:36 LEIRIA, Portugal, June 17 (Reuters) - Champions France showed defensive frailty again before fighting back to earn a 2-2 draw with Croatia at Euro 2004 on Thursday.Croatia scored twice in four minutes early in the second half through a Milan Rapaic penalty and a lashed shot from Dado Prso to take a 2-1 advantage.France had taken a first half lead in the 22nd minute when a curling Zinedine Zidane free kick took a slight deflection off Croatian defender Igor Tudor, who was credited with an own goal. France, who won their first match 2-1 against England with two stoppage time goals after going a goal down and then conceding a penalty, saved by Fabien Barthez, equalised in the 64th after David Trezeguet took advantage of a poor back pass.France top Group B on four points and need just a draw from their final match with Switzerland to reach the quarter-finals. Croatia, who have two points, must beat England in their last game.http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldFootballNews&storyID=5451193&section=newsCROATIA v FRANCE MIN-BY-MIN Full-time: Croatia 2 France 2 90 min: Olic shows tremendous pace to brush past Sagnol and reach the bye-line but Mornar pounces on the cut-back and blasts over the bar from just five yards. 90 min: Pires tries to carve his way through the defence but goes down trying to squeeze through a minute gap and gets no penalty. 90 min: There will be three extra minutes. 90 min: Butina makes two superb saves firstly from Pires' angled drive and then from Henry's follow-up. 89 min: Pires is bundled over by Niko Kovac as he tries to start a quick counter. 88 min: Pires is body-checked by Simunic and his own free kick is belted clear by Mornar. 87 min: Croatia bring on Ivica Mornar for Rapaic. 86 min: Henry tries to turn and feed Pires but the rugged Croatia back-line block the move. 85 min: Sagnol makes a first foray forward but his ball aimed at Pires is cut out by Simunic. 84 min: Prso almost escapes again as France reorganise at the back but Thuram uses his pace to recover and snuff out the danger. 83 min: France make their last change with Willy Sagnol on for Gallas. 82 min: Simunic uses the long ball in search of Prso but the flag is up for offside. 81 min: Barthez drops the ball after colliding with a back-pedalling Thuram but Prso cannot profit from the loose ball. 80 min: Dacourt makes way for Benoit Pedretti. 79 min: Leko is yellow-carded for a body-check as Henry tries to burst clear.78 min: Prso shakes off Gallas and surges into the area but his shot is blocked and Olic screws the rebound wide. 77 min: Zidane almost slaloms his way through the Croatian defence but slips over as he reaches the penalty area and loses possession. 76 min: Clever work by Gallas tricks Olic near the corner flag but Tudor beats Trezeguet to his cross. 75 min: A huge punt forward by Desailly almost bounces over Butina's head in goal but he recovers his ground to avoid the embarrassment. 74 min: Zidane sends Pires scampering down the right but his cross is too close to the keeper. 73 min: Croatia replace Sokota with Ivica Olic who started the first match against Switzerland. 72 min: Henry nods down Zidane's chip and Trezeguet blasts the bouncing ball high and wide. 71 min: Croatia are defending deeper and deeper but Leko makes a rare foray forward but Desailly holds him off to win the ball. 70 min: France bring on Robert Pires for Wiltord. 69 min: France attack again with Gallas down the right but Simunic blocks his run at the expense of a throw. 68 min: Henry's corner is headed out to Dacourt whose volley smacks into a crowd of Craotain bodies in the area. 67 min: Bjelica is replaced by Jerko Leko. 66 min: Gallas falls over when racing into the area and Croatia break quickly but Prso wastes the chance by trying to chip Barthez from 50 yards and the keeper gathers easily. 64 min: GOAL TREZEGUET. France are level in controversial fashion as Tudor's poor back-pass is too short for keeper Butina whose clearance hits Trezeguet on the arm and falls for the Juventus striker to tap into an empty net. 64 min: Gallas threads a ball into Trezeguet and his sharp lay-off to Henry ends with a snap-shot that Butina holds well. 63 min: Vieira and Henry work a one-two but the long leg of Robert Kovac foils them on the edge of the area. 62 min: Zidane's flag kick flies to the far post and straight to Wiltord and is miscontrolled when in a good shooting position. 61 min: Zidane's dead ball hits the wall but goes for a corner. 60 min: Vieira is tripped 30 yards from goal and Zidane stands over the ball.59 min: Poor clearance from Simunic falls to Dacourt but he loses possession and is then booked for dragging back Niko Kovac. 58 min: Croatia break quickly and it's two against two but Gallas does well to block Sokota's shot. 57 min: France pour forward in search of the equaliser but Rosso blocks another cross from Silvestre. 56 min: Henry steps inside Tudor and drills a low shot that Butina scrambles across goal to save. 55 min: Zidane's flick falls to Henry but he is robbed by a robust tackle from Robert Kovac. 54 min: Vieira fires a ball into the area for Henry but it is too hot to control. 53 min: Wiltord cuts into the Croatia area and drills a low shot that Butina does well to parry away from Henry. 52 min: GOAL PRSO. Desailly fails to clear a simple bouncing ball and Prso rockets a left-foot shot into the roof of the net. 51 min: Rosso attacks down the right, feeds Prso and his lay-back goes to Nenad Bjelica who fires wide. 50 min: Vieria looks for Henry but Robert Kovac cuts out the through ball. 49 min: Suddenly France need to raise their game to assert their superiority.48 min: GOAL RAPAIC. Silvestre trips Rosso from behind and the Croatian makes a meal of it but the referee gives a penalty. Rapaic steps up and drills the penalty into the bottom corner giving Barthez no chance. 47 min: Wiltord's low cross only just eludes an unmarked Henry in the middle. 46 min: The second half gets under way with no changes to either side. Half-time: Croatia 0 France 1 45 min: There will be one extra minute. 44 min:Niko Kovac at last forces Barthez into a decent save down to his left with a 30-yard shot. 43 min: Henry takes a short corner to Zidane standing just inside the area and his extravagant overhead back-heel finds Gallas arriving at the far post but the Chelsea defender heads wide from five yards. 42 min: Croatia are offering little threat now and France are dominating possession with Henry winning a corner after a searing run. 41 min: Zidane looks long for the lurking Henry but Robert Kovac is across to snuff out the danger. 40 min Tudor is booked for a late tackle on Vieira. 39 min: Simic's far-post cross is easy pickings again for Barthez. 38 min: Zidane and Wiltord combine well to set Trezeguet free but his tame shot gets a lucky deflection to win a corner. 37 min: Zidane tricks Niko Kovac with a cute back-heel but when he feeds it to Silvestre, the cross is headed away by the obdurate Robert Kovac. 36 min: Eventually they come back and take the free kick but waste possession easily. 35 min: Dacourt is now penalised for a foul on Nico Kovac even though Croatia carry on playing regardless. 34 min: Prso's persistence forces Silvestre into a hurried clearance but Zidane's silky touch rescues possession. 33 min: Vieira is booked for a late tackle on Rapaic. 32 min: Sokota gets on the end of Nico Kovac's long ball but he brings it down only for Thuram to nip and rob him. 31 min: Henry's corner causes panic in the box as Desailly tries to lay it back to Vieira but Sokota steps in to clear. 30 min: A terrific one-two between Trezeguet and Wiltord ends with Robert Kovac stopping the Arsenal winger at the expense of a corner. 29 min: Niko Kovac makes good progress down the right but his abysmal cross is straight into Barthez's hands. 28 min: Prso attacks down the right but Silvestre and Desailly combine to foil him. 27 min: Rapaic swings a better cross in to the French area but Desailly repels it with a powerful clearing header. 26 min: Dario Simic cuts out Vieira's cross as Trezeguet is waiting just behind.25 min: Rosso tries another long-range shot and though it's better than his previous effort, it still flies over the bar. 24 min: Zidane tries to trick the keeper by curling it towards the near post with everyone waiting further over but it hits the side-netting though the keeper had it covered. 23 min: Croatai concede another free kick just outside the left corner of the area when Wiltord is felled. 22 min: GOAL TUDOR OG. Zidane's free kick is bent viciously into the area and goes off the back of Tudor's leg and nestles in the corner with keeper Tomislav Butina a spectator. 22 min: Zidane teases the right flank again and is stopped illegally five yards from the area. 21 min: Prso finds space in the box and works a crossing position but Thuram is able to chest a poor centre down and clear. 20 min: A spell of French keep-ball ends with Henry beaten to the ball by Tudor.19 min: Rapaic slips a good inside pass to Niko Kovac but his threaded pass to Prso is well intercepted by Desailly. 18 min: A decent attack from Croatia ends with a wasted cross from Rosso in a good position. 17 min: Wiltord's through ball sees Henry flagged offside but TV replays suggest the decision is wrong. 16 min: Desailly heads Rapaic's cross only out to Giovanni Rosso whose snap-shot scuttles along the ground to Fabien Barthez. 15 min: Zidane is left alone and this time he hit the top of the wall and the rebound is switched across to Wiltord who slices horribly wide from the corner of the area. 14 min: Zidane is shoved over 30 yards from goal and a host of players are queueing up to have a crack. 13 min: Trezeguet is caught marginally offside as he chases Wiltord's through ball. 12 min: Prso refrains from shooting on the edge of the area and tries to find Rapaic out wide and the chance is lost as the centre is charged down. 11 min: Henry takes over flag kick duties but only finds a Croatian head in the area. 10 min: Henry almost gets a low cross into the path of David Trezeguet but an outstretched leg from Tudor concedes another corner. 9 min: Croatia have plenty behind the ball as Zidane tries to send Wiltord away down the right. 8 min: Henry swivels gracefully on Dacourt's pass and whips a shot two feet wide. 7 min: France win another corner and Zidane's second flag kick is headed away by Robert Kovac yet again. 6 min: Dado Prso leads a Croatian counter but Rapaic loses possession to Desailly. 5 min: France break quickly with Thierry Henry racing past two Croatian defenders before Tudor gets a foot in to halt his progress just outside the area. 4 min: Lilian Thuram is penalised for a foul on Tomo Sokota and Rapaic's free kick finds Sokota on the far post but his nod-down only falls to Patrick Vieira. 3 min: Zinedine Zidane takes France's first corner but Robert Kovac heads clear.2 min: France attack from the start with Wiltord trying to get down the right but being halted by Josip Simunic. 1 min: Referee Kim Milton Nielsen gets the match under way. Pre-match: France make two changes from the side that beat England 2-1 in their Group B opener. Robert Pires, Claude Makelele and Bixente Lizarazu are all rested with Sylvain Wiltord, Olivier Dacourt and Marcel Desailly brought in. Mikael Silvestre moves to left-back while Wiltord plays wide right and Dacourt slots into the heart of midfield. Croatia also make three changes with Igor Tudor restored after suspension while Milan Rapaic and Dovani Rosso came in for Ivica Mornar and Ivica Olic in midfield.http://www.sportinglife.com/football/euro2004/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=soccer/04/06/17/manual_155454.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 17 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7952/1/E-Croatia-and-Switzerland-draw-0-0-Min-by-Min.html ÂCroatia and Switzerland draw 0-0 in Group B at Euro 2004 soccer championshipsEUGENE BRCIC Canadian Press Sunday, June 13, 2004LEIRIA, Portugal (AP) - Croatia missed three easy chances and squandered a man advantage for almost half the game as Switzerland survived for a 0-0 tie in their Euro 2004 Group B game on Sunday. Niko Kovac, Josip Simunic and Ivica Olic all missed easy headers with Swiss goalkeeper Joerg Stiel making an acrobatic one-handed save in the game. Olic hit the crossbar from barely three metres. The Swiss played the last 40 minutes with 10 men after the ejection of defender Johann Vogel for his second yellow card, but the Croatians failed to create any more dangers for Stiel. "We could have done better," Croatian coach Otto Baric said. "We had a couple of chances which we should have converted. The Swiss are a good team." Two Croatians, Dado Prso and Ivica Molnar, were cautioned for diving as little went right for Otto Baric's team, which is in the same group as defending champion France and England. They played later in Lisbon. The Swiss created the best chance of the opening 20 minutes when Alex Frei slipped free of Josip Simunic and fired a low shot from just inside the area. Croatian goalkeeper Tomislav Butina failed to hold it but a defender cleared as Stephane Chapuisat threatened to pounce on the rebound. The Swiss came close again in the 25th minute when Hakan Yakin curled an inswinging corner into the danger area and Bernd Haas launched himself through a crowded area but glanced his header wide off the far post. The Croatians should have gone ahead 10 minutes before halftime when Niko Kovac was left unmarked by the Swiss defence. He jumped to reach a corner only to head over the bar with Stiel well off his line. There was another blunder by the Swiss when Haas played five Croatians offside and a free kick should also have led to a goal. Simunic was allowed a free header but it was brilliantly blocked by Stiel. From the rebound, Olic also had a great chance to head home but he hit the crossbar. The Swiss were down to 10 men just five minutes into the second half when Vogel kicked Tomo Sokota from behind and was ejected for his second yellow card. Swiss coach Jakob Kuhn said that considering the Croatian advantage over most of the second half, the result is "satisfactory." "Now, we have to do well against France and England, and that won't be easy," Kuhn said. Mornar became the second Croatian to be cautioned for diving before he set up another chance for the Croatians. He broke clear down the right and his cross found Niko Kovac, but the Hertha Berlin midfielder completely misdirected his first time shot, which flew well wide from 16 metres. Stiel had to race back when a back pass dropped over his head 20 minutes from the end but he managed to stop the ball from crossing the line. The Swiss then almost snatched the lead 13 minutes from the end when Benjamin Huggel fired a 30-metre shot that Butina pushed around the post with an unorthodox two-handed push. Lineups Switzerland: Joerg Stiel; Christoph Spycher, Patrick Mueller, Murat Yakin, Bernt Haas; Raphael Wicky (sub: Stephane Henchoz 83rd minute), Hakan Yakin (Daniel Gygax 86th minute), Johann Vogel, Benjamin Huggel; Stephan Chapuisat (Fabio Celestini 54th minute), Alexander Frei. Croatia: Tomislav Butina; Dario Simic (Darijo Srna 61st minute), Robert Kovac, Josip Simunic, Boris Zivkovic; Ivica Mornar, Niko Kovac, Neven Bjelica (Giovanni Rosso 74th minute); Ivica Olic (Milan Rapaic 46th minute), Tomislav Sokota, Dado Prso. Referee: Lucilio Batista, Portugal. © Copyright 2004 The Canadian Press http://www.canada.com/sports/soccer/story.html?id=8EAF039C-89D5-4C36-8115-DB6BD84F43B7Croatia coach defiant after missed chance DAMIAN SPELLMAN CROATIA coach Otto Baric was in defiant mood as he contemplated a missed opportunity after his side's 0-0 draw with Switzerland in Leiria. The Croatians opened their Group B campaign with a point, but might have collected all three after playing the final 40 minutes of the game with a man extra following Swiss midfielder Johann Vogel's dismissal for a second bookable offence. Baric admitted that the heat had ultimately sapped the energy of his players as they attempted to make their numerical advantage count, but remained upbeat as he looked ahead to tough fixtures against reigning champions France on Thursday in Leiria and then England in Lisbon next Monday. "We have to remember we won a point and I would like to underline that," he said as an air of disappointment hung over the Croatia camp. "The Swiss team should not be underestimated, but also the other opponents in our group, the favourites, have to beat us and everything is still open. "It was really, really hot out there. I haven't seen the measurement, but it was around 38 degrees, maybe 40. We had to attack and that is much harder than to defend. My players were really making the effort, they were really trying and that's all you can ask. I'm not satisfied, but I can't complain about any of my players. They were playing, they were fighting, they had the will to win, but they haven't succeeded. "We had better possession, we had the ball at our feet and we had more chances in the first half, but we didn't play enough good passes. "And also we were playing against a very good team. I didn't under-estimate the Swiss team - maybe the media made us favourites, but we knew we were playing a good team." Croatia started the game brightly and after the Swiss rallied, had two glorious opportunities to force their way in front before the break. Switzerland keeper Jorg Stiel hesitated when coming to collect a Nenad Bjelica corner and would have paid the price had Niko Kovac not headed over the crossbar. But the 36-year-old made amends three minutes later after being left horribly exposed by a disastrously executed offside trap, pulling off a fine fingertip save from Josip Simunic's header with neither a flag nor a defender in sight. The reprieve looked likely to be temporary after Vogel kicked the ball away after a free-kick had been awarded - Swiss coach Jakob Kuhn insisted Vogel thought the decision had gone in his favour and was restarting he game quickly - but his side held firm to shut out their opponents and snatch a valuable point.The Swiss left Leiria to prepare for Thursday night's clash with England in Coimbra in high spirits, but knowing that they are unlikely to get away with those kinds of errors a second time. "I have to congratulate the team," said Kuhn. "I'm very proud. This was a good performance over 90 minutes even though we played the second half with only ten men. It was very hard. "I don't know what this result means yet until we see the other results, but I'm very happy with the performance of my team." Portuguese referee Lucilio Batista booked nine players in a game which did not really feature a bad challenge, and although he more than once punished players for diving, the card count seemed high. That the Swiss ultimately did not pay for Vogel's misdemeanours was down to a second-half display full of character and keeper Stiel added: "It was very important we played as a team and there was no one player who was more important than the rest." With both sides knowing the three points on offer were vital the stakes were high and there was little to choose between them in the opening 45 minutes. The invention of Hakan Yakin was Switzerland's major weapon and more than once he threatened to unlock the Croatian defence playing behind Stephane Chapuisat and Alexander Frei. However, Rangers new boy Dado Prso and Tomo Sokota, aided by the pace and power of Ivica Mornar down the right, made life difficult for the Swiss rearguard too.http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/football.cfm?id=675192004SWITZERLAND v CROATIA MIN-BY-MIN By Reece KillworthResult: Switzerland 0 Croatia 0 90 min: Rapaic's corner, this one an inswinger, is bustled clear and the final whistle goes. It's been a disappointing game and France and England will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing these two sides. 90 min: Rapaic's outswinging corner is headed behind for another corner. 90 min: Haas concedes a corner as Srna sends a cross in from the left. One last chance for Croatia. 90 min: Mornar gets a yard of space from a long throw but his first touch is terrible and the ball is allowed to drift behind for a goal-kick. 90 min: There will be three minutes of added time. 90 min: Srna fouls Spycher just inside the Croatian half. Henchoz finds Gygax down the left and he knocks it back to Spycher. He curls the ball in but Frei can't control it at the back post. 89 min: Srna's free-kick is half-cleared and when the ball is worked back into the area, there are three men offside including Prso who went for the ball. 88 min: Celestini fouls Srna just outside the Swiss area. This is danger for the men in red. 88 min: Henchoz is sticking with Mornar for now, conceding a throw with a stern challenge. 87 min: Switzerland bring Daniel Gygax on for Hakan Yakin. 86 min: Rapaic is finally showing what he can do down the left. This time his cross falls to Srna's feet and he fires in a shot which Switzerland have to block bravely. 85 min: Rapaic does well to work himself a yard of space down the left but his cross is easily cleared by Murat Yakin at the front post. 84 min: Nico Kovac shoots from the halfway line with Stiel slightly out of position but the reason for that is soon clear - the Swiss keeper has spotted the offside flag up. 83 min: Switzerland bring Stephane Henchoz on for Wicky. The Liverpool man seems to have slotted in at left-back with Spycher in front of him. Mornar will look to get some joy out of a man who usually plays in the middle. 83 min: Switzerland work a short corner routine but it doesn't come off as Robert Kovac pumps the ball downfield at the back post. 82 min: Hakan Yakin latches on to a clearance over the top from brother Murat. His shot on the turn is turned behind by a desperate lunge from Robert Kovac.81 min: Rapaic tries to outpace Haas down the left but the defender does well to win a throw off his adversary. 80 min: Srna and Mornar work the ball well down the right but the latter falls over. He gets back to his feet and manages to keep the ball but when he plays it back, Srna crosses straight at Spycher. 79 min: Wicky tries to slide the ball down the left to Celestini but it drifts out for a goal-kick. The quality of this game continues to disappoint. 78 min: The ball is curled in from the left but Murat Yakin's header is off target. 77 min: Wicky and Frei work the ball nicely on the left before it comes inside to Huggel. He takes two paces forward and rifles in a shot which Butina pushes around the post. The keeper looked far from confident there as he shovelled it behind. 77 min: Sokota does well to initially shake off his marker but then three Swiss players get back on the edge of the area and clear the ball down their left flank. 76 min: Hakan Yakin takes the shot from distance but his effort is always sailing over the bar. 75 min: Rosso's first act is to concede a free-kick as Frei goes down 30 yards from the Croatia goal. Danger for the Croats. 74 min: Prso bursts into the right-hand side of the Swiss box but Spycher gets back and blocks the attempted cross. Stiel gathers and quickly pumps the ball downfield. 73 min: Croatia bring Giovani Rosso on for Bjelica. 72 min: Play switches from end to end quickly with a long ball from Butina. Stiel gathers and clears and the Swiss goalkeeper then berates the referee for ignoring a challenge on Spycher by Mornar as they both chased the ball back. There was no foul, and Stiel is booked for his protests. 71 min: Credit to Switzerland, they are certainly not sitting back and settling for a draw here. Unfortunately their final balls are letting them down as this time Wicky fails to find Frei. 70 min: Stiel is forced to backtrack quickly and dive on the ball inside the six-yard area but he manages to do that and even ends the move by heading the ball off his own goal-line when lying down. 70 min: Hakan Yakin drifts a free-kick into the Croatia area but it is scrambled clear despite the best efforts of Frei. 69 min: Hakan Yakin's corner drifts over those at the front post and is hacked clear from the left-hand side of the six-yard box by Zivkovic. 68 min: Huggel does well to win a corner with a powerful run down the right. The Swiss are going for it despite being down to 10 men. 67 min: Nico Kovac bursts into the final third and slides the ball in to Nico Kovac. He turns to face goal and cuts inside on his right foot but sends his shot over the top. 66 min: Haas and Wicky work the ball nicely down the right but the latter just loses control at the vital moment and the ball drifts out for a goal-kick. 65 min: Switzerland bring the ball forward despite their numerical disadvantage and win a free-kick around 30 yards out. Hakan Yakin steps up to curl the ball goalwards but it is a tame effort and Butina is able to gather easily to his left. 65 min: Prso picks himself up and gets on with it, breaking down the right and getting a decent cross in. The ball drops to Nico Kovac but his left-footed effort is always curling wide. 64 min: Prso goes down theatrically on the edge of the Swiss box with Murat Yakin in close attendance. The referee again waves play on although this time he opts not to book Prso. 63 min: Croatia knock the ball around from left to right but they are not making any progress despite having a man advantage. Otto Baric looks far from happy on the Croatia bench. 62 min: Croatia bring Darijo Srna on for Simic. 61 min: Mornar continues to look lively down the right but this time he just allows the ball to slip out of his range and behind for a goal-kick. 60 min: Frei goes bursting clear onto a long ball over the top, but he's offside. 59 min: Hakan Yakin goes down clutching his face after clashing with Robert Kovac in the corner. He was caught, but Yakin certainly made the most of it. Play resumes with a free-kick to Croatia as it was Yakin who fouled Kovac initially. 58 min: There is still no pattern to what has been thus far a disappointing game. 57 min: Simunic and Frei get in a tangle 30 yards from the Croatian goal and it's a free-kick to the Swiss. Hakan Yakin tries to find brother Murat out on the left but the ball sails out for a goal-kick. 57 min: Prso gets a yard of space on the edge of the Swiss box but he can't get the ball down quickly enough to get a decent shot in. His effort is gathered easily by Stiel. 56 min: Nico Kovac finds himself dumped on his backside by Celestini as tempers begin to fray a little in midfield. The Croatians are beginning to look frustrated. 55 min: Rapaic works himself a yard of space down the left and gets in a good cross which Stiel has to be alert to gather. He switches play in an instant and Frei gets clear down the inside left channel. Unfortunately for the Swiss, the ball just evades him with his third touch and slides out for a goal-kick. 54 min: Switzerland bring Fabio Celestini on for Chapuisat, who has worked hard without effect this evening. Celestini will slot in in midfield and Switzerland are now playing with Frei as a lone striker. 53 min: Play has become very scrappy again as Switzerland try to reorganise themselves into a recognisable formation. They are content to lump the ball long for now. 52 min: Spycher has been left isolated on the left flank as the Swiss reorganise and it is no surprise to see Mornar go right at him. He gets past Spycher but then tumbles to the ground. The referee is unconvinced and rightly books him.51 min: The corner comes to nothing and as it is half-cleared, Zivkovic goes into the book for pulling down Frei. The Croatian captain is booked. 51 min: Croatia move the ball forward and force a corner down the right. The sending-off has clearly lifted them. 50 min: SENT OFF - VOGEL. Free-kick to Croatia in midfield and Vogel reacts by kicking the ball downfield right in front of the referee. That's another idiotic act and the referee has no option but to show Vogel his second yellow card. 49 min: Switzerland work the ball to Frei from the free-kick but he is well challenged by Simic. Croatia spring on the counter attack and Rapaic's cross from the left is helped behind for a corner. Bjelic curls the ball in and Prso's header drifts off target. He appeals for a corner but the referee gives a goal-kick. 48 min: Haas tries to dink the ball into the inside right channel but Zivkovic is across quickly to clear the danger. Rapaic tries to get away with a sneaky handball by punching the ball forwards but he is spotted and goes into the book. Simply idiotic play from the substitute. 47 min: Croatia snap into their tackles in midfield and eventually Huggel is forced into a mistake. Bjelica picks the ball up but he is quickly dispossessed and Switzerland win a throw down their right. 46 min: Croatia knock the ball around at the back to give their defenders a touch in the second half but Simis's is a poor one and Switzerland are gifted a throw. 45 min: Croatia get the second half under way having brought Rapaic on for the impressive Olic. HT: Switzerland 0 Croatia 0. 45 min: A scrappy half is brought to a close. Croatia have been the better of the sides and look particularly dangerous down the flanks but there have been so many fouls from both teams the referee has had no option but to be one of the game's central figures. 45 min: Croatia work the ball to Nico Kovac who has enough room to shoot from distance. The ball is always drifting just over although Stiel backtracks furiously just to see it over. 45 min: A free-kick to Switzerland this time with Bjelica penalised for a foul on Hakan Yakin. The ball is swung out towards Haas on the right but it evades him and Croatia have a throw. 45 min: Croatia's free-kick comes to nothing as Nico Kovac chips it too high and it sails out of play for a goal-kick. 44 min: Another free-kick comes to Croatia as Vogel jumps into Bjelica. 43 min: Prso slides the ball in to Sokota on the edge of the Swiss area and he goes down under pressure from Muller. Nothing doing, according to the referee and Switzerland are able to bring it clear. Again they give possession away and Olic bursts into the box. He is shepherded away from danger but does earn a throw-in. 42 min: Free-kick to Croatia with Wicky penalised for leaving his boot in on Robert Kovac. 41 min: Hakan Yakin works himself out of a tight spot inside his own half and sets Switzerland on the break. Chapuisat picks it up on the edge of the Croatian box and dinks a lovely ball in towards Frei. The ball is half-cleared and Mornar is fouled as he tries to complete the clearance. 40 min: Huggel's frustration at losing possession gets the better of him and he pulls down Bjelica deep inside the Croatian half. Free-kick to Croatia and the Swiss is booked. 39 min: Bjelica curls the free-kick in and the Swiss defence race out almost en masse. Haas stays back for some reason and plays everyone onside. Simunic has the first unmarked header which Stiel does well to push away but Olic is there on the follow-up. Somehow he manages to hit the top of the bar with his header and Switzerland - and Haas in particular - get away with it. 38 min: Another free-kick for Croatia as this time Spycher blocks Mornar. He is causing a lot of problems down the right with his power and pace. 37 min: Switzerland work the ball nicely until the final third when Spycher ducks out of a challenge with Simic and Croatia are able to clear. Mornar goes down theatrically under pressure from Wicky and the referee obliges with the free-kick. 36 min: Stiel flaps at the corner as it sails over his head. Nico Kovac has a great chance to score at the back post with the keeper flailing around but his header is well off target. 35 min: Croatia chase the ball down superbly with Olic to the fore. He forces Vogel to lay the ball back to Stiel and then forces the keeper to slice it out for a throw. Olic's good work continues as he converts the throw into a corner.34 min: The Swiss fans are far from happy as Chapuisat is still down, but he pulls himself back to his feet and is reprimanded by the referee. At the other end, the corner comes in but Zivkovic's header has too little on it to unduly trouble Stiel. 33 min: Switzerland work a nice move down the right before it's knocked in towards Chapuisat. He goes down under minimal contact from Simunic and the referee rightly waves play on. Croatia break down the right and Mornar wins a corner off Spycher. 32 min: Croatia's free-kick comes to nothing but they are able to win back the ball as an ambitious ball from Haas drops to Simunic. Sokota can't hold it up, though, as a scrappy phase of the game continues. 31 min: The ball is worked to Murat Yakin from the free-kick but his powerful effort is blocked by the Croatia wall. It bounces out to Nico Kovac and he draws a foul from Huggel. 30 min: The yellow card comes out for the second time with Bjelica booked for a clumsy tackle on Hakan Yakin 30 or so yards from the Croatia goal. 29 min: Scrappy play in midfield as both teams give the ball away but when Wicky is penalised for a foul, Croatia are able to break. The ball is worked to Sokota who manages to hold off Huggel but can't find the target with a shot from distance. 28 min: Nico Kovac tries to drift the ball over the top to Mornar but it skips up off the turf and Stiel is able to gather it again. 27 min: The free-kick is launched towards Prso and he is able to divert the ball into Sokota's path. He manages to engineer a shot on the turn, but the ball is straight at Stiel and he is able to gather easily at his feet. 26 min: Mornar shows a decent turn of pace to get past Spycher down the right flank but as he tries to turn back inside Spycher is back to clear. He works the ball to Hakan Yakin out wide on the left but his ball infield is cleared and when Olic is brought down by Haas, it's a free-kick to Croatia on halfway. 25 min: The corner is flashed into the six-yard box where Haas meets it. He fails to get enough on the ball and it drifts past the far post and out for a goal-kick. 25 min: Switzerland force a corner down the right with Huggel causing Zivkovic to track across and knock the ball out. 24 min: Muller sportingly chips the ball into touch with Nico Kovac down. The referee stops play but Kovac is quickly back to his feet albeit clutching his lower back. Mornar returns the ball to Switzerland from the throw. 23 min: Croatia knock the ball from side to side probing for an opening but the Swiss are well organised defensively and see the danger off. 22 min: Free-kick to Croatia as Chapuisat is a little late on Simic just inside the Croatian box. The players shake hands as they climb back to their feet and the referee is content for play to continue without further action. 21 min: Murat Yakin switches play with a marvellous ball from right to left where Wicky tries to get a cross in. Simunic blocks it out at the expense of a throw. 20 min: Hakan Yakin gets a yard of space 30 yards from the Croatia goal but he overhits his attempted through-ball to Chapuisat and Butina is able to race off his line to gather the ball. 19 min: Mornar runs at Spycher but is well challenged and for a split second Spycher has a little space. Mornar does not neglect his defensive duties, though, and is quickly back to regain possession for Croatia. 18 min: Switzerland knock the ball around nicely without making any real progress until Haas miscontrols out wide on the right and the ball slides out of play. 17 min: Hakan Yakin tries to weave a little magic 30 yards or so from the Croatian goal but Bjelica snaps into the tackle and slides the ball clear. 16 min: Free-kick to Croatia 10 yards inside their own half as Frei catches Zivkovic with a high boot. They work the ball out to the right before coming back the other way. Josip Simunic eventually lofts the ball to Olic down the left but he fails to keep possession and Benjamin Huggel brings the ball clear for the Swiss. 16 min: The ball in from the right is a poor one and Butina is able to claim unchallenged. 15 min: A long clearance downfield is flicked on and Frei finds space down the inside right channel. His dipping shot is pushed away by Butina and the Croatian defence are back well to clear the ball away for a corner. 14 min: Stiel's clearance is a poor one and Prso has a shooting chance but he snatches his effort and pulls it wide of the left-hand post. 14 min: Prso and Olic play a lovely one-two down the left flank with the former bursting into the Swiss penalty area. He goes down under pressure from Haas but Lucilio Cardoso Cortez Batista waves away his appeal for a spot-kick and books the Rangers-bound striker for diving. 13 min: Prso and Spycher get in a tangle down the Croatia right and as the ball goes out both appeal for a throw. The decision goes the way of Switzerland to Prso's frustration. Muller has been told to leave the field for treatment as he is bleeding from a head wound. 12 min: The corner is again fired long but Mornar fails to direct the ball on target. 11 min: Both teams contest the drop-ball - a rare sight in today's football - and Croatia force a throw down the left through Olic. He is able to convert the throw into a corner as Croatia continue to look dangerous down both flanks. 10 min: Mornar powers into space down the right and sends a decent cross in which Olic just fails to control. The ball breaks back out to the halfway line and the referee blows his whistle as Christoph Spycher is down in the Croatia half. As soon as the referee approaches him, he clambers back to his feet and play continues with a drop-ball just inside the Swiss half. 9 min: Frei is left in a heap by Dario Simic out wide. He's been caught with an elbow but was actually off the field when the offence took place. The referee didn't get a clear view of it, but Switzerland have the free-kick anyway as Hakan Yakin was fouled infield. 9 min: The corner is drilled in towards the back post but Muller is there to head clear. Frei just can't keep it in play and Croatia have a throw down the right. Dado Prso picks it up and works it to Mornar but his cross in is headed clear by Murat Yakin. 8 min: Olic races down the left flank onto a lovely ball from Bjelica but his cut-back is hacked behind for a corner by Patrick Muller. 8 min: Vogel tries to find Haas marauding down the right but the ball skips out for a Croatia throw-in. 7 min: The outswinging corner finds Zivkovic at the back post but he is unable to get enough on the ball to really trouble Stiel in the Swiss goal. 6 min: The first corner of the game goes to Croatia as Mornar forces Murat Yakin to play the ball behind. 6 min: Chapuisat goes down holding his face after clashing with Zivkovic as they chase a through-ball but the referee waves play on and Croatia clears. Switzerland come again and Hakan Yakin forces Butina into his first real action of the game. 5 min: Boris Zivkovic is unable to control the ball from the free-kick and Bernt Haas is able to force a goal-kick off Olic. 4 min: As Croatia press forward down the right Vogel cynically hacks down Nico Kovac and is the first man into the book. 4 min: Switzerland try to work a move down the left from the free-kick but Wicky is dispossessed on the edge of the Croatian penalty area. Switzerland win the ball back, though, but again Wicky is well tackled and Croatia can bring the ball clear. 3 min: Switzerland probe down the left and win a free-kick as Ivica Mornar goes in a little too strongly on Raphael Wicky. 2 min: Nenad Bjelica steps up to take the free-kick but the effort is a poor one and Jorg Stiel is able to gather comfortably. 2 min: Croatia spread the ball well from right to left where Ivica Olic has to cut back on the inside. The ball is worked to Tomislav Sokoto and he is pulled down by Murat Yakin a couple of yards outside the Swiss box. A dangerous free-kick here for Croatia. 1 min: The first free-kick of the game goes the way of Croatia with Alexander Frei the man penalised for a heavy challenge. 0 min: Switzerland get the action under way. Pre-match: Croatia boss Otto Baric has thrown goalkeeper Tomislav Butina in at the deep end with first choice Stipe Pletikosa ruled out of the entire tournament with a ruptured thigh muscle. Midfielder Milan Rapaic also misses out. Switzerland's only real concern in the lead-up to the match, Johann Vogel, takes his place in a side which features veteran Stephane Chapuisat in his 102nd international game. http://www.sportinglife.com/football/euro2004/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=soccer/04/06/13/manual_153012.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7953/1/E-Sunday---Croatia-vs-Switzerland-and-the-schedule-for-Euro-2004.html ÂCroatia vs. Switzerland and the schedule for Euro 2004ÂFinal tournament 13.06.2004 v Switzerland 17:00 17.06.2004 v France 19:45 21.06.2004 v England 19:45 Match kick-offs are listed in local time (Portugal)Âwww.euro2004.comÂÂ1 Stipe PLETIKOSA GK (out)2 Mario TOKIC DF 3 Josip ŠIMUNIC DF 4 Stjepan TOMAS DF 5 Igor TUDOR DF 6 Boris ŽIVKOVIC DF 7 Milan RAPAIC FW 8 Darijo SRNA MD 9 Dado PRŠO FW 10 Niko KOVAC MD 11 Tomislav ŠOKOTA FW 12 Tomislav BUTINA GK 13 Dario ŠIMIC DF 14 Mato NERETLJAK DF 15 Jerko LEKO MD 16 Marko BABIC MD 17 Ivan KLASNIC FW 18 Ivica OLIC FW 19 Ivica MORNAR MD 20 Giovani ROSSO MD 21 Robert KOVAC DF 22 Nenad BJELICA MD 23 Joseph DIDULICA GK  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 12 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7954/1/E-Swiss-Captain-Stephane-Chapuisat---Heart-for-Croatia.html ÂSwiss Captain Stephane Chapuisat - Heart forCroatia ÂIt was summer of 1991 and things were bleak in Croatia. Thesigns of war were everywhere, homeland "Domovina" was underattack, and people were scared. I received a call from acouple of Croats in New York City's Astoria-Queens area whoinvited me to a meeting at Iva's Beauty s Salon. "Vedran,we want to raise money for the children of Croatia'sdefenders "Branitelji". We'll do all the work, we just wantyou to head the organization," they said. I looked aroundand saw people of same ideals, convictions and nationalaspirations as I and couldn't refuse. So we got organized,set up the by-laws and named the fund "Heart for Croatia -Srce za Hrvatsku". Over the next 4 years we raised over $85,000, helped 500 Croatian children (orphans whose fathersdied defending Croatia), found sponsors for additional 100children (sponsors probably gave over $ 100,000) and sentmoney to many regions of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovinawith an all-volunteer force. We took no expenses, 100% ofmonies collected were distributed, and many hours onSundays at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Croatian Catholic Churchin Manhattan were spent collecting funds, selling t-shirtsand showing pictures of orphans to prospective sponsors.Our strategy meetings were held at the Croatian Radio ClubNY "Voice of Free Croatia - Glas Slobodne Hrvatske" studiobuilding. We had 2 successful banquets that were supportedby Croats who emigrated from all regions of Croatia andBosnia-Herzegovina. Several contributions came from Croatsthroughout the USA. Even more important Americans gave usmoney; our neighbors, friends, coworkers, customers andregistered USA charities. One occurrence will always staywith me. It was Sunday afternoon and my turn to be at thetable. As the crowd thinned out a father in his thirtiesapproached me holding his five or six-year-old son by handappearing very embarrassed. He hands me a five dollars andsays, "That's all I have". I almost chocked, tapping him onthe hand saying "It's OK". I still see him nowadays but heprobably forgot. I know of similar stories, men not havingenough for their mortgage or rent but giving money forhomeland. We received hundreds of thank you letters fromCroatia's children that were so moving and I often wonderhow are those children doing today. I had the privileged towork with some of the greatest Croats volunteers of "Heartfor Croatia - Srce za Hrvatsku"; folks whose names are notknown, who did not receive awards or plaques and are notinvited to fancy dinners or ceremonies. They must beremembered. That's why I'm still in the office; it's 10:30pm on a hot Wednesday night. There were hundreds of otherfundraises and organizations during Croatia's war ofIndependence "Domovinski Rat" active in the USA andthroughout the world. Yet there is one person that I wantto be especially remembered and recognized.He is Stephane Chapuisat, and he'll be 35 this June 28th. Stephane is a Captain of Swiss National Soccer (Football)Team. He played 101games for Switzerland, third on the all time list.http://www.euro2004.com/tournament/players/player=8473/index.html This Sunday, June 12, 2004 Switzerland plays Croatia inLeiria, Portugal in a European Championship Tournament. InFebruary of 1994 I received a letter from EuropayInternational and MasterCard, Waterloo Belgium. It stated,…"Your charity Heart for Croatia - Srce za Hrvatsku wasnominated by the winning Swiss footballing Master, StephaneChapuisat to receive $ 1500 contribution. MasterCard is anofficial sponsor of World Cup USA 1994 and is delighted tobe able to make a $ 1500 contribution as a result of a PRprogram, "Masters of the World Cup". We were all delightedand instantaneously became Stephane's fans. He encouragedus to continue fundraising after our daytime jobs and onweekends. We still wonder: Who is he? Does he have Croatianfriends? Did he ever visit Croatia? Maybe Croatiansportswriters in Portugal can find out more! When a stranger helps you it's even more meaningful. As Iwrite this I feel a sense of attachment to Chapuisat andhope he gets applause from all Croats as he is introducedon Sunday. Vedran Joseph Nazor, Heart for Croatia - President New York City June 9, 2004 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7956/1/E-Ivanisevic-to-bury-his-racket-after-Wimbledon.html   Ivanisevic to bury his racket after Wimbledon    May 24 2004 Zagreb, Croatia - Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic plans to retire at the All England club where he won the only Grand Slam title of his 15 years on the circuit."I've been thinking about it for the last two years," the 32-year-old said in the daily Sportske Novosti on Monday. "It's not easy to admit, but time trickles by and one day you have to draw the line and say enough."Ivanisevic underwent shoulder surgery after he beat Australia's Pat Rafter in the 2001 Wimbledon final, and a series of injuries kept him from making a much-anticipated comeback to his favourite tournament."Wimbledon is something else. Two worlds, Wimbledon and the rest," he said. 'I'm always dangerous there' "It's the biggest for any player. There is no better way to bow out. Hopefully I'll play on centre court and win a few rounds."Although he has dropped below 400 in the rankings and his left shoulder continues to cause unbearable sporadic pain, Ivanisevic still believes in miracles, much like in 2001, when he was 125th in the world and used a wild-card entry at Wimbledon to stun sceptics and take the title."It won't be easy in Wimbledon, but it won't be easy for my opponents either," Ivanisevic said. "I'm always dangerous there. After all, I won when nobody would have put a cent on me."Ivanisevic, who has won 22 titles and is three short of 600 tournament victories, has already pulled out of the French Open and will warm up for Wimbledon only at the Queens tournament.The 1,93m crowd-pleaser, who will be remembered for his honest, humorous interviews and on-court-antics, would like to go out in a big way.'An ace. One more ace. The last one' Ivanisevic initially thought about going out on centre court, serving a trademark ace and then simply walking off into the annals of history."An ace. One more ace. The last one," he said."But no. I couldn't do that, not to Wimbledon. It is too big a tournament and I don't deserve to leave like that."Any regrets? "I've done everything, everything I could. Yes, I am at peace." - Sapa-AP http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=4&art_id=qw1085399461414B235&set_id=6   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 24 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7955/1/E-Jelena-Pandzic-is-Rookie-of-the-Year.html   Pandzic is top tennis rookieThe followng appeared in The Fresno Bee from California. John Peter Kraljic, Esq.**********************************************The Fresno Bee(Updated Monday, May 24, 2004, 6:32 AM)Fresno State's Jelena Pandzic was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's rookie player of the year Sunday. Pandzic was presented the award at the annual ITA awards banquet, held at the University of Georgia, site of the NCAA championships.The honor is the first national award received by a Fresno State women's tennis player. Pandzic, a native of Split, Croatia, previously was named an All-American in singles and the Western Athletic Conference player of the year. She also was first-team All-WAC in singles and doubles and the WAC freshman of the year.Pandzic, 24-1 in singles, opens play this morning in the NCAA singles tournament, in which she's seeded third. Her first opponent is Mississippi's Chloe Carlotti, a former two-time All-American at Fresno State who transferred at the end of the fall semester.Pandzic also is participating in the NCAA doubles tournament with partner Lucia Tallo. The duo, which is 20-2 and has won 15 in a row, plays Courtney Bergman and Susanna Lingman of Harvard in the first round Tuesday.In the team competition, which ended Sunday, Stanford completed an unbeaten season with a 4-1 victory over UCLA for the championship.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 24 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7958/1/E-Hohnjec-Jepan-Grojic-paddle-down-the-Loisach-River.html       From left to right, Tomislav Hohnjec, Tomislav Jepan and Igor Grojic, from Croatia, paddle their canoes down the Loisach River near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, during the Wildwater World Championships on Sunday, May 23, 2004. The Croatian team won the men's C1 team event gold medal in front of the teams from France and Germany. (AP Photo/Jan Pitman)   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 23 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7957/1/E-Cycling-from-Trieste-Italy-to-Pula-Croatia.html   Cycling Through Croatia     The pack pedals during the 14th stage of the Tour of Italy cycling race, from Trieste, Italy, to Pula, Croatia, Sunday May 23, 2004. (AP Photo/Alex Trovati)   A pack of riders from the Giro d'Italia ride past the Roman amphitheatre during the 14th stage, in Pula, Croatia, Sunday May 23, 2004. For the first time Giro is extended to Croatian region of Istria. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) AP   A pack of riders cycle through the coastal town of Porec, Croatia prior to the start of the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia, Monday May 24, 2004. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)   Italy's Alessandro Petacchi celebrates after winning, for the seventh time in this edition, a stage of the Tour of Italy cycling race, from Trieste, Italy, to Pula, Croatia, Sunday May 23, 2004. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 23 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7959/1/E-Aussies-win-yachting-world-title-in-Croatia.html ÂAussies win yachting world title in CroatiaAustralia's Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page have won the men's title in the 470 class at the yachting World Championships in Croatia.The pair who are both from New South Wales, finished strongly in the final three races against the 100-boat fleet, to take out the title.Wilmot and Page will be making their Olympic debut in Athens and their world championship will act as the perfect build-up for the yachting program.Australia's yachting gold medallists from Sydney, Jenny Armstrong and Belinda Stowell, finished fourth overall in the womens' 470 class.http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/s1109969.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 17 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7961/1/E-Karolina-Sprem-from-Croatia.html ÂÂKaroline Sprem from CroatiaÂÂÂTough loss : Karoline Sprem from Croatia reacts to her loss to Venus Williams from the US in the half-final of the German Open WTA tennis tournament in Berlin. (AFP/DDP/Michael Urban)  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 13 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7960/1/E-CROATIAN-TENNIS-TOURNAMENT-May-23.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 12 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7965/1/E-32nd-Annual-West-Coast-Croatian-Soccer-Tournament.html West Coast Croatian Soccer Tournament - Croatian Statehood DayJoin American and Canadian Croats during Memorial Day weekend to commemorate the Statehood of Croatia and to watch soccer teams from all over the North America compete for the West Coast Croatian Soccer Championship Cup. This is Los Angeles'-San Pedro's biggest festival of the year and many guests come from all over Southern California and other cities to celebrate. This year San Pedro Croat will be hosting the West Coast Croatian Soccer Tournament, thus making the 2004 Statehood Day celebration even more meaningful and entertaining. In attendance will be teams and groups from New York, Toronto, Chicago, Cleveland, San Jose, San Diego, and Phoenix…all honoring Croatia's freedom and ready to party!32nd Annual West Coast Croatian Soccer TournamentHosted by: S.C. San Pedro Croat Location: San Pedro, CaWhen: May 28-May 30Schedule of EventsFriday May 28Friday Night: Meeting for the soccer teamsParty: Dance sponsored by Hrvatski Dom- 9pmSaturday May 29Day: Soccer Tournament will kick-off at 8:30 am. The games will be played at Ladera Linda until 4pm.Night:Welcome Party Dance- Croatian Cultural Center of Los AngelesMusic by New York's finest... DJ George Sunday May 30 Games will commence at 9 am at Daniels Field:Soccer FinalsAwards: To be announced at the Croatian Hall Independance Day Block Party (party to continue on the street until 10 pm, music by Zrinksi and Mate & Petra)Concert: Following the Block Party we ask you to join us at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown San Pedro where Croatian-Canadian Band Nocni Raj will be playing your favorite hits from 10pm-2am.Sunday, May 30, CROATIAN INDEPENDENCE DAYStreet Block Party on 9th Street in San Pedro (Croatian Place). San Pedro vibrates with Croatian people who travel from all around California and beyond for the biggest party of the year. The festivities last all weekend, with an all-day picnic on Sunday, Croatian food (cevapcici, janjetina, etc), live entertainment that lasts throughout the night. Hrvatski DomFree entrance - Everyone is welcome! 12pm-10pmLocations and Addresses:Sheraton Los Angeles Harbor Hotel601 S. Palos Verdes Street (between 6th and 7th Street)San Pedro, CA U.S.A.Reservations: 1-800-359-4827310- 519-8200 (Mention the Cro Soccer Tourn to get the special rate- $80/room. **Rooms must be reserved by May 15 to get special rate.**Best Western Sunrise Hotel525 S Harbor Blvd (between 5th and 6th Street)San Pedro, California United States 907311-888-LODGING US only 405-912-4095 Intl. calls 310 548-1080 (Mention the Cro Soccer Tourn to get the special rate- $69/room)Hrvatski Dom/Croatian American Club631 9th Street (Croatian Place)San Pedro, CA 90731310-547-9484 Daniel's Field851 12th StSan Pedro, California90732Ladera Linda32201 Forrestal DriveRancho Palos Verdes, CA (310) 541-7073 FYI:Sv. Ante Croatian Catholic Church- Croatian Mass 10:30am712 North Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012213-628-2938Mary Star of the Sea- Croatian Mass 1:30pm870 W. 8th St. San Pedro, CA310-833-3541Croatian Cultural Center 643 S. Pacific Avenue San Pedro, CA*Most locations are within walking distance of each other. For more info, please contact SanPedroCroat@aol.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7964/1/E-NY-JETS-TAKE-CROAT-IN-6TH-ROUND.html ÂThe NY Jets selected Croatian, Marko CavkaMarko Cavka and Chris Frank form a wall on the left side for Leadingham.The NY Jets selected Croatian, Marko Cavka in the 6th round of the NFL Draft. Marko is a 6' 7", 294 pound tackle from Cypress, CA. Marko Cavka Position: Offensive Tackle College: California State-Sacramento Height: 6-7 Weight: 294 Hometown: Cypress, Calif. Analysis |Agility |High School |Personal OVERVIEWUnheralded athlete who was a standout high school defensive lineman, but has been the anchor of the Hornets' offensive line since moving into the starting lineup the fifth game of his freshman season … Went on to start 42 consecutive games, mostly at right tackle, but split time at both tackle positions as a senior … The Empire League Lineman of the Year in 1999 was joined by his brother, Zvonimir, on the Hornets' roster in 2003. ANALYSISPositives: Tall, angular type with long legs, developing chest, broad shoulders and a frame that can add at least another 25 pounds of muscle mass … Shows good hand punch on the rise, gaining movement off the line while staying low in his stance … Maintains his wide leg base to sustain blocks and keeps his feet moving properly to wall off and seal when pulling for the ground game … Has adequate lateral agility and comes off his blocks with good hand placement … Shows awareness picking up stunts and twists … Plays the game flat-footed and has the short-area quickness needed to get to the second level … Looks to cut and seal when adjusting to linebackers upfield … Has proper knee bend in pass protection and flashes an adequate kick slide to mirror the defender's moves … Pulls aggressively and shows active hands setting up to protect the edge. Negatives: Tends to play out of control at times, as he tends to overextend, lunge and lean into contact when facing the quicker edge rushers … Has good knee bend, but will revert to bending at the waist, causing him to narrow his base a bit … Struggles to maintain contact with the defenders on screens, having a hard time locating his target in space … Slow at times to generate pop coming out of his stance, as he does not always get his weight out in front of him … Susceptible to spin moves and counters due to his narrow leg base … Can be rocked back on his heels when trying to prevent the surge, but does regain his anchor … Despite his size, he is anything but a mauler. AGILITY TESTS5.17 in the 40-yard dash … 1.73 10-yard dash … Bench presses 225 pounds 27 times … 4.4 20-yard shuttle … 7.57 three-cone drill … 27½-inch vertical jump … 8-foot-11 broad jump … 32¾-inch arm length … 10 1/8-inch hands. HIGH SCHOOLAttended Cypress (Calif.) High, lettering three times as a two-way lineman … First-team All-CIF defensive pick, adding Empire League Lineman of the Year and all-county honors after posting six sacks as a senior … Led the team to the 1998 Empire League title … Also lettered three times in volleyball as a middle blocker and outside hitter. PERSONALSocial Science major … Brother, Zvonimir, was an offensive lineman and teammate at Sacramento State in 2003 … Son of Natalie and Mirko Cavka … Born April 8, 1981 … Resides in Cypress, Calif. Courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com, Powered by The Sports Xchange ÂNFL.COM Stats:http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/marko_cavka http://www.nycroats.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7963/1/E-The-biggest-soccer-tournament-for-youths-on-Adriatic.html ÂThe biggest soccer tournament for youths on Adriatic"Mitteleuropa Adriatic Cup the 2004"apartment house "Medena" - Trogir - CroatiaÂOn playgrounds of apart. Medena and Trogir was kept 6. international soccer tournament "Mitteleuropa Adriatic Cup the 2004" for 7 youth groups from 8 the 18 years. All participants of tournaments had been resident in apartment house and hotel "Medena" nearby Trogir. It has acted a record 33 club from 8 middleeuropean states such as: Austria, Germany, Bohemia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. On this tournament have acted record 1100 participant. Some familiar Croatian clubs had acted on the tournament, these are some of them: NK HAJDUK from Split, NK SIBENIK, NK ZMAJ from Makarska, NK OMIŠ, NK SOLIN and the host NK TROGIR. After the interesting five day contests in groups they have played half-finals and the final contests. The first rank to junior division has conquered FC INTER from Bratislava (Slovakia), in division of cadets first place won FC KICKERS from Offenbach in Germany, in division of pioneers first was FC FERENVAROS from Budapest in Hungary, division of novice first place took NK OLIMPIJA from Ljubljana in Slovenia. The most interesting soccer duels have kept in the youngest divisions 1993, 1994 and 1995 years of birth. The first rank is conquer to 1993 year of birth FC VIENNA from Wien in Austria, 1994 year of birth Private Soccer School BUBAMARA from Sarajevo and 1995 year of birth the winner was SSV REGENSBURG from Germany. The best club of this year tournament is declaring for the FC FERENVAROS from Budapest in Hungary. For fair-play game it was rewarded Venglošova Futbalova Akademie from Praha. The gold, silver and bronze medals and cups have divided to all first, second and third-placed teams in all divisions. The best players, shooters and the goalkeepers have got the small soccer sculptures. The manager of tournament prof. Damir Milic had concluded that the traditional soccer tournament in this year had advance in every aspect (organisational, number of participants, qualities of games) and except sporting he is possessing and the tourist importance for Croatia. Tournament is good introduction and the advertisement for tourist season on croatian Adriatic. Next 7-th tournament will be kept from 21. - 25. March 2005. We hope to have some participators from our Croatian soccer clubs from whole world.Tel/fax: (011or prefix) 385-31-500-553e-mail: damir.milic@os.htnet.hr Croatia letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7962/1/E-470-World-Championships-in-Zadar-Croatia.html Â470 World Championships in Zadar, CroatiaÂThe latest on the Olympic Dinghy Classes....Posted on Monday 10 May @ 22:00:45 | 470 World Championship - Yngling World Championship - Finn European ChampionshipToday saw the start of the 470 world championships in Zadar, Croatia for the 101 men's teams and 53 women's teams. After a short postponement waiting for the wind to fill in, two races were sailed in both fleets in 8 knots of breeze. Team GBR sailors Christina Bassdone and Katherine Hopson made a steady start to the championship scoring an eighth and a third place which places them sixth overall after day one. The Polish team of Katarzyna Tylinska and Zuzanna Gladysz currently lead the fleet at this early stage. Fellow British sailors Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield started well to score a second place in their group in the first race of the day. They followed this up with an eighteenth place which places them 23rd overall. Team mates Nic Asher and Elliot Willis started well scoring an eleventh and fifth and are 15th overall, two places in front of Graham Vials and Bevis Field. The 470 competitors have four days of qualifying races where they are spit into groups, before going on to race the final series from the 13-16 May. Full results can be found on the event websitehttp://www.uskok.biz.hr/470wc2004/index.htm. 470 results Women 1, Katarzyna Tylinska/Zuzanna Gladysz, POL (3,4) 7 pts 2, Franziska Duerig/ Monika Meier, SUI (2,7) 9 pts 3, Elisabetta Saccheggiani/ Myriam Cutolo, ITA (6,3) 9 pts GBR 6, Christina Bassadone/Katherine Hopson (8,3) 11 pts Men 1, Philippe Gildas/Nicolas Le Berre, FRA (1,1) 2 pts 2, Nathan Wilmot/Malcolm Page, AUS (1,1) 2 pts 3, Andreas/Kosmatopoulos/Kostas Trigonis, GRE (4,1) 5 pts GBR 15, Nic Asher/Elliot Willis (11,5) 16 pts 17, Graham Vials/Bevis Field (6,10) 16 pts 23, Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (2,18) 20 pts Yngling world championship The first day of the Yngling world championships started in a light 5-7 knots of breeze with heavy rain and the first race of the event got underway after a general recall. As the race continued the wind turned very light and shifty and the New Zealand boat of Sharon Ferris, Joanna White and Kylie Jameson rounded the second mark first, a position they maintained for the remainder of the race.After a poor start and then getting caught up in the pack, Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson and team mates Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb struggled to recover in the spread out fleet and finished race one 34th. Their luck didn't change in race two and after a number of general recalls the British team received a black flag along with six other boats for starting prematurely. At the bottom mark the wind died and the Race Committee decided to abandon the race, however this does not make a difference for Team Robertson/Ayton/Webb as they are now forbidden to race the re-sail. Robertson commented, We made costly schoolboy errors today, starting poorly and not reading the clouds well. Perhaps also after the practice race when tide was a winning factor, we were considering tide as a bigger influence than it was. It is a really tricky venue; waves, cliffs, tide, real weather - for sure its going to be high scoring, with only one discard were now relying on it. Tomorrow sees a further two races scheduled and it is hoped that the conditions will be a little steadier. A total of ten races are scheduled for the championship which concludes on Saturday 15 May. Further information can be found on the event website http://www.rcmsantander.com/yngling/index-y-i.htm.Yngling results 1, Sharon Ferris/Joanna White/Kylie Jameson, NZL (1) 1 pt 2, Trine Palludan/Christina Otzen/Ida Hartvig, DEN (2) 2 pts 3, Ulrike Schuemann/Wibke Buelle/Winnie Lippert, GER (3) 3 pts GBR 25, Dominica Lyndsey/Victoria Symmers/Annie Lush (25) 25 pts 34, Shirley Robertson/Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb (34) 34 pts Finn European championship Racing got underway today for the worlds top Finn sailors who have flocked to La Rochelle, France to compete in their European championship. After racing was postponed first thing due to lack of wind, the event finally got underway in 8 knots of breeze. The 1996 Olympic gold medallist Mateusz Kusznierewicz of Poland was the most consistent sailor of the day in the tricky conditions, scoring two second places to give him the overall lead. Double Olympic gold medallist and reigning European champion Ben Ainslie did not have the strongest start to the regatta scoring a 29th place, but he quickly followed this up with a fourth in the second race which took place in ten knots of breeze. Team mate Andrew Simpson finished just behind Ainslie in the first race of the day, but got the better of him in race two finishing one place in front in third. A total of nine races are scheduled for the event which concludes on Sunday 15 May. Further information can be found on the event website http://www.srr-sailing.com/divers/pagesiteeuropefinn.htm. No Finn results are available at this time. http://www.yachtinguniverse.com/site/article.php?sid=2125&mode=nested&order=0  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7967/1/EH-C-O-C-C-O-B-A-L-L.html ÂWHAT IS COCCOBALL ? C O C C O B A L L isthe sport of all sportsC O C C O B A L Listhe master of all sportsCoccoball has been invented accidentally in the jungle forest of West Africa, and out of that sport all other sports have developed: basketball, rugby, football, handball, wrestling, etc. Motto of Coccoball is:Phonies play volley-ball in sand and the real man play - Coccoball!Coccoball is played during summer in sand or in shallow water, on the play field size 16×8 m. Each team has three players, but also there is a play version with five players in each team. They play barefoot and wear shirts with one girder.Game lasts 3×10 minutes of active playing. The aim is to hit with hairy ball, two kilos of weight, to the small or to the big basket located on the palm trees within the play field. Hitting the small basket wins one cocco (point) and the bigger basket hit wins two.All lines are forming the out line, meaning: there are no mine/ your side. Out is played in a way that the player turns his back towards the playfield. Pushing a player is allowed, trimming, carrying the opponent around, grabbing by his clothes and all bodily parts except genital parts, face, hair and neck. Open kicks, pinching, strangling, hair-pulling are prohibited.Coccoball is the only sport where man are judged by women referees, and vice versa.Coccoball is the only sport in the world that has a rule where each important game or tournament has to be accompanied by some humanitarian activity.Coccoball has been invented three years ago in town Ploce (Croatia) and the greatest achievement so far was this year summer tour trough cities on Adriatic coast, tour fully sponsored by the Siemens mobile. Siemens mobile has purchased all play rights from the author, during the period of the tour.At the contest for the best innovation of Dalamtia, in September 2002., Coccoball has won the prize as the best innovation, and in November 2002. it has won the bronze medal at the World fair of innovations, which took place at Nurnmberg, Germany , where 650 innovators from 32 countries have competed.Rules of the game, ball, shirts, baskets and the game-logo are registered as a trademark.Contact address: "Coccoball", A.K. Miošica 6, 20340 Ploce, CroatiaTel/fax: 385 20 678 318GSM: 385 91 25 24 777E-mail: jasko@coccoball.hr ŠTO JE COCCOBALL? C O C C O B A L LKralj svih sportova!Coccoball je igra koja je nastala u davnoj prošlosti, a od nje su se razvili svi ostali temeljni sportovi! Bar tako misli njen autor, sportoplovac i istraživac Jasko da Gama, koji je pravilnik igre sasvim slucajno otkrio - u skrivenim dubinama svoje mašte! Iako ga je autorski zaštitio, on vjeruje da je coccoball vlasništvo svih onih koji se rado odazivaju na zov praiskonskog osjecaja koji u njima budi adrenalin i želju za pravim muškim nadmetanjem. (Bez obzira što je rijec o tipicno gladijatorskom muškom sportu, u dosadašnjoj praksi pokazalo se da ga žene podjednako dobro igraju).A da je sve pocelo od coccoballa vidi se po tome što ova igra u sebi nosi odlike nogometa, košarke, ragbija, rukometa, odbojke, hrvanja itd., a zbog jednostavnosti ima jedan od najmanjih pravilnika igre.Osnovna su pravila pocinju od toga da se coccoball igra ljeti na pijesku ili u plicaku, na prostoru velicine 16x8 m, svaka ekipa broji tri igraca, nose se majice na jedan treger, igra se s dlakavom loptom teškom dva kilograma, poeni se osvajaju ubacivanjem lopte u mali ili veliki koš koji se nalaze u igralištu, nema tzv. moje i tvoje strane, sve je aut, nema kornera... U ovoj igri mnogo je toga dozvoljeno, ali se se kažnjava ono "što ni sam ne bih volio da mi urade"! Sve ostalo je - coccoball!!! Coccoball je jedini je sport u svijetu u kojem postoji pravilo da muškarcima MORAJU suditi ženski suci! (Naravno, i obratno). Druga je orginalnost da u Statutu postoji clanak koji kaže da su organizatori važnijih turnira ili utakmica obvezni organizirati humanitarnu akciju u bilo kojem obliku.Coccoball je pretežitito ljetni sport, no postoji i zimska verzija igranja u dvoranama. Tada momcadi broje po pet igraca koji moraju imati maksimalnu zaštitu pocevši od kaciga za glavu do svih ostalih mogucih štitnika.Cocoball je kao sport nastao prije tri godine u Plocama, zaigrali su ga neretvanski mladici na osnovu knjige "Coccoball", plocanskog pisca i novinara Jasmina Brajlovica iliti Jaska da Game. Knjiga "Coccoball" je komedija obrnute situacije u kojoj su crnci prije tristo godina u Africi ulovili bijelce i od njih napravili prve bijele robove, odnosno izmislili igru coccoball.Coccoball je prezentiran u mnogim mjestima i gradovima Hrvatske, bio je cest gost TV-postaja i novinskih medija, a odigrana je i prva medunarodna utakmica s francuskim vojnicima SFOR-a. Najveci domet je postignut ovogodišnjom turnejom po Jadranu koja je odigrana pod pokroviteljstvom Siemens mobile-a. Time je coccoball dobio potvrdu osnivanja novog hrvatskog sportsko-turistickog proizvoda.U planu je osnivanje lige coccoballa.HUMANITARNE AKCIJE: - Skupljanje priloga za Radost, plocansku udrugu roditelja djece sa smetnjama u razvoju- Ucestvovanje u programu okupljanja retardirane djece iz cetiri županije u Bacini kraj Ploca- Skupljanje priloga za djecji odjel splitske bolnice na Firulama.- Organiziranje akcije "Dajmo da cuju" u Plocama.- Na Jadranskoj turneji, zajedno sa Siemensom, skupili priloge za djecje igralište u Kninu- Turnir "Coccoballom protiv droge" izmedu gradova Splita, Sinja, Makarske i Ploca.- Turnir za spas Neretve i pješcanih otoka Što drugi misle o coccoballu pogledajte u rubrici COCCOBALL U TISKU... letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 04 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7966/1/E-Mario-Preskar-Wins-Again.html ÂMario Preskar Wins Again ÂMay 2, 2004 By Tom Modica, Armando Aguilera and Danny Aller at ringsidePhotos: Javiel Centeno and Janie McBee Fight Date: Saturday, May 1, 2004Venue: Miami Jai-Alai Promoter: Don King ProductionsPreskar wins Don King and some of his closest friends were treated to anintimate night of championship boxing at the Miami Jai-AlaiBallroom Saturday night. An invitation only fashionablecrowd of 300 guests were treated to some quality fights and5 star cuisine. Surrounding the ring were elegant tablesettings for the well-mannered and boxing talented crowdthat included Tim Witherspoon, Lou Duva, Shannon Briggs,Kassim Ouma, Clifford Etienne and a cast of worlddignitaries.In an entertaining four rounder of up and comingheavyweight undefeateds, Mario Preskar (218 lbs.)outhustled and outpowered Ruben Bracero (241 lbs.) over thedistance. A durable Bracero was game but a bit too slow forthe quick handed Preskar who looked impressive throwingvarious combinations to the head and body of Bracero allwhile avoiding Bracero's vicious power punches. All judgesscored the fight 40-36 in favor of Preskar who improved hisrecord to 3-0 (2Ko's) while Bracero drops to 2-1 (1Ko). Preskar's next fight is at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas,Nevada Saturday May 15, 2004 on Roy Jones, Jr. vs AntonioTarver undercard. Ticketing Information (877) 632-7400 http://www.fightnews.com/modica_centeno2.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 04 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7970/1/HE-Don-King-on-Mario-Preskar-and-Croatia.html ÂDon King on Mario Preskar and CroatiaWith such heavyweight fighters like Lennox, Tyson and Holyfield at the tail end of their careers, are you working on cultivating a crop of new heavyweight fighters?Absolutely! I think it's time now to bring in the young fighter. I've got a kid named Owen 'What the Heck' Beck. He's 18-0 with 14 KO's and will be fighting George Arias on Saturday for the Fedelatin heavyweight title. I also have a promising young Croatian kid named Mario Preskar who has just turned pro. He's a tremendous competitor! As far as the older fighters, who have already established themselves, they should fight each other to get the maximum of whatever they can get and to please the public before they retire. But, in the mean time, you have the new guys on the block who need to demonstrate their own talent and ability.There is a lot of talent within the Croatian and Ukranian countries. Are you looking to tap into that talent?Oh, definitely! In fact, I have been invited by the President of Croatia to be a guest in their country. I also received invitations from Vladimir Putin of Russia and Leonid Koutsma of the Ukraine. These invitations are not only an opportunity for me to see various countries, but it also allows me to see the talent that resides there. Talent that we can bring back to America. This is the land of opportunity and I want to provide those young men with the opportunity to rise to the occasion. But, I'm always on the move for new talent and looking for fighters anywhere I can find them. I may even do a reality TV show that will search for undiscovered talent and bring them into the spotlight... and maybe make a heavyweight champ out of someone.September 18, 2003 By Lisa Scott letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7968/1/E-World-Synchronized-Skating-Championships-in-Zagreb-Croatia.html ÂÂTeam USA 1 performs in the free skating competition at the World Synchronized Skating Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, on Saturday, April 3, 2004. Team USA 1 won fourth place while Finland 1 won the Championships title with team Sweden 1 placing second and team Finland 2 placing third. (AP Photo/Filip Horvat)  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 16 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7971/1/E-Preskar-in-Madison-Square-Garden-April-17.html ÂPreskar in Madison Square Garden, April 17ÂPreskar won by a KOat 2:09 in the first round against Herman GipsonÂMario Preskar, 20 year old (6'1" 216 lbs) Heavyweight boxerfrom Zagreb is fighting this Saturday, April 17 at MadisonSquare Garden. Last Saturday, April 10 Preskar won by a KOat 2:09 in the first round against Herman Gipson on theundercard of Lamon Brewster-Wladimir Klitschko and CorySpinks-Zab Judah at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. Preskar is 2-0and won both fights with a first round KOs.Saturday, April 17, 2004 at Madison Square Garden Preskaris on the undercard of: 1.IBF Heavyweight Championship Fight between Chris Byrd37-2 (20 KOs) and Andrew Golota 38-4 (31 KOs)2. WBA Heavyweight Championship Fight between John Ruiz39-5-1 (27 KOs) and Fres Oquendo 24-2 (15 KOs)3. WBC Cruiserweight Championship Fight between WayneBraithwaite 20-0 (17 KOs) and Louis Azille 18-2-2 (15 KOs)4. WBA Welterweight Championship Fight between RicardoMayorga 25-4-1 (23 KOs) and Jose Rivera 37-3-1 (23 KOs).There are 11 bouts with first fight at 5:30 pm.For tickets priced at$45, $100, $200, $350, $600 callTicketMaster at: 212.307.7171, 201.507.8900, 631.888.9000or 914.454.3388 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7969/1/E-Israelis-lose-rough-one-to-Croatia-in-hockey.html ÂIsraelis lose rough one to Croatia in hockeyÂApr. 16, 2004 0:17By LIONEL GAFFENThe Israeli National hockey team was crushed 7-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia on Thursday, in their third match of the International Ice Hockey Federation Division II World Championships, Group A round robin series being played in Jaca, Spain. But the team is keeping the loss in proportions. "Actually, given the circumstances, the team played quite well against Croatia," Sergei Matin, president of the Israel Ice Hockey Federation told The Jerusalem Post from Jaca, shortly after the game ended. "We managed to keep them down to a 1-0 lead after the opening period, and considering the strength of their team, that was an accomplishment in itself. "We had a serious lapse during the second period between the 8th and 12th minute, and in all, allowed five goals to be scored against us. However, we managed to keep them at bay in the third period, and only allowed one more goal, and managed to skate with them. This will be good for us in our next two games, against Australia and then Luxembourg." Israel is playing short-handed, without top-scorer Sergei Zak who was unable to renew his passport, the Eisenman brothers who are abroad on scholarships, and Max Birbrayer whose season in the NHL minor leagues has yet to end. Israel lost its second game to China, a tough match against a former Division I team by a 5-0 score. An early goal , followed by two tough goals when Israel was short-handed due to penalties in the first two periods, set the pace for China, which outshot the Israeli team by a 36-13 margin. Two more goals near the end of the third period completed the scoring. In the other completed matches on Tuesday, Croatia cruised past Australia by an 8-2 count, while Spain walloped hapless Luxembourg by a 16-0 margin.The weekend games against Australia, with the series ending match against Luxembourg, will determine whether Israel will be demoted to Division III next year, or will manage to remain in Division II and be able to regroup during the coming year.http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1081998818118&p=1006953079949  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7972/1/E-Skating-Championships-in-Zagreb-Croatia.html ÂWorld Synchoronized Skating Championships in Zagreb, CroatiaÂÂTeam Finland 2 performs their short program at the World Synchoronized Skating Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, on Friday, April 2, 2004. (AP Photo/Filip Horvat)  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 02 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7973/1/E-Didulica-switches-loyalty-to-Croatia.html ÂDidulica switches loyalty to CroatiaJoey DidulicaPeter Desira29mar04GEELONG'S top goalkeeping export, Joey Didulica has defected from Australia to Croatia.After being overlooked for four years by the Socceroos, Didulica has switched his international loyalty to the country of his parents' origin. The keeper has been officially called into Croatia's squad for this Thursday's international friendly against Turkey in Zagreb and is set to lock himself internationally by getting the nod to start in goal. "I think I'm a keeper of international quality and wanted to be given an opportunity to prove it," Didulica said in an obvious reference to being overlooked by Socceroos coach Frank Farina. Didulica got one sniff of Socceroo selection after winning the first team spot at Ajax Amsterdam a year ago, but dropped out of contention after moving to Austria-Wien. It was a big-money move that guarantees Didulica's financial future -- a multi-million dollar, four-year deal. But it has been perceived as a move to a lower league and the keeper has been overtaken by Michael Petkovic as the understudy to Mark Schwarzer, of Middlesbrough, and Zeljko Kalac, of Perugia, in Italy's Serie A. Petkovic, the former South Melbourne keeper now playing in Turkey, got the call-up for last month's Socceroo international against Venezuela, in what is likely to have been the final straw for Didulica. "I had a chat with Joey at the time and told him he was certainly in the frame," Farina said. "But I certainly couldn't give him any guarantees." Didulica came up through the ranks at North Geelong, then played 60 NSL games in three seasons with Melbourne Knights before his international breakthrough with a contract offer at Ajax in 1999. "International football is something every player aspires to," Didulica said."It's an opportunity that presents itself once in a lifetime -- if you're lucky."Having grown up in Geelong, playing for Australia seemed the most likely scenario, but Croatia is a country I have always felt intimately and strongly connected to. "Like Australia, Croatia is a nation with a proud sporting and cultural history and it's difficult to explain what a privilege it will be to stand in goals for Croatia. "Euro 2004 is three months away and to be a part of something as huge as that is a goal I need to start working toward immediately." http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9111100%255E2883,00.htmlAustralian-born Didulica cleared to debut forCroatia against TurkeyCanadian Press Friday, March 26, 2004ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) - Australian-born Joey Didulica has been granted Croatian citizenship and cleared to play for Croatia in an upcoming Euro 2004 warmup match against Turkey, a sports daily reported Friday. Coach Otto Baric selected Didulica to make his debut for the country of his heritage against Turkey next Wednesday, but his appearance hinged on getting his citizenship papers before the match. "The procedure was stalled a bit because I had to wait for documents from Australia," Didulica told the daily Sportske Novosti. "Luckily, they arrived and were processed in time."Didulica was scouted by Baric's assistants while he was playing for Dutch powerhouse Ajax a season ago, but he won serious consideration after Baric watched him up close in goals for his new club, Austria Vienna. Didulica, whose parents were born in Croatia, played for Australia at the junior level but never made an appearance at the top level. Holding out hope for a call-up to the Croatian national squad, the 26-year-old Didulica has avoided calls to play for the Australian Socceroos, citing injury. "I feel fortunate and a great satisfaction to play in Croatian colors," Didulica said. "It's an added incentive to prove myself." It's not the first time Croatia and Australia have been drawn into a clash of loyalties. Australian-born Anthony Seric also opted to play for Croatia at the 1998 World Cup, creating a national stir in Australia. http://www.canada.com/sports/soccer/story.html?id=31FE6631-E5B2-42B6-B7FA-D05CAFB83FC1 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 26 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7975/1/E-Ivanisevic-advances-with-hard-fought-triumph.html ÂTennis: Ivanisevic advances with hard-fought triumph KEY BISCAYNE, United States : Often-injured Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion, won for only the second time in two years, advancing to the second round of the WTA and ATP Masters Series event.The 32-year-old Croatian wild card defeated France's Nicolas Escude 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (9/7) to book a second-round date with Spain's Rafael Nadal, the lowest-rated player in the 96-man field to receive a first-round bye.Ivanisevic, ranked 592 in the world, is the lowest-ranked player in the field at the 6.5 million-dollar hardcourt event. He could face Swiss world number one Roger Federer in a third round match.Ivanisevic had lost nine of 10 prior starts over the past two years. He beat Czech Bohdan Ulirach at Milan last month in his 2004 opener but lost his next three starts and had a save a match point in the final tie-breaker to win here."I needed this," Ivanisevic said. "Sometimes I feel, 'What am I doing here. Go home.' Sometimes I hit a good shot and I feel like a little kid. Two years outside, it's tough to come back. You have to go to gym every day, work hard."I didn't expect to win to be honest. I thought I could have a good match."Left rotator cuff surgery in 2002 kept Ivanisevic from defending his Wimbledon title. He has not played in a Grand Slam event since the surgery."If I knew after Wimbledon what I would go through, I would have stopped immediately after Wimbledon," Ivanisevic said. "I go through the problems and have surgery on the shoulder."It's better, but it's never going to be the same. It's up and down. It's good when I don't force it. In the end I was serving the best and on match point. It's good."This was the first Masters Series start for Ivanisevic since last year at Indian Wells after left shoulder and elbow and right knee injuries kept him 0-3 last year. The pain has given him plenty of time to ponder his tennis farewell."This last two years, I have a lot of time to think how I want to stop," Ivanisevic said. "I have a lot of good and crazy thoughts. I finally decided. I'm not going to tell you yet but I know the way I want to stop." But Ivanisevic was not shy about saying that he wants to play at Wimbledon this year for the first time since his 2001 title run."Last year I was at Queen's. At least I was in the neighborhood," Ivanisevic said. "This year I hope to step onto the grass. I owe that to the crowd."I hope to be fit there. If I am fit I can be very dangerous. I still think I can beat these guys if I play well like I did today." Ivanisevic, who beat the Frenchman in 2001 at Cincinnati in their only prior meting, needed two hours and two minutes to subdue Escude in warm and windy conditions.Ivanisevic won the first set in 33 minutes, blasting six aces with five double faults and taking the only break, then opened the second set by breaking Escude at love. But six more service breaks followed in a frantic set. Escude broke Ivanisevic as he served for the match at 5-4, then held and broke again to force a third set."I had already won," Ivanisevic said. "I suprirised myself how easily I was playing and I stopped playing. I was strong in my mind. I fought back. Before it might have ben 6-1 in the third set and I would go home. I hung in there."Escude grabbed a 7-6 tie-breaker edge but Ivanisevic responded with his final ace and a service winner, then smacked a forehand winner for the victory. Escude complained of pain in his right elbow, saying he would have the arm examined when he returns home."I felt this pain when I arrived here and it became worse," Escude said. "It was bothering me more and more as the match went on. I didn't play my best tennis. But at the end I had a match point. That's tennis." Britain's seventh-seeded Tim Henman, who lost last week's Indian Wells final to top-ranked Swiss Roger Federer, will open in round two against 64th-ranked Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who beat Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 0-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, seeded 17th but seeking his third title of the year, will face Sweden's Robin Soderling in his second-round match. Soderling eliminated Spain's David Ferner 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.On the women's side, Japan's Shinobu Asagoe defeated Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) to book a second-round date with Russia's Maria Sharapova.South Korea's Cho Yoon Jeong lost to Luxembourg's Anne Kremer 6-4, 7-6 (9/7).American teen Angela Haynes was to face Spanish qualifier Marta Marrero later with the winner to face Serena Williams on Friday in her return after an eight-month layoff.http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/77011/1/.html Ivanisevic ends injury agonyFrom correspondents in Key Biscayne, FloridaMarch 25, 2004INJURY-plagued Goran Ivanisevic won for only the second time in two years today to advancing to the second round of the ATP Masters Series here.The 32-year-old Croatian wildcard defeated France's Nicolas Escude 6-4 5-7 7-6 (9-7) to book a second-round date with Spain's Rafael Nadal, the lowest-rated player in the 96-man field to receive a first-round bye. Ivanisevic, ranked 592 in the world, is the lowest-ranked player in the 96-man field at the $6.5 million hardcourt event and could face Swiss world No.1 Roger Federer in the third round. Ivanisevic had lost nine of 10 previous starts over the past two years. He beat Czech Bohdan Ulirach at Milan last month in his 2004 opener but lost his next three matches. Left rotator cuff surgery in 2002 kept Ivanisevic from defending his Wimbledon title and he has not played in a Grand Slam event since the surgery. Britain's seventh-seeded Tim Henman, who lost last week's Indian Wells final to Federer, will open in round two against 64th-ranked Austrian Jurgen Melzer, who beat Croatia's Ivo Karlovic 6-4 6-4. Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, seeded 17th but seeking his third title of the year, will face Sweden's Robin Soderling in his second-round match. Soderling eliminated Spain's David Ferner 7-6 (7-5) 6-4. In the women's WTA event, Japan's Shinobu Asagoe defeated Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik 6-1 7-6 (7-5) to book a second-round date with Russia's Maria Sharapova. South Korea's Cho Yoon Jeong lost to Luxembourg's Anne Kremer 6-4 7-6 (9-7). http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9070221%255E23216,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 23 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7974/1/E-Nick-Kvasic---Man-of-many-talents.html ÂNick Kvasic Man of many talents quality that translates into any language. New Dorp girls' soccer coach Nick Kvasic doesn't do a little of everything ... he does a lot Wednesday, March 24, 2004By STEPHEN HART STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE Entering his 23rd season as the only coach New Dorp girls' soccer has ever known, Nick Kvasic certainly has a catalogue of memories. "But it's funny what things stick with you," he said before practice yesterday, the eve of the Central Cougars' season opener with Petrides. "I remember that first season, setting up the portable goal posts at the old New Dorp (now Staten Island Tech). All the girls would come out and assemble them, then take them down afterward. "I don't want to go back to those days," he laughed, "but the best thing about it was that it brought about this camaraderie with the kids. The girls were just so excited to be part of a team." The year was 1982, when the window of opportunity for female athletes was just opening up. A lot has changed since that first season of PSAL girls' soccer ... except, of course, for the person rolling out the balls at New Dorp. "Will (Stasiuk, PSAL girls' soccer commissioner) said that myself and the coach at Midwood, Cary Dotz, are the only ones left from that first year," Kvasic noted. "He called me one of the originals." That term is a perfect fit for someone who's had the kind of life that makes Forrest Gump's seem boring. RENAISSANCE MAN Kvasic arrived here in 1970, a 16-year-old from Krk,Croatia, eager to give his new country a test drive. He put himself through Port Richmond HS and Wagner College as a cook at the Staaten for seven years, but it was another gig during his college days -- as a monitor for the Federal Communications Commission, keeping tabs on a couple of local radio stations that broadcast foreign-language programs -- that first took advantage of Kvasic's knowledge of European languages. "I was at WPOW, a small radio station that's long gone, located at Woodrow Road and Huguenot Avenue," recalled Kvasic. "I was paid by the hour, and it paid well. But I wasn't the type to sit in an office." He didn't do much resting during the 1980s, with a series of jobs as a translator -- the first of which was for Sports for Understanding, an international sports exchange program hatched during the Reagan-Gorbachev thawing of "Cold War" policies. "I had a lot of fun with that. I thought it was a great idea," said Kvasic of the program that lasted from 1984-86 and took him to Belgrade, Yugoslavia. In 1984, Kvasic accompanied the U.S. Olympic team to the Winter Games in Sarajevo, where he acted as translator for the American hockey and figure skating teams -- "I helped (future New York Islander and Ranger and hockey Hall of Famer) Pat LaFontaine shop for skis," he smiled -- and he served as a tour guide for U.S. Olympic sponsors on an excursion to Italy, France and Switzerland a year later. A trip to Zagreb, Croatia, for the World University Games in 1987 provided more memorable moments as translator for the American basketball team coached by Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and featuring then-collegians Mitch Richmond, Sean Elliot and B.J. Armstrong. "Mike was a very good motivator and an overall great person to be around. He was a very gentle man ... but when he said something, people listened," said Kvasic, who also served as interpreter for Yugoslavian athletes at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. "During one of the games, (Krzyzewski) got upset with a referee's call. So he turned around and asked me, 'Hey, Nick, how do you say 'dummy' in Croatian?'"And in the midst of all of this was a burgeoning career as a songwriter and record producer, including a 1980 album called "Sharing With You" featuring all Staten Island artists performing works composed by Kvasic, who majored in music at Wagner. It was while producing a concert in his native Krk in 1988 that he met his wife, Amica, a chef at a local resort who was contracted to cater the event. "That's my biggest accomplishment," said Kvasic, who married Amica a year later and together have two children, 14-year-old Jessica and 10-year-old Michael. ON THE GROUND FLOOR "Music is something I enjoy. And it's a great combination with sports," said Kvasic, who has also been running clinics through the Big Apple Games for the past 15 summers. "They're different, yet you need to be very disciplined with both." Very disciplined and very organized, as a visit to the soccer office at New Dorp will attest. The walls are decorated with old rosters, plaques, certificates, photos and uniforms ... not to mention a bulletin board teeming with newspaper clippings of the wedding announcements of his former players. "This is where my heart is," said Kvasic. "I've coached boys at Silver Lake and in high school at Port Richmond and now at Petrides. But this is special ... we built this here at New Dorp, our way." Kvasic actually was on the ground floor of another program as a member of the first PR boys' soccer team in 1972. "We were just a bunch of foreign kids from different parts of the world," recalled Kvasic, who also played soccer at Wagner College. "I definitely took from that experience. That first season was us, Port Richmond and Susan Wagner in the same division along with three Brooklyn schools (Fort Hamilton, Lafayette and Sheepshead Bay)." Richmond Hill won the PSAL girls' city crown the first three years, followed by JFK in 1985. The following year, New Dorp was ready. "That 1986 team was my favorite ... they had that attitude and commitment," said Kvasic of the squad led by sisters Danielle and Denise Oakley, both Advance All Stars. "They were all pleasant kids, very coachable." It was the first of six PSAL city titles for New Dorp, the most recent coming in 1996. There have been some lean seasons since, but Kvasic is more upset with matters not related to the won-loss columns. "It's gotten to the point where it's very competitive, almost cutthroat. When we first started, it was more fun," admitted Kvasic. "Sometimes, the parents get too involved, where all they see is the chance for scholarships. "But we all should remember -- coaches, players and parents -- that this is a sport. It's supposed to be about sportsmanship and character." And those words would also be perfect to describe Kvasic, a class act no matter what the record is. And that's a quality that translates into any language. http://www.silive.com/sports/advance/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1080137701243570.xml letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 23 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7976/1/E-Croatian-swimmers-in-NCAA-championships-on-Long-Island-NY.html Croatian swimmers to compete in NCAA championships on Long Island, NYAt least four swimmers from Croatia will be competing in the 2004 NCAA swimming championships March 25-27, 2004, at the Goodwill Games Aquatic Center (Nassau County Aquatic Center), Eisenhower Park, in East Meadow, Long Island, N.Y.For tickets: 516/572-0509 or 516/572-0508For more information, visit:http://www.ncaasports.com/swimming/mens/story/6889481#d1_m_swimming Here are the four Croat swimmers:Vanja RoguljUniversity of Virginia (Cavaliers)Hometown: Split, CroatiaAge: 22Year: FreshmanSpecialty: 50-meter and 200-meter breast strokeCredentials: * 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) 200-meter breaststroke champion with a NCAA automatic qualifying time of 1:56.62. * Member of 2004 ACC champion 200-meter medley relay team with a team time of 1:32.20.Igor CerensekUniversity of Minnesota (Golden Gophers)Hometown: Zagreb, CroatiaAge: 20Year: FreshmanSpecialty: Sprint free styleMario DelacUniversity of Minnesota (Golden Gophers)Hometown: Zagreb, CroatiaYear: FreshmanSpecialty: Sprint free styleAles VolcansekUniversity of Minnesota (Golden Gophers)Hometown: Zagreb, CroatiaAge: 20Year: FreshmanSpecialty: Sprint free style, butterfly, back stroke letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 21 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7977/1/E-Stuttgarts-Zvonimir-Soldo-from-Croatia-celebrates.html ÂÂStuttgart's Zvonimir Soldo from Croatia celebrates with Swiss Marco Streller, left, and Kevin Kuranyi, right, after the 1-0, while Munich's Rodrigo Costa sits on the ground, during the German first league soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and TSV 1860 Munich at the Gottlieb Daimler stadium in Stuttgart, Germany, on Sunday, March 14, 2004. Stuttgart won by 2-0. (AP Photo/Daniel Maurer) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 14 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7978/1/E-High-jump-final-Bronze-for-Blanka-Vlasic.html ÂBlanka Vlasic of Croatia takes a bronze at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in BudapestBlanka Vlasic of Croatia clears the bar in the high jump qualification of the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Budapest on March 6, 2004. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh INDOOR WORLD CH'SHIPS (Budapest)MEN200m semi-finals, Ht 1: 3, A Condon (GB) 20.89s. Ht 3: 4, T Abeyie (GB) 21.80. DNS: P Brizzel (Ireland). Final: 1, D Demeritte (Bahamas) 20.66; 2, J Wissman (Sweden) 20.72; 3, T Unger (Germany) 21.02; 4, J Batangdon (Cameroon) 21.16; 5, J Hackley (US) 21.35; 6, M Urbas (Poland) 21.49.400m semi-finals, Ht 1: 5, D McCarthy (Ireland) 47.34. Final: 1, A Francique (Grenada) 45.88; 2, D Clarke (Jamaica) 45.92; 3, G Kikaya (Dem Rep of Congo) 46.30; 4, S Labidi (Tunisia) 46.48; 5, M Campbell (US) 46.74; 6, J Mendel (US) 47.34.800m.-Final: 1, M Mulaudzi (S Africa) 1m 45.71s; 2, R Ramzi (Burundi) 1-46.15; 3, O Barbosa Dos Santos (Brazil) 1-46.26; 4, A Laalou (Morocco) 1-46.57; 5, W Yiampoy (Kenya) 1-46.88; 6, J Mwengi Mutua (Kenya) 1-47.86.1500m semi-finals, Ht 1: 3, M East (GB) 3m 41.86s (q); 9, J Nolan (Ireland) 3-47.27. Ht 2: 2, J Thie (GB) 3-40.68 (q). Final: 1, P Korir (Kenya) 3-52.31; 2, I Heshko (Ukraine) 3-52.34; 3, East 3-52.88; 4, L Rotich (Kenya) 3-52.93; 5, A Hachlaf (Morocco) 3-53.22; 6, Thie 3-53.36; 7, M Formela (Poland) 3-53.70; 8, J A Redolat (Spain) 3-56.55; 9, Y Baba (Morocco) 3-57.79.3,000m final: 1, B Lagat (Kenya) 7-56.34; 2, R Silva (Portugal) 7-57.08; 3, M Geneti (Ethiopia) 7-57.87; 4, A D Jimenez (Spain) 7-58.23; 5, S Gallardo (Spain) 7-58.96; 6, G-J Liefers (Holland) 8-02.86; 7, K Sullivan (Canada) 8-03.34; 8, M Amyne (Morocco) 8-03.50.60m hdls semi-finals, Ht 2: 5, Mohammed Sillah-Freckleton (GB) 7.80. Final: 1, A Johnson (US) 7.36; 2, Xiang Liu (China) 7.43; 3, M Wignall (Jamaica) 7.48; 4, S Olijars (Latvia) 7.49; 5, Yuniel Hernandez (Cuba) 7.58; 6, R Kronberg (Sweden) 7.59; 7, Yoel Hernandez (Cuba) 7.78; 8, D Thomas (Jamaica) 7.87.High jump final: 1, S Holm (Sweden) 2.35m; 2, Y Rybakov (Russia) 2.32; =3, J Baba (Czech Rep), G Mason (Jamaica) & S Vasilache (Romania) 2.25; 6, G Moroz (Belarus) 2.25; 7, A Sokolovskyy (Ukraine) 2.25; 8, A O'Dwyer (Ireland) 2.25; 9, J Nieto (US) 2.20.Long jump final: 1, S Stringfellow (US) 8.40; 2, J Beckford (Jamaica) 8.31; 3, V Shkurlatov (Russia) 8.28; 4, B Tarus (Romania) 8.26; 5, V Zyuskov (Ukraine) 8.23; 6, C Tomlinson (GB) 8.17; 7, K Sosunov (Russia) 8.16; 8, I Pedroso (Cuba) 8.09.Triple jump final: 1, C Olsson (Sweden) 17.83 (wld rec); 2, J Gregorio (Brazil) 17.43; 3, Y Betanzos (Cuba) 17.36; 4, D Valyukevich (Belarus) 17.22; 5, M Oprea (Romania) 17.19; 6, M Savolajnen (Ukraine) 16.95; 7, D Burkenya (Russia) 16.62; 8, J Kapek (France) 16.50.Pole vault final: 1, I Pavlov (Russia) 5.80; 2, A Ptacek (Czech Rep) 5.70; 3, D Yurchenko (Ukraine) 5.70; 4, P Kristiansson (Sweden) 5.70; 5, T Lobinger (Germany) 5.70; 6, G Gibilisco (Italy) 5.60; 7, R Mesnil (France) 5.60. DNS: R Blom (Holland).Shot q'fying, Pool 1: 3, C Myerscough (GB) 20.41m (q). Final: 1, C Cantwell (US) 21.49; 2, R Hoffa (US) 21.07; 3, J Olsen (Denmark) 20.99; 4, T Majewski (Poland) 20.83; 5, M Martinez (Spain) 20.79; 6, A Mikhnevich (Belarus) 20.50; 7, Myerscough 20.47; 8, Y Bilonog (Ukraine) 20.26.Heptathlon final standings: 1, R Sebrle (Czech Rep) 6,438pts; 2, B Clay (US) 6,365; 3, L Lobodin (Russia) 6,203; 4, D Karpov (Kazakhstan) 6,155; 5, E Nool (Estonia) 6,093; 6, A Pogorelov (Russia) 6,022; 7, J A Magnusson (Iceland) 5,993; 8, R Leskovar (Slovenia) 5,612.4 x 400m relay final: 1, Jamaica 3-05.21; 2, Russia 3-06.23; 3. Ireland (Daly, Ryan, Gillick, Mccarthy) 3-10.44; 4, Switzerland 3-12.62; 5, Bahamas 3-17.57. Disq: US.WOMEN200m final: 1, A Kapachinskaya (Russia) 22.78; 2, N Safronnikova (Belarus) 23.13; 3, S Goncharenko (Russia) 23.15; 4, K Mayr (Austria) 23.18; 5, M Maydanova (Ukraine) 23.64; 6, N Pygyda (Ukraine) 23.80.400m semi-finals, Ht 1: 5, H Karagounis (GB) 52.53. Ht 2: 4, C Murphy (GB) 52.59. Final: 1, N Nazarova (Russia) 50.19; 2, O Krasnomovets (Russia) 50.65; 3, T Williams (Bahamas) 50.87; 4, I Tirlea (Romania) 51.58; 5, J Clay (US) 52.82; 6, F Halkia (Greece) 52.90.800m Semi-finals, Ht 1: 3, J Fenn (GB) 2-00.79 (q). Final: 1, M Mutola (Mozambique) 1-58.50; 2, J Ceplak (Slovenia) 1-58.72; 3, Fenn 1-59.50; 4, J Toomey (US) 1-59.64; 5, T Andrianova (Russia) 1-59.71; 6, O Raspopova (Russia) 2-00.56.1500m final: 1, K Dulecha (Ethiopia) 4-06.40; 2, C Douma-Hussar (Canada) 4-08.18; 3, G Samitova (Russia) 4-08.26; 4, D Yordanova (Bulgaria) 4-08.52; 5, N Tobias (Ukraine) 4-09.03; 6, Y Kosenkova (Russia) 4-09.32; 7, A Turova (Belarus) 4-09.81; 8, L Okninska (Poland) 4-10.32; 9, K Holmes (GB) 4-12.30.3000m semi-finals, Ht 1: 5, H Tullett (GB) 8-51.27 (q). Ht 2: 2, J Pavey (GB) 8-58.05 (q); 3, M McCambridge (Ireland) 8-59.11 (q). Final: 1, M Defar (Ethiopia) 9-11.22; 2, B Adere (Ethiopia) 9-11.43; 3, S Whille-Culpepper (US) 9-12.15; 4, M Dominguez (Spain) 9-12.85; 5, Pavey 9-13.09; 6, Y Zadorozhnaya (Russia) 9-13.70; 7, S Mockenhaupt (Germany) 9-13.70; 8, M Dubrova (Ukraine) 9-14.34; 9, McCambridge 9-14.72; 10, V Dejaeghere (Belgium) 9-15.21; 11, G Bogomolova (Russia) 9-17.15. DNS: Tullett.60m hdls, 1st rd, Ht 4: 6, S Claxton (GB) 8.15. Final: 1, P Felicien (Canada) 7.75; 2, G Devers (US) 7.78; 3, L Ferga (France) 7.82; 4, J Hayes (US) 7.86; 5, S Kallur (Sweden) 7.89; 6, L Golding (Jamaica) 7.89; 7, F Redoumi (Greece) 7.94; 8, N Ramalalanirina (France) 8.01.High jump final: 1, Y Slesarenko (Russia) 2.04; 2, A Chicherova (Russia) 2.00; 3, B Vlasic (Croatia) 1.97; 4, V Palamar (Ukraine) 1.97; 5, D Rath (Germany) 1.97; 6, M Mendia (Spain) 1.94; 7, V Veneva (Bulgaria) 1.94; 8, V Styopina (Ukraine) 1.91.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2004/03/08/sibs08.xml&sSheet=/sport/2004/03/08/ixothspt.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 08 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7979/1/E-Davor-Suker-Makes-History-FIFA-100-Players-Ever.html ÂDavor Suker Makes History"The FIFA 100" Tribute Ceremony will take place on 4th March 2004 in London. The evening will take place at the Natural History Museum and will start with a charity auction organized by Christies and will continue with a prestigious awards dinner where the one hundred greatest living players ("The FIFA 100") chosen by Pelé and approved by FIFA for the 100th anniversary of FIFA will be invited to receive a recognition award by Joseph S. Blatter and Edson Arantes do Nascimento "Pelé" to mark this historic day. All the players chosen for "The FIFA 100" will be announced on the night and the work of the artists will be shown for the first time during "The FIFA 100" Tribute Ceremony. The FIFA 100 list and the photos can be seen from March 4th onwards on this website.Davor Suker has been named to the FIFA 100.http://www.the-100.com "The FIFA 100" Charity Auction will take place in London on 4th March 2004 at the Natural History Museum. All the proceeds will go to "Project Goal" The auction, being conducted by Christie's, will offer over 20 football lots, including memorabilia and unique world football experiences. A central part of the evening and conducted by leading charity auctioneer Hugh Edmeades, Chairman of Christie's South Kensington, the sale proceeds will be donated to the FIFA Goal Programme Charity - a charity that supports the development of communities around the world through football. Christie's is a world leader in charity celebrity sales and also leads the global Football Memorabilia auction market.Who does Pelé think are the greatest footballers alive? This beautiful book, which celebrates FIFA's Centennial, reveals his selection. These portraits, commissioned from some of the world's leading photographers, including William Klein, Patrick Lichfield, Martin Parr, Tierney Gearon, Vik Muniz, Norbert Schoerner and Helena Christensen, are surprising and unexpected. Unlike the familiar football books that are packed with action shots by anonymous news photographers, in "The FIFA 100" the very essence of athletic greatness is depicted. These arresting portraits reveal the footballer as icon; strength and artistry of movement are implied. In "The FIFA 100", art meets football, and this book is a fitting tribute to all the players who have made the game so beautiful. It is designed by the award-winning and internationally renowned team of Why Not Associates. With forewords by Pelé and Joeseph S. Blatter, the President of FIFA, the book contains more than 100 stunning portraits, and a biography of each player and photographer and will be available in paperback at exhibition venues, in a hardback edition at bookshops throughout the world, and in a special limited edition signed by players and photographers.The book is a Royal Academy publication.Source: http://www.the-100.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7982/1/E-Essendon-Croatia-Croatia-Melbourne-Croatia.html ÂThe passing of an eraÂBy Michael LynchFebruary 29, 2004"The Knights are a member-based club and the site also contains the Croatian Social Centre.""All that comes to an end today when the team from Sunshine plays its last game in the national league. A club established 51 years ago by Croatian immigrants, the Knights have, down the decades, clung strongly to their roots. Whether as Essendon Croatia,Croatia, MelbourneCroatia or the Knights, they have been able to mine a generous seam of talent, the sons of generations of Croatian immigrants from Melbourne's western suburbs and Geelong."Melbourne Knights, Somers Street and passionate fans proved a heady mix, writes Michael Lynch.What Andrew Marth remembers most is the crowds. The noise, the atmosphere, the chanting, the intimidation, the sense that the Melbourne Knights could not lose in front of that passionate, hostile Somers Street crowd.That was back in the mid-1990s, when the team from Sunshine was the football power in the land. Five grand finals in six seasons, two premierships and three runner-up trophies - a sustained period of success that few football teams in any code have equalled in the modern era.Back then, in a golden period from 1990 to 1996, the Knights supplied Australia's footballer of the year four times, its under-21 player of the year twice and its top goal-scorer twice.With players of the calibre of Mark Viduka, Danny Tiatto, Steve Horvat, Frank Juric and Josip Simunic, to name just a few who went on to have significant overseas careers, the Knights set a standard few other teams - either then or now - could match."Without a doubt, my greatest memories in soccer have been here at this ground," said Marth, the grand final-winning captain, this week as he reflected on the Knights' imminent demise. "For the quality of the teams we had at Somers Street in 1994-95-96, I don't think there's any around that touched them. The Carlton team I played in my first season there was good, but I think the Knights teams in the mid-1990s were very special."We used to pack the crowds out then. Thousands of them would come. It was a great atmosphere. People said they (the crowds) used to put all the other teams off and give us a big advantage. It did give us a lot of confidence to know that other teams didn't like coming there, that they expected a belting."All that comes to an end today when the team from Sunshine plays its last game in the national league. A club established 51 years ago by Croatian immigrants, the Knights have, down the decades, clung strongly to their roots. Whether as Essendon Croatia, Croatia, Melbourne Croatia or the Knights, they have been able to mine a generous seam of talent, the sons of generations of Croatian immigrants from Melbourne's western suburbs and Geelong."Without a doubt, my greatest memories in soccer have been here at this ground."- ANDREW MARTHIn the end, what gave them such strength (as is the case for so many of the traditional ethnically based National Soccer League sides) is proving to be their undoing. Soccer no longer exists in the ghetto of mainstream sport. Its days as "wogball", a sport played, as Johnny Warren was so memorably taunted as a youngster, only by "sheilas, wogs and poofters", are long gone. It is now the most popular sport for youngsters nationwide and the new board of the Australian Soccer Association is desperate to tap into this latent audience for its new, reformed national league. But clubs with an overwhelming ethnic base are not wanted.It is, as the Knights' hierarchy admits, the cost of progress. Bigger budgets ($5 million a year will be required to sustain a side in Frank Lowy's planned Australian Premier League) are beyond the imaginings of clubs such as theirs. Their supporter base - as the dwindling crowds this season in their least successful campaign in years show - is either dying out or disinterested. Sponsors are ever harder to find.The future of Somers Street is as yet unclear. The Knights want to play next season in the elite state competition, the Victorian Premier League, but with their players dispersing after this game to other VPL clubs, it is unclear how many will come back.The Knights are a member-based club and the site also contains the Croatian Social Centre. An extraordinary general meeting is planned for later this week to determine its fate. The options are to raise the funds to pay off the remaining debt on the venue - about $1.3 million - or sell the complex and play elsewhere. A lot could hinge on the fate of the application by the new Melbourne United consortium to join the APL. It has been offered the Knights' facilities as a training venue should it want them.Whatever happens, it cannot be denied that Somers Street has left an indelible mark on the NSL. Visiting teams, as Marth pointed out, hate going there; the surroundings - industrial sites, urban waste grounds - are far from inviting and, in the glory days, the revved-up crowd chanting "Cro-at-zi-a, Cro-at-zi-a" at top volume, was intimidating.The venue always has a down-at-heel, scruffy, look, allied to a "So what? We don't care what you think of us" attitude.Flares are all part of the experience on a visit to Somers Street and, doubtless, many will be dispatched today. While the more sensational elements of the press and tabloid television create the impression that Knights supporters are hooligans, the reality is that there is rarely any trouble.The supporters' worst offence was three years ago, when a tiny group of so-called fans attacked Perth Glory coach Bernd Stange and a handful of Glory players, citing the "Serbian salute" that Perth striker Bobby Despotovski had allegedly given the crowd as justification for their action.It was inexcusable and the club was fined, ordered to improve ground security and play its next home game against Perth in Tasmania.Source:http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/28/1077677014015.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7981/1/E-European-boxing-championship-in-Pula-Croatia.html ÂRussians dominate at European boxing championships Associated PressPULA, Croatia (AP) - Russia won nine of the 11 gold medals offered Sunday at the European boxing championships.World champion Sergei Kazov started things for Russia by winning the light-flyweight title, beating Alfonso Pinto of Italy 41-22. Other Russian winners included Gueorgy Balakchine, Gennadiy Kovalev, Alexander Maletin, Oleg Saitov, Gaidarbek Gaidarbekov, Evgeny Makarenko, Alexandre Alekseev and Alexandre Povetkin. The other two winners were Vitali Taiberd of Germany, who beat Kedhapi Djelkhir of France in three rounds in the featherweight class, and Dimitar Stilianov of Bulgaria, who beat Aydin Selcuk of Turkey 32-21 in the lightweight division. Balakchine won the flyweight title over Nikoloz Izoria of Georgia 39-21, while worlds silver-medalist Kovalev beat Ali Hallab of France 52-28 in the bantamweight. Light-welterweight Maletin won his third straight European title, walking over Igor Sashchuk of Ukraine. Saitov, making his first appearance at a major competition since winning his second Olympic title in Sydney four years ago, beat Xavier Noel of France 41-22 in the welterweight division. Gaiderbekov won the middleweight goal, stopping Lukas Wilaschek of Germany 39-19, and Makarenko beat Mario Sivolija of Croatia in two rounds to add the European light-heavyweight title to the heavyweight crown he won two years ago. Makarenko has been unbeaten since winning the first of his two world titles in Belfast in 2001. Heavyweight Alekseev and super-heavyweight Povetkin won the final two events.Worlds silver-medalist Alekseev stopped Zuyen Viktar of Belarus in the second round, while Povetkin nipped Roberto Cammarelli of Italy 30-26. All 44 semifinalists at the tournament qualified for the Athens Olympics. http://www.foxsports.com/content/view?contentId=2187144 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7980/1/E-US-Waterpolo-Coach-Ratko-Rudic.html ÂCroatian US Waterpolo Coach Ratko RudicThe following appeared in today's issue of the Long Beach PressTelegram. John KraljicRudic unknown in U.S. so farDOUG: Rudica taskmaster.By Doug KrikorianSports columnistSaturday, February 28, 2004 - He is seated there in the restaurantbooth, and diners file unknowingly past him, not realizing they're inthe presence of a legendary figure of his game, a revered figure who'streated like royalty when he returns to his native Croatia or to theother country where he has made such a staggering impact, Italy.There is an unmistakable aura about him, and he carries his hulkingframehe's at least 6- foot-3 and at least 235 pounds with a coolself-assurance that betrays a toughness befitting his exalted status.He is 56, but the full, square face framed by a clump of black hairstill hasn't been invaded by wrinkles, and a distinctive mustachedominates his rugged features."Love America,' he says in halting English. "Hold Croatian and Italianpassports, but might remain in America. The people friendlier. Needdirections here, people help you. In Europe, they turn away.'They don't turn away from Ratko Rudic, not in Croatia, Russia or Hungary, not in Italy, not anywhere on the planet where men's water polo is played because Rudic happens to be the John Wooden of this particular endeavor."No doubt Ratko is the best men's water polo coach in the world, if notthe best ever,' says Rich Foster, the Long Beach- based U.S. Water Polopresident who's responsible for luring Rudic here to coach the nationalteam. "That's why we hired him. He's the best. Just look at his trackrecord.'No doubt Ratko Rudic has the deft leadership touch, consummating a waterpolo hat trick that doubtless never will be equaled, guiding teams tothree consecutive Olympic gold medals.His Yugoslavian men finished on top in the 1984 and 1988 Games, then hisItalian men did the same in 1992 in an achievement that sets Rudic farapart from his coaching brethren.He also was quite a water polo player in his younger days, participatingin a couple of Olympics for Yugoslavia under the Tito regime before thebreakup of the country and earning a gold and silver medal.But it is coaching that has gained him a worldwide reputation, and isresponsible for his spending most of his waking hours these days at theU.S. National Team's training facility on the Los Alamitos militarybase."Ratko has totally restructured the entire water polo program in thiscountry from the ground up,' says Foster. "He definitely knows what he'sdoing, and I think you're going to see significant results in a fewyears."What makes Ratko such a tremendous coach is, one, his preparation. Theguy is a workaholic who puts in long hours. Secondly, he has atremendous tactical knowledge of the sport. He understands all facets ofit. And, lastly, his intensity. He knows how to motivate players and howto get them in great shape. He's just a great, great coach.'Rudic lives in Belmont Shore, and seems proud of the fact that he's ableto navigate the congested Southern California traffic without too muchmisery."Listen, I live in Rome when I coached the Italians, and drove there allthe time,' he says, with a laugh. "If a person can drive in Rome, he candrive anywhere.'Ratko Rudic was born in Split on the Dalmatian coast, and actuallypreferred soccer as a youth.But his father, a military officer, felt too many soccer players turnedout to be wayward adults and strongly encouraged his son to pursue waterpolo.Rudic did, and became quite good at it, playing at an internationallevel for 14 years before turning to the coaching profession.He's known as a stern taskmaster, and it was a cultural shock for theAmerican players when Rudic took over the team in January of 2001."Ratko noticed that the U.S. team had been faltering in the finalperiod,' says Foster. "He felt they could be in better shape. And so hestarted working them. Hard. There definitely was an adjustment period.'"The players had to understand that they suffer now so later they showstrength at the end of games,' says Rudic. "They have to have atremendous commitment to the game when I coach them. I try not to be toofriendly with players. My job is to get most out of them. Some don'tlike to be driven so hard.'Rudic is divorced and has a 24- year-old daughter who lives in Milan.In his spare time, he enjoys painting."I'm an artist,' he says. "I always liked art. I been to most museums inEurope. My favorite? Francis Bacon. The best Italian painter? Leonardoda Vinci.'Before his team competes in the Athens Olympicsit drew an opening roundgauntlet of perennial powers Hungary, Russia and Croatia it willmake an appearance in the FINA World League Super Finals that will bestaged July 16-18 at the Long Beach Swim Stadium.The Americans aren't expected to earn a medal in Greece, but the teammust not be underestimated because of the presence of Rudic.He does have some talented specimens in people like Tony Azevedo, WolfWigo, Ryan Bailey, Chris Segesman and several others, and he has ahallowed history of dredging the most out of his personnel.As Rich Foster puts it, "We originally anticipated getting to theOlympic podium in 2008, but it might happen in 2004 because we're aheadof schedule. And we also have someone no other team has: Ratko Rudic. Hehas a history of pulling off miracles.'-The McDonnell- Douglas Show, featuring Press- Telegram columnist DougKrikorian and radio personality Joe McDonnell, can be heard Mondaythrough Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on ESPN radio, KSPN 710 AM. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7984/1/E-Maccabi-Tel-Aviv-signed-Croatian-center-Bruno-Sundov.html ÂMaccabi Tel Aviv signed Croatian center Bruno SundovBasketball / Mac. TA signs Bruno Sundov By Eli Sahar Maccabi Tel Aviv signed Croatian center Bruno Sundov yesterday to replace Yoav Saffar, who has been suffering from a knee injury and may be unable to return to action this season. Sundov signed with Maccabi until the end of the season with an option for another year. Anton Kazarnovski will be loaned to Haifa/Ramat Hasharon as a result of the move.The 2.18 center will only be eligible to play for Maccabi in the Euroleague and will not play in the Israeli Premier League. Sundov, 24, arrived in Israel yesterday and will play for his new team tomorrow in a warm-up match against Red Star Belgrade ahead of the next stage of the Euroleague next week.Sundov most recently played with the New York Knicks after beginning the 2003-04 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and has also played with the Boston Celtics, the Indiana Pacers and the Dallas Mavericks.Sundov was picked by the Mavericks in the second round of the 1998 NBA draft, but in two years with the club played only 72 minutes. In his two years with Indiana, he played 33 games, averaging 2.5 points per game in seven minutes of court time.Maccabi coach Pini Gershon said yesterday that Sundov would add a lot of mass under the basket. "You don't see a lot of players of his size in Europe," Gershon said.But Maccabi's enthusiasm isn't shared by basketball pundits in Israel or Croatia. Sundov played against Israel at the world under 21 championship in Japan three years ago and was cut down by Yaniv Green and Shahar Gordon, as Israel won 82-70.A Croatian basketball journalist said yesterday that if Maccabi was looking to Sundov for 10 minutes a game, it might get what it wanted, but if the club was looking to Sundov to take it to the final four on his own shoulders, it was barking up the wrong tree. "Sundov doesn't have the experience to play at the highest level. He has spent most of his time in the NBA sitting on the bench, and when he has seen the court, it has been mostly in garbage time. He may be massive, but he likes to shoot from outside so don't expect a real defensive stalwart. He isn't physical enough."Euroleague draw todayThe draw for the second phase of the Euroleague takes place today in Barcelona. The 16 teams remaining in the competition, including Maccabi Tel Aviv, will be drawn into four groups with the teams seeded according to their standings in the first group stage.The top teams in the each of the three first stage groups, along with Maccabi Tel Aviv, which finished as the best second-place finisher, will head their second-stage groups. The top four teams at the end of the second stage will advance to the Final Four in Tel Aviv on April 29. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/397097.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7983/1/E-Milwaukee-Bucks-Toni-Kukoc-of-Croatia.html ÂKukoc in ActionMilwaukee Bucks Toni Kukoc of Croatia, right goes up for a basket against Los Angeles Clippers, Matt Barnes, left in the first half of a Saturday Feb. 21, 2004 game in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Darren Hauck) Editor's note:Each time Kukoc plays Croatia is mentioned. I appreciate that very much. He is fighting like a lion, yes for himself, but giving all of us a credit. Let's be thankful for talented people like Toni. More talent we support on the way up, more will they bring back on the way down.NB letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7986/1/E-Three-Croatian-Players-With-Northwestern-University.html ÂBeyond Croatia's beautiful beaches and tall cliffs 3 tall basketball players @ NUThe following appeared in the student newspaper The Daily Northwesternfrom Evanston, Illinois. John KraljicBeyond Croatia's beautiful beaches and tall cliffs, memories of a oncewar-torn country remain embedded in the minds of 3 NU basketball playersBy Tania GanguliFebruary 11, 2004Two pieces of Vedran Vukusic's identity come together in his bedroom.A big, square, purple poster is tacked to one of the walls. Whitewriting on it reads, "Offense wins games, defense wins championships." Asmall Croatian flag is taped a few feet away.It is one of many in the apartment."Summer, that's the best part," says Vukusic, leaning his 6-foot-8 frameacross his bed. He can't help but smile when thinking about his hometownof Split, Croatia. "My coach calls it the best hidden place in theworld."Vukusic's home -- on the coast of the Adriatic Sea -- is where he andfellow Northwestern basketball players Davor Duvancic and Ivan Tolicgrew up. Split is a few hours by car from parts of the country that wereengulfed by a brutal, four-year war following Croatia's 1991 declarationof independence from the former Yugoslavia.But scenes of war aren't the first thing that pops into these Croatians'minds when they think of their native land.Tolic can't put into words what Split is like, but all you have to do istake a look at his bedroom walls in Evanston to get an idea.One wall is covered with images of Split. There's a poster of an aerialview of the town's coast and another showing a secluded beach surroundedby cliffs towering above two small beachside houses. A Croatian nationalsoccer team scarf hangs above Tolic's giant Croatian flag on theopposite wall.Amidst these icons, flags and pictures, it's no wonder Croatian is heardas often as English."This apartment is technically part of Croatia," Tolic jokes. "Here andthe Croatian embassy."Duvancic and Vukusic traded Croatia's beaches and mild, coastal winterstwo years ago for NU's biting cold and Big Ten basketball. Tolicfollowed a year later. Although the players say they miss theirhometown, they agree they are three lucky guys.The trio, all forwards, say they were lucky to have gotten the chance toplay basketball and study in the United States. In Europe they wouldhave had to choose between academics and sports.But 13 years ago their luck manifested itself in a totally differentway. When Vukusic, Tolic and Duvancic were 8 years old, war broke out inCroatia, a country slightly smaller than West Virginia. Their familiesand homes were mostly spared.Two Croatian Serb girls sit outside the ruins of a pizzeria in Vukovar,Croatia, in Oct. 1991. Vukovar lies northeast of the city of Split,where NU basketball players Ivan Tolic, Davor Duvancic and VedranVukusic are from. (Photo by Mark Milstein/ZUMA Press)"Here you're going to find three people who none of their family memberswent to war," Tolic says. "That's really rare. We're a small countryreally, so everybody who's capable of going to war goes to war."It's been more than eight years since the war ended. Now the threeplayers share a court and a roof in Evanston and are bonded by a commonhome and the once war-torn country they left behind.CONFUSION, FEAR AND LONG WAITSVukusic, Duvancic and Tolic weren't even 10 years old when Split wasattacked in 1992, but they distinctly remember what life was like then."Fear," Tolic says immediately.After World War I, the Balkan nations of Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia andMontenegro were grouped with Serbia to create Yugoslavia.All-out war began in July 1991, a month after Croatia declaredindependence. Serbian rebels and Yugoslavian soldiers attacked the newlyindependent country."(Yugoslavia) included inimical groups," says Marv Kantor, a professoremeritus of Slavic languages and literature at NU. "The enmity wasmostly between the Serbs and the Croats."Split was only attacked once during the conflict, but air-raid sirenssounded several other times -- imprisoning the town in a tense wait.When the sirens went off, residents of Split -- most of whom lived inapartments -- rushed to the shelters underneath their buildings.Children went in before adults. The residents of the complex wouldgather there until the attack, or threat of attack, was over. Thatusually meant staying underground for several hours."You could see, hear (that) people were nervous," Duvancic says. "Myfather, he didn't want to get in. He wanted to look around. I don't know-- he was just crazy like that."Vukusic remembers his father waking him up at five or six on onemorning."All I could hear was bombs ... coming through the air," Vukusic says."Some were really close. Afterward we saw where they had fallen. Iperfectly remember everything."He and his family got dressed and packed some clothes and a bag of foodbefore heading to the shelter in the basement of their apartmentbuilding. When the attack ended, they went back to their apartments. Afew hours later another siren sounded and the family rushed back down.Vukusic's building and its immediate surroundings were untouched.Duvancic's and Tolic's complexes also survived. But Vukusic could seehow close the bombs he heard crackling through the air had hit. Still,he didn't really comprehend what was happening to his city."My mom said I was laughing when we went into the shelter," Vukusicsays. "I can still remember hearing the bombs falling and I was justhaving fun. I didn't really know what was going on."Tolic remembers a different kind of confusion."As a little kid you're just like, 'Why are these people attacking us?'"Tolic said. "'We didn't do anything.'"'YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE DIE'A two-hour car ride away from Split, attacks devastated the village andhome where Duvancic's father grew up."Everything was destroyed," Duvancic says. "There was nothing left."His father's village wasn't the only one to meet that fate. Every nighton television, Vukusic would watch a seemingly endless list of attackedcities scroll down the screen for 15 to 20 minutes.Government-controlled television stations brought all the gruesomeimages of war into Croatian homes daily. Tolic guesses the press spreadpropaganda to mobilize the population."It was the worst thing I'd ever seen in my life," Duvancic says."People waiting for water in line and they throw three grenades in frontof them. You can see people die."The memories of seeing footage of a man running and then being hit by asniper, a child running from a tank and dead bodies on streets stillenrage the otherwise soft spoken Duvancic -- but at least he, Vukusicand Tolic can still talk about it."I had so many friends in Sarajevo and Bosnia," Tolic says. "I knew thisone kid who didn't speak after the war for like five years -- at all. Hecouldn't."Tolic's mother, Ivanka, didn't let him watch much television during thewar, but she says she made sure to explain the situation to herchildren."It was something that I must explain to them," Ivanka Tolic says byphone from Croatia. "That everybody is not like (the people attacking).There are many good people. You couldn't go out of the home and it (wasa) time to be together."Most Croatians didn't need to be convinced that the war was valid.People felt a duty to defend their country. The country didn't have alarge enough standing army to defend itself, so volunteers swelled itsranks."We were always under someone's rule, always repressed," Tolic'sbrother, Marko, says from Split. "We have a big patriotic feeling."Seventeen years old and too young to fight, Marko's best friendfalsified documents to say he was 18. He didn't survive the war.Vukusic's uncle also volunteered. He fought for two years before beingwounded by a grenade.Vukusic says his father probably would have fought, but his motherwanted him to stay home. Tolic's father also worked for the police in aposition that couldn't be filled by anyone else.Duvancic's father worked for the government until a new administrationtook power in 1990. At that point he was fired without an explanation.His mother had quit her job the year before so she could stay at homewith Davor and his younger sister during wartime."There's a high probability of something happening to you (in war),"Davor says. "The other side had all kinds of guns and weapons. On ourside you don't have anything -- just small groups of people."The war ended in 1995 with the Dayton Peace Accords, signed underpressure from officials in the United States. To Duvancic, the foreignpressure and ensuing peace came too late."After they massacre, after they kill a whole town, (the Americans) comein," Duvancic says. "It all happened before that. It was too late."HOME COURTAt 5 a.m. on June 20, 1993, Marko Tolic rushed to wake up his10-year-old brother, Ivan. Game Six of the NBA finals was on TV -- thePhoenix Suns versus the Chicago Bulls."John Paxson hitting a three for the win over Phoenix for thechampionship -- I just remember that," Ivan says.The brothers shared a room and had a line in the middle of it toseparate Ivan's side from Marko's. They bickered as brothers do."Ivan was a crybaby," Marko says. "He was always showing his emotions.""The little crybaby never got beat one-on-one in basketball," Ivan says.Tolic followed in his big brother's footsteps. He took up basketballbecause Marko did and he learned English because Marko had."I knew I couldn't go wrong with him," the younger Tolic says.Now Marko wakes up at 3 a.m. in Split to listen to his brother's gamesonline.Vukusic swam when he was younger but eventually grew tired of waking upfor 6 a.m. practices. At 9 years old, he started playing basketball --the earliest of NU's Croatian trio.Duvancic also swam and played tennis. In eighth grade he grew tallerthan everyone else and decided to take up basketball. Duvancic andVukusic played for the same club team and often played against Tolic'steam.At the end of high school, Vukusic had many options. He could play inCroatia, Portugal or Slovenia -- or he could go to college. About sixmonths before graduation, his coach told him and Duvancic about playingin the United States.NU head basketball coach Bill Carmody and assistant coach Paul Leevisited their practice in 2001. They watched the two and some teammatesplay five-on-five for 45 minutes. Carmody says the great thing aboutrecruiting Croatian athletes is they are good students."I just told my parents, and my dad was OK with it, but my mom was like,'No, you're not leaving,'" Vukusic says. "You know how moms are."He and Duvancic signed with NU in 2001 and are in their third year oncampus. When Tolic decided to come to the United States, he neverdoubted he would play for NU."I knew I was going to go crazy if I didn't have anyone to talk inCroatian with," Tolic says.THINKING FORWARDTime and a few classes in NU's Slavic Languages and Literaturedepartment have helped the three players better understand the war theywitnessed.If Croatia were attacked again, Tolic says he definitely would defendhis country. Still, he can't miss an opportunity to joke about thepossibility."Actually, I'm a pretty big target out there," Tolic says. "So maybenot."But all three also know the devastation that comes with war. When theUnited States went to war in Iraq last year, it was a little hard forTolic to swallow."I told everyone what war is going to bring," Tolic says. "I'm notagainst American involvement in anything. I'm just against war ingeneral."Adds Duvancic, "There has to be another way to solve things."War is something you have to experience to understand, says Tolic'smother, Ivanka. Split was not in danger often, but she says whathappened in parts of their country happened to the whole country. IvankaTolic calls it "a lost time."Friends and relatives who fought came out of the war having lost yearsof their lives."Over the years you have fun, work or go to college," Marko Tolic says."And they came out of the war with nothing in their hands."That's something Vukusic, Duvancic and Tolic won't have to face afterNU. They'll leave with degrees which they say will help them in lifeafter basketball. Tolic and Duvancic say they probably will return toCroatia."Maybe I could go back to Croatia one day and help other kids to comehere," Tolic says. "Whenever people see something on TV about theBalkans, it's all about war."There's more to it." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 16 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7985/1/E-Mirko-Crocop-Filipovic--Japanese-Prime-Minister.html ÂFilipovic - KoizumiMirko Crocop Filipovic, left, a K-1 fighter-turned-member of parliament of Croatia, smiles as he gets a jab from Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi wearing a K-1 glove during their meeting at Koizumi's official residence in Tokyo Friday, Feb. 13, 2004. Crocop was elected as a lawmaker back in his home country in November 2003 after becoming a hero in Japan through his fightings in popular Japanese TV bouts of K-1, a brutal sports that combines elements of karate, kickboxing and taekwando. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, POOL) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 16 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7988/1/E-Moneys-not-an-issue-Its-more-playing-time.html ÂSundov would rather play in CBA than ride bench in NBA Feb. 5, 2004 By Michael Osipoff / Post-Tribune staff writer Ask CBA players about their ultimate goal and most, if not all, will say to make it to the NBA. Bruno Sundov, the Steelheads' newly-signed 7-foot-2 center, has been there, done that. But he wants more, wants to do it on his terms. He wants to play in the NBA. For five-plus seasons, Sundov has bounced around and landed on five NBA rosters, from the Mavericks to the Pacers to the Celtics to the Cavaliers to the Knicks. In that time, he essentially has played one full season: 81 games, averaging 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.6 minutes. To him, that's unacceptable. "With the NBA, I was just sick and tired of doing nothing," he said. "It's fun, but if you don't play, it's not fun. It was enough. I just want to play. This is a good situation. I need to get my game back, and help the team get wins." He thought his game plateaued, has been accumulating rust. A native of Croatia, he considered offers to play overseas. He preferred the exposure of playing domestically. Not that he would jump at the first NBA offer to come his way. As Steelheads coach Duane Ticknor said, "He could still be in the NBA right now, but he wants to play. Most of the guys here are trying to get there; he's trying to become a factor. With five years (in the NBA), money's not an issue. It's more playing time." So, if it means playing the rest of the season with the Steelheads, then working over the summer and seeing what happens when next NBA season rolls around, so be it. He has opted to sacrifice in the short-term, hoping he will be rewarded in the longer-term. "If it's just for practice, I wouldn't go (to the NBA)," Sundov said. "If it's 10, 15 minutes in the rotation, I'll go. With my background, I can ask for that. You have to earn minutes, I know that. But I never got a chance to show what I can do." Coaches' decisions and injuries have combined to limit his chances. Sundov, who turns 24 on Feb. 10, was selected by the Mavericks in the second round (35th overall) in the 1998 NBA Draft. At 19, he became the youngest player in Dallas history when he made his first appearance on April 21, 1999. This came after he didn't sign until March 29, and then spending until April 17 on the injured list. He spent time on the injured list in 1999-2000, and missed 52 games in 2000-01 with assorted ailments. With the injuries behind him, the most games he has played in a single season is 26, with the Celtics last season. Most recently, he completed a 10-day contract with the Knicks, appearing in one game, after appearing in four with the Cavaliers early in the season. He seemed pleased after Tuesday's practice, his first with the Steelheads. "The NBA doesn't practice like this - banging, up and down, like a game situation," he said. "The pace is up a little bit. It's not what I'm used to. But I can adjust quick. You have to adjust to all types." From his experience, NBA practices focused more on tactics, game review, personnel review. Some teams had individual workouts with their players, but it wasn't the same as live competition. "Let's get the ball and let's go," Sundov said. "I wanna help this team go all the way. You have to set high goals and shoot for them." Like not just making it to the NBA, but contributing. http://www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/sports/z1/02-05-04_z1_spor_02.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7987/1/E-Croatian-Sensation-lands-in-Gary.html Â'CroatianSensation' lands in GarySteelheads sign CBA's tallest playerTimes Staff ReportPRO BASKETBALLCoach Duane Ticknor added size and NBA experience to his front line Tuesday by signing 7-foot-2, 250-pound center Bruno Sundov, the tallest player in Steelheads history.The five-year NBA veteran most recently played with the New York Knicks after beginning the 2003-04 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has also played with the Boston Celtics, the Pacers and the Dallas Mavericks."Bruno gives us added size and strength on the front line," Ticknor said. "In our playoff push, we will need to be strong on the boards and Bruno gives us that advantage."Sundov takes the place of 6-foot-11 Leon Smith, who was released by the team.A native of Croatia, Sundov was the youngest player in Mavericks' history when he made his NBA debut at age 19. He was Dallas' second-round pick (35th overall) in the 1998 draft.Sundov helped Croatia's Junior National Team to a 3-0 record and first place in the 1998 International Junior Tournament and currently is the tallest player in the Continental Basketball Association this season.Sundov also is the tallest player to ever wear a Steelheads' uniform. Lorenzo Coleman, at 7-1, played for the Steelies during the 2000-01 season.Sundov will join his new team during today's practice at the Gary Genesis Center.The third-place Steelheads (18-14) play three games in as many days this week. They are at Rockford on Thursday and Saturday nights with a Friday home game against the league-leading Dakota Wizards.The Steelheads also placed forward Galen Young, their leading scorer, on the inactive reserve list so he could accept a lucrative offer to play in the Philippines. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7989/1/E-Waterpolo---Croatia-won-6-1-and-the-gold-medal.html ÂCroatia Won Gold With 7 VictoriesCROATIA vs. GERMANY 6-1 (2-1, 2-0, 1-0, 1-0)German players had burst most of their energies in yesterday's match against Russia they won assuring themselves the Olympic participation. Moreover last night they righteously celebrate watching an inevitable samba show staged on purpose in the premises of their hotel, the Rio Othon. For the Croatian it was just a formality to reassert their superior standing, with 2 goals in each of the first two quarters and 1 for each of he last two periods. Croatia, who had beat Germany 3-2 also in the Preliminary Round was the only team ending the tournament with all victories, a 7-match long winning streak.CROATIA: Vican (GK), Buric, Vranjes 1, Simenc 2, Volarevic (GK, d.n.e.), Stritof (C), Smodlaka, Milakovic, Frankovic 1, Barac, Hinic 2, Fatovic, Kobescak. Coaches: Roje, Segvic (A).GERMANY: Tchigir (GK), Zellmer (GK, d.n.e.), Schroedter, Weissinger (C), Dierolf, Politze, Wollthan 1, Schertwitis,Kreuzmann, Nossek, Kaiser, Mackeben, Pohlmann. Coaches: Stamm, Hohenstein (A).REFEREES: Gabor Kiszely (HUN), Nikolaos Stavropoulus (GRE).TOPTOP SCORERS (Top 10)1. RADU (ROM) 132. FRANKOVIC (CRO) 122. JURAVLE (ROM) 122. SMODLAKA (CRO) 122. ZINNUROV (RUS) 123. BOOJ (NED) 103. COSIC (CAN) 103. POLITZE (GER) 104. CIPOV (SVK) 95. WOLLTHAN (GER) 9Âhttp://www.fina.org/Athens2004_qualwaterpoloBRA.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 04 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7990/1/E-Split-in-bid-for-2009-world-track--field-championship.html ÂEight cities bid for 2009 world track and field championshipsMONTE CARLO (AP) - Eight cities have submitted bids to host the 2009 world track and field championships, the International Asssociation of Athletics Federations said Wednesday.The candidates are Berlin; Brisbane, Australia; Brussels; Casablanca, Morocco; Daegu, South Korea; New Delhi; Split, Croatia, and Valencia, Spain.The deadline for applications was Jan. 31."I am delighted not only to have such a large list of impressive candidates, but that they are so widely spread geographically," IAAF president Lamine Diack said.The host city will be chosen by the IAAF Council at a meeting next autumn.Last year's championships were held in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. The next two editions will be held in Helsinki in 2005 and Osaka, Japan, in 2007.Edmonton hosted the championships in 2001.http://canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040204/CPS/7419019 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7992/1/E-Croatia-downs-everybody-at-water-polo-Olympic-qualifier.html /*showToolbar(); Barcelona 03 Indianapolis 2004 Athens 2004 News Press Releases Olympic News Doping News Federations News Publications Swimming Water Polo Diving Open Water Swimming Synchronised Swimming Masters Directory Regulations Seminars & Clinics Federations Officials Lists Links Emails FINA Home P ÂCroatia leading by beating:ÂGermany, Romania, Poland, Canada & Puerto RicoCroatia's Tihomil Vranjes (R) prepares to shoot against Romania's Adrian Cretu during their match at the FINA Men's Water Polo Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, January 25, 2004. The three top teams qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Croatia defeated Romania 7-5. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes Croatia's Tihomil Vranjes (3) struggles for the ball with Germany's Soeren Mackeben (12) during their match at the FINA Men's Water Polo Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, January 26, 2004. The three top teams qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Croatia defeated Germany, 3-2. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes Croatia's Ratko Stritof (top) prepares to shoot as he is pressured by Puerto Rico's William Rodriguez (2) during their match at the FINA Men's Water Polo Olympic Games (news -web sites) Qualification Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, January 29, 2004. The three top teams qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes A stroll on the Copacabana beach could not have possibly been more relaxant than this match to the Croatian players, who shoot and scored at will. The enormous difference between the respective technical levels of the two teams was exactly reflected by both this match score and the Preliminary Round final standings. Croatia stands at 10 points (5 wins), Puerto Rico at 0 points (5 losses). Top scorers of the match were Smodlaka and Barac, with 4 goals each. CROATIA: Vican (GK), Buric, Vranjes 2, Simenc 2, Volarevic (GK), Stritof 1, Smodlaka 4, Milakovic, Frankovic 2, Barac 4, Hinic 2, Fatovic 1, Kobescak. Coaches: Roje, Segvic (A). PUERTO RICO: Huntley (GK), Rodriguez, Puig, Castillo, Rivera 1, Betancourt, Gascot, Gonzalez, Pereles, Muniz, Ortiz, Rosa, Mujica. Coaches: Blay, Vargas (A). REFEREES: Andrei Afanasiev (RUS), Hector Valcarce (ARG). AQUATICS EVENTS ATHENS 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES AUGUST 13 - 29, 2004 Olympic Games Men’s Qualification Tournament Rio de Janeiro (BRA) January 25 - February 1, 2004  Please note that the first three (3) ranked teams will be qualified for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Men's Water Polo Tournament. The draw for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Men’s Water Polo competition will take place on the 21st February 2004 in Athens (GRE)...more  GROUP A GROUP B A1. CROATIA B1. BRAZIL A2. GERMANY B2. withdrawal A3. CANADA B3. RUSSIA A4. POLAND B4. SLOVAKIA A5. PUERTO RICO B5. NETHERLANDS A6. ROMANIA B6. ARGENTINA  PRELIMINARY ROUND Date Day  Game Time RESULTS REPORTS 25.01.04 Sunday 1 RUS vs SVK - Live TV 09:00 11-7 RUS-SVK   2 BRA vs ARG - Live TV 10:30 9-2 BRA-ARG   3 CRO vs ROM 12:00 7-5 CRO-ROM   4 CAN vs POL 16:00 8-4 CAN-POL   5 GER vs PUR 17:30 13-3 GER-PUR 26.01.04 Monday 6 ROM vs POL - Live TV 09:00 9-3 ROM-POL   7 CRO vs GER – Live TV 10:30 3-2 CRO-GER   8 PUR vs CAN 12:00 5-9 PUR-CAN   9 ARG vs SVK – Live TV 16:00   10 NED vs RUS - Live TV 17:30 27.01.04 Tuesday 11 GER vs ROM - Live TV 09:00   12 CAN vs CRO – Live TV 10:30   13 POL vs PUR 12:00   14 SVK vs NED – Live TV 16:00   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 29 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7991/1/E-Croatian-in-Super-Bowl-Carolina-Pantherss-kicker-Kasay.html ÂJohn KasayÂJohn Kasay, place kicker for Super Bowl participant Carolina Panthers, is ofCroatian descent. Here is an excerpt from the Seattle Post Intelligencer, Jan. 29, 2004, explaining his Croatian heritage connection.Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/158490_super29.html Excerpt:Asked yesterday what kind of skeletons can be expected to tumble from his past, [Carolina Panthers place kicker John] Kasay said, "There's not much in my closet."Then an oh-wait look washed across his face before he explained his last name really isn't Kasay.It was changed when his great-grandfather emigrated from Croatia to the United States."My last name is not K-a-s-a-y," whatever-his-name-is said. "It was K-a-s-13-different-letters-y. When he came through Ellis Island, they were like, 'No.' They took the Y off the end and stuck it on the K-a-s-a part."... Kasay is hoping to get the same opportunity Sunday to make a lasting name for himself.CAREER HIGHLIGHTSThe Panthers are 5-0 in games in which John kicks four or more field goals. The team is just 2-13 in games in which he does not record a successful kick. From 1995-97, the Panthers were 10-2 in games in which John converted three or more field goals.John is tied for tenth all-time in the NFL with an 80 percent field goal conversion rate.In 1998, John connected on a career-best four field goals from beyond 50 yards, including a career-long 56-yard field goal versus Green Bay (9/27).John produced his most accurate season in 1999, connecting on 22 of 25 field goals for a personal-best 88 percent conversion rate.Over his career, John has kicked five game-winning field goals, four of which have come with the Panthers.John earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts at Atlanta (9/7/97) when his last-second kick gave the Panthers a 9-6 win.John's only miss from inside of 50 yards in 1997 came on a blocked attempt.John's 37 field goals in 1996 set an NFL record for field goals in a season, breaking the mark held by the Giants Ali Haji-Sheikh (1983) and the Raiders Jeff Jeager (1993).John's 145 points in 1996 led the NFL and are the fourth-most points in a season by a kicker in league history.John was named to his first career Pro Bowl in 1996, and also earned first-team all-pro honors from UPI, second team all-pro honors from AP and Football Digest in addition to All-NFC honors from Football News.John was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for weeks one and two in 1996, after he posted consecutive five-for-five field goal games versus Atlanta (9/1/96) and at New Orleans (9/8/96).With five-for-five field goal games versus Atlanta (9/1/96) and at New Orleans (9/8/96) John became the second kicker in NFL history to go 10-for-10 over two games (John Carney, San Diego, 1994).John was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September 1996 after connecting on 13-of-14 field goals in five games.John was the Panthers leading scorer in the 1996 playoffs, posting a perfect six-for-six record on field goals and a three-for-three mark on PATs for 21 points.John's two field goals of 51 and 54 yards versus San Diego (10/27/91) tied an NFL record for most field goals more than 50 yards in a game.John holds the Seattle record for the longest field goal (55 yards). Height 5-10 Weight 198 College Georgia Hometown Athens, Ga Birthdate Oct. 27, 1969 NFL Experience 11 Panthers Experience 7 How Acquired UFA '95 Thursday, January 29, 2004Super Bowl: They hope to kick up their heelsBy CLARE FARNSWORTHSEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERHOUSTON -- The search for sex appeal among the participants in this year's Super Bowl has slipped from difficult to downright daunting.But don't just take my word for it.Sitting at the first in a long line of raised podiums at Reliant Stadium on Tuesday, Jake Delhomme leaned forward and looked to his left before saying, "Do you see any superstars? I don't."The quarterback of the underdog Carolina Panthers was not trying to dog his teammates, but was giving credit to his team for advancing to Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots on Sunday.Don't just take his word for it.Check the Pro Bowl rosters. Only two Patriots and three Panthers were voted to the NFL all-star game next week, and only one offensive player -- Carolina running back Stephen Davis.That's why most are expecting this to be a defense-dominated affair, in which one of the smallest players on the field could decide the outcome.Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri and Panthers counterpart John Kasay weigh a combined 400 pounds, roughly a couple of extra-large deep-dish pizzas with all the toppings shy of what Patriots defensive tackle Ted Washington checks in at.Vinatieri has been there, kicking a 48-yard field goal as time expired in the Patriots' 20-17 upset of the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl two years ago. Kasay has gotten his team here, kicking game-winners in four of the Panthers' 11 regular-season victories.That's another reason why the sex-appeal elevator can't seem to leave the ground floor, where you'll find Vinatieri and Kasay among the bargain-basement implements of manual labor."It wouldn't surprise me if this game came down to a last-second kick to win it," said Kasay, who began his NFL career with the Seahawks in 1991 before jumping to the Panthers as a free agent four years later.Kasay calls it the "standard m.o." -- because seven times this season the Panthers pulled out a victory on their final possession."We battle back and forth. There's never more than about a seven-point lead. The team that has the ball on the last drive is usually the one that wins," Kasay said when asked to elaborate.The Panthers and Kasay, however, are not the lone standard bearers for this escape-artist routine. Fifteen times in his eight-year career with the Patriots, Vinatieri has kicked a game-winner in the final minute of regulation or overtime.The kick most remembered came in the Super Bowl two years ago, but the one atop Vinatieri's list of favorites came in the AFC Championship Game against the Oakland Raiders that season.No one was more impressed by the effort than Kasay, who was watching the game at home after the Panthers' 1-15 season."The wind was blowing into his face and he had a 45-yarder into a driving snowstorm. The whole season lies in the balance," Kasay said. "I remember when he lined up the kick, I was like, 'I don't see how he's going to make this.'"He hit it right on the screws." Pressure is relative, and handling it seems to be in Vinatieri's genes.Earlier this week it was discovered that Vinatieri's great-great-grandfather, Felix, was the bandmaster for Gen. George Custer. Felix survived to plant the seed that planted the seed that planted the seed that produced Adam, only because Felix and his band were ordered to remain behind when Custer set out for the Little Big Horn in 1876.Oh, and Evel Knievel is Vinatieri's third cousin.These kinds of nuggets are mined when 3,200 media representatives are unleashed on 100 or so players during Super Bowl week.Asked yesterday what kind of skeletons can be expected to tumble from his past, Kasay said, "There's not much in my closet."Then an oh-wait look washed across his face before he explained his last name really isn't Kasay.It was changed when his great-grandfather emigrated from Croatia to the United States."My last name is not K-a-s-a-y," whatever-his-name-is said. "It was K-a-s-13-different-letters-y. When he came through Ellis Island, they were like, 'No.' They took the Y off the end and stuck it on the K-a-s-a part."Vinatieri already has had a kick to define his career. Sexy or not, Kasay is hoping to get the same opportunity Sunday to make a lasting name for himself.SUPER BOWL XXXVIIIWHEN/WHERE: Sunday, Reliant Stadium, HoustonKICKOFF: 3:25 p.m.TV/RADIO: KIRO/7; KJR-AM/950P-I reporter Clare Farnsworth can be reached at 206-448-8016 or clarefarnsworth@seattlepi.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 29 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7995/1/E-Ivica-Kostelic-of-Croatia-celebrates.html ÂIvica Celebrates AgainIvica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates his third place in the FIS World Cup slalom in Wengen 18 January 2004. Benjamin Raich won ahead of second Rainer Schoenfelder both of Austria and third Ivica Kostelic of Croatia. AFP PHOTO MARKUS LEODOLTER(AFP/MARKUS LEODOLTER) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7994/1/E-Karlovic-Wins---72-in-the-world.html ÂKarlovic wins in three-tiebreaker upsetKarlovic loss may have helped HewittBy Linda PearceJanuary 20, 2004Ivo Karlovic made his Australian Open debut yesterday, in the backblocks of court 13, with a three-tiebreaker upset of 21st seed Mardy Fish. Karlovic has ridden his whopping serve to No. 74 in the world, but remains, at least in these parts, The Nobody Who Beat Lleyton Hewitt At Wimbledon.And yet maybe, in a perverse way, the nobody did the somebody a favour, for last year's stunning first-round result at the All England club may prove to be profound for both players involved. Karlovic, for the kick-start it provided for a career in its infancy; Hewitt for the jolt it gave to his career that, right then, had stalled like never before."From the moment he lost that match at Wimbledon, I think he and Roger (Rasheed) have worked really well together and Lleyton was really ready to play Davis Cup on both occasions after that," said Davis Cup coach Wally Masur. "I think that he was perfectly prepared for those events and I think he's similarly prepared for this."Ideally prepared, is the consensus - an opinion shared by Hewitt, who starts his eighth Australian Open today against American qualifier Cecil Mamiit. The 15th seed is understandably content with his unbeaten Perth-Sydney lead-in run, and has a 2-0 record against Mamiit, the world No. 195."I just think he's got that nice combination of winning matches under his belt, but yet having had a good base of hard work, like an off-season, which he just hasn't had the opportunities to do probably in the last two to three years," Masur said. "Look, I don't want to get carried away, but he's fit, he's fresh, he's hitting the ball great, and he's just won a tournament. Just sounds like a good mix, doesn't it?"Lleyton had had an incredible two years; he just hadn't stopped. He had no off-season, he won the Masters two years running, he was in Davis Cup finals for three years, he was just on such a merry-go-round, and it was almost like he needed something to cause him to get off, and I think that came to a bit of a head there at Wimbledon."And it's a pretty gutsy move to say, 'I'm not playing the rest of the year, I'm focusing on this nd that, I'm going to train, I'm going to prepare my game.'"So you look at that Wimbledon loss, and now you look at where he is now, and it's the six months that he's put in that has gotten him to this point. If I was Roger Rasheed I'd be pretty bloody happy with where Lleyton is right now."The highest Australian seed, Mark Philippoussis, is also entering his home grand slam buoyed by the Davis Cup success celebrated at Rod Laver Arena just seven weeks ago.Tonight, the 2003 Wimbledon finalist meets 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, the Swede whose comeback from a serious knee injury is still in its infancy.http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/19/1074360696259.html Defending champion Andre Agassi started his 2004 campaign convincingly with a facile win over Todd Larkham under the lights on the Rod Laver Arena. Agassi, who has not lost a match in Mebourne since 1999, dominated against the local favourite.The Las Vegan was into his stride almost immediately and cruised to the first set 6-1 in front of an engrossed Australian crowd. Larkham battled back bravely in the next, but Agassi always looked as though he could go through the gears at any time and took the second set in just 34 minutes. 'Double A' was broken in the third as Larkham threatened a fightback, but was eventually put to bed as Agassi wrapped up the match 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.Earlier world number one Andy Roddick survived a tough first-round clash at the Australian Open - but for last year's finalist Rainer Schuettler it was another day to forget.Roddick beat Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in straight sets but Schuettler, who has not won a match in 2004, surrendered a two-set lead to Swedish teenager Robin Soderling, going down 4-6 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 in the Rod Laver Arena. Schuettler was the surprise finalist last year, beating Roddick in the semi-finals before losing to Andre Agassi, but has been in poor form so far this season."I've had a pretty tough three weeks now. I started in Doha, Sydney and now here. I didn't win a match," said the sixth seed."Today I was two sets up and had break point at 5-5. I played the wrong shot. It's very disappointing of course."I had great memories from last year and there was a bit of pressure, but that is not the reason why I didn't win." Soderling will play Nicolas Escude in the second round after the Frenchman beat Hyung Taik-Lee 6-3 7-6 (7/5) 6-2.Roddick had been wary of Gonzalez, one of the best unseeded players in the draw, and in the past there has been little to choose between them.After two previous meetings their record stood at one win apiece, both in three tie-breaks.On Monday, though, Roddick forced the upper hand in a tight encounter as Gonzalez became increasingly frustrated with some crucial line-calls before going down 6-2 7-5 7-6 (7/4)."I don't think it was a good draw for either one of us," said Roddick."I knew I had to play well. I got lucky there in the third set."Three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten was pushed the distance, but the Brazilian held on for a dramatic 5-7 6-0 6-1 2-6 8-6 victory over a resilient John van Lottum.Kuerten, who has never been further than the second round at Melbourne Park, will play Croatian Ivan Ljubicic.Frenchman Arnaud Clement, seeded 30, also lost a two-set lead, going down to Nikolay Davydenko of Russia 7-6 (8/6) 6-4 4-6 1-6 2-6.Of the other seeds, Vince Spadea (29) lost in four sets to Thomas Enqvist, Spain's Tommy Robredo (20) was beaten by Argentine Gaston Gaudio 6-3 6-2 7-6 (8/6) and crowd favourite Younes El Aynaoui (18) was forced to retire.His participation was always in doubt after he withdrew from the Commonwealth Bank International last week with a foot injury that has caused him concern for some time.The Moroccan was trailing Gala Blanco of Spain 4-1 when he retired.American Taylor Dent (27) also benefited from a withdrawal when Fernando Verdasco pulled up when trailing 6-2 6-1 2-1. Dent will meet Juan Ignacio Chela in the second round after the Argentinian overcame Irakli Labadze 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-3.Carlos Moya, as was widely expected, pulled out of his first round match against James Blake with the ankle injury suffered in the adidas International final against Lleyton Hewitt on Saturday."I tried to hit this morning. It was hurting a little bit. Then I came here, I got some treatment, tried again and then I realised that it was not possible for me to play," he said."It has improved so much. Yesterday I couldn't even walk. Today I was running. I was still in pain and maybe one more day it would have been perfect."Thai sensation Paradorn Srichaphan (13) stormed into the second round with a 7-5 6-4 6-0 thumping of Jose Acasuso of Argentina in 94 minutes while Sjeng Schalken (16) beat Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark 7-5 6-3 6-1.American Robby Ginepri, the 32nd seed, beat Peruvian Luis Horna 7-5 6-3 6-3 and will play Australian 18-year-old Chris Guccione, while American Mardy Fish (21) lost in three tie-breaks to Ivo Karlovic.The Croatian will face veteran Todd Martin who came from two sets down to beat Frenchman Anthony Dupuis in a marathon encounter 4-6 4-6 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (7/4) 6-3.http://www.sportinglife.com/tennis/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=international_feed/04/01/19/manual_131229.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7993/1/E-Croatian-Nick-Saban---Coach-of-the-Year.html ÂCroatian Nick Šaban - Coach of the Year Led LSU to NCAA Football ChampionshipNick Saban was selected The Associated Press CollegeFootball Coach of the Year on Thursday, December 11, 2003.Saban completed a banner year by coaching LSU (LouisianaState University) Tigers to 13-1 record and a Sugar Bowlwin 21-14 over Oklahoma Sooners to win a College FootballBCS "Bowl Championship Series" finale in New Orleans onSunday, January 4th 2004. And it was a rewarding win forSaban. He makes $1.5 million, but a clause in his contractsaid that if he won this game, he was guaranteed $1 morethan the highest-paid college coach - Oklahoma's BobStoops, at $2.3 million. Saban grew up in Monongah, WestVirginia and was All-State in football, basketball andbaseball graduating in 1969 from Monongah High School,Marion County, West Virginia. His High School coach EarlKeener said "I knew very early Nick was destined to veryfar; he just had it over the other boys". Saban attendedKent State on a football scholarship. Saban's father Nickowned a Gulf gas station. Grandfather Stanko (changed toStanley) Saban born in 1895 emigrated from Gospic, Lika,Croatia in 1908 when he was only 13 with his youngerbrother Steve and father (great-grandfather of footballcoach). Brother Steve eventually settled in Portland,Oregon where he had 10 children. They also had a relativein Minnesota. Great-grandfather moved back to Croatia.Stanko married Croatian American Anna Mihalic and they had4 children (including Nick Sr., father of the coach).Stanko worked at Carolina Coalmine in Carolina, WestVirginia. After 57 years he went back to visit Croatia in1955. He died at the age of 76 in 1971. Congratulations to Nick Saban (second generation CroatianAmerican) and his LSU Tigers on winning Sugar Bowl andCollege Football 2004 BCS "Bowl Championship Series"  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7996/1/E-Croatian-Among-Giants.html ÂDavid Diehl # 66 New York GiantsCroatian Among GiantsThere was a buzz in the Croatian Center St. NikolaTavelic when friends told me a New York Giants player cameone Sunday afternoon. Diehl is his name and he has a tattooof GRB on his left arm. My curiosity wouldn't let me go soI called the Giants and on the last press day of theseason, Christmas Eve, December 24, 2003 I found my way tothe New York Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands, New Jersey.Before that I researched, as much as I could. He's 6'5''315 lbs. 23 years old graduate of University of Illinoisand grew up in Chicago area. Family of athletes. Perfect,I'm thinking - BIG SMART CROAT. As I walk past the guardand enter the locker room I see big men who just finishedpractice. Where is Dave Diehl I ask? One points me to alocker where I wait for a brief moment. Then a big kidcomes over. "I'm Croatian" I say and show him my GRB(Croatian Crest). He grins, extends his hand and wants toknow all about it. So we begin.Tell us about your first year in the pros, your rookie year?Diehl: Great, not knowing what to expect, coming out ofcollege as a fifth round draft pick from Illinois and forthe first time in New York from Chicago I came with an openmind, wanting to prove myself to coaches and to myteammates to prove that I was a worthy draft pick. I feelI've accomplished a lot starting every game in the NFL, infact playing every offensive down and to accomplish a dreamof my entire life is just unbelievable. To do just that insuch a great city as New York is such an unbelievablefeeling.Growing up which pro team were you rooting for?Diehl: Chicago Bears, growing up on the southside ofChicago. Walter Payton and the championship 1985 Bears werespecial and the old-timers always mention Dick Butkus.What was the biggest adjustment you had to make in comingto the pros - NFL? Diehl: I think the biggest adjustment was the size of theplayers and their speed. Week in and week out going upagainst the guys who are 320 pounds to 330 pounds and moveas fast as 250 pounds guys in college. Speed of game, theseare 30 year old men with 7-8 years experience in the NFL.You prepare by studying the game film and anything elsethese players would throw at me.Do you think you've settled in your position as anoffensive lineman or are you still working your way thru it?Diehl: I'm the only player who started every game at theright guard. I'm really settled here, I've played everydown. I'd willing to play wherever coaches put me as longas I'm on the field.What was your position in College?Diehl: At the University of Illinois I played bothoffensive guard positions and at tackle, so it's not a bigdeal if I were to move within the offensive line. I'll playwhatever, as long as it helps our football team and helpsus win games.Any chance of seeing you at tight end catching some passes?Diehl: No, that's way out of the league, that's been out ofthe league since my peeve days, so I don't think I'll be doing that at 310 lbs.Dave, you are Croatian American, tell us about your background?Diehl: I grew up on the south side of Chicago. I'm fiftypercent Croatian and fifty percent German. I went togrammar school and High School (Brother Rice) with someCroatian friends. So I have been following Croatianheritage ever since I can remember. That's why peoplecouldn't figure out why I have Diehl as my last name andCroatian GRB tattooed on my left arm. I grew up going toSt. Jerome's Croatian Catholic Church with my Grandmother.Her maiden name was Beckavac and she was from one of theCroatian islands. I remember going to St. Jerome's andhaving palacinke for breakfast. My grandmother marriedGrandpa who was Semanic and from Dalmacija. My father Jerrywho passed away in August was hundred percent German on both sides.Have you ever been to Europe or Croatia? Diehl: No, I haven't. I'd like to go in the off-season. Myuncle's have houses by the sea; one has a house in Split.What are you going to do in the off-season? Diehl: I'll go back to Chicago for a month, relax and bewith family. I'm back in February to start working out forthe new season. I have my mother, 2 older brothers bothmarried, one 3-year-old nephew whom I adore. I might take ashort vacation before I come back. When I do come backthere will be a new coach and you have to get ready for him.Where do you live?Diehl: In North Jersey townhouse, it's very close to Manhattan, a lot like Chicago.In spare time with friends we go to the City with all ofits attractions, sites, shows and restaurants. Often we aretired from games and practices so we don't have much time.We only have one day off in the week. I usually hang outwith teammates Jeff Hatch an offensive tackle andquarterback Jesse Palmer. Palmer has a Croatian Canadianfriends who when they saw my GRB wanted to know all aboutme. With coach Fassel leaving what's the mood like in the locker room?Diehl: It's been a tough season with lots of ups and downs;more downs this season. But one thing is that everyone hasreally worked hard this season with no blaming or pointingfingers regardless of the outcome we stayed together as ateam and will try to finish on a high note.Tell us about growing up with other Croatian American kids?Diehl: Well, we used to go St. Jerome's Church and CroatianCentar. It was hard for me because I was playing lots oftime consuming sports and they were definitely a part of mylife. But I remember those meetings in church or Centar,breakfast with other Croats from North side of Chicagoeveryone being Croatian and so together. It's a great thingabout being Croatian; family members that you don't evenknow get together with everyone so friendly and sooutgoing.How did GRB end up on your arm?Diehl: As for the decision to put a GRB on my arm, I was ata friend's house when I spotted the GRB on their fridge. Ireally liked the design and decided to take it and put iton my arm. Were you Cubs or White Sox fan? Diehl: Once again growing up on Southside of Chicago I wasa Sox fan. Next year Sox we'll do a lot better!Before the draft did you have any special teams that youwanted to play for?Diehl: It didn't matter; I just wanted a team that wouldgive me the best opportunity. I like big cities, so herewith the Giants I have the best of both worlds.Dave, you visited Croatian Center in Manhattan on West 41stStreet on your own. Any impressions?Diehl: It was so quick but I wanted to do it. It remindedme of times in Chicago when I did things like go to theCroatian Cultural Centar for many different events. Iplayed in a Croatian 3 on 3Basketball tournament at the Centar. I also went to St.Jerome's for Velika Gospa. I went to Pittsburgh with mycousin Brendan and friend Tom. My aunt Mirna brought usthere for a tambura concert. I also went to watch abasketball team from Split come and play some localcolleges in the Chicago land area. On Christmas Eve myUncle John Jurcev makes bakalar and other fish meals. Ialso attended many Croatian picnics and went to some soccertournaments. I went to St. Jerome and Sacred Heart, whichare both Croatian Catholic Churches.Next year people will see a lot more of me in the community.Thanks Dave.Several times during the interview we were interrupted byother Giants coming over and poking fun at Dave, indicatingthat # 66 is really liked and respected by his teammates.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 16 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7998/1/E-Cristina-Ciocan-South-Carolina-defender.html ÂCristina Ciocan No 15 South CarolinaMinnesota's Lindsey Whalen, center, drives past South Carolina defenders Cristina Ciocan, left, of Croatia and Lauren Simms to score during the first half Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004, in Minneapolis. Whalen had a game-high 24 points and went over 2,000 career points as No. 6 Minnesota won 63-53. (AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7999/1/E-Skydiver-Nenad-Pesut-of-Croatia.html ÂSkydiver Nenad Pesut ofCroatiaÂSkydiver Nenad Pesut of Croatia parachutes from the Kuala Lumpur Tower, in Kuala Lumpur, January 2, 2004. Some 53 BASE (Building, Antenna, Span and Earth) jumpers from Asia, Europe and the United States are participating in a competition in which they jump from the world's third tallest tower and the world's second tallest building, the Petronas Twin Towers, in the Malaysian capital. REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad Reuters - Jan 02 6:36 AM letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 03 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8003/1/E-Domogoj-Spoljar-Croatias-Squash-Man-taking-second-place.html ÂCroatian Squashman Domogoj Spoljar taking silverSlovaks & Czechs Top Euro Nations CupSquashNow NewsDeskThe inaugural European Nations Cup took place on 28/29 November at the wonderful Markisa Fajn Club on the outskirts of Bratislava in Slovakia, organized by Rusty Koys, reports ESF Vice-President Deirbhile O'Byrne. The team event was restricted to small and developing squash nations that have yet to play in the European Team Championships or whose men have not finished in the top 16 or whose women have not finished in the top 12 in the European Team Championships in the last five years. The men's teams consisted of three players and the women's teams of two players, to try and encourage participation and keep costs down. Twelve Men's teams and six Women's teams competed over 2 days with all playing 5 and some playing 6 matches! The Men's event was won by the hosts Slovakia with the Isle of Man second and Poland third. The Slovak Junior team exceeded all expectations as a "guest" team, beating most of their senior opponents. The Women's event was played on a round-robin basis. The winners were the Czech Republic, with Slovakia coming second and Hungary third (beating Gibraltar on count back). The informal warm-up individual events for early arrivals attracted 24 Men and 9 Women. The Men's event was won by Marek Zvoncek from Slovakia with Domogoj Spoljar of Croatia taking second. The Women's event was won by Aneta Paprnakova of Slovakia, Edina Szombati of Hungary was second. The whole event was a great success, O'Byrne reports, and it is expected to grow each year as more and more countries see the benefit of international competition and the opportunity of exchanging marketing and technical knowledge with others who have similar aspirations and experience. http://www.squashnow.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 31 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8002/1/E-International-Master-Sale-Srdjan-of-Croatia-on-Dubai-Open.html ÂInternational Master Sale Srdjan of CroatiaÂInternational Master Sale Srdjan of Croatia is close on the heels of the leader with 6.5 points.Igors holds on to slender advantage in Dubai Open Dubai |By A Staff Reporter | 22-12-2003 Grandmaster Rausis Igors of Bangladesh maintained his lead with seven points after the eighth round of the Dubai-UAE Open chess tournament, being held at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. International Master Sale Srdjan of Croatia is close on the heels of the leader with 6.5 points. International Masters El Arousy Abdul Hameed and Himdan Maher of Egypt and WFM Nekrasova Elena of Ukraine are in the third spot with six points.Rausis Igors drew his game against Grandmaster Elmar Magerramov of Azerbaijan. Both players fought well and in the end split the point, as there was no scope for further play. Results (Round eight):Rausis, Igors (7) drew Magerramov, Elmar (5.5); Sale, Srdjan (6.5) bt Hilwani, Talal (5.5); El Arousy, Abdul Ham( 6 ) bt Saleh, Nagueb ( 5 ); Himdan, Maher (6) bt Saeed, Ishaq (5); Saleh, Nabil (5.5) drew Asylguzhin, Radik (5.5); Nekrasova, Elena (6) bt Husain Ramadan (4.5); Amer, Mohamed (5) drew Yousif, Ammar Mohammed (5); Waseem Ahmad AlHaj (4.5) lost to Ihsan,Jawad (5.5); Alrais, Mohammed Ahmad (5) bt Abdulghafour Jahandi (4.5); Nouf Ahmad (4) lost to Al Housa, Khalil (5).http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=106128 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 31 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8001/1/E-Irish-Boxing-on-the-road-to-Athens-through-Croatia.html ÂIrish Boxing: On the long road to Athens through CroatiaDavid Kelly Reports21 December 2003 PAUL McCloskey believes he can make the Olympics at the first attempt. Fresh from retaining his light-welterweight title on Friday at the Irish Seniors in the National Stadium, Dublin, McCloskey turned his sights to the European Championships in February. The Europeans, being staged in Croatia, offer the first of three opportunities for Irish boxing's top dozen to try and make Athens with a semi-final and bronze medal securing a place on the team managed by Belfast's Sean Canavan. "I want to get it over and done with because the longer it goes on it will get harder. Some would think it gets easier but with just a few slots left it means people are even hungrier," said McCloskey, who defeated Michael Kelly 17-16 to secure his third successive Irish title. "I'm just glad to be there. It was all about getting the result on Friday night. I didn't think it was as close as the judges had it so it's just as well I turned it on in the last round and had him down. "Now the pressure is off I can look ahead to the Europeans and I would expect that the Irish team will get together early next month." McCloskey has grown in confidence over the past 18 months as he has been in with the very best in the world, including light-welter number one Willy Blain of France. "I've faced the lot this year so I have the experience and I know I have matured at the weight, I'm feeling stronger. I just need a little bit of luck with the draw. "And if we all get a bit of luck and fight to our potential then I think Ireland might get two or three there but it's going to be very, very hard." Indeed, some feel it is harder getting to the Olympics than winning a medal, such is the hot competition in Europe. Nowhere else has such a stringent qualifying process. Another man seeking to make an impact in Croatia will be Immaculata's Martin Lindsay, who claimed the Irish featherweight title with a sparkling performance against Moate's Eamonn Touhey, winning 17-8. Lindsay showed his class as he comprehensively out-boxed Touhey but will have to raise his game even more to make Athens. Ulster's two other winners were super-heavyweight Immaculata's Martin Rogan and Cavan's Andrew Murray at lightweight but sadly the Olympic dream is over for Holy Trinity bantamweight Brian Gillen. Gillen was left stunned by the verdict in favour of young Eric Donovan and that shock result was matched by 2001 World bronze medallist Jim Moore's defeat at the hands of Henry Coyle, who received the Best Boxer award. http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/sport/story.jsp?story=475303 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 31 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8000/1/E-Vedran-Vuksic-Named-Big-10-Conference-Player-of-the-Week.html ÂVukusicNamed Big Ten Player of the WeekÂSophomore forward earns first conference honor of his career followingArizona State and UIC gamesDec. 22, 2003The following appeared on the web site of Northwestern University( http://nusports.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/122303aaa.html )John KraljicEVANSTON, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference announced Northwestern sophomoreVedran Vukusic as its Player of the Week in men's basketball Monday.Vukusic earns his first Big Ten Player of the Week accolade; he is thefirst Wildcat selected this season.Vukusic averaged 24.5 points on 59-percent shooting while playing everyminute in a two-game split against against Arizona State andIllinois-Chicago. The Wildcats sophomore opened the week by pouring in acareer-best 26 points, including a career-high five three-pointers, toguide Northwestern to a narrow two-point victory over the Sun Devils,who entered last week receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Headded six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots inthe win.Vukusic followed that performance by connecting on 8-of-12 attempts(.667), including three more treys, and scoring 23 points in a loss atIllinois-Chicago. He hit 16-of-27 shots on the week, including 8-of-13from long range and 9-of-11 from the free throw line.The Croatia native has now scored 20 or more points in three straightgames -- a first for an NU player in the Bill Carmody era -- and ranksninth in the Big Ten with 14.7 points per outing and sixth in theConference with 2.11 three-pointers per game (19 total). He leadsNorthwestern in treys and blocks (six) while rating second on the teamin scoring, rebounding (4.3), assists (31) and steals (13) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 31 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8005/1/E-Croatian-parachutes-from-the-Petronas-Twin-Towers.html ÂDarko Tupek from Croatia parachutes from the Petronas Twin TowersDarko Tupek from Croatia parachutes from the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur December 28, 2003. Fifty three BASE (Building, Antenna, Span and Earth) jumpers from Asia, Europe and the United States are participating in a nine-day competition. Competitors are judged on how they time their chute opening, their landing accuracy and aerial acrobatics. REUTERS/Zainal Abd Halim letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8004/1/E-Kostelic-siblings-personalities-of-the-year.html ÂKostelic siblings named Croatia's sports personalities of the yearÂZAGREB: Triple Olympic ski champion Janica Kostelic and her brother Ivica, defending World Cup slalom champion, have been named Croatia's sports personalities of the year after a vote by sport journalists here Tuesday.The siblings won the titles of Croatia's top female and male athletes for the sixth and second consecutive year respectively. "I think that Janica deserves this title since she was one of the world's best skiiers and athletes during the past two seasons," Ivica Kostelic, 24, told national television. -AFPhttp://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_25-12-2003_pg2_5 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8007/1/E-Junior-forward-Darko-Sedlar---Basketball.html  Junior forward Darko Sedlarhttp://web2.lemoyne.edu/~sedlard/Let me tell you something about me. I am originally from Croatia and I have been in United States for two years years now. My native language is Croatian and this is my second year I have been speaking English. I came to United States as a senior in High school; I went to Columbia High school inAlbany .Right now, I am am attending Le Moyne College where I am a sophomore. My major is Business administration and I am on a basketball scholarship. Hopefully, after I graduate from Lemoyne I will be able to work as an accountant. Enjoy my web page. MEN'S BASKETBALL: Season starting for area players (November 20)Phil Schoff, Brett Barnard and the rest of Le Moyne College's Division II Dolphins hit the floor for the first time Tuesday and several other players with ties to the area will be starting their seasons soon.Upstate New York's Division III basketball landscape is littered with players from Herkimer County and the surrounding area. Barnard and Schoff are part of a Le Moyne squad featuring several players with ties to Central New York.Barnard, a fifth-year senior who graduated from Frankfort-Schuyler High School, returns to start at center after averaging 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds last winter. He made 57.1 percent of his shots from the field and blocked 32 opponent shots.Over his three-year career, Barnard has started 80 of 82 games, averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds.Schoff is part of a freshman class that includes fellow forward Matt Cooper of Fulton, a two-time teammate at the Empire State Games. During his four varsity seasons at Little Falls High School, Schoff set numerous records, including career points and rebounds.Other players from Section III at Le Moyne include senior point guard Ron Thorpe who played for Little Falls native Al Knapp's Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Red Devils, senior swingman Chris Henry from Fayetteville-Manlius and sophomore forward Sid Pond from Watertown. Junior forward Darko Sedlar was a high school teammate of Syracuse University center Craig Forth and lived with Forth's family while attending Columbia High School as an exchange student from Croatia.© Little Falls Times http://www.littlefallstimes.com/articles/2003/12/10/sports/sports71.txt letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8006/1/E-Mia-Jerkov-Named-2003-Second-Team-All-American.html ÂMia Jerkov Named 2003 Second Team All-American ÂA 6-3 outside hitter from Split, Croatia, Jerkov led Cal to its best record in school history this season.Bear standout helped Cal to its best season in school history. Dec. 18, 2003DALLAS, TEXAS - University of California junior outside hitter Mia Jerkov has been named to the 2003 AVCA Division I All-America Second Team, it was announced Dec. 17 by The American Volleyball Coaches Association. Jerkov was a third team All-American in 2002. A 6-3 outside hitter from Split, Croatia, Jerkov led Cal to its best record in school history this season as the Bears finished 25-7 overall, 12-6 in the Pac-10 (third) and advanced to the NCAA round of 16. She was also selected All-Pac-10 and All-Pacific Region in 2003, was named Pac-10 Player of the Week four times and was the Oct. 13 Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week. Jerkov had 30 or more kills in eight matches this season, including 32 kills in the Bears' 3-1 loss to Georgia Tech in the NCAA Regional, Dec. 12 in Honolulu. She currently leads the Pac-10 in points (6.77) and kills per game (6.04). Jerkov was also the MVP of the 2003 Colorado State Coors Classic and the Golden Bear Invitational and was featured in the Oct. 27 edition of Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd. She is the first Bear to earn back-to-back All-America honors since Sylvie Monnet in 1981-83. Jerkov is the Cal school record-holder in single-season kills (701 in 2003), single-season kill attempts (1637 in 2003), single-match kills (39, Oct. 17, 2002 versus Washington) and single-match kill attempts (91, Nov. 22, 2002 versus Stanford). http://calbears.ocsn.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/121803aaa.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8011/1/E-Biscan-is-a-rock.html ÂBiscan is a rockIgor BiscanÂBiscan is a rock - Tommo Dec 11 2003By Chris Bascombe Liverpool EchoLIVERPOOL assistant manager Phil Thompson today insisted it's time Igor Biscan was given the credit he deserves for his form this season.The Anfield number two believes the Croatian still gets unfair criticism but should be judged on his excellent displays at centre half. And Thompson is also backing the defender to force his way into his country's Euro 2004 squad.Biscan arrived at Anfield from Croatia Zagreb in 2001 for £5m as a defensive mid-field player. But he has since been re- invented by Gerard Houllier as a defender.Thompson said today: "He still has to win people over but to be fair to him I think he has already won a lot of people over this season."It surprises me when people decide they dislike a certain player and are never prepared to change their opinion."To me you should judge a player on their performance in each game on its merits. This season it's impossible to look at Igor and claim he has not played well."He and Sami Hyypia have formed a great understanding. Look at how they played against Alan Shearer, who knows all the tricks of the trade as a striker."The performance of Igor and Sami demanded the kind of concentration which is a big part of being a centre-half. The two of them were outstanding and withstood a lot of pressure."There is still more to come from Igor. First and foremost he is becoming an out and out defender. We know he has the ability to get forward too but the main thing is to help us keep a clean sheet. The rest is a bonus."Added Thompson: "I think he's got a good chance of going to the European Championships."We had a chat with the Croatian manager a few months ago and he says things are looking very positive for Igor."His performances have been at such a high level there is no reason why he shouldn't be in the Croatian side."* Michael Owen and Harry Kewell are back in light training but are more likely to face Wolves on December 20 at Molineux than Southampton at Anfield this weekend.http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/0100news/content_objectid=13715259_method=full_siteid=50061_headline=-Biscan-is-a-rock---Thommo-name_page.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8010/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-returns-to-a-race-course-on-Tuesday.html ÂSkier Kostelic Plans Return to Race CourseÂSun Dec 14, 7:46 PM ET Add Sports - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Patrick Lang MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO, Italy (Reuters) - Croatia's triple Olympic champion Janica Kostelic will return to a race course on Tuesday but only as a forerunner in a slalom. "Janica has been skiing and training for the past week along her brother Ivica and she seems in good health," said Vedran Pavlek, Croatia's Alpine skiing team manager. The 21-year-old Kostelic, who has not competed this season after a health scare in November, will ski before the first of two women's slaloms scheduled at the Madonna di Campiglio resort on Tuesday and Wednesday. "She is happy to be back on snow and we thought it would be a good idea to let her return on the tour to boost her momentum. "But, for the moment, we don't have any precise date for her real comeback in a race. It could take place anytime, eventually in Lienz after Christmas as we said two months ago. "Nothing has been decided," he added. Kostelic, who has had four operations on her right knee in 2003, suffered from thyroid problems last year and had a rapid heart beat after she began training in Zermatt, Switzerland. In November, the Croatian Ski Federation's former doctor Zelko Sucur told local media she had a serious illness and had to rest for several months to overcome her problems. Sucur, who also said she should not endure any physical strain that could endanger her health, has not commented on her decision to resume skiing. Kostelic has been resting at home while her colleagues have competed in North America. She has undergone clinical tests and her condition improved enough in November to allow her to get back on her skis earlier this month. Last week, three pairs of racing skis were brought to Hinterdux where the Kostelic family was training for Sunday's men's World Cup giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy. "She looks fine and very happy, she was really pleased to move again on snow," said Ivica after his second run on Sunday. "Skiing is her passion and it's tough for her to stay away from snow." While Ivica was preparing for his first run, Kostelic trained for several hours above the 'Gran Risa' course next to other teams including Sweden's women. After the men's event, she moved with Ivica and her father Ante to Madonna di Campiglio. Asked about her condition, she said: "I feel fine and it's good to be back on snow." A double World Cup champion in 2001 and 2003, Kostelic has had a stellar career since her debuts on the World Cup circuit in January 1998, winning 19 World Cup events. Last winter she won two golds at the world championships in St Moritz and six World Cup races. But Kostelic, who also won three golds and a silver at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, has been plagued by injuries since a downhill training crash in St Moritz. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031215/sp_nm/alpineskiing_kostelic_dc_1 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8009/1/E-Preskar-Match-Cancelled.html ÂMario Preskar's boxing match cancelledÂMario Preskar's boxing match set for Atlantic City'sBoardwalk Hall on Saturday December 13, 2003 was cancelled.The New Jersey State Boxing Commission refused to approvelast minute replacement heavyweight Michael Rothberger.Rothberger weighed 220 lbs at the Friday's weigh in withslightly high blood pressure, which did not decreasebefore the match and the bout was cancelled. Earlier in theweek heavyweight William Terry was also disapproved.Heavyweight Knowledge Bay aka Thomas Latson failed to sendin proper paperwork week before. So, at least 3 attempts tofind Preskar opponent failed. New Jersey State Boxing Commission is run by Larry Hazzard,Sr. a former 3 times Golden Gloves champion who wasappointed commissioner in 1985 by Governor Tom Kean. Hazzard was elected "Referee of the Year" in 1983. By 1985,he had refereed numerous world championship fights in everyweight class around the world, involving some of thegreatest boxers of the modern boxing era. Under Hazzard's leadership, New Jersey has emerged as amajor world boxing venue. It is recognized as having themost comprehensive rules, regulations and policies forenforcing safe, professional boxing.Preskar returned to Zagreb with his trainer/manager LeonardPijetraj and will resume his professional boxing career in early 2004.John Ruiz and Mario Preskar Nenad Bach, Don King, Vedran Nazor1.Preskar - second from left press conference held on December 10, 20032.Preskar - with 1st round KO winner Zab Judah3.Preskar - with heavyweight winner John Ruiz 4. Nenad Bach, Don King, Vedran Nazor, Atlantic City December 13, 2003. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8008/1/E-Croatian-wins-mens-slalom.html ÂCroatian wins men's slalomCroatia's Ivica Kostelic clears a gate during his first run of the World Cup men's Slalom in Madonna di Campiglio(AFP/Vincenzo Pinto) Ivica Kostelic , of Croatia, center, winner of a men's World Cup slalom race, celebrates on the podium with second placed Giorgio Rocca, of Italy, right, and third placed Manfred Pranger of Austria, in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Monday, Dec. 15, 2003. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati) Ivica Kostelic, of Croatia, celebrates on the podium after winning a men's World Cup slalom race in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, Monday, Dec. 15, 2003. (AP Photo/Armando Trovati) From correspondnets in Madonna Di Campiglio, ItalyDecember 16, 2003DEFENDING champion Ivica Kostelic of Croatia won the men's World Cup slalom race today, ahead of Italy's Giorgio Rocca and Manfred Pranger of Austria.Kostelic timed 1min 33.26sec to come in 0.31sec ahead of Rocca, and 0.42 ahead of Pranger, who had been leading after the first leg. It was the seventh World Cup slalom win for 24-year-old Kostelic, who had been trailing in sixth after the first run. But the brother of triple Olympic champion Janica Kostelic produced a perfect second run picking up speed in the second part to pull ahead of Rocca who had almost a half-second lead at that stage.http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,8179236-23218,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8012/1/E-Mario-Preskar-mentioned-in-The-New-York-Times.html ÂCroatian Mario Preskar (op-ed)not somehow, but through his reputationHopkins vs. Joppy Promises to Highlight Long Night of BoxingBy MICHAEL KATZPublished: December 13, 2003ATLANTIC CITY, Dec. 12 - An even 100 rounds of boxing are scheduled here for Saturday night, including eight 12-round title fights, which are being called a record. The promoter Don King is billing the card as an Atlantic City Marathon and boasting of setting a record for most southpaws on one card (six) and most world champions from Managua, Nicaragua (three).Somehow, a four-round heavyweight bout, featuring a Croat, Mario Preskar, with a 1-0 record, was also squeezed into the event at the 12,000-seat Boardwalk Hall, which is sold out.Yes, the $34.95 pay-per-view card, with only five of the title bouts scheduled to be broadcast, starting at 8 p.m., could be a bargain for those who like boxing in the jumbo economy size. There are a couple of potential gems in there, like Bernard Hopkins defending his undisputed middleweight title against a capable challenger, William Joppy, and a welterweight unification battle between the exciting Ricardo Mayorga of Nicaragua and Cory Spinks, the 25-year-old son of Leon.The chance of an upset in either of the two fights is slight. Hopkins is an overwhelming favorite, and Mayorga, who has twice beaten the 2002 fighter of the year, Vernon Forrest, is the comfortable choice against Spinks.Joppy, a three-time winner of the World Boxing Association's 160-pound title, including its current version, was knocked out in five rounds by Felix Trinidad Jr. in King's 2001 middleweight tournament at Madison Square Garden. Hopkins, on the other hand, stopped Trinidad, who until then was unbeaten. But Hopkins has done more fighting in court than in the ring since then. Joppy rebounded with a 12-round victory over a respected Briton, Howard Eastman.Mayorga, the World Boxing Council and W.B.A. champion, also needs to get past Spinks's pesky southpaw stance to move on to major fights. Leon Spinks upset Muhammad Ali five days before Cory, the I.B.F. champion, was born, and his uncle Michael upset Larry Holmes.Father and uncle will be in the corner Saturday, but unless this is tag-team boxing, the light-hitting Spinks will have to be almost perfect in order to win. King has already negotiated a deal for Mayorga, who guzzles beer and chain smokes cigarettes, to face Shane Mosley on March 13 in Las Vegas.There is also a bout between a couple of former titleholders, Hasim Rahman and John Ruiz, for the interim heavyweight W.B.A. title, and a rematch of junior bantamweights, Luis Perez of Nicaragua defending the International Boxing Federation 115-pound title he won in January from Felix Machado of Venezuela.The notion that eight title fights will be taking place is a little dubious. In the case of the Rahman-Ruiz fight, the W.B.A. heavyweight champion is Roy Jones Jr., who has no intention of facing the Rahman-Ruiz winner. So Rahman-Ruiz is only a title fight in the sense that the winner will get Jones's title when Jones sits tight.These are the other title fights starting at 5 p.m.: ¶Zab Judah, who claims the World Boxing Organization junior-welterweight belt, in the opening TV bout against Jaime Rangel of Colombia.¶Alejandro Garcia is fighting another undefeated fighter, Travis Simms of Norwalk, Conn., ranked No. 1 by the W.B.A. ¶Wayne Braithwaite, of Guyana and Brooklyn, defending his World Boxing Council cruiserweight title against Luis Pineda of Panama.¶Victor Burgos of Mexico, the I.B.F. titleholder, vs. Rosendo Alvarez of Nicaragua, the W.B.A. champion, in a 108-pound junior-flyweight unification bout.http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/13/sports/othersports/13BOXI.html?ex=1071896400&en=b5659f999487aa78&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 13 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8013/1/E-Mario-Preskar-Boxing-Dec-13-in-Atlantic-City.html ÂMario PreskarÂDear Friends,Mario Preskar was born in Zagreb and is only 19 years old.He was 7 time Croatian amateur boxing Champion and secondin Europe as a amateur Heavyweight at the age of 17. Heturned pro earlier this year, and Saturday Dec. 13 isfighting in his second professional fight at the AtlanticCity's Boardwalk Hall (formerly Atlantic City ConventionCenter, home of Miss America pageant). That night therewill be 8 Championship fights on the card including 2unification titles. So how does a 19 year old get on thefight card? He gets on because he is that good. He'sdominated (professional fighters who had 30 matches) insparring sessions. Recently an undefeated heavyweight witha 19-0 record walked out after receiving too much beatingfrom Preskar.Question by Fight News: "With such heavyweight fighterslike Lennox, Tyson and Holyfield at the tail end of theircareers, are you working on cultivating a crop of newheavyweight fighters?"Don King: : "Absolutely! I think it's time now to bring inthe young fighter. I have a promising young Croatian kidnamed Mario Preskar who has just turned pro. He's atremendous competitor! As far as the older fighters, whohave already established themselves, they should fight eachother to get the maximum of whatever they can get and toplease the public before they retire. But, in the meantime, you have the new guys on the block who need todemonstrate their own talent and ability."to see 9 fights click and scroll to Dec.13 Atlantic City:http://www.boxrec.com/schedule.phpto read about Mario Preskar click below:http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=mario+preskar&btnG=Google+Searchpress release and tickets click below:http://www.donking.com/popup.htmEnjoy the weekend,VedranRealated Story: www.croatianworld.net/Letters/2695.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 12 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8014/1/HE-Mario-Preskar-Dec-13-Atlantic-City.html ÂMario Preskar In Action Again December 13, Atlantic CityCroatian Heavy Weight Mario Preskar in action again on Saturday, December 13, Atlantic City (Boardwalk Hall). Against Thomas Latson. Come and cheer for him. Support our talent.Mec je u subotu 13. prosinca u Atlantic Cityu (Boardwalk Hall). Protivnik mu je Thomas Latson poznat pod imenom Knowledge Bey sa sest profesionalnih meceva (dvije pobjede i tri poraza). Telefon: 1800 736-1420 (Ticketmaster) ili DKP 800 589-4860. Web www.tickemaster.com. Dodjite i podrzite ga. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 09 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8018/1/E-Ivan-the-Terrific.html ÂIvan the Terrific Ivan Kartelo, playing his best basketball ÂIvan Kartelo made his presence known inside against Clemson in the 76-64 victory on Wednesday.Men's Basketball HomeMen's Basketball Looks To Go 6-0 For First Time Since 1993-94Ivan the Terrific Kartelo playing his best basketball Dec. 4, 2003WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Ivan Kartelo is literally making big strides for Purdue's 20th-ranked men's basketball team.Standing 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds, Kartelo came off the bench Wednesday night in Mackey Arena to help spark the Boilermakers to a 76-64 victory over Clemson in an ACC-Big Ten Challenge contest.The Split, Croatia, native scored a career-high 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 17 minutes of action. He also hit a career-best 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Through five games, he is averaging 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and is a sizzling 8 of 9 from the free throw line.Kartelo also was instrumental in Purdue's defensive success against Clemson, deflecting passes and dominating play in the lane."He's making an improvement," said coach Gene Keady following the game. "He's starting to come around. He's aggressive on the boards. "He's starting to rebound and making good passes like we know he can do. He's starting to score and, finally, he got into double figures like we felt he could do all year."Kartelo transferred to Purdue in 2001-02 after spending two seasons playing at Notre Dame. Because of NCAA rules, he sat out his first season before returning to action last year.During that time period, Kartelo struggled with an elbow injury. It slowed his overall progress until recently."This is the first time he's been healthy in two years," Keady said. "It takes a while to get confidence. We are happy with his progress, but we would like to see him be stronger with the ball and not let people knock it out of his hands.His play against Clemson boosted his confidence level. Kartelo said his health status is improved, and he continues to work hard to keep his body weight down to build his stamina."I began working out hard after the Texas game in the NCAA tournament last year," the senior sociology major said. "I'm more mobile and putting less stress on my body."How I've been playing in games is the way I play in practice. I'm happy with what I'm doing right now. Definitely, I have places I need to improve. My scoring needs to pick up."Kartelo appeared in 27 games last season, starting 13 of the 16 Big Ten regular-season games. He averaged 13.6 minutes per game."I feel great now," he said. "It is good to be heavy and strong because people find it hard to move you out. At the the same time, being big you get more tired. You can't run as hard."While he knows his playing has improved, he likes the fact that he comes off the bench rather than getting the opening call."To be honest, I like to come off the bench," he said. "I like to just get a picture of the court and see what is going on. I can see what the opponent is doing, and when you get in, the other guy is a little bit more tired."As Kartelo continues to make strides in the paint, the 5-0 Boilermakers look forward to great things."I have gotten stronger since I first came here. I'm basically trying to improve defense and rebounding each game. We can only get better as a team." http://purduesports.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120403aab.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8017/1/E-Little-Mo-Smrikva-Bowl-in-Pula-Croatia-July-2004.html ÂLittle Mo Smrikva Bowl in Pula, Croatia to be held July 2004By:STEVE SHERMAN 11/20/2003 Churchville youth wins Texas tourney again Mitchell Polnet, of Churchville, has captured the Boys-9 Championship at the Little Mo Nationals held Oct. 25-28 in Austin, Tx. It's the second year in a row that the Churchville youth, who came into the tourney as the No. 1 seed, has taken the Little Mo title in Junior Championship Tennis.Polnet won four matches in the 16-player draw and defeated Ryan Andrada of Visalia, California, in the Little Mo finals, 6-4, 6-3. Polnet defeated the second seed from Florida, as well as players from Texas and Tennessee. The tournament is the culmination of the year-long "Road to the Little Mo Nationals."The Little Mo Tournament was founded by Maureen 'Little Mo' Connolly Brinker, who captured the Australian, French, English (Wimbledon) and U.S. championships in 1953. She was the first woman to win tennis' Grand Slam.A year later, Connolly-Brinker's career was ended by a horseback injury. In 1968, she founded the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation, before succumbing to cancer.The Little Mo Foundation Program was begun in 1976. It was designed to enhance tennis instruction for children up to age 11. Approximately 1500 kids participate in four age divisions. The winner of each division is crowned Little Mo National Champion. This year, like last, Mitchell Polnet is king of the 9-year-old boys.***NOTES: Mitchell is representing Team USA in the 'Little Mo' Smrikva Bowl in Pula, Croatia to be held July 2004. From there, Mitchell goes to the Kids Cup tennis tourney in Le Cap D'Adge, France. ÂNewtown Advance 2003 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1686&dept_id=41371&newsid=10543348&PAG=461&rfi=9 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8016/1/E-Germany-to-face-Croatia---Feb-18-04-in-Soccer.html ÂGermany to face Croatia Germany will travel to Zagreb for a friendly match with Croatia on February 18 after cancelling their match with Holland in Rotterdam after the two teams were paired together in the 2004 European championships in Portugal. Click here >> to visit Betfair, the premier betting exchange that offers up to 20% better odds on football than traditional bookmakers. Germany's encounter with Croatia should have some spice with Berti Vogts' team defeating the Croats in Euro 96 on their way to winning the competition.However, Croatia enacted revenge by eliminating Germany from the 1998 World Cup in France at the quarter-final stage."This will be a difficult test," German coach Rudi Voller explained in Kicker magazine. "Croatia are also in the European championships and the fact that they have some players in the Bundesliga should make for an interesting duel."Holland and Germany, who will face each other in Porto on June 15, are set to reschedule the friendly for 2005 ahead of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.Germany's other group opponents in Portugal will be the Czech Republic and Latvia. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8015/1/E-Kostelic-back-on-skis.html ÂKostelic back on skisKostelic has been dogged by problems Janica Kostelic has returned to the slopes for the first time since being diagnosed with career-threatening thyroid problems. Croatia's triple Olympic skiing champion is also battling back to fitness after a a fourth knee operation. Her father and coach Ante Kostelic told Croatian newspaper Novi List daily: "Janica was on skis again Saturday. "She spent some two hours on the snow and she felt well. She's very happy to ski again." The 21-year-old joined her brother Ivica, slalom world champion, who was training on Austria's Hintertux glacier. Her father said: "The skiing on Hintertux is really easy, just for her to feel the snow." Worsened He stressed the weekend on the slopes had been approved by her doctors and did not involve any serious training. Kostelic's thyroid problems, which emerged in September, worsened in November and doctors told her that physical effort could be fatal. Her career had already been plagued by knee injuries. She missed the start of her defence of the overall World Cup title and slalom titles after a fourth knee operation in October. Kostelic's father added: "We will continue with treatment until the situation with the thyroid gland calms down." Kostelic won the slalom, giant slalom and combined events in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/3300323.stm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8026/1/E-Alex-Krstic-F-6-7-190-Pazin-Croatia.html ÂForeign exchange student Alex Krstic of Pazin, CroatiaMonday, November 10, 2003Allegany tips off season tonightTrojans host Rockland, N.Y.; seek 31st straight victory in home opener Steve LuseSports WriterCUMBERLAND - The Allegany College of Maryland Trojans will be looking to win the school's home opener for the 31st straight year when they host SUNY Rockland Community College of Suffern, N.Y. tonight. Tipoff is 7 o'clock. The Trojans are opening their 33rd season under head coach Bob Kirk, who is second on the NJCAA all-time wins list with 896 victories and only 173 losses for a winning percentage of .838. The last loss in a home opener was in Kirk's second season when the Trojans lost to Catonsville, 79-71, to start the 1973-74 campaign. Allegany won the Maryland JUCO Conference regular-season and playoff titles last year before being upset by Garrett College, 55-52 in overtime, in the Region XX championship game to finish with a 27-3 record. The Trojans were ranked No. 8 in the final NJCAA Division I poll. Despite losing four starters, Allegany continues to draw pre-season recognition based on the reputation of the program. The Trojans are No. 16 in the NJCAA Coaches Poll, and 17th in Street and Smith Magazine. The only returning starter from last year's team is 6-foot-3 point guard Sterling Ledbetter of Laurel. The other returning sophomores are Dwayne Shackleford of Washington, D.C.; Winston Robinson of Knoxville, Tenn.; Mike Castro of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Matthew Dent of Monessen, Pa. Among the seven freshmen is former Bishop Walsh High Schoolforeign exchange student Alex Krstic of Pazin, Croatia, who was a first-team Times-News All-Area selection last season.The other newcomers are Tyrone Beale of Silver Spring; Jerome Petticolas of Washington, D.C.; Eric Bigby of Meade; Jeremy Eck of Stafford, Va.; James Russo of Baltimore and Joshua Thomas of Hampton, Va. The Trojans rolled over Rockland, 83-39, in last season's opener and has won both meetings with the Hawks. The other win was 99-41 two years ago. Rockland had a 16-14 record last season under head coach Rob Kurzinsky and finished fifth in the Region XV Tournament. The Hawks have already played two games, falling to Passaic County, N.J., 81-58; and Monroe College of the Bronx, N.Y., 93-54. Kenny Amparo, a 6-foot-5 sophomore and the only returning starter, had 18 points and 14 rebounds against Monroe after scoring 13 points in the opener. John Yonaaco added 10 points against Monroe and Ty Della Monica had 12 against Passaic. It will be Beall High School and AYSO and JCP Soccer Night. Autumn Smith will sing the National Anthem, and the Beall High Belles will perform at halftime.Anyone affiliated with Beall High School and all youths from the AYSO and JCP league wearing a team shirt will be admitted free with their families. Allegany College TrojansSophomores No. Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Hometown 35 Mike Castro C/F 6-8 235 Brooklyn, N.Y. 31 Matthew Dent G 6-5 190 Monessen, Pa. 12 Sterling Ledbetter G 6-4 195 Laurel, Md. 33 Winston Robinson F 6-7 195 Knoxville, Tenn. 15 Dwayne Shackleford G 5-10 185 Washington, D.C. Freshmen No. Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Hometown 21 Tyronne Beale C/F 6-9 200 Silver Spring, Md. 43 Eric Bigby F 6-6 190 Meade, Md. 45 Jeremy Eck F/C 6-8 220 Stafford, Va. 25 Alex Krstic F 6-7 190 Pazin, Croatia 24 Jerome Petticolas G 6-5 185 Washington, D.C. 11 James Russo G 6-3 185 Baltimore, Md. 41 Josh Thomas F 6-6 188 Hampton, Va. Copyright © 2003 Cumberland Times-News Source: http://216.15.229.16/news/full_story.cfm?story_id=18144 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8025/1/E-By-the-end-of-this-season-he-might-be-speaking-Croatian.html ÂBy the end of this season, Robert Pack might be speaking Croatian.Veteran Teaches Rookie From Seats on the BenchBy LEE JENKINSPublished: December 1, 2003ACRAMENTO, Nov. 30 - By the end of this season, Robert Pack might even be speaking a little Croatian.Pack spends almost every game sitting on the Nets' bench near Zoran Planinic, the first-round draft choice from Croatia. As Pack points to the court, showing Planinic how to read a certain defense, Planinic nods earnestly. They had plenty to watch Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings, who lead the league in several offensive categories.AdvertisementThe Nets selected Planinic because they needed a backup point guard to Jason Kidd, but since Planinic could not learn the offense in training camp and did not know enough English to call the plays consistently, the Nets were practically forced to sign Pack on Nov. 13.The Nets still view Planinic as Kidd's eventual backup, but he has fallen out of favor with Coach Byron Scott, who publicly chastised Planinic for "not playing hard" and "not playing with any energy" after a home loss to Toronto last week. As a result, Pack was promoted and Planinic was benched for the next three games. Scott said Planinic had dropped out of the point guard rotation and would have to earn back any playing time in practice.Despite an obvious language barrier, Pack is lending more than a hand to his young competition. He is imparting much of the wisdom he has gained in his 12-year N.B.A. career. When the Nets signed Pack, no one told him that tutoring Planinic would be part of the job. Pack accepted the responsibility on his own, making the ultimate veteran move."I try to corner him with no distractions and tell him, `This is what I see you doing; this is what you should be doing,' " Pack said. "He understands everything I tell him. Being a foreign player, it's sometimes hard for him to see the game. So I show him what I see. This is something I've always done because, when I was a young player, I had guys do it for me."The Nets would have been satisfied if Pack just led Planinic by example. While Planinic is 6 feet 7 inches and can make the game look easy with his ability to pass and score, Pack has remained in the league simply by working it. He applies relentless pressure defense and works tirelessly on the court and off. When he arrived in New Jersey, Pack said he studied game tapes in his hotel room every night to learn the Princeton offense.After Pack became comfortable with the system, he turned his attention to Planinic, who obviously is not. When Planinic gets confused, he can find Pack for clarification and advice. "It's like when you talk to a friend," Planinic said. "He talks to you about ideas. He tells me normal things that I need to practice. It's not like it's anything spectacular, but it's good."Scott was pleased with Planinic's performance in early victories over the Knicks and Hawks, but he has also seemed exasperated with the rookie's easygoing demeanor. Pack is significantly more patient with his new protégé, believing Planinic will eventually learn to play with the energy Scott demands."Sometimes, when you're younger and not playing well, you don't know why," Pack said. "It can be easier accepting criticism from a teammate than a coach. Effort is learned. If you haven't played that way your whole life, it can be tough. As Zoran goes in this league, he'll see that his intensity level has to be at a certain level all the time. He'll learn to keep his intensity level up from the time he hits the court."Neither of the backup point guards has seen the floor much recently. With the return of Lucious Harris, Scott is relying on Harris and Kerry Kittles to handle the ball when Kidd is on the bench. Harris has also taken minutes away from Brandon Armstrong, who was in the rotation as recently as last week but has not played since.The Nets might seek more help from their bench as they complete this exhausting five-game West Coast road trip. After facing the Kings, who started 9-0 at home, the Nets play Monday in Utah, where the Jazz is 8-1. "It's tough, there's no other way to look at it," Scott said. "This is the hardest part of the trip because of the teams we play."http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/01/sports/basketball/01NETS.html?ex=1070859600&en=103d84c3df1d98f5&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8024/1/E-Croatia-faces-England-Switzerland-France-in-2004.html ÂCroatia faces England, Switzerland, France in 2004BY ROBERT MILLWARDAssociated PressNov. 30, 2003 9:42 a.m.LISBON, Portugal (AP)- For the likes of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Marcel Desailly, facing English stars like David Beckham and Michael Owen is nothing new. It is for Jacques Santini. Defending champion France must play England in next year's European Championship after Sunday's draw put them in the same group along with Switzerland and Croatia. After beating the French in the Rugby World Cup semifinal on the way to a long overdue world championship triumph with the oval ball eight days ago, England hopes for something similar when its meets at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon June 13. England hasn't won much at soccer either since the 1966 World Cup and now seeks to beat one of the top two teams in the world or rely on defeating the Swiss and Croats to reach the quarterfinal. Its best hope is that France, which tossed away its World Cup title last year without scoring a goal, has another off day. Santini's team qualified for the Euro 2004 finals by winning all its group games. Two weeks ago, it scored a 3-0 victory over Germany in Gelsenkirchen in a friendly. Yet the French coach, who has impressively restored the good reputation of French soccer after last year's World Cup, doesn't think that Group B will be an easy ride for his talented stars. "This is a very balanced group we will have to be on the top of our form to get out of it alive," the French coach said. Arsenal's Vieira, Henry, Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord and Pascal Cygan, Manchester United's Mikael Silvestre, Chelsea's Claude Makelele, Marcel Desailly and William Gallas all play in the Premier League. They have plenty of experience against the likes of Owen, Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney. The same applies to Beckham, who was with Manchester United for eight successful seasons before moving to Real Madrid. They will have to pass that information on to Santini. "It's going to be an open game, it's going to be an open group and anyone can beat anybody," Vieira said. "It's going to be difficult for us. "The first three points will be important. We are quite confident in ourselves but we know it will be a difficult game." Eriksson, who has been England coach for two years, also knows plenty about his opponents. "The France that you saw in Japan was not the real France and I should think that at Euro 2004 you will see them back at their best," the Swede said. "If you take their squad as a whole they have the best football players of any side in the competition. With France they don't just have one or two good individuals but many many players who play in all the best leagues across Europe. "Technically, tactically and physically they are in top form, as they showed against Germany." While the French and English are favorites to reach the quarterfinal, the Swiss topped their group, losing just one match in eight and beating Ireland 2-0 in their final match. But that one loss, 4-1 at Russia, doesn't look good on its record and Kobi Kuhn's team will have to lift its game to reach the last eight. Croatia made it to the finals through the runners up playoffs, beating neighbor Slovenia, and looks nowhere near as strong as when it made it to the World Cup semifinals five years ago. But the Croats have shown they can perform well in major tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals at Euro '96. Each time they have qualified, they have lost to the eventual winner - Germany at the '96 Euros and France at World Cup '98. http://www.foxsportsworld.com/content/view?contentId=1904764 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8023/1/E-Mirko-Jozic-Sven-Goran-Eriksson--Jakob-Kuhn-for-2004.html ÂEuropean Soccer Championship Cup 2004England's national soccer team coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, right, gestures while posing by the European Soccer Championship Cup with the coaches of Switzerland, Jakob Kuhn, left, and Croatia, Mirko Jozic following the Euro 2004 final round draw Sunday, Nov. 30 2003, in Lisbon, Portugal. England will play Croatia, Switzerland and France in Group B of the Euro 2004 European Soccer Championship that kicks off June 2004 in Portugal. (AP Photo/Armando Franca) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8022/1/E-South-Carolina-started-freshmen-Iva-Sliskovic-Croatia.html ÂSouth Carolina started freshmen Iva Sliskovic (Croatia)Lady Tigers rally to stop USC in overtime thriller CLEMSON 103, SOUTH CAROLINA 99 BY GENE SAPAKOFF Of The Post and Courier Staff CLEMSON--The sizzle of Rivalry Week got off to an early start late Friday night as the Clemson women's basketball team bounced back to down South Carolina, 103-99 in overtime, after blowing a 13-point lead with seven minutes remaining in regulation.A crowd of 3,423 watched what was a physically and mentally draining season opener for both teams -- perhaps the best game in series history."I just think it's our basketball team's determination," Clemson senior guard Julie Aderhold said. "We have a group of girls who aren't going to cow down to anybody."South Carolina senior guard Kelly Morrone knotted the game, 91-91, with a 3-point shot with three seconds left in regulation to send the game into OT. The Gamecocks took a quick lead in the extra period but sophomore guard Julie Talley dropped a 3-point shot to give Clemson a 96-95 edge, senior forward Lakeia Stokes scored on a putback to extend the lead to 98-95 and South Carolina couldn't get closer. "This is certainly a tough one for our team," South Carolina head coach Susan Walvius said. "But it's a great opportunity for our team to learn and move forward. We need to win these close games."Motivated by unusually low expectations for what has been one of the nation's elite programs, the Tigers avenged a 72-58 loss at South Carolina in the season opener a year ago."I thought we had more people diving on the floor than we had all last season put together," Clemson head coach Jim Davis said.Three Clemson players had career-high scoring games: Stokes with 32 points, Aderhold with 24 and reserve guard Kanetra Queen with 13. Talley scored 15 points.South Carolina, coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons, got a triple-double from senior guard Cristina Ciocan: 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Morrone scored 21 points and freshman forward Olga Gritsaeva 20.Clemson was picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference in a preseason media poll and missed the NCAA Tournament last season for only the second time in Davis' 16 seasons as Tigers head coach. But experience paid off Friday night, particularly in the early going; Clemson has four starters back from last season while South Carolina started freshmen Iva Sliskovic (Croatia), Gritsaeva (Russia) and Lauren Simms (Columbia's Spring Valley High School).Clemson leads the series, 30-19. The Tigers had won seven games in a row against South Carolina before the loss last year.South Carolina hosts Appalachian State Monday night. Clemson plays Brigham Young at midnight Monday in the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout.Copyright © 2003, The Post and Courier, All Rights Reserved.Comments about our site, write: webmaster@postandcourier.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8021/1/E-Vanja-Rogulj-Zagreb-Croatia-Split-grabbing-the-top-spot.html ÂVanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia-Split) grabbing the top spotÂVirginia Men's Swimming Wins Five Events In Texas A&M Invitational UVa men in third place; Cavalier women are sixth after second day of competition. Third-year Michael Raab won the 100-meter butterfly at the Texas A&M InvitationalNov. 22, 2003 COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Virginia men's swimming and diving team won five events during the second day of competition Saturday (November 22) at the Texas A&M Fall Invitational, which is being held at the Student Rec Center Natatorium. The 11th-ranked UVa men stand in third place after 14 events, while the 17th-ranked Cavalier women are in sixth place. The Cavaliers have scored 1,400 points and stand in third place in the four-team men's competition. Host and 13th-ranked Texas A&M leads the men's competition with 1749.5 points, while 23rd-ranked Florida State is second with 1,592.5 points. SMU is fourth with 930 points. The UVa women have totaled 589 points through 14 events and are in sixth place. Eleventh-ranked UCLA leads the women's meet with 1,413 points, while 17th-ranked Texas A&M is second with 1,155. With 1016 points, eighth-ranked SMU is third, followed by 20th-ranked Florida State in fourth place with 915 points and Purdue in fifth (907 points). UVa is sixth with 589 points, while 19th-ranked Notre Dame is seventh with 483 points. The Cavalier men won four of five individual swimming events and also won the 800-meter freestyle relay during Saturday's finals. Third-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) led a one-two UVa finish in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:17.31. Second-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) was runner-up to Greenwood in the 400 I.M. with a time of 4:18.50. Third-year Scott DeMarco (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck South) and fourth-year Andrew Pickett (Satellite Beach, Fla./Satellite) also finished in the top eight of the 400 I.M. DeMarco was fifth in 4:31.19, while Pickett placed eighth (4:38.62). Crippen won the 200-meter freestyle as he touched in 1:50.82 and also helped the Cavaliers win the 800-meter free relay. The foursome of Crippen, first-year Stefan Hirniak (Highland Park, N.J./Princeton Day), fourth-year Ian Prichard (Ventura, Calif./Buena), and fourth-year Luke Wagner (Englewood, Colo./Regis Jesuit) posted a winning time of 7:22.15. In the 100-meter butterfly, third-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) was victorious as he clocked a time of 54.15. Fourth-year Jon Haag (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) took the eighth spot in the 100 fly in 56.16. First-year Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia/Split) rounded out the Cavaliers' individual event winners, grabbing the top spot in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:01.25. In the 100-meter backstroke, Wagner was second with a time of 55.12, while Haag placed fourth (56.58). UVa placed two relays in the top eight of the 200-meter medley relay. The foursome of Wagner, Rogulj, Raab and fourth-year Adam Kerpelman (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul's School) combined for a third-place time of 1:41.44. Haag, Pickett, third-year Chris Cooper (Sparta, N.J./Sparta), and second-year Ethan McCoy (McMinnville, Ore./McMinnville) posted a time of 1:45.34 to finish eighth. In addition to winning the 800 free relay, UVa also had a team place fifth. First-year John Millen (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview), Raab, Greenwood and Kerpelman combined to post a time of 7:37.95. In the women's competition, Virginia had a pair of swimmers finish in the top eight of the 400-meter individual medley. Second-year Katie Gordon (Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Prep) was third with a time of 4:47.98, while fourth-year Amy Baly (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School) placed fourth in a time of 4:48.18. In the 100-meter breaststroke, first-year Jenny Steiner (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) turned in a sixth-place time of 1:11.83. The Cavaliers also finished fourth in the 800-meter freestyle relay in 8:16.59. Second-year Rachael Burke (Bethesda, Md./Good Counsel), Gordon, first-year Rory Schmidt (Phoenix, Ariz./Arcadia) and third-year Laura Lipskis (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) each swam legs on the relay. The Texas A&M Fall Invitational concludes Sunday (November 23). University of Virginia Swimming & DivingCopyright © 2002, Student Advantage, Inc. and the University of Virginia. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8020/1/E-Vedran-Vukusic--Davor-Duvancic-USA-Basketball.html ÂTwo young Croatians from Split, playing basketball in the USANorthwestern University Men's BasketballVedran Vukusic continues to recover from being sick but had a complete day, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Davor Duvancic was also able to reach double figures, with 11 points, Vedran Vukusic:http://nusports.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/vukusic_vedran00.html Davor Duvancic:http://nusports.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/duvancic_davor00.html Wildcats Even Record With 69-61 Win Mohamed Hachad steps up to lead a balanced attack with 14 points at Welsh-Ryan Saturday Nov. 29, 2003 Box Score Coach Carmody Postgame Quotes in PDF FormatDownload Free Acrobat ReaderEVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - Mohamed Hachad scored 14 points Saturday and T.J. Parker added 13 to lead a balanced attack as Northwestern defeated Northwestern (La.) State, 69-61. Perhaps most impressive about Saturday's win was that the Wildcats were able to break a tight game open despite the fact that senior leader Jitim Young sat much of the second half with foul trouble. In a game that kept the Wildcat faithful nervous for much of the day, the 'Cats improved to 2-2 on the season. The Demons fell to 1-3. "We played pretty well toward the end of the first half and during the second half," said NU head coach Bill Carmody. "We only had four turnovers in the second half after committing 14 in the first half. There could have been more tightness to our game." Northwestern struggled mightily in the first half, and trailed 19-10 midway through the stanza. However, the 'Cats used the free-throw line to chip away at NSU's lead, hitting seven straight foul shots before Parker ended the 15-5 NU run with a three-point basket. Vedran Vukusic ended the half with a nice driving layup, and the Wildcats went into the locker room up 29-26. Northwestern broke the game open with a pair of three-pointers midway through the second half by Hachad and Vukusic, taking a 46-37 lead at that point. The lead hovered between single and double digits for several minutes after that, but consecutive treys by Hachad and Vince Scott pushed the lead to 65-50 with 4:38 to play. Northwestern State was able to draw within 67-61 with 1:07 on the clock, but Northwestern held the Demons at bay and iced it with Hachad's final points with 14 seconds left. "I thought we did OK with Jitim sitting on the bench," said Carmody. "We seemed to run the ball a little bit better than when he was in the game, and other people were making shots." Vukusic continues to recover from being sick but had a complete day, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Davor Duvancic was also able to reach double figures, with 11 points, while Young ended the day with nine -- his first game this season under double digits -- and Evan Seacat had seven off the bench. Northwestern (2-2) committed 14 turnovers in the first half, but went 12-of-19 from the free throw line while Northwestern State was just 1-of-2 and committed 16 turnovers. Jermaine Wallace led Northwestern State (1-3) with 15 points and Jermaine Spencer added 13. Clifton Lee also reached double figures for the Demons, with 11 points. Northwestern will be at Florida State Monday night to tip off the 2003 ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The game is slated for 7 p.m. EST (6 p.m. in Chicago) and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2. Northwestern University Men's Basketballhttp://nusports.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/112903aaa.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8019/1/E-Zeljko-Zupic-Sinj-Croatia-scored-a-team-high-13-points.html ÂZeljko Zupic had a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds.Bulldogs Bite Pioneers, 90-58 Benzel, Zupic each score 13 Nov. 24, 2003 Box Score SPOKANE, Wash. - Senior forward Zeljko Zupic (Sinj, Croatia) scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, but it was not enough as the Denver Pioneers fell to the No. 16 AP, No. 21 ESPN/USA Today Gonzaga Bulldogs, 90-58, tonight (Nov. 24) in Kennel. Denver falls to 0-1, while the Zags improve to 2-1. Junior guard Erik Benzel (Spokane, Wash.) hit two early 3-three pointers to give the Pioneers an early 13-6 lead with 15:27 remaining in the first half. The Zags closed the gap, but a free throw by Benzel at the 10:37 mark gave Denver a 24-20 advantage. "I was really happy the way we came out tonight," Denver head coach Terry Carroll said. "Our foul problems and inability to rebound the basketball allowed Gonzaga to take control of the game. We showed signs tonight of what kind of basketball team we can be." A lay-up by Bulldog point guard Blake Stepp tied the score at 28-28 with six minutes remaining in the first frame. Cory Violette's 3-point play gave Gonzaga its first lead (34-32), with just four minutes left in the first half. The Bulldog pressure just intensified as the Zags ended the first half with an 11-3 run and a 45-35 advantage. The Pioneers began the second half just as they did the game, with lots on intensity. Junior point guard Rodney Billups (Denver, Colo.) fed off the intensity and hit a running lay-up to cut the lead to nine (53-41) with 15:15 remaining in the game. Gonzaga came out just an intense, using several Denver mistakes to open up a 61-44 lead on a fade-away jump shot by Adam Morrison at the 12 minute mark. Two free throws by Ronny Turiaf with eight minutes left in the contest extended the Zags lead to 24 (72-48).Two more free throws, this time by Richard Fox, gave the Bulldogs an 84-52 advantage with 3:44 remaining in the game. Turiaf led all scores with 21 points. Stepp added 14 and Morrison added 12 for the Bulldogs. Benzel added 13 for the Pioneers. Gonzaga won the rebound battle, (42-28), including 12 from Morrison. Zupic had nine for Denver. The Pioneers play the second game of their three-game road trip on Wed., Nov. 26. Denver will face Eastern Washington at 8:45 p.m. MT. http://denverpioneers.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/112403aaa.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8028/1/E-Croatia-2---Scotland-0---generation-of-entertainers.html ÂCroatia U-21 2, Scotland U-21 0DARRYL BROADFOOT November 17 2003CROATIA is a country in the throes of a social, political and economical regeneration. It would appear that this resurgence has spawned a prodigious generation of entertainers. As if winning the Junior Eurovision Contest on Saturday night was not enough, their fledgling footballers blew Scotland off the stage in Varazdin yesterday.Qualification for the finals and hopes of hosting the tournament are precariously poised after a pulverising first leg yet for all their superiority, the Croats could not kill the tie off.Rainer Bonhof and his captain, Ian Murray, remain convinced that the deficit can be overturned at Easter Road tomorrow, even allowing for the ineligibility of Gary Caldwell and David McCracken. The Croats will be handicapped themselves, with their most accomplished performers, Niko Krenjcar and Marko Babic, Slovenia-bound with the senior team. "It will be vital for us to have a full house at Easter Road," said the Hibs midfielder Murray. "If we get an early goal then they might start to get nervous. Their best two players will be back in the senior team and that can only be good news for us. This tie is not dead."Bonhof was irked by the referee's refusal to award a second half penalty when Kevin Kyle was grappled in the penalty box midway through the second half by the imposing Mario Lucic. "He was holding him for more than 10 seconds but we got nothing. Only in American football is that kind of holding allowed but we still have a chance," he said, mindful of his side's spirited fight back from two goals down against Lithuania in their final qualifying group match. "We were not in the game in the first half but I told them to always believe in themselves and they played more like the way I'm used to seeing them play in the second half."I will expect more or less the same situation as before this game. We have to show the Scottish spirit but everything is still open."The Croatia coach, Martin Novoselac, also refused to count out Scotland. He said: "I have told my players that they should be very careful in Scotland. It is going to be very different and difficult over there."We did well in the first half today but we had a crisis for 20 minutes in the second half. In saying that we still had the chances to kill this tie off but we never took them."There was little chance of the Sabbath being observed in Croatia yesterday. Zagreb, its bustling and increasingly cosmopolitan capital city, became a hive of political point-scoring as the majority of the 60-odd parliamentary candidates took to their soap boxes amid boisterous scenes in the splendid square.Moreover, there was a significant step forward for the country's ever-improving infrastructure with the opening of a new stretch of motorway direct to the doorstep of neighbouring Hungary. Progress has not been quite so prevalent in the nation's favourite sport. A heated derby with another of their local rivals, Slovenia, ended in a thoroughly uncomfortable 1-1 draw on Saturday evening for the senior side.Gone is the flair of Zvonimir Boban, a celebrity restaurateur these days as well as national icon and potential government leader, while the predatory potency of Davor Suker and sumptuous skills of Robert Prosinecki have been inadequately replaced.There is great hope for the future, though, with Martin Novoselac's brawny new breed regularly plundered by the senior side. On this evidence, they have married muscle and marvel to devastating effect.In the quaint little home of NK Varteks, the Hearts of the national league, Croatia's colossal collection were quite chilling in carrying out their business.Dwarfed almost to a man by their direct opponents, Scotland qualification aspirations shrunk during an 11-minute blitz. Manful mining on either flank yielded rich reward for the hosts. Mladen Petric, a rampaging right winger, bore his way to the byeline and delivered the deftest dunt into the path of Marko Babic, who steered the ball past Craig Gordon with his instep.Visibly dazed by the dynamism of the Croats, whose famous check shirts seemed to blur when in full flow, Scotland were then subjected to a slaughtering on the other side of the field. Intricate inter-play between Babic and Danijel Pranjic carved Scotland open and the full back's low delivery was lofted into the roof of the net by Goran Ljubojevic, who had strained every sinew to connect.The Croats were as brutal as they were brilliant and as if their staggering superiority was not sufficient, Michael Stewart, clearly identified as the visitors' orchestrator with the No.10 shirt on his back, received a battering on a rota basis.It was all rather disheartening, not least when, after only 25 minutes, an impromptu game of Toro kept the Croats in the crowd amused. Bonhof was anything but on the Scotland bench.Babic, who was among the substitutes for the senior side on Saturday, was a majestic matador. His physical stature belied a sublime sleight of foot which simply infuriated those who could not get close to him. It was hardly surprising that with all this pent-up anger, McCracken and Caldwell were the first names in the referee's notebook.Scotland's only saving grace was keeping the score down at the interval. Babic's audacious attempt to lob Gordon from 50 yards, hogging the left touchline was mercifully thwarted by the Hearts goalkeeper, promoted to the starting line-up after Derek Soutar succumbed to a calf injury.Shaun Maloney, a surprise spectator for the first half, was summoned to inject some impetus to a rather forlorn front line. He was Hobbit-like in confrontation with these specimens but his relentless snapping of heels at least allayed fears of a complex. His introduction at least burdened the hitherto redundant Croatia defence, with the Celtic striker's darting diagonal runs and low centre of gravity an acute aggravation and the likeliest source of salvation tomorrow evening at Easter Road.The emergence of Stephen Hughes five minutes before the end proffered hope of a re-enactment of his heroics against Lithuania at McDiarmid. Alas it was not to be.Croatia (4-4-2) Vranjic; Buljat, Drpic, Lucic, Pranjic; Petric (Zahora 81), Jese, Kranjcar, Safaric; Babic, LjubojevicBookings Petric 63Scotland (3-5-2) Gordon; Kennedy, Caldwell, McCracken; Canero, Kerr, Stewart (Hughes 84), Murray, Hammell; McManus (Maloney 45), KyleBookings McCracken 33, Caldwell 45, Kennedy 85Referee Iouri Bskakov (Russia)Copyright  2003 Newsquest (Herald & Times) Limited. All Rights Reserved letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 23 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8027/1/E-Euro-2004-Croatia-beats-neighbor-Slovenia-1-0-advances.html ÂCroatia beats neighbor Slovenia 1-0, advances on 2-1Euro 2004: Posted: Wednesday November 19, 2003 LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) -- Dado Prso scored the lone goal Wednesday as 10-man Croatia beat neighbor Slovenia 1-0 and clinched a berth in the 2004 European Championship finals with a 2-1 aggregate win.Croatia dictated the flow of play throughout the match, but could not open the stubborn Slovene defense until the 61st minute, when rookie Tomo Sokota chipped a through ball to Prso, who made no mistake as he rushed into the box and sneaked the ball under goalkeeper Mladen Dabanovic.Prso, who scored four goals in a recent Champions League match for Monaco against Deportivo de La Coruna, has been on a goalscoring fiesta as of late, nailing a winner in a domestic league clash and also the Croatian goal in the first leg 1-1 draw."We gave it our best, fighting to the end as much as we could," the 29-year-old Prso said. "I said earlier that the best team would come out on top after two games and we did."Croatia, a World Cup semifinalist in 1998, has never lost to its western neighbor and former partner in the old Yugoslavia, winning five prior clashes and drawing three.Otto Baric made radical changes to the side that played the opening leg, with six new faces in the starting lineup. The makeover returned some flair to the side, with some backheels and neat combinations.However, the win was not easy.Slovenia packed its defense, and as the match progressed it looked as though the Croat barrage would not work, particularly after Juventus defender Igor Tudor got his marching orders after a second yellow card in the 60th minute.But instead of turning the match in favor of the Slovenes, fortune shined on the Croats, who struck back with a move against the run of play.Sokota, who plays for Benfica, hit the post in the sixth minute with a shot from just inside the box that rebounded off the post, and then Giovanni Rosso squandered a splendid chance just before the interval when he blasted a close range volley over the goals.Slovenia was bidding for its third straight appearance in a major tournament after squeezing through to Euro 2000 and last year's World Cup, also in playoffs.Coach Bojan Prasnikar's tactics rested on preserving the 1-1 draw from the first leg with some sturdy defending and incessant fouls, which would have seen his side through on away goals.The hosts defended admirably, particularly in aerial play and in goals, with Dabanovic often making timely exits from his goal to punch or catch high balls.Still, Slovenia failed to unleash a single shot at goal and could only manage to congest the Croat box in a desperate effort to equalize.The match was played against the backdrop of simmering political tensions. Zagreb and Ljubljana have been embroiled in diplomatic clashes over issues ranging from territorial borders to a jointly run nuclear power plant.Police stepped up security in and around the stadium, but there were no immediate reports of violence.Lineups:Croatia: Stipe Pletikosa, Igor Tudor, Robert Kovac, Josip Simunic (Marko Babic, 54th), Niko Kovac, Boris Zivkovic Dario Srna, Milan Rapaic (Stjepan Tomas, 69th), Giovanni Rosso, Dado Prso (Jerko Leko, 76th), Tomo Sokota.Slovenia: Mladen Dabanovic, Muamer Vugdalic, Aleksander Knavs, Fabijan Cipot (Spasoje Bulajic, 90th), Amir Karic, Nastja Ceh, Miran Pavlin, Mladen Rudonja (Amer Kapic, 46th), Goran Sukalo (Ermin Rakovic, 69th), Milenko Acimovic, Zlatko Zahovic.Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8029/1/E-Zoran-Planinic-Impresses-Nets.html Distributed by CroatianWorld Planinic ImpressiveThe following two stories concern NBA rookie Zoran Planinic who playsfor the NJ Nets. He has become a key player for the team as shown bythe following article from Newsday and a second artile below from the NYTimes. John KraljicBy Laura Price-BrownSTAFF WRITERNovember 15, 2003Zoran Planinic gobbled tapes of Nets star Drazen Petrovic when he wasgrowing up in Bosnia- Herzegovina. He never saw him play in person -Petrovic died in a car crash when Planinic was 10 - but the NBA rookieknew that if he wanted to learn basketball, he'd have to know Petrovic."Drazen was the best athlete in Croatia, so you have to have the tapes,"Planinic said. "I see the people respect me more because of him."So he studied and played, turning pro at 14 and being named BestCroatian Young Player at 20. The Nets picked the 21-year-old Planinic22nd overall in this year's NBA draft. Friday night at ContinentalAirlines Arena, under the banner that displays Petrovic's retirednumber, Planinic made his own statement for Croatia as the Nets beat theKnicks, 85-80, in front of 17,557.Planinic shot 4-for-6 and scored nine points in 15 minutes, most of themwhile Jason Kidd rested on the bench. After losing to the San AntonioSpurs, Kidd and Nets coach Byron Scott had agreed that Kidd would bemore effective not playing 41 minutes a game. The two-time EasternConference champions signed 12-year veteran Robert Pack this week tohelp fill that backup role, but he never shed his warmups Friday.Planinic took over at point guard late in the first quarter with theKnicks leading 18-14. He promptly led the Nets on a 10-0 run in hiseight minutes, finishing it with a sweet baseline runner for a 24-18lead.When he returned with 1:37 left in the third quarter, the Knicks hadrebounded from an 11-point deficit and trailed 54-52. Knicks guardHoward Eisley burned the rookie on a layup, but the former Croatiannational champion recovered by draining a rainbow from the top of thekey.Planinic also learned quickly about what it means to play in the NBA.While guarding Allan Houston, he stuck out his left hand as he contesteda shot but never moved it. Houston wisely leaned in and drew a foul on athree-point attempt, converting all three free throws for a 57-56 lead."I knew it was coming," said Pack, who counseled the rookie during thegame. "I knew he held out his hand too long."But the 6-7 Planinic was impossible to intimidate. He told himself tostay aggressive, and with 3.9 seconds left in the third quarter, heaccepted a Kerry Kittles feed on the fast break, dribbled behind hisback to blow past Eisley and softly laid in the ball to tie the score at59.Planinic's play impressed Scott enough for the coach to leave him in atthe start of the fourth, even as Kidd returned. Planinic effectivelykept a hand in Houston's face, and when Scott finally sat him for thenight with 7:27 remaining, the coach patted Planinic on the rear."I told him that he was going to play some minutes and he respondedreally well," Scott said. "The thing that impressed me most is hestopped thinking so much. He just played."November 16, 2003NETS 100, HAWKS 85Nets Finally Break Free and Reach 100 PointsBy LEE JENKINSTLANTA, Nov. 15 - The Nets needed 10 games to find their backdoor passesand halfcourt lobs, but in one night with the Atlanta Hawks theyrediscovered their old fast-breaking selves.The Nets took off the manacles Saturday night and proved they couldstill move a little. Showing exactly how they captured the past twoEastern Conference championships, the Nets entertained a rare capacitycrowd at Philips Arena and ran past the Hawks, 100-85.Informed that his team was averaging only 85 points a game, Coach ByronScott promised more scoring and the Nets made good on his guarantee.They reached 100 points for the first time this season and got back to.500 in their trademark style.Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin made the highlights with two ally oops -including one from halfcourt - but they did much more. Martin scored 23points and smothered Shareef Abdur-Rahim, snatching 14 rebounds. Kidddirected an offense that appeared high-octane again, scoring 21 pointsand dishing out 8 assists. He spent much of the second half smiling andlaughing, a sight the Nets had been missing."We got out and ran," Kidd said. "Our strength is getting out andrunning and we did that."Kidd is happy to be playing fewer than 40 minutes these days andthrilled to have designated rest periods in the first and second half.He said he was fresher and stronger in the past two games, both Netsvictories, and for that he can thank Zoran Planinic. A first-round draftchoice from Croatia, Planinic has become more assertive and moreconsistent since the Nets' signed Robert Pack to be Kidd's backupThursday."I just played aggressive again," Planinic said. "These last two gameshave been very different from the others. Jason is only playing about 30minutes, so that's good."Planinic and Alonzo Mourning are separated by more than a decade ofN.B.A. experience, but they are just now getting accustomed to their newroles off the bench. The Nets were ahead by a point in the secondquarter when Mourning established position in the post and Scotthollered for his players to pound the ball inside.Catching the ball deep in the key, Mourning bullied Atlanta's interiordefense and got himself to the free-throw line, sinking eight freethrows in a row. It was Mourning's most effective effort since comingback from a kidney disorder."Once I get my blood flowing, my adrenaline going and my sweat going,I'm better off," Mourning said. "I just want my minutes to be productiveso when I come in, we don't lose a step."The Hawks are known for playing some of the worst defense in the league,which is exactly what the Nets needed to face. Running their Princetonoffense to precision for the first time this season, they shot 49.7percent and took a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter. Atlanta neverthreatened in the second half.The Hawks went through two seven-minute stretches without making a fieldgoal. After his team dominated in the paint and on the break, Scottpraised the Nets for playing "a complete game.""We made some shots, we made some easy baskets," Martin said. "We got upand down and passed the ball and were unselfish. Guys found each otherand played the way we need to play to win."The Nets count on these victories before they even record them. In thepast two years, they have dominated most inferior opponents, with slightslip-ups against the Hawks and the Cavaliers. Heading into this season,the Nets preached the importance of blowing open games they are supposedto win.Not much has gone as planned so far, but for one game, the Nets appearedexactly as advertised. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8031/1/E-Heres-to-Tony-hes-a-bloody-legend.html Distributed by CroatianWorld ÂHere's to Tony, he's a bloody legendBy BRYAN LITTLELY and BRONWYN HURRELL08nov03WHETHER they won money on her or not, everyone in Port Lincoln it seems is now riding on the back of Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva.The Eyre Peninsula city, best known for its tuna industry, was this week soaking up its time in the spotlight as the new heart of Australian horse racing.Headlines in the local paper tell the story: "It's Our Cup" and there's already a suggestion one of the city's streets should be named after the champion mare.There's also plenty of praise for the man with the rags to riches story who made it happen."Tony Santic's a bloody legend," an enthusiastic female fan shouted down the microphone during a karaoke party at the Grand Tasman Hotel after Lincoln's own Ladies Oaks Day race meeting on Thursday.Santic expects returning to his home town next week will be the impetus for it to "all sink in".Born in Croatia, there is no doubt about the place he calls home – the place his parents Joseph and Tonka came to work cutting railway sleepers before they went into fishing."They say you're on cloud nine – I'm well above that," he said in some "quiet" time at his Smyzter Lodge breeding farm in Geelong.Yet the man the town cannot wait to toast in person is still at a loss to explain exactly how he captured the cup."I don't know if it's a rags to riches story," he said. "It's more than a fairytale, more than a story – it's something I can't even believe myself. "We all talk about going to the Melbourne Cup but never plan on winning it."He admits he doesn't know "if I've broken even or in front or behind" with his $1 million betting win on Makybe Diva."It's only getting some of mine back, I must admit," he said."I wouldn't say I was a big punter. You always lose more than you win I think."Tuna Boat Owners Association president Brian Jeffriess said things were far from this good in Santic's past. In the 1980s he was caught up in the troubles faced by both the tuna industry and the South East fishery."Wherever he went, due to circumstances beyond his control, things went wrong," Mr Jeffriess said. "Instead of landing on his feet, he landed on his posterior."Jeffriess said with Tony being so much younger than the rest of the major tuna boat owners when the good times eventually arrived, "if anyone was going to be spoilt by the success it was going to be him". "But he wasn't."Santic is one of few owners who still goes out to sea and fishes each season and is known around town as "a gentleman".Plenty of beers have been downed at the Grand Tasman since the horse named after Santic's secretaries won the top prize in Australian racing.Publican Matt Rogers hinted that plenty of people, including himself, had won a lot of money by backing Makybe Diva and Santic was rumoured to have shouted the bar.The parties are expected to continue over the weekend, peaking when Santic returns with the cup, most likely on Tuesday, to a street parade and possibly a civic reception, in scenes reminiscent of Dean Lukin's 1984 Olympic weightlifting gold. Although Makybe Diva has never even been to Port Lincoln – she was bought in London as a foal at foot and transported to Melbourne when Santic could not find a buyer for her – many residents and regular visitors to the town have links to Santic and the Makybe Diva success story.Trackside at Port Lincoln on Thursday was Phil McEvoy, 47, a top regional jockey for 20 years and father of Melbourne Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy, who rode Brew to victory in the race in 2000 and ran seventh on Distinctly Secret on Tuesday.On crutches after hurting his ankle in a Melbourne Cup Carnival celebratory fall, McEvoy celebrated Santic's win with the tuna king on Tuesday."I had a win too – I liked the horse and had a good backing on her. Tony and I were talking last year that she would win the Melbourne Cup," McEvoy said."Now she has, you'll find people around here will start forming racing syndicates, his friends buying horses to try to emulate a bit of what Tony has done."Another now-famous face at the Port Lincoln races was jockey Clare Lindop, who rewrote the history books by becoming the first Australian woman to ride in the Melbourne Cup.Lindop, 24, was still on a high after "the one-off opportunity to have a dream come true" ride, but had to quickly come back down to earth this week with rides at Murray Bridge on Wednesday and Lincoln on Thursday.Port Lincoln resident Julie Chung, 34, backed Makybe Diva for a win as it was considered a local horse. "It's nice to see someone from Port Lincoln do well – we're really proud," she said. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 15 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8034/1/E-Diva-who-races-in-the-red-and-white-colours-of-Croatia.html ÂCroatian Cup winner poised to take on the worldMakybe Diva, who races in the red and white colours of CroatiaBy Ernie ManningMELBOURNE Cup winner Makybe Diva is poised to take on the world's best gallopers in an overseas campaign. Owner Tony Santic, the millionaire South Australian tuna fisherman, announced plans for his five-year-old shortly after yesterday's triumph at Flemington.And trainer David Hall agreed the mare had the capacity to step up to the world stage.Santic wants to takes his horse back to Europe and show the world how good she can be.He said: "I bred Makybe Diva at a European stud and then tried to sell her there. Prospective buyers showed little interest and offered only small amounts as a purchase price."I'd like to take her back to Europe and show them now how good she really is."Santic's life story would make a movie script. Almost broke and on the verge of being evicted from his house several years ago, he bounced back to be a leader in tuna fishing.He also owns more than 100 thoroughbreds. Santic's family migrated from the Croatian island of Lobasta 45 years ago. He said: "My father went to work for the Ford Motor Factory at Geelong but within five years moved on to South Australia and returned to his old occupation of fishing."Santic entered the fishing industry as a teenager but it was anything but a smooth ride.He explained: "We had tuna fishing quota problems in the late 80s and the company went into receivership in 1990 and the bank was going to evict me, my wife Christine and five children from the house. "By the mid-90s, tuna fishing was booming again and I was able to go into my long time dream of racing gallopers. "I now have 50 mares and foals. I bought about 30 thoroughbreds in New Zealand a few years ago. "I'm still a hands-on fisherman in our business but I'll soon be concentrating on my horses, with my family taking over the fishing." Santic admitted he liked to punt big. "My first two bets on Makybe Diva at the call of the card yesterV More, page 111Big-race victory was planned to the letter V From back pageday were wagers to win $300,000 and $200,000," he said. "Two months ago, I backed Makybe Diva at 50/1, putting on $2000, with the $100,000 from that to go to my family." Makybe Diva, who races in the red and white colours of Croatia, with a Southern Cross for Australia, was named after the girls in Santic's South Australian office. "They chose the registration by combining their own names, Maureen, Kylie, Belinda, Diane and Vanessa," he said. While Santic had his office girls to thank for the name, Hall, 40, also had a lucky charm riding with him in yesterday's race. "My partner, Leslee, gave me a lucky penny for my birthday yesterday week," Hall said. "I'll certainly make sure I never lose the penny. "Hall outlined how the victory was planned for over 12 months."Makybe Diva did not win between last year's Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington in November and today," he said. "Everything was focused on her being at a peak when racing fifth-up at the Melbourne Cup." Hall is a son of Adelaide trainer Joe Hall and a cousin of former prominent northern jockey Greg Hall. "In 1987 I came to a Melbourne Cup carnival and won a minor event with Blue Boss," he said. "I was encouraged to move to Melbourne and we bought stables at Epsom before moving on to stables at Flemington."I knew Flemington well because I'd worked there during my school holidays with my uncle Brian Hall, who was stable foreman for the late trainer Tony Lopes at the famous Chicquita Lodge."I now have a 65-horse Flemington stable and 160 gallopers on my books."Tony Santic has been a patient owner and I told him early Makybe Diva was a staying type who would take plenty of time to mature."The mare will now go for a spell and then we'll look at Tony's overseas plans."Hall has 20 horses in work for Santic and he believes the best might be yet to come from the mare because of her continued improvement. He comes from a large racing family and his father, Joe, is a successful trainer in Adelaide where 40-year-old Hall jun. also began his career. Hall sen. sent David to Sacred Heart College, the same school as master trainer Bart Cummings, who knows more about winning Melbourne Cups than anyone else.November 05, 2003 2003 West Australian Newspapers LimitedAll Rights Reserved.Source:http://www.thewest.com.au/20031105/sport/tw-sport-home-sto115231.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 11 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8033/1/E-European-giants-Split-Croatia---Basketball.html ÂEuropean giants Split CroatiaWed 12 Nov 2003 ULEB Cup - basketball's equivalent of football's UEFA Cup12:19am (UK)Overtime Defeat for Bears ULEB Cup - basketball's equivalent of football's UEFA CupThe Brighton Bears started their ULEB Cup campaign in battling fashion before finally slipping to a narrow 87-86 overtime defeat against European giants Split Croatia.The Bears fought back from a 38-30 interval deficit with bursts of 11-2 in the third quarter and 12-3 in the fourth putting them in the box seat at 72-63 with just under three minutes remaining.Their offence, however, dried up at the crucial stage as the more experienced visitors hit crucial baskets culminating in a Drago Pasalic three-pointer which tied the game at 78-78 with 28 seconds remaining.Bears’ Randy Duck missed a late three-pointer which would have won the game in regulation and in a tense overtime period it was to be Duck again who missed the chance to seal the win. Source: http://www.sport.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2166208 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8032/1/E-Win-with-an-82nd-minute-goal-by-Croatias-Dado-Prso.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8030/1/E-Tony-Kukoc-of-Croatia-in-action-again.html Milwaukee Bucks' Toni Kukoc, left of Croatia drives to the basket as Utah Jazz's Raja Bell, right trys to defend in the first half Saturday Nov. 15 , 2003 in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Darren Hauck)  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 06 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8035/1/E-Most-Inspiring-Tennis-Match.html ÂMost Inspiring: Goran Ivanisevic d. Patrick Rafter, 2001 Wimbledon FinalThe November/December 2003 issue of Tennis Magazine has a lead story concerning the "10 Greatest Matches of the Open Era." While not on the list of the top 10, the following made it in the Magazine as "Most Inspiring." John Kraljic"Most Inspiring: Goran Ivanisevic d. Patrick Rafter, 2001 Wimbledon Final, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7Cinderella would have had trouble beleiving that Ivanisevic, a perpetual Wimbledon also-ran, could win this title in his last year as a singles player there. When the smoke from his torunement record 212 aces cleared, Goran's fairy tale had come true." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 03 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8037/1/E-Croatia-will-host-World-Cup-race-in-January-2005.html  Croatia will host World Cup race in January 2005 ÂCroatia, home of champions Janica and Ivica Kostelic, will host its first alpine World Cup race in January 2005, ski officials said this week. The race, a women's night slalom, would be held on the Medvednica mountain outside Zagreb, according to Vedran Pavlek, director of the Croatian national ski team. "The International Ski Federation (FIS) conduct several reviews of our preparations," Pavlek told Reuters. "The first one in November and the last one next September, when all the necessary work needs to be done if the night race is to be held on January 20, 2005." Work on the course, which will include expanding the existing slopes and upgrading the ski lift, roads and lighting, is expected to cost some 62 million kuna ($9.54 million). "There is a lot to be done," Pavlek said. "But after all is done, Zagreb will be left with a ski slope that will expand its tourist facilities." World Cup overall and slalom champion Janica Kostelic, who is recovering from recent knee surgery that will force her to miss the season opener in Soelden, Austria, next week, welcomed the news. "It's a big thrill to ski in front of your home crowd," Kostelic told the daily newspaper Vjesnik from a clinic in the Austrian ski resort of Schruns. "I don't think I'll be nervous; this will be an additional motive." Pavlek said that if Croatia proved a good host it hoped to be awarded men's and women's slalom races in January 2006. Source: http://www.skiracing.com/finish_line/news_displayFl.php/1226/FINISH_LINE/newsArticles/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 27 Oct 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8036/1/E-Mia-Jerkov-A-Face-in-the-Crowd.html ÂMia Jerkov5 time Pac-10 player of the weekSports Illustrated magazine has a weekly column entitled "Faces in the Crowd" which recognizes outstanding athletes in the US, most of whom are involved in school sports. The October 27, 2003 issue says the following about Croatian Mia Jerkov:"Mia Jerkov. Split Croatia. Volleyball.Jerkov, a junior outside hitter at California, had 65 killes on 144 attempts with 26 errors over two matches, one a win over Stanford, a school the Golden Bears hadn't beaten since 1982. She is a five-time Pac-10 Volleyball Player of the Week." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 26 Oct 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8038/1/E-Malta-beaten-by-Croatia.html ÂMalta beaten by CroatiaUEFA Under 17 ChampionshipMalta beaten by CroatiaThe Malta U-17 team yesterday conceded their second consecutive defeat in the UEFA U-17 mini-tournament being played in Finland after they were beaten by Croatia 1-0.The goal that gave the Croatians their first win in the competition arrived four minutes into injury time to deny the Maltese from gathering their first points of the tournament.Mark Miller's men had opened their commitments in the tournament with a 2-0 defeat to hosts Finland on Tuesday. Croatia drew their opening match against Northern Ireland 2-2.Malta play their final match of the mini-tournament on Saturday.http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=135586 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 19 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8040/1/H-Monografija-Drazen-Petrovic-u-prodaji.html ÂMonografija Drazen Petrovic u prodajiDrage Hrvatice i Hrvati,U ime Zri-Sporta iz Zagreba ponosno objavljujem da jena adresi www.petro3.com moguce kupiti monografiju"Drazen Petrovic". Zivot najboljeg hrvatskog kosarkasasvih vremena opisan je njegovim rijecima, bogatoilustriran mnostvom fotografija koje su obisle svijet,ali i nikad prije vidjenim slikama iz obiteljskogalbuma. Ovo kapitalno djelo tjednima ne silazi s hrvatskihtop-lista publicistike, a monografija je, osim nahrvatskom, tiskana i na engleskom jeziku.Clanovima CroatianWorldNeta dajemo poseban popust:kupac cetiri primjerka peti dobiva besplatno.Jednostavno u kucici "posebne napomene" napisite CroatianWorld.Svako dobro,Tomislav Birtictbirtic@yahoo.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8039/1/E-Kostelic-back-on-skiis-for-new-season.html Kostelic back on skiis for new season ÂZAGREB: Croatia’s triple Olympic champion Janica Kostelic is back on skiis preparing for the new season following a successful recovery from recent surgery on her troublesome right knee, Croatia’s ski federation spokesman Ozren Mueller said Sunday. Kostelic, who had her third knee operation in July, started training in giant-slalom and super-G in Zermatt, Switzerland, Mueller said, adding that for now it has been decided that she will go on the US tour of the World Cup. “I feel great. It is such a pleasure being back on skis, I enjoy every curve. Really, nothing can be compared to skiing,” Kostelic told AFP, speaking from Zermatt. The 21-year-old dual World Cup winner and her brother Ivica, who won the men’s slalom world title, will stay in Zermatt until Wednesday and are to continue with preparations in Hintertux, Austria. Kostelic, dubbed the Snow Queen, had her first operation in March and the second in May. —AFPhttp://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_15-9-2003_pg2_13 Op-edIt is interesting where the news travels. This is from Daily Times in PakistanNB letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8042/1/E-Katarina-Tepesh-and-Ivo-Karlovic.html ÂÂTennis player IVO KARLOVIC 6'10" at the 2003 US Open tennis tournament with Katarina Tepesh.Photo by Andrzej Kentla, Sports Photographer letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 11 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8041/1/E-Croatia-Take-Gold-and-Silver---World-Champions-in-Sailing.html  Croatia Take Gold and Silver - World Champions in Sailing ÂFollowing an epic 14 race series, Croatian sailors indeed evolved as victors, dominating throughout the championship to finish collectively 16 points clear at the top of the table in first and second place.Croatia Atop the Podium What was predominantly a light wind regatta on Lake Neusidl in Austria saw the World's best under 21 470 sailors compete. Many are using the event as aprelude to next week's ISAF World Championship in Cadiz, where the 470's will sail from the Port of Rota. Indeed, recently crowned ISAF Youth Sailing World Champions in the 420 class, Nathan OUTTERIDGE and Ayden MENZIES (AUS), finished in seventh place, finding the competition much tougher in this fleet.Winners and newly crowned World Champions are Croatian sailors Sime FANTELA, Igor MARENIC, proving that along with their single-handed results, Croatia are becoming a force to be reckoned with on the double-handed stage.Whilst no final report was available from the event, full results are available on the event website at the address below.Overall Top TenNo Nation Crew Scoring1   CRO 83 Fantela Sime, Marenic Igor 59,52   CRO 7 Cesic Ante, Kujundzic Ante 623   NED 1059 De Koning Coen, Stavenuiter Wilco 784   ITA 4332 Fonda Enrico, Buchberger Igor 805   ARG 61 Bühler Matias, Lamas Marcos 85,56   ISR 9 Eyal Lewin, Stav Cohen 907   AUS 347 Outteridge Nathan, Menzies Ayden 90,58   GER 4913 Metzing Martin, Eckelmann Sascha 919   ITA 4324 Bianchi Niccolo, Bianchi Francesco 9210   ISR 2 Yaniv Moshe, Ofer Kohn 94Source: http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=5363 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 09 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8043/1/E-CROATIAN-SUCCESS-AT-THE-2003-US-OPEN.html ÂCROATIAN SUCCESS AT THE 2003 US OPENby Katarina TepeshDuring the 2003 US Open the highest achievement by the Croatian tennis players was reached in Men's Doubles by team of IVAN LJUBICIC and MARIO ANCIC who played in the Quarterfinals. They lost in a very close game to eventual finalist, brothers Bob & Mike Bryan from USA. Ljubicic, who is 24 years old and Ancic, who is 19, received $45,000 in prize money. IVO KARLOVIC achieved a phenomenal success. He reached 3rd Round in Men's Singles and lost in tiebreaker to Schalken who is ranked No. 12. Karlovic, who is 24 years old, received a new ranking of 74 and $37,500 in prize money. In 3 tennis matches, Ivo had 78 aces at 135 mph and higher. Karlovic also stands out as the tallest at 6'10" tennis player at the US Open. With his superb game, Ivo gained a new recognition and respect among players and spectators. It helped that he is very charming with everyone except his tennis opponents. SANJA ANCIC is 15 years old and managed to reach 3rd Round in Junior Girls Singles. Sanja played a great game in first and second round. But due to the rain delay, Sanja was asked along with all other players to play two matches in the same day, which proved to be too much for her. She lost to the Champion Kirsten Flipkens who was ranked No. 4. Sanja is a great player with excellent prospects for a very successful tennis future providing she trains for marathon matches. She is an amateur and received no prize money.IVAN LJUBICIC is ranked No. 42 and reached the 2nd Round in Men's Singles. He lost to the eventual Champion Andy Roddick who is ranked No. 4. Ivan is the only tennis player at the US Open who managed to WIN a set from Roddick. Ljubicic received $23,000. in prize money plus $22,500 his share from Doubles. Has one of the best serves among tennis players, but struggles with consistency in his game. Holds steady rank of 44 or 43 for number of years. Roddick, as the Champion, received 1 million dollars. SILVIJA TALAJA is ranked 70 and reached the Second Round in Women's Singles. She lost to the eventual Champion Justine Henin-Hardenne who is ranked No. 2 best in the world. Talaja is 25 years old received $23,000 for Singles and $10,000 for reaching 1st Round in Women's Doubles. Justine received 1 million dollars as the Women's Champion. NADA PAVIC is 15 years old and ranked 14 among Juniors. Nada reached 2nd Round in Junior Girls Singles. She is an amateur and received no prize money, but her excellent play in 1st round was noticed. KAROLINA SPREM, ranked 66 at age 18, reached First Round in Women's Singles and received $12,500. MARIO ANCIC is ranked 72 and only 19 years old. He reached First Round in Men's Singles at US Open where he lost to Jiri Novak who is ranked No. 10. Mario received $12,500 prize money plus his share from Doubles $22,500. Mario actually won first two sets against Novak, but ran out of steam. He is in the process of getting a new coach. Mario, originally from Split, lives in tax haven Monte Carlo. JELENA KOSTANIC is ranked 82 and reached First Round in Women's Singles. She received $12,500 and also reached 1st Round in Women's Doubles and received additional $10,000 in prize money. She is 22 years old. IVA MAJOLI is ranked 91. A former French Open Champion reached First Round at US Open and received $12,500 prize money and additional $10,000 for reaching 1st Round in Women's Doubles. She is 26 years old and contemplating retirement from tennis. Overall she earned well over 5 million but had bad luck in business matters. ROKO KARANUSIC is ranked 237 and reached First Round in Men's Singles. He received $12,500 prize money.Croatian History at US Open: In 1970 Croatian NIKI PILIC WON Men's Doubles. After spending years working in Germany, Pilic now serves as the Captain of the Croatian Davis Cup. GORAN IVANISEVIC achieved highest ranking as No. 2 best in the world. At US Open in '96 he was Semifinalist. The 2001 Wimbledon winner is recovering from a shoulder injury. His parents in Split, sold their house to finance the beginning of Goran's tennis career. Goran made more then 22 million dollars and is right now cruising the Adriatic in his private yacht along with his girlfriend and their baby girl. His money is invested in real estate. Future of Croatian tennisCroatia has a whole team of tennis players practicing and dreaming to someday follow in the footsteps of the great GORAN IVANISEVIC and IVA MAJOLI and to have an opportunity to play at the US Open. They are Lana Popadic, Maja Palaversic Coopersmith, Ivana Abramovic, Jelena Pandzic, Darija Jurak, Ivana Lisjak, Ana Vrljic, Tihana Pochobradsky, Ivana Visic, Marijana Kovacevic, Sanda Mamic, Petra Dizdar, Lucija Krzelj, Nika Ozegovic, Gianna Doz, Ivana Sokac, Marija Serdarasuc, Mirjana Lucic, Mario Radic ranked 217, Lovro Zovko ranked 237, Zeljko Krajan ranked 126, Sasa Tuksar ranked 217 and many more. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8046/1/E-Mia-Jerkov---Berkeleys-Big-Catch.html  Mia Jerkov - Berkeley's Big Catch ÂCal's All-American volleyball player from Split, Croatia. Croatian star Mia Jerkov showcases her talents with the Golden Bears.by Bob Rose Forgive Mia Jerkov if she is still adjusting to life in Berkeley. When you grow up in Split, Croatia, you clearly are from another time and place. If not another planet. An ancient port city of 250,000 residents, Split was once the home of Roman Emperor Diocletian. In fact, the remains of Diocletian's opulent 3rd Century palace are still a frequent gathering place for the city's youth. So to Jerkov (pronounced YAIR-cove), the Campanile Tower probably seems like it was built only yesterday. After all, when you're from a city with ancestors that date back to the Roman and Greek empires, your perspective can get a little jaded. In more recent history, Split has also become known as a hotbed for producing Olympic athletes. Perhaps three-quarters of the young men and women on the current Croatia national teams are inexplicably produced within the Split metropolitan area. Is there a logical explanation? "Everyone asks me that question," said Jerkov, now a junior at Cal. "We're always jumping around playing something - soccer, basketball, water polo on the beach. Plus, we eat a lot of fish. Maybe it's the fish!" When Jerkov signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Cal women's volleyball program two years ago, Rich Feller's thoughts were also about fish. Because figuratively, the Golden Bears' head coach knew he just had hooked one of the sport's biggest fish. "My assistant coach, Lee Maes, first saw Mia playing in a Youth World Championship tournament in Madeira, Portugal, in 1999," recalled Feller. "When Lee returned home, he told me there were a lot of good players from Croatia. We wrote to four or five of them. Two wrote back and one was Mia." Jerkov continued to write back and respond to their letters. Feller's other assistant, Chris Bigelow, sent her a questionnaire. "One of the questions on the form was, 'What's your dream?'" remembered Feller. "Chris came to my office and showed me what Mia had written." In the blank, Jerkov had simply penned one sentence: (My) dream is to be (a) respectable person and (the) best volleyball player in the world. For Feller, who had been searching for the final piece to a winning volleyball team, that one sentence was beautiful music to his ears. Soon, the Cal coach received some grainy black-and-white video of Jerkov in the mail. "The tape was in really bad condition," he said. "Mia looked about 6-10. When we saw her playing, we said, 'Oh man, if she can really do this against top competition, she's pretty darn good!'" Once Jerkov arrived on campus, Feller's hopes were soon realized. In his words, Cal's new recruit was, indeed, "pretty darn good." Although her freshman year of 2001 was hampered by injuries - she was limited to eight matches due to tendinitis in both shins - Jerkov showed flashes of brilliance that suggested greater things to come. Last season as a sophomore, the Croatian outside hitter experienced a breakthrough year. Leading the Pacific-10 Conference in both kills (578) and points (635.0), the 6-3, 160-pound Bear earned first team All-Region and All-Pac-10 honors. She started the campaign ablaze, winning Most Valuable Player recognition in three early-season tournaments, as Cal opened 2002 with a 9-0 record, sweeping all 27 games during that stretch. With her mother, Dragica, in attendance at Haas Pavilion, Jerkov unleashed a school-record 39 and 38 kills on back-to-back nights against Washington and Washington State Oct. 17-18, combining for an unworldly 161 attempts in the two matches. Three days later, the mercurial star was named the AVCA National Player of the Week. A dominant force that had been missing in years past, Jerkov elevated the Golden Bears to their best record (20-12) since 1983 and their first NCAA appearance since 1989. With Jerkov leading the charge, Cal beat six opponents that were ranked in the nation's Top 25 last season, and also extended nationally No. 1 ranked USC and No. 2 ranked Stanford to five games before finally succumbing. "She's given us instant credibility," said Feller. "We have built the program to become successful, but clearly, she has accelerated the process. Mia has given us a role model to show all of our players that certain things can be done, regardless of the opponent we're facing. She's a teacher on the court and she doesn't hesitate to speak her mind. She sets very high standards and she expects herself and her teammates to reach those standards." One of her teammates, senior defensive specialist Jenna Grigsby, says the key to Jerkov can be summed up in one word, experience. "Mia has so much experience, especially international experience," shared Grigsby. "All those matches she's played has made her a great all-around player. She's a great defender, a great setter, a great hitter and great blocker. She's proven herself to all of us. If we do our jobs, we know Mia will do hers. If it's game point, she's the one to go to." Mick Haley, head coach of the USC Trojans' 2002 NCAA volleyball champions, already ranks Jerkov among the elite players in the college ranks. "Mia is a wonderful addition to the Pac-10 and she makes Cal a legitimate threat every time you play them," said Haley. "Even if you prepare for her, she will still battle you to the end. She's one of the top kids competing in the nation and I actually expect her to get even better. Her numbers last year should have given her serious consideration for the Pac-10 Player of the Year." While Jerkov failed to receive the conference's top award last year, she did land third team All-America recognition, becoming only the second volleyball All-American in California history and the first since Sylvie Monnet earned second team notice in 1983 (Monnet also was named first team All-America in 1981). Jerkov's All-American status has provided added impetus to Cal's program, particularly in enticing other high school players to come to the university. "Mia's success has allowed us to contact a higher level of recruit," said Feller. "It places us in a position where we don't just tell a prospect how great they can become at Cal, we can now show them." Considering Jerkov's bloodlines, it's no wonder that she's risen to early stardom. Her father is Zeljko Jerkov, a seven-foot, former center on the Yugoslavian basketball team. He led his country to a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, losing to the United States in the title game, and then propelled Yugoslavia to the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics in the Soviet Union, which the U.S. boycotted. Jerkov, who was born in Cattolica Forli, Italy-where her dad was playing basketball at the time-has been known to square off against her gold medal-winning father in pick-up games when she returns to Split each summer. "It's a family tradition to play one-on-one when I come home," she admitted. "He still beats everybody he plays. He just leans on me and I fall down. But I'm getting better. I only lost, 11-8, the last time we played. His time will come!" Her Cal coach believes that Mia has not only inherited her father's skills, but just as importantly, her father's leadership abilities. "It would be impossible for him not to have an influence on her, even if only as a reference and resource," said Feller. "I know she has great admiration for her father as an athlete and a man. It's part of why she's so willing to take responsibility. She wants to be a leader and captain of our team. I think that's the pride of being an athlete's daughter." Interestingly, Jerkov did not begin her sports career as a volleyball player. She started out as a swimmer and tennis player, not switching to volleyball until she was 13. "Mia has exceptional footwork and hand-eye coordination," added Feller. "I think her early experience in tennis contributed to that. It also improved her arm movement and strength, which is so important in a sport like volleyball." As Jerkov blossomed as a young volleyball player, the Croatian national program began to take great interest in her. "Mia was placed into Croatia's national pipeline," Feller said. Following her sophomore year in high school, Jerkov moved away from her parents in Split and spent her final two years at the High School of Language in Pula - a town located close to the best volleyball competition in the country. "The approach to volleyball development in Croatia is more like figure skating," added Feller. When it came time for Cal to recruit the statuesque hitter, Feller soon learned that he would not be competing against other universities for Jerkov. Instead, it was the prestige and riches of professional volleyball that would cloud Jerkov's decision. "I had a chance to play professionally in Italy, which is the best pro league in the world," said Jerkov. "I had offers from about 10 different teams. It was a tough choice, but I wanted to get a Cal education. This is something I couldn't get anywhere else in the world ... not in Croatia, Italy or anywhere." With appearances in the 2000 World Cup, 2001 European Championships and 2001 Junior World Championships already on her international resume - and the prospects of representing her homeland at the 2004 Olympics in Athens - she decided that professional volleyball could wait for a few more years. Meanwhile, Jerkov is growing accustomed to her new surroundings in the Bay Area. "I didn't imagine that the American lifestyle was like this," she admitted. "Everyone is working so hard. It's so organized. You need to push hard to accomplish your goals. In Croatia, we organize life a little differently. Everything is connected to family life. A job is just a thing you have to do." Back home, she misses her parents and two younger brothers, Marko (17) and Ante (six). "It's very hard," she revealed. "I miss my friends, my brothers, my parents. But it's a normal process of being on your own. After awhile, you get over it. When I play volleyball, that's a cure for everything." Jerkov has begun to warm to many American customs, however. She especially enjoys the food ("I like the variety. There's food from everyculture. I really like the tacos.") and the shopping ("When I'm nervous, I like to go shopping. It makes me relax."). Gregarious by nature, she has also made many friends at Cal. "My teammates have been great," she said. "They've been so great to me. I grew up differently and they have been so patient with me. I have made many friends on the team and with athletes on other Cal teams like the Yugoslavians on the men's crew team (Filip Filipic, Ivan Smiljanic, Mladen Stegic and Nikola Vlaovic) and Jordi (Geli) on the men's basketball team, who's from Spain." Named Pac-10 All-Academic team honorable mention last year, Jerkov plans to pursue a future business career, with possible entrance into the Haas School of Business on the horizon. "My parents are agents for a furniture firm in Eastern Europe that ranks among the top five in the world," she said with obvious pride. "They have stores in five countries. They buy their furniture from a company in Italy and I have already gotten involved in design decisions. It's my dream to join the business some day." But some day will have to wait for now, because Mia Jerkov and her Cal volleyball teammates have some big fish of their own to catch this year in the Pac-10. Source: http://calbears.ocsn.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/090203aaa.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 02 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8048/1/E-Croatian-Rowers-Win-Silver.html  Croatian Rowers WinSilver  Golden Aussies awesome in pairsMelissa Woods, rowing01sep03AUSTRALIA'S Drew Ginn and James Tomkins have made up for the disappointment of last year with their gold medal-winning performance at the world championships in Milan.Ginn and Tomkins had kept a low profile this year after finishing a disappointing fourth in 2002.They left Milan for a few days after qualifying for the semi-final and spent the week training in Varese.For Tomkins it was his seventh world title.Australia also claimed a silver medal in the men's coxed pair when Jono Fievez, Luke Pougnault and cox Marc Douez finished behind the US crew.A member of the Olympic dual gold medal-winning Oarsome Foursome, which Ginn joined for the 1996 Games, 38-year-old Tomkins has continued to leave rowers more than 10 years his junior in his wake.The Victorian won his first world title in 1986 as a member of the Australian men's eight.Saturday's gold medal was his second with Ginn in the coxless pair, after they clinched the title in 1999 before Ginn suffered a debilitating back injury that ruled him out of the Sydney Games.Tomkins combined with Matthew Long to win bronze there."I'm not slowing down with age, it's quite the contrary, I'm speeding up," an ecstatic Tomkins said.Tomkins and Ginn got off to a flying start and by the halfway mark were a second clear of hometown favourites Giuseppe De Vita and Dario Lari.Croatia's Skelin brothers Sinisa and Niksa turned up the heat in the home stretch, but the Australians resisted the pressure to finish ahead in 6min19.31sec.Croatia clocked 6:20.79 while South Africa's Ramon Di Clemente and Donovan Cech took bronze in 06:21.69."We had a great preparation and lead-in to the race and we knew we had to get out of the blocks better than last year and row more aggressively," Tomkins said."There's not a lot left in the tank."The Australians said they were ready to keep pushing ahead toward the Athens Games, which will be Tomkins' fourth."We want to be selected now, we're ready to go," he said. "It's really given us confidence and spurred us on."Source: http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,7124835%255E10389,00.htmlTwo South Africans will medalsSun, 31 Aug 2003South African rowing champions Donovan Cech and Ramon Di Clemente topped their Olympic qualifying victory in the semifinal last week by taking a medal in the final on Saturday.They became the only heavyweight duo to win a medal at the World Championships since the Sydney Olympics."It's been a medal since Sydney," said two time Olympic rowing contender Paolo Cavalieri."This year they took bronze in a very tight finish with Australians replacing UK as the new world champions with an awesome time of 6:19.3."Cavalieri rode a bike along the towpath and shouted encouragement to the South Africans in Milan."I wanted to get as close as I could to the guys. They rowed a great race and South Africans can be proud that they have won a medal at every world cup since the Olympics in Sydney. That kind of consistency is incredible and shows their passion, determination and exceptional world class skill," he said.The race times for the final were Australia 6:19.3; Croatia 6:20.8; South Africa 6:21.7 and UK out of the medals with 6:23.2.Rowsa president, Bob Tucker, said from Milan: "Nocsa has identified rowing as one of five sports where SA can bring back a medal from Athens 2004 and this victory supports that expectation.Don and Ramon have beaten the Australians and the Croatians in various regattas and those Olympic medals are in their sites. They are fine athletes indeed."Source: http://sport.iafrica.com/news/266856.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 01 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8047/1/E-Croatias-Mirna-Rajle-Wins-Silver.html  Croatia's Mirna Rajle WinsSilver ÂThe men's coxed pair added bronze, and Canada's team has a chance at more medals when a second day of finals draws the eight-day regatta to a close today."It was great to hear O Canada twice," head coach Brian Richardson said after the impressive Saturday showing. "There is excellent support and a real team effort going on here and these wins can only give those crews that row (Sunday) extra confidence."Cam Baerg and Jake Wetzel of Saskatoon, Tom Herschmiller of Comox, B.C., and Barney Williams of Salt Spring Island, B.C., led all the way to win the men's four final in five minutes 52.91 seconds.The 2001 world champions from Britain were second in 5:53.54, and the defending champion Germans were third in 5:55.13."Those two crews were favoured heavily over us," said Herschmiller.He'd rowed in Canada's eight previously and, when he took last year off to work so he could repay some of his student loans, that crew won world gold.Coach Mike Spracklen chose to keep the eight together so Herschmiller was slotted into the four."The most important thing Mike said to us was, 'If you guys think you deserve to be in the eight, you should win the four,' " said Herschmiller."Everybody who was slotted for the four in February decided this is it or nothing -- this is our boat and we have to prove ourselves in it."The gold medal around his neck showed the mission was complete."I've been waiting a long time for this," said Herschmiller.Milne, 31, a licensed physiotherapist from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., who has trained in Australia for several years, led all the way in her lightweight singles final to win in 7:52.87.Mirna Rajle of Croatia was second in 7:54.49 and Janet Raduenzel of Germany third in 7:56.53."It feels great," said Milne, who won Pan Am Games gold in a double earlier in the month."I hope I set the pace for everyone to follow."Geoff Hodgson of Whitehorse and Kevin Burt of Ottawa with coxswain Brian Price of Belleville, Ont., who'll steer the eight today, won bronze (7:20.23) behind the United States (7:10.11) and Australia (7:13.13).Source: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/story.asp?id=1080E362-2543-4157-AD84-3CA062385F66 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 01 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8044/1/E-A-Maverick-an-Entertainer-a-Class-Act.html  A Maverick, an Entertainer, a Class Act ÂThe media never ran short of adjectives when it came to describing Goran Ivanisevic in his heydays. His on-court mannerisms and media interviews were as captivating as the aces he rained on the lush green turf at Wimbledon where he played for 14 years in a row from 1988 before finally emerging champion in 2001.With news trickling in from his agent in New York that the Split personality - that's where he hails from in Croatia -  is going to call it a day, there is that tinge of sadness for all Goran fans.Make no mistake, Ivanisevic was no Pete Sampras, who walked away from the scene just  a week back. But if you are talking of genuine entertainers, Goran was a class act. People loved Goran and people also loved to hate him, simply because he had all that, which made him so unpredictable.There were several tennis players who could win matches from losing positions. But Goran was quite the opposite. He could and would actually lose matches from winning positions and then tell us later, "Maybe I tanked!" Come on, was this a streak of madness in him or was Goran genuinely telling us he was a maverick. A maverick who chose to  write his own script and played havoc with those who put money on him.To be sure, when Croatia came to play India in the Davis Cup World Group playoff in September 1995, Goran was tipped to win both his singles matches. Well, the pundits had perhaps forgotten what goes through Goran's mind. What a match it turned out to be on the third day of the tie when Goran lost that classic five-setter to Leander Paes in the reverse singles.Form, fortune, fitness, everything fluctuated in that one memorable match where the crowd's involvement was so intense. The heat and humidity at the NSCI court in the Capital was killing. Come on, even if you happened to be cheering Leander for all his adrenaline-felted stuff against Goran, you could not forget that the Croatian could turn it around.One is not sure whether it was pressure, heat, or the running battle with his father Srdjan Ivanisevic on the sidelines which resulted in the star losing to Leander. All the fans knew was they got to see the Goran they wanted - unpredictable and perhaps undependable, since this was Davis Cup where one plays for nation.A few even dared to write the next day that Goran had thrown the match. But that was being uncharitable simply because Leander had shown he could raise his level of play when needed. Besides, midway through the tie you knew Goran had 'lost it', as he felt the fans behaved like "zoo animals."When Goran lost three Wimbledon finals, everyone proclaimed him the biggest choker. And when he lost in 1998 to Pete Sampras, the emotions were on display. "I want to kill myself," said Goran. The Croatian had begun to think this was perhaps his last chance on the famous lawns of SW19.For a man with his kind of talent, 22 ATP Tour singles title wins is nothing much really. But, if he did not win more it did not have everything to do with his temperament alone but also his frequent breakdowns. Injuries haunted him. And when the All England Club gave him a wild card in 2001, the 'choker' was delighted. First week when Goran sailed through, not many took notice. But all of a sudden when he was face to face with Pat Rafter in the final, it seemed unbelievable.Well, if you asked Goran, he'd call  it "Unbeeleevabul," a word which he uttered so often. With rain playing havoc on the second Sunday, the final extended to Monday. They call it People's Monday, and in the end  when the People's Champion won, it was once again a reminder that Goran was not a choker.It was not just the rhythmic aces or the volleys which helped him win his lone Grand Slam title that day. It was his willingness to add a few more dimensions to his game and the burning desire to succeed which mattered. Goran wanted to savour the feeling of returning to the Centre Court as defending champion. It never happened and maybe that will be Goran's biggest regret. Still, it turned out much better than never having won the Wimbledon.Goodbye Goran, you were truly great. You belonged to that rare breed where everything you did was so natural, be it winning or losing or  keeping the crowds guessing till the end.Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_358685,00070002.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 01 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8049/1/E-AJMO-DECKI-LJUBICIC--ANCIC-TENNIS-DOUBLE-PARTNERS.html ÂGood partnership brings good resultsAt the 2003 US Open Tennis Tournament a new Men's Doubles partnership was born between IVAN LJUBICIC and MARIO ANCIC. With their blistering tennis serves they pummel the ball to victory by beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov and his partner David Riki who is ranked #7 in doubles. With Croatian tennis fans loud and persistent encouragement of "Ajmo decki!", the new doubles partners won two out of three sets. "Kafelnikov is among the top tennis players in the world. He is the most successful Russian in tennis history. He won Olympic Gold," said smiling Ancic. This win is especially important to Mario because the day before he lost in first round in singles match against powerful Czech Jiri Novak who is ranked 10. One can argue that Mario had a bit of a bad luck in the draw against top 10 player. But at the end, all is fair in tennis. Ancic is only 19 and so far totally injury free. The draw was fair and square, performed in front of hundreds of people. In fact, it was done at a prestigious ceremony at the United Nations. In doubles, Ancic reached final at Kyoto Challenger 2002 with Zovko. Prior to that Mario captured doubles title at Croatia Futures with brother Ivica. Last double partner of Ivan Ljubicic was Goran Ivanisevic. Jokingly referred to as "Double Trouble" the two produced stunning comeback from two sets down to squeeze past American team and give Croatia a 2-1 lead during this year Davis Cup in Zagreb. In singles, Ljubicic lost in second round to number 4 seed Andy Roddick. Their match created so much controversy it requires another article. On the lighter side, Americans often mangled Ljubicic name, so they finally settled to call him "Ljubi". Perhaps Ivan's loss, like Mario's, was another incentive to go all out on Men's Doubles games. On Saturday, August 30th, "Ljubi" and Mario won in the second round 6-4, 6-3, 7-5. There was something unique about this game. The foursome who played are from the following countries: Jurgen Melzer from Austria, Filippo Volandri from Italy, Mario Ancic from Split, Croatia and Ljubicic who was born in Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina but now plays for Croatia. On Labor Day, "Ljubi" and Mario will play Third Round. Good partnership brings good results. Katarina TepeshOp-ed: ÂMario AncicÂCRO ÂÂIvan LjubicicÂCRO  5 6 6 Â Â ÂÂPetr LuxaÂCZE ÂÂDavid SkochÂCZE   7 1 2 Â  Croatian Team Wins.NB letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 31 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8045/1/E-GREAT-DAY-FOR-CROATIAN-TENNIS-PLAYERS.html ÂCroatian players had a great day at the sold out 2003 US Open Tennis Tournament. New York City - August 31, 2003 IVO KARLOVIC ranked 109 in the world played a very tough, very close match against number 12 ranked Sjeng Schalken from Nederlands. Losing in the tiebreaker 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3). Schalken said, "I could not break him. I didn't know how. Karlovic has very good serve. He is doing very well, because he won 15 matches in a row, winning two challengers and coming out of qualifying into the Third Round of US Open. Karlovic has a very consistent serve, a killer serve at 135 mph. In all three tiebreakers it was 50/50 chance. This time it fell to me three times. I had a little stronger nerves maybe and also little bit of luck."As for Ivo, as our people like to say "on se je borio krvavo!" with 25 aces against 2 from Schalken. "I was trying so hard. I gave everything I had from myself." said Karlovic. He received $65,000 prize money for reaching the Third Round. Playing on the Grandstand, their game was televised. IVAN LJUBICIC and MARIO ANCIC won today in the Third Round in Men's Doubles beating Czech team of Luxa and Skoch. Ivan and Mario scored 5-7, 6-1, and 6-2. Their phenomenal success in Doubles means they are competing next in Quarterfinals. Ancic, the tall, dark and handsome tennis player has a tremendous following among American kids, presumably future tennis champions. At the Open, girls and boys buy an oversize tennis ball and collect autographs of as many tennis players as they can. Ljubicic received more support from Americans, who continue to call him "Ljubi", although the nickname "The Beast" also appeared in the press. After the continuing controversy of losing in a close match to Andy Roddick, the bitterly disappointed Ljubi now relies on his ever present girlfriend from Bosnia. Fairly small, but deeply devoted Croatian fans are showing their colors with the Croatian flag, wild shirts and most of all, their heart. "I'm here every day with my family to show support for all Croatian players. When Ljubicic lost to Roddick in a 5-1 tiebreaker, I could not sleep all night," says a Dalmatinac now living on Long Island. Today started US Open Junior Championships. Croatia has two 15 year old representatives:NADA PAVIC ranked 14 among Junior Girls Singles won easily in the 1st round 6-0, 6-3 against Yung-Jan Chan. Nada is from Split. SANJA ANCIC also won 3-6, 6-4, and 6-4 against Alexandra Mueller USA. Looking pretty in red and black outfit, she is the younger sister of Mario Ancic. The ANCIC parents from Split, Stipe and Nilda, sitting in the shade watching Mario and Sanja win, were smiling widely all day long. The enormous expense for the private tennis lessons for their 2 children is finally paying off! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 31 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8051/1/E-Roddick-survives-grueling-match-against-Croatian-Ljubicic.html ÂRoddick survives grueling match againstCroatian LjubicicPosted on Sat, Aug. 30, 2003 Roddick survives grueling match against Croatian LjubicicBy MICHELLE KAUFMANMiami HeraldAndy Roddick reacts after winning a point against Ivan Ljubicic at the U.S. Open, Friday, Aug. 29, 2003, in New York. NEW YORK - (KRT) - The clock had just struck midnight on a foggy, humid Friday night, and Andy Roddick officially turned 21, but the last thing on his mind was cooling off with a legal libation. He had a much more pressing matter across the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium - a fearless Croatian named Ivan Ljubicic who almost single-handedly beat the U.S. Davis Cup team in February and apparently had plans to spoil Roddick's birthday, too.Ljubicic, ranked No. 43, fled war-torn Bosnia with his family at age 13, crawling under barbed wire and riding a bus for 48 hours, so he certainly wasn't going to be intimidated by a 20-year-old American in a baseball cap, even if that American is the hottest thing in tennis this summer. Ljubicic bounced Americans James Blake and Taylor Dent from the last two Grand Slams, and he tried his best to add Roddick to the list.Fourth-seeded Roddick fought back after losing the second set - and his concentration - in a tiebreaker and pulled out the thrilling match, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 7-6 (10-8). Roddick served at second-match point at 12:09 a.m., and Ljubicic's overhand lob sailed over Roddick's head.``I think I deserve a beer after that one,'' Roddick said, and the crowd sang him Happy Birthday as organizers brought a cake onto the court.``It's brutal out here. I let him in the second set, and he started playing great tennis.''Ljubicic complained afterward about Roddick's etiquette.``Every single player said to me kick his butt,'' Ljubicic said. ``Maybe this is good for the game. For sure we need some interesting guys, but you can be interesting in a positive way.''Roddick entered the match on a 21-1 hardcourt tear and was 31-2 since hooking up with coach Brad Gilbert. Many experts had already penciled the Boca Raton resident and Andre Agassi into the finals. Pete Sampras and Michael Chang retired in the opening days of the U.S. Open, the perfect opportunity for Roddick to prove he is worthy of the title ``Next Great American.''But every time a reporter asked him about being a favorite at this Open, he reminded them that he had only won a first round match and had a long way to go. Roddick led Ljubicic 3-1 in the four matches they had played, but he was taking nothing for granted.``I have Ljubicic next, and he can beat a lot of good players,'' Roddick said after advancing to the second round. ``He serves humongous.''Everyone knows about Roddick's serve. He tied a world record with a 149 mph serve this season, but Ljubicic's service game is hardly chopped liver. Roddick's positioning on returns - 10 feet behind the baseline - was evidence of his respect for his opponent. Each finished the match with 22 aces apiece.Roddick won the first set fairly easily, punctuating it with a 137 mph ace on the final point. Ljubicic stepped it up in the second set, breaking Roddick in the sixth game, and took a commanding 5-1 lead in the tiebreak when Roddick hit a backhand wide. In the fourth-set tiebreaker, Roddick came back from 5-2 down to win.Roddick plays Flavio Saretta of Brazil in the third round. Saretta beat Miami resident Nicolas Lapentti, a native of Ecuador, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0.The Roddick match started a few minutes later than expected because Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand took 1 hour, 12 minutes to pull off a 6-2, 6-4 upset over No. 9 seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia. Before Friday, Tanasugarn's U.S. Open claim to fame was that she played and won the first-ever match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, a 1997 first-round victory against Chanda Rubin.She improved to 2-0 on the marquee court Friday and endeared herself to the audience after she mistakenly thought she won at 5-3 in the second set and began celebrating prematurely. When she realized there was at least one more game to be played, she shrugged sheepishly and kept on playing. She would get another chance to show her joy.``I am very, very embarrassed right now,'' Tanasugarn said at the post-match press conference. ``I was really laughing about it myself, too. But I thought, `If I win the match, I'm gonna jump more.'''Hantuchova, who also lost in the second round at the French Open and Wimbledon, admitted her confidence is shaken.``Sometimes it can be really frustrating,'' she said. ``I have lost to players that I shouldn't. Most of the time, it was because I was not playing well, and I beat myself. So, your confidence gets low.''http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6653604.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 30 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8050/1/E-Karlovic-magic-back-again.html  Karlovic magic back again in Wimbledon repeat ÂBy Stephen WoodNew York - Ivo Karlovic has left the real world behind again to embrace more unexpected grand slam infamy.The towering Croatian, a regular at Challenger and lower-tier events, stunned the tennis world by knocking out defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in the first round at Wimbledon in June.He won one more match in London and on Friday, Karlovic repeated the feat at the US Open by beating Moroccan Hicham Arazi 3-6 7-6 7-6 7-6 to reach the third round.'I hope that soon I won't have to qualify for any more tournaments'Yet Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows aside, the 24-year-old has only played in two other ATP Tour events this year - at Queen's Club in London and Umag, Croatia.From the end of 2000 to the beginning of this season, he had improved his ranking by just 124 places, from 299 to 175.In February of this year, he was coming to terms with a first round loss to Britain's oft-mocked Jamie Delgado at a challenger in Wrexham, Wales.So for Karlovic to claim that success in New York at the final grand slam of the year is business as usual, takes some fathoming."But life for me is just the same," said Karlovic, who next faces 12th seed Sjeng Schalken."Okay, I get recognised a bit more because of my height and I have some (potential) sponsors to choose (between)..."But since Wimbledon, I have played the same sort of tournaments. Life is the same."At the grand slams, I think I like the excitement. Now I try to stay focused."A qualifier here after being refused a wildcard, Karlovic struggles with a stutter, which is exaggerated when the shy interviewee is faced by a bank of reporters.On court, however, the bigger his audience the better his performance.Now ranked 109, he intends to improve his ranking still further so that he can gain direct entry into main ATP events."It is my goal and I hope that soon I won't have to qualify for any more tournaments," he said.Out of future equations is the prospect of military service, from which he says he has been excused.So all he needs now to complete his perfect week is some contact from 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, his fellow Croatian and someone Karlovic referred to at the All England Club as his "god"."I haven't heard from Goran," said Karlovic. "But maybe I will, maybe there will be a phone call." Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=4&art_id=qw1062244982738B216&set_id=6 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 30 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8053/1/E-Athens-Regatta-2003---Silver-for-Croatian.html ÂSilver for CroatiaAthens Regatta 2003 19 - 28 August 2003 Athens, GREECE Full Racing Day Completed in Final Stages The seventh day of the event, held in the Agios Kosmas Olympic Sailing Centre, was a day of full competition activity in all Olympic classes, with the exception of competitors in the Star class, who had the day off. Around one o'clock in the afternoon, wind conditions were relatively calm and there were fears of cancellations, but the experienced organisers managed to complete the races in all classes, even though there were some delays in the scheduled start times.Windsurfer MenNikos KAKLAMANAKIS confirmed one more time his top class, adding two more first places on the way to winning the Gold medal in the men's Mistral class. After a bad start in the Athens 2003 Regatta, as he had finished eighth and fifth in the first two races, and had been penalised with a 'disqualification' for his now famous collision with Swiss sailor Anja KAESER, the Greek Olympic Gold medallist in Atlanta improved his performance dramatically, and from then on has won all the races run so far. Second in both races held was Israel's Gal FRIDMAN, who is hot on the heels of the Greek champion, with only three points between them. Third to finish in the first race yesterday was China's Yuanguo ZHOU, with Portugal's Joao RODRIGUES finishing third in the eighth race.Double-handed Dinghy Women - 470In the women's 470 class, Greek champions Sofia BEKATOROU and Emilia TSOULFA finished fifth and sixth in yesterday's races, and are within reach of the Gold medal, as they increased the difference from their closest opponents to 20 points. First place in the first race went to Katherine MCDOWELL and Isabelle KINSOLVING (USA), who took the lead from the start and maintained it until the finish, with the Argentinean sailors Maria Fernando SESTA and Paula REINOSO and Christina BASSADONE and Katherine HOPSON (GBR) finishing second and third respectively. Keelboat Women - YnglingCompetition is close for the Gold Medal, in the two races held yesterday, which were the eighth and ninth in the series, American skipper Hannah SWETT and her battling crew finished ninth and first, climbing to the head of the leaderboard, with a small, six point lead over Shirley ROBERTSON (GBR) in second position.Single-handed Dinghy Men - FinnBritish Laser Olympic Gold medallist in Sydney Ben AINSLIE, who now competes in the Finn class, continues to hold the lead in the general ranking, showing remarkable steadfastness. The winner in the first race yesterday was the Dutch sailor Jaap ZIEHUIS, withCroatia's Karlo KURET finishing second and Ainslie finishing third. In the second race, Rafael TRUJILLO (ESP) finished first, followed by Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ (POL) and the French sailor Guillaume FLORENT, with Ainslie finishing fifth. As for Greek champion Emilios PAPATHANASSIOU, he did not do well at all, as in the first race he was penalised for a false start and in the second one he was penalised with his third Rule 42 penalty and as such, was eliminated from further competition with 93 points and placed in 13 place overall in the general ranking.Double-handed Dinghy Men - 470In the men's 470 class, Johan MOLUND and Martin ANDERSSEN (SWE) took the lead in the battle for the Gold medal, as they widened the gap between them and second placed Nick ROGERS and Joe GLANDFIELD (GBR) to ten points. The Swedes yesterday finished sixth in the first race and second in the second one, and so they now feel more secure in first place. Italians Gabrio ZANDONA and Andrea TRANI won the first race of the day, followed by Gideon KLIGER and Ehud GAL (ISA). In the tenth race the Swedish sailors won, followed by Simon COOKE and Peter NICHOLAS (NZL). Single-handed Dinghy Open - LaserIn the Laser class, the situation ay the top of the ranking has been complicated, as Brazilian Sydney Olympic Silver medallist, Robert SCHEIDT, No 2 in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings, acquired a 'room-mate' in first place after the results of the three races run yesterday. In the first race, Portuguese sailor Gustavo LIMA held the lead, followed by the Vasilij ZBOGAR and the Croatian Mate ARAPOV. In the second race, Australian Michael BLACKBURN took the lead, with Daniel BIRGMARK and Rory FITZPATRICK coming second and third respectively. The third race of the day was won by Roope SUOMALAINEN, followed by Blackburn and Arapov. Blackburn is now in equal first with Robert SCHEIDT going into the final stages of the regatta.High Performance Dinghy Open - 49erThanassis PACHOUMAS and Vassilis PORTOSALTE (GRE) put up a star performance yesterday, finishing second in the first two races and first in the third. In the first race, Australians Chris NICHOLSON and Gary BOYD finished first, followed by the Greeks and the British pair of Paul BROTHERTON and Mark ASQUITH.The second race of the day was won by the Sibelo brothers from Italy, followed by the Greeks and the British, while in the third race of the day, race 12 in the series, first place went to the Greek crew.Single Handed Dinghy Women - EuropeIn the Europe class, Lenka SMIDOVA (CZE) is maintaining a slight advantage and is a strong candidate for the Gold medal, as she leads the ranking with 36 points. In the first race of the day, Norway's Siren SUNDBY finished first, followed by Australia's Sarah BLANCK and Belgium's Min DEZILLIE, the latter finishing first in the second race followed by the American Meg GAILLARD and Serena AMATO. In the ninth race Sundby finished first, followed by China's Xiaoying SHEN and Argentina's Amato. Multihull Men - TornadoIn the Tornado class, after the two races run yesterday the Australians Darren BUNDOCK and John FORBES continue to hold the lead, finishing first and third respectively, and are strong contenders for the Gold medal with a difference of only 9 points separating them and the second placed Argentinean team.In the first race Austrians Roman HAGARA and Hans-Peter STEINACHER finished second, with the Argentineans finishing third. In the second race, race nine of the series Santiago LANGE and Carlos ESPINOLA (ARG) finished first, followed by the Austrian and Australian crews. Windsurfer Women - MistralIn the Women's Mistral class, the Italian gold medallist at the Sydney Olympics, Alessandra SENSINI, continues to hold the lead in the general ranking. Yesterday she finished fourth and second respectively, and with only 9 points is first in the general ranking. German sailor Amelie LUX finished first in yesterday's first race, followed by Lai Shan LEE (HKG) and Lee KORSIZ (Israel). In the second race Faustine MERRET finished first, followed by Sensini and Lee. The Athens 2003 Regatta continues today, and with racing in all classes, is the penultimate day of the final test event before the Olympic Regatta next year in Athens. Full results can be found on the event website at the address below.Windsurfer Men - MistralPos Name NOC R7 R8 Points 1 KAKLAMANAKIS GRE 1 1 18 2 FRIDMAN ISR 2 2 21 3 ZHOU CHN 3 5 33 4 BONTEMPS FRA 7 10 50 5 TOBIN NZL 8 11 52 6 MYSZKA POL 6 6 53 7 SANTOS BRA 17 4 54 8 van DIJK NED 23 17 57 Double-handed Dinghy Women - 470Pos Name NOC R9 R10 Points 1 BEKATOROU-TSOULFA GRE 5 6 43 2 WARD S.-WARD M. DEN 4 20 63 3 SESTO-REINOSO ARG 2 4 66 4 PETITJEAN-DOUROUX FRA 10 16 66 5 BASSADONE-HOPSON GBR 3 7 78 6 McDOWELL-KINSOLVING USA 1 17 83 7 VIA DUFRESNE-AZON ESP 6 2 87 8 ILIENKO-GAPONOVICH RUS 24 9 92 Keelboat Women - YnglingPos Name NOC R8 R9 Points 1 SWETT-TOUCHETTE-PURDY USA 9 1 29 2 ROBERTSON-AYTON-WEBB GBR 3 6 35 3 WAGNER-HOELL-LOCHBRUNNER GER 2 8 36 4 THIES-BES-de JONG NED 5 2 41 5 BETHWAITE-KOSMALA-McHUGH AUS 1 3 46 6 AZON-PISONERO-SANCHEZ ESP 12 4 50 7 THORPE-VINSEN-LAMPERT NZL 4 10 54 8 TARAN-MATEVUSHEVA-KALININA UKR 10 13 55 Single-handed Dinghy Men - FinnPos Name NOC R8 R9 Points 1 AINSLIE GBR 3 5 26 2 KUSZNIEREWICZ POL 4 2 40 3 TRUJILLO ESP 9 1 46 4 KURET CRO 2 6 48 5 GODEFROID BEL 11 7 50 6 FLORENT FRA 13 3 60 7 NOSSITER AUS 6 10 65 8 SIGNORINI BRA 8 12 69 Double-handed Dinghy Men - 470Pos Name NOC R9 R10 Points 1 MOLUND-ANDERSSON SWE 6 1 56 2 ROGERS-GLANFIELD GBR 5 7 66 3 ZANDONA-TRANI ITA 1 6 71 4 KLIGER-GAL ISR 2 17 83 5 FOERSTER-BURNHAM USA 11 22 85 6 ZELLMER-KRABBE GER 20 19 96 7 BRASLAVETS-MATVIENKO UKR 8 5 99 8 CONTE-de la FUENTE ARG 3 4 103 Single-handed Dinghy Open - LaserName NOC R7 R8 R9 Points 1 SCHEIDT BRA 11 5 24 42 2 BIRGMARK SWE 5 2 4 42 3 ARAPOV CRO 3 15 3 46 4 BLACKBURN AUS 10 1 2 54 5 ZBOGAR SLO 2 10 28 59 6 LIMA POR 1 12 9 70 7 GERITZER AUT 4 35 26 78 8 MOBERG NOR 35 16 19 78 High Performance Dinghy Open - 49erPos Name NOC R10 R11 R12 Points 1 NICHOLSON-BOYD AUS 1 12 4 47 2 SIBELO P.-SIBELO G. ITA 6 1 10 48 3 BROTHERTON-ASQUITH GBR 3 3 8 56 4 MARTINEZ-FERNANDEZ ESP 16 9 7 61 5 SUNDBY-BOVIM NOR 7 6 6 61 6 WADLOW-SPAULDING USA 13 11 3 70 7 LUKA-LEONCHUK UKR 20 18 2 78 8 FONSECA-DUARTE BRA 8 15 12 82 Single-handed Dinghy Women - EuropePos Name NOC R7 R8 R9 Points 1 SMIDOVA CZE 28 4 5 36 2 DEZILLIE BEL 3 1 4 43 3 SUNDBY NOR 1 28 1 47 4 MACKY NZL 13 11 22 51 5 GAILLARD USA 19 2 10 59 6 CHEN CHN 5 6 2 64 7 BROUWER NED 15 7 8 69 8 MULTALA FIN 14 10 13 72 Multihull Open - TornadoPos Name NOC R8 R9 Points 1 BUNDOCK-FORBES AUS 1 3 16 2 LANGE-ESPINOLA ARG 3 1 27 3 HAGARA-STEINACHER AUT 2 2 35 4 ECHAVARRI-PAZ ESP 4 4 44 5 LANDENBERGER-POLGAR GER 8 11 60 6 McMILLAN-BULKELEY GBR 17 16 62 7 KIRILYUK-USHKOV RUS 15 5 67 8 BOOTH-DERCKSEN NED 13 15 68 Pos ` NOC R7 R8 Points 1 SENSINI ITA 4 2 9 2 LEE HKG 2 3 22 3 MERRET FRA 5 1 28 4 KORSIZ ISR 3 5 36 5 LUX GER 1 4 42 6 SHREEVE AUS 19 13 49 7 STURGES GBR 11 8 56 8 YIN CHN 6 22 56 Event Website www.athens2004.com Related Articles letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8052/1/E-INTERVIEW-WITH-IVO-KARLOVIC.html ÂIvo Karlovic @ the 2003 US OpenAt the 2003 US Open tennis tournament, a large Croatian crowd kept running between two tennis courts, because two superstars were playing at the same time. On one court, IVAN LJUBICIC was winning 3 sets and diagonally opposed tennis court, IVO KARLOVIC beat Felix Mantilla, also in three sets. This was an overwhelming victory for Karlovic, considering he entered US Open ranked 103rd versus Mantilla ranked 21st best in the world. To become a tennis champion, one needs to posses the technical skills as well as an abundance of confidence. The 6-foot-10 movie star handsome Ivo Karlovic, at age of 24, says, "I had a great year and I feel confident." This summer at Wimbledon, Ivo was ranked 203-rd player in the world. As a qualifier he entered the Grand Slam for the first time in his life and achieved an ultimate upset by beating #1 seed Lleyton Hewitt. Since then, Karlovic won two smaller tennis events. He entered the second Grand Slam event as a qualifier at the US Open. Now he is ranked 103rd in the world and #3 in Croatia.In talking to Ivo, who suffers from speech impediment stuttering, one wonders how he will deal with media attention. At US Open 1,500 media credentials was issued. When a tennis player enters the media room, after a tennis match, the reporters are there to analyze and break down every point of the tennis game. They want to know everything and anything about his personal life. Of course, only high-ranking tennis players are invited into the media room. Again, Karlovic embraces the nerve wrecking situation "I'm looking forward to bigger crowds at my matches. I'm just concentrating and focusing to win and with that comes media attention." His serve is his weapon. At 133-mph aces. Grand Slam events with thousands of people in the attendance are huge business events for tennis sponsors. Besides tennis, entertaining is the name of the game. While the rock quartet was performing "Good" from the band's newest release "Perfect Change", Ivo Karlovic was doing just that. Playing good and making a perfect change in his tennis career. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8054/1/E-Croatia-name-squad-for-friendly-on-Aug-20-2003.html ÂCroatia name squad for friendly Story by Luke Thornhill14 August 2003 Portsmouth defender Boris Zivkovic has been named in the Croatia squad to face England at Portman Road next week.Croatian coach Otto Baric has named a 19-man squad for the game, thoguh he is expected to name a futher two players tomorrow.Zivcovic, who joined Premiership new boys Portsmouth on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, is the only member of the squad to play domestically in England.The squad in full:Tomislav Burtina, Stipe Pletikosa, Robert Kovac, Igor Tudor, Dario Simic, Boris Zivkovic, Danijel Hrman, Josep Simunic, Marko Babic, Niko Kovac, Darijo Srna, Milan Rapaic, Dovani Roso, Jerko Leko, Stjepan Tomas, Ivica Mornar, Marijo Maric, Ivica Olic, Dado Prso.http://www.footymad.net/leagues/loadfnws.asp?id=113170&teamno=683 Op-ed: If you have Direct TV in the USA you can order it as pay per view. I did it. August 20, 3 PM NB letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8058/1/E-Bahrain-coached-by-Srecko-Juricic-of-Croatia-Wins.html ÂBahrain, coached by Srecko Juricic of Croatia Bahrain beat Czech club  BAHRAIN national soccer team defeated Czech Republic third division side AFK Club 4-2 in their first friendly match in Prague as part of their preparation for the Asian Championship Qualifier in October. It was the first official match for Bahrain, coached by Srecko Juricic of Croatia who played the game with the main squad. Hussain Ali and Salman Isa, who also play for the Olympic team, scored for Bahrain in the first half which ended 2-2. Bahrain added two more goals in the second half through defender Mohammed Juma'a Basheer and striker Daij Nasser. In their second match held last night, Bahrain lost to second division team Sparta H. Krlova 1-2. Ala'a Hebail scored the only goal for Bahrain. Bahrain will play in Group F in the Asian Championship Qualifier along with Iraq, Malaysia and Burma over two legs. The first leg will be held in Kuala Lumpur from October 7 to 10 and the second from October 20 to 25 in Bahrain at the National Stadium with the top two teams reaching next year's finals in China. http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Articles.asp?Article=58756&Sn=SPOR letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 13 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8057/1/E-Haka-and-Hajduk-go-head-to-head.html  Haka and Hajduk go head to head ÂNino Bule in UEFA Cup action for HNK Hajduk SplitHaka and Hajduk go head to headThe 2003/04 UEFA Cup campaign gets under way on Tuesday evening with three qualifying round ties. Valletta FC captain Gilbert AgiusThree tiesThe night's three first-leg games see Finland's FC Haka take on Croatia'sHNK Hajduk Split, Switzerland's Neuchâtel Xamax FC travel to Malta's Valletta FC. Tuesday's action will be followed by another fixture on Wednesday, when FK Ventspils of Latvia take on Poland's Wisla Plock, and no fewer than 37 ties on Thursday. Finnish contendersHaka qualified for the competition as winners of the 2002 Finnish Cup, winning 4-1 in the final against FC Lahti. They finished third in the Veikkausliiga last season, but are currently in pole position with 15 games gone in the 2003 campaign, a full seven points clear of champions HJK Helsinki. Major shockHajduk are in the UEFA Cup by virtue of finishing as runners-up to NK Dinamo Zagreb in last season's letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 13 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8056/1/E-It-rained-goals-for-the-Croatia.html ÂIt rained goals for the CroatiaTHE MISSISSAUGA NEWSIt rained goals for the Croatia The Mississauga News Aug 13, 2003 The solution to Toronto Croatia's season-long struggles may have only been an ocean away. On the backs of three overseas additions, the Canadian Professional Soccer League squad broke out of a terrible scoring slump to beat London City 4-1 Friday at Memorial Park, in pouring rain. Drawn from second-division Croatian squads, forwards Mario Zupetic and Jure Pavic added an immediate spark to one of the league's worst offences. Both scored goals, while Zupetic also drew a call that led to a successful penalty kick by forward Paul Grguric. Forward Peter Curic, who played his first game since returning from a one-month stint in Portugal, rounded outCroatia's scoring. After being out-scored 9-0 in their two previous matches, Croatia's offence was so suffocating that London barely got any scoring chances. City defender Keith Andrew netted his team's only goal in the final minute of the game, breaking Croatia goalkeeper George Azcurra's shutout bid. The effort looked good on Velemir Crljen, who was in his first game as previous head coach Drago Santic's replacement. "If we play like we just played, we've got a chance in the second half of this season; we've got good players here," Zupetic said, through a translator. With the win, the 3-7-0 Croatia passed the idle 2-5-2 Mississauga Olympians on their way out of the Western Conference basement and are six points out of a playoff position. "There's a new attitude," Grguric said. "We definitely have a shot to grab one of those spots." Croatia travels to London on Friday for a rematch with the City. The Olympians face Brampton Hitmen, the conference's top team, Sunday in Brampton.http://www.mississauga.com/mi/sports/story/1258488p-1498889c.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 13 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8055/1/EH-England--Croatia-on-Satellite-Direct-TV-Live-Aug-20.html ÂEngland : Croatia Live on Direct TV Soccer MatchPay per view $19.99WednesdayAugust 20th 2003 3 PM (New York)20 Kolovoz 2003Nogometna utakmica Enleska Hrvatska uzivo 3 poslije podne (New York) Srijeda 20 Kolovoza Tko je zainteresiran, neka se javi. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 13 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8059/1/E-Great-Success-of-Qualifier-Jelena-Kostanic.html  Great Success of Qualifier Jelena Kostanic ÂGreat success of qualifier Jelena KostanicSecond in Nordea finalESPOO, Finland -- Anna Pistolesi won her second straight WTA title Sunday, beating qualifier Jelena Kostanic 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the final of the Nordea Nordic Light Open.The second-seeded Pistolesi, coming off a victory in the Idea Prokom Open, improved to 8-0 in WTA finals.The 27-year-old Russian was 25th in the WTA rankings going into Helsinki and the highest ranked player in the tournament.Kostanic had not lost a set in her first seven matches in the tournament.Source: http://sports.boston.com/sports/other_sports/tennis/articles/2003/08/10/pistolesi_beats_kostanic_in_nordea_final letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8060/1/E-Kostanic-ands-Sprem-in-Semifinals-ESPOO-Finland.html ÂKostanic and Sprem in SemifinalsFriday, August 8, 2003 (08-08) 10:39 PDT ESPOO, Finland (AP) -- Second-seeded Anna Pistolesi of Israel advanced to the semifinals of the Nordea Nordic Light Open with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Ludmila Cervanova on Friday. Pistolesi is on an eight-match winning streak, including her run to the title last weekend in Sopot, Poland. Qualifier Jelena Kostanic of Croatia also won a quarterfinal, downing countrywoman Silvija Talaja 6-3, 6-2 in the $140,000 clay-court tournament. Vera Douchevina, a 16-year-old Russian, defeated Melinda Czink of Hungary 7-5, 6-0. She next plays Kostanic, whom she beat in a recent final in Austria. Karolina Sprem of Croatia advanced when fourth-seeded Petra Mandula of Hungary withdrew because of a thigh strain. Sprem, seeded eighth, will play Pistolesi in the other semifinal. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/08/08/sports1331EDT0298.DTL letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 08 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8062/1/E-Croatian-Teenager-Sprem-Advances-to-Quarters-in-Finland.html ÂCroatian teenager Karolina Sprem played another strong matchPosted on Wed, Aug. 06, 2003 Sprem Advances to Quarters in FinlandAssociated PressESPOO, Finland - Croatian teenager Karolina Sprem played another strong match Wednesday, beating German veteran Barbara Rittner 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the clay-court Nordea Nordic Light Open.Sprem, seeded eighth, routed her first opponent, Cristina Torrens Valero of Spain, 6-0, 6-0. Sprem next plays Petra Mandula, the fourth-seeded Hungarian who defeated Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine 6-2, 6-2.Russia's Vera Douchevina advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 upset of third-seeded Czech Denisa Chladkova, a finalist last year. Douchevina, 16, has been the world's top-ranked junior and made the junior final at the French Open.She's looking to become the second Russian teenager to win the Nordic Light Open. Svetlana Kuznetsova won last year in the inaugural event at Espoo, outside Helsinki.Also, second-seeded Anna Pistolesi of Israel, Myriam Casanova of Switzerland, Marta Marrero of Spain and Jelena Kostanic of Croatia made the second round.http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/sports/6472076.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 06 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8061/1/E-CROATIAs-Silvija-Talaja-upset-top-seeded-Patty-Schnyder.html  CROATIA's Silvija Talaja upset top-seeded Patty Schnyder ÂCroatian shocks top seedFrom correspondents in Espoo, FinlandTENNIS CROATIA's Silvija Talaja upset top-seeded Patty Schnyder 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 today in the first round of the Nordic Light Open. Talaja, fresh from a doubles victory in Sopot, Poland, beat her first world top-20 player in three years. Seventh-seeded Clarisa Fernandez also fell, to 20-year-old Hungarian newcomer Melinda Czink, 2-6 6-2 7-6 (7-4). Another Hungarian, fourth-seeded Petra Mandula, beat Antonella Serra Zanetti of Italy 6-1 6-2 and will next meet Tatiana Perebiynis of Ukraine. Barbara Rittner of Germany downed Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden 7-5 6-4 for a second-round berth against eighth-seeded Karolina Sprem, and Henrieta Nagyona won 6-0 5-7 6-4 against Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic, last weekend's runner-up at Sopot, for a match with Slovak Fed Cup team-mate Ludmila Cervanova. Source: http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,6873327%255E232 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 05 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8065/1/E-Augustus-grabs-MVP-US-gets-gold-in-Croatia.html  Augustus grabs MVP, U.S. gets gold in Croatia ÂAugustus' tournament-high point total enabled the USA to finish with a 7-1 record, avenging an earlier 73-60 loss to Brazil in pool play. She scored 43 points in the Americans' final three games in the medal round and averaged 10.6 points for the tournament -- the USA's lone double-figure scorer."It's very exciting for me, just that way that it's happened," Augustus said of her MVP award. "I've never won anything worldwide, so it's a very big accomplishment for me. With some of the elite players in our country, for us to come out here and win a war like this is just great."Augustus was one of four players for the U.S. to score in double figures against Brazil. She made 8 of 13 shots from the field -- including a pair of 3-pointers -- pulled down five rebounds and had two steals in a team-high 35 minutes.Shawntinice Polk of Arizona scored 14, Christi Thomas of Georgia added 13 and a team-high eight rebounds and Shreveport native Alana Beard of Duke scored 12.LSU's Temeka Johnson scored two points and had a rebound in nine minutes.Augustus' play helped the USA turn a tenuous first quarter that included three ties and four lead changes into a comfortable 44-30 halftime advantage. She scored four points in a 9-0 surge that resulted in a 35-22 lead with 3:43 left before halftime.Defense also contributed to the success of the U.S. team, holding Brazil to 29 percent shooting from the field in the second quarter compared to 51.4 percent shooting for the Americans.Ana Flavia Sackis and Graziane De Jesus led Brazil with 11 points apiece. Leading scorer and former WNBA player Erika De Souza, who was averaging 14.1 points in the tournament, was held scoreless and missed all six of her shot attempts.Consecutive layups from Polk ignited a 6-1 run to give the U.S. its biggest lead of the game -- 50-31 -- at the 6:40 mark of the third quarter before Brazil stormed back into contention and closed to within 54-47.That's when Augustus made a 3-point basket and provided her team with a 10-point advantage (57-47) heading into the fourth quarter. Source: http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/080403/spo_gold001.shtml letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 04 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8063/1/E-Both-Croatians-win-first-round-in-Nordic-Light-Open.html  Both Croatians win first round in Finland - Nordic Light OpenÂWTA Tour Nordea Nordic Light Open ResultsAt Tapiola Tennis ParkEspoo, FinlandPurse: $140,000 (Tier IV)Surface: Clay-OutdoorSinglesFirst RoundLudmila Cervanova, Slovakia, def. Anca Barna (6), Germany, 6-3, 6-4. Vera Douchevina, Russia, def. Iveta Benesova, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1. Karolina Sprem (8), Croatia, def. Cristina Torrens Valero, Spain, 6-0, 6-0. Denisa Chladkova (3), Czech Republic, def. Gala Leon Garcia, Spain, 6-3, 6-2. DoublesFirst RoundEvgenia Koulikovskaya, Russia, and Elena Tatarkova (2), Ukraine, def. Mireille Dittman, Australia, and Helena Ejeson, Sweden, 6-2, 6-4. Petra Mandula, Hungary, and Patricia Wartusch (1), Austria, def. Clarisa Fernandez, Argentina, and Maria Jose Martinez, Spain, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1. Laura Dell'Angelo, Italy, and Vanessa Henke, Germany, def. Alyona and Valeria Bondarenko, Ukraine, 6-1, 6-2. Tatiana Perebiynis, Ukraine, and Silvija Talaja, Croatia, def. Gulnara Fattakhetdinova, Russia, and Tatiana Poutchek, Belarus, 6-3, 6-4. Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/08/04/sports1349EDT0329.DTL letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 04 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8064/1/E-US-Young-Women-Win-Gold-in-Sibenik-Croatia.html  US Young Women Win Gold in Sibenik, CroatiaÂUSA Young Women Advance To Gold Medal Game With 58-47 Semifinal Win Over France Lady Lion Tanisha Wright nabs two steals in victory SIBENIK, Croatia (August 2, 2003)- the USA Young Women's National Team (6-1) advanced to the medal semifinals of the 2003 FIBA World Championship Young Women after defeating France (5-2) 58-47 on Saturday evening in Sibenik, Croatia. The United States will meet up with Brazil (6-1) in Sunday night's gold medal game (3:00 p.m. EDT). Brazil edged host Croatia (3-4) 73-65, setting up a Croatia-France bronze medal game. The USA's lone loss at the World Championship For Young Women was to Brazil, 73-60, on July 27. Lady Lion Tanisha Wright (West Mifflin, Pa.) registered one point and two steals while seeing 18 minutes of action. "We knew from the outset that it was going to be physical game," said USA and Ohio State University head coach Jim Foster. "I thought that Kendra Wecker (Kansas Statecame in and really gave us a boost. She got a lot of loose balls and played with a lot of energy. Tanisha Wright (Penn State) did some good things. The good thing about this team from the beginning is that we haven't had to depend on one individual. It's been a collective effort and it seems to be different people stepping up every night." Arizona's Shawtinince Polk contributed a game high 15 points, 11 coming in a 5:27 span to start the second quarter. TANISHA WRIGHT, Penn State University On being in the gold medal game: "Coach Foster has been comparing this to being in the national championship, but better. If that's the way the international world sees it, it gives me a good feeling to be here, being in the gold medal game. On tonight's game: "It was a fun game. It was a fun game to be in, a fun game to cheer for. All around, with them coming back and then us coming back, them coming back again and then us coming back and trying to hang onto the lead. It was just a real fun to be in and win. On Shawntinice Polk's game: "Oh she was great. She was getting aggressive, taking it straight to them and getting some easy buckets. She did great."Source: http://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=4676&spID=3 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 03 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8069/1/E-Results-from-Sibenik-Womens-Basketball-World-Champ.html  Results from Sibenik, Croatia- Women's Basketball World ChampÂSapphires medal hopes dashed From correspondents in Sibenik, CroatiaAugust 2, 2003AUSTRALIA has been knocked out of medal contention at the under-22 women's basketball world championships in Croatia by the United States. America, the tournament favourite, overpowered the Sapphires 80-56 to relegate them to a playoff for fifth.Christi Thomas paced the US with 13 points while Michelle Musselwhite was the best of the Australians with 18 points and five rebounds, shooting an impressive 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-4 from three-point range.Hollie Grima added 15 points and four rebounds while Shelley Hammonds had nine points and seven boards.Sapphires coach Mark Wright was disappointed with the result but praised the effort of his team, who went into the match as the decided underdogs."We had a great game plan and started tremendously," said Wright after the game."We played some tough defence but just couldnt put the ball in the hole."Against a team as good as the US, that just kills you."We missed a lot of shots underneath the basket, something which has haunted us throughout this tournament."They were just too strong, too powerful and shot the ball too well."All credit to our girls however as they never gave up and played as a team right to the end."Wright said the Sapphires would now focus on picking themselves up for their remaining games."Our aim now is to finish as high as we possibly can in this tournament," he said."Everyone's obviously very disappointed right now but we want to try to finish fifth."The early going in the game demonstrated the defensive nature of the battle, with both teams having scored just six points between them through the first five minutes.The Americans were the first to break the defensive shackles however and finished the first quarter up 24-8.The Sapphires recovered in the second and outscored the Americans for the period but still trailed 42-28 at the half.The third period saw the Australians exert some pressure on the US, closing to within 10 points with one minute left in the period.The US responded after a timeout however and stretched the margin back to 16, 59-43, by the final change.In the last period the Sapphires threw everything at the Americans but were unable to bridge the gap, eventually going down by 24 points.The Sapphires will face the loser of the quarter-final between France and the Peoples Republic of China tomorrow.Source: http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,6851011-23210,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 02 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8067/1/E-World-Championship-title-remains-in-Croatia.html ÂThe World Championship title remains in CroatiaLaser Radial World Championship 27 - 1 August 2003 Riva del Garda, ITALY Drama to the end The final day of the Laser Radial World Championship provided drama, excitement and a cross-section of wind conditions. Laser Radial Girls - Monaco The fleet left the club early in the morning to take advantage of a light northerly "Peler" wind of 6 knots and to try and recover some of the lost races from the previous day. Overnight leader and defending champion, Karlo KRPELJEVIC from Croatia, had previously done well in the lighter conditions but like most good dramas there was a twist in the story and he could only manage a 23rd place. His nearest overnight rival, Marc JUX from Chile scored even worse with a 39th. Although ten races were now completed and a second discard allowed, Jux was in trouble as he already had to count a 34th place. Krpeljevic was in a better position but he could not afford any further mistakes. At the front of the first race Aron LOLIC (CRO) helped his fight for honours with a second place behind Wojciech PALUSZKIEWICZ (PO)L. After 10 races all of the top sailors apart from Jake BARTROM from New Zealand had used their final series discard. As the Peler wind died there was a nail-biting wait afloat to see if the stronger "Ora" wind from the south developed. 5km south of the racing area the Ora had developed but, unusually, was blocked in this position. Patience paid off and the fleet was rewarded with a 12 to 14 knot Ora which enabled the Race Committee to complete 2 more races for all but the bronze fleet before the time limit for racing expired.Krpeljevic recovered his consistency in the stronger wind with a 4th place in the second race of the day, but ahead of him Lolic was on a charge, taking the winning gun from Andreas RALLOTOS (GRE). The stage was set for a last race climax with any one of 5 sailors able to take the overall title. Lolic, now in the overall lead, could still not afford a mistake and was happy to round the first mark in the top five, with Krpeljevic back in the twenties. His 3rd place finish behind Niksa STIPANOVIC (CRO) and Marc JUX (CHI) ensured that the World Championship title remained inCroatia.In the women's fleet there was further drama when Krystal WEIR (AUS), who was lying third overnight, failed to appear on the course area for the first race of the day, having failed to check the notice board for a rescheduled early start. Second overall, Nufar EDELMAN (ISR) also had a bad start to her day with an OCS score in the first race, which was won by Jeanette DAGSON. The defending champion, Katarzyna SZOTYNSKA from Poland, made sure of her fourth successive title with a solid fourth place, going on to celebrate by winning the last two races. Weir was out in time for the last two races and recovered her runner up position with second and third place finishes - a result she will be delighted with to follow on from her recent win at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship.Boys - Top 10 ResultsNo-Name-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-Total Points1. LOLIC Aron (CRO) - 1-2-1-7-5-(42)-2-9-(27)-2-1-3-33,02. BARTROM Jake-NZL 177074-1-1-10-(58)-(20)-2-1-3-8-8-8-4-46,03. KRPELJEVIC Karlo-CRO 165674-2-2-2-1-6-1-(ocs)-3-7-23-4-(25)-51,04. BULLEY Max-FRA 175400-5-(10)-4-5-4-5-9-1-(41)-5-16-6-60,05. JUX Marc-CHI 161157-8-4-5-4-2-4-5-(10)-34-(39)-6-1-73,06. SEGUEL Matías-CHI 171164-13-17-(ocs)-6-13-7-6-4-3-(40)-5-7-81,07. RALLATOS Andreas-GRE 163401-5-(dsq)-18-2-(68)-14-1-1-24-24-2-5-96,08. PALUSZKIEWICZ Wojciech-POL 166750-14-9-6-(20)-3-13-10-10-(59)-1-15-17-98,09. WAGER Emery-USA 149911-(44)-1-8-11-10-3-7-19-21-4-19-(24)-103,010. RAPHALEN Benoit-FRA 167066-10-7-3-(67)-8-5-14-5-19-9-27-(30)-107,0Girls - Top 10 ResultsNo-Name-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-Total Points1. SZOTYNSKA Katarzyna-POL 178480-1-5-1-6-(12)-2-3-(8)-4-1-1-24,02. WEIR Krystal-AUS 176926-2-1-2-7-(35)-4-4-18-(dnf)-2-3-43,03. DAGSON Jeanette-SWE 170232-5-8-5-(19)-2-9-6-(12)-1-5-6-47,04. MEYER Corinne-SUI 168092-3-7-4-(17)-3-6-5-(27)-16-3-5-57,05. JUTJENS Gea-NED 166368-(11)-4-7-(15)-8-11-2-10-2-7-2-58,06. EDELMAN Nufar-ISR 168365-4-3-3-5-(22)-1-1-16-(ocs)-11-12-61,07. HANNA Debbie-IRL 173815-6-21-(ocs)-3-(28)-3-17-4-3-8-9-74,08. CASEY-HALL Alison-AUS 171132-7-2-11-(18)-1-16-8-14-(27)-6-13-78,09. VIAZZO Helene-FRA 175753-8-16-8-(22)-18-5-14-(20)-6-4-4-83,010. PALMER Alexia-MON 174066-9-6-12-13-(ocs)-14-9-2-14-10-(18)-89,0 Event Website www.laserchampionships.org/lrwor03/index.htm http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=5080 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 02 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8066/1/E-Focic-a-referee-from-Croatia-to-take-centre-stage.html ÂFocic, a referee from Croatia, to take centre stageSnjezana Focic in action (uefa.com)Focic to take centre stageSaturday, 02 August 2003 The officials have been appointed for the final of the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship, with a referee from Croatia taking charge of Sunday's game at the Alfred Kunze Sportpark in Leipzig. Tournament experienceSnjezana Focic will be in control of the match between France and Norway. The Croatian was the fourth official at Friday's semi-final between France and England, having previously taken charge of Sweden versus England in Group A and France against Spain in Group B. She was also fourth official at the game between Italy and Sweden. 'Great honour'"It is a great honour to be awarded the final," Focic told uefa.com. "I know that I am a good referee and I had a feeling that maybe I would take charge of the final but you never know. It's a great opportunity for me and I will do my best to make sure that everything goes smoothly." Assistants namedThe assistants will be Irina Mirt of Romania - who was also assistant referee in the semi-final involving Norway and Sweden, and previously the game between Italy and Sweden - and Finland's Emilia Parviainen, who was assisted at the semi-final between England and France. The fourth official will be Gyöngyi Gaal of Hungary. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/WUnder19/news/Kind=1/newsId=87651.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 02 Aug 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8071/1/E-Optimist-World-Championship---Sailing.html  Optimist World Championship - Sailing ÂOptimist World Championship 23 - 3 August 2003 Las Palmas, Gran Canaria,  SPAINTop Two Forge AheadTwo further races were sailed in 13-14 knots, a wind increase which benefited the heavier teams such as Poland. With eight races sailed one discard has now been taken.Royal Lymington Y.C. sailor Greg CAREY (GBR) continued to sail superbly but, in the happy position of having a low discard, has for the moment slipped one point behind Sebastian Peri BRUSA (ARG). A ten point gap has now opened up between these two and defending champion Filip MATIKA (CRO) but the field is then very close with good days from Jesse KIRKLAND (BER), Peruvian Brenko MARKOVINOVIC and Tomasz JANUSZEWSKI (POL) raising them on the leaderboard.Girls favourite Hannah MILLS had an OCS and will have to be both careful and fast for the rest of the regatta. In the meantime Peruvian "veteran" Tania ZIMMERMANN is best girl following a disappointing day for Alessandra Ferlich (ITA).Lukasz PRZYBYTEK (POL), who seemed well out of contention with a DSQ and two OCSs in the first five races, has admirably refused to give up and scored 2 and 3 for the day.Today, the individual racing is suspended for two days to allow the team racing championship and a rest day.16 teams qualify for the team racing on the basis of results in the first five individual races. Top four seeds are Italy, 2002 silver medallists Croatia, Japan and Great Britain, but no one should underestimate the traditional specialists Argentina and Peru. 2002 bronze medallists China rather surprisingly failed to qualify and the surprise (and delighted) qualifiers are the relative novices of Chile. Full seeding at the IODA website below.Full results are available on the event website at the address below.Top TenPosNatNameTotR1R2R3R4R5R6R71ARG 2660SEBASTIAN PERI BRUSA17523133132GBR 5176GREG CAREY18211810423CRO 849MATIKA FILIP283911231224SWE 3979NICKLAS DACKHAMMAR321831244435BER 1183JESSE KIRKLAND3511413214416PER 246BRENKO MARKOVINOVIC361BFD9134367POL 1718TOMASZ JANUSZEWSKI3841214323148CRO 799ZAHTILA ALBERT4115274731119JPN 2883RYUTARO KAWAI444102116111710CHN 305WEI NI452336611716'Source: http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=5043 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 31 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8070/1/E-USA--Croatia---83--58-World-Basketball-in-Sibenik-Croatia.html  USA :Croatia- 83 : 58 World Basketball in Sibenik,CroatiaÂUSA : Croatia - 83 : 58Story last updated at 11:37 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30, 2003Thomas scores eight, U.S. wins Staff Reports    SIBENIK, Croatia - Georgia's Christi Thomas scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds for the U.S. Young Women's National Team in its 83-58 win over Croatia in the FIBA Young Women World Championships on Wednesday.   With the win, the U.S. improved to 4-1 in pool play. The Americans finished third in the Group A standings as both France and Brazil compiled 4-1 records as well. The ties were broken by point differential in games between the tied teams, making France and Brazil the first and second seeds, respectively.   The United States will now face Australia, which finished second in the Group B standings, in Friday's quarterfinals. The Americans defeated Australia twice in a pair of exhibition "friendlies" in Boston the week before the World Championships.   LSU's Seimone Augustus and Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde led the U.S. on Thursday, scoring 14 points apiece. No other Americans reached double digits, but Thomas was one of four U.S. players to score eight points.   The U.S. looked like it would win in a rout early on, building an 11-0 lead before the Croatians bounced back to pull within 20-14 at the end of the first quarter. The Americans built a nine-point lead in the second quarter before Croatia closed the gap to 40-36 at the half. Croatia but the lead to two twice in the first minute of the second half before a 12-0 gave the U.S. control.    Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Thursday, July 31, 2003. Source: http://www.athensnewspapers.com/stories/073103/dog_20030731046.shtml letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 31 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8068/1/E-Snjezana-Focic-of-Croatia-UEFA-official.html  Snjezana Focic of CroatiaUEFA officialÂOfficials prepare for semi-final duty The officials have been appointed for Friday's UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship semi-finals, with referees from Bulgaria and Belgium taking charge of the matches. First semiIlonka Djaleva, the 34-year-old Bulgarian, will be in the middle for the meeting of Group B winners Norway and Group A runners-up Sweden. She took charge of the Netherlands' 2-1 victory against Spain and Germany's 6-0 demolition of England, and acted as fourth official when Sweden beat Germany. Romanian Irina Mirt and Dilan Gökcek of Turkey are the assistant referees with Hungary's Gyöngyi Gaal providing support. Second semiThe 37-year-old Belgian referee Carla De Boeck has been awarded the other semi, which pits England against France. De Boeck has also been in charge of two matches during this competition, Sweden's defeat of Germany and Norway's 2-1 success against Spain on Tuesday which won them the section. She was the fourth official for Germany's opening 2-0 loss to Italy. Emilia Parviainen of Finland and Slovakian Miroslava Migalova are the assistants and Snjezana Focic of Croatia the fourth official.Source: http://www.uefa.com/competitions/WUnder19/news/Kind=1/newsId=87027.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 31 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8078/1/E-Sonja-Percan---Volleyball-serves-up-big-hitters.html  Sonja Percan - Volleyball serves up big hittersÂBy JAMES JOHNSONSTAFF WRITER(July 25, 2003) - AMHERST - Canandaigua's Jen Albrecht and Victor's Hannah Sharp play volleyball for rival high schools.They play different positions. And they don't play the game the same way.One thing that Sharp and Albrecht do have in common is a promising future on the court. At least the Division I college programs that offered them full athletic scholarships think so."They both were heavily recruited (by colleges)," VolleyFX club team coach Rob Werkmeister said. "Jen is very athletic. She was recruited to play different positions. She jumps high and reaches high, about 10 feet, and the net is about 7-6.""Hannah is very technically correct. The Louisville head coach (Leonid Yelin) said he could use her to teach players how to pass. She also has an innate ability to follow the ball, stay in the flow of the game."With Albrecht and Sharp on opposite sides of the net, you have an interesting match.Put the two Finger Lakes League All-Stars on the same side and you have a solid nucleus for an Empire State Games team.The Louisville-bound Sharp, a libero or defensive specialist, and Albrecht, a middle hitter headed to Virginia Tech, lead the Western Region's scholastic women into this year's competition at the State University at Buffalo."We've been practicing for the gold," Sharp said. "I've experienced winning silver and it's nothing like winning the gold.""When I look at the two medals, there's no comparison."Western has won 16 of the 25 ESG gold medals awarded in the scholastic women's division and is favored to take another. Albrecht and Sharp refused to pass up the chance, even though they no longer need to impress college scouts."I love volleyball," Albrecht said. "I live for the sport. In the summer, that's all I do, it's my job.""We're trying to be the best in the state, and that's awesome. Western swept all (four) golds last year. We definitely want to do it again."Albrecht and Sharp say their minds are made up when it comes to college.They say their plan is to honor the non-binding, verbal commitments given to Virginia Tech and Louisville. Sharp will join arguably one of the top 10 programs in the nation once she heads off to Louisville, Ky.Louisville setter Sarah Drury trained with the United States National Team for the Pan-American Games and 6-2 outside hitter Sonja Percan joined Croatia's squad for a tournament this year.How many college volleyball players and coaches are recognized at airports? That happens in Kentucky."The community really backs them, you can see it," Sharp said. "This year's season tickets are sold out and there is a waiting list for next year.""I'm still shocked they picked me out of so many girls. It's so amazing."Albrecht hopes she can help continue Virginia Tech's improvement. The Hokies finished behind only national power Notre Dame in the Big East Conference last season.Virginia Tech takes a step up in competition in 2004 when it joins the Atlantic Coast Conference."I come in right when they are changing," said Albrecht, who will move from middle to outside hitter in college. "In the Big East, I would've been able to play in front of my parents but the ACC is a better challenge.""It's OK, my parents don't mind traveling. My coach (Greg Smith) says he's going to have a live webcam for all of the games, so they can watch on-line too."There was a chance that Albrecht and Sharp were going to be college, as well as club and Empire State Games teammates."They wanted me to be a setter," the 6-foot Albrecht said. "They said they saw me in warm-ups and that I was a natural, but I can't set.""I'd rather hit."Albrecht would also like to get the best of Sharp when Victor and Canandaigua meet this fall.Victor has a string of Finger Lakes East titles, in part, because the Blue Devils are able to beat Canandaigua. The Blue Devils were unbeaten in league matches last season and finished third in the state."I'm always pushing myself," Albrecht said. "(Sharp) is a smart player. She doesn't always try to hit the ball as hard as she can, she'll roll it to the corner and use tips to get it to a better spot. She's consistent and gives great passes to hit, too, but I don't like playing against her though."jjohnson@DemocratandChronicle.comSource: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/sports/general/0725VU1AHLO_volley25_general.shtml letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8077/1/E-FIBA-World-Championship-for-Young-Women-in-Sibenik-Croatia.html ÂFIBA World Championship for Young Women in Sibenik, CroatiaU.S. team falls to Brazil, 73-60Polk Held to Just Four Points as USA Young Women Lose U.S. team falls to Brazil, 73-60, at FIBA World Championship for Young Women. July 27, 2003Sibenik, Croatia(July 27) - Coming off a double-digit performance on Saturday, University of Arizona women's basketball player Shawntinice Polk was held to just four points as the USA Young Women National Team (2-1) fell to Brazil (2-1), 73-60, at the 2003 FIBA World Championship for Young Women in Sibenik, Croatia, on Sunday. In addition to her four points, Polk contributed four rebounds, three steals and one assist while playing 20 minutes off the bench. Rutgers' Cappie Pondexter was the only U.S. player to reach double figures in scoring, leading the Americans with 12 points. Alana Beard (Duke), Seimone Augustus (LSU) and Kendra Wecker (Kansas State) followed with eight points apiece. Kansas State's Nicole Ohlde grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as the USA Young Women suffered their first loss to a team they had beaten twice during exhibition play earlier in July. Following a day off on Monday, the Americans continue 2003 FIBA World Championship for Young Women preliminary round play on Tuesday, July 29, at 9:45 a.m. Tucson time against the Czech Republic (1-2), which lost to France (2-1) on Sunday, 80-59. For the full game story from Sunday and for updates on all the USA Young Women's Team action, go to www.usabasketball.com . Copyright  2003, Student Advantage, Inc. and The University of Arizona. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8076/1/E-Carlos-Moya-Wins-Croatian-Open.html ÂÂCarlos Moya Wins Croatia Open UMAG, Croatia - Carlos Moya (news) won the Croatia Open for the third straight time and fourth overall by beating Filippo Volandri 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 Sunday. It was Volandri's first ATP Tour final. Moya broke a tie with Thomas Muster for most Croatia Open titles, adding to his victories in 1996, 2001 and 2002. It was the Spaniard's third title of 2003 after Buenos Aires and Barcelona, and the 14th of his career. Moya won the 1998 French Open (news - web sites). Copyright  2003 The Associated Press. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8075/1/E-Croatian-ballplayers-learning-the-ropes-in-Maine.html ÂCroatian ballers learning the ropes Tuesday, July 22, 2003The guys of the Gornje Vrapce basketball club quickly learned that if the devil's not in the details, he's in the minor rule variations from the basketball they're used to playing.Where's the shot clock? Why do I only have five seconds to advance the ball? What the heck is a one-and-one? "It's not going... I don't know how to explain," Tomislav Koren said, still trying after playing two games to wrap his head around the subtle changes thatmake his native Croatian basketball second nature and our American basketball confusing. The guys of the Gornje Vrapce basketball club hail from Zagreb,Croatia's capital city, are 15-16 years old, in the United States for the first time andon a whirlwind basketball tour that fans anywhere would envy. In their two weeks stateside, the team is taking in games at the NBA's summer league in Boston, playing in the Mt. Blue High School summer tournament, visiting the Basketball Hall of Fame and taking part in the Pine Tree Basketball Camp at Colby College. But with so much basketball on the schedule, shouldn't the guys of the GornjeVrapce basketball club have known about the rule variations before tip-off oftheir first game on Sunday? "That's his fault," Ivan Pisuljak said, pointing at his coach. The coach, Wilton native and University of Maine at Farmington graduate Mike Soucie, couldonly shrug. In trying to juggle all the tasks that come with planning an international trip for eight teenagers, he forgot to mention the different rules. So, playing Jay High School's summer team on Sunday night, Gornje Vrapce learned what a one-and-one free throw is on the fly. "We don't have that in Croatia. We stood there while they got rebounds," Hrvoje Mutjek said. In Croatia, they play with a 24 second shot clock. When Jay stalled towards the end of the game, they expected a whistle. They didn't expect a whistle when they didn't advance the ball within five seconds. Jay won, 73-62. "We were down 19 in the third quarter and we cut it to three in the fourth quarter," Soucie said. "We didn't quit." Soucie met his wife Tanja, a native of Croatia, in college, and the couple moved to Zagreb last year. Soucie, 28, teaches English at theCroatian-American Society and coaches basketball, which in itself is almost a full-time job. Unlike high school age American players, Croatian players are with their team 10 months a year. "They'll practice four hours a day sometimes," Soucie said. "There's no MPA (Maine Principals' Association) with any rules about starting here and endingthere. More time is spent with the coaches." The language barrier isn't a big problem between Souice and his team; most young people in Croatia know English. "Sometimes when I talk to the refs it's different," Soucie said, "but I've picked up enough so I can get my point across." Soucie managed to get sponsorship from ZAC, a spark plug company to take the team to the Pine Tree Basketball Camp. A call to Mt. Blue head coach Jim Besseyfound the team a spot in the Cougars' tournament. On Monday, the American rulesstarted to stick and the guys of the Gornje Vrapce basketball club beat Livermore Falls, 68-57. Not that there weren't lapses. In the second quarter,Pisuljak drove the lane and was called for traveling. "Jump stop!" Soucie yelled. "How many times do I have to say it?" The guys of the Gornje Vrapce have two more games on Wednesday against DeeringHigh School of Portland and Yarmouth High School. They have a week of camp against American players ahead of them. They'll visit the Basketball Hall of Fame and see the enshrinement of the late Drazen Petrovic, the patron saint ofCroatian basketball. They'll tell anyone who asks that they're favorite team is the Orlando Magic, with Croatian All-Rookie selection Gordan Giricek. They've already seen LeBron James play, in the Boston summer league, and they were moreimpressed with another rookie. "Everyone thinks LeBron is the star, but T.J. Ford kicked his (butt)," AntonioHergas said. Told that Ford has been kicking butt in college for two years, Hergas and his teammates admitted they had never seen Ford play. March Madness?Put that in the same category as the one-and-one. "I gave them brackets this year, and they didn't know what they were," Souciesaid. They'll shop, then shop some more, snapping up as much NBA and other sports apparel as they can. Koren wore his brand-new Kobe Bryant jersey and didn't hesitate to give his opinion of Bryant's legal woes. "He's not guilty," Koren said. You want to know what else they haven't quite figured out about America? Cynicism. Travis Lazarczyk - 861-9242 tlazarczyk@centralmaine.comÂCopyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.http://www.centralmaine.com/sports/HS_Basketball_Boys/030722croat_co.shtml letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8074/1/E-Croatias-Gordon-Kozulj-wins-silver.html ÂCroatia's Gordon Kozulj Wins silver in world swimming championshipsAgence France-PresseBarcelona, July 26King of distance Grant Hackett remained on course for a third straight 1500m title at the world swimming championships here on Saturday when he led the way into the finals.Hackett, winner of the 800m freestyle on Friday, will become just the second person ever to win three consecutive titles in the same event after being pipped as the first by Aussie teammate Ian Thorpe earlier in the competition.Thorpe won his third straight 400m freestyle title last weekend.Hackett timed 15:08.79 in the heats for the fastest time ahead of Britain's Graeme Smith, the runner-up last time, who timed 15:12.74.The 23-year-old Hackett is Olympic, world, Pan Pacific, Commonwealth and seven-time Australian champion and world record holder over the 1500 metres freestyle at both long and short course.He remains unbeaten in the event since 1997, producing one of the greatest all-time performances during the 2001 world championships in Japan to shatter Kieren Perkin's long-standing record in 14:34.56.Earlier Britain's Alison Sheppard lead the way into the women's 50m freestyle semi-finals ahead of world record holder and defending champion Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands.Sheppard timed 25.16 to de Bruijn's 25.26 with American Jenny Thompson third fastest in 25.27.Britain also led the way in the 50m breaststroke with Zoe Baker timing 31.10, ahead of Australian Brooke Hanson in 31.24 followed by defending champion Luo Xuejuan of China in 31.29.In the men's 50m backstroke heats, Croatia's Gordon Kozulj, winner of a silver medal in Friday's 200m backstroke, failed to make the semi-final cut.Thomas Rupprath lead the way in a new championship record of 25.19 ahead of fellow German Steffen Driesen in 25.48 with defending champion Randall Bal of the United States third in 25.53. Kozulj was 31st fastest in 26.48.The United States women's 4x100m medley relay team are bidding for a sweep of the relay titles after they led the way into the finals in 4:04.06 ahead of Germany in 4:04.58 and China in 4:04.95 with defending champions Australia fourth fastest in 4:05.31.http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_320818,00070007.htmÂKozulj osvojio srebroHrvatska je u petak naveÃer u la u probrano dru tvo medu samo 24 zemlje koje su (zasad) osvojile medalju na Svjetskom prvenstvu u vodenim sportovima u Barceloni. U tu elitnu skupinu uveo nas je sjajni Gordan Ko ulj svojim blistavim uspjehom u utrci na 200 metara ledno. Nakon to je dan prije s hrvatskim rekordom (1:57.94) kao treci u ao u finale, juÃer se popeo stubu vi e. Ponovno je plivao ispred rekorda i s rezultatom 1:57.47 zauzeo drugo mjesto, odmah iza, Ãini se, nedosti nog Amerikanca Aarona Peirsola, koji je s vremenom 1:55.92 osvojio drugo zlato na prvenstvu. Ko uljeva taktika dijelom se i temeljila na praÃenju Peirsola.- Na 100 metara sam vidio da mi ne bje i puno i to me ohrabrilo. Ovo mi je san snova. Meni je SP isto kao olimpijske igre, ovdje u Barceloni su doista svi najbolji plivaÃi svijeta ili barem oni koji su u ovom trenutku spremni. Biti drugi u svijetu, sjajno je i ovo mi je najveÃi uspjeh u karijeri - kazao je Ko ulj.Bio je blizu medalji i u Fukuoki i Sydneyju, ali neka kola se morala proÃi. Gordan nije odustajao, njegov nalet na svjetsko postolje ovaj put je bio nezadr iv. Samo je nakon prvih 50 metara bio Ãetvrti, a nakon toga se probio na drugo mjesto i tu ostao.- Sad su se sve moje rtve isplatile. U Sydneyju sam nekako bio mlad i neiskusan, malo me ponijela atmosfera i Ãekivanja. Sad sam iskusniji, znao sam se prije utrke smiriti.Nakon slu bene konferencije i dodatnog razgovora s hrvatskim novinarima oti ao je na doping kontrolu. A danas ce, ako bude sreÃe, nastupiti i na 50 metara. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8073/1/E-FREE-Entrance-to-tennis-grounds-at-US-Open-on-Aug-23--24.html FREE Entrance at US OpenYou can watch Croatian tennis players Iva Majoli, Ivan Ljubicic, Ivo Karlovic, Mario Ancic, Jelena Kostanic, Silvija Talaja, Zeljko Karan, Mirjana Lucic, Lovro Zovko and others on Saturday and Sunday, August 23th and 24th, 2003 at the U.S. Open tennis grounds in Flushing, New York. While 2003 US Open Tennis Championships officially starts on Monday August 25th - September 7th, 2003, all tennis players practice a couple of days earlier and the entrance to the tennis grounds is FREE of charge to the public on Aug. 23rd & 24th. To purchase tennis tickets for official tournament seewww.usopen.org Public transportation: take subway #7 from Manhattan, one-way charge $2.00, to Shea Stadium station. Plenty of parking is available around tennis courts. This year, the United States Tennis Association donated $25,000 to remove the land mines in Croatia. The U.S. government matched their donation. Katarina Tepeshtepeshk@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8072/1/E-Ivica-Olic-to-play-for-Moscow-football-club.html ÂIvica Olic to play for Moscow football club CSKAPravda.RU:Russia:More in detail 16:30 2003-07-28Moscow football club CSKA hopes to enhance attack buying Croatian Ivica Olic The leader of the Russian football prime league, Moscow's club CSKA, has signed a contract, breaking Russian records, with Croatian forward Ivica Olic, Sergei Aksyonov, the club's press secretary, officially confirmed. "The contract is effective for 4 years, and it is worth 5 mln euro, which CSKA's president Yevgeny Giner mentioned while speaking on the Sport telechannel," Aksyonov said. The newcomer became the best striker of Croatia last year, scoring 21 goals in the country's championship, the press secretary said. For the time being Aksyonov has no information whether the CSKA will manage to enlist Olic for the 2nd qualifying round of the prime league, upcoming on Wednesday, against Macedonian Vardar. "Everything will depend on whether proper documents and a transfer list from Croatia are prepared." As for the application papers it takes just a day or two to submit them," the press secretary elaborated. Ivica Olic is 23 years old. He took part in the World Cup in Japan and Korea in 2002, scoring a goal in two games. http://newsfromrussia.com/main/2003/07/28/48885.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8080/1/E-Success-of-Bojan-IVE-on-Sailing-World-Championship.html  Success of Bojan IVE from Croatia on Sailing World ChampionshipÂLaser 4.7 World Championship 13 - 18 July 2003 Cesme,  TURKEYFinal Qualification races completedOn the last day of the qualification series at the Laser 4.7 World Championship the fleet enjoyed another excellent day of sailing in 14 to 18 knot winds and more big waves.In the first fleet to start the Turkish flags were waving at the second mark when the women's overall leader, Ayda UNVER, led the fleet in what was to be the most exciting race of the day. Behind her was the overall series leader Onur DEREBASI. After the downwind and second upwind leg Alek Stewart from Peru had just stolen the lead from Ercan KARAGUN (TUR). Unver was still a creditable fifth which she held to the finish. On the next downwind Stewart succumbed to a 3 strong Turkish challenge from Karagun, Mustafa Cakir and Derebasi which became the final finishing order.Bojan IVE from Croatia dominated the second fleet after passing Ates Cinar (TUR) on the first downwind. In his second race of the day he was not so fortunate. On the first windward leg he was fouled by a port tack boat and lost 25 metres and rounded the first mark 8th or 9th. Thereafter he had a yoyo race. "I gained 2 boats on the downwind, lost 1 on the upwind, gained 2 on the downwind, and lost two on the last leg" he said with a smile on his face. "But I like the big waves." His seventh place finish drops him to third overall which very respectable for a fifteen and half year old just out of Optimists sailing his first major Laser event. In the same race Milosz LANDOWSKI from Poland regained his form seen earlier in the week to take the winning gun form the consistent Cinar.Race 8 for the yellow fleet Great Britain's Phillip WHITE spoilt a repeat of a Turkish 1,2,3 by gaining third behind Cakir and Derebasi with Unver building on her fifth place of the previous race with a sixth to further extend her lead over Italy's Anita di Iasio.The top sailors now go head to head in the gold fleet for the final 4 races in what promises to be a hard fought battle. With a 4 point lead Derebasi is looking comfortable discarding only a 3rd place the same as the second place Cinar. A second discard is allowed after 10 races are completed but only one race can be discarded from the final 4 races. A change to lighter winds could still upset the results.Source: http://www.laserchampionships.org/47wor03/index.htm. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 18 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8079/1/E-World-championship-Jul-25-to-Aug-12-in-Sibenik-Croatia.html  World championship Jul 25 to Aug 12 in Sibenik, Croatia ÂSapphires lose against BrazilThe Australian young women's basketball team has lost to the Brazillian young women's side 89-81, despite making a comeback in the final quarter.The match was played at Northeastern University's Matthews Arena in Bosten in the United States, and was the second game of the Sapphires friendly series in the US.Hollie Grima led the Sapphires scoring with 18 points and five rebounds.Shelley Hammonds continued her good form adding 15 points, and Laura Summerton and Michelle Musselwhite added 14 points each.Coach Mark Wright says he expects the Brazillian young women's team to perform well in the upcoming world championships to be held from July 25 to August 12 in Sibenik, Croatia."Brazil are a very strong and physical team," Wright said in a statement."I am pleased with the way the girls applied themselves in the last quarter, especially the bench when they were called upon."I am happy with our progress towards what we are trying to achieve," he said.The game formed part of a friendly series between the US, Australia and Brazil young women, and the US Pan American Games squad.All three young women's teams are working toward the 2003 world championships beginning next week in Croatia.The Sapphires play their final game in the US on Saturday against the US Pan American team. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 18 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8081/1/E-England-sell-out-Croatia-game.html  England sell outCroatia gameÂEngland's friendly against Croatia at Portman Road in August has sold out.The 19,000 tickets available for the game in Ipswich on 20 August were snapped up within hours of going on sale on Sunday."This highlights the huge attraction of the England team," said an statement on the FA website.It is the first time Ipswich have hosted an England international.The 30,250 capacity stadium will be the 13th ground to be used since the England team started travelling around the country because of rennovations to Wembley.Croatia will go into the game on the back of a good run of form, currently occupying second place in their Euro 2004 qualifying group behind Bulgaria.Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/england/3063129.stm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8082/1/E-Mario-Preskar-WINS-in-the-First-Round-with-KO.html ÂMario Preskar Wins in 1min 59 secJUST ARRIVED !!!Live via telephone from Las Vegas by Vedran Nazor: 10:07 PM (local) 1:07 AM (New York)Hello Nenad, Mario wins in the first round of his first professional match. After the first minute, few body shots and KO in 1 minute 59 seconds. Opponent Roman Armstrong 221 Lb, Mario Preskar 209 Lb. (Change of an opponent was made at the day of the match). Mario Preskar a new talent in the Don King's Productions.Congratulations Mario on a first win.Rounding out the world championship tripleheader, presented by Don King Productions, in association with Main Events, will be WBA Super Welterweight Champion Vivian Harris (22-1-1, 16 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y. making his initial title defense against unbeaten mandatory challenger, Souleymane "The Sensation" M'Baye (27-0, 18 KOs), of Levallois-Perret, France. The Mayorga-Forrest and Corley-Judah bouts will be televised by HBO.Highlighting an outstanding undercard will be three exciting elimination bouts.Mario Preskar, 19 year old Croatian Super Heavyweight turns professional and will fight Sean McClure of Cincinnati in his professional debut. Preskar is 6' 1" and weighs 220 lbs. He's trained by his longtime coach Leonard Pijetraj. In a rematch of their July 27, 2002, contest, IBF No. 3 contender Pete Frissina (26-3-1, 15 KOs), of Tarpon Springs, Fla., will take on No. 5 Jesus Perez (23-2-2, 13 KOs), of Cordoba, Colombia, in an IBF bantamweight eliminator. Frissina captured the first meeting in a hard-fought 12 round decision to retain his North American Boxing Organization (NABO) 118-pound title. In, addition, former WBA light heavyweight champion and current WBA No. 2 contender, Lou Del Valle (31-3-1, 21 KOs), of Long Island, NY will battle No. 5 contender Manuel Siaca (16-4, 15 KOs), of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, in a WBA light heavyweight eliminator.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 12 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8083/1/E-Mediteranian-Games-in-Rijeka-2009.html  City of Rijeka candidacy for 2009 Mediterranean GamesÂaccepted International Committee of theÂMediterranean Games informed City of RijekaÂthat Rijeka has been accepted as one of the three possible candidates for organising the Mediterranean Games in 2009. Other two cities chosen from a bid are ItalianÂPescara and Greek city of Patras. Greek city of Patras, Italian city of Pescara and Croatian city of Rijeka have become potential candidates for organizing an attractive event of the 2009 Mediterranean Games. Rijeka City Mayor Vojko Obersnel told journalist the three cities have submitted their bid filesÂby the date limitÂof July 31 2002 and are going to be considered by the Evaluation Commission forÂorganizing the games in five years from now.  The decision on where the 2009 Mediterranean Games will be organized is supposed to be delivered byÂmid next year.  Source: http://www.grad-rijeka.hr/default.asp?ru=417&gl=200208010000007&sid=&jezik=2 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 02 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8084/1/E-A-first-look-at-the-2004-NBA-draft.html ÂA first look at the 2004 NBA draftÂJuly 1, 2003 Print itÂSean DeveneyÂSporting NewsÂA peek at the possible 2004 lottery picks (note: Charlotte will have the fourth pick) reveals that size will be paramount in the early selections. Though there eventually could be several high school players involved -- forwards Al Jefferson, Dwight Howard and Josh Smith and guards Sebastian Telfair and Shaun Livingston among them -- we'll assume they will go to college at this point.ÂThe best of the 2004 NBA draft classÂ1. Kosta Perovic, C, Croatia. You know the drill -- he's 7-3 and can shoot it.ÂSource: http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/articles/20030701/481082.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 01 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8085/1/E-Croatia-Gives-Up-Its-Only-WTA-Tournament.html  Croatia Gives Up Its Only WTA TournamentÂZAGREB (Reuters) - Croatia's only WTA tournament, Croatian Bol Ladies Open, launched in 1991, has come to an end because financial problems have forced director Antun Plenkovic to sell the license for the event to the United States.  "The tournament will next year be played in Cincinnati," Plenkovic told wide-selling daily Vecernji List in an interview published Thursday. He said local hoteliers showed no interest in providing cash for fees and the prize money fund. A WTA spokeswoman, speaking at Wimbledon, said the Tour had not been informed that the event had been scratched. The tournament in Bol, on the picturesque Adriatic island of Brac, was launched when Croatia seceded from Yugoslavia in 1991. After a five-year break due to the ensuing war, it resumed in 1996. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8088/1/E-Up-to-date-scores-and-News-about-Wimbledon-2003.html ÂEverything you need to know about Wimbledon 2003 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 25 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8087/1/E-Karlovic-downs-another-Aussie-in-second-round.html ÂKarlovic downs another Aussie in second roundCroatia's Ivo Karlovic casts a long shadow in the late eveningsun as he serves during his second round match against Australia's PaulBaccanello at the Wimbledon (news- websites) Tennis Championships in London, June 25, 2003. Karlovic won the match6-4 7-6 5-7 6-2. REUTERS/Russell BoyceLofty Croatian Ivo Karlovic claimed a second Australianscalp at Wimbledon on Wednesday but his 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 defeat of PaulBaccanello sparked rather less furore.The 2.08-metre qualifier, who made Wimbledon history bydispatching defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in the first round on Monday,earned the applause of a tightly packed crowd squashed on to benches round courtnumber 14.His earlier triumph had taken centre stage on CentreCourt in front of the royal box and been beamed to screens round the world.On Wednesday spectators had to balance on dustbins behindthe hand-scoreboard for a glimpse of the giant-killer.But Karlovic, apparently unfazed, used much the sametactics against Baccanello, also a qualifier ranked 204 in the world, as he hadagainst the number one seed.He thumped down 29 aces in the two hour 35 minute matchand had his opponent squawking in frustration as serve upon unreturnable servepinged skywards off Baccanello's racket frame.Karlovic, whose sudden fame - and unexpected wage packet- allowed him to move this week to a swanky hotel, began the match with an aceand won the first set with an ace.Baccanello, buoyed by raucous support from a handful ofcompatriots yelling "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie," managed to find a waythrough the barrage only in the third set when the Croatian, who says hisbiggest problem is moving and bending on court, began to tire.But he found a second wind in the fourth, earning athird-round spot in his first grand slam tournament.Hewitt was the first defending Wimbledon champion sincetennis went professional in 1968 to lose in the first round.Karlovic now moves to a meeting with 43rd-ranked MaxMirnyi of Belarus in the third round.In other second round matches overnight, Andy Roddickdefeated Briton's Greg Rusedski in a bad-tempered centre-court showdown, winning7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/1), 7-5 win in just over two hours.Men's fourth seed, Roger Federer, overcame Austria'sStefan Koubek 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 and American Todd Martin beat three times formerFrench Open champion Brazillian Gustavo Kuerten 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.In the women's draw, Lindsay Davenport eased into thethird round of Wimbledon, by overcoming spirited Italian Rita Grande in straightsets, 6-3, 6-1.The 28-year-old Grande began confidently, moving muchmore quickly around the court than her opponent, who's been blighted by injuryin recent months.But the three-times grand slam winner demonstrated whyshe remains the world number five, hitting 36 precision winners in the 52-minutematch.Venus Williams, also swept into the third round, with a6-4, 6-1 victory over Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik.IVO'SDAD FEARS HE COULD JINX GIANT STAR Jun 25 2003 EXCLUSIVE By Mark Ellis THE dad of Wimbledon giant-slayer Ivo Karlovic fears he would jinx his son if he flew to London to watch him play. Proud Vlado, 55, said yesterday that he is so superstitious it might be better for him to stay at home in Croatia. But the jobless physics professor, who huddled round a TV with his family to see Ivo triumph over Lleyton Hewitt, could not hide his delight. He said: "It was amazing. While we knew he might have a chance, because he told us before hand that he thought he had, it was incredible." Since then, he says, the family have been bombarded by well-wishers at their modest Zagreb flat. He added: "It's unbelievable how many people suddenly want to know about my son." Neighbours have dubbed Ivo King Karlo, he said. Vlado went on: "I'm not much of a tennis player but when Ivo defeated me at the age of seven I knew that he had some talent. "He loved to play with his sister Anna. They would hit those balls around for hours. She was always patient with him, he was always impulsive. "He fell in love with the game at an early age and as soon as I could I got him in a tennis club." Unfortunately for Hewitt, the 6ft 10 inch star chose to concentrate on tennis despite being approached to join the Croatian Under-14 basketball team. Vlado told how Goran Ivanisevic became his son's tennis idol and they went on to be friends. Goran also reportedly paid for speech therapy for Ivo, who had a bad stutter. Ivo's only sadness is that he has to spend to so much time away from medical student girlfriend Martina Lukacevic. The pair, who met three years ago, spend as long as possible together when Ivo is not on the circuit. Meanwhile Vlado, Ivo's mum Gordana and Anna, 25, are getting ready for his second round clash against Australian Paul Baccanello. Vlado said: "We've spoken to Ivo and he's focused. My son thinks it will be a tough and very even match." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 25 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8086/1/E-Croatia-captain-seals-Pompey-switch.html  Croatia captain seals Pompey switchÂPortsmouth have confirmed the signing of Croatian defender Boris Zivkovic on a three-year contract.Zivkovic, who has won 25 caps for his country, joins the Barclaycard Premiership new boys from Bayer Leverkusen after passing a medical.Harry Redknapp told the club's official website, www.pompeyfc.co.uk: "He is a quality signing and will be a big bonus to us."Boris has played in Germany for six years having been with and come up against the best."You don't play that amount of times for Bayer Leverkusen, as well as captaining your country, unless you have more than a little class about you."I am pleased with the way things are going and we are starting to build a good squad. We are getting there and I hope to come up with two or three additions to supplement what has already been built." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8090/1/E-Karlovic-Makes-history-at-Wimbledon-2003.html ÂWimbledon, CroatianDestinyÂKarlovic Makes history at Wimbledon 2003Ivo Karlovic of Croatiaranked number 203 made a history today.ÂA qualifier serves to defending Champion LleytonHewitt during their Men's Singles, First Round match on the Centre Court, on thefirst day of the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon , MondayJune 23, 2003. Karlovic defeated the defending champion 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3,6-4. (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin)APÂ-ÂJun 23 10:37 AM letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 23 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8089/1/E-Qualifier-Ivo-Karlovic-created-the-biggest-Wimbledon-upset.html ÂQualifier Ivo Karlovic createdthe biggest Wimbledon upsetÂQualifier Ivo Karlovic has created one of the biggest Wimbledonupsets of all time to defeat defending champion Lleyton Hewitt on Centre Court.ÂIvo Karlovic Makes History at Wimbledon 2003 - Rankednumber 203 he defeates a defending champion - - - - - Ivo Karlovic had 18 aces and 41 service winners Out of the blue: Ivo Karlovic (l) knocked out number one seed Lleyton Hewitt The 6ft 10ins Croat, ranked 203 in the world, stormed back froma set behind to secure an incredible 1-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over the Australian.Hewitt is the first defending male champion to lose in the first round sinceManuel Santana in 1967. Only three weeks ago Karlovic had been beaten by BritonAlex Bogdanovic in a Challenger tournament in Surbiton. But once he found hisrange with his booming serve and sleek volleys he managed to secure a remarkablewin. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 23 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8091/1/E-Croatian-in-2003-NBA-draft.html  Zoran Planinic, CroatiaTop draft prospects for the 2003 NBA draft are shown in these undated photos. They are: Kirk Penney, Wisconsin, G; Kendrick Perkins, Beaumont, Texas, F-C; Mickael Pietrus, France, G-F; Zoran Planinic, Croatia, G; Josh Powell, NC State, F; Rick Rickert, Minnesota, F; Luke Ridnour, Oregon, G; Quinton Ross, SMU, G; Theron Smith, Ball State, F; Tommy Smith, Arizona Smith, F. (AP Photo) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 21 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8092/1/E-Croatia-to-face-England-at-Ipswich.html  England to face Croatia at Ipswich ÂThe Football Association have confirmed that Ipswich's Portman Road ground will host the friendly against Croatia on August 20.The venue becomes the 13th different stadium to host an England match since the national side have been on the road.FA's marketing and communications director Paul Barber said: "We're delighted to be staging a senior international at Portman Road, which is a superb stadium and an ideal venue for this game."This will be the 13th different stadium used since we started taking our senior matches around the country."Since February 2001 the England team have played in the north east, the north west, the west and east midlands, the south coast, Yorkshire, London and now East Anglia."Ipswich have staged four Under-21 games in the past and Barber added: "Past international matches at Ipswich have shown the passion of the local fans and the club fully deserves to host a full senior international."It will be the first international match of the new season and I'm sure we can look forward to a tremendous atmosphere in front of a capacity crowd in August."Ipswich chairman David Sheepshanks said the award of the game showed the improvements that had been made to the Portman Road stadium, which has a capacity of 30,250.He said: "It is a tremendous honour and I am really proud for this club that we have been selected to host a full international."It is a reflection on the huge improvements made in recent years to our pitch and stadium, as well as the professionalism of our staff who operate and service it."Most of all however, it is recognition for the sporting fans of East Anglia, whose fervent support of both this club and our various neighbours, has earned us the right to stage such a prestige occasion in our region."Source: http://www.ananova.com/sport/story/sm_791597.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8093/1/E-Soccer-Kovac-gives-Croatia-1-0-win-over-Estonia.html ÂKovac gives Croatia 1-0 win over Estonia Wed Jun 11, 2003 By Kristin Marmei TALLINN, June 11 (Reuters) - Niko Kovac gave Croatia a 1-0 win over hosts Estonia in a Euro 2004 qualifier on Wednesday, moving his team to within one point of Group Eight leaders Bulgaria. Croatia immediately took a firm grip against their Baltic opponents at the A Le Coq Arena, but Estonia goalkeeper Mart Poom kept the visitors at bay with an inspired display until Kovac headed in a corner in the 77th minute. "This was a very hard game as Estonia is a high-class team," Croatia coach Otto Baric told reporters. "But Croatia deserved to win this game." Estonia midfielder Marko Kristal was forced to make a goal-line save after five minutes when a Croatian corner created a scramble in front of the goal, and Poom made a flurry of saves to frustrate the visitors. But Croatia kept pounding away at the Estonian goal until Kovac rose above the defence to head in the winning goal from close range. Estonia fought back in the dying minutes, substitute Vjatsheslav Zahovaiko forcing Croatia keeper Stipe Pletikosa to make an injury-time save. Estonia coach Arno Pijpers said he expected Croatia to give his team a rough ride, adding that his men were simply trying to fight off the Croatian onslaught until the dying minutes. "The last 15 minutes was the kind of game we should have played all along," he said. "Poom was in very good shape." Copyright © 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 12 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8094/1/E-Drazen-Petrovic-Memorial-Basketball-TournamentTime.html  Drazen Petrovic Ten years ago, on June 7, 1993 Drazen Petrovic died in a tragic automobile accident after playing in a game for Croatian National Basketball Team. Two time Olympic medalist, four times European basketball player of the year, enshrined in a Basketball Hall of Fame,Âwinner of numerous awards and titles Drazen Petrovic is still revered by basketball fans throughout the world. In honor of his benevolent character and memory of his legendary basketball talents, remembrance of too many unforgetable games that are still talked about, far reaching enthusiasm and a smile that brought joy and happiness to audiences throughout the world, the Croatian Youth of Greater New York are organizing Drazen Petrovic Memorial Basketball Tournament.ÂÂWhen: 10:00 am Saturday, June 7, 2003ÂWhere: Basketball Gym at Most Precious Blood Roman Catholic ChurchÂ32-23 36th Street Astoria, NY 11106ÂSponsor: Croatian Radio Club New York " Voice of Free Croatia "Â91.5 FM Wednesday 8:00 - 8:30 pmÂ91.5 FM Saturday 10:00 - 11:00 amÂÂFull profit from the tournament will go to Croatian Folklore Group "Hrvatska Ruza" from Astoria, NY and Croatian Cultural Group "Cardinal Stepinac" from Manhattan, NY.ÂÂFor team registration contact: Caffe Bar MilleniumÂÂ25-68 Steinway Astoria, NY 11103ÂTelephoneÂÂ718-545-4369 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 01 Jun 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8095/1/E-Brilliant-Croatian-lifts-Europe.html ÂBrilliant Croatian liftsEuropeTamara Boros Croatian Tamara Boros returns a shot from her opponent US Chang Jun Gao in theqquarter-finals at the 47th Table Tennis world championships held at the Bercy Hall in Paris and wins.ÂMalaysian News : SportsBrilliant Boros lifts Europe after Samsonov crashes outMay 24 , 2003 19:22PM Croat Tamara Boros returns a shot from her opponent US Chang Jun Gao in the qquarter-finals at the 47th Table Tennis world championships held at the Bercy Hall in Paris ÂPARIS (AFP) - Tamara Boros provided Europe with a timely tonic as a wave ofChinese players threatened to swamp the table tennis world championship finalsas they headed towards their climax.Tamara Boros provided Europe with a timely tonic as a wave ofChinese players threatened to swamp the table tennis world championship finalsas they headed towards their climax.Boros, from Croatia, was celebrating becoming only the fourth European in threedecades to make the women's singles semi-finals.Her mammoth 4-3 quarter-final win over China's American export Chang Jun Gao wasthe high point for Europe on a day that spelled the end for Vladamir Samsonov,the host continent's trump card for men's singles honours.The giant Belarus was stopped by Greece's Kalinikos Kreanga. Samsonov's exitcame as China collected their first gold medal in the mixed doubles and four oftheir men made it through to the singles' quarter-finals.They are guaranteed gold in an all China men's doubles final.The sport's superpower is also three handed in the women's semis, with Boros,the number five seed with the trademark service that floats into the rafters,due to meet reigning champion Wang Nan early Saturday."It's been my dream to win a medal at the world championships, now I've gotmy chance," she said, her voice quivering with emotion."It's not so usual to have a European in the last four of a worldchampionships, I want to enjoy the moment," she added.Boros, who has left her poor form in the run up to Bercy well and truly behindher this week, said of Wang Nan "She's world champion, Olympic champion,everything champion! "But it's always been close when I've playedher."Having seen off European champion Otilia Bodescu Boros was heading off for awell earned sleep, hopefully not disrupted by the sobering thought that the lasttime Europe struck gold in the women's singles was back in 1955.Source: http://www.bernama.com.my/B2002/news_sports.shtml?sports/sp240503_201 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 24 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8096/1/E-Croatian-qualifier-makes-Strasbourg-final.html  Karolina SpremCroatian qualifier makes Strasbourg final Friday, May 23, 2003Â(05-23) 12:14 PDT STRASBOURG, France (AP)ÂQualifier Karolina Sprem of Croatia advanced to the final of the Strasbourg Open after beating sixth-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday.Sprem will be playing in her first final Saturday when she meets Silvia Farina Elia. The seventh-seeded Italian, who has won this clay-court event the last two years, defeated Ashley Harkleroad of the United States 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.Sprem beat top-seeded Jelena Dokic in the second round.Karolina Sprem u finalu StrasbourgaÂHrvatski sport definitivno je dobio joS jednu zvijezdu. Rijec je o osamnaestogodiSnjoj Varazdinki Katarini Sprem, koja je na svom trecem velikom WTA turniru, u Strasbourgu izborila finale pobijedivSi Ruskinju Veru Zvonarevu 2:1 u setovimacini se da Janica Kostelic dobiva ozbiljnu konkurenciju. U najljepSem tjednu svog zivota mlada je Varazdinka izborila svoje prvo finale na turniru u Strasbourgu koji se igra za nagradni fond od 170.000 americkih dolara.ÂI treci put zaredom Karolina je slavila nakon tri neizvjesna i dramaticna seta rezultatom 3:6, 6:3, 6:4. Nakon Srbijanke Dokic i Slovenke Matevzic ni Ruskinja Zvonareva nije uspjela prekinuti fantastican niz nove teniske 'zvijezde'u usponu.ÂOno Sto imponira kod mlade Hrvatice jest nevjerojatna psihicka stabilnost kojom lomi svoje protivnice i koja je izvlaci i iz najtezih situacija. U tome je vrlo slicna nekad najboljoj tenisacici svijeta Moniki SeleS.ÂRijeci pohvale zasigurno zasluzuje i njen trener, bivSi reprezentativac SaSa Hirszon. Sigurni smo da ce, zahvaljujuci svom ogromnom iskustvu, SaSa znati kojim putevima voditi Karolininu karijeru i kako je dovesti u sam vrh zenskog svjetskog tenisa.ÂProtivnica u sutraSnjem finalu bit ce joj pobjednica meca Farina- Harkleroad. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 23 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8097/1/H-MITTELEUROPA--ADRIATIC-CUP-2003.html 5. MEDUNARODNI NOGOMETNI TURNIR«MITTELEUROPA - ADRIATIC CUP 2003»APARTMANI MEDENA - TROGIR - CROATIAÂ16.04. - 20.04.2003Na 5. nogometnom medunarodnom turniru sudjelovalo je 22 kluba - 46 momcadi u 6 omladinskih nogometnih katetgorija (oko 750 sudionika) iz 6 drzava i to: Austrije, Madarske, Belgije, Njemacke, Bosne i Hercegovine i Hrvatske.U kategoriji kadeta prvo mjesto osvojila je momcad NK Tomislav iz Tomislavgrada (BiH), u kategoriji pionira prvo mjesto osvojila je momcad NK Osijek iz Osijeka (Hrvatska), u kategoriji starijih pocetnika prvo mjesto osvojila je takoder momcad NK Osijek, u kategorij mladih pocetnika prvo mjesto osvojila je momcad FC Genk iz Belgije dok je u kategoriji starijih pijetlica prvo mjesto osvojila momcad NK Osijek a u najmladem godistu pijetlica 1994 g. omladinska skola nogometa Jarun iz Zagreba je osvojila prvo mjesto.Na kraju turnira za prvoplasirana tri mjesta u svim kategorijama podijeljeni su pehari i zlatne, srebrne i broncane medalje sa likom nogometasa. Na zatvaranju turnira nagrade za ostvarene rezultate podijelili su direktor turnira prof. Damir Milic i direktor hotelsko-apartmanskog kompleksa Medena gosp. Predrag Jurcevic.Po broju osvojenih kategorija (pioniri, stariji pocetnici i stariji pijetlici 1992 g.) momcad NK Osijek je proglasena za najuspjesniju momcad turnira. Prvu nagradu za unapredenje i kvalitetu nogometa sa mladim uzrastima pripala je klubu FC Genk iz Belgije koji je demonstrirao tijekom natjecanja nacela modernog nogometa te odusevio ne samo gledatelje nego i trenere i momcadi ostalih sudionika turnira. Za fair play igru proglasen je FC Rapid iz Beca (Austrija).ÂTurnir je pokazao da se iz godine u godinu povecava broj kategorija i sudionika te kvaliteta prikazane nogometne igre te je na najboljem putu da postane tradicionalni medunarodni turnir (jedini takve vrste za najmlade uzraste u Hrvatskoj). Turnir je organiziran u turistickoj vansezoni (pred Uskrs) i ima osim sportskog i promotivni turisticki znacaj. Slijedeci 6. medunarodni nogometni turnir bit ce odrzan od 06.04. - 10.04.2004.g. na istoj destinaciji.Organizator turnira nada se odzivu i klubova iz hrvatske dijaspore. Tajnik turnira Miroslav GalicÂTel/fax: 00385/31/500-553e-mail: damir.milic@os.hinet.hrÂCroatia letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 22 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8099/1/E-Croatia---Sweden-20.html ÂCroatia- Sweden 2:0Sweden's Christoffer Andersson, left, follows Croatia's JosipSimunic during the friendly national soccer match Sweden vs Croatia at RasundaStadium in Stockholm, Sweden Wednesday April 30 2003. (AP Photo/Pressens Bild/OlaTorkelsson) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 04 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8098/1/E-Zvonareva-wins-in-Bol-Croatia.html ÂZvonarevawins in Croatiafor first titlePosted: Sunday May 04, 2003 10:43 AMBOL, Croatia (Ticker) -- Vera Zvonareva earned her maiden victory Sunday witha 6-1, 6-3 rout of Conchita Martinez Granados in the final of the Croatian BolLadies Open claycourt tennis event.The 18-year-old Russian triumphed in her second career championship match,earning $27,000. She lost her first final in Palermo last year in three hours toMariana Diaz-Oliva.Zvonareva was a lot fresher Sunday. The third seed won her third consecutivematch in straight sets and dropped just one set this week.Zvonareva, had a breakout year in 2002 when she went from No. 371 to No. 45.She has stepped up to the next level this year, reaching quarterfinals at herfirst two events in Auckland and Hobart and two more at Tier I events at IndianWells and Charleston. This win will help her reach her goal of joining the top20.It was the first WTA Tour championship match for Martinez Granados. The27-year-old Spaniard had won 10 career ITF crowns but has not been able totranslate that success to the top circuit. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 04 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8100/1/E-Toni-has-been-an-incredible-winner-wherever-hes-been---NYT.html ÂKukoc Again Making Subtle ContributionsNew York TimesApril 25, 2003Kukoc Again Making Subtle ContributionsBy STEVE POPPERILWAUKEE, April 24 - The rings were almost a forgotten part of Toni Kukoc's past as he toiled in Atlanta for part of two seasons. Playing for a National Basketball Association also-ran, Kukoc was reduced to a bit player on a bad team.He never was the main man in Chicago when he won three championship rings playing alongside Michael Jordan, despite the expectations and acclaim that accompanied him from Croatia to the United States. But he did little things that helped make the Bulls champions, things that were lost in the struggles of a 33-49 Hawks team last season.While the Milwaukee Bucks may not elicit memories of the Bulls' championship teams, Kukoc, 34, is back in the postseason again. Through the first two games against the Nets, Kukoc, who was traded from Atlanta to Milwaukee last season, is doing little things that brought the Bucks out of New Jersey with the four-of-seven-game opening-round series tied at 1-1."Toni's not a spectacular player," Milwaukee Coach George Karl said. "He's just a basketball player. Statistically, he doesn't care about numbers. He's never going to get great rebounds. He's always going to have steals. He's always going to have assists. He can beat you inside. He can beat you outside. He can beat you with the pass. He's not a great defensive individual player, but he makes plays. He makes defensive plays. He made three huge defensive plays in the fourth quarter'' of the Bucks' 88-85 victory in Game 2.Karl said that Kukoc often goes unnoticed because of his modest statistics. "It seems like players get rewarded for individual stats,'' Karl said. "As coaches, we're searching for guys that win games. Toni has been an incredible winner wherever he's been, including Europe."In Game 2, the 6-foot-11 Kukoc had 11 points, 6 steals, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes. For a player hardly known for his defense, the 6 steals jumped off the statistics sheet."I actually saw it when he first came back from his injury, that he helped us win as many games with his defense as he did offensively," Karl said. "It's his ability to be alert and active, jump around; his length bothers people. He just makes plays. He makes defensive plays because he's confident. I think his experience of being there gives him a little more confidence to slash the ball, go after the ball, where a younger kid might be afraid of fouling."Kukoc made some of his most important plays in Game 2 down the stretch. After the Bucks moved ahead at 82-81 on Tim Thomas's 3-pointer, Kukoc stripped the ball from Nets guard Lucious Harris at midcourt and flipped it ahead to Sam Cassell for a layup. When the Nets closed the gap to a point again, Kukoc spun past Richard Jefferson and dropped in a finger roll, then stripped the ball from Jason Kidd on the other end."I was just trying to play solid on both ends," said Kukoc, who won three European championships before joining the Bulls in 1993. "I was able to get my hands on a couple of balls and get a couple of steals, play down low and create the mismatches so we can get some good open shots."Kukoc missed 18 games this season with torn ligaments in his hand, and the Bucks went 6-12 over that span. When he returned, the Bucks turned their fortunes around."We were struggling and Toni came back from an injury and we won 16 out of 20 games," Karl said. "That probably saved our season."Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8101/1/E-Swedens-Larsson-to-miss-Croatia-friendly.html  Sweden's Larsson to miss Croatia friendly, but Zlatan is back ÂSTOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Henrik Larsson will miss Sweden's first-ever match against Croatia, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic is coming back April 30 at Rasunda Stadium in Stockholm after a suspension. Larsson, one of Europe's top goalscorers, turned down the chance to play again for Sweden because of commitments with his Scottish club, Celtic. Larsson retired from the national team after Sweden's World Cup team lost in the round of 16 in Japan last year, but he made a successful comeback earlier this month in a Euro 2004 qualifier against Hungary. Ibrahimovic didn't play in Budapest, where Sweden won the Group 4 game 2-1 to keep its chances alive to make next year's championship in Portugal. Against Croatia, the Ajax star is expected to start up front with Marcus Allback, the Aston Villa striker who scored both goals against the Hungarians. Fredric Lundqvist was the surprise name on the roster that co-coaches Lars Lagerback and Tommy Soderberg announced Tuesday. The 26-year-old defender from Swedish first-division side Sundsvall played for an under-strength Swedish team that won the Kings Cup in Thailand earlier this year. He's likely to start on the bench against Croatia. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 24 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8102/1/E-USA-replaces-Croatia-in-Rugby.html  USA replaces CroatiaÂAll Whites to take on world 10th ranked team the United States as part of buildup to Confederations CupThe All Whites build up matches for June's Confederations Cup have been confirmed with a match against world number 10 the United States, replacing the clash with Croatia.Croatia, the world's 34th ranked team, pulled out of the proposed June 5 match so the All Whites will instead play the USA at an Eastern American venue on June 8.The USA will play in the opposing group at the Confederations Cup.New Zealand begins its preparations with a match against Scotland on May 27 at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh.The All Whites will then fly to North America for the match against the USA before leaving for France, where they will be based at the French National Rugby Centre at Marcoussis in Paris.The All Whites kick off the Confederations Cup with a match against Japan in Paris on June 18.They also play Colombia and hosts France in pool play.The squad of 23 players for the Confederations Cup will be named on April 28 and will assemble in Birmingham on May 22.Source: http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=30446&c=w letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 10 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8105/1/E-Croatia-devours-Steel-in-goal-feast.html  Croatia devours Steel in goal feastÂCroatia devours Steel in goal feastNeville PatersonThursday, 3 April 2003Croatia and Steel produced another goal feast with Croatia getting up six-three at Magill Park on Saturday.Croatia had Jones and Leopold in for the injured Shepherd and Morris, while Steve Perkins started instead of Veart who sat on the bench with a suspect ankle.Steel started the game the best and after three minutes Jackson's cross found Andy Fay at the back post, but his downward header hit the base of the post and the danger was cleared.After 10 minutes Fay made amends when he rode two challenges before tucking the ball under Rigg for a one-nil lead.After 20 minutes, Croatia hit back when Stamoulis was allowed too much space on the edge of the box and his curling shot nestled into the top far corner for a great goal and one-all.Ten minutes later Croatia took the lead as DaRocha volleyed in a first time cross into the Steel box that just eluded Jackson's stretch and Stamoulis pounced with a diving header to send it past McManus for a two-one lead.Just before half time Todd sent a low ball across the box and Stamoulis was eyeing a hat trick, but a great challenge by Tony Fay kept his side in the game.Teams went into the half time break with Croatia one in front.Two minutes into the second half Steel got the equaliser as Docherty produced a pin-point cross, from way out on the right and it was met by Ledington, who squeezed it between Rigg and the post for two-all.Croatia then went on a goal-scoring run that blew the game apart.It started 10 minutes into the second half when Stamoulis' header from a corner was cleared off the line, but Faulds reacted quickest to drive the ball under McManus for three-two.Five minutes later Andy Fay's shot on the run saw Rigg save well down to his right but as the ball went up field Todd showed good composure to set up Faulds and he drilled it into the bottom corner as Croatia stretched their lead to two.With 15 minutes to go Rigg's clearance went straight to Docherty who smacked it right back at goal trying to catch the keeper off his line but Rigg scrambled back to save the day.Soon after that incident Croatia got number five as Fauld's corner was cleared by Steel's defence. Beidenweg gained possession, cut inside his man and let fly with an effort that rattled the roof of the net.With 10 minutes to go Docherty's free kick was cleared by Perone but Ledington gathered the ball and unleashed a left footed thunder bolt that crept just inside the post for a superb goal and reduced Croatia's lead to five-three.Five minutes later DaRocha got on the score sheet as sub Scatena fed him and Marcus chipped the keeper for six-three.Just before the end, sub Veart's cross was met with a glancing header by Docherty .But he couldn't believe it as the ball hit the post and crawled along the goal line before been hacked to safety.At the final whistle Croatia locked a place in the cup final while Steel will need to win their remaining game against Wanderers to have a chance of securing that final spot.Reserves No goals in the first half but after the break, Peter Ledington's fine finish from the penalty spot gave Steel a one-nil lead .However, quick goals from Best, Bone and Peterson put Croatia three-one up.Then the goal of the match by youngster Logan Green gave Steel some hope but Croatia held on and qualified for the final.Due to public demand (from the Steel supporters) I have to write that I missed a sitter in the first half.Source: http://whyalla.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=sport&subclass=local&category=soccer&story_id=219357&y=2003&m=4 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 08 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8104/1/E-Croatia-Cruise-Into-Final.html  Croatia cruise into finalÂwith Neville PatersonTuesday, 8 April 2003Great game ... Westlands goalkeeper Roger 'Shaka' Franklin made some great saves against Croatia, but was unable to stop this one! Croatia made it five wins from five games after a three-nil win over Westlands at Dakalanta Park on Saturday to cruise into the final of the league cup.The highlight of the match came from Westlands keeper Roger "Shaka" Franklin who pulled off some exceptional saves to keep his side in the game in the first half.The first chance came after 10 minutes when Faulds flicked the ball over his head and unleashed a left foot volley that just flew over.Five minutes later a Fauld's pass with the outside of the foot was met by DaRocha but Franklin saved well at his near post.Soon after Franklin failed to gather a through ball that took a bad bounce, Scatena though with the goal at his mercy could only hit the bar.Twenty-five minutes into the game Rincon burst into the clear and was challenged by Perone in the box, Westlands claimed a penalty but it was waved away by the referee.Five minutes later Scatena's cross was met by Stamoulis at the back post but Franklin produced a great save to deny Theo's header creeping in the near post.After 35 minutes Croatia were awarded a penalty that Todd lined up, there was nothing wrong with his spot kick but Franklin was on fire and pulled off another superb save way down to his right.Just before half-time Birch hit one from long range that went wide as both teams went in to the break locked a nil-all.The second-half was only one minute old when DaRocha was put into the clear and lobbed the ball over the keeper for Croatia to take a one-nil lead.Minutes later a Westlands corner fell to Ellis in the box but he had to take the chance quickly and it went just wide.Ten minutes into the second half Croatia made it two-nil when a Fauld's pass allowed Scatena to get inside his man and he smashed the ball into the bottom corner from a tight angle.Westlands then had a good patch of their own when Rigg's clearance went straight to Rincon but Rigg made amends to save the shot and 10 minutes later Birch hit a volley on the run that the keeper had to parry.With 10 minutes to go substitute Best floated over a great cross but Stamoulis couldn't keep his header down.As the ball went upfield Ellis weaved his way along the by-line, his curling effort though flew just past the far post.With only minutes to go DaRocha was bundled over in the box and he dusted himself off to take the ball off Stamoulis and put away the penalty for three-nil.Just before the final whistle Rigg had to deal with an Anderson free-kick but it was Croatia who came out victorious.ReservesCroatia will enter the final with high confidence after a five-one win over Westlands with the scorers being Leopold (2), Mikic (2) and Bone (1) with McEwan banging home for Westlands.Source: http://whyalla.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=sport&subclass=local&category=soccer&story_id=220271&y=2003&m=4 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 08 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8106/1/E-Croatian-Rugby---Does-anybody-know-more-about-it.html ÂÂCroatian RugbyDoes anybody know more about it? Two FIRA-AER Tests are being played this weekend as Super 12 rolls on and Europe gets back to club rugby.In the Division 2 Pool B matches Belgium play Slovenia in LiÃge. Belgium, who beat the Netherlands in a friendly earlier this year, and Slovenia are bottom of their division. Belgium lost to Croatia and Switzerland. Croatia lost to Croatia and Denmark.In Division 3 Pool B Malta, the top side, play Bosnia, the bottom side in Sarajevo. It is a match which Malta should win. Bosnia lost heavily to Luxembourg whom Malta beat 34-6 last week.Matches Belgium vs Slovenia in LiÃge Referee:  Mohammed Erraji (Morocco) Touch judges: Joseph Verhoest (Belgium), SloveniaBosnia vs Malta in Sarajevo Referee: Nereo Dordolo (Italy)Source: http://www.planet-rugby.com/LATEST_NEWS/story_26961.shtml letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 07 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8103/1/E-Kostanic-and-Talaja-Winning.html ÂKostanic and Talaja WinningJelena Kostanic and Silvija TalajaESTORIL, Portugal, April 7 (UPI) -- Dutchman John Van Lottum earned the biggest win of his career Monday at the venue where his professional tennis career began eight years ago.The veteran, who celebrates his 28th birthday on Thursday, won a battle of wills with top seed Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, collecting a 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5 first-round victory at the Estoril Open.Eight years ago, Van Lottum played his first professional match at the Estadio Nacional venue."This is really ironic," said the 105th-ranked player who lost two of three matches this season entering the tournament. "When I played here in a Satellite (event), Novak was the guy who won it."The Dutchman went straight to his cell phone to tell his family how he claimed his first top 10 victory.Van Lottum ended it on second match point, profiting from a final Novak error after the pair had traded breaks deep in the third."I was very tight at the end," Van Lottum said. "I'm just happy to have this win, we'll just see what happens."Novak gained the top seed Sunday when Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain pulled out before the draw with a lingering ankle injury. The Czech was devastated after now going without a clay title for more than 18 months."I was fighting, playing good tennis," Novak said. "But I didn't take my chances. I had so many chances to break in the second, but I couldn't make them. I lost concentration. It's tough to lose like this."Fifth seed Tommy Robredo of Spain finally got a victory over 1996 finalist Andrea Gaudenzi, who lost the final here seven years ago to his powerful training partner Thomas Muster.Robredo, twice a loser to the Italian veteran, secured a place in the second round with a 6-3, 6-1 win.Argentina picked up two victories, with Jose Acasuso ousting Spain's David Sanchez, 6-3, 6-4, and Agustin Calleri routing 18-year-old Portuguese qualifier Diogo Rocha - playing in his first ATP event - 6-1, 6-0.In women's play, French third seed Virginie Razzano beat German Barbara Rittner, 7-6 (7-5), 6-0; Croatian Silvja Talaja knocked out sixth-seeded Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4; and No. 8 Czech Iveta Benesova topped Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus, 6-3, 6-1.Other unseeded winners were Jelena Kostanic of Croatia, Rossana Neffa De Los Rios of Paraguay and Stephanie Cohen Aloro of France.Neffa De Los Rios advanced when her opponent Marta Marrero retired at 3-3 in the first set with a left ankle strain.Cohen Aloro posted a 6-2, 6-3 win over young Russian Maria Kirilenko, the reigning U.S. Open Junior champion.Kirilenko, who is allowed to play only 10 tournaments due to age restrictions, was helped into the tournament when men's star Yevgeny Kafelnikov asked for a wild card to be given to his compatriot.http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030407-054501-3687r Copyright  2001-2003 United Press International letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 07 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8109/1/E-Underdog-Croatia-faces-Spain-in-Davis-Cup.html ÂUnderdog Croatia faces Spain in Davis CupPosted: Thursday April 03, 2003 11:33 AMLONDON (AP) -- Croatia is counting on hard-serving Ivan Ljubicic to repeat his Davis Cup heroics all over all again.ÂTwo months after almost single-handedly beating the United States, Ljubicic is away from home in Spain, on the opposition's favorite clay surface and against three of the world's top ten players in Croatia's Davis Cup quarterfinal.ÂThe Spaniards are so strong, reigning French Open champion Albert Costa can only get a game in the doubles.ÂMeanwhile, the underdog Croats are without injured former Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic and Ljubicic is the team's highest ranked player at 53.Â"Our players are clearly superior. More solid," Spanish coach Jordi Arrese said.ÂLjubicic won both his singles and the doubles with Ivanisevic in February over an undermanned U.S. Davis Cup team.ÂFriday, he plays world No. 4 Carlos Moya in second singles, on Sunday it's world No. 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero.ÂIn between, he pairs up with Lovro Zovko for the doubles against Costa and Alex Corretja at the Valencia Tennis Club. Mario Ancic opens against Ferrero on Friday and plays Moya on Sunday.ÂLjubicic has targeted Moya as his best opportunity.Â"I think I do have a chance in that one," Ljubicic said. "He might not have had enough time to prepare himself on clay and I have beaten him three times before. Those matches were all difficult, though, and this one is on clay so I'm expecting it to be even tougher."ÂFerrero is 8-2 in Davis Cup play in Spain, Moya is 9-1 and even Costa is 6-3 when playing singles.Â"You cannot think you're going to have an easy time, not when I lost to Ljubicic three times" already, Moya said. "He's a difficult player to beat. He has a good serve. He's very fast."ÂIt's the first time the two countries have played each other in Davis Cup.ÂDefending champion Russia will only have Marat Safin fit for doubles against Argentina in Buenos Aires. Russia's top player aggravated an ankle injury in practice on the outdoor clay of the River Plate Club on Monday.ÂHe was drawn Thursday with Yevgeny Kafelnikov to play doubles against David Nalbandian and Lucas Arnold.ÂSafin is replaced in singles play by Nikolai Davydenko, who will face last year's Wimbledon runnerup Nalbandian in Friday's opening match. The second singles match pits Kafelnikov against Gaston Gaudio.ÂIn Sunday's reverse singles, it's Kafelnikov vs. Nalbandian and Davydenko vs. Gaudio.ÂRussia beat France in last year's Davis Cup finals for its first title. The Russians dispatched Argentina in the semifinals in Moscow.ÂIn Malmoe, Sweden will again rely on veteran Jonas Bjorkman against a strong Australian side on the indoor hardcourts of the Baltiska Hallen stadium.ÂBjorkman opens the tie against former U.S. Open runnerup Mark Philippoussis on Friday, then teams up with Thomas Enqvist for the doubles before playing world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in Sunday's reverse singles.ÂEnqvist is also playing all three days. With wins this year over Andre Agassi and Gustavo Kuerten, he plays Hewitt on Friday and Philippoussis on Sunday.ÂAustralian captain John Fitzgerald picked Bjorkman's regular partner, Todd Woodbridge, and Wayne Arthurs for the doubles.ÂThis is the ninth meeting between two of the most successful Davis Cup nations with Australia holding a 6-2 advantage. They last played in September 2001, with the Aussies winning a hard-fought semifinal in Sydney to reach its 46th final.ÂIn Toulouse, France is confident of extending its 9-1 Davis Cup record over Switzerland on the indoor hardcourts of the Le Zenith Stadium, but must overcome Roger Federer's speed and power.ÂFederer, ranked fifth in the world, will play Nicolas Escude on Friday and Sebastien Grosjean on Sunday. He joins Marc Rosset for Saturday's doubles against Michael Llodra and Grosjean.Â"Federer hits the ball with phenomenal speed and timing," France captain Guy Forget said. "His power is incredible. This is a player we must be very wary of."ÂSwitzerland's other singles player is George Bastl, who last year beat Pete Sampras in the second round of Wimbledon. He plays Grosjean in Friday's opener and Escude in reverse singles.ÂFrance's last Davis Cup win over the Swiss side came in Neuchatel, Switzerland in 2001 -- a tense 3-2 victory that was decided when Nicolas Escude won the final set of the final match.ÂRosset is the Switzerland captain but steps in to play his 57th Davis Cup tie because of an injury to Michel Kratochvil.ÂCopyright © 2003 CNN/Sports Illustrated. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 03 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8108/1/EH-Croatia-Winns-over-Belgium--Andorra-40--20.html ÂCroatia- Andorra 2:0Croatia's Dado Prsa, left, is challenged by Roberto Jonas Alonsoof Andorra during a qualification match for the 2004 European FootballChampionship, in Varazdin, Croatia on Wednesday April 2, 2003. (AP Photo/HrvojeKnez) Euro 2004: Croatia beats Andorra 2-0 in qualifierZAGREB, Croatia - Milan Rapaic scored twice fromdead ball situations to give Croatia a 2-0 victory over tiny Andorra onWednesday in a Group 8 qualifying match for the 2004 European Championship.The 28-year-old winger, who was a constantthreat on the left flank, scored his first goal in the 11th minute after heneatly converted a penalty kick awarded after striker Tomislav Maric was trippedin the box."We deserved to win, but we should have played better and scored up tofive goals against such a weak and indisposed team," Croatia coach OttoBaric said.Rapaic scored the second a minute before the interval with another superbfree kick from outside the penalty area that sailed over a defensive wall andinto the top corner of goalkeeper Luis Alvarez's net.The Croats dominated the match with flurries of attacks from all sides of thepitch and could have scored several more goals, while the visiting Andorranswere unable to move into a goalscoring position during the entire game andrarely passed the halfway mark of the pitch.The win lifted Croatia into second place in Group 8, overtaking key rivalsBelgium. Bulgaria leads the group with 10 points, three ahead of Croatia andfour ahead of Belgium.Lineups:Croatia: Stipe Pletikosa; Dario Simic, Boris Zivkovic, Igor Tudor, JosipSimunic (Niko Kovac 45th), Milan Rapaic (Mario Babic, 64th), Robert Kovac, JerkoLeko, Tomislav Maric (Marko Stanic, 45th), Dario Srna, Dado Prso.Andorra: Luis Alvarez, Manuel Ayala, Antoni Lima, Emiliano Gonzalez ( AlainMontwani, 90th), Genis Garcia, Oscar Sonejee, Juli Fernandez, Manuel Jimenez (JordiEscura, 54th), Juli Sanchez, Marc Pujol, Agusti Pol (Jesus Lucendo, 8th).ÂU KVALIFIKACIJAMA ZA EP HRVATSKA SVLADALA ANDORU s 2:0 (2:0)ÂRapaic i Estonija za aplauz I drugu pobjedu na putu prema Portugalu potpisao je Milan Rapaic prekrasnim pogotkom iz slobodnog udraca i sigurnim izvodenjem jedanaesterca VARAzDIN - Nakon nezaboravne predstave protiv Belgije, Milan Rapaic je blistao i u Varazdinu, te potpisao i drugu pobjedu u pet dana. Hrvatska je nadjacala Andoru s 2:0 i zauzima drugo mjesto u 8. kvalifikacijskoj skupini za Europsko prvenstvo 2004. godine. A prije jos samo sest dana nasa je reprezentacija bila izgubljena.ÂHRVATsKA - ANDORA 2:0 VARAzDIN - Gradski stadion. Gledatelja 8.500. Vrijeme oblacno, vjetrovito. sudac salomir (Rumunjska) 6. strijelci: 1:0 - Rapaic (10 - 11m), 2:0 - Rapaic (44) HRVATsKA: Pletikosa 6.5 - R. Kovac 6.5, Simic 6.5, Simunic 6 (od 46. N. Kovac 6) - Srna 7, Leko 6.5, Tudor 6.5, zivkovic 6.5, Rapaic 7.5 (od 65. Babic 6) - T. Maric 6 (od 46. stanic 6.5), Prso 7. Izbornik Otto Baric. ANDORA: Alvarez 7 - Ayala 5, sonejee 5.5, Fernandez 6, Alonso 5, J. Garcia 5- Gonzalez 5.5 (od 90. Mottovani -), Pujol 5.5 - Pol 5.5 (od 79. Lucendo -), Gimenez 5 (od 55. Escura 5) - J. sanchez 6. Izbornik David Rodrigo. Varazdinci su napunili svoju "bombonijeru", zahvalili "kockastima" na velikoj pobjedi nad belgijskim Crvenim vragovima i prizeljkivali da se mreza Andore do vrha napuni. I tih je osam tisuca gledatelja sinoc najvise pljeskalo Milanu Rapaicu i Estoniji. Njemu za prekarsan pogodak iz slobodnog udarca, za sigurnost pri izvodenju jedanaesterca i za nekoliko minijatura. Estonicama pak stoga jer su otrgnuli favoriziranoj Bugarskoj dva velika boda i borbu u nasoj kvalifikacijskoj skupinu uciniliuzbudljivom. David Rodrigo, izbornik gostiju, postavio je ispred svog vratara Jesusa Alvareza barikade. Prestrasen cetvorkom "kockastih" protiv Belgije, on se potpuno zatvorio, s nakanom da primi sto manje pogodaka. Otto Baric je znao da ce se Andora zacahuriti, no ostao je pri svom planu, zaigravsi s tri stopera i zivkovicem ispred njih. I spocetka nismo uspijevali probijati bokove, pa smo pokusavali dalekometnim topnistvom naceti goste. Tek se Dado Prso nudio, trazio je s kim ce odigrati dupli pas, ponovno se dopao, namjestio veliku prigodu Tomislavu Maricu, no malo je bilo raspolozenih. I onda je jedna visoko nabacena lopta Darija simica pala u sesnaesterac, Alonso je zakacio Maricevu nogu na kojoj je stajao. Ostalo je s bijele tocke obavio Rapaic. I dalje smo se mucili, bilo je poluprigoda, a onda je pri samom kraju prvog poluvremena Rapaic iz slobodnog udarca na semaforu ispisao 2:0. Kasnije se ispostavilo - i konacni rezultat.ÂTudoru drugi zuti kartonÂVARAZDIN - Igor Tudor kaznjen je zutim kartonom, a kako mu je to drugi u ovim kvalifikacijama, ne smije nastupiti na gostovanju protiv Estonije 11. lipnja. - Upozorili smo Tudora da se cuva zutog kartona, no nije bio oprezan. steta - komentirao je Otto Baric, ocito vec razmisljajuci o sljedecem susretu. zal zbog Tudorova kartona djelomicno je nadoknadilo zadovoljstvo zbog remija Bugara. (zv) U nastavku smo vrlo rano imali tri prigode, no uspjeli smo samo razbuditi vratara Alvareza, koji je sjajno reagirao. Taj pocetni zalet je polako nestajao, sve smo vise grijesili, akcije su bile sve sporije i na kraju varazdinsku cemo utakmicu pamtiti po velika tri boda. Do puta u Tallin ostalo je nesto vise od dva mjeseca, a za izbornika Barica ostala je briga kako pronaci igraca koji ce malo bolje povezati redove, preko kojeg ce ici igra. Priznat ce i izbornik da takvog jos nemamo, no obecao je da ce ga pronaci, i to medu nogometasima koji su bili u kadru na posljednje dvije utakmice.ÂIGOR FLAK Euro 2004: Croatia beats Belgium 4-0 Sat Mar 29, 3:04 PM ET ZAGREB, Croatia - Croatia kept its hopes alivefor a berth in the 2004 European Championship by trouncing Belgium 4-0 in aGroup 8 qualifying match Saturday.Youngster Dario Srna put the Croats ahead in theninth minute with a misdirected cross on the right side that wrong footedgoalkeeper Franky Vandendriessche and flew into the right side of the net.Genk striker Wesley Sonck then had a chance to level the score, but failed tobeat Stipe Pletikosa from close range.Monaco striker Dado Prso, who was making his debut for the Croats, made it2-0 eight minutes after half-time when he headed in a cross from winger MilanRapaic.Forward Tomislav Maric made it 3-0 in the 68th minute with another headerfrom the small box, while midfielder Jerko Leko finished the scoring eightminutes later when he weaved his way through the Belgian defense with amesmerizing run and fired the ball home."It was painful," said midfielder Thomas Buffel. "When theyscored the second goal, we knew we were in trouble."The win vaulted the Croats, who were floundering in second-to-last place withonly one point from two matches, back into the running for a berth in theEuropean Championship, to be played in Portugal. The Belgians remain in secondwith six points from four matches, behind runaway leaders Bulgaria, who areundefeated in three matches, on nine points.Lineups:Croatia: Stipe Pletikosa; Dario Simic, Boris Zivkovic, Igor Tudor (Niko Kovac78th), Josip Simunic, Milan Rapaic, Robert Kovac, Giovanni Rosso (Jerko Leko46th), Tomislav Maric, Dario Srna, Dado Prso (Mario Stanic 68th).Belgium: Franky Vandendriessche, Joos Valgaeren (Jelle Van Damme 66th), TimmySimons, Olivier De Cock (Eric Deflandre 56th), Daniel Van Buyten, Peter Van derHeyden, Gaetan Englebert (Walter Baseggio 54th), Bart Goor, Emile Mpenza, ThomasBuffel, Wesley Sonck. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 03 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8107/1/E-Remembering-the-Croatian-Miracle-on-Ice.html ÂRemembering the CroatianMiracle on IceMark PavelichWhen the US Olympic hockey team won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY., the victory for the Americans would eventually be labeled as the "Miracle on ice" as a bunch of unknown collegians defeated the heavily favored Russians. The win also changed the face of professional hockey by introducing the game to an even wider American audience and introduced us to a then unknown young hockey player from Minnesota whose grit and determination would later take him to very solid NHL career.It was February 1980, the winter Olympics were starting in Lake Placid, my morning ritual consisted of reading the Chicago Sun-Times before I boarded the "L" at Harlem station on my way to school on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. There were 2-3 pages dedicated to the Olympics and the names of some of the Olympians representing the USA. One of those last names has a long-standing tradition in the NHL that dates back to the 1950's.ÂMark Thomas Pavelich was born February 28th 1958 in Eveleth Minnesota. He is the son of Croatian pre World War II immigrants that arrived in the USA from the "Lika" region of Croatia and settled in rural Minnesota in an area known as the "Iron Range". Growing up in Eveleth, like a typical "Lican" Mark liked the outdoors and would go fishing and hunting often. His other passion was playing hockey and watching his hero's Guy Lafleur and Bobby Orr on the "tube" as they worked their magic during Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts on the CBC.Â"Prvo skola a onda profesionalni hokej."After progressing through the Eveleth minor hockey system Mark Pavelich enrolled at the University of Minnesota at Duluth. In his first season with the Bulldogs Pavelich scored 12 goals and added 7 assists for a total of 19 points. His second season in the NCAA with the Bulldogs was even better as he scored 14 goals and assisted on 30 for 44 points in 36 games played. The 1978/79 season at the University of Minnesota was a breakthrough year for Mark Pavelich as he scored 31 goals and assisted on 48 others for a total of 79 points in 36 games, which at the time became the new school record. He finished 3rd in the league (WCHA) scoring race, was given NCAA West First All-American Team honors and named to the WCHA First All-Star Team as the Bulldogs finished the season in 3rd place in the WCHA Upper Division. After 3 progressive years with the Bulldogs Pavelich was starting to impress a lot of people, and there was one more year left of collage eligibility. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 03 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8111/1/E-Fishing-in-Croatia.html ÂFishing in CroatiaCheck out the last paragraph in this story concerning the potential for excellent fishing in Croatia. This appeared in the March 23, 2003 New York Times. John KraljicMarch 23, 2003Seeking God's Fish, a k a Tigris TroutBy JAMES PROSEKhe little-known trout of the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in eastern Turkey present a fascinating evolutionary puzzle for trout biologists. Both of these rivers flow to the Persian Gulf, where trout were never native. It is generally accepted that trout evolved from ocean-going relatives, so if they did not get to the headwaters from the sea then where did they come from?Toward the end of the last ice age, about 13,000 years ago, when the glaciers were melting and retreating north, a lot of excess water was flowing off inland areas and the trout had routes available to them that no longer exist.It is thought, therefore, that trout invaded the Tigris and Euphrates basins from headwater streams of the Mediterranean, Caspian and Black Seas during postglacial times (or as a result of other natural phenomena that created a connection between river drainages). Hence, these fish should be some kind of genetic hybrid of the three oceans or isolated populations of each. No one had really studied them, so nobody knew.The only published information on the Tigris trout was in a paper written in 1954 by the Italian biologist Enrico Tortonese of Torino University, entitled, "The Trouts of Asiatic Turkey." The single female specimen he observed was from a stream he called Sitak, in southeast Anatolia, which is most likely a village and river called Çatak.My friend Johannes Schöffmann, a baker from southern Austria and a fanatical trout fisherman, thought it might be interesting to go there and find them. So we organized an expedition to southeast Turkey six years ago.The word for trout in Turkish is alabalik, incorporating the prefix, ala, which can mean either a scarlet shade of red, or speckled, and balik, which means fish. I wanted to think that alabalik meant God's fish, combining Allah, or God, with balik, fish.ÂIt made sense to call this trout God's fish because it was one of the few, if not the only, native fish in Eden. The historic location of the garden was said by some to be the headwaters of the Tigris River. John Milton wrote in "Paradise Lost" that the Tigris bubbled forth near the Tree of Life itself. The trout and all fish were favored by God; after all, he chose a calamitous fate for man, the flood, that would leave the fishes temporarily displaced but ultimately unharmed.In the summer of 1997, Johannes and I traveled overland from his home in southern Austria to eastern Turkey. Our goal was to look for native trout in the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. After catching some native trout in northern Greece and in the coastal streams of the Black Sea in Turkey, we made our way to the Euphrates basin and its small tributaries northwest of Mount Ararat.Finding trout to be more or less abundant there, we headed south toward the Iraqi border and the headwaters of the Tigris. Because so little information existed on the trout of the Tigris, we were especially curious to see how distinct they were from other brown trout. These were, after all, the native trout of Eden.But the garden was not so easy to enter again. Southeast Turkey had been occupied for many years by the Turkish military in an effort to keep the Kurds from separating and establishing their own nation, Kurdistan. For this reason we - an Austrian and an American in a Land Rover - had trouble gaining access. The members of the military warned us of Kurdish guerrillas in the hills. They told us we could be kidnapped and taken hostage, but we were persistent. Army personnel searched our vehicle to see if we were a threat, but at last we appeased them with cartons of cigarettes. They laughed and started to believe that we actually wanted to catch alabalik.A van of police officers escorted us to a stream near the town of Çatak, about 25 miles from the Iraqi border. We were allowed three hours to fish in a swift and freezing cold river and caught nothing. It did not look promising. Hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles lined the road as the army prepared for a military operation in Çatak that evening. We abandoned our mission and headed west again toward the Mediterranean coast.Johannes was disappointed by our first effort but not deterred. He returned to southeast Turkey with his wife, Ida, in September 2002, when he convinced the military to let him go where he wanted, paid Kurdish militia members to guide him to the streams and caught six specimens. The red and black spots on the native Tigris trout were jagged and irregular like cracked peppercorns, and they had unusually large and rounded fins. Johannes believed that the large fins were an adaptation to living in such fast rivers.Now the trout in this region face a new threat: war. How the trout will fare only time will tell. In desperate times local people use explosives, bleach, nets and all manner of scurvy techniques to snare the fish for food. In other cases, however, the trout are the beneficiaries of war.Johannes and I saw this in Croatia last summer, where stream banks like those of the Zrmanja River were mined so heavily that native people are afraid to go there. The trout in such Balkan streams have been left untouched for more than 12 years. Their populations are among the most healthy of any trout stream I have seen; a fantastic fishing opportunity for any anglers willing to risk their lives to catch a beautiful native fish. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8110/1/H-FILIPOVIC-NOKAUTIRAO-SAPPA.html  FILIPOVIC NOKAUTIRAO SAPPAHNAHR-K1-FILIPOVIC-SportÂSAITAMA, 30. ožujka (Hina) - Hrvatski borac Mirko Filipovic nokautirao je u 1. rundi americkog gorostasa Boba Sappa na K1 turniru u japanskoj Saitami.ÂPopularni "Cro Cop" srusio je nakon samo minutu borbe 170 kilograma teskog i dva metra visokog protivnika kombinacijom udarca lijevom nogom u jetru i snaznim lijevim direktom izravno u Sappovo oko. Bivši igrac americkog nogometa, kojeg zovu "Zvijer", ostao je lezati na podu, a da prakticki nije dotaknuo hrvatskog borca.ÂFilipovic je ovu pobjedu, koja ce mu jako podici ugled medu K1 borcima, posvetio sinu Ivanu. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8112/1/E-College-basketball---Jere-Macura-Foreign-flavor-to-Sweet-16.html  Foreign flavor to Sweet 16ÂEAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State freshman Erazem Lorbek had more trouble adjusting to sarcasm and hip-hop lingo than to jumpshots and defense. The Slovenia native feels at home now, but last fall he struggled with bouts of homesickness. "I had problems adjusting to the differences and being away from family," Lorbek said. Lorbek is one of many players in the NCAA Tournament who had to get used to a new way of life in the United States. Many of the teams feature players from other countries, a trend also evident in the NBA. Besides Lorbek, they include Wisconsin's Kirk Penney of New Zealand, Pittsburgh's Donatas Zavackas of Lithuania and Texas' Sydmill Harris of the Netherlands. In the tournament, Lorbek has a team-leading 29 points and 12 rebounds; Penney has averaged 13.5 points, seven rebounds and 4.5 assists; Zavackas has contributed nine points, five rebounds and three assists a game; and Harris has scored 17. While growing up in New Zealand, Penney used to wake up at 5 a.m. to watch regular-season games, but he wasn't able to watch the NCAA Tournament. Interest in basketball is growing in his homeland, he said, but it's not one of the major sports. "Rugby and cricket dominate the scene, for sure," Penney said Wednesday. "I played the other sports: rugby, cricket and so on. I just kind of loved ball and just had my hoop at home and seemed to dedicate more time to it." Lorbek is a primary reason the seventh-seeded Spartans dominated Florida and Colorado, advancing to the Sweet 16 to face defending national champion and sixth-seeded Maryland on Friday in San Antonio. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound Lorbek was recruited by Illinois, UCLA and Georgia, but Tom Izzo was the only head coach to visit the MVP from the 2002 European Championship for Juniors in his hometown of Ljubljana, Slovenia. "He's versatile," Izzo said of his first foreign recruit. "He can shoot the 3, he's a good passer and he's a surprisingly good defensive player because he picks up on things quick." The likable, lanky Lorbek was not so smooth when it came to picking up on slang, jokes and phrases his teammates would repeat from rap songs. "My teammates would say, 'What's up, dog?' I would laugh," Lorbek said. "I mean, why 'dog'?" Michigan State's Alan Anderson, who is from Minneapolis, appeared tired of hearing many of the same questions about the tournament Tuesday. But when Lorbek's name was mentioned, his eyes lit up and he was eager to talk. "I love him, man," Anderson said. "I had never been around anybody from a foreign country so I love being around 'Raz.' His personality is special. His game is special. Everything about him is special." Lorbek's teammates laugh uncontrollably when he repeats phrases such as "Holla at your boy" -- a phase from a Jay-Z song -- and when he does impressions of Izzo. When asked what "Holla at your boy" meant, Lorbek said: "It's like, 'Hello'." Other non-American-born players still in the tournament include: Syracuse's Kueth Duany (Sudan); Kentucky's Jules Camara (Senegal) and Bernad Cote (Canada); Wisconsin's Andreas Helmigk (Austria); Pittsburgh's Levon Kendall (Canada); UConn's Denham Brown (Canada) and Justin Brown (Australia); Notre Dame's Tom Timmermans (Netherlands) and Jere Macura (Croatia); Oklahoma's Jozsef Szendrei (Hungary) and Kansas' Moulaye Niang (Senegal). letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 27 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8115/1/E-The-Croatian-Wonder.html ÂThe Croatian wonder ÂBy Brian Schmitz | Sentinel Staff WriterÂPosted March 14, 2003ÂFellow countrymenThe Magic's Gordan Giricek is one of four Croatian-born players in the NBA, and they are among 65 international players from 34 countries and territories. The other Croatians:* Dalibor Bagaric, Chicago: He's a 7-foot-1, 290-pound center who has played just five games this season. Bagaric, 22, is in his third season with the Bulls but has played in just 90 games.* Toni Kukoc, Milwaukee: The 10-year veteran is on his fourth NBA team. He first made a name for himself as a reserve forward on some powerhouse Bulls teams in the mid-'90s. Always known as a good shooter and a deft passer, Kukoc is a 6-11 reserve small forward for the Bucks.* Bruno Sundov, Boston: He turned 23 last month but already is in his fifth NBA season. The Celtics are the third NBA team for Sundov, a 7-2, 246-pound reserve center whose career-high for points (17) came against the Magic on Jan. 30, 2001, while he was with Indiana.ÂWhen you've escaped a grenade thrown in your war-torn homeland of Croatia, you aren't rattled by Gary Payton's trash-talk.When you've played basketball for $25 a week, you're so thankful to be in the NBA that you offer to give up your daily per diem after being late for the team plane.And when you've practiced on a grass court, shooting a rubber ball at a square rim on a backboard nailed to a tree, you appreciate the simplest of American-made luxuries, like a long drive to find a Krispy Kreme doughnut.If you're Gordan Giricek, you bring everything to the Orlando Magic but pretense.Giricek arrived in Orlando in a four-player trade with the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 19. He was considered a throw-in in the deal that featured Mike Miller and Drew Gooden, both former first-round picks. But in Giricek, the Magic acquired something of a throwback.They received more than a hard-nosed guard who can score and admirably fill Miller's role; they also received a refreshing dose of reality in a league often overcome by the fumes of excess and self-absorption.Playing the part of prima donna is foreign to Giricek. He may be averaging 16.8 points in his 11 games for the Magic -- second to Tracy McGrady in that span -- but his entourage numbers just one (his fiancée, Natasa). He has no visible tattoos, nor does he wear eye-popping jewelry.And how Giricek has existed in the league -- or in an increasingly wired world -- without a cell phone is beyond comprehension."Despite my numerous attempts, Gordie doesn't have one," said Marc Fleisher, Giricek's agent. "He's the only client I have who doesn't."Giricek was headed to an NBA All-Star Game function in Atlanta last month wearing jeans -- his usual attire -- until Fleisher sent him back upstairs to change into a suit. "I told him that you never know whom you'll meet," Fleisher said. "And sure enough . . ."Giricek and Fleisher promptly ran into Magic General Manager John Gabriel and Player Personnel Director Gary Brokaw. Already, the trade that would bring Giricek to Orlando was in the works. "John told Gordie, 'I'll call you soon,' " Fleisher said. "Who knows if that suit rather than the jeans made a positive impression on John? You never know."Giricek has made an impression on his team. When he got lost in Orlando en route to the airport to catch the team plane, he apologized to teammates, coaches and flight attendants as he boarded. He innocently offered to surrender his per diem as punishment. "It really opened a lot of guys' eyes because he doesn't take this life for granted," Coach Doc Rivers said."One thing I love about 'Euros' [Europeans] and guys like Gordie is they're humble. They come in with less of what I call 'The Star Complex,'" Fleisher said. "No one has been telling them how great they are forever. They haven't been catered to since they were 15."You see that in Gordie. He's not your typical rookie."Not by a long stretch. He turns 26 in June, and he already has played six seasons of pro ball, five in his native Croatia and one in Russia. Giricek, like most Croatian youth his age, grew up idolizing Drazen Petrovic, who starred in the NBA before being killed in a car accident in 1993.The son of a pipe-factory worker, Giricek moved away from his home in Zagreb in northwest Croatia as a skinny 16-year-old. He played in the junior leagues of Croatia for a paltry $25 a month.Growing up, Giricek had the use of a makeshift grass court built along a river at his grandfather's house. His grandfather nailed a backboard to a tree and put up a rim -- a square rim, made of wood.Giricek and neighborhood kids would practice all day, shooting a big rubber ball that passed for the real thing. Although he didn't have the best coaching, he gained agility playing handball and soccer as a youngster."I saw him in the juniors," Magic scout Sam Fogan said. "He had a great sense for the game, but he was so darn skinny. He got better and better, going to CSKA Moscow, the premier Euroleague, and got on our radar screen. He always had a hunger to be a great player."Giricek was drafted in the second round in 1999 by the Dallas Mavericks, who've become the United Nations of the NBA. But the Mavs immediately traded him to San Antonio, and Giricek elected to stay overseas and improve his game. Then, in 2002, the Grizzlies acquired his rights in a trade with the Spurs for a 2004 second-round draft pick and cash."I never wanted to put my name in the draft because I didn't want to be treated like a piece of flesh. I wanted to have some influence over where I played," Giricek said. "I was happy to stay in Europe and take baby steps with my game. But I knew if I was going to play in the NBA, now was the time. They might not have wanted me if I was 28 and old."Giricek shows no hesitancy to take a big shot, square up defensively or put his head down and drive to the hoop. "He's one of the reasons we've quietly improved," Rivers said."He's definitely the wild-card surprise of that trade," Milwaukee Coach George Karl said.Through his thick accent, Giricek says, "I just try to play hard as possible. I don't know how I do it. . . . Just play hard. This is very exciting for me. This is NBA, and the goal of every player in the world."McGrady slowly is warming to Giricek, who replaced Miller, T-Mac's best friend. Although McGrady says Giricek "is not Mike," he loves Giricek's ability to finish and create plays."He's really fearless," McGrady said."If T-Mac passes me the ball, I have to make the shot. I'm not afraid," Giricek said. "I'll never run from the last shot. If you saw me in Europe, I did stuff like that all the time."Maybe he's fearless because Giricek also knows the other side of the safety and security of NBA life. He knows the bloody horrors of war growing up in Croatia."I didn't see that much of it where we lived, but I remember two grenades [bombs] fell on my city," he said. "I experienced one grenade at my school. It hit a wall. It felt like an earthquake."You'd see the war on TV all the time. It was terrible. I was lucky."Giricek then climbed into his car, only to have to step on the brakes hard at the corner near TD Waterhouse Centre. A woman had left an assembled group of autograph hounds and stepped in front of his vehicle."I told them I'd get you to stop, Mr. Giricek," she said. "Now can you back me up and sign for us?"Gordan Giricek shook his head, smiled and signed away.ÂÂBrian Schmitz can be reached at bschmitz@orlandosentinel.com.http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-sptgiricek14031403mar14,0,4094410.story?coll=orl-sports-headlinesÂOp-ed: Dear All, Shower Brian with letters of appreciation. Whatan article.Best, Nenad letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8114/1/E-Zarko-Dolinar--Table-Tennis-Heritage-Collection.html ÂZarko Dolinar & Table Tennis Heritage CollectionÂOp-edTo the Ministry of Sports in Croatia and newspapers!Zarko Dolinar was an extraordinary sportsman and his name should beremembered not just in his beloved Croatia but in the whole world. If themuseums are looking for a few memorabilia items to keep his name and memory oftrue sportsman, we, as a country, should be able to accomplish this. Here is onequick response from the Table Tennis MuseumSincerely,Nenad BachDear Nenad Bach,My friend Tim Boggan * gave me the sad news about Zarko Dolinar's death.ÂPlease convey my condolences to friends and family.I am the Curator of the Table Tennis Heritage Collection - see theÂmuseum online at: http://tabletennismuseum.comThe collection will become the official ITTF Museum later this year.Hopefully the table tennis memorabilia, autographs and rackets thatÂZarko had accumulated over the years spanning his career will not goÂscattered to the winds. I would personally like to see his items in anÂappropriate setting, and what better place than the ITTF Museum, whereÂhis memories will have lots of good company!I hope you can assist in such a transition, or please connect me withÂthe right people.Thank you.Charles Hoeytennis@monriver.comÂ605 Regina DriveElizabeth, PAUSA 15037http://tabletennismuseum.comÂ* Former President of US Table Tennis Association letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8113/1/E-Overall-Winners-Cup-in-Janicas-Hands.html ÂJanica Winsit allJanica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates with all her Ski World Cup trophies on the podium after winning the women's overall competition, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday March 15, 2003. In her hands: the cup for winning the slalom; at center, the overall winner's cup. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8117/1/E-Kostelic-Family-Tonight--more-on-SHOWTIME.html ÂKostelicFamily on ShowtimeDear Nenad,Thank you for your kind words--I'm glad you liked the show. And ordering Showtime for the occasion is something Showtime absolutely loves to hear.Showtime's going to rebroadcast the show on the following dates:ÂShowtime East 03/11/03 9:00 PMÂShowtime Too East 03/13/03 7:45 AMÂShowtime Too East 03/13/03 4:00 PMÂShowtime Too East 03/16/03 11:00 AMHere's one more review that singles out the Kostelic piece. It's from the Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle:By CW NeviusSalt Lake 2002: Bud Greenspan's Stories of Olympic Glory: Documentary. Written, produced and directed by Bud Greenspan. Narrated by Will Lyman.ÂEveryone has watched the Olympics on television. But you haven't really seen the Games until documentary filmmaker Bud Greenspan explains what to look for. Nobody puts the lump in your throat like Greenspan, who understands that there is more to this athletic celebration than a ticking clock, an American flag and an endorsement deal from a shoe company.ÂThis effort, six stories from the Salt Lake City Games, is one of Greenspan's best. To be honest, some of the previous efforts -- and he has now done seven, all the way back to Los Angeles in 1984 -- have fallen a little flat.ÂThis is just a guess, but it may be that network executives have seen Greenspan's greatest strength -- focusing on the less publicized stories about athletes from countries other than the good old U.S.A. -- as a weakness.ÂThey may have been pressuring him to skip the cross-country skiers and do the big names. That would be a monumental mistake, of course, but you can see a little of that thinking at the start of the Salt Lake show. Greenspan begins with the well-worn story of Jimmy Shea. Shea competes in the skeleton -- a lugelike sled in which competitors roar down the track headfirst. .5 It's a nice tale.Shea's grandfather, Jack, won two gold medals in speedskating in Lake Placid in 1932, and his father competed in the Nordic events in the 1964 Games. When Jack was killed in a car accident, hit by a drunken driver just 17 days before the Olympics, Jimmy dedicated the competition to him, and prevailed. The only quibble is that this was done to a fare-thee-well by NBC during the Games.ÂAnyone who doesn't already know this story isn't a fan of the Olympics, and that's the core audience. Hang on, however, and you will be rewarded. The typical Greenspan story is a slow build. He shows us Janica Kostelic, a Croatian skier. OK, you think, kind of interesting that she and her brother, Ivica, are trained by their father, Ante, in Zagreb. And the fact that the war-torn country provided so few facilities that they lifted tree branches for weights and teetered along the top rail of wooden fences to improve balance.ÂYou're hooked by the time you hear how Ante drove hours to ski areas and Ivica and Janica would sleep in the car once there because they didn't have enough money for lodging. Or, when Janica recalls that when she began to win races, it was so unexpected that she had to provide her own Croatian flag for the ceremony. When she injures a knee just three weeks before the Games but still comes back to ski, and then . . . well, let's just say it is likely to be the most interested you have ever been in a Croatian ski racer.ÂGreenspan's advantage is that he can tell a story after the fact and gets in-depth interviews with the participants after they have had a chance to think the moment through.ÂIn "Salt Lake 2002," he gives a fresh twist to the Canada-USA gold medal men's hockey final, letting us see the tremendous pressure on the Canadians, who had not won "their" sport in the Olympics in 50 years. But Greenspan is best at the little stories the big networks missed.ÂAn Australian freestyle aerial skier, Alisa Camplin, is thrust into the spotlight when her teammate, Jacqui Cooper, suffers a knee injury on the final practice jump before the competition. Camplin goes for the gold, but what she doesn't know (although we do) is that her mother, whom she had forbidden to make the long trip to the United States because of the expense, is actually in the stands, hiding behind a huge Australian flag. Waterworks ensue.ÂThere is Stefania Belmondo, a spunky but apparently over-the-hill Italian cross-country skier. Belmondo, as you expect, makes a sensational run to the front, but that's when her ski pole shatters. Can she make it?ÂFinally, there is the tale of Brian Shimer, the American bobsledder. Thirty- nine years old and a four-time loser at the Olympics, Shimer was more than just a hard-luck story. Some of his teammates were openly questioning his ability. As he relives his Olympic moment, even months after the Games, he is unable to keep from getting choked up. Greenspan cuts to his wife, and she quickly finds herself overcome with emotion, too. At that point, if you are watching alone, and someone comes into the room, you might want to tell them you've got something in your eye.ÂE-mail C.W. Nevius at cwnevius@sfchronicle.com. ©2003 San Francisco ChronicleÂCheers and thanks again for watching, and for putting it up there.EricEric HamiltonCappy ProductionsNew York City letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 11 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8116/1/E-Giricek-in-NBA-All-Star-Weekend.html  Giricek in NBA All Star Weekend ÂNBA All-Star weekend starts todayBernard VassalloToday I would like to talk about a very big event happening in the USA between today and Sunday, the 2003 NBA All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.Basketball may not generate an enormous following in Malta and Europe, yet it has a large following not only in the USA but also in Asia and Australia while the African interest is gradually improving.This year s All-Star game (the first was played in 1951) is generating a lot of interest for many different reasons. One of these reasons is the fact that this will definitely be Michael Jordan s last appearance after a highly successful career. I am sure most of you, even if not basketball followers, have heard of the great MJ, regarded as the best ever player and who, throughout his impressive career, managed to create a big boom in the game's popularity.Proof of basketball's worldwide popularity is the fact that the NBA All-Star 2003 weekend will reach more than three billion people through NBA Entertainment's latest television, Internet, film and digital technologies. There will be 212 countries who will receive complete television coverage with 35 international television networks who will be on site. The game will be broadcast in 41 languages, including Chinese (Mandarin). For the first time in his career, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers received the most votes in the NBA All-Star Balloting that determines starters for the All-Star Game. Bryant received 1,474,386 votes out of the more than 4.5 million ballots cast in the last weeks.Kevin Garnett has been selected to his sixth NBA All-Star Game; Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan to their fifth; Vince Carter and Allen Iverson to their fourth; Tracy McGrady his third; Steve Francis and Jermaine O Neal to their second; and Yao Ming (the Chinese revelation this year) will be making his first appearance. Yao Ming is also the first rookie selected to start an NBA All-Star Game since Grant Hill in 1995. Head coaches for the East and West All-Star Teams are coaches whose teams have the best winning percentage in their respective conferences up till the end of January. Thus, Rick Adelman of the Sacramento Kings (31-11, .738) will coach the West, while Isiah Thomas of the Indiana Pacers (30-12, .714) will be on the sidelines for the East team. The East will wear white and the West will wear red.Washington's Michael Jordan, a 14-time NBA All-Star, and Los Angeles Lakers centre Shaquille O'Neal, selected to his 10th All-Star Game, lead the reserves for this year's event.Six teams - Boston, Dallas, Houston, Indiana, the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix - have a pair of players in the game. A total 18 NBA teams are represented on the combined East and West rosters. The selections of Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Lithuania), Steve Nash (Canada), Peja Stojakovic (Yugoslavia) and Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), along with voted-starters Tim Duncan (US Virgin Islands) and Yao Ming (China), ties the record (2002) of six international players from six countries who will participate in the All-Star Game. Ilgauskas is the first Lithuanian and Yao is the first Asian to be selected as an NBA All-Star. More internationals will be seen in the Rookie Challenge, a game held during the weekend between players who are in their first or second year in the NBA. Here one can find Manu Ginobili (Argentina, a great player on and off the field and I can personally vouch for that), Pau Gasol (Spain), Gordon Giricek (Croatia), Nene Hilario (Brazil), Andrei Kirilenko (Russia) and Frenchman Tony Parker.The weekend will also include other awaited events. One of these is the annual Slam Dunk competition (held in 1984 for the fist time with Larry Nance being the winner) which this year will feature four exciting young aerial artists in a two-round competition. Golden State's Jason Richardson will return to defend his title and there will also be Seattle's Desmond Mason, the 2001 champion. In addition to Richardson and Mason, first-timers Richard Jefferson of the New Jersey Nets and Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns will participate. The three-point shot competition (held in 1986 for the first time with shooting great Larry Bird winning the first three editions) is also held during the weekend and this year six players will compete. Stojakovic will try to defend the title won last year against the likes of Brent Barry (Seattle), Pat Garrity (Orlando), Wesley Person (Memphis), Antoine Walker (Boston) and David Wesley (New Orleans).NBA legends Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Dominique Wilkins lead a star-studded line up of NBA and WNBA players, NBA legends and celebrities competing in the All-Star Hoop-It-Up, a 3-on-3 game featuring two teams consisting of an NBA player, WNBA player, NBA legend and a celebrity. The event this year will be a 3-on-3 half court game with teams from Atlanta and Los Angeles. bernardvassallo@yahoo.co.uk letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 11 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8118/1/E-Janica-Wins-Twice.html ÂJanicaWins TwiceÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia, center, winner of a World Cupwomen's Slalom, celebrates on the podium with second placed Sweden's AnjaPaerson, left, and third placed Monika Bergmann of Germany, in Are, Sweden,Saturday, March 8, 2003. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)Kostelic gets fifthslalom victory, ends course jinxBy The AssociatedPressARE, Sweden - Janica Kostelic had already wrapped up the overall World Cuptitle before yesterday's race. So she took care of some unfinished business,winning at a place where she had never performed well.Kostelic won her fifth World Cup slalom of the season, beating Sweden's AnjaPaerson by more than half a second.Kostelic, the Olympic and world champion from Croatia, had a combined two-runtotal of 1 minute, 45.84 seconds on a course set by her father and coach, AnteKostelic."It was really nice to finally get a good result here," saidKostelic, who had never finished in the Top 10 on the course, the northernmoston the World Cup circuit. "I gave everything I had. This hill is not sochallenging, so you really must attack."Sarah Schleper of Vail, Colo., was the top American finisher, taking 26thwith a time of 1:51.68.Paerson, who won the giant slalom here Thursday for her first World Cup winon home snow, was second. More important, she moved into the same spot in theoverall standings.Kostelic, who clinched the overall title Thursday, has also secured the WorldCup slalom title this season.Copyright© 2003 The Seattle Times Company letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8122/1/E-Kickboxing-champion-quits-SA-for-Croatia.html  Kickboxing champion quits SA for Croatia ÂMike Barnardo, a superstar in Japan, seeks to relaunch careerHerman GibbsMike Barnardo, the 33-year-old former World Boxing Federation (WBF) heavyweight champion, has emigrated to Croatia. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8121/1/E-Tae-Kwon-Do-Championship.html  FITTING FINALE FOR PHIL'S 10TH YEAR ÂSix gold medals and being crowned national champions for the sixth year running made the English Tae Kwon-Do Championships a memorable one for the Exeter Schools of Tae Kwon-Do. The 24 Exeter students, comprising juniors, teenagers and adults, won 20 medals and amassed 38 points, one more than Thames Valley.More than 500 competitors from 50 tae kwon-do schools and nine different associations were in action at the Riverside Leisure Centre. They came from India, Poland, Uganda and Croatia, as well as across Britain.Exeter was chosen to host the event this year to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the Exeter Schools by senior instructor Philip Taverner, who is a fourth degree black belt. It was fitting, therefore, that two of the best performances came from Exeter students - 15-year-old yellow belt Harriet Martin and 13-year-old red belt James Clay, who both won medals after stepping up a class.Harriet's yellow belt sparring competition was cancelled because of a lack of entries so she entered blue and red belt against girls with far more experience than herself.In her first round, Harriet came up against a blue belt, but sparred aggressively and was undaunted by her opponents' greater experience and range of techniques. The judges scored the bout as a draw which meant that it had to go to extra-time. At the end of extra-time, the judges tied the event again forcing the round to a sudden death with the first competitor to score a point winning which Harriet duly did.In the second round the same thing happened, Harriet beating a blue belt in sudden death to put herself into the final.There she lost to a 17-year-old red belt who is about to take her black belt grading leaving Harriet with a well-earned silver medal to go with the gold she won in 13 to 17-year-olds yellow belt patterns.James competed in the 13-17 age group for the first time and was not expecting to repeat his previous competition success when he had been in the under-13 age group. However, in the sparring competition he claimed the gold medal after several hard fought rounds against boys older and bigger than himself.Exeter's other gold medals came from Paul Hutchings, Jenny Jacobs and Greg Bagwell in sparring and Zain Hussain in patterns. Hutchings, 21, and current member of the England first dan team, won the men's middleweight black belt sparring competition. He won bronze medals in the Junior World Championships in India 1998 and bronze and gold at the 2002 European Championships.Jacobs, 26, also a member of the England first dan team, collected the women's middleweight black belt sparring gold as well as silver in the black belts patterns. She also competed at last year's European Championships.Bagwell, 21, a red belt, won his first sparring gold in the men's heavyweight coloured belts sparring along with a bronze in the patterns.Exeter Schools of Tae Kwon-Do other Exeter medallist were: Timothy Walker, bronze sparring; Adelaida Osborne, bronze pattern, silver sparring; Andrew Merrick, silver pattern, bronze sparring; Adam Gallen, silver pattern; Jushua Sussex, bronze sparring; Lewis Guppy, bronze pattern; Becky Summers, silver patterns; Kate Bonner, bronze pattern, bronze sparring.At the closing ceremony, 15-year-old Exeter member Kevin Wolinski presented Taverner with an engraved crystal ball, on behalf his students, thanking him for 10 years of instruction.Exeter-based Swift tae kwon-do students won three gold medals at the IKBKFO Open mixed martial arts tournament in Oxford.Second degree black belt Leroy Venn, 14, won his sixth championship in a row and was declared grand slam champion.Green tag Kirsty Sheath, 12, competing in her first open tournament, won the under 4ft 10ins category, beating a male Kung Fu black belt in the final. And red tag Nikita Venn, 15, won the girls' over 5ft 4ins category to take her tally to five gold, two silver and two bronze medals in just one year.Swift tournament trophies, Gold: Lee Sills (2), Tom Spencer, Nikita Venn, Jocie Bartlett, Sam Garnsworthy Silver: Abbie Phillips, Lauren Pearce, Craig Gavin, Kirsty Sheath, Nikita Venn, Lee Sills Bronze: George Bartlett, Jack Gidley, Nikita Venn, Katie John.Source: http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=101939&command=displayContent&sourceNode=99872&contentPK=4418235. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8120/1/E-New-nickname-Croatian-Sensation.html  New nickname: Croatian Sensation ÂORLANDO - (KRT) - Running off at the typewriter . . .(Op-ed, The text is edited for CROWN)I hate to admit it, but those global accusations that we Americans are hopelessly self-absorbed might just be the tiniest bit accurate. At the Magic's game with the Mavs on Tuesday night, a local sports writer asked Magic player Gordan Giricek about being from the "the same neck of the woods as (Germany's) Dirk Nowitzki." Giricek, who is from Croatia, looked puzzled. "What is this neck of woods?" he asked. "Europe?" Exactly. Adriatic Sea, Baltic Sea, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci_they're all the same, right? . . . And isn't it laughable that Giricek is called a rookie? He's 25 years old and has been playing for pay since he was 16. For crying out loud, he's an Eastern European LeBron James. New nickname: Croatian Sensation. . . . The only chance Iraq has is if Saddam hires the refs from the Miami-Ohio State game. . . . New tradition at UM baseball games: The Seventh-Inning Handout. It's great. Everybody gets up and sings, "Take Me Out to the Illegal Baseball Camp." . . . Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis confessed years ago that he tossed his no-hitter while high on LSD, and now David Wells admits he was "half-drunk" during his perfect game. Coming soon: Nolan Ryan confesses to throwing his seven no-hitters while eating quaaludes and drinking mushroom tea. And Don Larsen had this annoying habit of going to the resin bag. You wonder now if he was squeezing it or snorting it. . . .Ed Martin, the Michigan fan who paid players such as Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Robert Traylor hundreds of thousands of dollars while they were in college, passed away recently. And none of the aforementioned players attended the funeral. That's sad_sort of like one of those old spaghetti westerns where the outlaws take your money, then leave you to die.Last word: "What really matters is whether the alphabet is used for the declaration of war or for the description of a sunrise."_Mr. Rogers. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8123/1/E-Monacos-Dado-Prso-of-Croatia---Photo.html ÂMonaco's Dado Prso of CroatiaÂMonaco's Dado Prso of Croatia (R) fights for the ball withAuxerre's Johan Radet of France (L) during the French league soccer matchbetween Monaco and Auxerre in Monaco February 23, 2003. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 26 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8119/1/E-Janica-and-Ivica-on-SHOWTIME-030303-Tonight.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂJanicaand Ivica on SHOWTIME TonightBud Greenspan, famous for his Olympic retrospectives, has as oneof his stories the success ofJanica and Ivica Kostelic. It will be broadcast on Showtime."Salt Lake 2002: Bud Greenspan's Stories of Olympic Glory"(Showtime, March 3, 9 p.m. Eastern)TomP.S. Scroll down. The second half of the article talks aboutit.Jim McKay Recalls Thrills and AgonyFebruary 24, 2003By RICHARD SANDOMIRIn many cases, letting a sportscaster write and narrate adocumentary about himself would produce an exercise inegomania. Not Jim McKay. The modesty he projected incovering everything from the Olympics to logrolling to theIndianapolis 500 to target diving is demonstrated in HBO's"Jim McKay: My Life in My Words" (tonight, 10 p.m.Eastern). There is more wonder in his words at a careerthat took him from being a police reporter for TheBaltimore Evening Sun to serving as host of ABC's "WideWorld of Sports."He describes the many events he covered "as if looking atone long police lineup."There are things you may not know about McKay: he isreally James McManus; he is insecure; and he had a nervousbreakdown in 1960 that prevented him from being the host ofthe Winter Olympics for CBS.In the 1950's, he was host of a morning show for CBS called"The Real McKay." He can be seen singing an Irish song inan old kinescope, and as the credits roll in thisdocumentary, he reprises the theme song, crooning, "We'regoing to chase all your blues away/Gonna make you feel justlike the real McKay."The documentary moves in a sweet, easy rhythm that mimicsMcKay's style. There are no memories of scores orstatistics, but many well-told tales and awe at theaccomplishments of athletes like thoroughbreds: "Why dothese champions do such things? For an extra bucket offeed? What instincts lie inside to make them want to do sowell? What makes them care so much?"He will be remembered best for how he anchored the coverageof the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 SummerGames in Munich. McKay reflects on that here, as he has inother places. But the focus is not on repeating theterrible details, but on how he viewed his role on that dayin September: the only conduit of news to the family ofDavid Berger, a weight lifter from Shaker Heights, Ohio,who emigrated to Israel in 1970 for a chance to experiencethe Olympics.David Berger was "one of those helpless men, boundtogether, blindfolded, not knowing if or when he would beexecuted," McKay says."And I would be the person in the end who would tell theBerger family if their son was alive or dead," he adds. "Ihad better be sure when I told them."When he looked into the camera lens - "the eyes of millionsof people" - he says that he only thought of the eyes ofthe Bergers upon him."I know my eyes were heavy with sorrow, and I knew what Imust say," he says. He pronounced the Israelis all dead,"They're gone." The Bergers turned off their TV, and yearslater, they thought of the role that McKay played that day."He's a mensch," Benjamin Berger says. "He's a realperson."But for all his travels for sport, the destination inMcKay's documentary is home. For many years he traveled 45weeks a year, leaving behind his wife, Margaret; son, Sean;and daughter, Mary.He loved his job, but he wanted to be home, in theprotective embrace of Margaret, a former newspapercolumnist who is as confident as McKay is self-doubting."And that smile," he says, "that incredible smile, is stilla thing of wonder to me."What also remains a thing of wonder is Bud Greenspan'sstrict refusal to acknowledge Olympic perfidy. His newest,"Salt Lake 2002: Bud Greenspan's Stories of Olympic Glory"(Showtime, March 3, 9 p.m. Eastern), follows a formula thatblocks out corruption, bribery and ethics investigations tofocus on athletes who embody the Olympic ideal. Thestrategy is almost quaint, but as the United State OlympicCommittee tries to dig itself out of an ethical andorganizational hole, it is a welcome curative.There are six stories, told with compelling cinematographyand footage from the Olympic world feed. They are all aboutovercoming obstacles, and the best one is about JanicaKostelic, the Croatian Alpine combined skier, and herbrother, Ivica, who were trained by their father.Janica Kostelic is the perfect Greenspan subject: she haslittle money and little snow to train on, sustainsdevastating knee injuries and wins three gold medals. Sheprovides rich opportunities for Olympic rhetoric, firstfrom the narrator Will Lyman: "And so it was done. Whatbegan as the dream of a father those many years ago wasfulfilled by his daughter. And it is right and proper thatwe celebrate them, for they serve as an inspiration forthis generation and generations not born."And then, from Kostelic's father, Ante: "Love for the sportis everything. There are no results without anunconditional love for the sport. This wasn't just memanipulating my children to become top-class athletes. Itis their love for the snow, the mountains and skiing."http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/24/sports/othersports/24SAND.html?ex=1047114332&ei=1&en=304b772645eb39eb letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 26 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8125/1/E-Maja-Kovacek-Receives-First-Career-MWC-Player.html  Maja Kovacek Receives First Career MWC Player of the Week Honor  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 24 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8124/1/H-Mitteleuropa-Adriatic-Cup-2003.html ÂMitteleuropa Adriatic Cup 2003Medunarodni nogometni turnir «Mitteleuropa Adriatic Cup 2003» odrzati ce se u Hrvatskoj od 16. - 21.04.2003. u apartmanima «Medena» 3 km od grada Trogira, 7 km od zraène luke Split i 30 km od grada Splita na Jadranskoj obali.ÂSudionici turnira su klubovi i nogometne skole iz srednjoeuropskih zemalja (Njemacka, Austria, Poljska, Ceska, Madarska, Slovenija, Bosna i Hercegovina te Hrvatska). Na turniru mogu sudjelovati klubovi iz drugih drzava kao i klubovi iz hrvatske dijaspore.ÂProsle godine na turniru je sudjelovalo 26 klubova i nogometnih skola (620 djecaka). Turnir je postao po broju kategorija i broju sudionika najveci na podrucju Srednje Europe i Balkana.Na ovogodisnjem turniru sudjeluju djecaci nogometasi od 8 - 16 godina starosti razvrstani po nogometnim kategorijama i godistima:1. Kadeti - 1986/87 godiste2. Pioniri - 1988/89 godiste3. Mladi pioniri - 1990 godiste4. Mladi pioniri - 1991 godiste- navedene kategorije igraju na cijelom nogometnom igralistu (10 + 1)5. Pocetnici - 1992 godisteÂ6. Pocetnici - 1993 godiste7. Pocetnici - 1994 godiste- navedene kategorije pocetnika igraju na pola igralista (8+1)Sudionici placaju petodnevni boravak na turniru (hotelski smjestaj) u iznosu od 120 Eura po igracu. U cijenu je ukljuceno 5 punih pansiona (dnevno po tri obroka + spavanje). Trener momcadi koja broji najmanje 18 djecaka nogometasa ima petodnevni kompletni puni pansion gratis (besplatan). Po dolasku na turnir na recepciji apartmana klubovi placaju svoj hotelski smjestaj. Organizator je donio odluku da se uvede pocasni gost turnira. Ta momcad ima besplatni petodnevni boravak na turniru. Ove godine je to «FC Rapid - Wien iz Austrije». Svake naredne godine pocasni gost ce biti biran iz druge srednjoeuropske drzave. Turnir se pokazao perspektivnim no kako bi podigao kvalitetu na vi¹u razinu te stvorio nagradni fond otvoren je za sponzorsku suradnju sa svim zainteresiranima.ÂKlubovi i nogometne skole mogu izvrsiti prijavu do 25.03.2003.g.ÂKontakt adresa:- e - mail: damir.milic@os.hinet.hr- tel/fax: 00385/31/500-553 HrvatskaÂDamir Milicdamir.milic@os.hinet.hrÂÂNK Hajduk pobjednici turniraÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂBlizina hotela letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 24 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8126/1/E-Giricek-Goes-From-Grizzlies-to-Orlando-in-four-player-deal.html  Giricek Goes From Grizzlies to Orlando in four-player deal ÂGiricek Goes From Grizzlies to Orlando in four-player dealGiricek's 29 points in his NBA debut against Dallas on October 30 was the fifth-highest NBA scoring debut in history.The trade came in advance of Thursday's 3 p.m.(et) NBA trading deadline. Miller, the 2000-01 NBA Rookie of the Year, was traded on his 23rd birthday. He was the second-leading scorer on the Magic this season averaging 16.4 points to go along with 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists. During the 2000-01 campaign, Miller set franchise records for most three-point field goals made (148) and most three-point field goals attempted (364) in one season by a rookie. The 23-year-old Humphrey, a rookie from Notre Dame, was averaging just 1.8 points per game for the Magic. Gooden, in his rookie season out of Kansas, comes to Orlando after averaging 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game with Memphis. The fourth overall selection in last year's draft, he has started 29 of the 51 games he's played in this season. Giricek, a 25-year-old shooting guard from Croatia and also in his rookie season, has started in 35 of the 49 games he's played in this season. Giricek left Memphis averaging 11.2 points per contest. His 29 points in his NBA debut against Dallas on October 30 was the fifth-highest NBA scoring debut in history. http://www.wokr13.tv/sports/story.aspx?content_id=154F719E-AC74-4529-B4DE-ADFB letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 23 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8128/1/E-Super-Heavyweight-Mario-Preskar-in-Golden-Gloves.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂMario Preskar in Golden Gloves Mario Preskar, 19 year old Croatian Amateur Super Heavyweight Boxing Champion has been training for the last month at Gleason's Gym inBrooklyn. Preskar,at the age of 16 was second (silver medal) at 2000 European Amateur Championships in Athens,Greece. Mario's trainer Leonard Pijetraj brought Mario to US because he couldn't find him sparring partners inEurope. Pijetraj entered Preskar in New York State Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament which produced many Olympic and World Champions including Mark Breland and Mike Tyson.His first match will be on around February 27, 2003 in New York City (update to follow). Both Mario Preskar and his trainer Leonard Pijetraj (1984 Tae-kwon-do World Championship 3rd place in Glasgow,Scotland) have visited Croatian Center in Manhattan where they have been warmly received by New York Croats.Preskar who owns boxing gym in Croatia www.leonardogym.com and has over 30 years of experience says Mario is a once in a lifetime find. Let's support Mario Preskar !Âhttp://web.vip.hr/dmandir.vip/preskar.html ÂÂhttp://web.vip.hr/dmandir.vip/pijetraj.htmlDistributed by CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8127/1/E-Mouth-Full-of-Gold--Usta-Puna-Zlata---Photo.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂIvica & Janica 3 Gold MedalsIvica Kostelic (L) of Croatia and his sister Janica show theirgold medals after the men's slalom event at the World Alpine SkiingChampionships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on February 16, 2003. Ivica won goldin the slalom, Janica in the combined event and in the slalom. Photo by LeonhardFoeger/Reuters letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8129/1/E-Ivica-World-Champion.html Distributed by CroatianWorldCroatia'sKostelic skis to 2nd gold at worldsÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂIvica Kostelic of Croatia won the slalom at the World Championships on Sunday,spoiling Bode Miller's bid for a third gold medal.Kostelic and his sister, Janica, who won the women's slalom on Saturday, becamethe first siblings to win gold medals in the same event at the worlds.Kostelic fell to his knees briefly after the race and then embraced his sister."I am full of emotion," Kostelic said, wiping tears from his cheeks."It's one of the greatest days in my life."I had to take a lot of risks. I was on the edges a lot ... You had tofight on this course until the end."Switzerland's Silvan Zurbriggen charged from seventh place to finish second,0.33 seconds behind the winner. Italy's Giorgio Rocca was third, 0.36 back.Miller, who won the giant slalom and combined and finished second in the SuperG, finished sixth. He was trying to become the first American to win four medalsat worlds, finished sixth.Kostelic, who has won three slalom races this season and leads the World Cupslalom standings led after the first run and protected his advantage lead tocapture his first major title. He covered the relatively flat Corviglia coursein 1 minute, 40.66 seconds.Miller had a troubled first run, losing his left ski pole halfway down thecourse and 0.90 back. He also had a difficult second run, but managed to improveto places to sixth."I lost a lot of time in the first run. A gate hit me in the wrist and itslowed me down, I couldn't feel my hand after that," Miller said. "Iwas surprised I actually made it down, so to still be in the top six isn't toobad. I took a ton of risks in the second run but I had mistakes."Miller finished the two-week event as the first American to win three medals ata championship and the first to win two golds."It would have been nice to win another medal but it didn't happen,"Miller said. "Ivica had a great run, he showed why he is the champion. Hetook the World Cup title over me last season and I am not surprised hewon."American Chip Knight finished 12th; Tom Rothrock, who had the fastest secondrun, shared 13th place and Erik Schlopy finished in a tie for 16th.Austria's Benjamin Raich, second after the first run, fell to fourth, andcountryman Manfred Pranger, third after the first heat, slipped to fifth. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8130/1/E-Kostelic-Crowned-Queen-of-St-Moritz.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂBest Skier on the Planet Wins A Gold AgainCroatian supporters cheer theirskiers during the women's slalom at the Alpine Ski World Championships in St.Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003. A large contingent of Croat skifans were attending Saturday's women's slalom where Croatia'sJanica Kostelic is favourite to take the gold medal.(AP Photo/Keystone, Gaetan Bally)Austria's Marlies Schild, silver, Croatia'sJanica Kostelic, gold, and Austria's Nicole Hosp, bronze, from left to right,stand on the podium during the flower ceremony for the women's slalom at theWorld Alpine Ski Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, Feb.15,2003. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)- Feb 15 12:32 PM ETKostelic Crowned Queen of St. MoritzSat February 15, 2003 09:03 AM ETÂBy Julia FergusonSt. MORITZ, Switzerland (Reuters) - Triple Olympic champion Janica Kostelic stormed to her second gold medal at the Alpine skiing world championships on Saturday to underline her status as the most gifted slalom racer of her generation.The 21-year-old all rounder from Croatia, leading after the first leg, pulled off another clean and dynamic charge down the sun-drenched Engiadina course to clock a combined time of one minute 39.55 seconds.Austrian Marlies Schild captured silver, a gaping 0.63 seconds behind Kostelic, with compatriot Nicole Hosp taking bronze on one minute 40.46 seconds for her second medal at her first world championships."I feel really great. Usually I used to say that world championships are not really important for me, but now when I see how it's going and everything I'm really happy with what I've done," a jubilant Kostelic said."I really like gold medals a lot," the double St. Moritz champion, who clinched gold in the combined, added.The two-leg race was a thrilling spectacle to the very end. Swede Anja Paerson, a pre-race favorite, threw down the gauntlet with a blistering second run that propelled her way into the lead after lagging in 15th place, 1.6 seconds behind Kostelic.The extrovert Paerson, gold medallist in the giant slalom, had been bidding to become the first woman to successfully defend a slalom world title since German Christl Cranz 65 years ago at Engelberg, Switzerland.Her time held until the 19-year-old Hosp, silver medallist in the combined and lying third after the first run, held her nerve and overtook the Swede.ECLIPSED ALLSchild then grabbed the lead before the formidable Kostelic eclipsed all despite racing with a sore shoulder and pushed Paerson into the unpopular spot of fourth, 1.03 seconds adrift of the winning pace.The pigtailed Kostelic came to this swanky Swiss resort without a previous medal at the bi-annual championships. She leaves St. Moritz as the most decorated female skier from the five events.Kostelic, runaway leader in the overall World Cup standings and the first skier to capture four Alpine medals at a single Olympic Games at Salt Lake City, has won four of the season's seven races, with Paerson securing the remaining three."My shoulder was painful especially at the start, I had a lot of trouble starting, but I just wanted to put it on the side," Kostelic said."If Anja would have had a good first run and then that perfect second run, then I probably wouldn't have won," the Croat said of Paerson's top second-leg time of 49.66 seconds on the course set by her father Anders.YOUNG GUNSThe strong showing by Austria's young slalom racers is further proof, if needed, of the mighty Alpine nation's depth of talent in the dangerous sport. It was their first medal in the women's slalom for decade."I'm pretty speechless and am absolutely over the moon," said Schild, who has never won on the World Cup, but who was tipped by Kostelic's father at the start of the season as being Janica's closest rival."This is compensation for the combined," the 21-year-old added in reference to just missing out on a medal in that event.Team mate Hosp, the most consistent racer among the women's team this season, was typically cool before both runs. "I was very relaxed because I already had my medal," she said.With only the men's slalom on Sunday left, the two helped Austria tighten their stranglehold on the medals table with a total of nine from nine events, three ahead of the United States.Fellow Alpine nation France, by contrast, has had a miserable time at this competition. One of their last-gasp medal contenders, slalom World Cup champion and Olympic silver medallist Laure Pequegnot, finished a disappointing seventh.Germany is also without a medal, but unlike France, has scant chance of a podium finisher in the final men's slalom race as not a single racer is ranked in the top 15 slalom standings. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 15 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8131/1/EH-Golden-Janica-Zlatna-Janica.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂZlatna JanicaGolden JanicaCroatia's Janica Kostelic shows the gold medal she won in thewomen's combined at the Alpine Ski World Championships in St. Moritz,Switzerland, Monday, Feb. 10, 2003. (AP Photo/Keystone/Fabrice Coffrini) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 12 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8134/1/E-Ivan-Ljubicic---The-weekend-of-his-life-Croatia-Usa-41.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂThe weekend of his life?Â(op-ed) Or Just a start!ÂLjubicic almost singlehandedly dooms U.S. hopesPosted: Sunday February 09, 2003 8:56 PMZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Ivan Ljubicic almost gave up playing Davis Cup six years ago.ÂThe Americans wish he had.ÂLjubicic and his Croatian teammates ousted the United States from the first-round of the Davis Cup on Sunday, thesecond time in three seasons that the Davis Cup's most successful nation has bowed out early.ÂLjubicic, 23, won the deciding match when he defeated American No. 1 James Blake 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 to give Croatiaan insurmountable 3-1 lead. In the inconsequential second singles, Mario Ancic defeated Taylor Dent to give Croatia a4-1 victory.ÂThe Americans still can't win without their top players. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi have "retired" from Davis Cupand their No. 1 rising star Andy Roddick was absent this time with a wrist injury.ÂThe United States has won more Davis Cups than anybody else, but not since 1995. Now it faces a playoff in Septemberto stay in the Davis Cup elite 16 and could face possible opponents like Thailand, India, Venezuela or Italy.ÂAmerican captain Patrick McEnroe, who has not won an away match since taking over two years ago, praised Ljubicic.Â"I think he had the weekend of his life," he said.ÂLjubicic was overpowering, winning three "live rubber" matches against the United States to become only the ninthplayer in Davis history to do it.ÂHe racked up 29 aces against Blake to go with 30 against Mardy Fish on Friday. He had 22 combining with GoranIvanisevic in doubles. Croatia will play in Spain in the quarterfinals. Neither Croatia nor the former Yugoslavia has everreached the Davis Cup final.ÂLjubicic grew up as a Croatian living in neighboring Bosnia and fled his war-torn homeland in 1992. He learned some ofhis tennis when an Italian club brought the rising young star to Italy to escape the war and practice.ÂBy 1997, he was good enough to be on Croatia's team playing a Davis Cup match in Finland. But he lost three straightmatches and felt so bad he almost gave up Davis Cup.Â"I was as low as possible. I felt like I wasn't going to play Davis Cup anymore. The feeling at the time was: 'I don't needthis.'" He changed his mind. Blake had a few scattered chances against Ljubicic, but the Croatian's serve was too much on the fast indoor court. AndBlake was unable to control play from the baseline when there were rallies.ÂThe match swung in the third set.ÂBlake broke serve in the third game, ending Ljubicic's run of 42 service games in the tie without a break. But Ljubicicbroke back in the eighth game, evening the set at 4-all.ÂBlake suddenly lost his concentration in the game and fell behind love-40, shouting out to a fan: "Put the sign down." Afan in the stands replied: "Go home James."ÂBlake was never the same after that. Ljubicic held serve in the next game, and then broke Blake to win the set.The final set was the most lopsided as a dispirited Blake was unable to hold off Ljubicic, who won the match when Blakenetted a forehand.Â"That comeback in the third set I think was the key of the match," Ljubicic said. "He [Blake] slowed down a little bit,missed a couple of balls. I hit a great passing shot. It all happened very quick I didn't even have a chance to think aboutit."ÂBlake said Ljubicic's serve was too big. He also failed to convert the few chances he had.Â"You don't get any rhythm on his serve, and on your serve you have to be so focused because you know he can hit fouraces the next game letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8132/1/E-Janicia-Kostelic-WORLD-CHAMPION-wins-combined-gold.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂJanicia Kostelic, Champion of the World,ÂWinsCombined GoldCroatia's Janica Kostelic skis to the gold medal in the Women'sCombined at the World Alpine Ski Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland MondayFeb. 10, 2003. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)Croatia's gold medal winner Janica Kostelic, center, is flankedby Austria's Nicole Hosp, left, who took the silver, and Switzerland's MarliesOester, who took the bronze, during the flower ceremony for the Women's Combinedat the World Alpine Ski Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland Monday Feb. 10,2003. (AP Photo/Rudi Blaha)Janica Kostelic of Croatia in action during the downhill part ofthe women's combined event at the World Alpine Skiing Championships in St.Moritz, Switzerland, on February 10, 2003. Kostelic clocked the 12th fastesttime in the downhill in one minute, 18.81 seconds. REUTERS/Marcus GygerFIS Alpine World ChampionshipsJanicia Kostelic wins combined gold in duel with Austria's Nicole HospSt. Moritz, SwitzerlandFebruary 10, 2003 Nicole Hosp of Austria, just 19, picked up her first world championship medal, silver in the women's combined.ReutersÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia ripped through the second run of the women's combined slalom Monday at St. Moritz, Switzerland, to take the combined gold, her first world championship medal.ÂKostelic, the overall World Cup leader, had the fastest second run by 0.11 seconds, and needed it to hold off Austrian teenager Nicole Hosp, who also won her first World Championship medal. she finished 0.06 seconds back. Hosp, 19, had been leading after the first run of slalom. The bronze medal went to Marlies Oester of Switzerland, 2.20 seconds out, giving the home team three medals in the last three events.ÂFor the U.S. team, Julia Mancuso had the top finish, in seventh place. Another U.S. junior racer, Resi Stiegler, finished 10th in her World Championship debut. Caroline Lalive was 13th.ÂIn 12th place after the combined downhill section, Kostelic moved through the field in the two slalom runs, much as the USA's Bode Miller had done en route to his gold in the men's combined, to clinch victory with a time of 2:41.63.ÂKostelic, 21, who suffered a career-threatening knee injury in this Swiss resort in 1999, was hampered by pain from the same knee throughout the event and needed painkillers before the morning downhill. After her typically aggressive second slalom run, she clutched her knee in obvious discomfort.ÂFIS Alpine World ChampionshipsÂWomen's CombinedÂSt. Moritz, SwitzerlandÂFeb. 10, 2003Â1. Janica Kostelic (Croatia) 2:41.63 (downhill 1:18.81/slalom first leg 41.52/ slalom second leg 41.30)Â2. Nicole Hosp (Austria) 2:41.69 (1:18.25/41.91/41.53)Â3. Marlies Oester (Switzerland) 2:43.83 (1:19.48/42.25/42.10)Â4. Marlies Schild (Austria) 2:43.85 (1:19.83/42.61/41.41)Â5. Maria Riesch (Germany) 2:44.60 (1:18.38/43.91/42.31)Â6. Martina Ertl (Germany) 2:45.02 (1:20.15/42.27/42.60)Â7. Julia Mancuso (U.S.) 2:45.30 (1:18.69/44.05/42.56)Â8. Jessica Lindell-Vikarby (Sweden) 2:45.31 (1:18.18/44.62/42.51)Â9. Sarka Zahrobska (Czech Republic) 2:45.51 (1:19.68/44.13/41.70)Â10. Resi Stiegler (U.S.) 2:45.65 (1:19.93/43.96/41.76)Â11. Emily Brydon (Canada) 2:45.84 (1:18.77/44.54/42.53)Â12. Lea Dabic (Slovenia) 2:45.98 (1:18.73/44.61/42.64)Â13. Caroline LaLive (U.S.) 2:46.70 (1:19.14/44.12/43.44)Â14. Genevieve Simard (Canada) 2:46.82 (1:19.24/44.46/43.12)Â15. Fraenzi Aufdenblatten (Switzerland) 2:47.49 (1:18.80/45.30/43.39)Â16. Carolina Ruiz Castillo (Spain) 2:49.13 (1:19.87/45.69/43.57)Â17. Maria Belen Simari Birkner (Argentina) 2:49.67 (1:21.40/45.28/42.99)Â18. Hedda Berntsen (Norway) 2:49.93 (1:21.66/45.22/43.05)Â19. Dagny Kristjansdottir (Iceland) 2:51.67 (1:19.54/47.51/44.62)Â20. Kelly Vanderbeek (Canada) 2:52.84 (1:18.67/48.19/45.98)Â21. Macarena Simari Birkner (Argentina) 2:54.40 (1:21.58/48.22/44.60)ÂDNF SL 2nd:ÂRowena Bright (Australia)ÂIsabelle Huber (Germany)ÂDNS SL 1st:ÂKaren Putzer (Italy)ÂDNF SL 1st:ÂJana Staffenova (Slovakia)ÂCatherine Borghi (Switzerland)ÂJanette Hargin (Sweden)ÂChristine Sponring (Austria)ÂDSQ SL 1st:ÂChimene Alcott (Britain)ÂDNS DH:ÂJonna Mendes (U.S.)ÂIsolde Kostner (Italy).ÂSource: http://www.skiracing.com/finish_line/news_displayFl.php/987/FINISH_LINE/newsArticles/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8133/1/E-Ljubicic-Gives-Croatia-3-1-Davis-Cup-Win-Over-US.html Distributed by CroatianWorld Ljubicic Gives Croatia 3-1 Davis Cup Win Over U.S. ZAGREB Feb 9 (Reuters) - IvanLjubicic gave Croatia an unexpected 3-1 winning lead over the United States intheir Davis Cup world group first-round tie when he beat James Blake, 6-3, 6-7,6-4, 6-3, in the first reverse singles Sunday.Ljubicic belted down 28 aces as he came from a service break down in thethird set to claim victory in two hours 46 minutes. The victory also makesLjubicic only the ninth player in 252 Davis Cup ties against the U.S. to win allthree live rubbers.ÂCroatia, in the quarter-finals for only the second time in their shorthistory, face a tough tie away to Spain."This is big for me, especially because I won all three matches,"Ljubicic said. "When you are number one, your team mates expect you to winat least two matches, maybe three, so it's a lot of pressure. But I didn't feelone bit of nerves yesterday or today."Blake was the highest-ranked player in the tie at number 24, but the Ljubicicserve was the dominant weapon of the weekend and he once again used it todevastating affect in a buzzing atmosphere inside Hall Dom Sportiva.A break in the sixth game gave Ljubicic the first set in 34 minutes, butBlake pinched the second set on a tiebreak 7-5 to level the match.Ljubicic lost his footing and slipped in the second game of the third set andas he took his time to recover his poise, Blake broke for a 2-1 lead. It was thefirst time the towering Croatian had lost his serve all weekend in 43 servicegames.ÂTURNING POINT But at 4-3, Blakesuddenly lost his way dropped his serve to love. That, Ljubicic, said was theturning point."I think that was the key, because suddenly I won the setwithout really thinking about it, which is good for me," hesaid."James is a great player, but I don't think he played as well from thebaseline as he did Friday." Having broken Blake in the sixth game of the fourth setfor a 4-2 lead, Ljubicic's nerves looked in danger of fraying when he wasserving for the match just a few moments later.But his serve came to the rescuewhen Blake earned three break back points. Ljubicic held firm and a forehandinto the net from Blake prompted the entire arena to explode in celebration.Theteam had their own bizarre version of expressing their joy by crawling togetheralong the tramlines in formation. A crestfallen Blake said "I think this probably isthe most emotionally (difficult) defeat to take."I don't think it wasnerves (at 4-3 in the third set), I think I missed an easy volley, he had agreat point and then I missed a forehand. At 0-40, you're bound to get a littletentative."Blake said it had been hard to find his normal rhythm againstLjubicic."He really doesn't let you get in rhythm because he doesn't have asecond serve," Blake said"He has two first serves. If he keeps servinglike that, or getting better like he says he can, then after the indoor season,I think we'll see him in the top 10." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8137/1/E-Juventus-Igor-Tudor-of-Croatia.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂJuventus' IgorTudor of CroatiaÂJuventus' Igor Tudor of Croatia, right, and Empoli's Vincenzo Grella jump fora ball during the Italian League soccer match between Juventus and Empoli atTurin's Delle Alpi stadium, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2003. (AP Photo/Massimo Pinca) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 08 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8136/1/E-Purdues-Ivan-Kartelo-of-Croatia---Basketball.html Distributed by CroatianWorld Ivan Kartelo of CroatiaMinnesota's Rick Rickert, left, puts in two of his game-high 26 points in front of Purdue's Ivan Kartelo (5) of Croatia during the second half Saturday, Feb. 8, 2003 in Minneapolis. Minnesota won 90-68.(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 08 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8135/1/E-Croatia-leads-US-2-1-in-Davis-Cup.html Distributed by CroatianWorld Croatia Leads USA 2:1 in Davis Cup Â ZAGREB Feb 8 (Reuters) - Goran Ivanisevic andIvan Ljubicic produced a stunning comeback from two sets down to squeeze pastJames Blake and Mardy Fish 3-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 and give Croatia a 2-1 leadover the United States in the first-round tie on Saturday. After being thoroughly outplayed for the first two sets, Ivanisevic, weakenedby an arm injury and playing his first top-level match since shoulder surgerylast May, somehow lifted his game and the Croatian pair snatched the third seton a tiebreak, winning it 7-5. Roared on by an intimidating crowd in Hall Dom Sportiva, Ivanisevic andLjubicic broke the Fish serve to love at the start of the fourth set andmaintained the advantage to level at two sets apiece after more than two and ahalf hours of intense play. The deciding set with serve until the ninth game, when Blake was unable tomake a low volley from Ivanisevic's attempted pass. Ljubicic then served out togive a jubilant Croatia team an incredible victory.ÂLjubicic will meet Blake in the first of the reverse singles on Sunday, while18-year-old Mario Ancic is scheduled to play Fish in the final match of the tie. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 08 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8138/1/E-Croatia-leads-US-1-0-Ljubicic-wins.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂCroatia leads U.S. 1-0 Ljubicic winsThe U.S. Davis Cup team with Taylor Dent,Robby Genepri, James Blake and Mardi Fish pose with the Croatian team membersMario Ancic, Ivan Ljubicic, Lovro Zovko and Goran Ivanisevic, from left, inZagreb on Thursday Feb. 6, 2003, after the draw for the Croatia against USADavis Cup first round tournament to be played in Zagreb this weekend. (AP Photo/HrvojeKnez)February 7, 2003 Print itÂAssociated PressÂZAGREB, Croatia -- Ivan Ljubicic served 30 aces and beat Mardy Fish 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 Friday to give Croatia a 1-0 lead over the United States in the first round of the Davis Cup. James Blake had a chance to tie the best-of-five series later Friday against Mario Ancic on the quick indoor court. Ljubicic's string of brilliant serves demoralized Fish, who was making his Davis Cup singles debut. The Croatian ended the match with an ace.Â"I've never played anybody with a serve like that," said Fish, who had 11 aces. His only previous Davis Cup match was in doubles. Ljubicic improved his Davis Cup record to 15-10. He overcame 16 double faults, including two in the final game. "My strategy is pretty much to go for it on the serve and not have to play," Ljubicic said.ÂThe inexperienced U.S. team is without its top player, Andy Roddick, who has tendinitis in his right wrist.ÂIn Saturday's doubles, Blake and Fish will face Ljubicic and 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic. Ivanisevic has not played a competitive match since shoulder surgery in May. He expects his left arm to hurt Saturday.Â"It's going to be painful. Now we're going to see how big the pain is going to be," Ivanisevic said. "We'll see if I can survive with the pain for three or four hours or not." Ivanisevic said the pain had moved to his elbow and biceps -- but only on the serve. That's his biggest weapon, of course. "You don't play the United States every day. Especially not at home," the 31-year-old Croatian said. "It doesn't matter who plays for them; they can make 10 teams in Davis Cup. For me it's very important to play and very important for us to win and I'm going to do everything to play on Saturday.Â"If I have to walk on my head all day today and sleep on the street to play, I'll do that."ÂThe United States has won the Davis Cup a record 31 times, but its last title came in 1995.ÂCopyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.ÂSource: http://www.sportingnews.com/tennis/articles/20030207/455497.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 07 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8141/1/E-Janica-training-in-St-Moritz-Switzerland.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂCroatia'sJanica Kostelic speeds down the courseCroatia's Janica Kostelic speeds down the courseduring the women's second downhill training at the World Alpine SkiChampionships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 5 , 2003. (APPhoto/Keystone/Eddy Risch) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 06 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8140/1/E-Americans-In-Zagreb.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂAmericans in ZagrebAmericans Mardy Fish (L), James Blake and thecoach Patrick McEnroe (R) follow the draw for their Davis Cup tie againstCroatia in Zagreb, February 6, 2003. In spite of absence of Andy Roddick, theU.S. team is confident it will win the Croatian tie this weekend. REUTERS/NikolaSolic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 06 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8139/1/E-Croatias-Prosinecki-launches-sports-magazine.html ÂCroatia'sProsinecki launches sports magazine ÂAgence France-Presse ZAGREB, Croatia (AFP) - Croatian midfielder Robert Prosinecki on Wednesday presented the first issue of his sports weekly Rekord.The 34-year-old veteran, currently playing for Slovenian first division side Olimpija, said he would focus on journalism after leaving professional soccer."Even after I finish my career I would like to stay in touch with sport, but in a different manner as I have no intention of being a coach or a manager," Prosinecki told reporters."After the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, I came up with the idea to start a quality sports magazine."In the first issue, Prosinecki has conducted an interview with Croatia's former coach Miroslav Blazevic. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 05 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8144/1/E-Croatia-World-Handball-Champions-2003.html ÂCroatiaWorld Handball Champions 2003From correspondents in Lisbon03feb03CROATIA have won their first men's handball worldchampionship, beating Germany 34-31 in the final. Croatia, Olympic champions in1996 and silver medallists at the 1995 worlds, advanced to the final by beatingSpain. France, who won the world championship in2001, finished third, beating Spain 27-22. Olympicchampions Russia took fifth after beating Hungary 30-25 and Iceland toppedYugoslavia 32-27 for seventh place and a spot in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.Only the top seven teams at the worlds qualify for the Olympics. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8143/1/E-Kroatien-ist-Weltmeister---Video-of-World-Champions.html ÂKroatienist Weltmeister!Clickhere: MDR Multimedia Konsolehttp://www.mdr.de/MMC/538706--''-d-RealG2Video.htmlNenad,Technology is amazing! I just watched over a German website a two minutevideo clip about the victory of Croatia over Germany. As they put itin the end:Kroatien ist Weltmeister!laku noc,Michael Spudic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8142/1/E-Croatia-euphoric-after-its-team-wins-World-Championship.html  Croatia euphoric after its team wins handball World Championship  Sun Feb 2, 2:47 PM ET ZAGREB, Croatia - Celebratory shots exploded asthe Croatian handball team won its first men's world championship on Sunday  an unexpected but cherished victory."Magnificent!" shouted Bozo Susec, a sports commentator of thenational TV's third channel, which aired the match live. "Each of them is ahandball maestro!"Croatia beat Germany 34-31 in the championship match, which was played inPortugal.When the Croatian team, the Olympic titlist in 1996 and a silver medal winnerat the 1995 worlds, moved to the finals, most Croats, otherwise largelyuninterested in handball, began watching the games.On Sunday, people hurried home and stayed glued to TV sets. In a shoppingmall, crowded on Sundays, people forgot about shopping and stood in front of TVsets, commenting and screaming with joy."They're just fantastic!" beamed Ivica Darkic, a 31-year-oldcomputer expert. "No one was paying attention to them, really, and now theygave us this great victory."All my respect and love, boys!" he screamed at the TV."I'm so proud! Proud, and arrogant, to be Croat at this moment, becausetheir victory was pure and without mistake," said Boris Snajder, 36, amusic teacher.Many braved the cold to go out and celebrate with friends on the streets ofZagreb, the capital.The top seven teams at the worlds qualify for the 2004 Olympics.Despite earlier victories, the Croatian handball team never got muchattention at home. Croatians worshipped Goran Ivanisevic, last year's Wimbledonchampion, ski sensations Janica and Ivica Kostelic and the national soccer teamthat finished third at the 1998 World Cup in France.In the past few days, however, nearly everyone became familiar with VladoSola, the goalie who dyes his hair red; coach Lino Cervar and the names of theother players. The largest daily, Vecernji list, published their poster for theMonday edition. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8147/1/E-Northwesterns-Davor-Duvancic-from-Croatia.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂNorthwestern's DavorDuvancic, from CroatiaÂOhio State's Sean Connolly (3) colides with Northwestern'sDavor Duvancic, from Croatia, in the first half in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday,Feb. 1, 2003. (AP Photo/Chris Putman) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8146/1/E-Zvonimir-Soldo-and-Josip-Simunic-from-Croatia.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂZvonimir Soldo andJosip Simunic from CroatiaStuttgart's Zvonimir Soldo from Croatia, below, and Berlin'sJosip Simunic from Croatia, top, fight for the ball during the first divisionsoccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Hertha BSC Berlin in the Gottlieb DaimlerStadium in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. Stuttgartwon, 3-1. (AP Photo/Jan Pitman) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8145/1/E-Germany-and-Croatia-reach-world-handball-final.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂGermany and Croatia reach world handball finalSpanish player R.A. Entrerios (L) struggleswith Croatian Bozidar Jovic during their semi-final match of the World HandballChampionships held at the Atlantic pavilion in Lisbon February 1, 2003.REUTERS/Jose Manuel RibeiroGermany and Croatia reach world handball finalÂSat Feb 1, 2:47 PM ETÂLISBON, Portugal - Germany and Croatia will meet Sunday in the final match of the men's handball world championships.ÂCroatia, the Olympic titlist in 1996 and a silver medal winner at the 1995 worlds, advanced to the final by beating Spain 39-37 Saturday while European runner-up Germany beat defending champion France 23-22.ÂSpain and France will battle for third place.ÂAlso, Olympic champion Russia and Hungary qualified for the 2004 Olympics in Athens by beating their opponents in the classification round.ÂRussia defeated Iceland 30-27, while Hungary beat Yugoslavia 34-33. Russia will play Hungary Sunday for fifth place, while Iceland faces Yugoslavia in the seventh-place match.ÂThe top seven teams qualify for the Olympics. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 01 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8148/1/E-Atalanta-signs-Croatias-Davor-Vugrinec.html ÂAtalanta signs Croatia's Davor VugrinecÂMILAN (Reuters) -- Atalanta have signed Croatian international forward Davor Vugrinec from Serie B club Lecce. Atalanta said on Thursday that Vugrinec, a member of Croatia's World Cup squad, had signed a deal running until June 2006. The pacy Vugrinec can operate as either a striker or a winger and impressed during Lecce's doomed battle against relegation from Serie A last season. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/2003/01/30/italy_rdp/. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 31 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8149/1/E-Croatia-Winning-at-the-Hanball-World-Championship.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂso far ...CroatiaWinning World Championship in PortugalÂTEAM HANDBALL - RUKOMETCroatia Wins Preliminary Round at the World Championship in Portugal. By beating SaudiArabia, Russia, France and Hungary. Croatia's Men qualified for the next round where they are grouped withDenmark, Egypt and Russia. Since results from earlier round count in which Croatia beat Russians 28:26 our guys have 2points. Our next matches are 1-29-03 against Egypt and day later 1-30-03 againstDenmark. First place teams from 4 groups go to the medal round which begins February 1.Top 7 teams qualify for the Olympics 2004 in Greece.RUKOMET - SVJETSKO PRVENSTVOÂhttp://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/rukomet/rukomet_mainsp10.aspÂhttp://www.handballwc2003.com/site/default.asp?id_lang=enToday Croatia beats Egypt. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 29 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8150/1/E-Vote-for-Croatian-American-Baseball-Heroes.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂVote for Mickey Lolich and Roger MarisThe following was forward to me by Richard Lolich. John Kraljicwww.baseballhalloffame.orgÂThere is an opportunity for two, not one, Croatian-Americans to be votedinto Baseball's Hall of Fame! Mickey Lolich and Roger Maris are on thePlayers ballot of the 2003 Veterans Hall of Fame Committee.All of us can help ensure they get enough votes by e-mailing or writing tothe committee.Mickey Lolich, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, winner of the1968 WorldSeries, with a lifetime record of 217-191 and holder of the AmericanLeague's strikeout >record for left handed pitchers, is one of thecandidates. Mickey's grandparents both emigrated to the U.S. fromDalmatia, near the city of Split.Roger Maris, another Croatian-American, played for 12 seasons, primarilywith the New York Yankees. He broke Babe Ruth's single-season home runrecord in 1961. He retired with a career batting average of .260.The Veterans Committee is voting during January, so it's important that wewrite or e-mail them and encourage them to vote for both Mickey Lolich andRoger Maris. To e-mail them, log onto the website www.baseballhalloffame.orgÂThen click on "view the ballot." Go to thebottom of the page and click on "Committee on Baseball Veterans." Once onthat page, click on "view the ballot" and click on "sending usan e-mail." Tell them to vote for Mickey Lolich and Roger Maris. If youwant to write to the Committee, send your letter to: Hall of Fame VeteransCommittee, Post Office Box 590, Cooperstown, NY 13326.This is something positive which we can all do for ourCroatian-American >community. Please be sure to do it soon, since thevoting stops at the end of this month. Results will be announced near theend of February. Good luck to both Mickey and Roger!Richard LolichArlington, VA Roger Maris 1934-1985 Roger Maris was Baseball's Single-Season Home Run King from 1961-1998. He hit 61 home runs during the 1961 season while he was a member of the New York Yankees. Maris also played for the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals. Raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Maris was a football and basketball star at Shanley High School. He played in the American League after trying out with the Chicago Cubs. Maris began playing for the Cleveland Indians in 1959, and hit 14 home runs. In 1958 and 1959, he hit 28 and 16 homers respectively, while playing for Kansas City. Maris was traded to the Yankees in 1960, and his legend began. He was voted Most Valuable Player in the American League that year, after hitting 39 home runs with 112 RBIs. The year 1961 saw Maris blast 61 home runs, one more than Babe Ruth hit in a season, and again Maris was named MVP. Maris held the major league home run record until 1998, when Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals broke it. MICKEY LOLICH | MickeyLolich became a regular starter in the Tiger rotation in 1964, only hissecond year with the big club. Lolich was the unexpected hero of the 1968 WorldSeries, winning three games. In 1971 and 1972, he had back-to-back 20-gamevictory seasons. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 27 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8156/1/E-I-would-walk-to-Tibet-if-I-knew-that-would-help---Goran-says.html Distributed by CroatianWorld I would walk to Tibet if I knew that wouldhelpDesperate Ivanisevic asks God to ease shoulder painReutersZAGREB: fter the briefest of returns to tennis this week, former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic is back in the pit of despair because of the pain in his shoulder.Â"I have never, ever been so lost, I haven't got a clue what to do. This is the worst I've ever felt in my whole career. There have been times when I lost all the matches I played, but I have never been so desperate," the Croatian said.ÂOn Tuesday, Ivanisevic - Wimbledon champion in 2001 - won his first match since shoulder surgery in May in a challenger tournament in Heilbronn, Germany.ÂOn Thursday, he had to withdraw in pain from his next match after losing the first four games.Â"The pain was incredible, I cannot compare it to anything," the 32-year-old told Croatian sports gazette Sportske Novosti on Friday. "My arm hurt, I could not serve, I could not hit a backhand or a volley, I could not do anything. "I keep telling myself God had taken me too literally when I asked him 'Please, please let me win Wimbledon and I need never have to play tennis again'."Â"Now I have to ask him to soften, I do want to play some more. I shall soon have a son and I would like him to see me play on the court, rather than just hear stories about me."ÂIn 2001 Ivanisevic became the first wildcard entry to win Wimbledon, beating Australian Pat Rafter in a dramatic final. The fiery Croat -- who had lost three previous Wimbledon finals -- said then his prayers to God had been answered.He is due to marry his girlfriend, Tatjana Dragovic, and have a baby son later this year.ÂBefore the pain returned, Ivanisevic had said he would play doubles for Croatia in their Davis Cup first round tie against the U.S. in February.Â"Davis Cup? I cannot think of anything at the moment, let alone Davis Cup. I might start thinking about it after a day or two but now I have no idea," he said.ÂIvanisevic said he would go to soccer club Bayern Munich for herbal injections that might help.Â"I am in such a bad condition that I would walk to Tibet if I knew that would help." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 26 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8155/1/E-Janica-on-the-podium-again.html Janica on the podium again! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 26 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8154/1/E-Ivica-Kostelic-continues-to-the-top.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂIvica Kostelic continues tothe topDefending World Cup champion Ivica Kostelic ofCroatia passes a pole on his way to fourth place in the World Cup slalom race inKitzbuehel on January 26, 2003. REUTERS/Calle Toernstroem letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 26 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8153/1/E-Anthony-Seric.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂAnthony Seric, of CroatiaParma's Hidetoshi Nakata, foreground, of Japan,is pursued by Brescia defender Anthony Seric, of Croatia, during their Italianfirst division soccer match at the Mario Rigamonti stadium in Brescia, Italy,Sunday, Jan. 26, 2003. (AP Photo/Felice Calabro') letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 26 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8151/1/E-France-defending-champion-loses-to-Croatia.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂFrance loses to Croatia at world championshipsÂSat Jan 25, 2:44 PM ETLISBON, Portugal - Croatia upset defending champion France 23-22 on Saturday while reigning European champion Sweden beat Algeria 32-28 at the men's handball World Championships.ÂFrance, which won its first three matches, still leads Group C, followed by Croatia. Both teams are 3-1-0 and are likely to move to the next round.ÂAlso, European runner-up Germany continued its unbeaten run in Group B by downing host Portugal 37-29.ÂIn other games, Spain crushed Asian champion Kuwait 45-18; Iceland beat Qatar 42-22; and Hungary topped Argentina 35-23. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 26 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8152/1/E-Croatia-beats-Olympic-champion-Russia---Handball.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂCroatiabeats Russia,ÂGermany bags third win at world championshipsÂThu Jan 23,12:14 PM ETLISBON, Portugal - Croatia claimed the scalp of Olympic champion Russia in the preliminary round of the men's handball World Championships, winning their encounter 28-26 Thursday.ÂCroatia, Olympic gold medalist in 1996, has a 2-0-1 record in its group at the tournament being played at venues across Portugal through Feb. 2.Russia previously had edged Hungary by one point and drawn with Argentina.ÂGermany, the European silver medalist, beat Greenland 34-20 and moved onto a maximum six points from three games in its group.ÂTop African team Egypt overcame Slovenia 27-26, while Asian champion Kuwait defeated Morocco 25-22.Âhttp://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030123/ap_wo_en_po/eu_spt_handball_worlds_1 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 23 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8158/1/E-Croatias-Mario-Ancic-wrapped-a-scarf-in-Croatian-colors.html  Croatia's Mario Ancic has a little bit of Goran Ivanisevic inhim. + - = And why not? The two come from the same town.Ivanisevic, who won Wimbledon in 2001 and was once ranked No. 2, is well known for a big serve and offbeat antics.The 18-year-old Ancic, ranked No. 88, is playing in his first Australian Open. He thrilled a large group of Croatian fans with his four-set win over Australia's Peter Luczak in the third round Friday.The Croat tore off his shirt and wrapped a scarf in Croatian colors around his neck."Like all the guys there, we are very temperamental," Ancic said, referring to his hometown of Split. "Maybe now I'm much calmer, but there's always this temper inside."When I started I was really nervous, throwing the rackets everywhere. But now everybody is concentrated, so I get much more calmer. This hunger to win, it's always inside us."Ancic said he had received a call during the week from Ivanisevic, who is recovering from shoulder surgery in May.He's really ready to play," Ancic. "He's hungry to play because he's been practicing for the last couple of months. He says he's in the best shape of hislife." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 19 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8157/1/E-Ivica-and-Janica-Kostelic-on-the-podium-again.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂIvica and Janica Kostelic on the podium againSweden's Anja Paerson, center, winner of aWorld Cup women's giant slalom, celebrates on the podium with second placedJanica Kostelic of Croatia, left, and third placed Karen Putzer of Italy, inCortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)Italy's Giorgio Rocca, center, winner of a World cup men'sslalom, celebrates on the podium with second placed Akira Sasaki of Japan, left,and third placed Ivica Kostelic of Croatia, in Wengen, Switzerland, Sunday Jan.19, 2003. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta)Japan's Akira Sasaki, left, and Croatia's IvicaKostelic smile in the finish area after completing a World cup men's slalom inWengen, Switzerland, Sunday Jan. 19, 2003. Sasaki finished in second place asKostelic clinched third place. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 19 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8159/1/E-Allowing-the-native-of-Croatia-to-convert-the-winning-basket.html ÂAllowing Giricek, the native of Croatia, to convert the winningbasketMemphis 110; Golden State 108ÂFrom the Sports DeskPublished 1/14/2003 7:55 AMView printer-friendly versionOAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Rookie Gordan Giricek scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half Monday night as Memphis edged Golden State, 110-108.The point total for Giricek included a layup with one second left that gave the Grizzlies the win, snapping a five-game road skid.Paul Gasol added 23 points, but missed the second of two free throws that would have given Memphis a 109-106 lead. The rebound was tipped to Golden State's Antawn Jamison, whose layup forged a 108-108 deadlock with four seconds to play.After a Grizzlies' timeout, Bob Sura slipped while guarding Giricek, allowing the native of Croatia to convert the winning basket.Lorenzen Wright contributed 16 points and 15 rebounds, and Gasol pulled down 12 boards as Memphis, which improved to 1-3 on a season-high six-game road trip. The Grizzlies are just 2-15 away from home.Gilbert Arenas scored a season-high 31 points, Jamison chipped in with 20, and Troy Murphy added 16 and a career-high 20 rebounds, but the Warriors had a three-game home winning streak stopped.Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 14 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8163/1/E-Dalibor-Balgac-Wins-At-Kansas-State-Invite---Indoor-Track--Field.html Distributed by CroatianWorld Dalibor Balgac Wins At K-State InviteIn the middle in a blue shirt number 215Sophomore Opens Season With VictoryMANHATTAN, Kansas (SMU) -- The SMU Mustangs kicked off their indoor track & field season with a strong showing at the Kansas State Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 11, with Dalibor Balgac leading the Mustang charge with a win in the 1,000m run.ÂBalgac, a sophomore from Kutina, Croatia, took first in the race in 2:25.96 and was followed by fellow Pony Lukas Musil, who took runner-up honors in 2:28.40. Amos Skinner also fared well, placing third in the 800m in 1:58.86.ÂUp next for SMU is the Houston Invitational, set for Saturday, Jan. 18.ÂK-State Invitational - Manhattan, Kan.ÂMen 1000 Meter RunÂ1, Dalibor Balgac, SMU, 2:25.96. 2, Lukas Musil, SMU, 2:28.40. 3, Brandon Hodges, KU, 2:30.26. 4, Mathew Chesang, KSU, 2:30.60. 5, Jason Woolhouse, OSU, 2:30.78. 6, Abraham Ekal, SMU, 2:30.79. 7, Andy Rihn, OSU, 2:31.14. 8, Cassidy Smith, OSU, 2:31.20. 9, Derec Lacio, KU, 2:32.65. 10, Trevor Smith, KSU, 2:32.87. 11, Colby Sullivan, ESU, 2:36.41. 12, Chris McWatters, OSU, 2:36.42. 13, Matt Thomson, OSU, 2:37.88. 14, Adam Newkirk, ESU, 2:42.55. 15, Nolan Applegate, ESU, 2:45.11. 16, Scott Rantall, OSU, 2:46.27.ÂMen 600 Yard Run 1, Justin Stigge, ESU, 1:12.76. 2, Justin Nobles, OSU, 1:13.41. 3, Eric Garrett, KSU, 1:13.66. 4, Will Hill, ESU, 1:13.70. 5, Luke Steinbrink, KU, 1:14.49. 6, Lantz Tolson, KU, 1:15.28. 7, Eric Isley, KU, 1:16.07. 8, Eric Black, KU, 1:16.13. 9, Jim Duncan, SMU, 1:16.88. 10, Jonas Steinbrink, ESU, 1:17.97. 11, Brandon Carlson, ESU, 1:18.40.ÂMen 800 Meter Run 1, Jemery Mims, KU, 1:54.01. 2, Christian Smith, KSU, 1:54.75. 3, Amos Skinner, SMU, 1:58.86. 4, Josh Williamson, KU, 1:59.72. 5, John-David Harris, ESU, 2:00.76. 6, Jared Kennedy, ESU, 2:01.68. 7, Athon Bowleg, KU, 2:04.01. 8, Scott Brammer, ESU, 2:05.14. 9, Joseph Bennett, KSU, 2:07.09. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 12 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8162/1/E-Kukoc-in-Action-Again.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂKukoc in Action AgainDetroit Pistons forward Corliss Williamson(34) puts the pressure on Milwaukee Bucksforward Toni Kukoc of Croatia, in the first half Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)ÂMilwaukee Bucks' Toni Kukoc (7), from Croatia, passes off against Detroit Pistons defender Clifford Robinson (30) in the first half Saturday, Jan. 11, 2003, in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson) Milwaukee Bucks center Toni Kukoc, from Croatia, reaches out for a rebound during the first quarter NBA action against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, January 11, 2003. REUTERS/John C. Hillery letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 12 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8160/1/E-Croatias-Ivica-Kostelic-celebrates-victory-in-Bormio-Italy.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂCroatia's Ivica Kostelicwins in ItalyCroatia's Ivica Kostelic celebrates his victory in the men's World Cup slalom in Bormio, Italy, January 12, 2003. Kostelic won the race in a time of 1 minute and 49.03 seconds. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseÂCroatia's Ivica Kostelic, right, is congratulated by his sisterJanica, the leader of the women ski World Cup, after winning the World Cupslalom in Bormio, Italy, Sunday Jan. 12, 2003. (AP Photo/Armando Trovati) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 12 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8164/1/E-Croatia-on-Seventh-World-Basketball-Championship-for-Junior-Men.html ÂCroatia on Seventh World Basketball Championship for Junior MenÂMalaysia in tough group for World Junior MeetKUALA LUMPUR Jan 10 - Malaysia have been drawn in a tough group for the Seventh World Basketball Championship for Junior Men, which they will host in July.Coach Sim Sin Heng said Malaysia had an uphill task ahead as they were grouped with Croatia, Lithuania and Venezuela."Our participation is more for exposure of the young players as most of the other teams are sending world-class players," he told reporters after the draw for the 16-nation championship was made here Friday.In the last championship in 1999, Croatia were second runners-up while Lithuania finished fifth and Venezuela, 12th.Sim said the 12-member national team would continue training at the Malaysian Basketball Association (MABA) building here until the championship.He said they were hoping that Phang Wai Choon, one of the most promising juniors, could return from his studies in China to beef up the squad.The under-19 championship will be held from July 10 to 20. Groups A and C matches will be played in Penang while Groups B and D matches and the final will be held in Kuala Lumpur.Group A:Australia, Turkey, Argentina, South Korea.Group B:Puerto Rico, Greece, Iran, Angola.Group C:US, Slovenia, China, Nigeria.Group D:Croatia, Lithuania, Venezuela, MalaysiaSource: http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2003&dt=0111&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=Sports&pg=sp_01.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 11 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8161/1/E-30-Croatian-Men-Basketball-Players-in-the-USA.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂ30 CroatianMen Basketball Players in theUSA Name CM Pos Born Team ÂÂCRO Bagaric Dalibor 217 C 80 Chicago B. (NBA) Bota Marin 215 C 79 Ohio U. (MAC) Bracic Ivan 200 F 79 Georgia Coll. Cuzela Neven 190 G 83 Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC) Durovic Marko 186 G C.Carolina (BSC) Duvancic Davor 201 F 83 Northwestern (B10) Filipovic Davor 203 G/F 84 Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC) Giricek Gordan 199 G 77 Memphis G. (NBA) Ivic Mario 206 C 79 Drury Kandic Marko 205 F 81 N.Idaho JC Kartelo Ivan 211 C 79 Purdue (B10) Kos Zoran 203 F/C S.Connecticut Kovacic Karlo 195 G 78 San Diego St. (MW) Kukoc Toni 210 F 68 Milwaukee B. (NBA) Kuzet Radovan 210 C 78 UTPA (Ind) Lozancic Jure 210 C 83 High School USA Macura Petar 201 F IUPU - Indianapolis (MCC) Macura Jere 202 F 80 Notre Dame (BEC) Malkovic Ivan 202 G/F High School USA Mlatac Edo 193 G Mars Hill Mulic Marin 208 F/C 84 Vincennes JC Pojatina Marijan 214 C 81 Furman (SC) Punda Marko 197 G 78 Valparaiso (MCC) Roncevic Petar 206 C Murray St. (OVC) Skoric Frane 193 G 80 Cerro Coso CC Sulic Ivan 206 F 78 Kansas St. (B12) Sundov Bruno 221 C 80 Boston C. (NBA) Tomorad Kresimir 206 C Centenary (Ind) Vukusic Vedran 203 F 82 Northwestern (B10) Zupic Zeljko 203 C 81 Denver (SBC) Source: http://www.usbasket.com/imports_dtl.asp?ImpCntry=CRO letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 11 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7997/1/E-Ljubicic-defeated-Henman-Advances-to-Final.html ÂLjubicic defeated HenmanIvan Ljubicic, of Croatia, returns to seventh-seeded Britain's Tim Henman (news) during their semifinal match in the Qatar Open tennis tournament in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Jan. 9, 2004. Ljubicic defeated Henman, 7-6, (7-2), 3-6, 7-6, (7-5). AP Photo/Shajahan) Ljubicic Advances to Qatar Open Final Fri Jan 9, 2:09 PM ET DOHA, Qatar - Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia beat seventh-seeded Tim Henman 7-6 (2), 3-6, 7-6 (5) in a rain-delayed match Friday to reach the Qatar Open final. Ljubicic will play French wild card Nicolas Escude for the title Saturday. Escude downed eighth-seeded Agustin Calleri of Argentina 6-2, 6-3 in the other semifinal. Henman had not lost a set in Doha until dropping two tiebreakers. Ljubicic fired 11 aces in defeating the Englishman, who was aiming for his 10th straight win on the ATP Tour. "I am probably playing my best tennis," Ljubicic said. "It is a beautiful feeling to have qualified for my second ATP final." Escude was playing in a tournament for the first time since July after a serious hip injury. "I am very happy that I wasn't stretched by Agustin today," he said. "I am glad that my match got over quickly." Op-ed: Ivan lost in the finals against Escude. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 08 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8167/1/E-Womens-Baksketball-World-Championships-in-Dubrovnik-Croatia.html ÂWomen's Baksketball World Championships in Dubrovnik CroatiaÂTHE Dandenong Jayco Rangers will be kicking themselves today after fluffing their chance to hold on to a Women's National Baksketball League top four spot.The Rangers were comprehensively beaten 75-57 by Canberra in Dandenong on Sunday afternoon.For a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, the Rangers moved into the top four after the Adelaide Lightning lost two games on the road, to Townsville and Syndey.The Rangers needed to win to consolidate and pressure Adelaide and Canberra in the race for the last two remaining play-off places.Sydney and national coach Karen Dalton said after Saturday's win that a renewed commitment to defence was the key.The loss extended Adelaide's own dismal losing streak to five games - a wake-up call for the perennial finals contenders.There was an air of quiet confidence around the courts at the Dandenong Basketball Stadium last week.Six of the Rangers' young stars have been named in the Sapphires - the young women's national squad - and were away at a three-day training camp at Monash University with coach Mark Wright - former Dandenong coach and now at the helm of the Victoria Giants.Carly Wilson, Samantha Richards, Dee Ranford, Demelza Waixel, Michelle Musselwhite, and Alison Downie were chosen for the camp, in preparation for the final selection for the World Championships in Dubrovnik, Croatia in July/August. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8166/1/E-Junior-forward-Zeljko-Zupics-34-point-11-rebound.html ÂJunior forward Zeljko Zupic's 34 point, 11 rebound,ÂÂALL-TOURNAMENT - - Junior forward Zeljko Zupic's 34 point, 11 rebound, one steal, one assist effort against Binghamton (Dec. 6) and Western Illinois (Dec. 7) earned him a spot on the Cyclone Challenge all-tournament team. Junior forward Zeljko Zupic (Sinj, Croatia / Hill [Texas] JC) has dropped in 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in the first third of the season[Unable to display image] letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8165/1/E-The-changing-face-of-the-NBA.html ÂThe changing face of the NBA ÂBy Bob CohnTHE WASHINGTON TIMES     The Houston Rockets' Yao Ming, a leading candidate for rookie of the year and the top center in the All-Star voting (fourth overall), is making a major impression on the NBA. In another sense, so are his size-18 Nike Shox.      "This is more of an international thing than just Europe," Orlando Magic general manager John Gabriel said. "It's a global thing, and it could be as big as the footprints of Yao Ming."     This "thing" is the significant and relatively recent migration of foreign players to the NBA. Most have come from Europe. But Wang Zhizhi, Mengke Bateer and, especially, the 7-foot-5 Yao have opened the door to China and its 3billion inhabitants, many of whom play basketball, many of whom are tall.     "I read where there were at least a hundred 7-footers playing basketball in China," New Jersey Nets president and general manager Rod Thorn said. But that might be conservative. Phoenix Suns international scout Tim Shea said he knows of at least 20 players standing at least 7 feet tall in Mongolia alone.     "You're talking about vast numbers," Shea said.     It's more than just numbers. A dozen television stations are beaming Yao's games back to China, further exposing the game in a country where basketball already is established. (More women play basketball in China than men and women combined in this country. Yao's mother is one of those female hoopsters.)     And it's more than just China or the traditional European leagues. Africa, South America and other parts of Asia - anywhere they're putting a ball through a hoop, which is to say, practically everywhere - are being scoured by scouts for potential talent.     "There are a lot of untapped resources," Gabriel said. "You must expand your scouting, you must trust the evaluation of more people than ever."     Every NBA team, including the Wizards, has made international scouting a priority. A recent phenomenon is the international scouting service, but teams like to have at least one full-time scout working abroad, as well as contacts and insiders - the equivalent of the old baseball bird dog - scattered on every continent. The consensus is that this emphasis will increase, and why not? Look at the results. The Memphis Grizzlies' Pau Gasol, who is from Spain, was the first foreign-born rookie of the year last season. Yao might make it two straight. Half of the 10 players on the all-rookie team last year came from abroad. In the 2002 NBA Draft, five of the first 16 players taken - including Yao, the No.1 pick - were born overseas. The league had 67 players from foreign countries and U.S. territories on opening day rosters this season, up from 52 a year ago.     All signs indicate the trend will continue. According to one estimate, foreign players will comprise as much as 40 percent of this year's draft. Exact numbers are impossible to project, but few doubt that in five years the NBA will look a lot different than it does even now because of the foreign influx. "There's no limit," Shea said.     "In terms of international players increasingly becoming part of NBA rosters, this is just the tip of the iceberg," said Stu Jackson, the NBA senior vice president of basketball operations.     "I really don't know if there's any ceiling in sight," Boston Celtics general manager Chris Wallace said. "I'm not saying you'll have 58 foreign-born players in the draft [the maximum number], but obviously the numbers are increasing. The players have had success.     "Sports is somewhat easy to figure out. Everyone plays follow the leader. These guys play well. They bring something to the table a lot of young Americans don't. A high skill level and the fundamentals are there. So they're attractive."     Dallas Mavericks assistant Donn Nelson, who has made a career of scouting international talent, said to expect more versatile, multiskilled big men in the mold of Sacramento's 6-9 Peja Stojakovic and Gasol and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, who both stand 7 feet but who also, in a positive sense, play a lot smaller.     "The toughest thing to find in the NBA is size and skill," said Nelson, an assistant coach of the Lithuanian team that almost upset the United States and eventually won the bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics. "So if you get a 6-10 to 7-2 guy that has a decent set of hands and feet, that gets coaches excited.     "I think there are more Gasols out there, more Nowitzkis. Those bodies were placed by the good Lord on this planet to play basketball, and nobody knows where they will crop up."     But few seem to think it will happen much here in the good, old US of A, the unique talents of high school phenom LeBron James and Suns rookie Amare Stoudamire notwithstanding. As the stock of European players has risen, criticism has simultaneously been directed toward young American players for their lack of shooting and passing skills and overall fundamentals.     "Most of our young kids don't know how to play five-man basketball," Nelson said. "That's the frustration of pro coaches. A lot of young players are forced and flushed into the [NBA] because they have to make hard choices for their families. The strength of our sport is street ball, but the strength of the European game is club ball, and in the club system you get more traditional teaching. Street ball, it's a survival thing. But a guy coming from overseas comes from a more traditional teaching environment."     They come from a more basketball-intensive environment, as well. NCAA rules limit the participation of American college players during the offseason and the season itself. Internationally, no limits exist. Teenagers as young as 14 on foreign club teams play constantly, as much as six hours a day. Some teams are even forced to eat together.     "The bottom line is clubs here don't have any restrictions on practice," said Shea, who is based in Lugo, Spain, and has played, coached and scouted abroad for 30 years. "NCAA players are limited by serious restrictions. I'm not judging them, but the difference is these players have time to develop."     If anyone needed to be convinced about the future of international players and the NBA, the world championships in Indianapolis last summer provided the final word. Although the Americans did not exactly field a dream team, accomplished and veteran NBA stars like Gary Payton and Reggie Miller still wore the American uniform.     The United States finished sixth, and afterward the operative word was "embarrassed." But beyond that, the tournament "further brought home the point that the flow of talent from the international ranks is here to say, and it's going to be a very strong component of the league talent structure for years to come," Wallace said. "There's no reason for it to abate."     Pete Newell, the legendary college coach who has achieved guru status and runs a camp for big men, said of the international players, "They stand out against our guys because they pass the ball, their cuts are better, their fakes, things like that. In Indianapolis, we were very much aware of the difference between their young guys and ours."     In general, "when it comes to developing basketball players, I think it's being shown that we're behind what they're doing in Europe and China, too," Newell said. "This big kid, Yao, shows excellent teaching. For a kid his size that young to have the kind of footwork he has and creating shots, this guy is remarkable in how complete a game he has."     Ironically, "the best teachers in Europe, American coaches have taught them," Newell said.     Now the American coaches are the ones being taught.     Although a handful of foreign players, most of them from Canada, competed in the NBA during the league's early days, the current migration began in the late 1980s and early 1990s when Vlade Divac (Yugoslavia), Sarunas Marciulionis (Lithuania) and Drazen Petrovic (Croatia) proved they could play at the highest level (The Suns in 1985 signed the first Eastern European player, Georgi Gluchkov, but he proved to be a bust).     But some still resisted foreign players. "Throughout the '80s, a feeling existed that their game just couldn't translate to ours," Gabriel said. "Players couldn't move with the ball with the agility that ours could. Rules differences and language barriers would prohibit their development."     Even after Toni Kukoc and others made their marks, a few held out. Reportedly among them were Pat Riley, the former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks and now coach of the Miami Heat, and Riley's successor with the Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy.     Such thinking is now considered backward and counterproductive. Not only have foreign players demonstrated they have the skills and smarts to compete, recent rules changes has increased the demand for players who know how to pass and shoot. Especially, shoot.     "Coaches and general managers have almost changed the job descriptions of guys they're looking for," Nelson said. "The first question always was, 'Can the guy guard?' But that was when there was no zone. Now, with the advent of the zone rules, instead of wondering whether a guy can survive defensively, the question is, 'Can he shoot it?'"     Which is why, if you haven't heard of them yet, you might soon get to know names like Darko Milicic, a 6-11 forward from Yugoslavia (Donn Nelson and his dad, Mavericks coach Don Nelson, were suspended for two games at the start of this season for reportedly illegally scouting him during the summer), and Sofaklis Schortsianides, a 6-11 center from Greece whose nickname is "Baby Shaq."      Neither has turned 18 yet, and their birthdays do not meet NBA guidelines for becoming draft eligible, but their status is being discussed by the league. Both are likely top five picks by 2004 at the latest.     Other than league rules, the only factor impeding the flow of foreign players is reluctance by some to move to America. "Some don't want to go," Shea said. "Culturally, there's a big difference. There's a European way of living, and some of them don't want to leave it. There are still quite a few players who could make an impression [in the NBA]."     As foreign players continue to succeed, expect others to pick up the cue and follow them here. "The concept of the NBA is a reachable goal for a lot of kids," Shea said. "They want to try. The NBA is the best league in the world. Whether they make it has a lot to do with their adaptability, their intelligence and their ambition."     Not to mention their ability to hit a jump shot. http://washingtontimes.com/sports/20030107-77594723.htm > letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8171/1/E-Gordan-Giricek-of-Croatia-scored-a-career-high-31-points.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂGordan Giricek career-high 31 pointsMemphis Grizzlies' Gordan Giricek of Croatia, right, pressures Los Angeles Clippers (news)' Corey Maggette during thesecond half Friday, Jan. 3, 2003, at the Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn. Giricek scored a career-high 31 points and Maggettescored 34 points as the Grizzlies defeated the Clippers 116-111. (AP Photo/Lance Murphey) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8170/1/E-Ivica-Kostelic-into-history.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂIvica Kostelic - CroatianHero - does push-upsCroatia's Ivica Kostelic does push-ups on his skis after winning the men's World Cup slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia,Sunday, Jan. 5, 2003. (AP Photo/Aldo Martinuzzi)ÂCroatia's Ivica Kostelic cheers with his supporters after winning the men's World Cup slalom in KranjskaGora, Slovenia, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2003. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati) Janica and Ivica Kostelic were already the stuff of myth in their native Croatia, idolized byyoung and old alike. Now they've made history by becoming the first siblings to win World Cup Alpine races on thesame day. "You can't touch them!" yelled 19-year-old fan Vanja Rebic, one of the hundreds of thousands of Croats who watched asÂthe races were replayed over and over again Sunday in Croatian bars and cafes.Â"They're out of this world." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8169/1/E-Janica-wins-again---this-time-in-a-HISTORIC-way.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂKostelic siblings make history winning on same dayCroatia's Janica Kostelic smiles on podium after winning the women's World cup slalom in Bormio, January 5, 2003.Kostelic won the race in a time of one minute 36.74 seconds ahead of Austria's Elisabeth Goergl and Sweden's AnjaPaerson. REUTERS/Claudio PapiÂCroatia's Janica Kostelic celebrates her 21th birthday with a cake after winning the World cup women's slalom inBormio, January 5, 2003. REUTERS/Claudio PapiÂWorld Cup leader Janica Kostelic, of Croatia, celebrates as she watches her brother Ivica winning the men's slalom atKranjska Gora, Slovenia, on television, after she captured her fifth season victory in the women's World Cup slalom raceat Bormio, Italy, Sunday, Jan 5, 2003. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8168/1/E-Kostelic-siblings-make-history-winning-on-same-day.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂ"They're out of thisworld.?"ÂNo, they are from CROATIAKostelic siblings make history winning on same dayÂSun Jan 5, 7:10 PM ETÂBy ERICA BULMAN, Associated Press WriterÂKRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia - Janica and Ivica Kostelic were already the stuff of myth in their native Croatia, idolized byyoung and old alike. Now they've made history by becoming the first siblings to win World Cup Alpine races on thesame day. "You can't touch them!" yelled 19-year-old fan Vanja Rebic, one of the hundreds of thousands of Croats who watched asÂthe races were replayed over and over again Sunday in Croatian bars and cafes.Â"They're out of this world."ÂJanica began the day with a resounding slalom victory in Bormio, Italy, finishing a whopping 2.08 seconds ahead ofÂAustria's Elisabeth Goergl. After receiving cake and a toast at the finish line to celebrate her birthday  she turned 21on Sunday  Janica and her father then watched on television as her brother captured another slalom in KranjsjkaGora, Slovenia, less than an hour later.Â"It's a great day for our family," said Janica, the younger and more prolific winner of the family. "It's a strange recordindeed, but I'm pleased with it. What Ivica has done means a lot because we've spoken for years about winning a race onthe same day.Â"And it's great it happened on my birthday. He couldn't have given me a better present."ÂCroatian sports commentator Ivan Blazicko hailed the day as "another unforgettable day bestowed upon us by theunforgettable Kostelics."ÂEven Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan joined the well-wishers, sending separate congratulatory letters, praisingtheir "spirit and motivation."ÂLast year, Janica and Ivica had both won on the same weekend, each clinching the slalom at the World Cup finals inFlachau, Austria.ÂSome 15 sets of siblings have won races since the creation of the World Cup almost 40 years ago, but none ever won arace on the same day. The closest any came was on Feb. 8, 1983, at St. Anton, Austria, when American Steve Mahre wona World Cup slalom while his brother Phil won the combined, a paper event computed from his performances in thedownhill and the slalom.ÂThe American Cochran family was the only to boast three World Cup winners on the tour, with Barbara and Marylineach recording three career victories in the technical events in the early 1970s, and brother Bob clinching a giant slalomat home in Heavenly Valley at the World Cup finals in 1973. The Kostelics have both enjoyed their share of success this season, with Ivica claiming a new night knock-out slalom inSestrieres, Italy, two weeks ago and topping the discipline standings, and Janica leading the women's World Cup overalland slalom rankings after five victories.ÂHowever, over the years, Janica has generally stolen the spotlight, winning the World Cup overall in 2001 and becomingthe first Alpine skier to capture four medals in a single Olympics. She also has a commendable 23 World Cup victories toher name.ÂThe two, who are coached by father Ante Kostelic, had been in position to set a record in Salt Lake City as the firstbrother-sister team in 22 years to win Alpine skiing medals at the same Olympics.ÂJanica did her part, winning the slalom, giant slalom and combined event and getting the silver in the super giantslalom  becoming the first Alpine skier to capture four medals in a single Olympics  but Ivica missed a gate in themen's slalom.ÂThe Kostelics are icons in Croatia and their rise from poverty and gloom to fame and stardom has become a fable forchildren in the country of 4.5 million, which is struggling to emerge from the ravages of war after it declaredindependence from Yugoslavia in 1991.ÂJanica's Salt Lake performance drew tears to the eyes of many, who recalled her hobbling on crutches from damagedknee ligaments only months before the races.Â"The Kostelics are setting international standards for skiing in a country where most people don't even get to see snowduring winter," marveled Mirela Dabic, a housewife in Zadar on the Dalmatian coastline. "They are not normal."ÂSunday's win marked Janica's fifth of the season.ÂShe completely dominated the field, posting the fastest time in both runs. The 2.08 second margin over Goergl was thebiggest margin of victory in a women's slalom since 1973, when France's Danielle Debernard won by 2.12 seconds inNaeba, Japan.ÂIvica led after the opening leg and had a total time of 1 minute, 44.71 seconds on the badly rutted course to record hissecond straight victory. Austria's Rainer Schoenfelder was runner-up in 1:44.98 and Olympic slalom championJean-Pierre Vidal of France was third in 1:45.03.Â"I didn't watch her race because I was preparing for my race," Ivica said. "But we had a guy on the team watching theTV and telling us the times over the radio. When I heard Janica had won by two seconds I was jumping up and down injoy."ÂThe two will have another chance to win on the same day on Jan. 19 when the men race a slalom inWengen, Switzerland, and the women compete in a giant slalom in Cortina, Italy. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8172/1/E-Mia-Jerkov-helped-lead-Cal-to-best-seasons-in-school-history.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂSophomore Mia Jerkov helped lead Cal to best seasons in school history.Women's Volleyball HomeHEADLINESÂCal's Mia Jerkov Named Third Team All-AmericanMia Jerkov Named to the 2002 AVCA All-Region TeamCal's Mia Jerkov Named Third Team All-AmericanÂJerkov is the Bears' first All-American selection since Sylvie Monnet in 1983.ÂDec. 30, 2002BERKELEY, CA - California's sophomore outside hitter, Mia Jerkov, has been selection as a 2002 third team All-American, it was announced Dec. 20 by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Jerkov, a 6-3 outside hitter from Split, Croatia, is the first Cal All-America volleyball player since Sylvie Monnet was a second team All-America selection in 1983. In 2002, Jerkov helped lead the Bears to a 20-12 overall mark and their first NCAA postseason appearance since 1989.ÂJerkov latest accolade adds to her already long list of awards received in 2002. She was tournament MVP for the Golden Bear, UNLV Gameworks Classic and the SMU DoubleTree Invitationals; she was the Oct, 21 AVCA National Player of the Week; was twice named Pac-10 Player of the Week (Sept. 9, Oct. 21); was first team All-Pac-10 and was honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic. Jerkov was also the first Cal volleyball player to earn AVCA All-Region honors since Sienna Curci was second team All-West Region in 1993.ÂJerkov led the Bears and the Pac-10 with 578 kills and 635.0 points (combining kills, service aces and blocks). She recorded 30 or more kills in six matches this season and established school records for single match kills (39, Oct. 17 versus Washington) and kill attempts (91, Nov. 22 versus Stanford). Jerkov also established a school record for single season kills (578), despite missing five matches due to ankle injuries.ÂIn other Cal volleyball news, the Bears finished the 2002 season just barely out of the final USA Today/AVCA Division Top 25 Poll. Cal received 162 votes, which would have placed the Bears 26th in the national rankings. During this past season, Cal defeated No. 10 ranked Washington State, No. 12 ranked Arizona on the road and twice defeated No. 19 Santa Clara, once at Santa Clara and once in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at UC Santa Barbara. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 30 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8177/1/E-CHESS-Srdjan-Sale-among-top-players.html ÂSrdjanSale of Croatiaclose to the topÂDubai |By A Sports Reporter |29-12-2002Three players shared the lead with fivepoints at the end of the end of the sixth round of the UAE Open ChessChampionship.Magerramov of Azerbaijan, El Taher Fouad, Arousy Abdul Hameed (Egypt) are at thetop. Srdjan Sale of Croatia, ArkhipovSergey, Nagueb Saleh and Nabil Khechen are close behind with 4.5 points.The top board match between Magerrmov and Arkhipov ended in a quick draw.However, Arousy and El Taher attained crucial wins. It was their superiorpreparation and better handling of the middle game, which turned to be adecisive factor.Taher adopted his usual aggressive approach against a queen pawn opening and wasable to induce tactical complications. Taher got a material advantage and hisbetter piece position enabled him to turn the tide and clinch the match.Arousy was superior in all areas of the game and his experience against KhalilHosa. Arousy, an international master, dominated the match from the beginningand attained a facile victory.Results (round 6):Arkhipof, Sergey (4) - Magerramov, Elmar (4) 2- 1 drew; Sale, Srdjan; (4) - ElTaher, Fouad (4) 4- 3 0-1; Khalil, Hosa (4) - El Arousy, Abdul Ham (4) 56- 70-1; Osman, Moussa (3) - Khechen, Nabil (3) 5- 12 0-1; Saleh, Najueb (3) -Francis, Aldegver (3) 10- 55 1-0; Al-Khaja, Arif (3) - Hassan, Mohammed Seif (3)16- 11 0-1; Saleh, Nabil (3) - Somev, Abdo (3) 6- 15 1-0; Ali, Sultan (3) -Molina, Tony (3) 27- 9 0-1; Mohammed, Mousa (3) - Nekrasova, Elena (3) 45- 130-1; Ihsan, Jawad (3) - Danny, Baltazar (3) 14- 30 0-1; Ahmed, Eshaq (3) -Ghobash, Mohammed (3) 18- 36 1-0; El-Sayed, Ayman H. (3) - Said, Eshaq (3) 31-19 0-1; Mohammed, Abdulrahim (3) - Ernesto, Yap (2) 41- 32 0-1; Omar, Abdulwahab(2) - Yahya, Mohammed Saleh(2) 48- 17 0-1; Ahmed, Fayez (2) - Mohammed, AhmedRais (2) 58- 42 0-1; Al-Abbar, Mohammed (2) - Roland, Fernando (2) 22- 50 0-1;Al-Hammadi, Fatma (2) - Majed, Ahmed Obaid (2) 24- 39 drew; Ben, Parco (2) -Mohammed, Ibrahim Rai(2) 29- 44 0-1; Esam, Samman (2) - Waleed, Yousef (2) 33-52 0-1; Mohammed, Ibrahim (2) - Homeed, Abdullah Ali(2) 43- 37 1-0; Jihad,Khshkoul (2) - Saeed, Yousef (2) 38- 53 0-1; Mohammed, Naser (2) - Abdulaziz,Ibrahim (1) 46- 21 1-0; Ganpaathy, Ram (1) - Salem, Abdulrahman (1) 35- 20 0-1;Carlos, Bacho (1) - Al-HAmmadi, Amna (1) 51- 23 0-1; Bashar, Fawaz (1) - Al-Hermoudi,Amna (1) 28- 25 0-1; Al-Hermoudi, Maryam (1) - Rashed, Zinel (1) 26- 49 0-1;Nouf, Ahmed Mohammed (1) - Hamed, Al-Saad (1) 47- 54 0-1; Salem, Khamis (0) -Marwan, Abdulwahab (1) 57- 40 0-1; Loss by default: 8 Omearat, 34 Rolly, letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8176/1/E-Janica-Leads-World-Cup-Slalom-Event---News-100-minutes-ago.html  Kostelic Leads World Cup Slalom Event 1 hour, 40 minutes ago SEMMERING, Austria - Croatia's Janica Kostelicled by nearly half a second after the first run of a World Cup slalom Sunday. AP Photo Austria's Marlies Schild and France's Christel Pascal were tied for secondplace, 0.46 seconds behind."I don't want to comment too much. All I can say is, I had such a badrun, it is a surprise I am leading," said Kostelic, who finished second inSaturday's giant slalom. She already has wontwo slaloms this season. Sweden's AnjaPaerson, second in the World Cup slalom standings last season, did not finishthe first run Sunday. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8173/1/E-Unbelievable.html Distributed by CroatianWorldUnbelievable !From Croatia, the country withno skiing tradition. Janica and Ivica Kostelic. Two of the best skiers in theworld ! It's like bob sled from Jamaica winning the world cup every week.Everything is possible if we put our mind into !Janica Kostelic Wins AgainCroatia's Janica Kostelic celebrates in the finish area afterwinning the World Cup women's slalom race in Semmering, Austria, Sunday, Dec.29, 2002. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8179/1/E-Gordan-Giricek-in-Sports-News-all-the-time.html ÂGordan Giricek ofCroatiaUtah Jazz's Karl Malone tries to knock the ball away from MemphisGrizzlies' Gordan Giricek, of Croatia, during the third quarter Sunday,Dec 22, 2002, in Memphis, Tenn. The Memphis Grizzlies are feeling good aboutthemselves: They've gone from bad to mediocre. The Grizzlies, in their secondyear in Memphis, began the season at 0-13. Now, under coach Hubie Brown, they're8-21. What's more, they actually look impressive from time to time. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 28 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8178/1/E-Janica-on-the-podium-AGAIN.html ÂJanica on the podium againItalian Karen Putzer, second from left, winner of the World Cupwomen's giant slalom, celebrates on the podium with second placed Croatia's JanicaKostelic, left, and tied for third place Italian Denise Karbon, second fromright, and Nicole Hosp of Austria, right, in Semmering, Austria, Saturday, Dec.28, 2002. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 28 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8175/1/E-Junior-forward-Zeljko-Zupic-Sinj-Croatia--Hill-Texas-JC.html  Zeljko Zupic's 34 point, 11 rebound, one steal, one assist"Junior forward Zeljko Zupic's 34 point, 11 rebound, one steal, one assist effort against Binghamton (Dec. 6) and Western Illinois (Dec. 7) earned him a spot on the Cyclone Challenge all-tournament team"ÂThe Pioneers were able to win two of three at the San Juan Shootout last weekend, defeating James Madison (79-72) and Duquesne (49-48) for a third place finish.Dec. 28, 2002DENVER -THE GAME - - The University of Denver men's basketball team will play host to Drake University on Sunday, December 29. Game time is set for 1 p.m. in Magness Arena. The Pioneers were able to win two of three at the San Juan Shootout last weekend, defeating James Madison (79-72) and Duquesne (49-48) for a third place finish. The Bulldogs enter the contest after dropping a 76-55 decision at Iowa State on December 22. Drake is 1-3 on the road this season. The game can be seen live on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain. It can also be heard live on AM 1600.CAREER MOVES - - Senior guard B.J. Pratt (San Antonio, Texas / Converse Judson HS) has scored 1,326 points in his four-year career at Denver ... He is ranked sixth all-time ... Pratt is 55 points short of moving into the fifth spot (Jack Hauser '45-'49) ... The senior began the year 13th and has already moved up seven places.SERIES HISTORY & NOTES - - Drake leads the all-time series 3-5 ... The two teams first met in 1935 ... The Bulldogs defeated the Pioneers, 72-68 last season in Des Moines, Iowa ... Denver last defeated Drake, 78-66, on January 24, 1953, in Denver.SCOUTING THE PIONEERS - - Denver is 3-0 at home, including 2-0 in Magness Arena ... Senior captain B.J. Pratt leads the Pioneers in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per game ... Sophomore guard Erik Benzel (Spokane, Wash. / Ferris HS) has added 12.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest ... Junior center Brett Starkey (Lakewood, Colo. / Green Mountain HS) scored a game-high 10 points last game and is averaging a near double-double, scoring 9.5 points and grabbing a team-high 9.7 rebounds ... Sophomore point guard Rodney Billups (Denver, Colo. / L.A. Valley [Calif.] CC) has contributed 6.5 points and a team-best 3.6 assists ... Junior forward Zeljko Zupic (Sinj, Croatia / Hill [Texas] JC) has dropped in 6.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in the first third of the season.LAST TIME OUT - - The University of Denver men's basketball team opened the second half with a 13-3 run and then survived an almost seven-minute scoring drought to beat Duquesne 49-48 for third place in the San Juan Shootout on Sunday. With the victory the Pioneers improve to 6-5, while the Dukes fall to 3-7."Duquesne was very aggressive in the first eight minutes," said head coach Terry Carroll . "It would have been easy for us to pack it in, but we decided to get down and guard instead. Our play for the last 32 minutes of the game proves that you can win ball games if you struggle on the offensive end of the floor."Senior captain B.J. Pratt's long 3-pointer with 7:45 left got Denver within 41-40 and was the first score for the Pioneers since his layup and free throw with 14:24.Sophomore guard Erik Benzel then a steal which led to junior forward Carvell McAlister's (Fresno, Calif. / Eastern Wyoming JC) inside basket that put Denver back in the lead for good. Duquesne was within 49-48 when Brad Midgely hit a 3-pointer with 1:23 left, but nobody scored after that.The Dukes had their chance after Benzel missed a shot and then traveled with 36 seconds left. Kevin Forney drove for a shot, but it bounced off the rim. Benzel then missed a free throw with 3 seconds left, but Ron Dokes' desperation 3-pointer was short at the buzzer.Junior center Brett Starkey had 10 points to lead the Pioneers, which shot 35 percent (17-of-48). Forney had 13 points for Duquesne.Senior Dusty Wadlington (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Morningside College), Denver's 5-foot-5 point guard, keyed the run that started the second half. After Starkey's layup, Wadlington had a steal that he turned into a layup, hit a 3-pointer and assisted on a basket by Benzel with 16:40 left that gave the Pioneers their first lead, 34-32.The Dukes were not able to take full advantage of Denver's scoring drought, going ahead by only four points. Duquesne had its own six-minute scoreless streak before Ron Dokes' one-handed slam with 10:31 left.The Dukes led throughout the first half, twice building 10-point leads before settling for a 29-24 halftime score. Tricco had a 3-pointer and Forney made a layup in the first minute to put Duquesne ahead.DRAKE FAST BREAKS - - Drake lost at Iowa State, 76-55 ... Sunday's game is the second stop on a four-game road swing for the Bulldogs ... Drake freshman redshirt Quantel Murphy (George Washington HS) will be playing his first college game in his hometown ... Head coach Kurt Kanaskie is in his sixth year at Drake (57-121) ... Denver head coach Terry Carroll was an assistant coach at Drake (under Gary Garner) from 1984-88, while assistant Matt Woodley played at Drake from 1998-2000 and ended as the Bulldogs' career leader in steals (198), while ranking second in three point baskets (188) ... J.J Sola (15.2), Luke McDonald (14.5), Greg Danielson (13.8), Lonnie Randolph (7.0) and T.J. Welton (4.7) are the team's leading scorers ... Drake, which led the Missouri Valley Conference in three-point shooting each of the last two seasons, has made just seven of 28 three-point shots (25 percent) in the last three games ... The Bulldogs' 5-5 record includes four games against opponents that either advanced to the post-season play in 2002 or won their respective regular-season conference titles last year.ALL-SAN JUAN - - Senior captain B.J. Pratt's 51 point, 12 rebound, three steal, two assist effort in three games against James Madison (December 20), Auburn (December 21) and Duquesne (December 22) earned him a spot on the San Juan Shootout all-tournament team.HOT, HOT, HOT - - Junior center Brett Starkey set three career marks in Denver's 49-48 victory against Duquesne on December 22 ... His four assist effort was one better than the previous high (South Alabama on February 14, 2002) ... He blocked two shots for the sixth time in his career and played 34 minutes for only the second time in his three-year career ... Starkey's fourth double-double of the year (11 points, 11 rebounds) led the Pioneers to a third-place finish in the San Juan Shootout.NEUTRAL COURT - - The Pioneers are 3-2 on neutral floors this season ... Denver will not play another game on a neutral court until the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on March 7 or 8.LOPSIDED GAMES - - The Pioneers have won four of their contests by 16 points or more ... Three of their five loses have also been by 16 points or more.MORE SHOTS - - Denver has attempted 57 more shots than its opponents (658-601) ... 5.2 per game ... The Pioneers have also thrown up 85 more three-point attempts (255-170) ... 7.7 per contest ... Denver has even shot 28 more free throws (205-177) ... 2.5 per game.THREE-PEAT - - Chicago State was the third opponent the Pioneers have faced from the Mid -Con Conference ... Denver is 3-0 against the Mid-Con, defeating UMKC, 83-66, on December 3, Western Illinois, 75-48, on December 7 and Chicago State, 76-49, on December 14.TALE OF TWO HALFS - - The Pioneers are 4-0 when leading at half time and 2-5 when trailing ... Denver has been outscored its opponent in the first frame by just seven points, 333-326 ... The Pioneers have outscored their opponents, 424-391, in the second half.TURNOVER BUG - - Denver has only turned the ball over 151 times (13.7), while forcing 182 (16.5) ... The Pioneers turned the ball over a season-high 18 times in their 63-58 lost to Auburn (December 21) ... Their season-low (seven) came in their 75-48 victory against Western Illinois (December 7).DOWNTOWN - - The Pioneers have already thrown up 255 three-point shots, making 86 of them (.337) ... Of their 658 shot attempts 39 percent of them have been from behind the arc, while 33 percent of their made baskets (86-of-264) have been from downtown.ALL-TOURNAMENT - - Junior forward Zeljko Zupic's 34 point, 11 rebound, one steal, one assist effort against Binghamton (Dec. 6) and Western Illinois (Dec. 7) earned him a spot on the Cyclone Challenge all-tournament team.BACK-TO-BACK - - Denver's games on December 6th and 7th were the first time in its brief Division I history that the Pioneers have played on back-to-back nights ... The Pioneers played three games in three days in Puerto Rico (December 20-21) ... Denver is 2-1 in the second of back-to-back games.UNCHARTED TERRITORY - - The Pioneers' 6-5 mark put them above .500 for the first time after five games in their short Division I history ... Denver's best record after 11 games was 4-7 ... A feat it accomplished in the 2000-2001 season.BIG HALF - - The 51 points the Pioneers scored in the first half of their, 75-48, victory against Western Illinois on December 7 were the most points they have scored in a half since, January 31, 2000, when Denver dropped in 52 points in the second half versus Arkansas-Little Rock ... The Pioneers scored 53 in the first half against Loyal (Md.) on February 2, 1999.LET IT RAIN - - The Pioneers hit a school-record 16 three-pointers en route to an 83-66 victory against UMKC on December 3 ... Denver's previous high for threes was 15 against Wright State on December 12, 1998.CAREER NIGHT - - Sophomore guard Erik Benzel established career-highs in five different categories in Denver's 83-66 victory against UMKC on December 3 ... Benzel's 22 points were two better than the previous high (20 at Louisiana-Lafayette on January 26, 2002) ... The sophomore's attempted and made field goals (8-of-15) and three-pointers (6-of-12) were also career-highs.DOUBLE-DOUBLE - - Junior center Brett Starkey has been a dominate force in the paint in this season ... With four double-double performances in the Pioneers' victories over Eastern Washington (November 30) ,Western Illinois (December 7), James Madison (December 20) and Duquesne (December 22) and a career-tying-high 17 points versus Colorado State (December 11), the Lakewood, Colo. native is averaging 9.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest.FRIENDLY CONFINES - - Denver's first regular season game in Hamilton Gymnasium was a success ... The Pioneers defeated Eastern Washington, 69-48, in front of 1,342 fans on November 30 ... It was the largest home crowd since January 19, 2002, when Denver took on Western Kentucky.DEEP BENCH - - The Pioneers have gone very deep into their bench ... 11 of the 12 players on the roster have seen 53 minutes or more this season ... The only individual to have not seen at least 53 minutes of playing time this season is junior Josh Hansen (Burlington, Colo. / Northeastern [Colo.] JC) ... He has been on the floor for nine minutes.FIRST POINT - - Lone freshman Brett Seger (Omaha, Neb. / Westside HS) scored his first point as a collegian against Eastern Washington (November 30) ... With 13:02 remaining in the second half, the freshman stepped to the free-throw line and hit one-of-two ... His first field goal came on December 7 (Western Illinois) ... Seger put home a 3-pointer with 8:15 remaining in the first half.ODD BEGINNING - - This is the first season the Pioneers have started 0-2 since 1997 when they also dropped two straight road games to Wyoming (73-50) and Portland (78-49) ... Denver started the last four seasons 1-1.CHARITY STRIPE - - Denver's 13-for-13 performance at the free-throw line vs. Wyoming on November 23 was only the third time in school history that the Pioneers have made all of their free-throws in a game ... Denver converted all of its free-throws vs. Grand Canyon on March, 6, 1989, and again vs. Southern Colorado on February 27, 1993.HE'S BACK - - Denver regained the dominating physical presence of senior Steve Simmons (Salt Lake City, Utah / Treasure CC), who sat out last season to concentrate on his academics. At 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds, Simmons is No. 10 on the Pioneers all-time block list, needing just eight blocks to move up two places to No. 8. In 2000-01, he led the Pioneers in rebounds (9.0) and field goal percentage (56 percent).NEW COACH - - Al Williams begins his first season as an assistant coach with the Denver men's basketball team. Williams will join Greg Lackey and Matt Woodley to complete Terry Carroll's coaching staff for the 2002-03 season. He will work with all aspects of the team including recruiting, scouting, scheduling and on-floor practices.FIFTH IN THE WEST - - The University of Denver men's basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt Conference West Division. The Denver men received 17 votes to finish behind North Texas (39 pts.).Denver's B.J. Pratt earned third team preseason All-Sun Belt Conference honors. Pratt, a senior guard, returns for his final season with the Pioneers after leading the team in scoring last season with 388 points (13.0 ppg). Pratt also recorded a team-high, 56 three-point field goals during the 2001-02 campaign, and carried the team's second-best free-throw percentage, draining 52 of 62 attempts (.839). The coaches selected Western Kentucky senior center Chris Marcus as the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year.Second-year head coach Terry Carroll welcomes back five letter winners and two starters from a team that struggled through an 8-20 season last year and a first round exit from the SBC Tournament.Returning to the lineup this season will be seniors Pratt, Leslie Richardson (Aurora, Colo. / Overland HS) and Steve Simmons, juniors Ryan Goral and Brett Starkey and sophomore Erik Benzel. The Pioneers welcome back 54 percent of its offensive production and almost half of the defensive production from last season.Last year, Denver improved in rebounding, hauling in nearly eight more balls than the year before, and in free-throw shooting percentage with a significant increase from 69.7 percent to 59.8 percent in 2000-01.Men's Preseason PollEast1. Western Kentucky 55 (11)2. Arkansas-Little Rock 373. Florida International 284. Middle Tennessee 225. Arkansas State 19West 1. Louisiana-Lafayette 66 (11) 2. New Mexico State 53 3. New Orleans 40 4. North Texas 39 5. Denver 17 6. South Alabama 16SIGN HERE PLEASE - - Two men's basketball players - an Iowa prep standout and a Colorado prep all-star - have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Denver and play for head coach Terry Carroll.High school swing guard David Kummer (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / Washington HS) and point guard James Lane (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Palmer HS) have officially announced they will join the Pioneers squad next fall.Kummer, 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, is among the best high school players in Iowa. He earned second-team all-state honors, and was named first team All-Missouri Valley Conference and All-District plaudits after averaging 14 points, 9.5 rebounds and four assists per game his junior year. He has started since his freshman year and has led Washington in rebounds, assists, deflections and steals the past two seasons.Lane comes to Denver after a very solid junior season at Palmer high school in Colorado Springs. The 6-foot-2 point guard earned all-state honorable mention honors his junior year after averaging 14.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest. He also led Palmer in scoring in eight games.Lane also played football for the Terrors, passing for 2,042 yards and 24 touchdowns his junior year.STARKEY NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM - - Junior center Brett Starkey was selected to the Verizon Academic All-District VII men's basketball team, as voted on and announced Feb. 21, 2002 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).He is joined on the team by Iowa's Luke Recker, Iowa State's Jake Sullivan, Nebraska's Cary Cochran and Michael Lindeman of Creighton. The five men represented the district as candidates for the 2002 Verizon Academic All-America team.The 6-foot-9 Starkey carried a 3.955 grade-point average in biology, and spent this past summer engaging in cholangiocyte research on polycystic liver disease under Dr. Brian Doctor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Last year, he was a member of the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner's List for earning a 3.5 GPA or higher during the 2000-01 academic year, and is a two-time recipient of the University's gold academic medallion.He was fifth on the Pioneers' squad in scoring at 5.6 points per game, and third in rebounding at 5.3 boards a contest. As one of Denver's top reserves, he had three games in double-figure points and another three in double-figure rebounds. His best game came on Jan. 13, 2002 in Denver's 72-69 win vs. Florida International, when he had a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds.Source: http://denverpioneers.ocsn.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/122802aaa.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 28 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8174/1/E-Croatias-skydiver-Robert-Fry-parachutes-from-the-tallest-building.html ÂCroatia's skydiver plunge off the world's tallest buildingsCroatia's skydiver Robert Fry parachutes down from Malaysia's landmark Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2002. Watched by shoppers and tourists, parachutists are scheduled to plunge off the world's tallest buildings on the first day of a rare international tournament of extreme skydiving. (AP Photo/Teh Eng Koon) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 28 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8180/1/E-Croatias-Janica-Kostelic-celebrates-after-winning-in-Lenzerheide.html ÂJanicaWins in LenzerheideCroatia's Janica Kostelic celebrates on the podium after winning the women's World Cup slalom and the combined in Lenzerheide, December 22, 2002. Kostelic won in a time of one minute and 42.97 seconds ahead of second placed Tanja Poutiainen of Finland. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseÂCroatia's Janica Kostelic wins slalom and combined at World Cup eventKostelic leads the overall with 775 points, holding a comfortable lead of 337 points over Dorfmeister.ÂLook at her smile !Canadian PressSunday, December 22, 2002CREDIT: (AP/Keystone, Eddy Risch)Olympic champion Janica Kostelic from Croatia races down the slope to during the World Cup women's slalom in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, Sunday. Kostelic skied two excellent runs to easily win a World Cup slalom and combined. (AP/Keystone, Eddy Risch)ADVERTISEMENTÂLENZERHEIDE, Switzerland (CP) - Olympic champion Janica Kostelic skied two excellent runs Sunday to easily win a World Cup slalom and combined. The Croatian, who leads the World Cup overall and slalom standings, had a total time of one minute 42.97 seconds. She was 1.23 seconds ahead of Tanja Poutiainen of Finland, with Claudia Riegler of New Zealand third.ÂBritt Janyk of Whistler, B.C., was the top Canadian, finishing 19th with a two-run time of 1:45.44.ÂKostelic also won the combined, giving her a runaway lead in the overall World Cup standings after 14 events. She has a total of 15 World Cup victories.ÂGenevieve Simard of Val-Morin, Que., finished 13th in the combined with a total 3:38.87.Â"I've given myself a great Christmas present," said Kostelic, the only skier along with Germany's Martina Ertl to race in all five disciplines. "I was lucky to win, I nearly skied out.Â"My goggles were really wet and I had to wipe them clean a couple of times, which made me make a mistake in the upper part of the course."ÂKostelic's wide margin of victory in the slalom assured her the win in the combined in which times from Saturday's downhill were added to those of the slalom, with the quickest winning.ÂKostelic was sixth in Saturday's downhill with a full second to make up over winner Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria, the reigning overall World Cup champion.ÂBut Kostelic easily made up the deficit in the slalom, with Dorfmeister finishing back in the pack in the slalom, to finish the combined in seventh place.ÂKostelic leads the overall with 775 points, holding a comfortable lead of 337 points over Dorfmeister.ÂIn the combined, Ertl was second and German compatriot Maria Riesch was third.ÂThis was Kostelic's 13th World Cup slalom victory. At Salt Lake City, Kostelic became the first Alpine skier to capture four medals in a single Olympics.ÂShe won the season-opening slalom in Park City, Utah, then finished runner-up in Aspen, Colo., and fourth in the new elimination slalom in Sestriere last weekend.ÂKostelic has had a slower start to the season in the speed events. The Croatian underwent an appendectomy in August. She also had three knee operations last year.ÂPoutiainen, fourth after the opening leg, climbed two spots into second place at 1:44.20. Riegler surged from 18th after the opening leg into third with a time of 1:44.44.ÂThe Kiwi watched from the finish area as 15 other skiers tried to better her time, each struggling with the wet snow and rutted course.ÂGermany's Annemarie Gerg was seeking her first career World Cup victory after eight years on the circuit. She was second after the opening leg but finished fifth. The result still topped her previous best performance, sixth place in a slalom in Zwiesel, Germany, in 1997.ÂReigning giant slalom world and World Cup champion Sonja Nef of Switzerland was third heading into the final run but dropped into a seventh-place tie with Schleper at 1:44.73.© Copyright 2002 The Canadian Press letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 22 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8181/1/E-Schumacher-Kostelic-Named-European-Sportsman-and-Sportswoman-of-the-Year.html Schumacher, Kostelic Named European Sportsman and Sportswoman of the YearVOA Sports21 Dec 2002, 02:24 UTCGerman Formula One driving champion Michael Schumacher and four-time Olympic medalist Janica Kostelic of Croatia have been voted the European Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year.ÂSchumacher won a fifth Formula One driving championship with Ferrari this year. He finished with 62 points in voting by the European Sports Writers Union. Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen was second with 40 points and Austrian skier Stefan Eberharter finished third.ÂKostelic received 60 points with British runner and world record holder Paula Radcliffe second with 55 points. German swimmer Franziska van Almsick was third with only 16 points. Van Almsick won five gold medals at the European Swimming championships in Berlin and she also broke the world record in the 200-meters freestyle event. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 21 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8182/1/E-Drazen-Petrovic-Memorial-Scholarship-Fund.html The Drazen Petrovic Memorial Scholarshiphttp://www.nba.com/nets/foundation/foundation_petrovic.htmlÂhttp://www.hoophall.com/ÂMonday, December 23,2002 at 7:30 PM New Jersey Nets vs. Chicago Bulls Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.Is it just another NBA game in December ?ÂNets were NBA finalists in 2002 playoffs. In 1993 they retired # 3,worn by Drazen Petrovic,the greatest Croatian basketball player ever.Drazen died in 1993 in a tragic automobile accident.His funeral in Zagreb was attended by more than quarter million people.Nets were represented by Hall of Famer Willis Reed,Chris Dudley,Chris Morris and NBA executives.On September 27,2002 Drazen Petrovic was inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.In 1994 the New Jersey Nets established Drazen Petrovic Memorial Scholarship in honor of their fallen star. Every year since 1994 New Jersety Nets provide scholarship to Croatian-American student graduating from New Jersey high school who is accepted to a four-year accredited college in the United States.At half-time ceremony of the Nets - Bulls game on Monday, December 23,2002 this year's Drazen Petrovic Memorial Scholarship winner will be announced.So far, the New Jersey Nets have contributed over $!120,000 to the Drazen Petrovic Memorial Scholarship Fund.Drazen Petrovic Memorial ScholarshipThe Drazen Petrovic Memorial Scholarship provides financial assistance to Croatian-American students who have graduated from New Jersey high schools and plan to attend four-year accredited colleges in the United States. The New Jersey Nets established the scholarship as a lasting memorial to Drazen Petrovic, the Nets star shooting guard who was tragically killed in an automobile crash in June 1993.ÂThe $10,000 scholarship, payable over four years, is awarded annually to a deserving Croatian-American student who exhibits the same work ethic and will to succeed that made Drazen Petrovic such an intense competitor and unique symbol of Croatian spirit and pride.ÂYearScholar NameHometownCollege2001Janine BrownSaddle Brook, NJ Cornell University2000Petar CrnogoracBoonton, NJSouthampton College at L.I. University1999Marissa KelloggSummit, NJYale University1998Andrea BertolineRidgefield, NJUniversity of Pennsylvania1997Vedrana KaticWoodridge, NJ Georgetown University1996Sandra CvitanTowaco, NJRutgers University1995Robert GrgurevCliffside Park, NJColumbia University1994Josip GazicNorth Bergen, NJRensselaer Polytechnic Institutehttp://www.nba.com/nets/foundation/foundation_petrovic.htmlÂhttp://www.hoophall.com/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 19 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8184/1/E-Croatias-Ivica-Kostelic-wins-experimental-slalom.html ÂIvica Kostelic wins experimental slalomIvica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates on the podium after winning a World Cup men's Knock Out slalom, in Sestriere, Italy, Monday, Dec. 16, 2002. (AP Photo/Claudio Scaccini)ÂIvica Kostelic of Croatia, center, winner of a World Cup men's KO slalom, celebrates on the podium with second placed Giorgio Rocca of Italy, left, and third placed Truls Ove Karlsen of Norway, in Sestriere, Italy, Monday, Dec. 16, 2002. (AP Photo/Claudio Scaccini)ÂCroatia's Kostelic wins experimental slalomÂBy Andrew Dampf, Associated Press, 12/16/2002 15:26SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) Croatia's Ivica Kostelic won a four-run, experimental World Cup slalom Monday night, overcoming strong back pain to edge Italy's Giorgio Rocca by 0.01 seconds.ÂKostelic, the World Cup slalom champion, won in the night's final run. Norway's Truls Ove Karlsen was third, 0.25 seconds behind Kostelic in the final run.ÂThe new format is designed to attract more TV viewers by keeping the winner unknown until the final run. The slalom winner usually is determined by the best combined time from two runs.ÂAmerican Chip Knight finished sixth, 0.57 seconds behind Kostelic, improving on his seventh-place finish in the season's first slalom in Park City, Utah, on Nov. 24.ÂBode Miller, the United States' top skier and a slalom specialist, was eliminated during qualifying.ÂKostelic, who also had the best time in the next-to-last round, held his skis over his head in a victory salute while Rocca's wide smile quickly turned to a look of astonishment.Â''I think it's the greatest win for me so far,'' he said. ''I can say I won two times today. I won against the pain and I won the race.''ÂThe 23-year-old Croatian said he felt back pain during the morning warmup runs and had to be carried to the hotel.Â''I couldn't imagine skiing or even finishing in the top 30,'' he said.ÂDespite the victory, Kostelic said he was not a fan of the new format.Â''When there's only nine racers there's no interest in the final,'' he said. ''Instead of making the sport bigger, it makes it smaller.''ÂFollowing the afternoon qualifying session, which cut the field to 30 skiers, the first knockout phase Monday evening pitted the fastest skier in qualifying against the 30th, the second against the 29th, etc. One raced after the other, with the faster skier advancing to the next round and the slower one eliminated.ÂThen the remaining 15 skiers plus the three fastest ''losers'' of the round or ties for a total of 18 faced off in the same manner in the next round.ÂThe nine skiers who made it to the final run started in reverse order of times. The competition reverted to a more traditional formula at this stage, with the fastest skier winning the race. Times were never carried through to the next round.ÂKostelic beat Italy's Hannes Paul Schmid by 0.09 seconds in the first knockout round and edged Austria's Reinfried Herbst by 0.86 seconds in the second phase.ÂSeveral top contenders were eliminated in the first knockout round, including Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt and Austria's Benjamin Raich. Miller and Rainer Schoenfelder were eliminated in the afternoon qualifying. Schoenfelder won the only previous slalomthis season.ÂSestriere, the main venue for Alpine skiing for the 2006 Turin Olympics, hosted an identical women's slalom Sunday, won by Sweden's Anja Paerson. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8183/1/E-Ivica-and-Janica---Croatian-Pride.html ÂIvica & Janica Kostelic - CroatianPride letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8185/1/E-Janica-Still-at-the-Top.html Janica our PrideElegantCroatia's Janica Kostelic, right, the women's ski World Cupleader, with her mother Mariza after taking fourth place in a special 'knockout' slalom race being introduced at the World Cup circuit for the first time atSestriere, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)Croatia's Janica Kostelic clears a pole on her way to take fourthplace in a special 'knock out' slalom race being introduced at the World Cupcircuit for the first time at Sestriere, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2002. (APPhoto/Alessandro Trovati) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 15 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8186/1/E-Womens-Giant-Slalom-at-Val-dIsere-France---Janica-5th.html ÂWomen's Giant Slalom at Val d'Isere, France - Janica 5thDec 12, 2002Results of Women's World Cup Giant Slalom By The Associated Press VAL D'ISERE, France - Results Thursday from the Women's Giant Slalom at Val d'Isere, France (combined time over two runs): 1. Karen Putzer, Italy, 2 minutes 22.17 seconds. 2. Sonja Nef, Switzerland, 2:22.53. 3. (tie) Michaela Dorfmeister, Austria, 2:23.05. 4. Alexandra Meisnitzer, Austria, 2:23.05. 5. Janica Kostelic, Croatia, 2:23.10. VAL D'ISERE, France (Reuters) - Karen Putzer of Italy claimed her second Alpine ski World Cup victory in five days when she won a women's giant slalom Thursday. The 24-year-old, with an advantage of 0.74 seconds from the first run, held her nerve to win in a time of two minutes 22.17 seconds. It was her first World Cup giant slalom victory. Reigning World Cup giant slalom champion Sonja Nef of Switzerland was second, 0.24 seconds behind. Austrian duo Alexandra Meissnitzer and Michaela Dorfmeister shared third place with an identical time of 2:23.05. Overall World Cup leader Janica Kostelic of Croatia had to settle for fifth letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 12 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8187/1/E-Croatian-baskeball-player-the-best-in-the-NBA-league-in-Free-Throws.html Gordan GiricekÂBest FREE THROW in NBA Dec 4, 2002Memphis Grizzlies guard Gordan Giricek of Croatia has the best FREE THROW percentage in the whole NBA league40 out of 44 which is .909 Dec 4th 2002BRAVO ! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 06 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8192/1/E-Neven-Cuzela-of-Croatia-scored-a-team-high-17.html Knights off to a fast startÂSunday, December 01, 2002From staff and wire service reportsHACKENSACK - Freshman forward Gordon Klaiber got a passing grade Saturday night in his debut for Fairleigh Dickinson, which is enjoying its first two-game winning streak in two seasons.The Knights (2-0) ran past Morgan State, 91-75, in the Rothman Center, and the 6-foot-8 Klaiber came off the bench late in the first half and contributed seven points, two rebounds, and one block in 10 minutes."This is my first game, so I know I'm going to build on this and have a better game next game," Klaiber said after shooting 2-for-5 from the field, including a dunk, and a three-point play, and swishing all three foul shots.Klaiber sat out the preseason and Monday's opening win over Army while the NCAA determined the legitimacy of a high school Spanish class toward his eligibility. He was cleared Tuesday and looked capable of contributing immediately to a team that last season suffered a worst-ever 4-25 campaign."For a first game, I'm real pleased with Gordon," coach Tom Green said. "It's going to take him a while to really learn our offenses and defenses. He's behind three or four weeks in terms of the rest of the team, but he is going to blend in. He's a natural athlete, and he is going to be a help, no question about it."Klaiber was part of a bench that contributed mightily with 54 points. Freshman sharpshooter Neven Cuzela of Croatia made five of 10 three-pointers and scored a team-high 17. Standout senior forward Matt Hammond, still working his way back from knee surgery, had 12 points and a team-high six rebounds. Senior forward Lionel Bomayako scored 14 for the Knights, and junior point guard Marcus Whitaker added 11 points and a game-high eight assists.Senior guard Randy Dukes led Butch Beard-coached Morgan State (0-3) with a game-high 19 points.FDU has beaten Morgan State five times in six tries, and has not lost to the Bears since 1979. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 01 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8189/1/E-Janica-in-full-form-Aspen-Colorado.html ÂJanica KostelicCroatia's Janica Kostelic (L) and Sweden'sAnja Paerson stand together on the women's alpine World Cup slalom podium inAspen, Colorado November 30, 2002. Paerson won the event in a time of oneminute, 38.65 with Kostelic finishing second with a time of one minute, 39.06.REUTERS/Gary C. Caskey letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 01 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8194/1/E-Mia-Jerkov-Named-to-the-2002-All-Pac-10-Volleyball-Team.html Mia Jerkov Named to the 2002 All-Pac-10 Volleyball TeamÂClass: SophomoreHometown: Split, CroatiaHigh School: HS of Language-Pula Height: 6-3Position: Outside HitterBirthdate: 12/05/1982Experience: 1VCALIFORNIA: Enters her second season as an outside hitter with the Golden Bears...as a FRESHMAN in 2001 finished the year as the team-leader in kills per game (3.36)...only competed in 10 matches due to playing for the Croatian National Team and suffering tendentious in her left shin following the Oct. 20 match versus Washington...had a career-high 20 kills and 14 digs Oct. 19 versus Washington State...followed with a team-high 19 kills Oct. and two service aces Oct. 20 versus Washington...led the Bears with 12 kills Oct. 12 at UCLA and 13 kills Oct. 13 at USC...in first collegiate action Oct. 5 versus Oregon, had seven kills, seven digs, a service ace and a block solo in half a match...had a team-high 15 kills with three service aces and 12 digs Oct. 6 versus Oregon State...recorded 10 kills with two service aces and eight digs Oct. 8 versus Arizona. HIGH SCHOOL: Attended the High School of Language-Pula and played volleyball for coach Boris Brescic of the Pula-Istarska club team...has also been a member of the Croatian Junior National Team since 1998 and a member of the Croatian Senior National Team in 2000...competed at the 2001 Junior World Championship in Santa Domingo in the Dominican Republic and with the Croatian National Team at the 2001 European Championship...has competed in several Junior World Championships and competed in the World Cup in Japan in the summer of 2000...was named the Best Under 18 Attacker for Croatia in both 1999 and 2000. PERSONAL: Mia Jerkov was born Dec. 5, 1982 in Cattolica Forli, Italy...parents are Zeljko and Dragoca Jerkov...father, Zeljko, is a former player on the Croatian National Basketball Team...siblings include Marko (15) and Ante (4)...has not declared a major. Career HighsKills: 20 vs. Washington State, 10/19/01Attempts: 56 vs. Washington State, 10/19/01Service Aces: 3 vs. two teamsDigs: 14 vs. Washington State, 10/19/01Block Solos: 1 vs. three teamsBlock Assists: 2 vs. Washington State, 10/19/01Total Blocks: 2 vs. two teamsJERKOV'S Career StatisticsYear M G K E TA PCT AST SA DIG BS BA TB2001 10 33 111 45 344 .192 10 14 88 3 3 6http://calbears.ocsn.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/jerkov_mia00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 30 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8188/1/E-Groeneveld-picked-Mario-Ancic-the-promising-18-year-old-from-Croatia.html Groeneveld picked Mario Ancic, the promising 18-year-old from CroatiaÂby Neil HarmanÂTHE prospect of Greg Rusedski playing any part in the 2003 Australian Open or the Davis Cup tie in Sydney in February is receding by the day. There has been no date fixed for the British No 2's return to the court after his foot operation in the summer. Rusedski had hoped to have been hitting balls by now, but the delay is a depressing omen for the player's chances of a tilt at the first grand-slam championship of next year and, more importantly from a domestic point of view, surviving a Davis Cup world group tie on clay. He is looking for a new coach as well - what with the second split from Sven Groeneveld, who left because he could not plan ahead without a start date. Groeneveld has picked up with Mario Ancic, the promising 18-year-old from Croatia, leaving Rusedski with yet another period of concern as he searches for a coach who can inspire him to believe that, as he approaches 30, he can challenge once more at the top of the sport.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4-497365,00.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 30 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8196/1/E-Croatias-Jana-Milin-Named-Rookie-Of-The-Year-And-Player-of-The-Year.html Milin set pace for UMES' record volleyball seasonÂShe was named league's Rookie and Player of Year By Bill FreeSun StaffNovember 29, 2002This could only happen in a tiny college town like Princess Anne at asmall school such as Maryland-Eastern Shore.Jana Milin could accomplish the dream of every athlete, being named herleague's Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, though she wasvirtually unnoticed by almost everybody outside Mid-Eastern AthleticConference volleyball circles."I am so excited," said Milin, a freshman outside hitter/setter fromPula, Croatia. "This is a really big honor to me. It means so much tome."Milin walked on campus in August and immediately helped transform adead-end volleyball program into one of the elite teams in the MEAC. TheHawks went from three wins last season to 20-15 this season and reachedthe conference tournament semifinals.Season-long nemesis Morgan State ended UMES' run in the MEAC semis, 3-0,but UMES coach Toby Rens was chosen MEAC Coach of the Year in his secondseason in Princess Anne. The Hawks suffered through three winlessseasons before Rens arrived last year.While Milin dominated the MEAC with 554 kills, 330 digs and 102 serviceaces in 111 games this season, it was a rare quadruple double she pulledoff against Coppin State on Sept. 28 that thrust her to nationalacclaim.Milin racked up 16 kills, 14 assists, 10 aces and 11 digs in a 3-0victory, giving her the first Division I quadruple double in nearly ayear.Yale's Alison Lungstrum had been the last Division I player toaccomplish the feat on Oct. 12, 2001. Lungstrum had 12 kills, 56assists, 14 digs and 10 blocks."That was a great individual accomplishment for her," Rens said. "Evenmore impressive to me is her leadership on the court and how she helpspull our team together."Rens and Milin have a lot of help on the way next season with theannouncement that junior college first-team All-American Chrissy Jacobshas signed a letter of intent with the Hawks. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 29 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8191/1/E-Rosso-plays-and-wins-with-Croatia---HaaretzIsrael-reports.html Rosso plays and wins with Croatia ÂThursday, November 28, 2002 Kislev 23, 5763 Israel Time:  20:17  (GMT+2)Giovanni Rosso's dream of playing in an Israel shirt was ended for good yesterday, although he did finally earn his first international cap as he played for his native Croatia for 75 minutes in their 1-0 win over Romania in Timisoara. Rosso, who was thrilled at the opportunity to have finally earned international colors, said: "It was a great honor for me to play for the Croatian national team, although I must admit that I thought I would be able to play for Israel. I waited until the very last minute for the phone call from Israel that would convey the news that I had been awarded citizenship. But the call never came, so from today I am a Croatian international." Croatia's winner was scored by Tomislav Maric in the 46th minute in front of 36,000 spectators. (Doron Bergerfreund) http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=232894&contrassID=2&subContrassID=6&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8190/1/E-World-Youth-Chess-Championships-in-Greece-on-Sunday.html World Youth Chess Championships in Greece on SundayÂBy MANNY BENITEZTODAY Chess Columnist International Master Mark Paragua battled the under-18 boys' leader, Ferenc Berkes of Hungary, to a draw with White to end up in a tie for third to fifth with 8.0 points at the World Youth Chess Championships in Greece on Sunday. It was not known, however, whether the Philippines' national junior champion won a medal as in the tiebreak he would have landed only the fifth berth. The rest of the seven Filipino youngsters sent to the Greek city of Heraklio in Crete -- five boys and two girls -- finished with a 50 percent or below performance record. Three of them -- National Master Roderick Nava in the under-18 boys, Cheradee Chardine Camacho in the under-10 girls and Aices Salvador in the under-12 girls -- won their final games while the three others -- Loren Brigham Laceste in the under-10 boys, Nelson Mariano III in the under-12 and Vic Neil Villanueva in the under-14 -- lost theirs. With 5.5 points, Nava tied for 39th to 50th among 86 participants, Camacho had 4.5 points to tie for 49th to 54th among 86, and Salvador had 6.0 to tie for 26th to 40th among 84. On the other hand, Brigham had 5.5 points to tie for 46th to 63rd among 107, Mariano had 5.5 to tie for 49th to 66th among 117, and Villanueva had 5.5 to tie for 42nd to 57th among 99. With 802 boys and girls from 17 countries participating in the five age groups (10, 12, 14, 16, 18), most of the top prizes went to East European youngsters. Only two Asians -- 12-year-old girl Tan Zhongyi and 10-year-old boy Ding Liren, both of China -- won the gold and only two, 14-year-old boy G. Rohit of India and M. Hejazi Pour of Iran, won the silver. The age-group winners: Under-10 boys (107 players): 1-2. Eltaj Safarli of Hungary and Ding Liren of China, 9.5; 3. Sanas Suginoc of Russia, 9.0. Under-12 boys (117 players): 1-2. Ian Nepomniachtchis of Russia and Magnus Carlsen of Norway, 9.0; 3-4 David Howell of England and Dmitri Andreikine of Russia, 8.5; 4-8. Nguyen Ngoc Truong and Le Quong Liem of Vietnam, Wei Chenpang of China and Ildar Kariullin of Russia, 8.0. Under-14 boys (99 players): Luka Lenic of Slovenia, 9.0; 2. G. Rohit of India, 8.5; 3-5. Davit Johua of Georgia, Markus Ragga of Austria and Salvino Barcys of Lithuania, 8.0. Under-16 boys (90 players): 1-2. Levan Pantsulaia of Georgia and Leonid Gerzhoy of Israel, 8.5; 3-7. Radoslaw Wojtaszek of Poland, Davorin Kuljaseria of Croatia, Antonon Filippov of Uzbekistan, Viktor Ardos of Hungary and Aaron Pivan of the USA, 8.0. Under-18 boys (86 players): 1-2. Ferenc Berkes of Hungary and Shahriyar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan, 9.0; 3-5. Penteala Harikrishna of India, Tigran Petrosyan of Armenia and Mark Paragua of the Philippines, 8.0. Under-10 girls (86 players): 1. Lara Stock of Croatia, 9.5; 2-3. M. Hejazi Pour of Iran and Jovana Vojinovic of Yugoslavia, 9.0; 4. Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine, 8.5. Under-12 girls (84 players): 1. Tan Zhongyi of China, 9; 2. Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine, 8.5; 3-5. Dronavali Harika of India, Ding Yixin of China and Anna Balkova of the Czech Republic, 8.0. Under-14 girls (82 players): 1. Laura Rogule of Latvia, 9.5; 2. Polina Malysheva of Russia, 9.0; 3-4. A. Pour Kashiya of Iran and Joanna Majdan of Poland. Under-16 girls (68 players): 1-2. Tamara Tchistichova of Russia and Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia, 9.0; 3-5 Marina Fomynik of Russia, Natalia Zvoska of Ukraine and Jolante Zawadzki of Poland, 8.0. Under-18 girls (58 players): 1. Elisabeth Paehtz of Germany, 8.5; 2-5. Tamar Tsereteli of Georgia, Marie Sebag of France, Katerina Rohonyan of Ukraine and Ilse Berzina of Latvia, 8. Please send your comments or feedback to newsfeedback@abs-cbn.com http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/abs_news_body.asp?section=Sports&OID=9569 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8197/1/E-Croatian-coach-in-Luanda-Africa.html Training Course for Table Tennis CoachesÂAngola Press Agency (Luanda)November 23, 2002 Posted to the web November 25, 2002 Luanda A training course for table tennis coaches of level three began Friday in Luanda with candidates from five of Angola's 18 provinces.Course main speaker Roman Plese of Croatia, on the tecnical commission of the International Table Tennis Federation reached Luanda Thursday.A source from the Angolan Table Tennis Federation (FATM) told Angop that attendants were candidates from the provinces of Luanda, Benguela, Huila, Namibe and Moxico.FATM first conducted similar courses for level one coaches in 1996 and 2000.The now started course is closing on November 30. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8195/1/E-Focusing-on-Futsal-Mico-Martic-represented-Croatia.html Focusing on FutsalÂWednesday 27 November 2002The first UEFA Futsal Conference finishes in Italy on Thursday after three days of discussion about this fast-growing sport. Looking forwardThe conference will end on a high with a presentation from UEFA Futsal Committee chairman Petr Fousek on the future of Futsal in Europe and a conference review by the UEFA technical director, Andy Roxburgh. It has been staged at the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) technical centre in Coverciano Well attendedRepresentatives of nearly all of UEFA's member associations have been present at the conference, organised in conjunction with the FIGC, since Tuesday, with contributions ranging from a leading Futsal referee on the laws of the game to interviews with the coaches of the holders of the UEFA European Futsal Championship for national teams, Spain, and the UEFA Futsal Cup for club sides, won by Playas de Castellón on 1 March 2002. Hopes raisedAnother guest speaker was Mico Martic, who has represented Croatia and is a keen promoter of the sport across Europe. He has high hopes that the conference will allow for greater development of Futsal across the continent. 'New platform'"The exchange of information between all participants is an important step to increasing Futsal's profile in all UEFA countries and also to introducing it to countries new to the game," said Martic. "I hope the first UEFA Futsal Conference will put Futsal on a new platform, help growth and allow it to obtain the important place in the sporting world that it deserves." Strong futureThroughout the conference, those present have been able to take part in discussion groups about the points raised and share their views on the game's future. The significance of the conference has been underlined by the strong play seen in qualifying for the 2003 UEFA European Futsal Championship finals and the next stage of the 2003 UEFA Futsal Cup which have been taking place in recent weeks. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8193/1/E-Mira-Topic---over-1000-kills---Texas-Volleyball-falls-to-rival-Texas-AM.html Texas Volleyball falls to rival Texas A&M, 1-3ÂCOLLEGE STATION, Texas -- The University of Texas volleyball team dropped itsfinal regular season match to Texas A&M, 1-3 (30-23, 25-30, 29-31, 27-30)with 1,765 fans attending the match at G. Rollie White Coliseum on Wednesdaynight.Texas (22-8, 13-7 Big 12) hit for .303 for the match while Texas A&M (19-9,11-8 Big 12) had a .280 hitting percentage. It marks the first match of theseason in which the Longhorns hit over .300 and lost the match.Despite the loss, it was a good night for the Longhorns. Sophomore Mira Topic(Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia/Vladimir Nazor) crossed over the 1,000 careerkill plateau with 21 kills tonight while fellow sophomore Kathy Hahn(Leander, Texas/Leander) set career highs for kills and fewest attackingerrors in a match. Hahn's previous high was 25 against Kansas State on Nov.4, 2000 and finished the evening with 27 kills on 38 attempts with one errorfor a .684 hitting percentage. Topic added 15 kills for her 11thdouble-double of the year and 29th of her career. Junior libero StacyMillichap (Woodside, Calif./UCLA) tied her career high of 20 digs for thefourth time this season. Freshman Caron Blotch (Franklin, Ind./Franklin) had66 assists for the match, breaking her career-high of 60 she set againstMissouri on Oct. 26.Sophomore Bethany Howden (Austin, Texas/Westlake) was the other Longhorn with double-figures in the kills column with 14. Sophomore LaTonya Coates (Bangor, Mich./Bangor Public) tallied 10 digs."I was happy with our performance in game one," said Texas head coach JerrittElliott. "Now it is time for our team to regroup and focus. We had a goodseason at 22-8, but everyone starts at 0-0 in the NCAA Tournament. I thoughtthat Kathy Hahn had a phenomenal performance and looked like a first-teamAll-American tonight."Texas fought with the Aggies point by point in game one before pulling awaywith a 30-24 win. The Longhorns hit .400 for the game with Hahn and Topictallying six kills each. Hahn was a perfect six for six in attacks whileCoates also did not make an error in her five attempts. The first game saw 13 ties and eight lead changes. Texas grabbed the lead for good at 15-14 off ofan ace by Coates.Texas hit .279 compared to A&M's .423 hitting percentage in the second gameas A&M won the game, 30-25. UT pulled out to an early 3-1 lead before theAggies came back to take the lead at 12-6. The Horns rallied back and closedthe gap to 18-20. Texas A&M scored the last eight of ten points off of kills. Hahn continued to be flawless on the attack, putting down five kills on eight attempts.After the break, the Aggies hurried out to a 3-8 lead before Texas attemptedto come back in game three. The Longhorns caught up at 18-all and expandedtheir lead to 27-23 at one point. A&M came back using a combination of Aggiekills and Longhorn errors to the final tie of 29-29. Back to back attackingerrors sealed the Longhorn fate, falling in game three 31-29.The Aggies carried the momentum from the come from behind win in game threeto take game four, 30-27, by taking the lead early and not letting go. Texascame within a point at 21-22 on a kill by Hahn. A&M responded with a kill bysenior A.D. Achilefu, who played her final home match tonight. Texas made tw o costly service errors in the final nine points of the match.Texas will wait to receive its bid to the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Selectionswill be announced on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. Central and fans can watch theselection show on ESPNEWS. The ESPNEWS selection announcement can be found on DirecTV at channel 207 and on Dish Network at channel 142. In addition, somecable systems carry the ESPNEWS signal. Tournament brackets will be madeavailable after the announcement at www.ncaasports.com. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8198/1/E-Croatia-end-Irish-dream---Basketball.html ÂCroatia end Irish dreamÂ-Basketball-23/11/2002 - 8:03:26 pmÂIreland's European Championship finals dream looks almost certain to be over, following a devastating 87-69 result against Croatia.There was no shortage of drama in Zagreb, where a fourth quarter incident stalled the game for over half an hour, when the Croatian backboard had to be replaced.Croatia's Prkacin went up for a dunk in the opening minute of the final quarter, when the glass board smashed injuring the Irish defense.ÂTim Kennedy and Marty Conlon were on the front line and received superficial facial and shoulder injuries, keeping them benched for the remainder of the game.The Irish team that usually save their best for the second half got demolished in the third quarter with the home team outscoring Ireland 36-18.ÂDespite a promising opening quarter, Ireland never got comfortable in the game and Croatia never looked threatened.ÂIreland opened up an early lead before a big three-pointer from Mulaomerovic gave Croatia a 16-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, a lead that they never relinquished.ÂIreland were very much in the game in the second quarter but some sloppy turnovers and too many off-target attempts looked ominous for the Irish.ÂCal Bowdler did it all for Ireland in the second quarter and despite his 14-point first half contribution, Ireland trailed 37-33 at half time.Ireland collapsed in the third quarter, Croatia hitting 14 unanswered points and pulling away 51-33 four minutes into the second half.ÂSkelim caused huge problems in the Irish defense throughout the period and despite some outstanding play that included 18-points from Glenn Sekuna, Ireland trailed 73-52 going into the final quarter.When play finally resumed in the final quarter, Ireland fought hard without Kennedy and Conlon, but victory at that stage was a mammoth task that looked unlikely to happen.ÂIreland outscored Croatia 14-18 in the final quarter, but it was not enough, and with defeat went Ireland's European Championship hopes.Only some very unlikely results will rekindle Ireland's hopes of qualification to the finals in Sweden 2003, with Germany, Croatia and Bosnia now almost certain to go through. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 25 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8200/1/E-Croatia-beats-Romania-1-0-in-friendly-match.html ÂCroatia beats Romania 1-0 in friendly matchÂAssociated PressNov. 20, 2002 9:54 a.m.ÂTIMISOARA, Romania (AP)- Tomislav Maric scored the only goal of the match as Croatia beat Romania 1-0 in a friendly Wednesday in the western city of Timisoara.ÂRomania dominated the game and pushed to pry open a crowded Croatian defense with attacks on the flanks. But Romanian strikers failed to create scoring chances in the Croatian box.ÂThe hosts' most dangerous efforts came from powerful long distance shots by Ionel Ganea, Adrian Ilie and Dorinel Munteanu but Croatia's goalkeeper, Stipe Pletikosa, was in top form and denied their efforts.ÂGanea, who plays for Stuttgart in Germany, came close to scoring in the 18th minute, but failed to lift the ball over the Croatian 'keeper.ÂCosmin Contra also threatened in the 36th minute, dribbling past three Croatian defenders but then kicked weakly from 12 meters (yards) for an easy save by Pletikosa.ÂCroatia, which responded with dangerous counterattacks, scored in the 46th minute, when an unmarked Tomislav Maric headed home from eight meters (yards) after a free kick from the right.ÂRomania pressed hard for an equalizer, but it was unable to unlock the tight Croatian defense. Instead, Mario Maric could have made it 2-0 in the 84th minute on a rapid counterattack when his header from seven meters (yards) went just over the bar.ÂRomanian coach Anghel Iordanescu made a flurry of changes in the second half, as he tested new talent for European qualifiers next spring.ÂOtto Baric won his first match as coach of the Croatian team.Â-----ÂLineups:ÂRomania: Bogdan Vintila (Bogdan Stelea, 46) - Cosmin Contra (Flavius Stoican, 74), Gheorghe Popescu (Florin Soava, 74), Mirel Radoi (Adrian Iencsi, 47), Cristian Chivu, - Tiberiu Ghioane (Marius Niculae, 46), Florin Cernat (Constantin Schumacher, 46), Dorinel Munteanu, Razvan Rat - Adrian Ilie (Lucian Sanmartean, 59), Ionel Ganea (Daniel Pancu, 21).ÂCroatia: Stipe Pletikosa - Vlatko Djolonga (Miljenko Mumlek, 84), Mario Tokic, Boris Zivkovic, Stjepan Tomas, Dario Srna, Giovanni Rosso (Jasmin Agic, 76), Jerko Leko, Mario Babic, Bosko Balaban (Tomislav Maric, 46), Ivica Olic (Mario Maric, 30)ÂAttendance: 35,000.http://foxsports.lycos.com/content/view?contentId=764006 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8199/1/E-Croatian-Sensation-Winning-with-the-SMILE.html ÂCroatianSensation Winning with the SMILE Janica KostelicCroatia's Janica Kostelic reacts after finishing the second run of the America's Opening women's World Cup slalom race Saturday, Nov. 23, 2002, in Park City, Utah. Kostelic won. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)ÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia (C) celebrates on the podium after winning the women's World Cup slalom in Park City, Utah, November 23, 2002. Coming second was Christel Pascal of France (L) and in third place was Sabine Egger of Austria (R). REUTERS/Rick WilkingÂJanica Kostelic of Croatia skis to the best time in the first heat of the women's World Cup slalom in Park City, Utah November 23, 2002. Kostelic, who had a disappointing World Cup last year after injury but then won three gold medals and a silver at February's Winter Olympics (news - web sites), clocked one minute 39.61 seconds over the two runs to beat second-placed Christel Pascal of France by 0.70 seconds. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)ÂAlways SmilingCroatia's Janica Kostelic reacts after finishing the second run of the America's Opening ladies world cup giant slalom race Thursday, Nov. 21, 2002, in Park City. Utah. Kostelic finished in third place. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8201/1/E-Janica-Kostelic-Wins-in-Womens-NorAm-Cup.html ÂKostelic Wins in Women's NorAm Cup By Associated PressNovember 17, 2002, 8:26 PM CSTWINTER PARK, Colo. -- Olympic champion Janica Kostelic of Croatia won the NorAm Cup slalom Sunday.ÂKostelic, who won three gold medals and a silver in Salt Lake City, finished in a time of 1 minute, 31.35 seconds. German Martina Ertl was second in 1:31.70.ÂOlympic silver medalist Laure Pequegnot of France finished third in 1:32.30. She is the defending World Cup slalom champion.ÂThe top U.S. racer in the first of two days of slaloms was Sarah Schleper, who finished seventh in 1:33.39.ÂCopyright © 2002, The Associated PressÂhttp://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-ski-womens-noram-cup1118nov17,0,7426374.story?coll=sns-ap-sports-headlinesÂÂÂKostelic Wins in Women's NorAm CupThe Associated PressWINTER PARK, Colo. (AP) - Olympic champion Janica Kostelic of Croatia won the NorAm Cup slalom Sunday.Kostelic, who won three gold medals and a silver in Salt Lake City, finished in a time of 1 minute, 31.35 seconds. German Martina Ertl was second in 1:31.70.Olympic silver medalist Laure Pequegnot of France finished third in 1:32.30. She is the defending World Cup slalom champion.The top U.S. racer in the first of two days of slaloms was Sarah Schleper, who finished seventh in 1:33.39.http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20021117&Category=APS&ArtNo=211170852&Ref=ARÂPosted on Sun, Nov. 17, 2002ÂKostelic Wins in Women's NorAm CupAssociated PressWINTER PARK, Colo. - Olympic champion Janica Kostelic of Croatia won the NorAm Cup slalom Sunday.Kostelic, who won three gold medals and a silver in Salt Lake City, finished in a time of 1 minute, 31.35 seconds. German Martina Ertl was second in 1:31.70.Olympic silver medalist Laure Pequegnot of France finished third in 1:32.30. She is the defending World Cup slalom champion.The top U.S. racer in the first of two days of slaloms was Sarah Schleper, who finished seventh in 1:33.39.http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/sports/4543921.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8203/1/E-Primorac-third-beating-Ma-from-China---Mens-World-Cup-table-tennis.html Primoracdid greatAP World PoliticsGermany's Boll to face China's Kong in finals of ITTF Men's World Cup table tennisÂSat Nov 2, 9:07 AM ETBEIJING - World No. 3 Timo Boll of Germany beat Croatia's Zoran Primorac on Saturday to set up a finals showdown against Chinese Olympic champion Kong Linghui in the ITTF Men's World Cup table tennis tournament.ÂBoll, the European champion, beat Primorac 11-9, 5-11, 11-3, 12-14, 1-11, 11-4, 11-8 in the tournament in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan.Â"I was not nervous but tired against Primorac. My body was sore after so many intense fights in the event," said Boll, 21, who is playing in his first World Cup.ÂKong defeated Austria's Werner Schlager 11-2, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9. Earlier in the day, Kong had beaten South Korea (news - web sites)'s Ohn Sang-eun.ÂWorld No. 1 Wang Liqin and No. 2 Ma Lin of China both crashed out of the event. Wang fell to Boll early Saturday, while Primorac beat Ma.Â"It is the first time that I beat Ma," said Primorac, who had lost to the Chinese just days ago in the Dutch Open. "I had many lucky shots today. I am happy that I showed my full strength." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 09 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8202/1/E-Silvija-Talaja-Wins-in-Thailand---Volvo-Open-Tennis.html SilvijaTalaja WinsAP World PoliticsVolvo Open Tennis ResultsÂThu Nov 7, 6:14 AM ETPATTAYA, Thailand - Results of play Thursday at the Volvo Women's Open in Pattaya, Thailand:ÂSinglesÂSecond roundÂLina Krasnoroutskaya, Russia, def. Magdalena Grybowska, Poland, 6-1, 6-3.ÂAngelique Widjaja, Indonesia, def. Sandra Kleinova, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-1.ÂShinobu Asagoe, Japan, def. Anastassia Rodionova, Russia, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.ÂSilvija Talaja (8), Croatia, def. Stephanie Cohen Aloro, France, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 09 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8206/1/E-Matijevic-ready-to-help-build-tennis-success.html ÂMatijevic ready to help build tennis successMatijevic reached the singles' semifinalsBy Gary LivingstonOctober 23, 2002ÂWhen Texas A&M sophomore men's tennis player Ante Matijevic first stepped foot on American soil in January 2002, he wasn't sure what to expect. The sophomore had lived his entire life in Croatia, and to continue his dream of playing tennis, he came to the United States.Â"It was really exciting the first three weeks," Matijevic said. "Everything was so big it was unbelievable. People are so nice, I didn't expect people to say 'hi' to strangers, that would never happen in Croatia."ÂThere is also an appealing aspect of college life which Matijevic hasn't mastered yet."I'm single because it's so tough to date," Matijevic said. "The girls here are very pretty and very nice."While still learning U.S. culture, Matijevic has had no problems on the tennis court. He was named the Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year last season, and has shown signs of improvement this season by advancing to two semifinals in consecutive tournaments.ÂTwo weeks ago at the ITA All-American Championships in Tennessee, Matijevic teamed up with sophomore Lester Cook and the duo had the best performance by an A&M doubles team ever by advancing to the semifinals. The duo is currently ranked No. 14 in the nation.ÂThis past weekend, Matijevic reached the singles' semifinals at the Midland Invitational, eventually losing to the tournament's No. 1 seed Toni Gordon."I have been really pleased with Ante's performance," said A&M men's tennis head coach Tim Cass. "He had the best record for us in the spring. He has a 4.0 GPA, he has really embraced A&M, and he has great maturity for an 18-year old."Part of that maturity could be attributed to the environment in which Matijevic grew up in. He grew up in a life most Aggies could never imagine. For years his country was torn apart by the wars in Bosnia. Some of the fighting took place only 30 miles from his town, and the Serbs attacked his small town of Split on one occasion."I was young so I don't remember too much," Matijevic says. "The war was close to my town, so school was closed down on some days. I remember crying when my father left because he was a doctor and was involved in the war. But, things are getting better, and the economy is stable."Since he picked up a tennis racket at the age of eight, Matijevic has grown to love the game of tennis. His parents didn't play, but he watched matches on TV and got interested in the sport. The only problem was that after high school there wasn't much opportunity in his country. Matijevic said this is because people don't have a lot of money to support programs, and that conditions are bad.Matijevic had to make a tough decision: should he stay with his family in Croatia, or pursue his dream of playing tennis? Matijevic chose the latter and began researching U.S. college programs. He wanted to play for a good team, and noticed A&M was ranked in the top five at the time, so he wrote a letter to Cass.Cass first found out about Matijevic through the internet because Tres Davis, who played for A&M at that time, had competed against Matijevic. Through some talking and luck, Matijevic came to A&M. Even though he said he is having fun here, Matijevic still misses his family."We talk everyday by e-mail, and at least once a week by phone," Matijevic said. "I got to see them this past summer, and I'm going home for Christmas."Matijevic has learned to embrace the U.S. way of life. He goes out with the team every once and a while, he likes to drink coffee, and says he has attempted to dance but is not that good. He has become good friends with A&M basketball player Tomas Ress who also hails from Europe. His teammates joke around with him by calling him Arnold because he sounds like the action movie star.ÂMatijevic has some big goals for himself and the A&M program this season. He wants to be one of the top ranked players and wants to win a team championship while he is at A&M.ÂCass said Matijevic has already shown a great work ethic and his confidence is going to lead him to be great player.http://www.thebatt.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/10/23/3db6654d346f2 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8207/1/E-Rudy-Tomjanovich.html Required Reading for N.B.A. Fighters By DAVE ANDERSONREADING a book is seldom associated with the leisure activities of a National Basketball Association player, or any professional athlete for that matter. Some surely curl up with a good book occasionally, but for too many others, the only thing they ever seem to read is a stat sheet, a road-trip itinerary or instructions on how to play a new video game.But before their season begins in 10 days, every N.B.A. player, if not every pro athlete, should be required to read "The Punch" (Little Brown, $29.95), John Feinstein's chilling book about how a 1977 fight in a Lakers-Rockets game changed the lives of Kermit Washington and Rudy Tomjanovich.If current N.B.A. players read this book, maybe they'll realize the potential physical and psychological consequences of the fights that occur in N.B.A. games every so often between these huge, powerful athletes. Maybe they'll realize that they could be haunted for the rest of their lives by one punch, as Washington and Tomjanovich have been."I began to think," Washington said, "my actual name was Kermit Washington, who in December of 1977 threw the punch that almost killed Rudy Tomjanovich."Tomjanovich's face was so disfigured that he wasn't allowed to look at himself in a mirror until three days after he arrived in Centinela Hospital in Los Angeles."I really did look like the Elephant Man," Tomjanovich said, referring to a motion picture character. "My face was swollen like a melon, about twice its normal size."In the N.B.A. last season, eight fights prompted fines and suspensions. Eight too many. In one, Shaquille O'Neal, the 7-foot-1 center who is listed by the Lakers at 325 pounds, swung at 7-foot, 261-pound Brad Miller, now with the Pacers. Fortunately, Shaq missed. Even so, he was fined $15,000 and suspended for three games.But suppose Shaq had connected? Suppose any of the huge players in those fights had connected as solidly as Washington did with Tomjanovich?On Dec. 9, 1977, the 6-8, 220-pound All-Star forward known as Rudy T, who is now the Rockets' coach, wasn't even part of the original scuffle between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Rockets' 7-foot center, Kevin Kunnert. As the Lakers' enforcer, the 6-8, 222-pound Washington threw a punch at Kunnert while Tomjanovich, who had been upcourt on a fast break, turned and hurried to break up the fight, his hands at his side."I saw a blur of red," Washington said, alluding to Tomjanovich's uniform. "I grew up in the streets. You learn there that if you're in a fight and someone is coming up behind you, you swing first and ask questions later."Washington's straight right hand crashed under Tomjanovich's nose. Falling backward, his head bounced off the Forum's hardwood floor. He was unconscious for two to three minutes. Walking off the court, he remembered seeing Jerry West, then the Lakers coach, staring at his bloodied face."It was the kind of look you see when someone can't believe what they're seeing," Tomjanovich recalled. "I remember thinking I must look pretty bad, but I had no idea how bad."At Centinela Hospital, Dr. Paul Toffel, a head-trauma specialist, realized that the top of Tomjanovich's skull was actually an inch off-line from the lower portion. Tomjanovich also had a bitter taste in his mouth."Spinal fluid," Toffel told him. "You're leaking spinal fluid from your brain. We're going to get you up to the intensive care unit and we're going to hope your brain capsule seals very soon."It did, but Tomjanovich didn't play again until the next season. Washington was fined $10,000, then the maximum, and suspended for 60 days. Traded to Boston, he moved on to San Diego and Portland, where he thrived as a popular rebounder. He retired with career averages of 9.3 points and 8.4 rebounds.Washington has tried coaching, done a sports radio talk show, opened and closed a restaurant, and created Project Contact to help African youngsters, but he lost some $500,000. And his marriage broke up. "He needed so much reinforcement," his ex-wife, Pat Carter, said. "He needed to know he was someone, that he wasn't the little kid who grew up homeless in his own home. Then later he needed to know that he wasn't just the guy who threw the awful punch."Tomjanovich stopped playing with career averages of 17.4 points and 8 rebounds. As a coach, he guided the Rockets to both the 1994 and 1995 N.B.A. titles; he also coached the gold-medal United States Olympic team at the 2000 Summer Games in Australia.He collected $2 million from the Lakers in a lawsuit settlement. But soon after the punch, he began having the same nightmare every so often: in the gradual darkness of trying to go to sleep, he felt he was dying, then he would wake up with a start.Almost always, his wife, Sophie, realized, the nightmare occurred after he had been drinking. In 1997, he entered an alcohol-abuse treatment center in Arizona. Now in his 12th season as the Rockets' coach, he's a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.But every so often, a stranger will look at Rudy T and say, "You're the guy that got nailed with the punch."Maybe if enough N.B.A. players read "The Punch," there won't be another punch like it. Maybe there won't be a little girl somewhere saying what 4-year-old Nichole Tomjanovich did in 1977 when her father finally got home from the hospital."Daddy," she asked, "why did the man do that to your face?" letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 25 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8205/1/E-Mira-Topic-Croatian-in-Texas---setting-numerous-records.html ÂMira Topic Croatian in TexasÂÂsetting numerous recordsA family player10/22/2002 5:00 AMBy: John HyghYou can tell how much Mira Topic loves her family and her home country just from the pictures in her dorm room."I'm very, very close to my family. Like to my mom, to my dad, to my sisters. We are like very, very close. And I miss them so much like very, very much. It's hard, it's very hard," Topic said. Topic is an outside hitter for the Longhorn's volleyball team.Topic is from Croatia and her family lives overseas."She almost has tears in her eyes when she talks about them (her family). And the excitement, because she can be homesick. I mean it's one thing to be a true freshman and be far away from home, but she's thousands of miles from home. And has been very strong in coming to a new culture," said Jerritt Elliott, the head coach.As a sophomore, Topic's already set several school records for the team. But it's not what she's done on the court that makes her special.After saving her money over the summer working volleyball camps, Topic bought airplane tickets for her parents to come watch her play in the states for the first time."I think it's awesome. I don't see how she does it. Coming over here, a new language, a new environment. And the fact that her parents are coming back over here to see her play here in Austin. I think it's awesome," said Whitney Graves, a defensive specialist for the Longhorns.Now even though her parents haven't seen her play in person for the past couple of years. Thanks to the Internet and an interpreter they can hear what she does during a game."It's really cool. Waking up in the morning around 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning their time to watch the game. They're all sleepy and like, 'Oh, we watched you yesterday,'" Topic said. "I'm just counting the days. I'm just counting the days. It's very nice. It's like mentally nice they're coming and I'm very excited because they've never been here."ÂHer parents will be here next month for the Colorado and Nebraska games. They'll be in town for a week and a half before heading back to Croatia.Copyright ©2002TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 23 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8204/1/E-THERE-are-no-golf-courses-in-CroatiaBUT.html  THERE are no golf courses inCroatiaNew Straits Times » SportÂGolf: Daria happy that Croatia not last anymoreGlen PetersOct 20: THERE are no golf courses in Croatia.ÂThe only one that existed ceased operations four years ago and players need to cross over to neighbouring Slovenia to play a round.For a country still feeling from the effects of a civil war that claimed the lives of close to 10,000 in 1991 and an ailing economy to boot, golf is largely frowned upon in the tiny European country.Sports like soccer manages to get sponsorship, but not golf, widely regarded as a sport for the rich.The country is slowly changing it's attitude towards golf and now there is a junior development programme in place.Darria Zubrinic is only 19, but has already represented her country in three Espirito Santo World Amateur Team Championships campaigns, the last being the Malaysian leg that concluded in Saujana yesterday.Croatia finished bottom the last two occasions, and Darria was happy with the team's latest performance in Malaysia."I am happy as this is an improvement. We finished second last and that augurs well for the team," said Darria in Subang yesterday.Croatia finished 38th, a rung above Iran, with a four-day total of 154-over 738.Nevertheless, Darria said it was a step forward.She, along with teammates Snjezana Crnoglavac and Sanja Serfezi, are just a handful of golfers in Croatia who are hoping to promote the sport in the country.In fact, Sanja pulled out of the last round because she was not feeling well as she is pregnant."She was not sure if she was pregnant, and only found out a few days before we left for Malaysia. On the day before we left, the doctor gave her the go-ahead to play." Coming from a middle class background, Darria's parents sent her to the United States to study. She managed to secure a scholarship to further her studies and is now studying in an American university based in Heidelberg, Germany."I chose to study in Germany as it is closer to home. Things are moving in the right direction for golf in Croatia, but it will take time."http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Sport/20021020104958/Article/#full letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 23 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8209/1/E-Croatia-reserves-get-a-scareand-WIN.html Croatia reserves get a scareÂBy Neville PatersonTuesday, 15 October 2002Croatia had a bit of a scare but eventually secured a four-two victory over Lions to take out the reserves cup final on Saturday.The teams went into half-time locked at nil-all. Lions had some good chances in the first half through Rendulic but on both occasions Croatia keeper Trevor Pears made a good save.Croatia had chances through a Guy Best curling effort and a Kelly volley but none found the net.Ten minutes into the second half a firm cross by Carr was met by a Matacin header and his effort went across the goal face and into the far side for a one-nil lead.Five minutes later Michael Carr played a 'one-two' with Kelly and raced towards goal to slot it past Welgraven for two-nil.Two minutes later the game looked over when Matacin lobbed the ball over the Lions defence for Kelly to chase.Kelly's top volley whizzed past the keeper and planted into the net for what looked to be a match winning lead.After 20 minutes Rendulic was sent-off, and with Lions down to 10 men and three goals a drift, it looked bleak.But being the proud club they are they never gave up and after 25 minutes Oaten's low pass across the box was met by Calikes who knocked it in for three-one.Five minutes later veteran Ronnie Clarke's glancing header also found the net to get the score back to three-two, and suddenly Croatia had a game on it's hands.Then with 10 minutes to go John Warren, who only scored his first goal last week against City in the semis, unloaded a rocket from 25 yards that nestled into the top corner, meaning that Croatia lifted the cup with a four-two win. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 15 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8208/1/E-Six-out-of-six-for-Croatia.html Six out of six for CroatiaÂBy Neville PatersonTuesday, 15 October 2002Croatia completed Whyalla soccer's first double treble with a five to one victory over Port Lincoln in the Association Cup final at Swandel Park on Saturday.After watching the reserves secure a four to two win over Lions, the first team knew victory in the A grade would see all six trophies on the shelf at the Croatia clubrooms.Lincoln were dealt a blow before the game as Kym Perone was unavailable, while Croatia was at full strength.It was Lincoln who had the first chance after five minutes when Nunu turned and hit a volley into the net, but the linesman flag ruled him off-side.Soon after, Morris saw Faulds in space but his right foot shot was well saved by Tooby in the Lincoln goal.After 10 minutes Jones collected a short corner and rounded his marker before unleashing a superb shot that cannoned off the upright and safely into the arms of the keeper.After 30 minutes the crowd was witness to one of the freak cup final spectacles of all time, five goals in a nine minute spell.A through ball found Faulds and his quick feet saw him knock it past Tooby and into the net, one-nil to Croatia.Then a great ball from Leopold was met by a stretching Faulds and he smacked it in off the crossbar two-nil.Two minutes later Leopold collected a ball on the inside of his marker as his accurate pass provided Faulds for his hat-trick and three-nil.After 38 minutes a corner by Faulds was flighted nicely into the middle and captain Simon Mechis out muscled his marker to send his header beyond Tooby for four-nil.Lincoln got some joy when Panizzolo beat the off side trap and, on a difficult angle, his half volley was hit sweet to get it back to four-one at the half time break.Five minutes into the second half, Biedenweg's run from defence was spotted by Mechis and he put him in on goal but his effort crashed into the side netting.Ten minutes later Lincoln full-back Hawks got forward and really got hold of his shot but Tudhope did well to catch his drive.Twenty-five minutes into the second half Croatia got a fifth when substitute DaRocha found his way to the by-line and cut it back for Morris who knocked the ball home.With 10 minutes to go Lincoln forced successive corners without reward and just before full-time DaRocha nearly got on the score sheet with a cheeky effort but the referee blew the full-time whistle to end a memorable season for Croatia. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 15 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8211/1/E-Croatias-Silvija-Talaja-in-the-finals---Japan-Open.html  Silvija TalajaCroatia's Silvija Talaja makes a return to Jill Craybas of the U.S. at the Japan Open tennis championships in Tokyo, October 6, 2002. Craybas won the match 2-6 6-4 6-4. REUTERS/Eriko Sugita Silvija TalajaSat Oct 5, 7:16 AM ETÂSilvija Talaja of Croatia makes a return to Sarah Taylor of the U.S. in their Japan Open tennis championships women's semifinals match in Tokyo, October 5, 2002. Talaja defeated Taylor 6-3 6-4 to advance to the final on Sunday. REUTERS/Eriko Sugita letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 12 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8210/1/E-Memphis-Grizzlies-Gordan-Giricek-of-Croatia.html  Gordan GiricekHouston Rockets' Tierre Brown (10), left, shuts down Memphis Grizzlies' Gordan Giricek of Croatia in the second half of a preseason game Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2002, in Memphis, Tenn.The Rockets defeated the Grizzlies 106-98. (AP Photo/Lance Murphey) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 12 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8212/1/E-Al-Ahli-champions-coached-by-Juricic-Srecko-of-Croatia.html Coached by Juricic Srecko ofCroatiaÂSunday, September 08, 2002Double header football ties set to bowl over cricket-crazy Sri LankansKUALA LUMPUR: Cricket crazy Sri Lanka will be bowled over early next week by a double header of football matches in the new Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) Champions League.ÂThe 25,000 capacity Sugathadesa Stadium in the capital Colombo is expected to be packed to the rafters as Sri Lanka Air Force take on New Radiant of the Maldives in qualifying round one (East) of Asia's flagship tournament on Tuesday.ÂThe following evening Saunders face Indian cracks Mohun Bagan, who lay claim to being the oldest club side in Asia, in the first leg of their qualifying encounter.ÂInterest in Sri Lanka is high for the matches, which kick off the qualifying rounds in East Asia. The new AFC Champions League, which offers US$500,000 in prize money for the winners, has replaced the AsianÂClub Championship, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup and is the continent's Premier club competition.ÂFifty-one sides from 29 countries entered the tournament which rewards clubs with cash handouts of US$10,000 from the early stages.ÂAccording to Mohun Bagan coach Subrata Bhattacharya, the Calcutta giants need to win big in Colombo to ensure their task is made easier in the return leg match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta.Â"Our fans are a discerning lot and we are in no mood to disappoint them when playing at home. A good win in Colombo will make our task in Calcutta easier. But we expect this to be a tough match. Saunders are no pushover and playing at home always gives a team the added incentive to succeed," said Subrata.ÂMohun Bagan will be counting on Indian star forward Baichung Bhutia who had a spell with English Second Division side Bury, and Brazilian import strike partner, Jose Ramirez Barreto to deliver the goods.ÂBhutia is at the moment in England with the Indian national team who are playing a series of friendly matches against English clubs and also, playing the Jamaican national team.ÂSaunders coach P.D. Sirisena is equally upbeat about his team's chances against a strong Mohun Bagan.Â"We have been training for the last three months to prepare ourselves against Mohun Bagan. We hope to put on a good show, which in turn will produce a good result when we meet next month," he said.ÂThe last time both clubs met was 25 years ago when the score line ended in a 2-2 draw. Saunders has four national players at their disposal - Isuru Pereira, Chathura Maduranga, Imran Mohamed and Dstean Wall to lead them to glory.ÂWhile Mohun Bagan has three foreigners in their ranks - two Nigerians and Barreto - Saunders has none. This makes the club heavily reliant on their four national players.ÂCoach Subrata also noted that the good cash incentives being offered to teams for advancing to the different stages of the AFC Champions League, is reason enough to want to win.ÂThe winners of the two-leg battle will be pitted in the next round against the mighty Shimizu S-Pulse, winners of the 2000 Asian Cup Winners' Cup and 2001 Emperor's Cup in Japan.ÂOver in West Asia, in other matches of the AFC Champions League, Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan play Jordan's Al-Wihdat in a second round match on Sept 11. The match is being played at the Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent City.ÂAl Wihdat made the second round after beating Al Nejmeh of Lebanon 3-2 in the first leg and securing a scoreless draw in the return leg last month.ÂIn another second round match, Al Ahli of UAE take on Al Kuwait of Kuwait. Al Ahli plays at home in Dubai. This will be another tough encounter.ÂAl Ahli, champions of the President's Cup at home, are coached by Juricic Srecko of Croatia. The seriousness of their approach to the AFC Champions League match is best underlined by the fact that the side underwent a four-week training camp in Egypt and Germany.ÂThe good news is that Al Ahli will have the services of four of its national players for the match against Al Kuwait.ÂThe UAE Football Association has given the club the consent to field the players who are in training with the national team in Malaysia.ÂThe four, key players in the Al Ahli side are, striker Faisal Khalil, midfielders Salim Khamis, Hasan Ali Ibrahim and defender Mohammed Qassim. They will fly back from Malaysia to join their club for the clash against Al Kuwait.ÂAl Ahli will also have the services of Ali Karimi who has been given permission by the Iranian Football Association to play in the AFC Champions League match.ÂKarimi was involved in the West Asia Football Tournament being held in Syria.ÂThe second foreign player who will feature for Al Ahli is Kelvin Sebwe of Liberia.ÂCopyright © 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)ÂManaged by I.Star.Âhttp://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/9/8/sports/08double&sec=sports letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8215/1/E-Talaja-in-finals-at-Japan-Open.html Four unseeded players in finals at Japan OpenÂTOKYO (Ticker) - American Jill Craybas and Denmark's Kenneth Carlsen took care of the last remaining seeds Saturday in the semifinals of the Japan Open.Craybas, in the semifinals for the first time in her career, recorded a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over second-seeded Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand. She will try to become the 12th woman to win her first career title in 2002 when she faces Croatian Silvija Talaja on Sunday.The 28-year-old Craybas lost in the second round of this hardcourt event last year to Tanasugarn.Carlsen, seeking his first title since Hong Kong in 1998, won his first career meeting with eighth-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5)."I thought it was a tight match, just a couple of points here and there which decided the first and second sets," Carlsen said. "Luckily it was me. He was trying to get the initiative, trying to play faster than I. I was trying to keep the ball in play as much as possible and to serve well."The 29-year-old Carlsen is in a final for the first time since 1999 at Newport. He had reached the semifinals only once this year, losing to Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov at Halle in June. Carlsen had shoulder surgery twice in 2000 and was just 9-7 last year."They did the surgery in February 2000 and it didn't work out," Carlsen said. "I went half a year and it didn't get better, so I did a second surgery. The first one was in Denmark and the second was in New York. The second worked out better, but it took a long time to get better. They said it would take 6-8 months, and I got back after 9 1/2 months."Srichaphan ousted Australian Lleyton Hewitt, the world's top-ranked player and reigning Wimbledon Champion, in the semifinals. He was trying to reach a final for the fourth time this year."We were both playing well, and we were both trying to play the final," Srichaphan said. "I missed a lot of shots because I was going close to the lines, he's a quick player from the back so I had to hit close to the line. I tried to finish the points off too early so I was kind of rushing myself, that's why I missed the shot. I tried my best. I was the last Asian in the draw, the crowd was behind me and I could feel it. I wanted to show them good tennis."Talaja needed just 65 minutes to beat American Sarah Taylor, 6-3, 6-4. The 24-year-old defeated local favorite and top seed Ai Sugiyama, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, in the quarterfinals. She is looking for her third career title and first since 2000 at Gold Coast.Swedish qualifier Magnus Norman will seek his 13th career title when he faces Carlsen on Sunday. Norman, in the semifinals for the first time in 2002, got past American Vincent Spadea, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).The 26-year-old led the ATP Tour with 10 titles during the 1999-2000 seasons. He reached two finals last year, but his season ended in August when he underwent hip surgery."I spent three months on crutches, and it was tough, and I was very disappointed," Norman said. "After 1 1/2 months I was supposed to throw the crutches away, but I still couldn't walk. That was a very tough moment for me, but I always believed in myself. I'm very stubborn and I wanted to really come back."The men's champion gets $111,600 and the women's winner receives $27,000. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 08 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8214/1/E-US-opens-Davis-Cup-quest-at-Croatia.html U.S. opens Davis Cup quest at CroatiaÂBy HAL BOCKAP Sports WriterOctober 3, 2002Don't look for old pals Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi on the United States Davis Cup team when America resumes competition for the tennis trophy next February. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 07 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8213/1/E-Croatias-Boban-leaves-football-with-farewell-match.html Croatia's Boban leaves football with farewell matchÂZAGREB, Oct 6 (AFP) - Former Croatia's captain Zvonimir Boban leaves professional football Monday in a spectacular farewell match here gathering top international players as a World Star XI faces Croatia's 1998 World Cup squad.Croatians were eager to see one of the country's biggest football stars ever playing for the last time as all 40,000 tickets for Dinamo Zagreb stadium were sold out several days ahead of the spectacle set one day before Boban's 34th birthday.Among those who will arrive at Boban's invitation are Rivaldo, Fernardo Redondo and Marco van Basten, while the arrival of Gabriel Batistuta remains uncertain.They will be joined by Oliver Bierhoff, Jean-Pierre Papin, Lotthar Matthaus, Dejan Savicevic, Daniele Massaro, Roberto Donadoni, Sebastiano Rossi, Paolo Maldini, Andrei Shevchenko, Mauro Tassoti, George Weah, Mark Viduka, Frank Rijkaard and Alessandro Costacurta.The spectacle is to begin with the match between veterans of two of Boban's clubs - Dinamo Zagreb and AC Milan.The World Stars, led by former Milan coach Fabio Capello, will then enter the field facing Croatia's squad which took third place at the 1998 World Championship in France with Boban as captain.The Croatian side, containing veterans such as Igor Stimac, Davor Suker, Alen Boksic and Boban will again be led by then coach Miroslav Blazevic."It is hard for me, of course, as the moment of farewell nears, but at the same time I am happy. I am pleased with all that I have done. I have seen a lot of things, made some wonderful friendships," Boban told AFP."Football has broadened my horizons. For a while I will take a rest from it but one thing is certain. Never, never shall I become a coach. My nerves are not up to it," he added. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 07 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8216/1/E-Drazen-Petrovic-Paved-The-Way.html Petrovic Paved the Way  One of the most far-reaching changes in the makeup of the NBA during the 1980s and early 1990s was the arrival of a significant number of talented European players. One of the best was the late Drazen Petrovic, a two-time Olympic silver medalist who led the Croatian national team before developing into one of the NBA's top shooting guards. After four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and New Jersey Nets, tragedy cut Petrovic's career short when he died in an automobile accident in Germany at age 28. Before his death, Petrovic made his mark in the NBA and around the world. To match the cool grace of urban American talents, the European newcomer brought tireless enthusiasm to the game, as illustrated by his fist-pumping in moments of triumph and furious agonizing over setbacks. He was not as strong defensively as his American counterparts, but he showed a penchant for daring three-point shooting. "I have never seen any pro or amateur player work as hard," Nets Assistant Coach Tom Newell told the New York Daily News. "He's the consummate pro in commitment and dedication." Petrovic brought tireless enthusiasm to the game. Tim DeFrisco/NBAE/Getty Images Petrovic had shooting skills to match his energy. In his two full seasons with New Jersey he averaged 21.4 points. In his best-and final-season, 1992-93, he led the Nets with 22.3 points per game. "Even if you were a fan of another team, you couldn't root against him," teammate Sam Bowie told the Newark Star-Ledger. "You had to be impressed by him." The son of a police chief, Petrovic grew up in Sibenik, a small port city on the Adriatic Sea. He and his brother, Aleksander, spent hours teaching themselves basketball on makeshift courts. When he was barely into his teens Petrovic began touring with the Yugoslavian national team. He put up decent enough numbers to entice Notre Dame to try to lure him to the United States in 1984, when he was 19 years old. Two years later the Portland Trail Blazers selected him in the third round of the 1986 NBA Draft. Petrovic led Yugoslavia to the silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. He also played for Croatia in the Yugoslav professional league, on one occasion scoring 112 points in a game. In 1988 he played in Spain for Real Madrid and promptly led the club to the European Cup championship. Offered an NBA contract by Portland, Petrovic and the Blazers bought his way out of his Spanish deal (reportedly for as much as $1.5 million). The Croatian star's U.S. debut in the 1989-90 season proved unspectacular. His defensive skills were still raw by NBA standards, and the Trail Blazers, already solid at the two position with Clyde Drexler, found only limited use for a shooting guard who was weak on defense. In 77 games in his rookie season he averaged only 7.6 points in 12.6 minutes per game. In the first half of the 1990-91 season the Trail Blazers kept Petrovic on the bench in 20 of 38 games before trading him to New Jersey in a three-team deal that brought Walter Davis to Portland. The Nets also used him sparingly at first, but they gave him enough playing time to improve his point production to 12.6 per game. Playing an average of 20.5 minutes in 43 games, he had one of the league's best points-per-minute ratios. Petrovic's outside shooting won him a chance to start the next season, and he jumped to 20.6 points per game. He began to gain league-wide recognition as one of the NBA's best outside shooters, particularly from three-point range. He hit on 123 of 277 three-point attempts that season, ranking second in the NBA with a .444 percentage. Petrovic also led the Nets in field-goal shooting (.508) and free-throw shooting (.808) In the 1992 offseason Petrovic returned to his homeland to lead the team of the newly independent Croatia to the Olympic Games in Barcelona. Again, Petrovic emerged with a silver medal. Croatia lost only to the United States Dream Team, which featured such NBA rivals as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, against whom Petrovic (playing point guard rather than shooting guard) scored 19 points. His NBA numbers got even better in 1992-93. Besides leading the Nets in scoring (22.3 ppg), he set the team pace with a .518 field-goal percentage and a .449 three-point field-goal percentage. The media voted him to the All-NBA Third Team at season's end. Fans loved his enthusiasm and energy, and his coaches admired the fact that he devoted offseason time to improving his game, especially his defense. "You couldn't have wanted a better teammate," New Jersey Head Coach Chuck Daly told the Newark Star-Ledger. "He was very talented, he played very hard and was able to lead by his example. He was indefatigable." But, in fact, not all his teammates admired Petrovic's style. Some Nets players, Assistant Coach Paul Silas acknowledged to The New York Times, "had a little problem with Draz. They thought he shot too much and held the ball." In addition to the locker-room backbiting, Petrovic became unhappy with New Jersey management, which was slow to renegotiate his contract. After the Nets fell in the first round of the 1993 Playoffs, Petrovic told reporters he would probably accept a two-year offer to play pro ball in Greece; he then left for Europe to rejoin the Croatian national team in European Cup competition. Following a 30-point effort in a qualifying tournament in Poland, Petrovic detoured to Germany to visit his girlfriend. On June 7 he was en route to Munich when the car in which he was a passenger slammed into a tractor-trailer. He died instantly. He was only 28 years old. The loss particularly stunned European fans. "It's hard for you to imagine here in America, because you have so many great players," his brother told the New York Daily News. "But we are a country of four million. Without him, basketball takes three steps back." Late in 1993 the Nets retired Petrovic's uniform No. 3 in tribute. Drazen Petrovic Sea. Team G Min. FG 3Pt. FT Reb. Ast. Stl. Blk. Tot. PG 89-90 Portland 77 967 .485 .459 .844 111 116 23 2 583 7.6 90-91 Por-NJ 61 1015 .493 .354 .832 110 86 43 1 623 10.2 91-92 New Jersey 82 3027 .508 .444 .808 258 252 105 11 1691 20.6 92-93 New Jersey 70 2660 .518 .449 .870 190 247 94 13 1564 22.3 Career Totals: 290 7669 .506 .437 .841 669 701 265 27 4461 15.4 Playoff Totals: 29 609 .474 .324 .696 51 42 12 1 297 10.2 http://www.nba.com/history/gallery_petrovic_020920.html?curPhoto=3 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Sep 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8217/1/E-Drazen-Petrovic-of-Croatia-in-Basketball-Hall-of-Fame.html   Our Hero PetrovicGoes Into History Basketball Hall of Fame inductees (L-R) owner Manny Jackson of the Harlem Globetrotters, coach Kay Yow of North Carolina State, player Earvin "Magic" Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, the late player Drazen Petrovic of Croatia's mother Biserak Petrovic and coach Larry Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers pose, September 27, 2002 in the newly constructed Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. They will be formally inducted later in the day. REUTERS/Jim Bourg  Biserak Petrovic, mother of deceased NBA player Drazen Petrovic, of Croatia, touches her son's picture while viewing a display in his memory in the "Honors Ring" in the main hall of the newly constructed Basketball Hall of Fame, September 28, 2002 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Petrovic, who had been enshrined posthumously the night before, was killed in an auto crash in the midst of his NBA career in 1993. An "Honors Ring" of enshrinees can be seen suspended above. REUTERS/Jim Bourg  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 27 Sep 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8218/1/E-Cro-Cop--Mirko-Filipovic---on-TV-tonight.html CRO COPÂTonight on Direct TV Channel102, 9 pmTONIGHT SUNDAY SEPT.1 9PMON DIRECT TV CH 102 ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP! SEE CRO COP  MIRKO FILIPOVIC CROATIAN FIGHTER !!!! POWERHOUSE! info about him herehttp://www.crocop.com/ ÂENJOY IT ! TONIGHT AT 9PM CH . 102ITS ALREADY ON PREVIEWS AS OF 10 AMSUNDAY !. STANKO ROTIMMISSISSAUGA ONTARIO CANADA P.S. FOR SURE AVAILABLE ON DISHNETWORK TOO AND PAY PER VIEW ON LOCAL CABLE . letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 01 Sep 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8220/1/E-Croatias-Gordan-Kozulj-won-the-mens-200m-backstroke.html Croatia's Gordan KozuljWonÂCroatia's Gordan Kozulj won the men's 200m backstroke in 1:58.70 to retain his title ahead of Austrian Markus Rogan and Croatia's Marko Strahija while Austria's Mirna Jukic won the women's 200m breaststroke ahead of Germany's Anne Poleska and Sweden's Emma Igelstrom.ÂOp-edÂAnybody alse Croatian?NBVan Almsick world 200m recordAugust 04, 2002BERLIN: Germany's Franziska van Almsick has set a world record of 1min 56.64sec for the women's 200m freestyle at the European swimming championships here to put her tribulations of recent years firmly behind her.ÂThe previous mark of 1:56.78 was set by the 24-year-old at the world championships on September 6 1994 in Rome.ÂVan Almsick's career had appeared to be on the wane in recent years after she shot to fame as a 14-year-old, missing a freestyle 200m gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.ÂShe similarly missed out four years later at Atlanta and at the the 2000 Games in Sydney she left the arena in tears when she failed even to qualify for the semi-finals of the 200m butterfly.ÂThere, she also failed to reach the women's 200m freestyle final and went home having failed to add a first gold to a total of seven individual Olympic medals.ÂIndeed, until these championships, she had gone seven years without an individual title.ÂBut "Franzi" was smiling again after edging out Romania's Camelia Potec and Alena Popchanka of Belarus.ÂHer success gave her a fourth title here after the 100m relay, the 4x100m and 4x200m.ÂShe was tearful at the end - and said she hadn't even enjoyed the experience.Â"I felt bad the whole day," she told fans after mounting the winner's podium. "Everyone was talking about the record except me."ÂVan Almsick will now target more success in the 4x100 medley which would take her European gold medal total to 18.ÂIn 1993, she won six disciplines. Thomas Rupprath gave Germany another success in the men's 100m butterfly, beating Ukrainians Andriy Serdinov and Denis Sylantyev to the line.ÂRupprath timed 51.94sec to take the title by 0.23sec and add to his earlier win in the 50m backstroke.ÂCroatia's Gordan Kozulj won the men's 200m backstroke in 1:58.70 to retain his title ahead of Austrian Markus Rogan and Croatia's Marko Strahija while Austria's Mirna Jukic won the women's 200m breaststroke ahead of Germany's Anne Poleska and Sweden's Emma Igelstrom.ÂFor Igelstrom it meant she waved goodbye to the chance of a hattrick having won the 50m and 100m titles.ÂThe German men's 4x200m relay team failed to add to their country's haul as the Italian quartet pipped them to the line with Greece taking a surprise third place.ÂRussian star Alexandre Popov set the best heat time in the 50m freestyle with the final his last chance to keep up his run of always managing at least one gold at the Euros.ÂAgence France-Presse © News Limited letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 05 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8219/1/E-Ivan-Ljubicic-WINS.html ÂIvan Ljubicic, fromCroatia, WINSIvan Ljubicic, from Croatia, reacts after he upset tenth-seededRoger Federer, from Switzerland, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, in a first-round match at theTennis Masters Series Cincinnati tournament Monday, Aug. 5, 2002, in Mason,Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 05 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8222/1/E-Free-entrance-to-tennis-grounds-at-US-Open-on-Aug-24-25.html FREE of charge to thepublicYou can watch Croatian tennis players Iva Majoli, ranked 23rd best in the world, Ivan Ljubicic ranked number 30, Silvija Talaja, Mario Ancic, Jelena Kostanic, Mirjana Lucic, Zeljko Krajan and others on Saturday, August 24th and again on Sunday, August 25th, 2002 at the U.S. Open tennis grounds in Flushing, New York.ÂWhile US Open officially starts on Monday, August 26 - September 8, 2002, all tennis players practice a couple of days earlier and the entrance to the tennis grounds is FREE of charge to the public. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 22 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8221/1/E-Grand-Prix-Athletic-in-Zagreb.html  Grand Prix Athleticin ZagrebSuzy Powell, of the United States, throws a discus during I.A.A.F. Grand Prix Athletic meet in Zagreb, Croatia Monday, July 8, 2002. (AP Photo/Hrvoje Knez) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 22 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8223/1/E-Croatian-Eagles-Soccer-Club-win-Wisconsin-Championship.html ÂCroatian Eagles Soccer Club win Wisconsin State Major Division ChampionshipÂThe long and colorful history of the Croatian Eagles soccer club finally culminated in achampionship as the Eagles defeated archrivals the United Serbians 4-2 in the final of theÂWisconsin Soccer Association Major Division on Sunday, July 14, 2002 at Croatian Park in Franklin,ÂWisconsin.This is the first official championship since 1963 for the Eagles, a team founded in 1922 and theoldest soccer club in existence in North America. The Croats, who have reached the finals severaltimes in the interim, finally grabbed the championship trophy on their home field in front of 1500spectators.American and Croatian flags flew side by side in a blue, cloudless sky as the teams took to thefield at 4 p.m. The Eagles never trailed but went ahead for good breaking a 2-2 tie in the 50thminute. The Eagles dominated play the entire game, although the Serbs played a hard game andÂnever gave up. With several good chances, the Croats could have scored another two or three goals.Hundreds of fans cheered after the final whistle while several hundred United Serbians fans leftÂthepark almost immediately.The team is comprised of over 1/2 second and third generation Croatian Americans and isÂcoached by Pero Markovic, a Croatian immigrant. The Wisconsin Soccer Association has honored manyÂCroatianEagles as inductees to the Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame. Some of the more recent inducteesÂincludethe late Toni Franjic, Ivica Jugovic, Viktor Zorc, Boris Kuzmanovic, Stjepan Bartolic and ZdravkoNovak. One of the more well known inductees is Bob Gansler, former U.S. National team coach.Postal Address:Croatian Eagles Soccer ClubFranjo VUKOVIC4312 West Sherwood DriveFranklin, WI 53132United States Phone number:+1 414 4238902Fax number:+1 414 4238902E-mail:croatianeagles@worldfootballclubs.orgÂFull name: Croatian Eagles Soccer ClubÂFounded: 01.03.1922ÂLocation: Milwaukee (Wisconsin)ÂContact person: Franjo VUKOVICÂwww.worldfootballclubs.org/croatianeagles/ history.html History of the Croatian Eagles Soccer Club1960 Wisconsin state runners-upEstablished on March 1, 1922, the Croatian Eagles Soccer Club was founded with the desire to giveÂCroatian immigrants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a place to foster and perpetuate their CroatianÂheritage. The founding president of the club was Reverend Charles Jesih. He provided CroatianÂimmigrants the opportunity to share the love of soccer and pride of their heritage. Also known asÂ"Hrvatski Orlovi", Croatian for "Croatian Eagles", the Eagles are members of the Wisconsin SoccerÂAssociation, Croatian National Soccer Federation of the U.S. & Canada, Croatian AmericanÂCongress and Croatian World Congress.ÂOver the years the Eagles have made significant contributions to soccer in the Milwaukee area asÂwell as throughout the USA. In 1998 the Eagles were awarded the Mike Kabanica Award by theÂWisconsin Soccer Association for the contributions made to soccer in Wisconsin over the years.ÂThe Eagles have provided opportunities for building soccer skills, sportsmanship and pride forÂplayers of all ethnic and racial backgrounds. As one of the oldest soccer clubs in the United StatesÂand the oldest Croatian soccer club in the world outside of Croatia, the Eagles have been a pioneerÂof youth and adult soccer. Teams have ranged from all age levels including "old timers" and girls'Âteams. The Eagles have seen much success over the years at all levels.ÂUntil 1956, the Eagles played on various city fields that were administered by the MilwaukeeÂPublic Schools. In 1956 a new home was established called Croatian Park located in Franklin,ÂWisconsin, owned by the Federation of Croatian Societies. Croatian Park has a picnic area thatÂhosts the annual "Croatian Days" festival held every July, which attracts people from all over theÂMidwest. The park has five regulation size soccer fields, two youth fields and a clubhouse thatÂhouse the offices, locker room and meeting spaces of the Croatian Eagles.ÂHard work and love for the game of soccer is what has kept the Eagles alive. With thisÂdetermination the Eagles look forward to many more years of existence and success for futureÂgenerations to enjoy.ÂCroatian Eagles accomplishments:Â1930 Milwaukee City ChampionsÂ1932 Milwaukee City ChampionsÂ1933 Milwaukee City ChampionsÂ1935 Milwaukee City ChampionsÂ1936 Milwaukee City ChampionsÂ1937 Milwaukee City ChampionsÂ1943 Milwaukee City ChampionsÂ1943 Midwest Amateur Cup ChampionsÂ1960 Wisconsin State Runners-UpÂ1988 Wisconsin State Runners-UpÂ1987 Wisconsin State Reserves ChampionsÂ1997 Wisconsin State Reserves ChampionsÂ1998 Milwaukee City ChampionsÂ1998 Wisconsin State Runners-UpÂ1999 Midwest Amateur Cup Regional Finalists Croatian Eagles in the Wisconsin Hall of Fame:Â1977 Charles KezeleÂ1984 Steve KezeleÂ1985 George PanichÂ1985 John PetekÂ1987 Julius HorvathÂ1987 Fred KezeleÂ1988 Tony FranjicÂ1989 Aldo SantagaÂ1990 Steve BoticÂ1991 Ivo JugovicÂ1993 Zdravko NovakÂ1994 Viktor ZorcÂ1995 Boris KuzmanovicÂ1996 Zdravko RopacÂ1997 Steve Bartolic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8224/1/E-Croatia-OPEN-2002-photo.html ÂCROATIA OPEN 2002Marcelo Rios, of Chile, tries to return a backhand to Victor Hanescu, of Romania, during their Croatia Open ATP tour match in Umag, Croatia, Wednesday, July 17, 2002. Third-seeded Rios was defeated 6-0, 6-4. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 17 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8225/1/E-ATP-International-Championship-of-Croatia-Results.html Â.c The Associated PressÂÂMondayÂÂAt The International Tennis CenterÂÂUmag, CroatiaÂÂPurse: $381,000ÂÂSurface: Clay-OutdoorÂÂSinglesÂÂFirst RoundÂÂDavid Ferrer, Spain, def. David Nalbandian (1), Argentina, 6-4, 6-3.ÂÂMario Radic, Croatia, def. Julian Knowle, Austria, 6-4, 6-3.ÂÂOliver Gross, Germany, def. Markus Hipfl, Austria, 3-6, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5).ÂÂZeljko Krajan, Croatia, def. Edgardo Massa, Argentina, 6-4, 6-2.ÂÂJuan Antonio Marin, Costa Risa, def. Stefano Galvani, Italy, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.ÂÂDoublesÂÂFirst RoundÂÂJaroslav Levinsky and David Skoch, Czech Republic, def. Simon Aspelin, Sweden, and Martin Garcia (4), Argentina, 6-4, 7-6 (4).ÂÂAlbert Portas and Fernando Vicente, Spain, def. Mariano Puerta, Argentina, and Lovro Zovko, Croatia, 6-4, 6-4.ÂÂÂÂ07/15/02 18:32 EDTÂÂÂÂÂCopyright 2002 The Associated Press.ÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8226/1/E-Fans-sold-on-young-Croatian.html ÂMARIO ANCICGoran once, Goran twice: Fans sold on young CroatianÂBy Howard FendrichThe Associated PressOp-edI am putting this news again, because I want to emphasize howdeep and far goes one Wimbledon victory. How important is our presence in theworld. We are amazing as individuals. Now we have to connect horizontally. Knoweach other.Nenad BachDAVE CAULKIN / THE ASSOCIATED PRESSÂMario Ancic of Croatia relishes the moment as he defeats Switzerland's Roger Federer 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 in their first-round match at Wimbledon. Federer was seeded seventh in the men's draw.ÂWIMBLEDON, England - Even if defending champion Goran Ivanisevic isn't at Wimbledon, his considerable spirit is alive and well in the form of another lanky Croatian: Mario Ancic.ÂThink of the 18-year-old qualifier as Goran without the goatee - or the self-diagnosed multiple personalities.ÂMaking his Grand Slam debut, the 154th-ranked Ancic produced the tournament's first major upset by dominating No. 7-seeded Roger Federer 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 yesterday on Centre Court.ÂIn his Centre Court debut last year, Federer upset seven-time champion Pete Sampras in the fourth round.ÂAncic looks like, talks like and sometimes plays like Ivanisevic, who is home in Croatia after shoulder surgery.Â"Goran is Goran, not me. I just knew him for a long time," said Ancic, whose English syntax mirrors that of his mentor. "We are not too much difference, with our temperament."ÂJust 15 minutes later over on Court 18, another Wimbledon newcomer finished knocking off a top player: 71st-ranked Brazilian Flavio Saretta got by Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson 6-7 (7-2), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 12-10.ÂJohansson, seeded eighth, lost in the second round of the French Open, and it's increasingly looking as though his first Grand Slam title in 25 tries will be his last.ÂOther seeded losers were No. 13 Younes El Aynaoui, No. 20 Tommy Robredo, No. 15 Anna Smashnova and No. 28 Paola Suarez, who was beaten by Jill Craybas of the United States.ÂThere were also impressive first-round showings by leading players, including No. 1-seeded Venus Williams and Lleyton Hewitt, along with Monica Seles and Tim Henman.ÂWilliams, trying to be the first woman to win three consecutive Wimbledons since Steffi Graf in 1991-93, dismissed British wild-card entry Jane O'Donoghue 6-1, 6-1. Sister Serena, who plays her second-round match today, watched from a box alongside heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.Â"I just met him today," Venus said.ÂU.S. Open champion Hewitt constructed a 6-4, 7-5, 6-1 beating of Jonas Bjorkman, who complained Centre Court played too slowly.ÂHewitt was quickly installed as the new betting favorite, overtaking Henman despite the Englishman's easy 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 win over Jean-Francois Bachelot.ÂSeles had the shortest work day of anyone, 37 minutes, dropping only 15 points while smothering Eva Bes of Spain 6-0, 6-0.ÂThe Belgian Brigade of No. 6 Justine Henin, last year's runner-up, and No. 5 Kim Clijsters, a 2001 French Open finalist, also advanced, both beating Americans. Henin had more trouble, needing three sets to eliminate Brie Rippner, while Clijsters stopped Samantha Reeves 6-2, 7-6 (7-5).ÂAncic, like Ivanisevic, is from the Adriatic coast town of Split. They began hitting together when Ancic was 10, were Davis Cup teammates and played doubles at the Sydney Olympics.Â"He was always good to me," said Ancic, who got some tips from Ivanisevic in a phone call Monday. "Sometimes I felt like he was bigger brother in tournaments, and I know I can always rely on him. Like yesterday when I call him about tactics."ÂSo, what was the scouting report?Â"He told me just, 'He has great forehand, just stay away from him,' " Ancic said.ÂIt certainly worked, before a supportive crowd that included Ivanisevic's father, Srdjan.ÂIvanisevic, of course, is one of tennis' great characters, on and off the court.ÂThe right-handed Ancic, 6 feet 4 and 180 pounds, bears a physical resemblance to a younger Ivanisevic, who's a lefty.ÂStill, Ancic is wary of such comparisons.Â"Everybody know that I'm different person. It was all the time since I grew up, they were talking that I am 'Second Goran,' " he said. "No, he's unique."Âhttp://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/134482048_wimbledon26.htmlÂCopyright © 2002 The Seattle Times Company letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8227/1/E-Croatia-Captures-Last-Second-Victory-Over-US.html ÂCroatiaCaptures Last-Second Victory Over U.S. Croats Come Back from Four Goals Down in Hard Fought GameÂLos Alamitos, Calif., June 30, 2002-TomislavPrimorac buried an extra-man goal with two seconds remaining to give Croatia a10-9 FINA World League victory over the U.S. before 1375 spectators at the USAWater Polo National Aquatic Complex in Los Alamitos (Calif.) on Sunday (June30).ÂThe U.S. picked up where it left off onFriday, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead on goals by 2000 Olympians Tony Azevedoand Wolf Wigo. By the end of the first quarter, the U.S. had secured a 5-1 lead.ÂBut a string of goals at the startof the second quarter by Croatia's Igor Hinic, Tihomil Vranjes, and KresimirZubcic brought them back to within striking distance at 5-4 with 5:44 to play.USA's Layne Beaubien halted the 3-0 run with an extra man goal on the nextpossession to put his squad ahead by two. But Croatia's Hrovje Koljaninbounced in a goal and Aljosa Kunac scored from two meters to tie the game at 6-6with 3:21 left in the half.ÂAdam Wright found the goal on athird-chance shot for the U.S. with 1:47 to go, giving them the lead at 7-6.With 26 seconds remaining in the half, a four-meter penalty was called onAzevedo, and Wigo was called for a game exclusion immediately thereafter.However, Croatia's ensuing penalty shot by Teo Dogas was blocked by U.S.goalkeeper Genai Kerr, his second penalty block of the day, holding the score at7-6.ÂThe U.S. didn't get the third quartergoing they way they would have liked, turning the ball overon its first two possessions. But Beaubien picked it up for the U.S. with hissecond goal of the day to give the U.S. an 8-6 advantage. Croatia's NikolaFrankovic began chipping away at the U.S. with a goal at the 4:11 mark. Twominutes later, Dogas went through Kerr's arms to tie the game at 8-8.ÂHinic netted his second goal halfwaythrough the fourth quarter to give Croatia its first lead of the game at 9-8.With 35 seconds remaining in the game, Bailey and Hinic were caught in a tussleand called on a double exclusion. But after a six-minute delay about re-entriesafter exclusions, Azevedo was awarded a penalty throw with 24 seconds to play inthe game. Azevedo converted the attempt to knot the score at 9-9. ÂBeaubien was ejected with 11 seconds onthe clock, giving Croatia a man-advantage opportunity. After moving the ballaround the perimeter, the ball landed in the hand of Primorac, who slipped agoal past Kerr with two seconds left.ÂAzevedo's backcourt shot at thebuzzer was field blocked as the U.S. fell to Croatia, 10-9.ÂTeam USA will be back in action thisweek as they play host to 2000 Olympic silver medallist Russia in a pair ofgames in Los Alamitos on July 4 & 6. Croatia will head home to host Hungaryin Dubrovnik on the same dates.ÂU.S. goalkeeper Genai Kerr andCroatia's Igor Hinic were voted by attending media as the Players of the Game.ÂFor Croatian coach Veselin Duho, itwas his first win as the head coach for the men's senior team.ÂFor more information, please visitthe official FINA World League website at www.fina.org/worldleague.htmlor the U.S. site at www.usawaterpolo.com. ÂTeam USA 5 2 1 1 -- 9 ÂCroatia 1 5 2 2 -- 10 ÂÂIndividual Scoring Team USA: Azevedo 3, Beaubien 2, Wigo 1, Wright 1, Segesman 1, Bailey 1 Croatia: Hinic 2, Frankovic 1, Vranjes 1, Stritof 1, Primorac 1, Dogas 1, Kunac 1, Zubcic 1, Koljanin 1 Man Advantage Scoring Team USA: 4 for 16 Croatia: 7 for 16 Goal Saves Team USA: Kerr 8 Croatia: Percinic 7 Attendance: 1375Notable Quotes:Ratko Rudic (USA Head Coach)"We started off well, but we couldn'tsustain it. They played a better game tonight against us. They changed theirman-down defense on Tony Azevedo and that was very effective for them.""We are still a very young team, so gameslike this are actually good for us. They have to learn how to deal with thistype of play, with the referees, and with the pressure. This was an educationalresult."Genai Kerr (USA Goalkeeper)(on stopping two penalty shots) "I'vedone it once before in a game against Canada. But that was a good feeling.""The object of this league for us is toprepare for the World Cup and the Olympics. These games are excellent steps inthat direction.""Games like this help water polo to becomea more visible sport in the U.S."Tony Azevedo (USA Driver)"We missed a lot of opportunities tonight.We missed some shots and they played good defense."(on Wigo's game exclusion) "We did losea little steam when Wolf went out. He's a leader in the pool and when he left,we started slipping a bit."Veselin Duho (Croatian Head Coach)"Again, we got off to a bad start. This isdue in part to the fact that we have a young team as well.""It's difficult to stay in a game whereyou are not making your penalty shots. But by coming back, we showed just howmuch character this team has."Dalibor Percinic (Croatian Goalkeeper)"That was the first time in my career thatwe had to play 25 extra seconds in a game that was already over.""We just needed time to get back intothings. This game for us was much better than our first."http://www.usawaterpolo.com/manual_news/020630-NTMcroatia_winoverusa.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 03 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8229/1/E-USA-Edges-Croatia-in-Inagural-Fina-Water-Polo-World-League.html USA Edges Croatia, 15-13, in World League Debut Tony Azevedo Cuts Loose for Seven Goals in Front of Home Crowd Los Alamitos, Calif., June 28, 2002-Team USA never trailed in its FINA World League debut against Croatia on Friday night (June 28), outlasting its European visitors, 15-13. Tony Azevedo, who played high school water polo just a few miles from the USA Water Polo National Training Center at Long Beach Wilson High School, scored seven goals much to the delight of the 1250 gathered spectators. The U.S. got its first-ever World League goal from an unlikely source. Layne Beaubien, who is one of the team's best defenders, scored from the point with 7:25 on the clock in the first period to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead. Azevedo got started early, scoring two first quarter goals as the U.S. led, 5-2, at the end of the first. ÂAn early goal by Azevedo in the second quarter gave the U.S. its biggest lead of the game at 6-2. But Croatia quickly narrowed the margin to three on a natural goal by Danijel Premus with 7:47 to play in the half. Holeman Ryan Bailey, who played professionally last season in Croatia, half-submerged, managed to find the net on a turnaround from set to give the U.S. a 7-4 lead with 5:11 to go. For Croatia, it was a hard luck half, with six shots nailing going bar-out. ÂHalfway through the third quarter, Wolf Wigo was called for a penalty inside four meters. Croatian captain Ratko Stritof converted the ensuing shot to bring his team to within two at 8-6. After another Croatian stop, Teo Dogas ricocheted a shot off of USA goalkeeper Merrill Moses to close the gap to 8-7 with 4:06 to go in the quarter. But that was as close as the game would get. ÂAzevedo's fifth goal of the game, an extra-man score from outside with 3:11 to play, brought roars from the crowd and an uproar from the Croatian bench that resulted in a yellow card for coach Veselin Duho. Dan Klatt scored two goals in the final two minutes of the quarter, both on lob passes from the perimeter to give the U.S. an 11-8 lead. However, with six seconds remaining, Moses was ejected on a skirmish in front of the goal, and Tomislav Primorac scored past the U.S. two-goalkeeper defense of Klatt and Wolf Wigo. ÂTo start the fourth quarter, Azevedo scored his sixth goal and assisted on one by Bailey to push the U.S. out to a 13-9 lead. But Croatia wasn't going quietly. Back-to-back goals by the Croatians made the score 13-11 with 5:47 remaining. Azevedo's seventh goal of the game gave the U.S. a 14-11 lead at the 3:24 mark, but a score by Stritof on Croatia's next possession kept it close. ÂBut Croatia wasn't able to recover as the U.S. went on to win, 15-13. Azevedo's seven goals were the most scored by a single player against Croatia since 1993. ÂTeam USA and Croatia will go at it again on Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m. at the USA Water Polo National Aquatic Center in Los Alamitos.  ÂTeam USA 5 3 3 4 -- 15 ÂCroatia 2 3 4 4 -- 13  Â Individual Scoring Team USA: Azevedo 7, Klatt 2, Bailey 2, Powers 2, Wigo 1, Beaubien 1 Croatia: Primorac 2, Premus 2, Dogas 2, Zubcic 2, Stritof 2, Vranjes 1, Komandine 1, Hinic 1 Man Advantage Scoring Team USA: 8 for 11 Croatia: 8 for 15 ÂÂGoal Saves Team USA: Moses 8 Croatia: Percinic 6 ÂAttendance: 1250 ÂNotable Quotes: Ratko Rudic (USA Head Coach) "The entire game revolved around two-meter play. We expected this kind of game with Croatia. But when they collapsed on Bailey, we were able to score from outside.""Having played 20 games against the World All-Stars last month really helped us get ready for this game. Without those games, we lose to Croatia tonight." ÂMerrill Moses (USA Goalkeeper) "Ratko told us to play like it was an even game all night to keep up our intensity, and that's exactly what we did.""We relaxed a bit after we got that four-goal lead, but we fought hard to keep ahead.""We played an all-around good game. This team is very close, both in and out of the pool." ÂTony Azevedo (USA Driver) "It was great to come out and have the kind of game I did in front of the home crowd." ÂVeselin Duho (Croatian Head Coach) "We got off to a bad start and it killed us. But this is just 60-70% of our ability. Will be better next game. We will win." ÂIgor Hinic (Croatian Center) "The American players are stronger than we are right now. But this is not a tragedy for us. They have had more time to prepare for these matches." Teo Dogas (Croatian Driver) "We had a big break after championships last month, and I swim hard during this break. But we have to continue to improve. We'll start to see the results, maybe in next match against USA or back home in Dubrovnik."  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 01 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8228/1/E-Croatia-a-factor-after-all.html Croatia a factor after allÂUpset by Ancic evokes IvanisevicÂQUOTE OF THE DAY"Goran is Goran. He's unique............................................. I'm Mario."ÂBy HOWARD FENDRICH, The Associated PressÂWIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - Even if defending champion Goran Ivanisevic isn't at Wimbledon, his considerable spirit is alive and well in the form of another lanky Croatian: Mario Ancic.Think of the 18-year-old qualifier as Goran without the goatee -- or the self-diagnosed multiple personalities.Making his Grand Slam debut, the 154th-ranked Ancic produced the tournament's first major upset by dominating No. 7-seeded Roger Federer 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 Tuesday on Centre Court.In his Centre Court debut last year, Federer upset seven-time champion Pete Sampras in the fourth round.Ancic looks like, talks like and sometimes plays like Ivanisevic, who's home in Croatia after shoulder surgery."Goran is Goran, not me. I just knew him for a long time," said Ancic, whose English syntax mirrors that of his mentor. "We are not too much difference, with our temperament." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 01 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8230/1/E-18-year-old-Croatian-Mario-Ancic-stuns-Federer-in-Wimbledon.html ÂMARIO ANČIĆBy STEPHEN WILSON.c The Associated PressÂWIMBLEDON, England (AP) - An 18-year-old qualifier from Croatia shook up Wimbledon onÂTuesday with the first major upset. Mario Ancic, ranked No. 154 and playing his first Grand Slam match, outplayed seventh-seed RogerFederer 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 on Centre Court.Fifteen minutes later, there was another upset when 71st-ranked Flavio Saretta of Brazil marked hisÂWimbledon debut by outlasting Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, the eighth seed, 6-7Â(2), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 12-10.Earlier Tuesday, Venus Williams opened her bid for a third straight Wimbledon title with a routineÂ6-1, 6-1 Centre Court win over Jane O'Donoughue, a 344th-ranked British wild card playing herÂfirst tour-level match.Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt, looking for his first Wimbledon crown, got off to a strong start with aÂ6-4, 7-5, 6-1 win over Jonas Bjorkman.Tim Henman, the bookies' favorite for the men's title, swept French qualifier Jean-Francois BachelotÂ6-1, 6-3, 6-2 as he began his latest attempt to become the first British male champion since FredÂPerry in 1936.No. 4 Monica Seles, No. 5 Kim Clijsters and No. 6 Justine Henin also advanced to the second round.But the stars of the day were Ancic and Saretta.Ancic drew immediate comparisons with Goran Ivanisevic, last year's champion who is back homein Croatia recovering after shoulder surgery.Both men are from the Adriatic coastal city of Split, and the 6-foot-4 (193 c) Ancic is tall, skinny andlanky like Ivanisevic. While Ivanisevic is left-handed, the right-handed Ancic also has a boomingserve and plays serve-and-volley on grass.``I had nothing to lose,'' Ancic said. ``I knew I can play, I'm young. I believe in myself, I just went outÂand tried to play.''Ancic said he spoke by phone with Ivanisevic on Monday to discuss tactics for the match.``He's always been good to me, sometimes I felt he was my bigger brother,'' Ancic said.Federer reached the quarterfinals last year, ousting seven-time champion Pete Sampras in theÂfourth round, and has won two titles this year. But he was dominated by Ancic, theÂsecond-youngest player in the draw and playing only his second tour-level match of 2002.A finalist at the Wimbledon juniors in 2000, Ancic broke Federer three times and lost his serve onlyÂonce, hitting serves at an average speed of 120 mph and a fastest delivery of 127 mphWhen Federer missed a passing shot to end the contest, Ancic pumped his fists and let out a scream.ÂHe then held up his arms to the crowd and belted a ball into the stands.``I feel great,'' Ancic said. ``I cannot feel better I think.''Asked whether he should be considered the new Ivanisevic, he said, ``No, Goran is Goran. He'sÂunique. I'm Mario.''Saretta, meanwhile, outdueled Johansson in 4 hours, 22 minutes on Court 18 in only the secondÂgrass-court match of his career. The fifth set alone lasted 97 minutes.The Brazilian, who turns 22 on Friday, came in with a 2002 match record of 8-9. Johansson, whoÂwon his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne in January, had twice reached the fourth round atÂWimbledon.``It's probably the best match that I've played in my life,'' Saretta said.On Court 1, fans wore Union Jack flags and hats, held up the red-and-white English flag of St.ÂGeorge and shouted `Come on, Tim!'' as No. 4 Henman beat the 165th-ranked Bachelot.Henman, a semifinalist in three of the past four years, had only three unforced errors in the matchÂand got a standing ovation as he left the court. He will face another qualifier in the second roundÂand is projected to meet Hewitt in the semis.Copyright 2002 The Associated Press.ÂIvanisevic congratulates Ancic on his shock victoryÂGoran Ivanisevic is celebrating after his neighbour, Mario Ancic, provided the biggest shock ofÂWimbledon so far. The Wimbledon champion was unable to defend his title, but watched Ancic beat seventh seedRoger Federer on television.Ivanisevic and Ancic were born in the Firule district of Split. The 18-year-old is only the second Croat in history to qualify, afterIvanisevic. Ivanisevic said: "I was watching it on the television with everyone else in our street. I wouldimagine you could hear the cheering for miles when he won. It was a fantastic victory."He had declined an offer of a special VIP ticket as a spectator at Wimbledon, saying if he could not play, it would be too upsetting to be atWimbledon. But his father Srdjan Ivanisevic was in a box at the Central Court together with Ancic's father andhis brother.WIMBLEDONMario overshadows favourites' progressÂPosted Tue, 25 Jun 2002ÂTeenage Croatian Mario Ancic, who plays, talks and even looks like last year's winner GoranÂIvanisevic, followed in his countryman's footsteps on Tuesday by becoming an instant hit with theÂWimbledon centre court crowd.ÂThe 18-year-old qualifier knocked out Switzerland's Roger Federer, the seventh seed, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2),Â6-3 in a match which overshadowed the smooth progress into the second round of Australia'sÂLleyton Hewitt and Britain's Tim Henman, the joint favourites for the Wimbledon title.Ancic, who now meets Jan Vacek of the Czech Republic for a place in the third round, said he hadÂeven taken tips from Ivanisevic, who was prevented by injury from defending his title, on how toÂapproach his first ever main draw match at the All England Club.Â"It's the greatest match of my life," said the teenager. "I was a qualifier, I had nothing to lose. I justÂwanted to do my best," added Ancic who said he spoke to Ivanisevic on Monday.Â"I talked to him about tactics here. He told me to stay away from Roger's forehand and to pressureÂthe second serve. He is a great man. We are from the same town, Split, and he is like a big brother toÂme."ÂIt was a desperate result for Federer, considered as an outside chance to win the title this yearÂhaving knocked out seven-time winner Pete Sampras in the fourth round last year. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 25 Jun 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8231/1/E-Croatia-Bows-Out-of-World-Cup.html Op-edIt was aÂgreat opportunity and a success to be part of thegames. We may do even better next time. Congratulations Vatreni !Nenad Bach Croatia Bows Out of World Cup Thu Jun 13, By EUGENE BRCIC, Associated Press Writer YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) - Up, down, and out. Croatia's stay at this year's World Cup had some exhilarating thrills, nerve-racking twists and at the end, a regretful feeling of nausea. A semifinalist at the last World Cup, Croatia bowed out at the earliest exit this time with a bitter sense of disappointment after a 1-0 loss to Ecuador on Thursday night. Croatia needed a win to get to the final 16 and certainly expected it after beating Italy in its previous game. The Croats opened Group G with a 1-0 loss to Mexico and its hopes of emulating the team's bronze-winning effort at the '98 World Cup were in serious danger. Then came the win over Italy. But Croatia couldn't handle the newcomers from South America, who also were eliminated as Mexico and Italy moved on. "This is a major disappointment, to be a step into the next round and then to have the door slammed in our faces," said Croatia coach Mirko Jozic. Edison Mendez got the winner in the 48th minute when he took a header from Agustin Delgado and drilled the ball home with his right foot. It was Mendez' first and Ecuador's second goal in the tournament. "Everyone in Ecuador should celebrate because it's a great joy, we won our first World Cup game," Mendez said. "We played poorly in the first game, but we recovered and won the match." The Ecuadoreans celebrated the win with backslaps and hugs. The Croatian players were stunned. Thousands of Croats in the crowd - most dressed in the trademark red and white checked shirts - stood silent in the stands. "That's football," veteran Alen Boksic said. "We had just one win and two losses. What more can you expect than an early exit?" Milan Rapaic came close to tying it, but his free kick from 25 yards was headed wide by the defense. Daniel Saric got into a one-on-one with Ecuador goalkeeper Jose Cevallos, but was called offside. Then backup midfielder Davor Vugrinec slammed a right-footed strike well over the crossbar in the 83rd minute. Brilliant reflexes by veteran midfielder Alex Aguinaga got the ball off his goal line after a powerful Croatian header two minutes later as the Ecuadoreans clung to their slender lead. "I'm very happy with my boys," Ecuador coach Hernan Gomez said. "We were eliminated, but with dignity. "We're going home with a lot of confidence after scoring our first World Cup goal and getting our first win. This team has worked itself into history." Mendez had the only shot on target for Ecuador in the opening half, but his right-footed shot from 20 yards was held on the second grab by keeper Stipe Pletikosa in the 24th minute. But Mendez found the net with Ecuador's only shot on goal in the second half. And Croatia was done. "Despite explicit orders, my players failed to move the play away from our goal and deeper into the field," Jozic said. "We had our chances and our half-chances because we were lucky, but they were not created out of set plays. "We lost the match and we lost our chance to progress further. We did not succeed in our goal and have to concede that our mission was a failure." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 17 Jun 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8232/1/E-Gooooooooooooooool.html ÂGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLCroatia: Italy - 2:1 ( photo of 1:1 goal by Olic) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Jun 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8233/1/E-Croatia---Italy-21-by-minutes.html Up-to-the-Second Score: Italy 1, Croatia 2 -- FINAL FULLTIME MATCH REPORT 90'+5 - Final whistle blows as Croatia takes upset 2-1 win, and angry Italians briefly confront referee near midfield.  90'+3 - Italy corner kick is headed away.  90'+2 - Italy goal disallowed after Inzaghi is whistled for , as long pass rolls into net untouched.  90' - Four minutes of stoppage time added.  90' - Zambrotta beats N. Kovacs to win corner kick; Panucci dives to head over the bar from 6 yards.  89' - Pletikosa dives right to knock away an 18-yard blast by Zambrotta.  87' - Totti freekick from 30 yards strikes left post and rolls across goalmouth, behind the motionless Pletikosa.  85' - Totti tumbles into Saric, who is slow to recover.  83' - Olic treated for injury after tackle by Maldini.  79' - Croatia sub: Simic on for goalscorer Rapaic, who is embraced by his teammates on the bench.  79' - Italy sub: Inzaghi comes on for Doni, with Italy in need of an equalizer.  76' - GOAL CROATIA. Rapaic bloops a deflected volley into upper left corner, after N. Kovacs heads the ball back in following a clearance of Rapaic's original cross.  75' - Another Croatia cross gets behind Italy defense but lunging Rapaic can't put it away.  73' - GOAL CROATIA. Olic knocks in at far post after Jarni's cross from left side gets behind the back line.  72' - Vieri latches on to long, deflected pass and shoots high and wide left from 18 yards under challenge from last defender.  69' - Simunic smoothly dispossesses Vieri in left corner.  66' - Italy whistled for offside.  65' - Teams take turns with bad giveaways on Croatia's end of the field.  64' - No one can catch up to Doni's cross from left side.  62' - Croatia sub: Vranjes on for Soldo, who limps off.  62' - Buffon dives into Rapaic to punch ball out of bounds for throw-in on right, after throw-in from left is flicked on across penalty area.  57' - Croatia sub: Olic on for Vugrinec.  56' - GOAL ITALY. Vieri takes Doni cross from right wing at far post and heads back over Pletikosa.  54' - R. Kovacs and Totti exchange words after foul is called; Totti freekick from left side is cleared.  53' - Rapaic corner kick cleared away, but Croatia regains possession and Rapaic forces comfortable Buffon save with shot to near post from left side.  51' - Vieri cautioned for dissent after protesting offside call.  50' - Italy goal disallowed for offside, after cross from left is flicked on to Vieri at far post. Questionable call.  50' - Boksic shaken up.  46' - Second half kicks off with no substitutions.  Second Half 45'+2 - Referee blows halftime whistle before Croatia can take freekick near midfield. Score tied 0-0.  45'+1 - Vieri beaten to cross from right side at far post.  45' - Croatia clears high ball to give up corner kick; Totti corner is cleared.  44' - Buffon dives left to save disappointing 16-yard shot from Rapaic on left side.  43' - Doni slow to get up after taking elbow to back of head on high ball.  41' - Referee ignores Zambrotta appeals for foul call 22 yards from goal.  39' - Robert Kovacs cautioned for hard foul on Totti.  37' - Totti corner kick headed away.  36' - Soldo fouls Totti 45 yards from goal.  35' - Italy whistled for foul in Croatia penalty area as Panucci crosses from right side.  32' - Vieri can't catch up to through pass toward endline on left side.  31' - Totti freekick from top left corner of penalty area is knocked away.  29' - Buffon easily saves Rapaic effort from 25 yards.  26' - Give-and-go leaves Vugrinec open for shot inside area on right, but Buffon gets his right hand to it and Materazzi clears off the line.  25' - Cross chested down and laid back to Soldo at top of penalty arc; he beats one player and shoots wide left.  24' - Italy sub: Materazzi comes on as Nesta limps off and receives treatment to right foot.  22' - Buffon makes easy save on 30-yard half-volley by Vugrinec.  18' - Zambrotta goes down in penalty area on long pass but play continues.  16' - Niko Kovac treated for bloody nose after taking elbow from Tommasi.  15' - Italy midfielder Cristiano Doni takes advantage of a slip by Robert Kovacs, fights way clear through penalty area to shoot from 8 yards, but Pletikosa saves.  12' - Croatia corner kick cleared.  12' - Maldini called for cutting down Vugrinec near sideline.  9' - Nesta whistled for foul at edge of center circle.  6' - Buffon comes off line to pick up long pass at 17 yards.  4' - Italy earns corner kick; Zambrotta shot from outside penalty area saved easily.  3' - Foul on Totti brings freekick at top of penalty arc; freekick cleared after it hits wall.  1' - Match under way.  Kickoff at 5 a.m. EDT; 9 a.m. GMT  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 08 Jun 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8234/1/E-Schedule-for-CROATIA---World-Soccer-Cup-2002.html ÂSoccer World Cup 2002 Japan - Korea GROUP G SCHEDULE Date Time* Teams Stories Mon. June 3rd 02:30 a.m. ET Mexico vs. Croatia at Niigata, Japan  Mon. June 3rd 07:30 a.m. ET Ecuador vs. Italy at Sapporo, Japan  Sat. June 8th 05:00 a.m. ET Croatia vs. Italy at Ibaraki, Japan  Sun. June 9th 02:30 a.m. ET Ecuador vs. Mexico at Miyagi, Japan  Thu. June 13th 07:30 a.m. ET Croatia vs. Ecuador at Yokohama, Japan  Thu. June 13th 07:30 a.m. ET Italy vs. Mexico at Oita, Japan  * - GMT is ET + 4 hrs.; Tokyo/Seoul local time is ET + 13 hrs. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 03 Jun 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8235/1/E-Soccer-World-Cup-TV-Schedule-MayJune-2002.html Â2002 World Cup TV schedule on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC and Classic Date Match Time Channel May 31 France vs. Senegal 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 1 Uruguay vs. Denmark 4:55 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 1 Germany vs. Saudi Arabia 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 1 Rep. of Ireland vs.Cameroon 3:30 p.m. ET ABC (tape) June 2 Argentina vs. Nigeria 1:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 2 Paraguay vs. South Africa 3:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 2 Spain vs. Slovenia 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 2 England vs. Sweden 3:30 p.m. ET ABC (tape) June 3 Croatia vs. Mexico 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 3 Brazil vs. Turkey 4:55 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 3 Italy vs. Ecuador 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 4 China vs. Costa Rica 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 4 Japan vs. Belgium 4:55 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 4 Korea Republic vs. PolandÂ7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 4 Brazil vs. Turkey 1:00 p.m. ET Classic (replay) June 4 Italy vs. Ecuador 3:00 p.m. ET Classic (replay) June 5 Russia vs. Tunisia 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 5 United States vs. Portugal4:55 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 5 Germany vs. Rep. of IrelandÂ7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 5 United States vs. 3:00 PortugalÂp.m. ET ESPN2 (replay) June 5 Korea Republic vs. PolandÂ3:00 p.m. ET Classic (replay) June 6 Denmark vs. Senegal 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 6 Cameroon vs. Saudi ArabiaÂ4:55 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 6 France vs. Uruguay 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 6 United States vs. PortugalÂ1:00 p.m. ET Classic (replay) June 6 Germany vs. Rep. of IrelandÂ3:00 p.m. ET Classic (replay) June 7 Sweden vs. Nigeria 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 7 Spain vs. Paraguay 4:55 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 7 Argentina vs. England 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 7 France vs. Uruguay 12:00 p.m. ET ESPN2 (replay) June 8 South Africa vs.Slovenia 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 8 Italy vs. Croatia 4:55 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 8 Brazil vs. China 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 8 Argentina vs. England 1:00 p.m. ET ABC (replay) June 9 Mexico vs. Ecuador 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 9 Costa Rica vs. Turkey 4:55 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 9 Japan vs. Russia 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 10 Korea Republic vs. United StatesÂ2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 10 Tunisia vs. Belgium 4:55 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 10 Portugal vs. Poland 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 10 Korea Republic vs. United StatesÂ2:00 p.m. ET ESPN2 (replay) June 11 Denmark vs. France 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 11 Senegal vs. Uruguay 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 11 Cameroon vs. Germany 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 11 Saudi Arabia vs. Rep.of Ireland 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 11 Korea Republic. vs.United States 1:00 p.m. ET ClassicÂ(replay) June 11 Portugal vs. Poland 3:00 p.m. ET Classic (replay) June 12 Sweden vs. Argentina 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 12 Nigeria vs. England 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 12 South Africa vs. Spain 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 12 Slovenia vs. Paraguay 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 12 Denmark vs. France 1:00 p.m. ET Classic (replay) June 13 Costa Rica vs. Brazil 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 13 Turkey vs. China 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 13 Mexico vs. Italy 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 13 Ecuador vs. Croatia 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 13 Sweden vs. Argentina 1:00 p.m. ET Classic (replay) June 13 Mexico vs. Italy 3:00 p.m. ET ESPN (replay) June 13 Costa Rica vs. Brazil 7:00 p.m. ET ESPN2 (replay) June 14 Tunisia vs. Japan 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 14 Belgium vs. Russia 2:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 14 Portugal vs. Korea Repbulic 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN2 June 14 Poland vs. United States 7:25 a.m. ET ESPN June 14 Mexico vs. Italy 1:00 p.m. ET Classic (replay) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8236/1/E-A-long-perilous-road-from-Croatia-to-Idaho.html ÂZeljka VidicBy NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS.c The Associated PressÂMOSCOW, Idaho (AP) - When Zeljka Vidic is handed her diploma, she will have taken one moreÂstep on what has been a long and perilous road.She endured war and exile, illness and poverty. Her family barely escaped ``ethnic cleansing'' inÂCroatia. Half a world away, she became a tennis player at Idaho, and will graduate Saturday.``In 16 years I've had some extraordinary people play for me,'' tennis coach Greg South said. ``SheÂis head and shoulders above the rest.''On Sept. 11, tennis practice at Idaho was canceled after the terrorist attacks. Vidic showed up theÂnext day wearing a big blue ribbon, South recalled. She told her teammates how she had survivedÂwar with her humanity intact.``I chose not to hate,'' South recalled Vidic saying. ``Instead, I chose to fight back for freedom and aÂbetterlife.''Vidic, known as Z around campus, was born in Vukovar, in eastern Croatia, in 1979. Her parentsÂand older brother had a comfortable life there until 1991.Then an invading Yugoslav army laid a three-month siege and began indiscriminate shelling ofÂthe city. About 1,700 Croats were killed when the invaders and local Serbs overwhelmed the city.About 22,000 Croats, including Vidic and her family, were expelled in late 1991 by the new rulers.ÂHer family spent seven years as refugees in Zagreb, struggling with poverty and the memories ofÂthe brutality they witnessed.In 1995, the U.N. war crimes tribunal indicted three former Yugoslav army officers for crimesÂagainst humanity during the siege of Vukovar. The trial of one is under way in The Hague,ÂNetherlands. Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic also is on trial for alleged war crimesÂcommitted by Serb forces in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.Vidic grows quiet and uncomfortable when asked about the siege of Vukovar, which often pittedÂCroats against Serbian neighbors.``Somebody wanted to hurt my family,'' she said. ``We assumed it was a neighbor.''There was an attempt to bomb the family's home.``People were just crazy,'' she said. ``Everybody would just hate everybody.''In Zagreb, Vidic earned a spot in a tennis club with a coach. She was the only tennis player in herÂfamily. She finished high school in 1997 and wanted to play in the United States. South learned ofÂVidic from friends in Europe, and watched a videotape.``It was obvious there was a huge talent there,'' South said.But over time, he came to respect her even more for her character and attitude.``She went through some very difficult things,'' South said.``I believe tennis helped hersurvive.''Just before she left for Idaho in 1998, her father, Stjepan, had a stroke. Vidic did not want to leave,Âbut her father urged her to take her scholarship and head overseas.``It was not easy to leave him,'' she said.The wheat fields, wide-open spaces and natural beauty of Idaho immediately appealed toVidic.ÂShe also reveled in the chance to get an education and play tennis at the same time.``We traveled a lot and I saw a lot of things in the U.S.,'' Vidic said. She enjoyed trips to CaliforniaÂand to Seattle, but ``I really like Hawaii.''She also loved playing with a team, but she understood what was required of her.``You have to win,'' she said.Win she did. As a junior, she led the Vandals with a 15-4 record. After recovering from kneeÂsurgery in January, Vidic was 16-10 in singles and 20-10 in doubles during her senior season.``She has the best backhand of anybody who ever played for me,'' South said.Even at Idaho she could not escape her past.During one of her first matches, she was nervous at playing a woman from Yugoslavia, South said.ÂWhen he asked her why, Vidic replied that the woman was a cousin of a Serbian boy who hadÂterrorized her old neighborhood in Vukovar after the invasion. But both players came off the courtÂlaughing.Vidic finished her career with 41 victories in singles and a school record 41 wins in doubles,Âdespite missing nearly all of her sophomore season with torn knee ligaments from a skiingÂaccident. That injury led to three knee operations.This month, Vidic was chosen as the northwest winner of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association'sÂArthur Ashe Sportsmanship award. Only eight of the 4,000 women playing Division I tennis winÂthe award.In April, Vidic was among 174 athletes around the country who won an NCAA PostgraduateÂScholarship Award. It provides a $6,000 scholarship next year as she pursues a master's degree inÂsports and recreation management at the university.The 23-year-old Vidic graduates with a degree in finance, and would like to become a U.S. citizen.ÂThis summer she plans to teach tennis and is looking for other work.``I like Moscow in the summer. It's like a little oasis for me,'' she said. ``I feel at peace here.''Her family has returned to its home in Vukovar, but the situation there is still tense, Vidic said.ÂCroatians and Serbs live largely separate lives in the city now.``We are trying to forgive,'' she said. ``But we will not forget.'' 05/17/02 02:24 EDTCopyright 2002 The Associated Press. Star Athlete from Vukovar in IdahoArgonaut SportsTonya Snyder, Sports Desk snyd5127@uidaho.eduFebruaryÂ2-5, 1999 Tennis Trio looks to Tear up CaliforniaÂBy Sean Campbell University of Idaho Argonaut Friday February 5, 1999 In the sports world few can name the four tournaments that make up the Grand Slam (that's tennis lingo), let alone who has won these internationally prestigious events. In fact, many see tennis as a mindless, erratic game where two people swat at a little green ball, as if it was a pesky fly, amidst a chorus of primal grunts. Oh contraire; it is a physical test of one's endurance, a challenge of precision accuracy, and a chess match of cerebral warfare. So how will the Vandal women's tennis team fare as they embark upon a whirlwind road trip that has them competing against Pacific, San Jose St., and Santa Barbara on consecutive days? "We're going to have our hands full, but we will compete with them, and we will compete well," said head coach Greg South. South's foreshadowing may prove true on both counts. He considers both Pacific and Santa Barbara to be strong teams, each vying for the Big West title.ÂHowever, the Vandals will bring to California a young but talented team lead by senior Katrina Burke. "She's as good as anyone in the conference. She could be the best player," South rightfully said, Burke was the No. 2 player in the conference last year. Amidst a flurry of backhand flurries, Burke spoke of her final year as a Vandal. "I know I can be just as good as them [my opponents] on any given day."ÂAfter three years of analyzing her opponents weaknesses from across the net, her words may echo in their ears this season. If not her aggressive, net charging play will leave them in a fit of dizzying frustration.ÂThe Australian native Burke is not the only spice South can draw out of his cauldron. Depth is the word he uses to describe his melting pot of talent.ÂFreshmen Pooja Deshmukh and Zeljka Vidic will vie for the 2 and 3 spots while Glorianna Serrano, Cameron Erickson, and Barbara Perez-Martinez will fill out the rest of the lineup. South emphatically pointed out that none of the spots are set in stone; instead they will be in a state of rotation. All in all, they pose a formidable lineup for all challengers.ÂAnother challenge is a lesson in geography. Deshmukh's graceful baseline play was honed in her home country of India. Her father began coaching her on the fine points of ground strokes at the age of eleven. Over the years Pooja ascended the ranks of India's tournament circuit. In so doing, she dethroned the number one junior player, as well as conquering the national doubles championship. Before arriving in Moscow ten days ago, and stepping foot on snow for the first time, she was ranked No. 6 in India. With this in mind she humbly spoke of he goals for this season. "I'm just trying to establish myself and work on my weaknesses." Only a freshman, her future looks sweet. Fellow freshman Zeljka Vidic may be the smoldering candles on the multicultural cake that South is baking. In Croatian her name means "wish".Â"My parents wanted a daughter, I granted their wish," she said with a blush.ÂZeljka began her apprenticeship in the art of serve and volley at what she considers a late age of ten. If so, this Croatian has developed quickly, dazzling her home country on the creamy clay courts of Eastern Europe.ÂAs she makes the transition to the hard courts of the US, South beams with excitements when he talks about her ability to excel as an all court player, who has a natural feel for the ball. All six women may be divided by oceans and massive chunks of land, but no dissension looms in the shadows of this team that Deshmukh calls, "absolutely internationally diverse." Instead they are a close group who look forward to learning about each other's cultures and languages. What also draws them together is South's coaching philosophy. "We stay with a goal focus, not an outcome focus." It is a philosophy that emphasizes performance achievement, and individual accountability. His philosophy may differ with some who still cling to the "just win, baby" approach, but his approach has been successful. After months of waking at seven o'clock in the morning for physical training, along with countless hours of practice, the Vandals are confident about their chances over the weekend. "I think this trip will be successful if we play smart," said Burke. If intelligence has anything to do with success [combined GPA of 3.17] look for all of their wishes to be granted in California. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 18 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8238/1/E-Drazen-Petrovic-Remembered-Nominated-For-Hall-of-Fame.html From the May 7, 2002 New York Times. John KraljicPetrovic: An Athlete of the WorldBy HARVEY ARATONARIO MIOCIC still calls Willis Reed to reminisce, to wonder what mighthave been and just recently, and most therapeutically, to speculate onwhat could be."Did you hear about Petro?" Miocic said to Reed, the New York basketballlegend, when the news came late last month that Drazen Petrovic had beennominated to the Basketball Hall of Fame by the international committee.Of course he had, responded Reed, himself a member of the hallowed Hall.Miocic could count on Reed to be in Springfield, Mass., next fall if "aguy Mario and I had a lot of love for" is among the inductees who willsurely include Magic Johnson, the ultimate point guard.Petrovic was more of a long-distance straight shooter, by way ofSibenik, Croatia, but had his own court vision and uncompromisingleadership skills. Years before David Stern's global expansion resultedin a storming of the N.B.A. gates by Europeans and now even Asians withattitude, Petrovic told his friend, Miocic, who had immigrated to NewYork from Croatia in 1986:"Mario, I never think, `Oh, good, I've opened the door to Europeanplayers and now I am going to sit on the bench and be happy. I want tobe a cornerstone of a team, a leader.' "* * *He had just about arrived, as a third-team all-league selection with theReed-built Nets, when he died in a car accident on a rain-slicked Germanautobahn before the start of the 1993 N.B.A. finals. Drazen Petrovic was28, in the morning of his adult life, beginning the prime of his careerand a national sports hero back home.In Croatia, Miocic said yesterday by telephone from his home in Miami,the Petrovic name is still more revered than merely respected, asevidenced by Goran Ivanisevic's dedication of his Wimbledon title lastsummer to the guy Miocic said "showed Croatia what it means to be agreat professional athlete of the world."Basketball fans there still cheer these new Nets and imagine the agingPetrovic running the floor with the magical and munificent Jason Kidd.He surely was one of the game's fiercest workers, but if Petrovic werealive today, more than playing or beholding in the wonderment of awinning Nets team, he would be filled with pride by the power of hisleaguewide legacy, the ever-expanding collection of international impactplayers.Dirk Nowitzki of Germany is the franchise player in Dallas. Yugoslavia'sPeja Stojakovic is a go-to guy in Sacramento. Spain's Pau Gasol is thefirst rookie of the year from Europe. With financial tariffs, theChinese are exporting the towering Yao Ming next season, and he is theintriguing prize of the coming N.B.A. draft.* * *"The coaches overseas all studied under guys like Dean Smith and BobbyKnight," Reed said. "If they said they wanted something done their way,it's not like their players could say, `I'll go play where I can do whatI want.' They are ahead of our kids in the offensive fundamentals andthey've seen they can be stars, and that all started with Petro."Petrovic wasn't the first to come, but he was the one to transfer directfrom the European leagues and confound the schools of thought thatinternational players could be role players at best and that the whiteN.B.A. star was a dying breed.He paid his dues the way most intruders in xenophobic territory do, byenduring those skeptical and small-minded. Opponents and even teammateswho couldn't find Croatia on the map if it were blinking sneered at hisconfident swagger. John Starks of the Knicks called him a "trash-talkerwith an accent" and before one tip-off made some untoward comment aboutcomplicity in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. Danny Ainge, whoplayed with Petrovic on his first N.B.A. team, the Portland TrailBlazers, once told me that Petrovic had confided a belief that hisnationality had kept him out of the 1992-93 All-Star Game."He suffered," Miocic said. "But Drazen was very strong. He kept going,until the end."Even after Petrovic died, Miocic would stand in the runway leading tothe locker rooms during Nets home games with an approving nod from Reed,now the club's senior vice president. Miocic now works in real estate inSouth Florida but still relishes the days when he and Petrovic would goout for dinner at a Croatian restaurant in Long Island City, or stop bya church on the Manhattan side of the Lincoln Tunnel.He doesn't forget, and all these new-age Europeans flying across histelevision screen make him smile at the memories and at the prospect ofPetrovic's deserved enshrinement as his everlasting reward.NOTICE: This e-mail and the attachments hereto, if any, may contain legallyprivileged and/or confidential information. It is intended only for use bythe named addressee(s). If you are not the intended recipient of thise-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution orcopying of this e-mail and the attachments hereto, if any, is strictlyprohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, pleaseimmediately notify the sender by telephone and permanently delete thise-mail and the attachments hereto, if any, and destroy any printout thereof. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8239/1/E-Davor-Suker-Soccer-Academy-InternationalSoccer-Camps.html Dear Nenad,  Judging by the amount of calls and enquiriesÂreceived from Croats and non-Croats from abroad, I am certain that information about the Davor Suker Soccer Academy "InternationalÂSoccer Camps" would be interesting to CROWN members. It wouldÂbe **greatly** appreciated if you could include information about the camp on the CROWN site.  Parents visiting Croatia with their children might want to add a special touch to their children's holidays by enrolling their children in the camps. The camps (there are 4, each running for 7 days) are loads of fun for the kids, and judging by last year'sÂpilot camp, a life-timeÂmemory for them. Most of the kids that participated last year are back this year! Note that the camps are open - that is, children don't have to be active players (recreationalists) and both girls and boys come along. Also worth noting is that children of no Croatian heritage are participants (eg. Germany, Italy, Cyprus, Slovenia, Austria...).  The program includes not onlyÂtraining in soccer technique, but also demonstrations by Croatian National Soccer Team "Vatreni" membersÂ(Davor Suker is with the kids for the entire camp), Internet and foreign language workshops, special lectures on sports nutrition, etc, etc. Of course lots of entertainment is provided and outings organised.  Brief information can be found on theÂAcademy's website: www.sukeracademy.hr  Note that the site is under construction thus only information about the Camp is online.  Thanks for the attention and best regards Slavkaslavka.jureta@sukeracademy.hr   MEĐUNARODNI NOGOMETNI KAMP - POREČ 2002. PRIMAMO PRIJAVE DO 01.06.2002., REZERVIRAJTE MJESTO ZA SLJEDEĆE TERMINE: A. 22.06. / 29.06. 2002. C. 06.07. / 13.07. 2002. B. 29.06. / 06.07. 2002. * D. 13.07. / 20.07. 2002. * popunjeno Zaigrajte nogomet s Davorom Šukerom, Aljošom Asanovićem, Zvonimirom Bobanom, Robertom Jarnim... Djeca od 8-16 godina. Puni pansion, sportska prehrana, svi polaznici kampa su osigurani, pod nadzorom trenera, doktora, odgajatelja... Trening dva puta dnevno u našoj opremi. >>Cijena: 3.804,00 kn >>Rezervacija termina 700 kn Svaki polaznik dobit će komplet sportske opreme "S9". Informacije: Davor Šuker nogometna akademija d.o.o. Drenovačka 5, 10 000 Zagreb, Hrvatska tel.: +385-1 301 1302; tel./fax: +385-1 301 0415 davor.suker@sukeracademy.hr letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 02 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8237/1/E-Srdjan-Mihaljevic---College-Water-Polo-Coach.html ÂFrom the April 28, 2002 New York Times - Mihaljevic of Croatia coachesthe St. Francic College Women's Water Polo TeamDiverse Women Form Tournament TeamBy ERIK BOLANDMegan Nolan admitted she had low expectations for her first season onthe St. Francis College women's water polo team."Hopefully, we'll win more than three games," Nolan, a junior,recalledthinking after transferring to St. Francis in Brooklyn Heights lastAugust from Golden West Community College in California. The pessimismwas understandable.The women's program, a Title IX sport established in 1996, had never wonmore than four games in a season. But under their first-year coach,Srdjan Mihaljevic, the Terriers, an undermanned amalgam of nationalitiesand playing experience, finished 16-3 and qualified for this weekend'sCollegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championships at Princeton,N.J.St. Francis, seeded 11th, played second-seeded Hartwick (23-8) lastnight. The winner of the 12-team tournament, in which Michigan is seededfirst, advances to the N.C.A.A. tournament in Los Angeles.The 23-year-old Mihaljevic played on several Croatian junior nationalteams before coming to the United States in 1996 as a high schoolexchange student. The assistant coach, Yulian Hristov, is from Bulgaria.Jelena Maljkovic, a sophomore, is from Yugoslavia. Gili Kollan, afreshman, and Carmit Reuven, a junior, come from Israel. The freshmangoalie Liz Grant is from Texas. "Think about it, a Jewish girl coming tostudyÂin a Catholic school," Reuven said."People ask me about it all the time, but I think it's beautiful tolearn about another culture. We are all good friends."Kollan and Reuven played together on various Israeli junior water poloteams. "We try not to talk too much Hebrew," Kollan said, adding,"Jelena tries not to talk too much Serbian and Liz tries not to talk toomuch, I guess you would call it, Texan."The Terriers have nine players. All of St. Francis's opponents havebetween 18 and 20 players, allowing for liberal substitutions during thegrueling 28-minute games in which players swim an average of one mile.St. Francis has few substitution options and even less room forinjuries.Grant sat poolside during a recent practice, her right thumb wrapped ingauze that covered a blue plastic splint. She broke the thumb, thesecond time she has broken it this season, in practice last week beforethe Northern Division playoffs in New London, Conn. Grant played allfour games as the Terriers went 2-2 to qualify for this weekend."It hurts, but you play with it," Grant said. "We only have ninepeople." Warding off shots of the yellow one-pound rubber ball, Granthas also suffered a concussion, a hyperextended elbow and had her nosebroken twice this season.Mihaljevic attended St. Francis on an athletic and academic scholarship,playing four years for St. Francis's men's water polo team. Whilefinishing his economics degree last spring, he assisted the formercoach, Kylie Parnaby, and took over when Parnaby chose not to returnthis season.Mihaljevic, who works during the day as an equity controller with MorganStanley, inherited a team with little or no water polo experience. Otherthan Maljkovic, the team's leading scorer this season with 57 goals, andReuven (27 goals), much of the team was made up of converted swimmerslike the New Yorkers Patricia Comer and Catherine Dale, who werelearning the sport for the first time. Mihaljevic, and seasoned playerslike Kollan, Reuven and Nolan, attribute much of this season's 12-gameimprovement to the swimmers' rapid progress."They're way better than I was my second year," said Nolan, who playedfour years of water polo in high school, then two more at communitycollege. "They've really done well for just starting."For next year, Mihaljevic has already secured commitments from twoplayers, one from Yugoslavia and one from Florida. Still, findingplayers in the United States remains difficult."In the U.S., with the exception of California, you don't havewater-polo powers in a state," Mihaljevic said. "And the kids inCalifornia, they always want to go to the best water-polo schools, whichare over there. My best bet when I'm recruiting people is selling comingto New York City."And perhaps, after this weekend, an N.C.A.A. tournament berth. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 02 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8240/1/E-Three-seeds-advance-at-Croatian-Bol-Ladies-Open.html ÂBOL, Croatia (Ticker) -- No. 4 Iva Majoli did not disappoint the native fans as she was one ofÂthree seeds to advance in the first round of the $170,000 Croatian Bol Ladies Open on Tuesday.Majoli, one of four Croatians in the tournament, rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over SlovakianÂLudmila Cervanova. Majoli is coming off a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 win over Switzerland's Patty SchnyderÂin the final of the $1,224,000 Family Circle Cup.Sixth-seeded Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia defeated Slovenia's Maja Matevzic, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 andÂseventh-seeded Slovakian Tina Pisnik dispatched qualifier Zuzana Hejdova of the CzechÂRepublic, 6-2, 7-5. Russian Anna Kournikova ended a five-match losing streak Tuesday with a 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-2Âvictory over Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine.Angelique Widjaja of Indonesia routed Seda Noorlander of the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-0 andÂCroatian Jelena Kostanic got past Tatiana Potchek of Belarus, 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 6-4.A pair of qualifiers moved on as Russian Vera Zvonareva cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 triumph overÂGermany's Jana Kandarr and Libuse Prusova of the Czech Republic eliminated Croatian wildÂcard Karolina Sprem, 6-3, 6-0.Top-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva and second seed Anne Kremer of Luxembourg eachÂreceived byes in the first round.Defending champion Angeles Montolio of Spain is seeded fifth.The top prize in this Tier III claycourt event is $27,000. >ÂKatarina TepeshNew York City, USAtepeshk@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 30 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8241/1/EH-Croatian-Olympian-Zoran-Primorac-visits-Chicago-May-8.html Please join in welcoming one of the world's best table tennis players to Chicago:Croatian Olympian Zoran Primorac will perform an exhibition and meet theCroatian communityWHEN: Wednesday, May 8, 2002 - 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.WHERE: St. Jerome's Parish Hall, 2805 S. PrincetonRefreshments will be servedCroNetwork: The Croatian-American Organization for Young Professionals.Temperamentni južnjak ( rođen je u Zadru 10.05.1969.) je stolnotenisač strelovitog razornogÂnapada s obje strane. Igra moderan, brz i agresivan stolni tenis. Zoran je igrač s "killerÂinstinctom". Uvijek je pod visokim naponom. Odličan strateg.Oni koji redovito prate stolnoteniska zbivanja i natjecanja sigurno su primjetili da je Zoran iliÂ"Zoki" bio među prvima koji je u areni počeo poskakivati i vikati nakon dobro odigranog poena.Zahvaljujući ocu Vinku, Zoran je već s osam godina počeo napikavati lopticu u rodnom Zadru.ÂZahvaljujući Amižićevima, u STK "Bagatu" je sazrio kao igrač. Zarana je ostvarivao svojÂogromni potencijal, osvojivši sedam medalja na juniorskim europskim prvenstvima.I eto srednjoškolca Zorana u Zagreb,ali na stolnotenisko školovanje."Vjesnik" ga objeručke prihvaća, i kao novog člana registrira 12.05.1985. I s vremenom, igrajući uÂnovoj, zagrebačkoj sredini, postiže i jedan od svojih najkrupnijih međunarodnih uspjeha.ÂDogodilo se to u Seoulu 1988., na premijernom nastupu stolnotenisača u olimpijskoj obitelji.ÂTada se "Primo" na svom debiju zakitio vrlo vrijednom metalnom pločicom u igriÂparova...postavši prvi zagrebački stolnotenisač koji je osvojio olimpijsku medalju, i to srebrnu!Ako bi se Primorac želio prisjetiti i svog najtežeg i najbolnijeg poraza, ne bi smio preskočiti 1987.Âgodinu. Tada "vjesnikovac" nije iskoristio dvije meč-lopte u finalu Svjetskog prvenstva naÂindijskom New Delhiju. Par Primorac-Lupulesku bio je previše samouvjeren i to im se osvetilo,Âprokockali su povijesnu šansu i "darovali" Kinezima zlatnu medalju. Onda je iz isključivo sportskih pobuda (trening s Lupulescom) otišao u "Partizan" da bi se nakonÂdvije sezone vratio u Zagreb. Jedno kraće vrijeme igrao je za "Industrogradnju" i onda se uputioÂu Belgiju u Charleroi,gdje je nastupao za "Royal Sporting Villete", a trener mu je bio Dubravko Škorić. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 26 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8243/1/E-Iva-Majoli-Croatia-WINS-Tennis-Family-Circle-Cup.html ÂIVA WINSTennis-Family Circle Cup final resultCHARLESTON, South Carolina, April 21 (Reuters) - Final result at the $1.224 Family Circle Cup WTA tennis tournament on Sunday (prefix denotes seedings):Iva Majoli (Croatia) beat Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 21 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8242/1/E-Majoli-Knocks-Off-Schnyder-To-Win-Family-Circle-Cup.html ÂBy BRUCE SMITHÂ.c The Associated PressÂÂCHARLESTON, S.C. (April 21) -- Iva Majoli became the lowest-ranked player to win a top-tier tournament when she defeated Patty Schnyder 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 Sunday for the championship of the Family Circle Cup, her first singles title since the 1997 French Open.ÂÂThe match was also the first top tier women's final featuring two unseeded players, with Majoli ranked 58th in the world and Schnyder 30th.ÂÂMajoli also became the first unseeded player to win the Family Circle Cup, earning $182,000 in the $1.2 million tournament at the Tennis Center at Daniel Island. Majoli had missed almost a year on the tour after undergoing shoulder surgery in 1999.ÂÂ"It's been a great week. I mean, it feels so good to win again after like a couple of years,'' Majoli said.ÂÂUpsets were the rule during the Family Circle, which saw only two seeded players reach the semifinals.ÂÂSchnyder defeated three top 10 players, eliminating No. 10 Amelie Mauresmo in the second round, No. 7 Serena Williams in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Jennifer Capriati in Saturday's semifinals.ÂÂ"I couldn't expect it from me to play a match like a day before or two days ago,'' Schnyder said. "I thought I could win the whole thing, but I lived so many great moments during the week and it's been the best week of my life.''ÂÂ"I think there was a lot more pressure on her after beating all the top seeds to win,'' said Majoli, who beat Schnyder for the first time in five matches. "It's a very big difference to play under all that pressure.''ÂÂSunday's match on the green clay of stadium court, where a thermometer read 114 degrees, featured nine service breaks in the first set. In the tiebreaker, Majoli built a 5-1 lead, but Schnyder closed within 6-5 before sending a ball long, giving Majoli the set.ÂÂSchnyder broke Majoli in the next game to take the early lead in the second set. But Majoli broke back in the second game and, leading 5-4 in the set, surrendered only one point in breaking Schnyder in the final game to seal the victory.ÂÂSaturday's loss cost Capriati her No. 1 ranking. Venus Williams, who did not play at the Family Cup, regains the top ranking after just over a month.ÂÂThe lowest-ranked player ever to reach the final of a top-tier tournament was Capriati, who was unranked when she lost to Martina Navratilova at the Family Circle in 1990.ÂÂThe tour was restructured in 1980 to feature a series of top-level events with bigger names and bigger purses. There are currently nine Tier I events on the Sanex WTA Tour.ÂÂBefore Sunday, the lowest-ranked player to win a top-tier tournament was Lisa Bonder, who was No. 54 when she won the Tokyo Queen's Classic back in 1983.ÂÂ04/21/02 17:24 EDTÂÂCopyright 2002 The Associated Press.ÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 21 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8244/1/E-IVA-MAJOLI-IN-TENNIS-FINAL-ON-SUNDAY-1-PM-WCBS.html IVA MAJOLICroatian tennis player, Iva Majoli reached final at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina. The tennis match will be televised on April 21st at 1 PM on WCBS. Majoli will play against Swiss player Patty Schnyder.ÂAge: 20ÂHeight: 5-foot-8Weight: 130ÂPlays: Right-handedÂCareer Titles: 7Became the first Croatian to win a Grand Slam title by winning the French Open, handing Martina Hingis her first loss of the season; reached the quarterfinals in 1996 in only her second Australian Open appearance, but lost in the first round last year; will be playing in her first tournament of the year; captured three singles titles in 1997 and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the world; reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and lost to eventual quarterfinalist Sandrine Testud in the second round at the U.S. Open; since winning in Paris, has nine early round losses. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8245/1/E-Croatian-sensation-Kori-Hlede-to-Play-for-NY-Liberty.html Ready to Shock!ÂCroatian rookie sensation Korie Hlede stands alone on the wing as she prepares to take it to the hole.Photo: Mitchell LaytonCroatian rookie sensation Korie HledeApril 18, 2002Utah Gets 14th Overall Pick From NYBy THE ASSOCIATED PRESSSALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Utah Starzz acquired another first-round WNBAdraft choice Thursday, trading Croatian guard Korie Hlede to the NewYork Liberty for the 14th overall selection.The move should open additional playing time for Marie Ferdinand, thesharp-shooting player Utah took in last year's draft.``We feel like this is a win-win situation,'' Starzz coach Candi Harveysaid. ``They receive a veteran player and we feel like we will get agood player with the 14th pick, a player we think we can develop.''Hlede averaged 8.4 and 2.4 assists during three seasons in Utah. Sheplayed for Detroit in 1999.Stop and PopKorie Hlede, Croatian sensation prepares to show her prowess from the outside.Photo: Norm Perdue letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 19 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8246/1/E-Croatia-Slovenia-soccer-game-summary-00.html ÂÂhttp://www.dailysoccer.com/article.php?Article=82830ÂÂGoalless Croatian and Slovenian preparation for World CupÂÂZAGREB, Croatia, March 27 (DSA) - Second consecutive goalless draw in friendly matches causes worry for the Croatian national team. Today Croats drew with Slovenia in a friendly.Â''I could tell that this game was more solid than the one against Bulgaria in February'', commented Croatian national coach Mirko Jozic as both, Croatia and Slovenia realized Wednesday's match as serious test before World Cup in Korea and Japan.ÂPossession of ball goes 53% to 47% in favor of Croats, but very confident Slovenians did not give much of chances to their opponents confirming they want to be very fit before World Cup debut.ÂThere were almost no chances for both sides as two teams played sure in defense. Hosts Croatia waited till 44th minute of the first half for a header of Bayer Leverkusen Boris Zivkovic. Robert Jarni of Panathinaikos assisted well, but Zivkovic's ball passed close to the bar. Similar situation was observed in the second half. Croats dominated the game, but did not succeed to score. Slovenians did it three times, but that was rather a good exercise for Croatian goalkeeper Tomislav Butina.ÂCroatian first division leading scorer Ivica Olic had a good chance in 76th minute. Davor Vugrinec of Lecce assisted with a ball in empty space, however, Olic did not manage to keep it in an open route to Slovenian goal.ÂBoth teams took a friendly very seriously, so there was a lot of tension, too. That reduced chances for a play that would cheer up the crowd of some 9000. Therefore 6000 hosting fans and 3000 Slovenians were teasing each other for most of the match. Some slight incidents on a tribune were however prevented by the police.Â"Hope we will finally score in our next friendly with Bosnia and Herzegovina'', revealed Croatian national team star Davor Suker. After a long period Munich 1860 striker Suker started a match from the beginning playing as a forward together with Middlesbrough's Alen Boksic.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8248/1/E-Scottish-pair-win-Croatian-Open-Badminton-Championships.html ÂEDINBURGH EVENING NEWS ONLINEÂÂhttp://www.edinburghnews.com/othersport.cfm?id=325292002ÂÂSCOTLAND'S Russell Hogg (Dunfermline) and Kirsteen McEwan (Barrhead) justified top seeding by winning the mixed doubles in the Croatian Open Badminton Championships in Zagreb, beating Travis Denny and Kate Wilson-Smith of Australia 7-3, 8-6, 7-2.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 26 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8247/1/E-World-Cup-neighbors-Croatia-Slovenia-clash.html ÂDress rehearsalÂÂWorld Cup-bound neighbors Croatia, Slovenia clashÂPosted: Tuesday March 26, 2002 8:50 AMÂÂhttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/world_cup/news/2002/03/26/croatia_slovenia_ap/ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Winning isn't everything. Well, not just yet anyway.ÂÂCroatia coach Mirko Jozic and his Slovenian counterpart, Srecko Katanec, have other things on their minds ahead of their World Cup warm-up match Wednesday. "The result is not top priority in this match," said 62-year-old Jozic. "It's our last chance for tests and experiments." Katanec echoed the same opinion.ÂÂ"The result is important, but not imperative. My first aim is to play a tougher opponent to gain a clearer picture," the former player told reporters in the Croatian capital, Zagreb.ÂÂLess than two months are left to prepare before the two teams depart for the World Cup finals. Croatia, a semifinalist in France in 1998 is in Group G, to be played in Japan with three-time titlists Italy, Mexico and newcomer Ecuador. Slovenia will be making its debut in Group B in South Korea with Spain, Paraguay and South Africa.ÂÂ"Although 99 percent of the squad is already fixed in my mind, I still have about 30 to 100 names in the hat. Nobody is absolutely certain and no one is absolutely written off," Jozic said.ÂÂAgainst Slovenia, Jozic will be missing star defender Igor Tudor, who plays for Italian Serie A club Juventus. Robert Kovac, of German powerhouse Bayern Munich, has also been ruled out due to injury.ÂÂJasmin Agic, of domestic league club Dinamo Zagreb, and Mario Tokic, of Austria's GAK Graz, have been called up as replacements.ÂÂComing back from injury are World Cup '98 Golden Boot Davor Suker and robust forward Alen Boksic, who scored Middlesbrough's winning goal against Manchester United over the weekend in the English Premier League.ÂÂKatanec will only be missing Sebastijan Cimerotic, of Italy's Lecce. Senad Tigan of local club Olimpija will fill in.ÂÂThe squads are as follows:ÂÂCroatia: Stipe Pletikosa, Tomislav Butina, Boris Zivkovic, Jasmin Agic, Mario Tokic, Josip Simunic, Stjepan Tomas, Dario Simic, Robert Jarni, Milan Rapaic, Mario Stanic, Jurica Vranjes, Robert Prosinecki, Davor Vugrinec, Alen Boksic, Davor Suker, Ivica Olic, Danijel Hrman.ÂÂSlovenia: Mladen Dabanovic; Marko Simeunovic, Marinko Galic, Aleksander Knavs, Zeljko Milinovic, Goran Sankovic, Milenko Acimovic, Ales Ceh, Nastja Ceh, Sasa Gajser, Amir Karic, Dzoni Novak, Miran Pavlin, Zoran Pavlovic, Zlatko Zahovic, Milan Osterc, Mladen Rudonja, Senad Tiganj.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 26 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8251/1/E-Ivanisevic-nominated-for-the-Laureus-Awards.html Âhttp://www.laureus.comÂhttp://foxsports.lycos.com/content/view?contentId=403374ÂÂÂAssociated PressÂMar. 20, 2002 7:06 a.m.ÂLONDON (AP) - Athletes nominated for the Laureus Awards:ÂÂ1. John Daly, United States, golfÂ2. Goran Ivanisevic, Croatia, tennisÂ3. Michael Jordan, United States, basketballÂ4. Bernhard Langer, Germany, golfÂ5. Mario Lemieux, Canada, ice hockeyÂÂ1. Lance Armstrong, United States, cyclingÂ2. Maurice Greene, United States, athleticsÂ3. Michael Schumacher, Germany, auto racingÂ4. Ian Thorpe, Australia, swimmingÂ5. Tiger Woods, United States, golfÂÂ1. Jennifer Capriati, United States, tennisÂ2. Inge de Bruijn, Netherlands, swimmingÂ3. Stacy Dragila, United States, athleticsÂ4. Annika Sorenstam, Sweden, golfÂ5. Venus Williams, United States, tennisÂÂ1, Australian cricket teamÂ2. Bayern Munich soccer clubÂ3. French Davis Cup tennis teamÂ4. Ferrari's Formula One auto racing teamÂ5. Los Angeles Lakers basketball teamÂÂ1. Kim Clijsters, Belgium, tennisÂ2. Steven Gerrard, England, soccerÂ3. Justine Henin, Belgium, tennisÂ4. Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombia, auto racingÂ5. Andy Roddick, United States, tennisÂÂ1. Heidi Andreasen, Faroe Islands, swimmingÂ2. Earle Connor, Canada, athleticsÂ3. Gerd Schonfelder, Germany, Alpine skiingÂ4. Beat Schwarzenbach, Switzerland, cyclingÂ5. Esther Vergeer, Netherlands, wheelchair tennisÂÂÂ1. Bob Burnquist, Brazil, skateboardingÂ2. Will Gadd, Canada, paraglidingÂ3. Umberto Pelizzari, Italy, free divingÂ4. Elena Repko, Ukraine, speed climbingÂ5. Mat Hoffman, United States, BMXÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8250/1/E-Alen-Boksic-blew-the-title-race-wide-open.html Boksic salutes his strikeÂManchester Utd 0-1 Middlesbrough Boksic 9ÂTim Hobbs reportingAlen Boksic blew the title race wide open as his solitary strike saw Steve McClaren's Middlesbrough sink theÂchampions. The Croatia international netted just nine minutes in to prevent Manchester United moving four points clear at thetop of the Premiership on a day when Arsenal were otherwise engaged in the FA Cup.United, who forced just one save from Mark Schwarzer, still have a one-point cushion over their rivals, but will seethis as the defining moment if they fail to take the title for the fourth season in succession. The Gunners, ominouslyfor Old Trafford, now have two games in hand.Middlesbrough of course ended United's own hopes of a domestic double by knocking them out of the FA Cup and ifÂthey do prove to be the side that scuppers the title challenge, McClaren can look back with great satisfaction at theway he has matched his old mentor Sir Alex Ferguson.Boro set their stall out to defend in numbers, but with Boksic the focal point up front and Benito Carbone and NoelWhelan flodding forward willingly down either channel, had the audacity to snatch the lead - with a helping handfrom Juan Sebastian Veron.The £28million man, preferred to Paul Scholes in the engine room, darkened an already dreary display when heÂwas caught in possession by Carbone and with the United defenders caught off-gauard, the Italian lifted a preciseÂball to the back post for Boksic to stab home from eight yards.Usually such upstarts are swept aside with minimum fuss by the red machine, but they had not bargained for theÂdefensive heroics of England hopefuls Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu and a collective off-day that left everyoneÂconnected with United pulling their hair out with sheer frustration.Yet it could have been worse. Fabien Barthez had to get down well and keep out another Boksic effort at his nearÂpost, while he should have doubled his tally after being picked out again by strike partner Carbone.The Italian is playing for a permanent deal at the Riverside and could not have picked his timing better, as his livelyÂtouches and link play overshadowed the man who should have been alongside Boksic, Diego Forlan.The Uruguayan opted for Old Trafford instead and did little to rub McClaren's nose in it with a performance thatÂwas patchy at best, and way below the standards he set in the Champions League in midweek.Ruud van Nistelrooy fared little better against Ehiogu and Southgate, but came within a whisker of levelling as hisÂsmart shot on the turn from a Forlan cross shaved the outside of a post. Ryan Giggs, who promised much but ultimately produced little, then dragged a disappointing effort wide asÂUnited moved in for the kill, but for once were found wanting at the crucial time.David Beckham summed up the frustration when he was booked for venting his fury at a linesman, while FergusonÂstormed off at the break with the officials again on the receiving end.Even then, everyone expected his fury to spark a second-half onslaught and although United dominated and pinnedÂBoro back on the edge of their own box, they failed to find a way through a compact rearguard relishing the battleÂand protected by a prowling Paul Ince, who shrugged off constant jeering with a grizzly display.Mikael Silvestre and van Nistelrooy went into the book as United pushed for the equaliser, only to see theirÂpromising build-up blighted by some wretched final balls and brave Boro defending.Van Nistelrooy sent one of three towering headers ballooning over the top before Fergie threw on Scholes to shakehis side up, at the expense of Veron, whose parting shot was a wild 30-yarder that threatened the heads of anyUnited fans daring to stand up.But even Scholes could not spark United into life. Van Nistelrooy failed to finish off another Beckham centre, GaryNeville looped a header onto the top of the net and Ehiogu hacked clear on two occasions.The only time United did get a clear sight on goal they found Schwarzer determined to take a clean sheet away withhim, the giant Aussie racing off his line and making a brilliant block as van Nistelrooy controlled a Beckham ball inand rifled goalwards on the turn.Heads were in hands by now, but Boro refused to crumble. Southgate and Ehioug stood firm, Carbone was aÂintermittant menace and Robbie Mustoe joined Ince in manning the barracks and keeping any threat at bay.Even Boksic, at 32, ran until the end, finding an extra yard on the back of his ninth goal of the season. A goal that allbut expelled the threat of relegation from the Riverside, but one that could be even more important to events at theother end of the table.Man Utd: Barthez, Gary Neville, Johnsen, Blanc, Silvestre, Beckham, Butt, Veron (Scholes 58), Giggs, van Nistelrooy,ÂForlan (Fortune 82).ÂSubs Not Used: Carroll, Phil Neville, O'Shea.ÂBooked: Beckham, Veron, Silvestre, van Nistelrooy.ÂMiddlesbrough: Schwarzer, Stockdale, Ehiogu, Southgate, Queudrue, Greening (Wilkshire 21), Ince, Mustoe, Whelan,ÂBoksic (Windass 79), Carbone.ÂSubs Not Used: Crossley, Nemeth, Gavin.ÂBooked: Queudrue, Ince.ÂAtt: 67,683ÂRef: S Bennett (Kent) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8249/1/E-Bagaric-gets-with-the-BULLS-summer-program.html ÂBagaric gets with summer programÂhttp://www.suntimes.com/output/bulls/cst-spt-bullnt101.htmlÂMarch 10, 2002ÂÂBY ROMAN MODROWSKI STAFF REPORTERÂÂDalibor Bagaric has changed his summer plans after a heart-to-heart with operations chief Jerry Krause, who convinced the second-year center it would be in his best interests to participate in the Bulls' summer program.ÂÂBagaric had grown so disenfranchised with a lack of playing time, he vowed to stay in Croatia throughout the summer. But Bagaric has seen more playing time since Brad Miller was traded to the Indiana Pacers, and Krause made sure Bagaric understood the importance of remaining in Chicago.ÂÂ''Dali and I talked,'' Krause said. ''He's going to stay here. "He's going to go home to get married, then come back for the summer program, like everybody else. ''He's a nice young man who was frustrated. But we never have had any problems with Dali. He's a hard worker.'' Bagaric said he has adjusted his attitude after talking to Krause, who drafted him with the 24th pick in 2000. ''[Krause] told me what I have to do and what I'm supposed to do, and I will do it,'' Bagaric said. ''We had a good talk. ''And now I'm playing more, and it's a better situation. I will be here.''ÂÂBagaric is under contract through next season.ÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8254/1/H-Hrvatska-cetvrta-na-svijetu-u-kuglanju-na-ledu.html Dragi nas Caballero,Âu prilogu saljemo izvjestaj sa zavrsne svecanosti organizirane povodom uspjeha hrvatske reprezentacije na svjetskom prvenstvu u kuglanju na ledu. Puno pozdrava sa europske tromede u Baselu,Tvoji odani Zarko Dolinar i Edo KruslinHASK-Zagreb 1903Postfach 3464,ÂCH-4002 BaselBasel, 17.ozujka 2002Hrvatska reprezentacija cetvrta na svijetu!Veliki uspjeh nase muske i zenske reprezentacije na svijetskom prvenstvu u kuglanju na ledu (njemacki "Eisstock") odrzanom u svicarskom Frauenfeldu od 11-17.3.2002.ÂEvo jos jenog dokaza da sportski uspjesi nisu uvijek vezani za velike izdatke. Hrvatska zenska reprezentacja u sastavu Jasmina GASI, Ivana SIMUNEC, Bozena i Ivana BRKLJACIC, i muska reprezentacija u sastavu Karlo KODRNJA, Karlo CERCEK, Dean ZANOSKI, Jasmin HODZIC i Dominik MILIN je postigla od ukupno 19 prijavljenih nacija zavidno cetvrto mjesto. Ovaj puta su nasi reprezentativci dopustili da ih preteknu samo tri nacije, koje se medju nama receno ali ubrajaju u kolijevku ovog egzoticnog i u CH siroj publici nepoznatog sporta. Treba naglasiti da nasu reprezentacija zastupa mladi narastaj godista izmedju 1977-1984 sto pokazuje da je vecina tek na pocetku karijeree ove mlade i perspektivne grane hrvatskog sporta.Ovdje u CH se za smjestaj pobrinuo HRVATSKI KULTURNI CENTAR u Winterthuru. Posebno treba istaknuti spremnost i organizacioni talent dr. Pave Medveda, koji uz sve svoje dnevne obaveze nasao uvijek vremena da se barem telefonski raspita za stanje na tablici i vodio brigu o smjestaju i prehrani. Gospodina Ivana Lazica domara i njegova sina (smjestili su sve clanove reprezentacije kod sebe), Satjepana Boltizara, Branka Marica i Ljubomira Buncica pretsjednika centra koji su vrata, kuhinju i srce ovog doma sirom otvorili, a tesko je obicnim rijecima pohvale istaknuti i sve ostale clanice i clanove koji su nesebicno pomogli tijekom cijelog boravka nase reprezentacije.ÂU nedjelju 18.3.02 je u prostorijama centra organiziran zavrsna svecanost i oprostajni rucak na kojem je bio nazocan hrvatski generalni konzul iz Züricha gospodin Toni Glovacki sa suprugom, gospodin Vjekomir Markovic predsjednik NK Croatie iz Züricha i dr. Edo Kruslin pretsjednik HASK-a Zagreb 1903 iz Basela.Nazocne je prije nedeljnog objeda pozdravio u ime Udruzbe Hrvatskih Sportskih Klubova u CH dr. Edo Kruslin i obratio se nasim reprezentativcima sa rijecima: Mi koji zivimo u dijaspori, vec smo prije 30 godina sanjali dan klada ce mladi hrvatski narastaj braniti boje nase trobojnice. Danas ste Vi medju nama. Sretni smo da je san postao java. Ponosni smo na Vas, na hrvatsku reprezentaciju. Ponosni smo na Vas veliki uspjeh, jer to je i nas uspjeh. Posebno ga je obradovala vijest da su clanovi reprezentacije nedavno postali i novi clanovi velike HASK-ove obitelji u Zagrebu, cime je nas najstariji hrvatski sportski klub osnovan 1903 (splitski HAJDUK 1911) dobio jos jednu sportsku sekciju. U ime reprezentacije se je na gostoprimstvu i prijateljskoj paznji zahvalio gospodin Dominik MILIN:ÂPrisutnima se je obratio i generalni konzul Republike Hrvatske u CH gospodin Toni Glovacki koji je nase reprezentativce i tijekam svjetsdkog prvenstva i u borilackoj areni na ledu u Frauenfeldu pohodio i svojom nazocnoscu bodrio. Treba naglasiti da su clanovi reprezentacije jedno slobodno poslijepodne proveli kao pocasni gosti hrvatskog poslanstva u Zürichu.Na rastanku je dr. Kruslin zamolio nase mlade reprezentativce da u duhu HASK-a budu ambasadori hrvatske sportske kulture i da grade most razumjevanja i uvazavanja koji ce povezati ove i buduce mlade narastaja DIJASPORE i DOMOVINE.ÂU atmosferi slavlja i pokoje suze radosnice zaorila se uz pratnju harmonike nasih domacina hrvatskog kulturnog centra tradicionalna himna dijaspore i hrvatskoga mora i sunca "Marjane Marjane ca barjak ne vijes". - i to uz nas moto "kaj bus, to bum, ali "nista kontra Splita" - - pa onda neka netko kaze da mi Hrvati nismo uspjesni - prvi u skijanju, treci u nogometu i sada cetvrti na svijetu u kuglanju na ledu.sve Vas srdacno pozdravlja predsjednik HASK-a iz Basela Dr. Edo Kruslinclanovi upravnog odbora HASK-Zagreb 1903 iz BaselaEdo Kruslin (predsjednik) Prof. Zarko Dolinar (pocasni predsjednik)Robert Eggmann (tajnik i blagajnik) Dr. med. Katarina Hueter + postm (dopredsjednica)Safet Saracevic (streljacka sekcija) Prof. Vladimir Prelog + postm (pocasni clan)Tomislav Leko (odbojkaska sekcija)ÂNino Holub (kosarkaska sekcija)HASK-Zagreb 1903 Postfach 3464, CH-4002 Basel Fax 004161-69 22 774 Mobitel 079-356 7777e-mail: toxiba@datacomm.ch CRO portal u CH: www.croatia.ch/haskOp-edAko se pitate da li je to THE Zarko Dolinar, prvak svijeta u stolnom tenisu, persona grata u citavom svijetu?ÂOdgovor je DA.Ifyou ask yourself if this is THE Zarko Dolinar, table tennis champion of theworld, persona grata in the whole world? The answer is YES.Nenad letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8252/1/E-Croatia-is-4th-in-the-World-in-Curling-Ice-Bowling.html ÂOur dear Caballero, attached is a report from the concluding eventsÂorganized in honor of the success of Croatia's representation in the iceÂbowling world championship.ÂÂMany regards from the in European tri-border in BaselÂÂYours truly, Zarko Dolinar and Edo KruslinÂÂHASK - Zagreb 1903ÂPostfach 3464ÂCH-4002 BaselÂÂBasel, March 17, 2002ÂÂCroatians are 4th in the world!ÂÂThe great success of our men's and women's teams in the world championshipÂin ice bowling (German: Eisstock) held in the Swiss town of Frauenfeld fromÂMarch 11-17.ÂÂHere is one more example that success in sports is not always tied to greatÂexpenses. The Croatian women's team is comprised of: Jasmina GASI, IvanaÂSIMUNEC, Bozena i Ivana BRKLJACIC, while the men's team is made up of: KarloÂKODRNJA, Karlo CERCEK, Dean ZANOSKI, Jasmin HODZIC i Dominik MILIN, made anÂexcellent 4th place finish out of the 19 nations entered.ÂÂThis time our representatives allowed only three nations to surpass them,Âwho are known among us, but are counted in the infancy of this exotic sport,Âwhich is hardly known to the wider public even in Switzerland.ÂÂIt must be said that our team is comprised of a younger generation bornÂbetween 1977-1984, which shows that the majority of them are at the start ofÂtheir careers in this nascent and perspective branch of Croatian sports.ÂÂThe Croatian Cultural Center in Winterhur, Switzerland handled theÂaccommodations. The readiness and organizational talent of Dr. Pavo MedvedÂmust be especially noted, who along with his daily responsibilities alwaysÂfound time to at least call to find out the situation on the leader boardÂand handled the accommodations and food.ÂÂMr. Ivan Lazic, the headmaster and his son accommodated all of theÂrepresentatives by them, Stjepan Boltizar, Branko Maric, and LjubomirÂBuncic, the president of the center opened their doors, kitchen and heartsÂwide open, and it would be difficult to thank them and the rest of theÂmembers who unselfishly helped during the stay of our entire team with justÂordinary words.ÂÂOn Sunday March 17, a party and farewell luncheon was held in the Center,Âwith the Croatian Consul General from Zurich, Mr. Toni Glovacki with hisÂwife, Mr. Vjekomir Markovic the president of NK Croatia from Zurich and Dr.ÂEdo Kruslin, the president of HASK Zagreb 1903 in Basel in attendance.ÂÂBefore Sunday lunch, Dr. Edo Kruslin greeted everyone present in the name ofÂthe United Croatian Sports Clubs in Switzerland and stated to ourÂrepresentatives the following words:Â"Those of us who have lived in the Diaspora, began to dream of a time someÂ30 years ago a day when the younger Croatian generation would defend ourÂtricolor. Today you are among them. We are happy that the dream became aÂreality. We are proud of you, the Croatian representation. We are proud ofÂyour great success, because it is our success. "ÂÂIt especially pleased him that the members of the representation recentlyÂbecame members of the large HASK family in Zagreb, in which our oldestÂsoccer team was founded in 1903 (Hajduk in Split was founded in 1911)Âreceived one more athletic section. Mr. Dominik Milin thanked those presentÂin the name of the Croatian representation for their hospitality andÂfriendliness.ÂÂThe Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Switzerland, Mr. ToniÂGlovacki, who was present for the world cup at the Frauenfeld ice arena,Âspoke to those present.ÂÂIt must be said that the members of the team, spent one free afternoon asÂhonored guests of the Croatian consulate in Zurich. At the party's end, Dr.ÂKruslin asked our young representatives to in the spirit of HASK, to beÂambassadors of Croatia's sports culture and to build a bridge ofÂunderstanding and appreciation, which will tie this generation and futureÂones of the Diaspora and homeland.ÂÂIn an atmosphere of celebration and with occasional tears, the party endedÂwith an accompaniment of accordions by our hosts at the Croatian CulturalÂCenter, played the traditional hymn of both the Diaspora and the Croatia seaÂand sun "Marjane Marjane ca barjak ne vijes" along with our motto "Kaj bus,Âto bum" and "Nista Kontra Splita." So let somebody say that we Croats areÂnot successful, first in skiing, third in soccer, and now fourth in theÂworld for ice bowling.ÂÂMy sincere greetingsÂÂDr. Edo Kruslin, President of HASK BaselÂÂMembers of the executive board of HASK-Zagreb 1903, BaselÂÂEdo Kruslin (President)ÂProf. Zarko Dolinar (Honorary Vice President)ÂRobert Eggmann (Secretary and Treasurer)ÂSafet Saracevic (Shooting Section)ÂTomislav Leko (Volleyball Section)ÂNino Holub (Basketball Section)ÂÂmed. Katarina Hueter, deceased (Vice President)ÂProf. Vladimir Prelog, deceased (Honorary Member)ÂÂHASK-Zagreb 1903ÂPostfach 3464ÂCH-4002 BaselÂÂFax: 004161-69 22 774ÂMobile: 079-356 7777ÂE-mail: toxiba@datacomm.chÂCRO portal in Switzerland: www.croatia.ch/haskÂÂOp-Ed:ÂÂIf anyone is wondering if that is Zarko Dolinar, the world champion in table tennis,Âpersona grata in the whole world?ÂÂThe answer is YES!ÂÂNenadÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8255/1/E-Winner-of-the-mens-and-the-womens-slalom-World-Cup-2002.html ÂWinner of the men's and the women's slalom World Cup Ivica Kostelic from Croatia and Laure Pequegnot from France, from left, joke during the World Cup ceremony on Sunday, March 10, 2002 in Flachau, Austria. (AP Photo/Rudi Blaha) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 20 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8253/1/H-Nogometno-Prvenstvo-Svijeta-2002-na-HTVu.html ÂUTAKMICE HRVATSKE REPREZENTACIJEÂÂTijekom svibnja ce se, u vecernjim terminima, na Hrvatskoj televiziji svakodnevno reprizirati antologijske utakmice hrvatske reprezentacije i hrvatskih klubova, i to po petnaest reprezentacijskih i petnaest klupskih utakmica. Koje cete susrete ponovno, ili možda prvi put, pogledati, odlucite sami. Zasad vam nudimo popis utakmica hrvatske reprezentacije za koje možete glasovati. Naravno, emitirat ce se susreti s najviše glasova.ÂÂUskoro cemo vam ponuditi i popis s utakmicama naših klubova. Zasad samo najavljujemo za koje cete susrete moci dati svoj glas: Croatia - Newcastle, Croatia - Celtic, Hajduk - Dudelange, Osijek - Anderlecht, Varteks - Heerenveen, Croatia - Partizan, Hajduk - Malmo.ÂÂÂÂSUDJELUJTE U LUDILU SVJETSKOGA NOGOMETNOG PRVENSTVA !ÂÂU sklopu Projekta Svjetskoga nogometnog prvenstva Hrvatske radiotelevizije, uz prijenose utakmica iz Južne Koreje i Japana, osmišljen je i poseban program s nogometnom tematikom pod radnim nazivom Nogometna televizija. Dio programa radit ce ekipa emisije Svlacionica koja planira snimiti i priloge s hrvatskim navijacima, pa molimo Vaš doprinos i tražimo:ÂÂ- najdirljiviju navijacku pricuÂ- najnavijaca s najviše gostovanjaÂ- najnapetiji, najcudniji i bilo kakav drugi najdolazak na tekmuÂ- najstarijeg, najdebljeg, najmršavijeg, najljepšeg navijaca, s dokazima, naravnoÂ- najvecu žrtvu i samoodricanje podneseno za hrvatsku reprezentacijuÂ- najbolji navijacki sloganÂ- navijacke i nogometne viceveÂ- najvecega kolekcionara šalova, dresova. i ostalih nogometnih rekvizitaÂ- i sva ostala nogometno-navijacka cuda koja Vam padnu na pamet.ÂÂSvoje ideje, radove, slike i viceve šaljite e-mailom ili poštom na adresu: Projekt Svjetskoga nogometnog prvenstva, Prisavlje 3, Zagreb. Najoriginalnije ideje i radove objavit cemo na svojim stranicama, a najbolje medu njima i snimiti. Stoga Vas molimo da obvezno u e-mailu ili pismu napišete svoje puno ime i prezime, adresu i broj telefona.ÂÂSVJETSKO PRVENSTVO NA HTV-uÂÂHTV je službeni partner HBS-a (Host Broadcast Services) - TV domacina Svjetskog prvenstva i službeni ekskluzivni prenositelj svih utakmica FIFA World Cup 2002. Korea/Japan za Hrvatsku.ÂÂOsim HTV-a, nijedna druga televizija na podrucju Hrvatske nece moci koristiti nijednu sekundu slike s utakmica Svjetskog prvenstva 2002. Veliko je zadovoljstvo što smo usprkos iznimno velikom povecanju cijena za otkup TV prava uspjeli osigurati gledateljima HTV-a pracenje najveceg medijskog dogadaja u 2002. godini.ÂÂPrema svim dosadašnjim pokazateljima, svjetska su nogometna prvenstva najgledaniji TV prijenosi, a finalne utakmice najgledaniji pojedinacni dogadaj. Ocekuje se da ce oko 40 milijardi ljudi gledati utakmice Svjetskog prvenstva 2002.ÂÂU pravilu utakmice u Koreji i Japanu pocinju u 15.30 (po našem vremenu u 8.30), u 18.00 (po našem vremenu u 11.00) i 20.30 (po našem vremenu u 13.30). Od 64 utakmice HTV ce prenositi 56 susreta u izravnim prijenosima, a osam meceva koji se igraju istodobno s drugim utakmicama bit ce prikazano u snimkama neposredno nakon što završe.ÂÂBuduci da mnogi ljudi zbog posla nece moci pratiti izravne prijenose utakmica, HTV priprema središnju vecernju emisiju s pocetkom u 20 sati posvecenu Svjetskom nogometnom prvenstvu. Pod nazivom "Nogometna TV", ta ce emisija trajati, ovisno o broju utakmica tog dana, tri do pet sati. Osnovna je namjera da taj program bude sportsko-zabavnog karaktera kako bi bio zanimljiv najširoj publici. U njemu ce, naravno, biti obradene sve utakmice dana (u sažetim snimkama ) uz analizu uglednih nogometnih strucnjaka, ali i uz sudjelovanje brojnih gostiju koji vole nogomet (glumaca, glazbenika, slikara, pisaca itd). U sklopu emisije bit ce i kviz, nagradne igre za gledatelje, stalna rubrika "Oko sokolovo", svakodnevni ekskluzivni prilozi HTV-ovih ekipa iz Koreje i Japana te niz aktualnosti.ÂÂZa poseban dio vecernjeg programa bit ce zadužen Robert Knjaz i njegov tim u seriji mini reportaža vezanih uz nogomet i Svjetsko prvenstvo ("škola nogometa", turnir poznatih licnosti "1na1", nogometne antireklame, kolekcionari, žene o nogometu, izbor najzgodnijeg nogometaša i slicno) - o cemu možete djelomicno i vi glasati na našim stranicama.ÂÂU ožujku, travnju i lipnju emitirat cemo 11 epizoda serije o povijesti svjetskih prvenstava, a u cetvrtak, 7. 3., pocelo je emitiranje "Povijesti nogometa". Upoznat cemo gledatelje s gradovima domacinima, o putu reprezentacija do Koreje i Japana, te prikazati sve momcadi koje budu sudjelovale u završnici Svjetskog prvenstva.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 20 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8256/1/E-Toni-Kukoc.html Phoenix Suns' Joe Johnson (2) fouls Atlanta Hawks' Toni Kukoc (7) of Croatia, in the first quarter,ÂFriday, March 15, 2002, at Philips Arena in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 19 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8257/1/E-Dalmatians-defy-odds-to-reach-Games.html ÂOlympics-Bobsleigh-Dogged Dalmatians defy odds to reach GamesÂÂif NewsÂBy Zoran RadosavljevicÂREUTERSÂFeb 8 2002 3:32AMÂÂSPLIT, Croatia, Feb 8 (Reuters) - What do you get when you take a 40-year-old former motorcycle champion with an adrenaline buzz and add two track runners and a rower, all from a Mediterranean city where it rarely snows?ÂAnswer: The Croatian four-man bobsleigh team which has qualified against all odds for the Winter Olympics despite a lack of funds, training and experience.Â"At first, everyone thought we were crazy," the team's pilot and oldest member Ivan Sola told Reuters in an interview after improvised training.Â"But Split is a town where it snows every five years and then for about seven minutes. So everyone laughed at the idea of a bobsleigh team. But now we are having the last laugh, we are going to the Olympics," Sola said.ÂThe four practise regularly at the soccer stadium owned by local club Hajduk Split.ÂThe drill is invariably the same: they push a clinking, red, metal construction mounted on wheels, jump in and ride about 20 metres to the end of the race track beside the pitch.ÂSola admits it is nowhere near the real thing.Â"You pass the finish line all bruised up and breathless but with a big adrenaline rush, after speeding down the track at up to 150 kph," he said.ÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8260/1/E-European-THROWING-Competition-in-CROATIA.html ÂEUROPEAN THROWING COMPETITION - CROATIAÂSecond European Athletic Winter Throwing Competitions Pula, Croatia, 9-10 MarchÂÂRecently married Shelley Newman gave a new meaning to the cliche "something borrowed" before winning the supporting discus competition in the European Throwing Competition in Croatia.ÂÂNewman's kit - and the rest of her luggage - failed to materialise so the former Shelley Drew, who last month wed fellow international thrower Lee Newman, quickly borrowed the necessary accoutrement from team officials and fellow athletes.ÂÂTeam leader John Trower said: "She borrowed bits from pretty well everybody. She had my sweat-top, Zoe Derham's throwing shoes, and a few items from Ian Cole, our physio."ÂÂIt proved a winning combination as Newman of Belgrave Harriers won her 'B' competition with a throw of 56.80 metres after fouling her first two efforts. Overall when taking into consideration the 'A' group results she was placed seventh overall.ÂÂPhilippa Roles finished fourth and 15th overall with a best effort of 53.90 metres.ÂÂBritish record holder Lorraine Shaw placed third in the hammer competition. The Sale Harrier threw 64.81 metres - 28 centimetres better than she achieved in her first competition of the year in South Africa nine days earlier.ÂÂDerham swept dramatically from ninth in Group B to third with a final effort of 59.20 metres - a metre-and-a-half of short the personal best the Birchfield Harrier set last summer.ÂÂJoanne Duncan of Woodford Green finished fourth in the 'B' shot with a best effort of 15.62 metres. In the men's discus her clubmate Emeka Udechuku placed third throwing 58.64 metres.ÂÂFormer world junior javelin champion David Parker placed 10th in the 'A' javelin competition. The Shaftesbury Harrier threw 67.48 metres in the first round.ÂÂResultsÂÂSecond European Athletic Winter Throwing CompetitionsÂPula, Croatia, 9-10 MarchÂÂMenÂShot PutÂGroup AÂÂM Martinez (Spain) 29.92 (Champ rec); 2, L Sliwa (Pol) 19.78; 3, M Haborak (Svk) 19.66; 4, R Virastyuk (Ukr) 19.29; 5, P Dal Soglio (Ita) 19.28; 6, A Dittmar (Ger) 19.26; 7, M Dodoni (Ita) 19.08; 8eq, J Haukijarvi (Fin)/D Bock (Ger) 19.03; 10, J IUllikainen (Fin) 18.93; 11, A Salnikov (Rus) 18.86; 12, P Pankuch (Svk) 18.61; 13, Y Niare (Fra) 18.37.ÂÂGroup BÂR Smith (Ned) 19.85; 2, Y Parkhomenko (Ukr) 19.37; 3, I Yushkov (Rus) 18.36; 4, G Bucki (Fra) 18.00; 5, M Vodovnik (Slo) 17.99; 6, E Elkasevic (Cro) 17.88; 7, A Lora (Spain) 17.65; 8, F Yaziki (Tur) 16.27; 9, E Kacevic (Bih) 15.91; 10, T Ugljar (Cro) 15.10; E Vreumingen (Ned) no mark. 86 NAJDOV Vasko 83 MKD dnsÂÂDiscus ThrowÂGroup AÂD Martinez (Spain) 63.09 (Champ rec); 2, A Borichevskiy (Rus) 61.72; 3, G Kanter (Est) 61.56; 4, M Pestano (Spain) 61.52; 5, I Primc (Slo) 60.75; 6, I Oprea (Rom) 60.55; 7, M Lischka (Ger) 60.52; 8, A Krawczyk (Pol) 60.37; 9, T Tompuri (Fin) 60.24; 10, I Kostin (Rus) 59.36; 11, D Fortuna (Ita) 59.24; 12, O Stanski (Pol) 59.09; 13, J Helppikangas (Fin) 57.88; 14, J Retel (Fra) 57.08; 15, M Conjungo (Fra) 56.47.ÂÂGroup BÂR Smith (Ned) 61.68; 2, S Lomater (Ita) 61.68; 3, E Udechuku (GB) 58.64; 4, K Chuprynin (Ukr) 57.95; 5, P Bernardo (Por) 57.33; 6, H Seitz (Ger) 56.75; 7, D Prskalo (Cro) 56.33; 8, E Oigundemiz (Tur) 56.24; 9, E Elkasevic (Cro) 55.00; 10, G Mayer (Aut) 54.78; 11, L Bernhult (Swe) 53.93; 12, O Semenov (Ukr) 53.15; 13, M Maric (Cro) 47.93.ÂÂHammer ThrowÂGroup AÂA Zagornyi (Rus) 82.27 (Champ rec); 2, A Papadimitriou (Gre) 79.67; 3, M Konopka (Svk) 78.58; 4, N Figere (Fra) 77.68; 5, N Vizzoni (Ita) 77.14; 6, O-P Karjalainen (Fin) 76.82; 7, V Khersontsev (Rus) 76.07; 8, H Klose (Ger) 75.84; 9, V Costa (Por) 74.04; 10, S Dazio (Sui) 73.57; 11, P Suter (Sui) 71.03; 12, V Graboviy (Ukr) 70.35; 13, B Johansson (Swe) 67.24.ÂÂGroup BÂM Campeny (Spain) 72.52; 2, P Kozmus (Slo) 71.48; 3, E Apak (Tur) 71.12; 4, G Dupray (Fra) 70.49; 5, B Boruschewski (Ger) 70.07; 6, D Soderberg (Fin) 69.96; 7, I Tugay (Ukr) 68.76; 8, M Felice (Ita) 67.84; 9, C Sorescu (Rom) 67.41; 10, R Gram (Ned) 64.62; 11, F Van Den Dool (Ned) 59.97; 12, M Tesija (Cro) 53.74; 13, M Maric (Cro) 31.07.ÂÂJavelinÂGroup AÂA Ivanov (Rus) 81.71; 2, S Wenk (Ger) 78.46; 3, M Bokor (Svk) 76.91; 4, V Bavikin (Isr) 76.49; 5, H Hakkarainen (Fin) 75.30; 6, B Lan ge (Ger) 74.98; 7, A Baranovskiy (Rus) 74.06; 8, G Hogler (Aut) 73.07; 9, D Ragnvaldsson (Swe) 70.63; 10, D Parker (GB) 67.48; 11, A Desiderio (Ita) 65.92.ÂÂGroup BÂP Piiparien (Fin) 75.30; 2, F Pignata (Ita) 72.89; 3, O Statsenko (Ukr) 72.32; 4, S Muller (Sui) 69.39; 5, G Siakinu-Schmitt (Fra) 69.04; 6, V Mishchuk (Ukr) 67.63; 7, S Grosek (Slo) 67.05; 8, E Ponos (Cro) 66.71; 9, G Giulianelli (Ita) 65.17; 10, G Vukovic (Cro) 57.25.ÂÂWomenÂÂShotÂGroup AÂA Pavlysh (Ukr) 20.03 (Champ rec); 2, A Legnante (Ita) 18.15; 3, I Khudorozhkina (Rus) 17.88l 4, L Sechko (Rus) 17.87; 5, M De La Puente (Spain) 16.94; 6, N Beckel (Ger) 16.89; 7, N Lisovskaya (Fra) 16.53; 8, O Zakharchuk (Ukr) 14.50.ÂÂGroup BÂC Checchi (Ita) 17.20; 2, K Kluge (Ger) 16.52; 3, A Matejkova (Spain) 16.06; 4, J Duncan (GB) 15.62; 5, M Crnigoj (Slo) 15.55; 6, I Berthoud (Fra) 14.94; 7, I Barsic (Cro) 13.80; 8, M Kurtovic (Cro) 121.35.ÂÂDiscusÂGroup AÂV Ivanova (Rus) 60.28; 2, V Boyko (Ukr) 60.07; 3, M Ampleeva (Rus) 59.29; 4, O Antonova (Ukr) 59.24; 5, M Robert-Michon (Fra) 57.87; 6, F Dietzsch (Ger) 57.46; 7, A Maffeis (Ita) 56.30; 8, T Machado (Por) 56.06; 9, K Schreiber (Ger) 55.92w; 10, M Wysocka (Pol) 55.87; 11, A Matejkova (Spain) 55.23.ÂÂGroup BÂS Newman (GB) 56.80; 2, I Brindusoiu (Rom) 55.97; 3, A Perrin (Fra) 55.64; 4, P Roles (GB) 53.90; 5, V Begic (Cro) 53.83; 6, M Kurtovic (Cro) 51.74; 7, A Larsson (Swe) 51.02; 8, G Baratella (Ita) 50.26; 9, J Jelicic (Cro) 41.48. JavelinÂÂHammerÂGroup AÂS Keil (Ger) 66.54; 2, V Silva (Por) 65.46; 3, L Shaw (GB) 64.81; 4, C Clareti (Ita) 63.93; 5, I Brkljacic (Cro) 63.08; 6, E Tsamoglou (Gre) 62.85; 7, E Balassini (Ita) 62.74; 8, I Sekachova (Ukr) 61.28; 9, M Danisova (Svk) 60.87; 10, Y Tauryanina (Rus) 60.15; 11, M Razanova (Ukr) 59.09; 12, C Nilsson (Swe) 58.34.ÂÂGroup BÂD Pedrares (Spain) 61.85; 2, A Bunjes (Ger) 60.29; 3, Z Derham (GB) 59.20; 4, W Koolhaas (Ned) 58.77; 5, Y Kiseleya (Rus) 58.71; 6, S Alves (Por) 58.68; 7, S Falzon (Fra) 58.63; 8, S Gavrilovic (Cro) 57.89; 9, A Perrin (Fra) 57.25; 10, A Cabre (Spain) 56.96; 11, Z Yildiz (Tur) 56.79; 12, D Van Der Schilt (Ned) 56.45; 13, V Srsa (Cro) 55.45.ÂÂJavelinÂGroup AÂC Coslovich (Ita) 63.27; 2, V Zabruskova (Rus) 62.69; 3, D Friedrich (Ger) 59.02; 4, T Lyakhovych (Ukr) 57.75; 5, S Walter (Fra) 56.91; 6, Y Ivakina (Rus) 55.17; 7, M Chilla (Spain) 54.89; 8, N Auzeil (Fra) 51.30; 9, T Damaske (Ger) 48.75.ÂÂGroup BÂL Gamanyuk (Ukr) 55.10; 2, E Martin (Ita) 53.68; 3, S Cruz (Por) 51.74; 4, K Van Haperen (Ned) 50.99; 5, M Post (Ned) 46.40; 6, I Savic (Swe) 46.39; 7, A Pavlic (Cro) 43.49; 8, R Kozjak (Cro) 42.15.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 11 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8259/1/E-European-Spirit-of-Cricket-Weekend-in-Croatia.html ÂEDO visits Croatia & Slovenia8 March 2002Âhttp://www-uk.cricket.org/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/CURRENT/110076_ECC_08MAR2002.htmlÂÂThe EDO travelled to Zagreb on 23/24 February to conduct Croatia's first coaching course. The course was pitched at introductory level and eight people attended over the weekend. The course ran smoothly and all the participants showed some reasonable knowledge and worked hard over the two-day period.ÂÂThe course itself was staged at the University in one of the many adequate sports halls. Croatia have been given their own ground on the same campus. The EDO inspected the area and recommendations were made and support granted in preparation for the start of the season and for the MCC Tour due to take place this summer.ÂÂThe EDO then travelled on to Slovenia to meet with Ljubljana CC's Alasdair Green. On the Monday morning a meeting was held with the local schools' programme manager to discuss exciting plans to introduce cricket into twelve local schools.ÂÂThis would be a tremendous breakthrough. The EDO also inspected the ground and pitch and, once again, support will be provided to improve the various facilities in preparation for the MCC tour. The trip was extremely worthwhile and it was extremely encouraging to see the good work that is taking place in this part of Europe.ÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 11 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8258/1/E-Croatia-and-government-bask-in-Janicas-victory.html Âhttp://www.tol.cz/look/BRR/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=9&NrIssue=1&NrSection=7&NrArticle=3782ÂÂCroatia's citizens as well as the government bask in Janica Kostelic's triumph at Winter Olympics.ÂÂby Lovorka KozoleÂÂZAGREB, Croatia--Croatia has few top international athletes and even fewer Olympic medals. In particular, the country has had almost no success in winter sports. But all that changed dramatically with the feats of one 20-year-old woman from Croatia's capital of Zagreb. Janica Kostelic--winner of four Olympic medals in the Salt Lake City Games and last year's overall and slalom World Cup titles--is now taking Croatia and the sporting world by storm.ÂÂLast year's triumph had already elevated her to the status of a national sporting hero, but Kostelic always maintained that she had considered winning an Olympic medal the ultimate challenge. It's possible that she got that particular affinity from her father, Ante, who is a former international handball player and a coach. He turned to skiing later in life and has been coaching Janica and her brother Ivica since their childhood.ÂÂBut even her father probably never expected that Janica would make her Salt Lake experience one for the record books. Kostelic won three gold and one silver medal--golds in the slalom, combined event, and giant slalom and a silver medal in super giant slalom.ÂÂHer wins are all the more surprising in light of her March 2001 skiing accident. Kostelic was seriously injured when she tore four ligaments in her right knee in a world alpine skiing championships crash. The injuries kept her off the World Cup tour until late December. To compound matters, Kostelic required emergency treatment for back pain just before going to Salt Lake City. The condition forced Kostelic to withdraw from training in Austria to undergo physical therapy. Going off to Salt Lake City, she said: "I'll be ready for anything. If I don't win this time, I have another chance in four years in Turin."ÂÂBut the strong-willed and rather modest woman made headlines in Salt Lake City anyway, becoming the "Croatian Sensation"--as the media often described her--making history as the first alpine skier to win four Olympic medals in a single Winter Olympic Games. "I'm happy, but records are made to be broken. Someone else will break my record soon," Kostelic said.ÂÂThe four medals put Kostelic in very elite company. The only other skiers ever to win three gold medals at a single Olympics are Austria's Toni Sailer, in 1956, and France's Jean-Claude Killy, in 1968.ÂÂKostelic's win in the giant slalom race was particularly impressive. She was not considered a front-runner, ranking only 30th in giant slalom on the World Cup circuit. She had never finished higher than fourth in a World Cup giant slalom race.ÂÂ"She proved that mentally she's the strongest--she's incredible. She can really ski with the pressure on her," Swedish skier Anja Paerson said about Kostelic.ÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 11 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8261/1/EH-Kostelic-Wins-Womens-Slalom-AGAIN.html ÂÂFLACHAU, Austria (AP) - Triple Olympic gold medalist Janica Kostelic of Croatia won the final women's World Cup slalom Sunday to finish the season in style.ÂÂÂÂÂFrance's Laure Pequegnot came in fifth to hold onto the lead in the season's slalom standings.American Kristina Koznick, the only racer challenging Pequegnot for the season title, finished 13th in the final and finished second in the season standings.ÂÂOn Saturday, Janica's brother Ivica took the men's giant slalom title to wrap up a perfect weekend for the family.ÂÂJanica Kostelic, who was fifth after the first run, had a combined time of 1 minute, 54.66.ÂÂ"I just wanted to end the season well and to show everyone I could win in World Cup races as well as at the Olympics," she said.ÂÂFew people doubt her ability to win races. She dominated last season but missed World Cup races earlier this season while recovering from injury.ÂÂHer spectacular performance at the Salt Lake Winter Olympics (news - web sites), where she took three golds and a silver, launched her back into the limelight and served as a confidence booster going into the final race.ÂÂKostelic raced with a glove protecting a thumb sprained in a spill in Thursday's Super G.ÂÂAnja Paerson of Sweden was second in the final race, finishing with a combined time of 1:55.23, and Ylva Nowen of Sweden was third in 1:55.38.ÂÂKoznick said this had been "an awesome season" for her.ÂÂ"I've been faster than everyone else this season and everyone knows that," she said. "I just have to be able to put it together on race day."ÂÂPequegnot rounded up the season with 597 points, 79 ahead of Koznick.ÂÂPaerson finished third in the final standings with four wins and a second place to her credit and a spectacular record of either finishing on the podium or not at all.ÂÂÂJanica prva u slalomu u Flachau, AustriaÂÂÂNAŠA NAJBOLJA SKIJAŠICA U POSLJEDNJEM SLALOMU SVJETSKOG KUPA OSVOJILA PRVO MJESTOÂJanica sezonu zakljucila pobjedom!Â* Kakav je to samo završetak sezone, Ivica je u subotu osvojio slalomski Kristalni globus, a Janica je jucer došla do prve ovosezonske pobjede u Svjetskom kupuÂÂÂÂÂU Flachauu je protekli vikend najcešce izgovarano prezime Kostelic. Da bi bilo tako jucer se potrudila Janica Kostelic koja je sjajno odvozila slalomsku utrku i pobijedila. I to u trenucima kad je imala problema s bolnim palcem. Nju kao da stvarno nešto treba boljeti, jer cim je tako uvijek pobjeduje. Jucer je bila odlicna u posljednjoj slalomskoj utrci sezone. U prvoj je vožnji bila peta, na stazi koju je postavio njezin otac Ante.ÂÂÂÂÂ- Nekoliko sam puta udarila tom rukom u štapove. Na pocetku prve vožnje nisam htjela udarati po štapovima, ali kasnije, u drugoj, nisam o tome razmišljala. No u toj prvoj vožnji nisam, kako mi skijaši to kažemo, pustila skiju do kraja, možda sam mogla i bolje - kazala je Janica.ÂBode Miller Janicu tražio autogramÂÂÂÂÂIako je start muškog veleslaloma bio odmah nakon slaloma skijašica, Amerikanac Bode Miller dugo je stajao uz ogradu ciljne ravnine i gledao skijašice. Ostao je sve dok se nije spustila Janica u toj prvoj vožnji, a tek onda otišao je na start i cekao pocetak svoje utrke.ÂÂÂÂÂIzgleda da je Bode veliki navijac naše skijašice. Naime, pri dodjeli Kristalnog globusa Ivici Kostelicu, simpaticni je Amerikanac od Janice tražio autogram. I potpisala mu se - na akreditaciju.ÂÂÂÂÂA onda je došla ta druga vožnja, neuhvatljiva za ostale suparnice.ÂÂÂÂÂ- Tata mi je prije te vožnje rekao: Ovo ti je zadnja tekma i sad idi do kraja.ÂÂÂÂÂOcito, Janica ga je poslušala. Vozila je briljantno i s petog mjesta došla do prvog. U odnosu na najbržu iz prve vožnje, Christelle Pascal-Saioni, Janica je zaostajala 72 stotinke sekunde. No u drugoj vožnji ostavila ju je daleko iza sebe, kao i drugoplasiranu Laure PTequegnot (koja je osvojila slalpmski Kristalni globus). Ni Anja Pärson s vrlo dobrom drugom vožnjom, nije Janici mogla doci blizu. Doskijala je "samo" do drugog mjesta, zaostavši za Janicom 57 stotinki sekunde.ÂÂÂÂÂ- A kaj da velim? Nemre biti bolje. U subotu je Ivica pobijedio i osvojio mali Kristalni globus, danas sam ja pobijedila.ÂÂÂÂÂGledajuci prošlu i ovu sezonu, Janica i Ivica postigli su u Flachauu cetiri pobjede. Kao da su na domacoj stazi. Takvom domacem ugodaju pridonijeli su i brojni hrvatski navijaci.ÂÂÂÂÂ- Još smo bolji u Aspenu. Nema baš puno istih muških i ženskih staza, ali uzet cemo sve nas dvoje - zakljucila je Janica, koja nije najbolje spavala noc prije utrke zbog bucnog vatrometa nedaleko od hotela naše reprezentacije. No, bit ce vremena za odmor, slijedi Otvoreno prvenstvo Hrvatske u Innerkremsu.ÂÂÂÂÂ- To je opuštajuce. Nika Fleiss je aktualna prvakinja, bit ce i ona tamo, pa naša mala Ana Jelušic, a ne znam tko ce još od ostalih doci.ÂÂÂÂÂ- Mogli biste voziti kao Furuseth, bez rukava.ÂÂÂÂÂ- Ne bih, nemam ništa ispod kombinezona - veselo je govorila Janica Kostelic nakon svoje prve ovosezonske pobjede u Svjetskom kupu, ukupno 13.ÂÂÂÂÂZavršnicu Svjetskog kupa nismo mogli ni zamisliti tako lijepom kakvom su nam je priuštili Janica i Ivica Kostelic.ÂÂRezultatiÂÂÂÂÂRezultati slaloma skijašica u Flachauu: 1. JANICA KOSTELIC (HRVATSKA) 1:54.66, 2. Anja Pärson (Švedska) 1:55.23, 3. Yilda Nowen (Švedska) 1:55.38...ÂÂÂÂÂKonacni poredakÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8262/1/E-Ivica-Kostelic-World-Cup-Champion.html ÂÂAlpine Skiing: Nef and Kostelic Win World CupsÂBy Julia FergusonÂÂFLACHAU, Austria (Reuters) - Croat Ivica Kostelic kept it in the family on Saturday by donning the men's World Cup slalom crown a year after his younger sister, triple Olympic champion Janica, won the women's title.ÂÂÂÂÂEgged on by thousands of raucous Croatian fans, the 22-year-old Ivica held his nerve to beat rival Bode Miller in the final slalom of the 2002 Alpine ski World Cup season and so deny the American the cup.ÂÂIn the women's final giant slalom, Swiss Sonja Nef plowed through the slushy snow on the sun-drenched Griessenkar course to capture the title in the technical discipline for the second year in a row.ÂÂThe men's race was a nail-bitingly close spectacle and a fitting end to an exciting season where Kostelic and Miller have battled each other to the very end.ÂÂMiller summed it up best.ÂÂ"It was one of the best seasons I've ever seen and I just wish I could have watched some of the races rather than compete in them," the American said.ÂÂ"We work well together, we push each other," he said of Kostelic. "He's the perfect rival...and one of the toughest competitors I've ever seen."ÂÂMiller, lying eighth after a mistake in the first leg, produced a storming second run to put the pressure on Kostelic.ÂÂThe Croat, skiing last after setting the fastest time in the opening leg, left the starting hut knowing he had to finish first or second to beat Miller to the cup.ÂÂHis two-leg time of one minute 37.92 seconds put him 0.23 seconds ahead of the American. Olympic champion Jean-Pierre Vidal of France was third in 1:39.00.ÂÂKostelic, who became Croatia's first men's champion in the World Cup, said the atmosphere before his last run into the finish area of this Salzburg resort was electrifying.ÂÂ"Standing at the start hut and knowing Bode's leading by almost a second, a huge audience cheering for me -- and I felt that this is the peak of every sport.ÂÂ"I knew Bode would risk much more in the second run so I also risked a lot," added Kostelic after dropping to his knees, crossing himself and kissing the snow in the finish area.ÂÂHis sister Janica cried tears of joy.ÂÂIt was a fitting end to Ivica's season after disappointment at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics (news - web sites) last month. For the first time since 1997, he got through the winter without injury.ÂÂOrganizers said there were some 15,000 spectators in Flachau and, judging by the sea of red-and-white checked Croatian flags, a third appeared to be Kostelic fans.ÂÂSWISS WINS BATTLEÂÂNef's victory under cloudless skies and unusually warm temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius held off the challenge of Austrian Michaela Dorfmeister for the giant slalom cup.ÂÂThe Swiss, who is also reigning world champion in giant slalom and won a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics, admitted she was so determined to win the title that she woke up with a stomach ache from nervous tension.ÂÂDorfmeister, already overall World Cup champion, was only 20 points behind Nef at the start of the day but could do no better than sixth in the race. She finished with 494 giant slalom points to Nef's 574.ÂÂ"Dorfmeister has had such a great end to the season so I knew she'd risk everything," the Swiss added in reference to the Austrian's back-to-back wins in the downhill and super-G earlier this week.ÂÂSwede Anna Ottosson had her best result of the season with second place, 0.84 seconds behind Nef's two-leg time of two minutes 42.96 seconds. Finn Tanja Poutiainen was third in 2:44.49.ÂÂOlympic champion Janica Kostelic, skiing despite injuring her thumb in a fall during Thursday's super-G, failed to make it double billing for the Croatian siblings atop the podium.ÂÂShe finished joint eighth, just behind Sweden's Anja Paerson, the silver medallist from Salt Lake City.ÂÂNef said she was disappointed with her performance at the Winter Games, which she left with only one bronze medal.ÂÂ"And I had actually thought that more World Cup wins would come out of this season than the three," the winner of seven races last winter said.ÂÂ"I'm so happy to be holding this cup in my hands -- I haven't had as good a season this year as last so this title means even more to me," Nef added.ÂÂThe last two titles of 2002 will be decided on Sunday. Frenchwoman Laure Pequegnot and American Kristina Koznick will duel for the women's slalom crown while the men's giant slalom will be a battle between five men, including Austrian Stephan Eberharter who has already secured the overall, downhill and super-G cups.ÂÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 09 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8264/1/H-Tamara-Boros-europska-pobjednica.html ÂÂTamara Boros European champion in table tennis.ÂÂSurbek, Stipancic, Boros»I mene je iznenadio medijski odjek moje pobjede u Rotterdamu. Nazvao me je nakon finalnog dvoboja èak i premijer Ivica Raèan« / »Protiv Olge Nemes sam u èetvrtfinalu odigrala èudesan meè u kojem sam pogaðala i neke sasvim nemoguæe poene«, ka¾e Tamara Boro¹, nakon Dragutina ©urbeka i Antona Stipancica, prva hrvatska pobjednica europskog TOP 12ÂZAGREB, 12. veljaèe - Strahovanja da bi stolnoteniski TOP 12 u Rotterdamu mogao ostati u debeloj sjeni Zimskih olimpijskih igra i teniskog Davisovog kupa, pomalo su se iznenaðujuæe pokazala potpuno proma¹enima. Barem kada je rijeè o Tamari Boro¹ i njezinom impresivnom nastupu na turniru 12 najboljih europskih stolnotenisaèica. Tako je to kad se pobjeðuje...Â- I mene je to, priznajem, malo iznenadilo. Nazvao me je nakon finalnog meèa èak i premijer Ivica Raèan, pa mu se jo¹ jednom na tome zahvaljujem. Termin odigravanja TOP-a 12 pomaknut je za tjedan dana zbog kraljevskog vjenèanja u Nizozemskoj, pa se zato preklapao s drugim sportskim dogaðajima. Drugog termina jednostavno vi¹e nije bilo, pojasnila je Tamara Boro¹.• Finalni meè smo, sreæom, gledali u izravnom TV-prijenosu i tamo uz Tamaru Boro¹ neoèekivano vidjeli nekada¹nju europsku prvakinju, Nicole Struse.Â- Struse je igrala lo¹e i jedva pro¹la kvalifikacije. U èetvrtfinalu je imala sreæu sa ¾drijebom, a u polufinalu je, pak, sve iznenadila pobjedom protiv luksembur¹ke Kineskinje, Nie Xie Lian. Meni je Struse pomalo nezgodna, pa se zato na trenutke èinilo da igra dobro, iako to nije bilo ni¹ta posebno.• Mnogo je te¾e bilo u polufinalu s odliènom defanzivkom Viktorijom Pavloviè.Â- Bio mi je to najte¾i meè na turniru. No, ovaj sam put bila vrlo strpljiva i bez ¾urbe sam gradila svaki poen. Samo se tako mo¾e igrati protiv nje. U posljednje vrijeme imam sparing-partnera za igru protiv »lovaca«, pa je i to pomoglo. Viktorija je, inaèe, stra¹no napredovala i bit æe uskoro opasna suparnica svima. Najbolje sam, meðutim, odigrala u èetvrtfinalu protiv Olge Nemes. Bio je to èudesan meè u kojem sam pogaðala i neke sasvim »nemoguæe« poene!• Pobjedom u Rotterdamu napravili ste si »medvjeðu uslugu« jer æe sada na Europskom prvenstvu u Zagrebu sve osim zlatne medalje biti progla¹eno neuspjehom.Â- Toga sam bila sasvim svjesna veæ i prije TOP-a 12. Moja pozicija na svjetskoj stolnoteniskoj ljestvici (nakon pobjede u Rotterdamu vjerojatno je veæ do¹la na drugo mjesto op.a.) sve promatraèe upuæuje na to da bih u Zagrebu trebala sigurno pobijediti. Zato æu se na Europskom prvenstvu koncentrirati iskljuèivo na svoju igru i suparnice, a nikako ne na oèekivanja i prognoze. Veæ od 1. o¾ujka bit æu u Zagrebu i pripremati se za EP. Mislim da mogu odigrati jo¹ 25 posto bolje negoli u Rotterdamu, pa ¹to bude.• Oèekivalo se da bi vam u Zagrebu glavna suparnica trebala biti Rumunjka Mihaela Steff, no ona je i u Rotterdamu bila vrlo lo¹a, kao uostalom i na svim turnirima posljednjih mjeseci. ©to se dogaða s va¹om partnericom u igri parova?Â- Ona mora rije¹iti neke osobne probleme i ozbiljno se posvetiti treningu. Trenutaèno nije sto posto u stolnom tenisu.• Ima li va¹ trener Neven Cegnar kakvih primjedbi na nastup u Rotterdamu?Â- Primjedbi uvijek ima, no bio je vrlo zadovoljan kako sam odigrala TOP 12, a naroèito meè protiv Olge Nemes. I Nevenu se, naravno, moram posebno zahvaliti na ovom sjajnom rezultatu, ba¹ kao i mojim psiholozima, Goldenu i svima ostalima koji imaju udjela u mojim posljednjim rezultatima.ÂTamara Boro¹ se osvajanjem ovog cijenjenog europskog turnira pridru¾ila galeriji najveæih hrvatskih stolnoteniskih izdanaka, Dragutinu ©urbeku i Antonu Stipanèiæu, koju su takoðer svojedobno bili pobjednici TOP-a 12.ÂÂMarin SarecÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 04 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8263/1/E-World-Cup-Tickets-For-Sale.html ÂÂOver a year ago, I bought two tickets to every game that Croatia will play at theÂWorld Cup this summer in Japan, including the final game (if they should makeÂit that far). However, it is not likely that I will be able to go.ÂThe tickets are category 1, meaning they are "best seats in the house", as defined by FIFA. If Croatia doesn't make it past a certain round, FIFA has structured it so that you get a refund for the games it doesn't play. For example, if Croatia makes it to the second round and then loses, you get a refund for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. I've looked into hotels there, and it doesn't seem to be as expensive as everyone thinks.ÂÂMinimum purchase would be first and second round (4 games).ÂIf you are interested, please e-mail me at pcurko@netzero.net.ÂÂÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 04 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8265/1/HE-Croatian-first-European-ever-second-on-the-chart.html ÂTable Tennis world list has Tamara Boros from Croatia in the second place.ÂFirst european ever.ÂÂ1. Wang Nan (China) 2354Â2. TAMARA BOROS (Croatia) 2084Â3. Zhang Yining (China) 2053Â4. Li Nan (China) 1995Â5. Li Ju (China) 1988ÂÂÂZAGREB, 1. ozujka - Upitan sjeca li se kada je posljednji puta neka europska igracica bila na drugom mjestu svjetske stolnoteniske ljestvice, ITTF-ov direktor natjecanja Zlatko Cordas nije dugo razmisljao:Â- Koliko je znam - nikad! Barem ne otkad imamo kompjutorsku rang-listu. Bile su tako visoko neke Rumunjke 50-ih godina proslog stoljeca, no onda jos nije bilo Kineskinja.ÂKoliko god se to nevjerojatnim cinilo, Tamara Boros je, dakle, prva Europljanka u povijesti koja se popela do drugog mjesta na slu¾benoj ljestvici Svjetske stolnoteniske federacije. Iako su svojedobno »drmale« europskim stolnim tenisom, Csilla Batorfi, Bettine Vriesekoop, Otilia Badescu ili Nicole Struse nisu se nikad pored bezbrojnih Azijatkinja uspjele probiti tako visoko na svjetskoj rang-listi. Kada je 1998. na »velika vrata« u stolni tenis u¹la Tamara Boro¹ (osvojila srebro na Europskom prvenstvu u Eindhovenu) situacija je za Europljanke bila poprilièno bezizgledna: nije ih bilo meðu prvih 15 na svijetu. Tada su se »donkihotovskog« posla i »nemoguæe misije« prihvatili Tamara i njezin trener Neven Cegnar. U sijeènju 1999. Boro¹ je bila 16. na svijetu, iza 15 Kineskinja, u sijeènju 2000. bila je na 10. mjestu, iza 9 Kineskinja, da bi poèetkom 2001. stigla do 7. mjesta svjetske ljestvice, naravno, iza 6 Kineskinja.ÂSada je ispred Tamare Boro¹ jo¹ samo Kineskinja Wang Nan, koja je sinonim za trenutaèno najveæu dominaciju u svjetskom sportu. U posljednjih godinu dana se, naime, pokazalo da nepobjedivi nisu ni Marion Jones, ni Ian Thorpe, ni Tiger Woods.., nitko osim Wang Nan. Olimpijska i svjetska prvakinja je, zapravo, u naizgled izgubljenim situacijama bila samo u meèevima protiv Tamare Boro¹. Na nedavnom se »mastersu« èak èinilo da ju Tamara »ima« (7-4 u odluèujuæem setu), no Wang se ponovno provukla. Nema nikakve sumnje da æe se cijeli ¾enski stolni tenis iduæih godina vrtjeti oko njihovih dvoboja.ÂZa one, pak, kojima se èini da se aktualno »ukazanje« Tamare Boro¹ na drugom mjestu svjetske ljestvice pretjerano glorificira, jo¹ jedan bitan podatak. Samo u Kini je registrirano 50 milijuna stolnotenisaèica, a Tamara je, trenutaèno, ispred njih 49.999.999. Naravno, i ispred nekoliko milijuna Korejki, Japanki, Maðarica, Ruskinja, Rumunjki...• Svjetska stolnoteniska ljestvica 1. o¾ujka 2002: 1. Wang Nan (Kina) 2354 boda, 2. TAMARA BOROS (HRV) 2084, 3. Zhang Yining (Kina) 2053, 4. Li Nan (Kina) 1995, 5. Li Ju (Kina) 1988, 6. Ryu Ji Hye (Kor) 1981, 7. Niu Jianfeng (Kina) 1937, 8. Mihaela Steff (Rum) 1900, 9. Guo Yan (Kina) 1884, 10. Chen Jing (Tpe) 1883...ÂÂMarin SarecÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 03 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8266/1/E-CROATIAN-CONNECTION-AT-VIRGINIA-TECH.html ÂÂCroatians have a connection at Virginia Tech. First, Dinko Gudelj from Karlovac has been a star tennis player receiving scholarship in the early 1990s. He paved the way for Davor Dupljak, also from Karlovac, who was #1 tennis player at VT for a couple of years.ÂÂThere are 2 other students on soccer scholarships at VT from Croatia. One is Stanislav Licul who is Ph.D. degree and Toni Visnjic who is a junior. The Croatian Ambassador to the United States Ivan Grdesic was a Fulbright scholar at Virginia Tech about 4 years ago. Also, Virginia Tech is this year sponsoring a fantastic program "Summer Study Abroad" that includes Croatia. http://www.filebox.vt.edu/users/jfritsch/ÂÂÂÂDavor Dupljak is Finance major on the Dean's List, a member of the "Big East All-Academic" and the most valuable tennis player of Atlantic 10Âconference. "All this I would not be able to accomplish if I would have notÂbeen ready to fight and work hard for it."ÂÂBorn on June 24, '79, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds Davor will graduate in December. "I am planning on going to Graduate school next year."ÂÂ"Davor is extremely talented. He certainly has a big serve and forehand and his backhand has become a weapon as well. Right now Davor is undefeated and he is playing with so much confidence it is amazing. I would be scared to death if I had to play in right now" says Davor's tennis coach Jim Thompson.ÂÂÂDavor himself feels that "Today, to be successful in professional tennis you have to have a whole army of people supporting you and providing you what is necessary and that is money."ÂÂÂÂVirginia Tech has an outstanding reputation in sports and on academic level. http://www.hokiesportsinfo.com/mtennis Davor says, "The only reason why I got scholarship at VT is because of my tennis skills and Dinko Gudelj, who made first contacts with the tennis coach here at Virginia Tech.ÂÂ"It is a great honor and privilege for me to be attending and graduatingÂsoon from Virginia Tech. Me, coming from the small country like Croatia and now I'm finishing something that is going to determine my whole future.ÂÂ"Beside tennis and school, if I have some free time I really like to goÂout, to meet other people, girls mostly and to have lots of fun. I also like to play basketball."ÂÂIn the best of Croatian and American tradition, Davor also found the time to volunteer by translating some private and personal letters for an American woman, Diana Gabriel, who was adopted only to discover her roots from Croatia.ÂÂ"My biggest accomplishment is to be here in the United States, to beÂgraduating from a good and well know University and to be a part of Virginia Tech tennis team. Through these past 4 years I learned howÂeverything and anything is possible if you really want it and if you areÂwilling to put time and effort into it. Nothing is for free.ÂÂ"The scariest thing that happened to me was the whole 5 years war period inÂCroatia. I was practicing tennis and suddenly we were attacked in Karlovac by Serbs from Krajina. There was an explosion about 100 feetÂaway from me. I thought I was going to die! For nextÂfew hours I was not able to speak. That was one of the worse experiences IÂever had." Davor's father served as a soldier on a front line defending their hometown Karlovac.ÂÂÂ"My biggest role model in tennis is Pete Sampras. And I like Goran Ivanisevic a lot. At Wimbledon, when Rafter missed that last shot, I was the happiest man alive! I started crying and then I finally realized how actually Goran has a strong impact on me.ÂÂÂ"I am spending my summers teaching and playing tennis either here in theÂUS, in Croatia or in Germany. I am trying to make some money, so I can help out my parents. But also I like to party a lot and I can tell you one thing, there is no better place in the world than Croatia in the summer time. Croatian coast is really a place to be. No wonder Croatia is called "A small country for a great holiday".ÂÂ"I would really like to go to the Graduate school, but that will be only possible if I will be able to get some kind of scholarship or aid because otherwise I will not be able to pay for it. For example I would not be able to be here in the US, if I did not get this tennis scholarship, because I would notÂhave that much money.ÂÂÂ"My parents in Croatia are trying their best to help me out, and it is not very easy for them. They work every day from 4 in the morning until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, seven days a week, just to be able to send me someÂmoney when I need it. Every day is getting harder and harder for them.ÂÂ"Here at Virginia Tech, I am really grateful to two people who helped me a lot. Lois Berg, my athletic advisor helped me so much, especially first two years when I came. Whenever I had a problem, she was always there for me. Also, my coach, Jim Thompson has really gone out of his way, over and beyond his line of duty, to help me out. He is a great person on and off the court.ÂÂ"Janica Kostelic is definitely representing Croatia as no one else these days.ÂHer success is huge and I wish her luck in further competitions.ÂÂÂÂ"Croatian Economy? That is a tough one! We all know how Croatia wasÂin the war for 5 years. But now every day is worse and worse. People work and they don't get paid. Something is wrong and we definitely all have to askÂourselves this question. People in power are only interested for their wellbeing and not for the wellbeing of others. Regular people are the ones that have to vote and elect people with more skills, knowledge and connections to be able to interact with the whole world.ÂWe have to open our market to foreign companies to invest. We have to give them good deals. But the problem in Croatia is whoever invests something, in less than few years goes bankrupt! Why is this happening and where is all that money? No one will help us unless we help ourselves. We have to stop be the smartest ones and we have to listen to other ideas and to let other countries in to invest in our capital. As soon as that happens economy will improve, we will have new companies in Croatia. That means we'll have more money, our currency will automatically go up and demand for goods will go up, our tourism will grow incredibly and finally we'll become a part of the European union. It is only up to Croatian people to decide when!"ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 01 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8269/1/E-Joint-bid-Euro-2008-soccer-from-BH-and-Croatia.html ÂVIENNA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Austria and Switzerland have put in an official bid to UEFA to co-host the Euro 2008 soccer championship, a statement from the two countries' football associations said on Thursday.ÂÂÂThe bid proposes to split the tournament between the two countries, with Austria and Switzerland hosting games at four stadiums each.ÂÂÂOther candidates to host the championship are a joint bid from Bosnia and Croatia, a joint bid from Greece and Turkey, a four-way Nordic bid from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway, a joint bid from Scotland and Ireland and a single bid from Hungary.ÂÂÂThe countries bidding must give UEFA a complete candidature dossier by the end of May 2002. The decision on who is to host Euro 2008 will be taken by the UEFA executive committee in December 2002.ÂÂÂBelgium and the Netherlands jointly staged the 2000 tournament while Portugal is the sole host for 2004.ÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8268/1/E-Vlatko-Markovic-Croatia-in-UEFA-race.html ÂLONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - French soccer great Michel Platini is standing for election to both the UEFA and FIFA Executive Committees, UEFA confirmed on Wednesday.ÂÂÂPlatini, 46, who had a glittering playing career leading France to victory in the 1984 European Championships and also later managed the side, is hoping to gain a seat on both bodies during elections at the UEFA Congress in Stockholm on April 25.ÂÂÂHis nominations come as no real surprise as he has been involved with soccer's administration as an advisor to FIFA president Sepp Blatter for the last four years.ÂÂÂIf his bid for office is successful, as seems likely, he will not only bring some relatively youthful vitality to the committees, but also become the first from his exalted level as a player to win political office.ÂÂÂHis candidature is also seen as the first step on a path that could see him succeed Lennart Johansson as UEFA president in due course.ÂÂÂAs far as UEFA is concerned, he is also likely to counter-balance some of the anti-FIFA feeling that has long existed within the higher echelons of the UEFA administration.ÂÂÂWhile Johansson, 72, is the only candidate for UEFA president, a total of 14 administrators are standing for seven vacancies on the UEFA Executive Committee -- six of them for four-year terms and one for a two-year term.ÂÂÂThe seven vacancies arise as three current members are retiring and four are seeking re-election.ÂÂÂDes Casey (Ireland), Frantisek Chvalovsky (Czech Republic) and Claude Simonet (France) are stepping down, while Senes Erzik (Turkey), Viacheslav Koloskov (Russia), Giangiorgio Spiess (Switzerland) and Angel Maria Villar Llona (Spain) are all seeking re-election.ÂÂÂThose seeking to gain a place on the Executive Committee are: Fuad Musayev (Azerbaijan), Vlatko Markovic (Croatia), Pekka Hamalainen (Finland), Platini (France), Imre Bozoky (Hungary), Eggert Magnusson (Iceland), Franco Carraro (Italy), Henri Roemer (Luxembourg), Michal Listkiewicz (Poland) and Hrygoril Surkis (Ukraine).ÂÂÂAs well as the election for membership of the UEFA Executive, there will also be a vote for UEFA's four seats on the FIFA Executive.ÂÂÂPlatini, Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder (Germany), Carraro (Italy), Joseph Mifsud (Malta) and Per Ravn Omdal (Norway), who is seeking re-election, are chasing the four seats.ÂÂÂThe four British associations must also decide in due course whether David Will of Scotland will remain as their choice to be representative in their one permanent seat on FIFA's Executive.ÂÂÂOp-edÂIf you are in the position (Journalists)... support him.ÂnbÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8267/1/E-Goran-Ivanisevic-and-The-Beatles.html ÂÂLONDON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic will warm up for the defence of his grand slam crown this summer on public park tennis courts in Liverpool.ÂÂÂÂThe enigmatic Croatian is to play in the inaugural Liverpool International Tournament, organisers announced on Monday.ÂÂÂÂIvanisevic will be top seed at the grasscourt event at Calderstones Park, in the leafy suburbs of Liverpool, north-west England.ÂÂÂÂHe will be joined by players from the world's top 50 in the event which begins on June 16.ÂÂÂÂThe 24-man event will be the first major tennis tournament in Britain to be held in a public park.ÂÂÂÂOrganisers are currently preparing the courts and a tented village will be created for the event, complete with an 8,000-seater arena.ÂÂÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8271/1/E-Ljubicic-beat-French-veteran-Cedric-Pioline.html ÂÂCroatia's Ivan Ljubicic beat French veteran Cedric Pioline 6-3 6-2ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂDUBAI (Reuters) - Top seed Juan Carlos Ferrero needed just one set to easeÂÂÂÂÂÂÂinto the second round of the $1 million Dubai Open Tuesday when hisÂÂÂÂÂÂÂopponent retired injured.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂThe defending champion broke serve to take the first set from BohdanÂÂÂÂÂÂÂUlihrach 7-5 before the Czech pulled out of the match with tendinitis ofÂÂÂÂÂÂÂthe wrist.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂSpaniard Ferrero was joined in the second round by Australian Open (news -ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂweb sites) champion Thomas Johansson and Sebastien Grosjean.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂThird seed Johansson eased to an emphatic 6-3 6-0 win over Albert CostaÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ(news - profile - photos), taking just an hour to overcome the dispiritedÂÂÂÂÂÂÂSpaniard.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂCroatia's Ivan Ljubicic beat French veteran Cedric Pioline 6-3 6-2, and Spain's Alex Calatrava overcame Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-3 6-4.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8270/1/E-Ljubicic-of-Croatia-topped-defending-champion.html ÂÂIvan Ljubicic of Croatia topped defending champion Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6-4, 6-2ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂWed Feb 27, 1:38 PM ETÂÂÂÂÂÂÂDUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Second-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov (news -ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂprofile - photos) of Russia advanced to the quarterfinals of the DubaiÂÂÂÂÂÂÂOpen on Wednesday after an hour-long second set, beating Sjeng Schalken ofÂÂÂÂÂÂÂthe Netherlands 6-1, 7-6 (5).ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"He is a tough opponent who will not give you many free points, I toughedÂÂÂÂÂÂÂit out, fought hard and was able to win the game," Kafelnikov said.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂIn other second-round matches, Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia topped defendingÂÂÂÂÂÂÂchampion Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6-4, 6-2; eighth-seeded Jiri Novak ofÂÂÂÂÂÂÂthe Czech Republic beat Axel Pretzsch of Germany 7-5, 6-1 and FabriceÂÂÂÂÂÂÂSantoro of France upset fourth-seeded countryman Sebastien Grosjean 6-2,ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ7-5.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂKafelnikov cruised to a comfortable one-set lead in 26 minutes, but wasÂÂÂÂÂÂÂbroken in the second and fourth games of the second set. The Russian brokeÂÂÂÂÂÂÂSchalken in the third and seventh.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂIn first-round matches, sixth-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland breezedÂÂÂÂÂÂÂthrough his match against Adrian Voinea of Romania 6-3, 6-4 in just 56ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂminutes, and Max Mirnyi of Belarus defeated Renzo Furlan of Italy 7-6 (5),ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ6-2.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8273/1/E-AGUIRRE-NOT-SCARED-BY-CROATIA.html ÂÂÂMexicoÂAGUIRRE NOT SCARED BY CROATIAÂ15/02/02ÂMexico national team coach Javier Aguirre was surprisingly upbeat about his team's chances in their World Cup opener against Croatia, despite El Tricolores recent 2-1 loss to Yugoslavia in a friendly in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday.ÂÂThe man responsible for Mexico's turnaround over the last six months had previously stated he was 'losing sleep' over the Croatia encounter, but something about the loss has made him more optimistic.ÂÂ"I've seen Croatia and now they don't scare me at all," Aguirre was quoted as saying on Reuters upon arrival in Mexico City. "They are very orderly but they have a hard time scoring."ÂÂIn winning Group 6 of UEFA qualifying, Croatia scored 15 goals in 8 matches, but 12 of those goals came in three matches against the two teams - Latvia and San Marino - at the bottom of the table.ÂÂThe challenge for Mexico will be scoring goals. Despite controlling a large amount of possession and creating opportunities - especially after Dejan Stankovic was sent off with 11 minutes remaining, El Tri could not find the back of the net.ÂÂThe overall performance and motivation of the players was frustrating to Aguirre.ÂÂ"I'm dissatisfied with the result and the passivity and apathy that we showed after the (first) goal we received," Aguirre went on to say. "My teams can have good, poor or average performances, but they must have a good attitude."ÂÂÂMexico, will face Croatia, Italy and Ecuador in group G of the World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan.ÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 26 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8272/1/E-Heros-welcome.html ÂÂKostelic returns home to huge party in CroatiaÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Drums, screams and applause erupted on the main square of Croatia's capital Monday as Janica Kostelic, who captured four medals -- including three golds -- at the Salt Lake City Olympics, arrived for a hero's welcome.ÂÂPeople stayed away from their jobs and schools canceled classes as Croats rushed to embrace their 20-year-old ski sensation, now dubbed the "Snow Queen."ÂÂWrapped up in the Croatian flag, Kostelic screamed from the stage to the ecstatic crowd of about 100,000 at the Ban Jelacic square: "I will never see something so great again! Thank you!"ÂÂAsked whether the Olympic days were the best of her life, she said: "Certainly, but this is even better!"ÂÂKostelic's older brother Ivica, who failed to win a medal, took a guitar and played and sang Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" with a rock band, changing its refrain to "Go, Janica, go!"ÂÂ"Not even Mick Jagger plays before such a big crowd!" Ivica shouted.ÂÂKostelic, her father and coach Ante were seen dancing on and off the stage.ÂÂThe turnout resembled the crowd gathering in 1991 when Croats celebrated their country's independence from the former Yugoslavia.ÂÂAfter touchdown at Zagreb's airport, Kostelic was greeted by thousands. She smiled and waved -- from the cockpit -- and then came out laughing to the screams of joy of those gathered near the runaway.ÂÂCroatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan and U.S. ambassador to Croatia, Lawrence Rossin, were on hand to greet her.ÂÂKostelic was Croatia's favorite medal contender at the Games, but few expected her to make such an impact. She became the first Alpine skier to win four medals at a single Winter Olympics.ÂÂCroatia had never won a medal in the Winter Games before, and Kostelic's medals were all the country of 4.5 million managed to win.ÂÂShe won gold in the slalom, the combined and even giant slalom -- a discipline that has never been her specialty. She also took silver in the Super-G.ÂÂImmediately, she became the admired national star, even by those who never watched skiing before. Croatia -- with only two small ski resorts -- has had no notable skiing history.ÂÂShe was driven in an open convertible to Zagreb's downtown square for a big celebration.ÂÂOn the square, an 18-story building was adorned with a giant poster of Kostelic and her brother Ivica.ÂÂZvonimir Boban, a Croatian international soccer star who played with AC Milan, was also on hand. He called Kostelic "a queen, our pride and joy."ÂÂKostelic won international attention after she scored her first victory in the World Cup as a 17-year-old. But she captured the hearts of many Croats after they learned of the huge sacrifices her family made to reach the top, largely ignored by potential sponsors, including the state bodies.ÂÂThe cash-strapped Kostelics had to travel around Europe to compete in junior races -- often sleeping in tents or in the car, living on salami-and-pickle sandwiches to save money for chair lifts.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 26 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8276/1/E-CROATIA-AT-THE-OLYMPICS.html ÂCROATIA AT THE OLYMPICSÂBy Adam S. EterovichÂÂGreat honor has come to Croatia in Utah. The Battleship USS Utah was sunk at the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Chief Petty Officer Peter Tomich, Croatian American, gave his life saving his fellow sailors and was awarded America's highest honor and awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery beyond the call of duty. No next of kin could not be found and this Medal of Honor lays unclaimed; it is on display in Salt Lake City, Utah as he has been adopted by the State of Utah.ÂNow, a young Croatian girl, Janica Kostelic, is being honored with a Medals of Gold at the Olympic Games in Utah.ÂÂCroatian Olympic Champions Credited to Italy, Austria and EnglandÂÂCroatians participated in all Olympic Games since the start of the modern games in the 1890's. Credit was always given those that ruled her. Milan Neralic was awarded a Bronze medal in Fencing for Austria in 1900. He was a Croatian. Croatia was a part of Austria.ÂPetar Ivanov, Ante, Frano, Simun Katalinic, Viktor Ljubic and Bruno Soric were awarded Bronze medals in Rowing for Italy in 1924. They were from Zadar; Zadar was then part of Italy.ÂPaolo Radmilovich from Dubrovnik was awarded a Gold medal in swimming for England in 1908, and a Gold medal for waterpolo in 1908, 1912, 1924 and 1928.ÂMany Croatians won Olympic medals while controlled by Yugoslavia. Croatia and Croatians should not allow Austria, Italy or Yugoslavia to any longer take credit for something that is not theirs. These are spoils of war and national heritage theft.ÂFrom the beginning of the Olympic Games to the 1980's, Croatia won approximately 170 Olympic medals including 51 Gold medals. Croatian Olympic Gold winners included:ÂÂName Year SportÂÂCOSIC, KRESIMIR 1980 BASKETBALLÂJERKOV, ZELJKO 1980 BASKETBALLÂKNEGO, ANDRO 1980 BASKETBALLÂKRSTULOVIC, DUJE 1980 BASKETBALLÂNAKIC, MIHOVIL 1980 BASKETBALLÂSKROCE, BRANKO 1980 BASKETBALLÂPARLOV, MATE 1972 BOXINGÂBASIC, MIRKO 1984 HANDBALLÂHORVAT, HRVOJE 1972 HANDBALLÂJURINA, PAVAO 1984 HANDBALLÂMILJAK, ZDRAVKO 1972 HANDBALLÂOGNJENOVIC, MIRJAN 1984 HANDBALLÂPRIBANIC, MIROSLAV 1972 HANDBALLÂPTUJEC, JASNA 1984 HANDBALLÂVIDOVIC, ALBIN 1972 HANDBALLÂVISNJIC, BISERKA 1984 HANDBALLÂZORKO, ZDENKO 1972 HANDBALLÂZOVKO, ZDRAVKO 1984 HANDBALLÂLJUBEK, MATIJA 1976 KAYAKÂLJUBEK, MATIJA 1984 KAYAKÂBONACIC, DUJE 1952 ROWINGÂSEGOVIC, PETAR 1952 ROWINGÂTROJANOVIC, MATE 1952 ROWINGÂVALENTA, VELIMIR 1952 ROWINGÂANKOVICH, ANTE 1960 SOCCERÂBEGO, ZVONKO 1960 SOCCERÂMATUS, ZELJKO 1960 SOCCERÂPERUSIC, ZALJKO 1960 SOCCERÂZANETIC, ANTE 1960 SOCCERÂBJEDOV, DURDICA 1968 SWIMMINGÂBEBIC, MILIVOJ 1984 WATERPOLOÂBEZMALINOVIC, MISLA 1988 WATERPOLOÂBONACICH, OZREN 1964 WATERPOLOÂBUKIC, PERICA 1984 WATERPOLOÂDUHO, VESELIN 1988 WATERPOLOÂHEBEL, ZDRAVKO 1968 WATERPOLOÂLOPATNY, RONALD 1968 WATERPOLOÂLUSIC, DENI 1984 WATERPOLOÂLUSIC, DENI 1988 WATERPOLOÂPASKVALIN, TOMISLAV 1984 WATERPOLOÂPASKVALIN, TOMISLAV 1988 WATERPOLOÂPOLJAK, MIROSLAV 1968 WATERPOLOÂPOSINKOVIC, RENCO 1988 WATERPOLOÂROJE, ZORAN 1984 WATERPOLOÂSIMENC, DUBRAVKO 1988 WATERPOLOÂSTIPANIC, KARLO 1968 WATERPOLOÂSUKNO, GORAN 1984 WATERPOLOÂTRUMBIC, IVO 1968 WATERPOLOÂVULETIC, BOZO 1984 WATERPOLOÂLISJAK, VLADO 1984 WRESTLINGÂÂAmerican Croatian Olympic ContributionsÂÂFormer National Amateur Athletic Union and World's Diving Champion, Helen Crlenkovich is about to make a perfect entry into the water after a dive from the highboard. Known popularly as "Clenkie", Crlenkovich was National Outdoor Springboard Champion in 1939, 1941, and 1945; National Platform Champion in 1941 and 1945, and the National Indoor Three Meter titleholder from 1939 to 1942. She won the Olympic Gold Medal in Diving in 1932. The former University of California student and native of San Francisco, California died of cancer in 1955 only one week after learning that she had been named to the Helms Foundation Diving Hall of Fame. Helen Crlenkovich is a Croatian American.ÂÂSacramento's George Stanich was John Wooden's first All-American at University of California at Los Angeles. Stanich played guard for the Bruins and earned his honors in 1950. An all-around athlete, he captured a Bronze Medal in the high jump at the 14th Olympic Games in London and later pitched for Oakland of the Pacific Coast Baseball League. Stanich coached basketball at El Camino College in Los Angeles for 15 years and in 1971 coached Yugoplastika of Split to the national basketball championship. He was Professor of Physical Education at El Camino College in Los Angeles. George Stanich is a Croatian American.ÂÂThe "Miracle on Ice" still ranks among the nation's greatest sporting moments and, in many ways, Mark Pavelich was symbolic of the American team. The conversation quickly moves to that night in Lake Placid, N.Y., against the Soviet Union, more than 20 years ago, when he collected the puck along the boards and slid it in front of the net. That puck ended up on the stick of teammate Mike Eruzione, who scored to give the U.S. squad an upset over the USSR on the way to a Gold Medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. Pavelich was small for the game, never growing taller than 5 feet 8, but all those childhood days on outdoor rinks molded him into a clever skater and stickhandler. "A throwback player who could control the puck like he had it on a string," says Baker, who grew up nearby in Grand Rapids. He was born in nearby Eveleth, in rugged country known as the Iron Range, where boys learn to hunt and fish from an early age. The town claims to have the world's largest hockey stick at 107 feet long, so they also learn to play. In the late 1970s, those skills made Pavelich one of the greatest players in the history of the University of Minnesota Duluth. They subsequently earned him a spot on the Olympic team. He earned respect with his work ethic and a knack for passing the puck. Former goaltender Jim Craig recalls him as "an honest man, just a wonderful guy to be around." Little was expected of the Americans that winter, their coach reportedly telling them before the Olympics it would take some luck to win a bronze. But after an opening tie against Sweden, they rolled to four consecutive victories against the likes of Norway and Romania to reach the medal round against the powerhouse Soviets. Pavelich played an essential, supporting role that night, assisting on two of the four goals. Two days later, the U.S. defeated Finland to win the gold medal, and Pavelich wound up with six assists in the seven Lake Placid games. The players became overnight heroes, appearing on television, visiting the White House, attending promotional events across the nation.ÂÂRobert Minerich was asked by the United States Olympic Committee, to become Director of Olympic Village and Public Facilities for the VIII Winter Olympics to be held at Squaw Valley, California in 1960. Bob, Minerich was in charge of designing and directing the housing and feeding arrangements for the athletes, National and International Olympic Committee Members and heads of the many corporations involved in the Olympics. After the Olympics, as a management consultant, he helped plan, organize and staff a new ski facility, Alpine Meadows in the Squaw Valley, California area. In 1979-80, when the United States Olympic Committee again called upon his expertise. He took a three month leave of absence to become the liaison of the USA Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee to help solve the problems confronting the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Bob Minerich received a football scholarship from Northwestern University of Evanston, Illinois. Bob Minerich is a Croatian American.ÂÂSandra Bezic, a 1972 Olympian and former Canadian pairs champion, joined NBC Sports in 1990 as an analyst for its figure skating coverage. Sandra skated competitively with her brother, Val, from 1967 through the mid-1970s. She and her brother won the Canadian pairs novice title in 1967 and the Canadian senior competition four straight times from 1970-1973. Sandra has served as the analyst on numerous NBC Sports' figure skating events, including four World Figure Skating Championships 1991-1993 and 1995 and the World Professional Figure Skating Championships from 1990-1995. She has designed programs for many top skaters, including Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi and Kurt Browning. Sandra Bezic has choreographed and/or produced more than 25 television specials in Canada and the United States, including the Emmy Award-wining "Carmen on Ice." She won Gemini awards for producing Browning's "You Must Remember This" and Brian Orser's "Night Moves." Bezic also produced the North American Tour of "Stars on Ice" and is the author of "Passion to Skate:ÂAn Intimate View of Figure Skating." Sandra and her brother Val are Canadian Croatians.ÂÂCroatian ContributionsÂÂGoran Ivanisevic was born on September 13, 1971 in Split, Croatia. He played tennis for the Croatian National Davis Cup teams; he was awarded an Olympic Bronze Medal in 1992, individually and in pair with G. Prpic. He is Wimbledon Champion in 2001 and was Wimbledon finalist 1992); Wimbledon semi-finalist (1990); best placing on ATP list: second place, 1992. He was awarded Best Sportsman of Croatia in 1992.ÂÂDrazen Petrovic led the Croatian team to the Olympic Final against the American Dream Team and won the Silver Medal in Barcelona. In 1988 Drazen joined "Real", a club from Madrid and after three years of successful playing he accomplished the dream of the dreams of all basketball players, when he scored his first goal for the colors of the best World League-the American NBA. At first he played for Portland Trail Blazers and from 1991 to his death he was wearing the colors of New Jersey Nets. During the nine years of his brilliant carrier he was the number one player on all basketball levels, in Spain, even in the USA where he was scorer number one of the NETS and the scorer number eleven of the NBA League.ÂÂToni Kukoc is a professional basketball player. Born September 18, 1969 in Split, Dalmatia, Croatia. married with one child. Olympic Silver Medal 1988, Olympic Silver Medal 1992. Played professional basketball in Chicago for the Chicago Bulls, in Philadelphia for 76sers and now in Atlanta for the Hawks.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 25 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8275/1/E-What-a-year-for-Joe-Sakic.html ÂJust thought I'd point out that there was another great CroatianÂparticipating at the 2002 Olympics; that's Joe Sakic playing for TeamÂCanada in the Olympic Ice Hockey tournament. What a year Joe has had,Âpersonally winning the 2001 Hart, Lady Byng and Lester Patrick trophies, andÂtopping it off with the Stanley Cup with his Colorado Avalanche team, andÂnow an Olympic gold medal and a tournament MVP honour. He also scored theÂgame-winning goal in the gold medal game! He is the all-time franchiseÂleader for the Colorado Avalanche in goals, assists and points; and has beenÂan NHL All-Star 9 times! Not to mention that he is one of the nicestÂprofessional athletes anywhere, and one that he is both aware and proud ofÂhis Croatian origin.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 25 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8274/1/H-Kraljevski-docek-za-Snjeznu-Kraljicu.html ÂÂÂhttp://www.klik.hr/naslovnica/sport/200202250002019.htmlÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 25 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8278/1/E-Another-Gold-Medal-for-Croatian-Canadian.html ÂCroatian Canadian Joe Sakic winns gold for Canada. Two goals two assists.ÂÂÂBy LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press WriterÂSALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Silver to start, silver to finish.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂThe U.S. men's hockey team settled for a silver medal to close outÂÂÂÂÂÂÂAmerica's most successful Winter Games, with Canada ending a 50-year goldÂÂÂÂÂÂÂmedal drought in its national sport with a 5-2 victory over its southernÂÂÂÂÂÂÂneighbors.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂThe Sunday loss provided the U.S. Winter Olympians with silver bookends:ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂtwo silvers on the first day of competition, one on the last. There wasÂÂÂÂÂÂÂplenty of gold in between, along with more silver and bronze, as theÂÂÂÂÂÂÂUnited States finished with a record 34 medals.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂWhile the two U.S. medals back on Feb. 9 were cause for celebration, theÂÂÂÂÂÂÂhockey medal was cause for mixed emotions. Even the return of coach HerbÂÂÂÂÂÂÂBrooks, head of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team, couldn't produce a goldÂÂÂÂÂÂÂmedal for the home team.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"We don't have anything to feel bad about," said U.S. defenseman PhilÂÂÂÂÂÂÂHousley, who scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the 3-2ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂsemifinal victory over Russia. "These memories are something I will carryÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwith me for a long time."ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂIt was the first Olympic loss ever with Brooks behind the bench, ending aÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ12-game unbeaten string. And it was the first U.S. Olympic loss on homeÂÂÂÂÂÂÂice in 70 years.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂWhile the Americans and Canadians were winning medals, the biggest dopingÂÂÂÂÂÂÂscandal of the games saw cross-country skiers Johann Muehlegg of Spain andÂÂÂÂÂÂÂLarissa Lazutina of Russia stripped of their most recent gold medals afterÂÂÂÂÂÂÂdrug positives.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"Technically, they are Olympic champions," said IOC president JacquesÂÂÂÂÂÂÂRogge, announcing the pair will keep their other Salt Lake City medals.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"Morally, it is a totally different issue."ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂBoth gold medalists, along with a third cross-country skier, were thrownÂÂÂÂÂÂÂout of the games - more a symbolic gesture than anything just hours beforeÂÂÂÂÂÂÂthe closing ceremony. Between them, Lazutina and Muehlegg had won aÂÂÂÂÂÂÂhalf-dozen Salt Lake City medals.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂIn the much-hyped hockey final, Joe Sakic and Jarome Ignila scored twiceÂÂÂÂÂÂÂeach for the Canadians, who fell behind 1-0 before bouncing back toÂÂÂÂÂÂÂdominate play. Canadian goalie Martin Brodeur now has an Olympic goldÂÂÂÂÂÂÂmedal to go with his two Stanley Cup titles.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"We felt all along the expectations of all the people in Canada," BrodeurÂÂÂÂÂÂÂsaid. "It's always fun to be part of a great team."ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂBrodeur's New Jersey Devils teammate, Brian Rafalski, had one of the twoÂÂÂÂÂÂÂU.S. goals; Tony Amonte had the other.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 24 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8277/1/E-Golden-Kostelic-Makes-History.html ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂGolden Kostelic Makes HistoryÂÂÂÂÂÂÂFri Feb 22, 7:13 PM ETÂÂÂÂÂÂÂBy Alan BaldwinÂÂÂÂÂÂÂPARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - Croatia's Janica Kostelic hurtled into historyÂÂÂÂÂÂÂFriday, taking giant slalom gold to become the first Alpine skier to winÂÂÂÂÂÂÂfour Olympic medals at a single Games.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂThe 20-year-old was the first woman to win three Alpine golds at one GamesÂÂÂÂÂÂÂand joined France's Jean-Claude Killy (1968) and Austrian Toni SailerÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ(1956) as the only skiers ever to do it.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂHer margin of victory was enormous for a woman who had never before beenÂÂÂÂÂÂÂon a giant slalom podium -- 1.32 seconds ahead of Sweden's Anja PaersonÂÂÂÂÂÂÂand 1.66 clear of Swiss world champion and bronze medallist Sonja Nef.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂHer success was all the more extraordinary considering that she comes fromÂÂÂÂÂÂÂa country that had never before won an Olympic medal but that has now wonÂÂÂÂÂÂÂmore golds than skiing powerhouse Austria at these Games.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"She's proved that mentally she's the strongest ever," said Paerson of herÂÂÂÂÂÂÂfriend and rival. "She's incredible. She can really ski with the pressureÂÂÂÂÂÂÂon and right now she's the one we have to beat.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"I'm so happy for her because she had a rough season with her injuries...IÂÂÂÂÂÂÂcan only congratulate her."ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂKostelic, the 2001 World Cup overall champion, has lingering pain in herÂÂÂÂÂÂÂlegs after repeated surgery on her knee last year but has now won a medalÂÂÂÂÂÂÂin every race she has entered at Salt Lake City.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂNO ENERGYÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"I've got no energy left," she gasped, brandishing the Croatian flag inÂÂÂÂÂÂÂthe finish area. "I think I'll just go and pick up my medal and go toÂÂÂÂÂÂÂbed."ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"I did not expect four medals, I thought I would get maybe one inÂÂÂÂÂÂÂcombined," she said. "I didn't care about the record. I just take one raceÂÂÂÂÂÂÂat a time."ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂKostelic, whose early career was a battle against adversity with scarceÂÂÂÂÂÂÂresources and occasional nights spent sleeping in her father's car atÂÂÂÂÂÂÂWorld Cup events, had seemed a long shot before Friday's start.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂShe had never before finished on the podium in giant slalom, a fourthÂÂÂÂÂÂÂplace her best.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂShe had won the combined and slalom golds and taken a silver in super-GÂÂÂÂÂÂÂbut even she thought the giant slalom likely to be one race too far.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂInstead her opening run from a 19th start position blasted away any doubtsÂÂÂÂÂÂÂand her second was every bit as crushing on a piste set by Paerson'sÂÂÂÂÂÂÂfather Anders.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"I came here hoping to take a medal and I've got two which is more than IÂÂÂÂÂÂÂcould ask for," said Paerson.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂHer delight contrasted to the disappointment felt by Austrian AlexandraÂÂÂÂÂÂÂMeissnitzer, a former world champion and silver medallist from Nagano fourÂÂÂÂÂÂÂyears ago, who failed to match the pace and fell back from second toÂÂÂÂÂÂÂfourth.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂSpain's Maria Jose Rienda Contreras had been third, hoping to become herÂÂÂÂÂÂÂcountry's first Alpine medallist since Blanca Fernandez-Ochoa in 1992, butÂÂÂÂÂÂÂshe faded to sixth.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂKostelic was fastest by 0.49 after the first run and she was again fastestÂÂÂÂÂÂÂin the second leg.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂPaerson was second quickest to move up from fourth place and claim herÂÂÂÂÂÂÂsecond medal of the Games after securing a bronze in the slalom.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂNef, who crashed out of Wednesday's slalom and almost fell in the firstÂÂÂÂÂÂÂleg, saved Swiss pride with the team's first Alpine medal of the Games.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ"After the first run I knew gold would be difficult, if not impossible,ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂbut I knew I still had a chance of taking a medal," said Nef. "I'm veryÂÂÂÂÂÂÂpleased with my second run."ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 24 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8280/1/E-Our-pride-Mark-Pavelic-LA-Times.html ÂÂYes Nenad, a member of the miracle on ice, gold medal american iceÂhockey team of 1980 Lake Placid. Have great weekend. Bog, Martin.ÂÂPlacid lifeÂÂThe miracle now is trying to find Mark Pavelich, who has passed upÂprevious reunions.ÂÂBy DAVID WHARTONÂTimes Staff WriterÂÂJanuary 30 2002ÂÂSmall lakes dot the northern woods of Minnesota, blue specks on the map,Âtoo many to count, and beside one of them MarkÂPavelich lives happily ever after. Far from the sport of hockey thatÂbrought him acclaim. Far from the world and itsÂcommotion.ÂÂ"Just the wild and his wife and his dog," a friend says. "He moved outÂthere for a reason."ÂÂOnce in a while, he visits the nearby town of Lutsen for groceries orÂsomeone spots him driving his truck on a back road,Âheaded for a fishing spot perhaps. Few know the exact whereabouts of hisÂcabin. So when a reporter calls-after gettingÂthe unlisted number-Pavelich is polite but guarded. Mostly "ums" andÂ"ahs" followed by silence. The conversation quicklyÂmoves to that night in Lake Placid, N.Y., against the Soviet Union, moreÂthan 20 years ago, when he collected the puckÂalong the boards and slid it in front of the net.ÂÂ"The past is the past," he says.ÂÂThat puck ended up on the stick of teammate Mike Eruzione, who scored toÂgive the U.S. squad an upset over the USSRÂon the way to a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics.ÂÂThe "Miracle on Ice" still ranks among the nation's greatest sportingÂmoments and, in many ways, Pavelich was symbolic ofÂthe American team. An underdog because of his small frame. Selfless andÂhard working. Quietly fierce. In the years since,Âhe has become something else: A mystery.ÂÂSome of his teammates have basked in the enduring spotlight, playing inÂcelebrity golf tournaments, getting paid asÂmotivational speakers. Others have kept in touch by phone, gathering inÂsmall groups for dinners or golf vacations, bondedÂby their experience. Pavelich has kept to himself.ÂÂThe players now hope he will come to their biggest reunion yet. With theÂWinter Games back on American soil-andÂpatriotism in vogue-they have been invited to play an exhibition FridayÂat Staples Center, the day before the NHL All-StarÂgame. It will mark the first time in two decades all of them haveÂgathered. All, perhaps, but one.ÂÂ"We may have to send one of those drone planes or Global PositioningÂSatellites to find him," former defenseman KenÂMorrow says of Pavelich.ÂÂThey might have to kidnap him.ÂÂ"He's not being aloof," says Bill Baker, another former teammate.Â"You've just got to know Pav."ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ___ÂÂLutsen sits snug against Lake Superior, two hours north of Duluth,Âalmost to the Canadian border. Even in this town, remoteÂas it is, the man and his ways are noteworthy.ÂÂ"People are always talking about him," a local named Doc Rose says.Â"How's he doing and what's he doing."ÂÂRose is among the few who have been shown the way to Pavelich's cabin aÂdozen miles off the highway. He is a retiredÂtrainer for the Minnesota North Stars-the NHL team that moved toÂDallas-and has known Pavelich for years. HeÂrecalls when the player moved to Lutsen in the late 1980s after playingÂprofessionally in New York, of all places.ÂÂPavelich bought a townhouse by the shore, but, as Rose explains, "heÂwent into the bush as soon as he got a chance,"Âtrading his home for a parcel of forest land, moving into a garage withÂonly a couch to sleep on. From there, he set aboutÂbuilding a cabin.ÂÂ"One board at a time," Rose says. "Nothing extravagant but well-built.ÂAnd you'd have a heck of a time finding it."ÂÂThere is fishing in the lake outside his door and small game to hunt inÂthe woods. Asked about his home, Pavelich says onlyÂthat "there's a lot of stuff to do other than hockey."ÂÂNot that he's a recluse. Several houses stand nearby. Friends who knowÂthe way are met with a friendly welcome andÂperhaps a fish dinner cooked on the outdoor grill. Still, the place isÂsecluded enough that whenever Rose stops by, he feelsÂas if he is intruding. And visitors, especially acquaintances from NewÂYork, come away wondering how Pavelich survivesÂout there.ÂÂThe question should be: How did he survive in the bright lights and bigÂcities?ÂÂHe was born in nearby Eveleth, in rugged country known as the IronÂRange, where boys learn to hunt and fish from anÂearly age. The town claims to have the world's largest hockey stick atÂ107 feet long, so they also learn to play.ÂÂPavelich was small for the game, never growing taller than 5 feet 8, butÂall those childhood days on outdoor rinks moldedÂhim into a clever skater and stickhandler. "A throwback player who couldÂcontrol the puck like he had it on a string," saysÂBaker, who grew up nearby in Grand Rapids.ÂÂIn the late 1970s, those skills made Pavelich one of the greatestÂplayers in the history of the University of MinnesotaÂDuluth. They subsequently earned him a spot on the Olympic team.ÂÂMore than half of the American players and their coach, Herb Brooks,Âcame from Minnesota. The others were fromÂWisconsin, Michigan and Massachusetts, sworn rivals on the ice. Yet fromÂthis group emerged a close-knit bunch, PavelichÂplaying the quiet one.ÂÂ"I've known him since high school and he was always a man of few words,"ÂBaker says. "You never know what he'sÂthinking."ÂÂHe earned respect with his work ethic and a knack for passing the puck.ÂFormer goaltender Jim Craig recalls him as "anÂhonest man, just a wonderful guy to be around."ÂÂLittle was expected of the Americans that winter, their coach reportedlyÂtelling them before the Olympics it would takeÂsome luck to win a bronze. But after an opening tie against Sweden, theyÂrolled to four consecutive victories against theÂlikes of Norway and Romania to reach the medal round against theÂpowerhouse Soviets.ÂÂPavelich played an essential, supporting role that night, assisting onÂtwo of the four goals. Two days later, the U.S. defeatedÂFinland to win the gold medal, and Pavelich wound up with six assists inÂthe seven Lake Placid games.ÂÂThe players became overnight heroes, appearing on television, visitingÂthe White House, attending promotional eventsÂacross the nation.ÂÂ"A lot of commotion," Pavelich says. "I tried to avoid it as much asÂpossible."ÂÂThen he signed with the New York Rangers and moved to Manhattan. TheÂteam photo shows a young man with shaggyÂhair and heavy features, his lips pressed together in only the faintestÂsemblance of a smile. He claims to have enjoyed hisÂtime in New York, taking in the sights of the city, but teammates recallÂhe wasn't much for the nightlife.ÂÂ"He'd rather do his job and be gone," says Baker, who joined his pal inÂNew York for a season. "He'd rather go to theÂcorner bar, have a few beers and talk to the old-timers than go toÂStudio 54."ÂÂOn the ice, Pavelich scored 76 points as a rookie-still a teamÂrecord-and led the Rangers the following season with 37Âgoals, five of them in a memorable game against the Hartford Whalers.ÂThough such numbers surely established him in theÂleague, he retired after only five seasons because of differences with aÂnew coach.ÂÂThere would be flickers of comebacks, a dozen or so games with the NorthÂStars and San Jose Sharks, but his career wasÂbasically over.ÂÂ"It was pretty easy," he says. "I just stepped away from it." ___ÂÂThe players who reunite at Staples Center this weekend like to joke thatÂEruzione made a career of his historic goal. ThatÂincludes two decades of working as a broadcaster, speaking at corporateÂmeetings and playing in celebrity golfÂtournaments.ÂÂ"When the Olympics ended, Mike and I ... thought we could have some funÂwith this for a year, maybe two," his agent, BobÂMurray, says. "In our wildest dreams we never thought he'd still beÂdoing this."ÂÂCraig, too, gets hired as a motivational speaker.ÂÂ"It was more than a hockey game," he says. "I've learned over the yearsÂhow much this meant to people."ÂÂBut for Pavelich, those two weeks in Lake Placid seem distant. HeÂdescribes himself as "kind of retired" and says a coupleÂof years have passed since he last wore a pair of skates. Rose guessesÂhe saved enough money from his playing days toÂlive simply and comfortably, often fishing for his dinner. There isÂlittle need for nostalgia.ÂÂSo he has skipped every reunion, large and small, save for the weddingÂof former teammate Steve Christoff. Even thoseÂplayers who live within a few hours' drive of Lutsen say they have notÂseen him in years.ÂÂ"I call him to see how he's doing," says Phil Verchota, now a bankÂexecutive in Willmar, Minn. "He's just private. HeÂdoesn't like social functions."ÂÂHis teammates hoped he would make an exception for a golf vacation theyÂarranged in South Carolina two years ago. TheyÂleft a plane ticket for him, and Baker, now an oral surgeon in Brainerd,ÂMinn., arrived early at the airport, eager to talkÂabout old times.ÂÂ"I waited and waited but he never showed," he says. "I had an empty seatÂbeside me on the plane."ÂÂThis time, with an insurance company paying to bring the team to LosÂAngeles, Pavelich is noncommittal when asked if heÂwill come. "Well, um ... we'll see," he says.ÂÂVerchota, who spoke to him recently, was doubtful.ÂÂThe players say they will be disappointed if he does not attend, butÂalso admit to getting a certain amount of enjoyment fromÂhis reticence. They joke about him being a hermit. They speculate aboutÂhim chasing Bigfoot.ÂÂAnd, in more serious moments, they suspect he isn't so mysterious afterÂall.ÂÂ"He could care less about the limelight," Craig says. "He just lives hisÂlife and is happy ... all of us should be thatÂcourageous."ÂÂIf you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives atÂlatimes.com/archives. For information aboutÂreprinting this article, go to www.lats.com/rights.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8279/1/E-Janica---janicahrthr.html ÂShower her with LOVE !ÂZatrpajte ju s ljubavlju !ÂÂjanica@hrt.hrÂhttp://www.janica.croski.hr/ÂÂNenad BachÂÂÂ(E) Janica KostelicÂSportsÂKatarina TepeshÂFeb 23, 2002ÂNÂÂJanica Kostelic: "To be famous doesn't mean anything to me." February 2002ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂSNOWBASIN, 18. February - After she won a gold medal, 20 years old Croatian ski champion Janica Kostelic won a silver medal.Â"Yes, it is true, I can be found everywhere", she said. She was surprised by the question whether she was thinking about ending her career.ÂÂ"Now, what kind of question is that? I am only 20 years old and I hope you will be watching me for at least the next eight years" she answered. Talking with journalists, Janica said that she was not a person who cared about fame. "To be famous does not mean anything to me. I don't care about it. My passion is skiing and skiing makes me happy." (Hina) (from the article from Vjesnik, 19.02.2002.)ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂJanica is the first Croatian sports(wo)man in the history of Croatian sports who won a gold medal at Winter Olympics.ÂÂIf somebody asked me to describe Janica, I would answer: she is original, self-confident, non-pretentious. She never acts or makes efforts to impress you trying to fit into the preconceived expectations. She appears to be happy to be herself. Watching her during interviews or skiing is so refreshing. With only 20 years of age, Janica is a living proof that the beauty of a person comes from her spirit, the one which relies on its uniqueness. And Janica relies on her own strength, knowledge, skills, potentials. No matter how much the media people try to confuse her asking her questions which are so stereotypically limiting, they can not confuse her. She is sincere and does not think how to impress you. As if she made a decision to be herself whether you like her or not. Janica does not imitate anybody and is not like anybody else. That makes her uniquely beautiful and accomplished young woman. If only other girls would realize that they also possess potentials worthy of exploring and developing, potentials which are unique and unfortunately lost in imposed efforts to imitate others. They should not imitate Janica, no matter how important her role model is, because Janica is and should remain the one and only, just as each one of us.ÂÂÂWritten by Nena Sudar, Zagreb, CroatiaÂhttp://www.crowmagazine.comÂÂÂWith 4th Medal, Croatia's Kostelic Makes HistoryÂÂPARK CITY, Utah, Feb. 22 -- The Croatian Sensation did it again.ÂJanica Kostelic blew away the field in the giant slalom today for her recordÂfourth Alpine medal of the Salt Lake City Games, joining Jean-Claude KillyÂand Toni Sailer as the only skiers with three golds at one Olympics.ÂÂThe 20-year-old Croat -- who had never finished higher than fourth in aÂWorld Cup giant slalom -- also became the first skier ever to win fourÂAlpine medals at an Olympics, winning a medal in every event in which sheÂcompeted.ÂÂ"I wonder if she's human. She's the greatest right now," said silverÂmedalist Anja Paerson of Sweden. "She's so mentally tough, nothing bothersÂher."ÂÂKostelic, who won gold in the slalom and the combined event and silver inÂthe super giant slalom, was not considered among the favorites in the giantÂslalom.ÂÂBut she won by 1.32 seconds in an event usually decided by fractions of aÂsecond. She took a half-second lead on the morning run and could have skiedÂconservatively and still won.ÂÂInstead, she more than doubled her lead in the second run.ÂÂFive men and four other women have won three Alpine medals at an Olympics.ÂThere were only three Alpine events until 1988, when the Super-G debuted andÂthe combined event was reintroduced after a 40-year hiatus.ÂÂ"It's great, but someone is going to break that record soon. The nextÂOlympics, maybe," Kostelic said. "I just tried to stay calm, because I hadÂthree medals before this. I had nothing to be nervous about."ÂÂKostelic, who won Wednesday's slalom in a heavy snow on a rutty course, wonÂthe giant slalom in spring-like conditions on a well-groomed slope.ÂÂShe finished the two runs in 2 minutes 30.01 seconds. Paerson was second inÂ2:31.33, adding to the bronze she won in Wednesday's slalom.ÂÂWorld champion Sonja Nef of Switzerland was third.ÂÂKostelic is the only Croatian to win a Winter Olympics medal, but thatÂdistinction may not last long. Her older brother, Ivica, is a favorite inÂSaturday's men's slalom.ÂÂThe Kostelic siblings are coached by their father, Ante, and the entireÂfamily made big sacrifices for skiing.ÂÂSince their embattled homeland has only two small ski resorts, they traveledÂaround Europe to compete in junior races -- often sleeping in tents or inÂthe car, living on salami and pickle sandwiches.ÂÂIn the Croatian capital of Zagreb, screams of joy came out from downtownÂapartments and shots were fired in the air as Kostelic won.ÂÂ"It's unbelievable! She's amazing, I'm so proud of her," said ZagrebÂresident Nevena Morandic, wiping away tears of joy. "She's the best thingÂour country has."ÂÂAfter her victory, about 20 Croats joined Kostelic for an impromptu dance inÂthe finish area. They kneeled and formed a chorus line behind Kostelic,Âswaying to "That's the Way (I Like It)" over the loudspeakers.ÂÂKostelic, who missed the first half of the World Cup season while recoveringÂfrom three operations on her left knee, ranks only 30th in the giant slalomÂon the World Cup circuit this season.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8284/1/EH-Janica-Kostelic-official-website---krizanje.html ÂÂJanica Kostelic - official websiteÂFrom:Krunoslav PoljakÂÂhttp://www.janica.croski.hr/ÂÂÂPrigodom osvajanja srebrne medalje Janica se nekoliko sekundi prije samogÂspusta PREKRIZZILA. To je bilo moguche vidjeti na njemacckoj televiziji tu istuÂveccer, u nekoliko navrata.ÂÂÂHTV je taj "detalj" ZAOBISSLA. kod svakog ponavljanja snimke taj dan.ÂZaobilazi ga i sada.ÂÂÂOvaj "detalj" (i ne samo ovaj) dovoljno govori o odnosu HTV prema krsschanskim vrijednostima.ÂSmatram ovaj odnos HTV prema Janici Kostelich nekorektnim. Nekorektan je i premaÂvelikoj vechini stanovnika ove drzzave.ÂÂÂDarko ZzubrinichÂZagrebÂwww.hr/hrvatska/Croatia-HCS.htmlÂÂOp-edÂNBC je u Americi je pokazao vise puta kako se Janica i njena majka krizaju.ÂNBC showed Janica and her mother crossing before and after the race.ÂHTV...where are you? Going 50 years back? Are you serious about -editing such detail?ÂHard to believe.ÂÂPisite Janici i njenoj obitelji na: janica@hrt.hrÂZavrijedili su pohvale. Dali su vise nego sto ikad mogu primiti.ÂÂWrite to Janica Kostelic and her family at: janica@hrt.hrÂThey deserve a praise. They as a family gave to us more then they would ever be able to receive.ÂÂNenad BachÂcrownÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 22 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8283/1/E-Kostelic-first-woman-to-win-four-medals-in-Games.html ÂFriday, February 22, 2002ÂÂKostelic first woman to win four medals in GamesÂÂAssociated PressÂÂÂPARK CITY, Utah -- Janica Kostelic won her record fourth Alpine medal of theÂSalt Lake City Games in Friday's giant slalom, joining Jean-Claude Killy andÂToni Sailer as the only skiers with three golds at one Olympics.ÂÂThe 20-year-old Croat, who already had gold medals in the slalom and theÂcombined event and a silver in the super giant slalom, was not consideredÂamong the favorites in the giant slalom.ÂBut she blew away the rest of the field by an amazing 1.32 seconds in a raceÂoften decided by hundredths of seconds.ÂÂKostelic finished the two runs in 2 minutes, 30.01 seconds. Sweden's AnjaÂPaerson won silver in 2:31.33, adding to the bronze she won in Wednesday'sÂslalom. World champion Sonja Nef of Switzerland was third.ÂÂKostelic is the only Croatian to win a Winter Olympics medal, but thatÂdistinction may not last long. Her older brother, Ivica, is a favorite --Âalong with Bode Miller -- in the men's slalom on Saturday.ÂÂThe Kostelic siblings are coached by their father, Ante, and the entireÂfamily made huge sacrifices for skiing.ÂÂSince their embattled homeland has only two small ski resorts, they traveledÂaround Europe to compete in junior races -- often sleeping in tents or inÂthe car, living on salami and pickle sandwiches.ÂÂIn the Croatian capital of Zagreb, screams of joy came out from downtownÂapartments and shots were fired in the air as Kostelic won.ÂÂ"It's unbelievable! She's amazing, I'm so proud of her," said ZagrebÂresident Nevena Morandic, wiping away tears of joy. "She's the best thingÂour country has."ÂÂKostelic, who missed the first half of the World Cup season while recoveringÂfrom three offseason operations on her left knee, ranks only 30th in theÂgiant slalom on the World Cup circuit this season.ÂÂShe has never placed higher than fourth in a World Cup giant slalom.ÂÂAfter finishing, Kostelic kissed a small Croatian flag and then got aÂhigh-five and a big hug from Paerson.ÂÂThe sharply sloping course and tight turns forced the skiers to fling theirÂbodies from side to side as they raced down the course on a balmy day withÂtemperatures in the mid-40s.ÂKostelic became the only skier to win four Alpine medals at an Olympics.ÂÂFive men and five women, including Kostelic, have won three Alpine medals atÂan Olympics. There were only three Alpine events until 1988, when the SuperÂG debuted and the combined event was reintroduced after a 40-year hiatus.ÂÂKostelic won a medal in every event in which she competed. She did notÂparticipate in the downhill.ÂÂThe top U.S. skier in Friday's race was Kristina Koznick, who finished 17th.ÂThe U.S. women were shut out of Alpine medals here for the first time sinceÂthe 1988 Calgary Games. The only top-10 finish in Alpine by a U.S. woman wasÂLindsey Kildow's sixth place in the combined event.ÂÂÂ(E) Janica wins her 4th medal!ÂSportsÂMarko PuljicÂFebruary 22, 2002ÂYÂÂÂBy Alan BaldwinÂÂPARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - Croatia's Janica Kostelic hurtled to giantÂslalom gold to become the first Alpine skier to win four Olympic medals at aÂsingle Games.ÂÂThe 20-year-old was also the first woman to win three Alpine golds at oneÂGames and only the third skier to achieve the feat after France'sÂJean-Claude Killy in 1968 and Austrian Toni Sailer in 1956.ÂÂKostelic won by a breathtaking margin, a hefty 1.32 seconds ahead ofÂSweden's Anja Paerson and 1.66 clear of Swiss bronze medallist Sonja Nef.ÂÂYet Kostelic had seemed a long shot before Friday's start, never beforeÂhaving finished on the podium in giant slalom.ÂÂShe had won the combined and slalom golds and taken a silver in super-G butÂeven she thought the giant slalom likely to be one race too far.ÂÂInstead, her opening run from a 19th start position blasted away any doubtsÂand her second was every bit as crushing on a piste set by Paerson's fatherÂAnders. Her final time was two minutes 30.01 seconds.ÂÂ"I don't know what's going on. I'm totally surprised," Kostelic said afterÂthe first run.ÂThere was disappointment for Austrian Alexandra Meissnitzer, a former worldÂchampion and silver medallist from Nagano four years ago, who failed toÂmatch the pace and fell back from second to fourth.ÂÂSpain's Maria Jose Rienda Contreras had been third, hoping to become herÂcountry's first Alpine medallist since Blanca Fernandez-Ochoa in 1992, butÂshe faded to sixth.ÂÂSWEDISH HOPESÂÂKostelic's achievement came with a curious qualifier, in that she was theÂfirst Alpine skier to win four Olympic medals at a Games rather than fourÂmedals.ÂLiechtenstein's Hanni Wenzel, in 1980, and Germany's Rosi Mittermaier, inÂ1976, also took four medals.ÂÂBut the combined, adding the downhill times to the slalom, did not count asÂa full Olympic event in those days and the medal awarded was anÂInternational Ski Federation (FIS) world championship one.ÂÂKostelic was fastest by a hefty 0.49 after the first run and she was againÂfastest in the second leg with a lightning time of 1:14.01.ÂÂPaerson was second quickest in 1:14.46 to move up from fourth place andÂclaim her second medal of the Games after securing a bronze in the slalom.ÂÂWatched by the Swedish royal family, she had wanted her country's first goldÂof the Olympics but Kostelic, despite lingering pain after repeated surgeryÂon her knee last year, was just too strong.ÂÂKostelic's best in giant slalom also came in Park City in 1999 when sheÂfinished fourth.ÂNef, who crashed out of Wednesday's slalom and almost fell in the first leg,Âsaved Swiss pride with the team's first Alpine medal of the Games.ÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 22 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8282/1/H-Janici-i-trece-zlato---Povijesna-medalja.html  Janici i trece zlato !!!  JANICA Kostelic osvojila je zlatnu medalju u veleslalomu i time postala najuspješnijom skijašicom u povijesti Olimpijskih igara. Tri zlatne i jedna srebrna medalja - NEVJEROJATNO!!!  Nakon zlata u alpskoj kombinaciji i slalomu, te srebra u superveleslalomu, 20-godišnja Zagrepcanka deklasirala je svjetsku klasu i u veleslalomu sa ukupnim vremenom 2:30.01 minuta.  U disciplini u kojoj nikad nije bila medu prve tri, Janica je srebrnu Švedanku Anja Paerson ostavila za 1.32 sekundi, a svjetsku prvakinju i najvecu favoritkinju broncanu Švicarku Sonju Nef cak 1.66 sekundi.  Ovo je zaista nestvarno, što reci nakon ovakvog nastupa Janice Kostelic na Olimpijskim igrama u Salt Lake Cityu. Pokazala je da je najbolja, najsvestranija i najpripremljenija skijašica svijeta i ispisala olimpijsku povijest.  "Ne znam što se dogada. I ja sam iznenadena. Ne osjecam se kao najbolja skijašica svijeta, pa ja sam još uvijek djevojcica", bila je prva izjava djevojke ispod Sljemena koja je na tako strašan nacin "pokorila" skijaški svijet. Otkad je Zimskih igara samo su dvojica skijaških velikana Austrijanac Tony Sailer (1956) i Francuz Jean Claude Killy (1968) osvojili tri zlata - sada se njima pridružila i Janica Kostelic.  Nakon prve vožnje imala je prednost od 49 stotinki ispred drugoplasirane Austrijanke Meissnitzer, te 73 stotinke u odnosu na treceplasiranu Španjolku Contreras i vec tada se naziralo još jedno hrvatsko slavlje. Slicno kao i superveleslalomu, Janica nikad prije u Svjetskom kupu nije bila na postolju u veleslalomu - cetvrta je bila u Park Cityu (1998) i Serre Chevalieru (2000). U drugoj vožnji je ispalo još bolje, Janica je sa 1:14.01 imala najbolje vrijeme i drugog "laufa", a 45 stotinki sekundi iza nje bila je Paerson.  Sa tri operacije koljena u zadnjih sedam mjeseci, što je potpuno poremetilo ritam treninga ni priprema, od Janice se objektivno ocekivala samo jedna medalja, povijesna prva "zimska" za Hrvatsku. A iz Salt Lake Citya se vraca sa cetiri medalje, od cega tri najsjajnije... Kakav ce to biti docek u Zagrebu u ponedjeljak.  Veliki docek za Olimpijsku pobjednicu organizirat ce se na Trgu Bana Jelacica u Zagrebu u Zagrebu, u ponedjeljak 25. veljace u 11 sati.    Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 22 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8281/1/E-Ivan-Bracic-A-long-and-winding-road.html ÂÂhttp://www.macon.com/mld/telegraph/2698330.htmÂPosted on Tue, Feb. 19, 2002  ÂTHE BRACIC FILEÂA long and winding roadÂBy Joseph PersonÂTelegraph Staff WriterÂÂMILLEDGEVILLE - Scanning the men's basketball roster for Georgia College & State University is like unfolding a Georgia road map.ÂThe hometowns are all within a half-day's drive from Milledgeville - Decatur, Austell, Tifton, Lithonia. Even the out-of-state players can get to campus on a tank, maybe two of gas, filling up in St. Petersburg and Pensacola and heading north.ÂAnd then there's Ivan Bracic, who needs a passport and a good deal on an airline ticket if he wants to go home for summer break.ÂGC&SU coach Terry Sellers has not had to cut too wide a recruiting path to put the Bobcats on the Division II map. Generally, Sellers lures players from Georgia or his native Alabama, although one of the school's most decorated players was Julius Joseph, a starting forward from 1997-2000 who came to Milledgeville by way of London, England.ÂStill, the question begs asking: What were the chain of events that led Bracic from his native Croatia to this sleepy college town?Â"It's a really long story," Bracic said.ÂHey, this is Milledgeville: No one's in too big a hurry.ÂSheltered by youthÂBracic (pronounced BRA-chick) grew up outside of Split, a Croatian port city on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea opposite Italy. He began studying English in fourth grade, which is about the time the air sirens started sounding in his hometown. By sheer luck of the geographic draw, Split escaped unscathed from Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic's attack on Croatia in the early 1990s.ÂBut whenever there was fighting up the road in Knin, about 50 miles north of Split, the sirens would go off, and Bracic's elementary school teacher would round up the students and take them to a nearby shelter.Â"I was too young. I didn't understand what was going on," Bracic said while relaxing at GC&SU's Centennial Center. "My parents were more concerned than I was. But now that I see what was going on, it's frightening. I was lucky I lived in Split and there was not much bombing."ÂWhen Knin was evacuated, Bracic's two uncles and grandmother came to live with his family. They ended up staying four years and built a three-story house next to Bracic's. He had another, more distant relative who lost his leg in a bombing and was tortured in a Serb prison camp.ÂIf Bracic was confused by all the violence, the images on Serb TV didn't help.Â"They showed Americans and U.N. as terrorists," he recalled.ÂWhen the fighting subsided in '95, Bracic's relatives returned to Knin and he began his basketball career. Shooting up to his current 6-9 height, Bracic found himself still looking up to some of his teammates.Â"I was basically a two (shooting) guard because we had 7-footers, we had 6-11 guys," he said.ÂBracic played for a club team called A.D. Plastik, a local auto parts manufacturer. A couple of his teammates went on to play for Notre Dame and Purdue, while another - Bruno Sundov - is a reserve for the Indiana Pacers.ÂBracic was good enough to join the professional circuit in Croatia, but smart enough not to.Â"When I was 18, 19, that's about the time in Croatia you either try to go pro or go league basketball, go to college and start working," he said. "I was always a good student. That's why I didn't want to quit college."ÂAfter a year at the University of Split, one or two American coaches contacted Bracic. A mutual friend put him in touch with Rhode Island assistant Jim Harrick Jr., who convinced Bracic to sign with the Rams.ÂBy the time Bracic was stateside, however, Harrick Jr. had followed his father to Georgia, and Bracic was introducing himself to a new coaching staff that had never heard of him.ÂHe spent one unhappy season playing under the since-departed Jerry DeGregorio, averaging only 2.6 points in 23 games. His only ally was assistant coach Jeff Jones, the former Virginia head coach who is now at American University.Â"I was fortunate to have him on the team because no one else was talking to me," Bracic recalled. "It was just a bad situation. É It was a terrible program. The head coach had his own mindset."ÂHome away from homeÂHalfway through his only season at Rhode Island, Bracic knew he wanted to transfer. He just wasn't sure where. Dalibor Raso, a friend from Croatia, got a hold of Bracic and told him to come visit GC&SU, where Raso was an undergrad at the time.Â"I had a great time," he said. "It's different when you have someone from your home country that you can talk to in your own language."ÂBracic also enjoyed meeting the Bobcat players, who were more approachable than his URI teammates had been. And while Bracic had not posted good numbers on the court at Rhode Island, his classroom stats were a different story.Â"I was very impressed with him," Sellers said. "He had already demonstrated a good academic record. We were excited about that 3.8 (GPA) he brought with him."ÂThe truth is, though, that Bracic didn't really fit the blueprint for Sellers' running, pressing style of play. Sellers generally likes big men who can run the floor and finish inside, not ones who want to stand at the 3-point line and hoist 20-footers.ÂBut Bracic seemed to find his niche last season, playing in all 25 games, averaging 8.6 points and leading the Bobcats in overall field goal percentage (56.1) and 3-point percentage (54.3).ÂBracic missed the first two games this season after getting his knee cleaned out and has yet to find his rhythm. His shooting numbers are down, and he's averaging only 6.3 points a game - seventh on the team.ÂStill, the next time Sellers walks into the gym and sees Bracic sulking will be the first time.Â"He hasn't been able to do quite as well because of (Sellers' style) but he's given it all and tried to fit in. He doesn't complain. He doesn't say we need to slow down," Sellers said. "We've tried to do some things to take advantage of his abilities. He's always had a positive attitude. I wish all our guys had the same attitude as Ivan has."ÂBracic rooms with another Croatian student, but has also been making friends with the locals. While eating 25-cent chicken wings at The Brick one night last year, Bracic met Lisa and Glenn Abbey, a Milledgeville couple that had "adopted" GC&SU players in the past.ÂA friendship was formed. Bracic goes over to the Abbeys' house for dinners, serves as an older-brother figure to their 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, and is trying to teach everyone his language before they visit Croatia this summer.Â"We're just very fond of him," Lisa Abbey said. "He's incredibly humble. When you think of your average college student, you think of those that like to party on Thursday nights and (take the attitude), 'If I can just make it.' But he has a certain perseverance that you don't find in the average college student."ÂSellers also noticed that humility when the team was over to his house for Christmas last year. A couple of the players asked Bracic what some of his favorite Christmas gifts had been as a child. He said his family didn't have the money to exchange presents.Â"He's just a real humble kid," Sellers said. "It's just refreshing. Most of our kids and some of the other kids that we have that didn't have a lot were amazed that they didn't celebrate Christmas in the traditional, gift-giving way."ÂBracic misses his parents and his 21-year-old sister, a law student in Croatia. He's only been home two or three times since coming to the U.S. in 1999, and hopes his family can visit soon.Â"I wish I could bring them here for my graduation or my senior day, but I don't think that's going to be possible," said Bracic, citing financial constraints. "I know how tough it is for them to come over here."ÂBracic has maintained his high academic standing and will graduate on time this spring. He's talking about approaching Sellers about a graduate assistantship, going back home to find a job or giving the European pro leagues a whirl.ÂSellers isn't worried about Bracic finding his path.Â"He's got his head on straight. He's going to be successful," he said.ÂAfter all, this is someone who left home and traveled halfway around the world to find basketball glory, but discovered something else entirely - peace in a faraway land.Â"I'm really nostalgic (for Croatia) sometimes," Bracic conceded, "but there are so much more opportunities here."ÂIncluding opportunities for new friendships.Â"It's a relationship that, though there are cultural barriers, you can look at a person and see the good," added Abbey. "And Ivan possesses all of that."ÂÂContact Person at joeperson@aol.comÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 22 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8286/1/E-Kostelic-takes-slalom-gold.html ÂWednesday, 20 February, 2002, 20:31 GMTÂKostelic takes slalom goldÂÂÂÂKostelic won her second gold of the GamesÂÂCroat skier Janica Kostelic clinched her second gold of the Salt Lake City Games as she won the women's slalom. Kostelic had already claimed the combined event and took silver in the super giant slalom. As heavy snow caused difficult, slippery conditions, she triumphed over France's Laure Pequegnot and Swede Anja Paerson. Kostelic clocked a combined time of one minute, 46.10 seconds for the two runs. Pequegnot won the silver in 1:46.17, with Paerson finishing in 1:47.09. More soon.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 20 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8287/1/H-Raspored-skijaskih-natjecanja-na-Olimpijadi.html ÂÂDolje je raspored skijaskih natjecanja na OlimpijadiÂSva natjecanja pocinju u 12.00 i traju do 16.00 ESTÂÂÂRaspored hrvatskih skijašaÂCetvrtak 14.veljaceÂJ.Kostelic (kombinacija) ZLATNA MEDALJAÂNedjelja, 17. veljaceÂJ.Kostelic (super G) SREBRNA MEDALJAÂSrijeda, 20. veljace WednesdayÂFleiss (slalom)ÂJelušic (slalom)ÂJ.Kostelic (slalom)ÂCetvrtak, 21. veljace ThursdayÂI.Kostelic (veleslalom)ÂPetak, 22. veljace FridayÂJ.Kostelic (veleslalom)ÂSubota, 23. veljace SaturdayÂI.Kostelic (slalom)ÂÂÂÂEvery day from today till Saturday,Janica and Ivica Kostelic are racing.ÂWe wish you more then words can say.ÂÂCROWNÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 19 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8285/1/E-College-Basketball-Croatian-Style.html ÂCollege Basketball, Croatian StyleÂÂFrom Frank MustacÂfrankmustac@att.netÂÂAlong with two-time Olympic medalist Janica Kostelic in Utah, there areÂother athletes from Croatia plying their talents on American soil asÂwell.ÂÂHere are some of the Croatian basketball players who during theÂ2001-2002 season have been pounding the hardcourt for some collegeÂbasketball teams in the United States.ÂÂMen players:Â*Jere Macura (#15); Notre Dame University; Hometown: Split, CroatiaÂ*Ivan Kartelo (#5); Purdue University; Hometown: Split, CroatiaÂ*Vedran Vukusic (#11); Northwestern University; Hometown: Split, CroatiaÂÂ*Davor Duvancic (#31); Northwestern University; Hometown: Split,ÂCroatiaÂ*Karlo Kovacic (#10); San Diego State University; Hometown: Rijeka,ÂCroatiaÂ*Zoran Kos (#40); Southern Connecticut State University; Hometown:ÂRovinj, CroatiaÂ*Silvije Turkovic (#13); Loyola-Chicago; Hometown: Trogir, CroatiaÂ*Slaven Smiljanic (#4); Southwest Texas University; Hometown: Sibenik,ÂCroatiaÂÂWomen players:Â*Lana Labura (#30); Jacksonville University; Hometown: Zagreb, CroatiaÂ*Matea Pender; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Hometown:ÂSibenik, CroatiaÂ*Iva Zoretic (#5); Norwich University (Northfield, Vermont); Hometown:ÂRijeka, CroatiaÂ*Nikolina Pender; Duquesne University (Pittsburgh, Pa.); Hometown:ÂSibenik, CroatiaÂ*Ivana Stojkovic (#13); New Mexico State University; Hometown: Split,ÂCroatiaÂÂ------------------------------ÂMen PlayersÂÂNotre Dame University Fighting IrishÂÂJere Macura (Number 15)ÂClass: JuniorÂHometown: Split, CroatiaÂHeight / Weight: 6-9 / 230ÂPosition: ForwardÂÂhttp://und.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/macura_jere00.htmlÂÂRemaining Notre Dame men's basketball schedule:ÂÂWed 02/20/2002; vs. West Virginia; 7:30 PM ET; Notre Dame, Ind.ÂSat 02/23/2002; vs. Miami Fla.; 7:30 PM ET; Coral Gables, Fla.ÂWed 02/27/2002; vs. St. John's; 7:30 PM ET; Jamaica, N.Y.ÂSat 03/02/2002; vs. Providence; 4:00 PM ET; Notre Dame, Ind.ÂBIG EAST Championship; Wed 03/06/2002 through Sat 03/09/2002; MadisonÂSquare Garden, N.Y., N.Y.ÂÂ-----------------------------ÂÂPurdue University BoilermakersÂÂIvan Kartelo (Number 5)ÂClass: JuniorÂHometown: Split, CroatiaÂHeight / Weight: 6-11 / 247ÂPosition:CenterÂÂhttp://purduesports.fansonly.com/sports/mbaskbl/mtt/kartelo_ivan00.htmlÂÂRemaining Purdue men's basketball schedule:ÂÂWed 02/20/2002; vs. Northwestern; 9:00 PM ET; Evanston, Ill.ÂSat 02/23/2002; vs. Ohio St; 8:00 PM ET; Columbus, OHÂSat 03/02/2002; vs. Penn State; 12:17 PM ET; W. Lafayette, Ind.ÂBig Ten Tournament; Thu 03/07/2002 through Sun 03/10/2002; Indianapolis,ÂInd.ÂÂ-----------------------------ÂÂNorthwestern UniversityÂÂVedran Vukusic (Number 11)ÂClass: FreshmanÂHometown: Split, CroatiaÂHeight / Weight: 6-8 / 220ÂPosition: ForwardÂÂhttp://nusports.fansonly.com/sports/mbaskbl/mtt/vukusic_vedran00.htmlÂÂDavor Duvancic (Number 31)ÂClass: FreshmanÂHometown: Split, CroatiaÂHeight / Weight: 6-7 / 210ÂPosition: ForwardÂÂhttp://nusports.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/duvancic_davor00.htmlÂÂRemaining Northwestern men's basketball schedule:ÂÂWed 02/20/2002; vs. Purdue; 8:00 PM CT; Evanston, Ill.ÂSat 02/23/2002; vs. Illinois; 1:30 PM CT; Evanston, Ill.ÂWed 02/27/2002; vs. Minnesota; 7:00 PM CT; Minneapolis, Minn.ÂSat 03/02/2002; vs. Indiana; 1:30 PM CT; Bloomington, Ind.ÂBig Ten Tournament; Thu 03/07/2002 through Sun 03/10/2002; Indianapolis,ÂInd.ÂÂ---------------------------ÂÂSan Diego State UniversityÂÂKarlo Kovacic (Number 10)ÂClass: SeniorÂHometown: Rijeka, CroatiaÂHeight / Weight: 6-5 / 196ÂPosition: GuardÂÂhttp://goaztecs.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/kovacic_karlo00.htmlÂÂRemaining San Diego State men's basketball schedule:ÂÂMon 02/18/2002; vs. Wyoming; 7:00 PM MT; Laramie, Wyo.ÂSat 02/23/2002; vs. UNLV; 7:35 PM PT; Las Vegas, Nev.ÂThu 02/28/2002; vs. New Mexico; 8:05 PM PT; Cox ArenaÂSat 03/02/2002; vs. Air Force; 6:35 PM PT; Cox ArenaThuÂMWC Tournament starts 03/07/2002; Las Vegas, Nev.ÂÂ-------------------------ÂÂSouthern Connecticut State UniversityÂÂZoran Kos (Number 40)ÂClass: SeniorÂHometown: Rovinj, CroatiaÂHeight / Weight: 6-8 / 235ÂPosition: Forward/CenterÂÂRemaining Southern Connecticut men's basketball schedule:ÂÂMon. Feb.18; at St. Anselm; 7:30 p.m.ÂWed. Feb. 20; vs. Le Moyne; 7:30 p.m.; at Moore FieldhouseÂNortheast-10 Conference TournamentÂÂ----------------------ÂÂLoyola-Chicago UniversityÂÂSilvije Turkovic (Number 13)ÂClass: SeniorÂHometown: Trogir, CroatiaÂHeight / Weight: 6-10 / 240ÂPosition: CenterÂÂhttp://cbs.sportsline.com/u/basketball/college/players/179532.htmÂÂ------------------------------ÂÂSouthwest Texas UniversityÂÂSlaven Smiljanic (Number 4)ÂClass: SeniorÂHometown: Sibenik, CroatiaÂHeight / Weight: 6'4" / 200ÂPosition: GuardÂÂhttp://www.athletics.swt.edu/sports/mbasketball/athletes/04-Smiljanic.htmÂÂRemaining Southwest Texas men's basketball schedule:ÂFeb. 21; vs. Southeastern Louisiana; 7:00 pm; Hammond, LouisianaÂFeb. 23; vs. Nicholls State; 7:15 pm; Thibodaux, LouisianaÂFeb. 26; vs. Texas-Arlington; 7:30 pm; Arlington, TexasÂMarch 2; vs. Texas-San Antonio; 4:00 pm; Hme at SanÂMarcosÂStrahan ColiseumÂMarch 4, 6, 9; SLC TournamentÂÂ---------------------------Â---------------------------ÂWomen PlayersÂÂJacksonville UniversityÂÂLana Labura (Number 30)ÂClass: SeniorÂHometown: Zagreb, CroatiaÂHeight: 6-0ÂPosition: ForwardÂÂhttp://judolphins.fansonly.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/labura_lana00.htmlÂÂRemaining Jacksonville University women's basketball schedule:ÂÂ2/21/2002; vs. UCF; 7:00 PM ET; at Orlando, Fla.Â02/23/2002; vs. Florida Atlantic; 3:00 PM ET; at Boca Raton, FLÂ02/28/2002; vs. Mercer; 7:00 PM ET; at Jacksonville, Fla.Â03/02/2002; vs. Troy State; 2:00 PM ET; Jacksonville, Fla.Â03/07/2002; Atlantic Sun Tournament; Troy, Ala.ÂÂ--------------------ÂÂUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)ÂÂMatea PenderÂClass: FreshmanÂHometown: Sibenik, CroatiaÂHeight: 6-1ÂPosition: GuardÂÂhttp://www.umbcretrievers.com/sports/wbball/bio.asp?PLAYER_ID=477ÂÂRemaining UMBC women's basketball schedule:ÂÂFeb 18; Quinnipiac University; 7:00 PM; Home (Rac Arena)ÂFeb 21; at St. Francis (NY); 7:00 PM; (Brooklyn, NY)ÂFeb 23; at Sacred Heart; 2:00 PM; Fairfield, CTÂMar 2-Mar 4; NEC TournamentÂÂ------------------------ÂÂNorwich University (Northfield, Vermont)ÂÂIva Zoretic (Number 5)ÂHometown: Rijeka, CroatiaÂHeight: 5' 8 ½"ÂPosition: GuardÂÂhttp://www.norwich.edu/news/sports/wbb_profiles.htmlÂÂ----------------------------ÂÂDuquesne University (Pittsburgh, Pa.)ÂÂNikolina PenderÂClass: JuniorÂHometown: Sibenik, CroatiaÂHeight: 6-0ÂPosition: ForwardÂÂhttp://www.godukes.duq.edu/wbb/Bios/pender.bio.htmÂÂRemaining Duquesne women's basketball schedule:ÂFeb. 22; at Xavier; 7:00 pmÂFeb. 24; at Dayton; 12:00 pmÂMar. 1-4; Atlantic 10 Championship at temple University in PhiladelphiaÂÂ----------------------ÂÂNew Mexico State UniversityÂÂIvana Stojkovic (Number 13)ÂClass: FreshmanÂHometown: Split, CroatiaÂHeight: 6-2ÂPosition: ForwardÂÂhttp://nmstatesports.fansonly.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/stojkovic_ivana00.htmlÂÂOp-edÂGo out and support our Croatian talent. It is time well spent.ÂNenad BachÂEditor-in-chiefÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 19 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8288/1/E-BBC-KostelicInspiring-Goran.html ÂGreetings sports enthusiasts!ÂKostelic:Âhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/winterolympics2002/hi/english/alpine_skiing/newsid_1821000/1821219.stmÂhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/winterolympics2002/hi/english/alpine_skiing/newsid_1821000/1821536.stmÂhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/winterolympics2002/hi/english/alpine_skiing/newsid_1821000/1821588.stmÂGoran:Âhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/tennis/newsid_1822000/1822031.stm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 16 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8290/1/E-Golden-Janica-Croatias-first-ever-Winter-Olympics-GOLD.html ÂCroatia's Kostelic Storms to Alpine Combined GoldÂThu Feb 14, 5:38 PM ETÂÂSNOWBASIN, Utah (Reuters) - Janica Kostelic stormed to the top of the podiumÂThursday, winning the women's combined gold for Croatia's first ever WinterÂOlympics (news - web sites) medal.ÂÂPhotosÂÂReuters PhotoÂKostelic, the 2001 overall World Cup champion who has undergone extensiveÂknee surgery in the past year, dominated the slalom and then held on in theÂdownhill to beat Austria's Renate Goetschl by 1.49 seconds.ÂÂGermany's Martina Ertl, the silver medallist from Nagano, put team discordÂbehind her to take the bronze medal 1.88 behind the winner.ÂÂKostelic, still only 20, was fastest in both slalom runs but it was an openÂquestion as to whether she could hold off former downhill world championÂGoetschl in the speed event.ÂÂGoetschl, bronze medallist in the individual downhill, did her best with aÂtime of 1:15.27 but Kostelic then followed her down the mountain in a briskÂ1:16.00.ÂÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8289/1/E-I-leaned-forward-as-the-alphabetical-procession-reached-C.html Â"With nearly 100 countries participating, surely NBC can plumb the lineup for a more representative batch of bios. Like Hiroyasu Shimizu, a Japanese speedskater who committed himself to his sport to honor the memory his father, who died eight days before his 16th birthday; or Croatian Alpine skier Janica Kostelic, whose war-ravaged homeland considers her such a heroine that she's on a postage stamp; or Markku Uusipaavalniemi, a Finnish curler reputed to be his country's finest math student. The guy actually solved a Rubik's Cube in 25 seconds. Now that's must-see TV."ÂÂOp-edÂAs fellow Croatians, we truly understand this article. 4 out of 5 Olympic Games parade was without Croatia. It shouldn't be about selling the product but supporting the idea of world peace.ÂÂNenad BachÂcrownÂÂp.s. This article is writen before Janica won goldÂÂAmerica loses if Olympics are all about USAÂTue Feb 5, 6:19 AM ETÂÂBruce KlugerÂÂTwo years ago, I turned on the TV for the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics, broadcast from Sydney, Australia, specifically to watch the parade of athletes strutting into the stadium. I wasn't as interested in seeing the American team (though I wished them well) as I was in the Olympians from the tiny Caribbean country of Grenada. Since my daughters' births, both of their baby sitters have been Grenadan women; consequently, our household had adopted the ''Island of Spice'' as our most favorite nation. I leaned forward as the alphabetical procession reached G -- Germany, Ghana -- and when Great Britain's team entered, I knew Grenada was coming up. And then . . . and then . . .ÂÂThen a commercial for McDonald's. Or Ford. Or some product manufactured and sold in the Land of the Free. Needless to say, I was disappointed, especially when the broadcast returned after the commercial in time to catch the Hungarian team's entrance (we even missed Haiti).ÂÂWas Team USA's entrance similarly interrupted by commercials? Are you kidding? That would be heresy. What followed for the next two weeks was the usual format for an American TV Olympic broadcast: dozens of hours of programming devoted primarily to Americans winning (and losing) medals, while the other nations of the world played Ed McMahon to Uncle Sam's Johnny. What a waste.ÂÂResist showing offÂÂAs the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City approach, it's more important than ever for the broadcast industry -- and particularly NBC, which is televising the Games -- to resist using Salt Lake solely as a showcase for the prowess of our snow-blown superstars.ÂÂInstead, the coverage both in the United States and abroad should embrace the international spirit of the Olympics. Especially in this calamitous year, viewers around the world need to see the Games as a celebration of the global community, in which Nords and Koreans and, yes, Iranians, stand shoulder to shoulder, wielding ski poles and hockey sticks, not M-16s.ÂÂGranted, the terrorist attacks on America have put NBC in a bind, as the network searches for middle ground between feel-good globalism and coast-to-coast jingoism (''We're going to cover the Games as if they were a great coming together,'' says NBC Television Network president Randy Falco). But three days before the Games begin, it's apparent which sentiment will out-nudge the other at the wire. Promos for the Games swarm with images of Old Glory, as one of the network's theme songs -- Neil Diamond's Plymouth-rock-and-roll anthem, America -- pumps in the background. So much for the great coming together.ÂÂI don't mean to sound like a wet winter blanket. Every sports fan knows that the Olympics is the prime time to don team logos, commandeer the La-Z-Boy and root the home team on to victory.ÂÂBut this year more than ever, the home team is Planet Earth. If the fallout from Sept. 11 has taught us anything, it's that America tends to look at the world through red-white-and-blue-colored glasses, touting the glories of her own culture at the expense of understanding the complexities -- and richness -- of others.ÂÂIt's not all location, locationÂÂIn the case of the Winter Games, NBC should depict the proceedings not as a star-spangled sports bash, but as an intercontinental backyard jamboree that this time just happens to be in our backyard.ÂÂJudging from past Olympic broadcasts, three areas could use a rethink:ÂÂ* Athlete profiles. You know the drill: It's 10 minutes until the race, and rather than fill airtime with equal coverage of the competitors, the network cuts to a pre-packaged, gooey segment about the American entry. Let's change that. With nearly 100 countries participating, surely NBC can plumb the lineup for a more representative batch of bios. Like Hiroyasu Shimizu, a Japanese speedskater who committed himself to his sport to honor the memory his father, who died eight days before his 16th birthday; or Croatian Alpine skier Janica Kostelic, whose war-ravaged homeland considers her such a heroine that she's on a postage stamp; or Markku Uusipaavalniemi, a Finnish curler reputed to be his country's finest math student. The guy actually solved a Rubik's Cube in 25 seconds. Now that's must-see TV.ÂÂ* Local color. If the coverage in Salt Lake is anything like that of previous Olympics, we can bank on round-the-clock Utah overload, with slick vignettes on everything from Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival to celebrity profiles on all 600 Osmonds. Big mistake. We're hosting this affair, remember -- and as anyone who has thrown a dinner party can tell you, it's not polite to dominate the table talk with stories about how fabulously you've decorated your house. I'd rather sit through travelogues that transport me to a snowless African village, where Kenyan Richard Rono somehow found the inspiration to become an Olympic cross-country skier; or the paddy fields of Dalian in the People's Republic of China, home to biathlete (and farm girl) Yu Shumei. Don't kid yourself -- there's a lot we could learn from a little televised globetrotting.ÂÂ* Words from sponsors. No one knows how to pull patriotic heartstrings like the advertising industry, as it proved in the weeks after Sept. 11, when it ramped up the rampart-storming with flag-waving commercials by everyone from General Motors (''Keep America Rolling'') to the New York Sports Club (''Keep America Strong'').ÂÂWorldviewÂÂDon't get me wrong: The ads were terrific, the country was truly hurting (still is), and the spots were just the shot in the arm we needed. But if the creative minds behind these ads could incite such a heady sense of national pride in a time of desperation, can't they call on the same magic to promote a new kind internationalism? Madison Avenue knows how to do this; after all, wasn't it Coke that taught the world to sing?ÂÂIn the end, economics will decide what we see in the Olympic broadcast and when we see it. TV programming is a knotty bit of business whose content and context are dictated by the generation of dollars, not krona or pesos or yen.ÂÂBut one can still hope that the Winter Games telecast will begin to reflect today's changing world, which has suddenly and inexplicably become both a larger and smaller place to live.ÂÂMe, I'll be tuning in once again, rooting as always for the Caribbeans. Unfortunately, Grenada won't be participating in the Games this year. But there's always the Jamaican bobsledders.ÂÂBruce Kluger, who lives in New York, writes columns for Salon.com, Parenting and Us Weekly.ÂÂÂÂThis message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and theirÂFriends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed onÂthis list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the readerÂof this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy allÂcopies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 14 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8291/1/E-Goran-guns-for-second-crown.html ÂÂÂGulf News; Jan 27, 2002ÂÂBY A CORRESPONDENTÂÂÂWimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic is set to return to Dubai next month in aÂbid to claim his second singles title at the Dubai Tennis Championships.ÂWinner in 1996, the popular Croat came close to repeating his success theÂfollowing year, but had to be content with the runner-up position.ÂÂÂNow, inspired by his fairytale Wimbledon triumph, Ivanisevic will once moreÂattempt to become the first player to win the Dubai Duty Free Men's Open forÂa second time.ÂÂÂ"Goran is one of our most popular former champions and we're delighted thatÂhe is returning for the 10th anniversary staging of the Dubai Duty Free Men'sÂOpen," said Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, the ownersÂand organisers of the $1million tournament.ÂÂÂ"Goran last played in Dubai in 1997 and was at that time one of the mostÂpopular players we'd ever had, thanks to his winning combination ofÂathleticism and personality," McLoughlin added. "But he has been through soÂmuch and achieved so much in the four years since then that he returns toÂDubai in 2002 as one of the all time greats of the game."ÂÂÂA year ago, Ivanisevic was in despair and seemingly on his way out of tennis.ÂHe was forced to play in the qualifying event at the Australian Open, andÂlost in the first round on a battleground so far from the show courts that heÂneeded a map to find it.ÂÂÂ"It was the furthest court you could imagine," he said. "Nothing there. NextÂstop is the railway station!" Then, for the first time in 10 years he playedÂa modest Challenger event, reached the final, and his rehabilitation wasÂunderway.ÂÂÂA few months later he had achieved his greatest ambition, lifting theÂWimbledon trophy after denying home favourite Tim Henman - who will also playÂin Dubai next month - in the semifinal and Australia's Patrick Rafter in thatÂmemorable final last July.ÂÂÂIvanisevic doesn't now have to fight the inner demons that once tormented himÂto such an extent that he once smashed all his racquets and had to default aÂmatch. Now, his greatest challenge comes from an ailing shoulder.ÂÂÂ"It's not good, you know. It hurts, but I'm playing until I feel like IÂcannot play any more," he said, knowing that if he does undergo surgery for aÂrotator cuff injury then it would mean the end of his career.ÂÂÂThat can't happen yet, for despite his Wimbledon win there is still much heÂwants to do. His many fans in Dubai can be grateful that one of thoseÂambitions is to once more hold the beautiful silver Dhow trophy that goes toÂthe winner.ÂÂÂHeld under the patronage of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,ÂCrown Prince of Dubai and Minister of Defence, the Dubai Tennis ChampionshipsÂruns from February 18 to March 3 with the back-to-back staging of the DubaiÂDuty Free Women's Open and the Dubai Duty Free Men's Open.ÂÂÂTickets are on sale daily from 10am to 9pm at Dubai Tennis Stadium's northÂstand box office.ÂÂÂWorld Reporter All Material Subject to CopyrightÂÂWimbledon supremo set to returnÂÂGulf News; Jan 22, 2002ÂÂBY A CORRESPONDENTÂÂÂÂThe Dubai Tennis Championships has won a glowing seal of approval from topÂWimbledon official Alan Mills.ÂÂÂMills, who has been the Wimbledon referee since 1982, will be reunited withÂreigning Wimbledon champions Goran Ivanisevic and Venus Williams when heÂreturns to officiate at next month's Dubai Tennis Championships. BothÂIvanisevic and Williams are star draws in the February 18-March 3.ÂÂÂFamiliar to millions of TV viewers around the world as the man peeringÂanxiously for rain clouds from the corner of the All England Club's legendaryÂCentre Court, Mills made his debut as Chief of Umpires in Dubai last year andÂis looking forward to returning in 2002.ÂÂÂ"My memories of last year are the weather and the beautiful Centre Court," heÂsaid, speaking from Melbourne where he is officiating at the Australian Open.ÂÂÂ"As well as the unique facilities, the tournament's organisation alsoÂimpressed Mills. He reserved special praise for "the friendliness andÂprofessionalism of everybody involved with the tournament."ÂÂÂ"I got on very well with the officials and look forward to coming back andÂworking with them again," said Mills, whose role will again be to ensure thatÂall runs smoothly, from the eve-of-tournament draw to the finals.ÂÂÂCommenting on Mills's return to Dubai, Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director ofÂDubai Duty Free, said: "The Dubai Tennis Championships is the Middle East'sÂpremier tennis tournament and over the 10 years of the men's tournament andÂfor the inaugural women's event in 2001, we have attracted our fair share ofÂGrand Slam champions and world number ones.ÂÂÂ"But our officials are also the cream of the crop, and to have someone ofÂAlan's calibre not only to come here, but to complement the tournament, isÂtremendously rewarding. We look forward to welcoming him back in 2002."ÂÂÂThe Dubai Tennis Championships, held under the patronage of General SheikhÂMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Minister ofÂDefence, runs from February 18 to March 3.ÂÂÂTickets are on sale daily from 10am to 9pm at Dubai Tennis Stadium's northÂstand box office.ÂÂÂInformation about the event is available from 971 4 316 6966 orÂwww.dubaitennischampionships.com.ÂÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8292/1/E-New-Croatian-tennis-sensation.html Here's a nice article about Nick Fustar, a Croatian American tennisplayer at Fresno State University in California.From Croatia with Love: Nick Fustarby Laura HoldenJan. 3, 2002FRESNO, Calif. - Nick Fustar, the team leader of theBulldog men's tennis team, spent his childhood in twocountries, both Croatia and the United States. When hewas six years old his family moved to Seattle where hisfather Stipe completed his Ph.D. in electrical engineeringat the University of Washington.After that, the family of five returned to their native countryof Croatia until the war broke out in 1991, when Croatiadeclared independence from Yugoslavia. Seeking safety,they decided to come back to the United States, but firstthey needed to get their visas.For full story:http://gobulldogs.fansonly.com/sports/m-tennis/spec-rel/010202aaa.htmlFrom Frank Mustacfrankmustac@att.netorfmustac@timespapers.comdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 23 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8293/1/H-Brother-and-Sister-Kostelic-skiing-great.html Ivica Kostelic sesti u Kitzbuhelu Iako je bio drugi u prvoj voznji, Ivica Kostelic ipak je zavrsio sesti u slalomu u Kitzbuhelu. Losa pripremljenost staze za posljednje skijase druge voznje kostala je postolja naseg Ivicu te Slovenca Kunca, koji je kao prvi iz prve voznje, na kraju zavrsio tek deseti. Kao da je bilo bolje zaostati u prvom dijelu, pa onda krenuti sa boljeg mjesta u drugu voznju... Pobjednik je Austrijanac Rainer Schönfelder, drugi je njegov sunarodnjak Albrecht sa +0.18 sekundi, treci je Amerikanac Bode Miller sa 0.21 sekunde zaostatka, slijede Talijan Rocca i Austrijanac Pranger, a nas je Ivica kao sesti zaostao +0.81 sekundi. Iako nas je vec navikao na postolja, Kostelic nije razocarao. Zadrzao je vodstvo u poretku slaloma, no Bode Miller je smanjio zaostatak. Sljedeca utrka je nocni slalom u austrijskom Schladmingu, vec u utorak. (td, 20.01.2002.) Janica na pobjednickom postolju Janica Kostelic Hrvatska skijasica Janica Kostelic ostvarila je najbolji ovosezonski slalomski rezultat osvojivsi trece mjesto u nedjeljnoj utrci vozenoj u Berchtesgadenu. Nakon sto je u prvoj voznji zauzela sedmo mjesto, vrlo dobro je vozila i u drugoj, te je na cilj dosla druga sa 30 stotinki zaostatka ispred Svicarke Marlies Öster. Cetiri skijasice nakon nje nisu uspjele postici znacajniji rezultat, a Amerikanka Kristina Kozick, druga u prvoj voznji, uspjela je ostvariti identicno vrijeme kao i Öster, cime su njih dvije podjelile prvo mjesto. Vodeca nakon prve voznje, Svedanka Anja Paerson, iako je imala vrlo veliku prednost iz prve voznje, pocinila je gresku sredinom staze, te je zbog pada morala odustati, cime je nasa Janica ostala na odlicnom trecem mjestu. Janici je trece mjesto u Berchtesgadenu najbolji ovosezonski rezultat u jednoj utrci vozenoj za Svjetski kup. Iz utrke u utrku vozi sve bolje i sigurnije, sto su optimisticne vijesti za nastavak sezone.distributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8295/1/E-Ivica-Kostelic-does-it-again.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8294/1/Ivica-Kostelic-Pobjedjuje-u-Wengenu.html Click Here: Crown Home PageHrvatska i dalje ima najboljeg slalomasa svijeta. Ivica Kostelic u slalomu u svicarskom Wengenu ostvario je svoju drugu pobjedu u Svjetskom kupu. Ivica je samo sa jednom stotinkom prednosti pred Slovencem Kuncom osvojio novih 100 bodova i tako povecao svoju prednost pred pratiteljima. Vrijeme u Wengenu nije bilo naklonjeno skijasima, jer je sunce zagrijavalo stazu tako da skijasi koji su kasnije startali imali problema sa mekanom stazom. Ivica je u drugom djelu staze druge voznje napravio malu pogresku u kojoj je izgubio prednost iz prve voznje, ali je u posljednjih nekoliko vrata nasao pravu brzinu i pobijedio sa minimalnom prednoscu. distributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 13 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8296/1/Croatia-Pre-World-Soccer-Cup-Friendlies.html Click Here: Crown Home PageFeb 10 vs. Bulgaria @ RijekaMar 27 vs. Slovenia @ ZagrebApr 17 vs. Kuwait @ TBDMay 14 vs. Hungary @ Pecsdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachments is strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possible extent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 10 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8297/1/E-Croatian-brought-immortality-for-us-in-London.html 2001 Review: MY SPORTING MOMENT: WIMBLEDON FINAL July 9, 2001 - HowÂIvanisevic's stirring fairytale brought immortality in SW19ÂÂThe Birmingham Post - United Kingdom; Dec 26, 2001ÂÂBY MICHAEL WARDÂÂÂIt was the noise that hit you first. An orchestra of 14,000 voices raising aÂdeafening, awe-inspiring crescendo of sound on the Centre Court as GoranÂIvanisevic strode out for his Wimbledon final against Patrick Rafter.ÂÂÂAnd when you came to terms with this tumultuous din, it was the blaze ofÂcolour that struck you next. The stands were transformed into a dancing,Âshimmering wave of banners --- the red and white checks of Croatia mixed withÂthe green and gold of Australia, complete with their inflatable kangaroos.ÂThe two countries were equally represented by their respective fans, althoughÂmost of the Brits gave up their neutrality to root for Goran.ÂÂÂWe've had People's Sundays in the middle of Wimbledon in recent years, butÂPeople's Monday was as Wimbledon had never seen it before. It was unique andÂthose who werethere on July 9 2001 can bore the pants off their grandchildrenÂwith this wondrous tale for the rest of their days.ÂÂÂBecause of poor weekend weather, the men's singles championship had extendedÂinto a third week for only the second time in the Open era and this final wasÂstrikingly, thrillingly different to the mundane resumption of unfinishedÂbusiness between Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker in 1988.ÂÂÂThe Centre Court was halfempty when the Swede and his German adversary walkedÂout to the kind of atmosphere you would encounter at one of the All EnglandÂClub's croquet finals. And no-one, apart from the Swedes, cared lesswhenÂEdberg ground his way to his second Wimbledon title.ÂÂÂThe Ivanisevic-Rafter final was a complete contrast, for many reasons. For aÂstart, neither player had won Wimbledon before and a healthy balance ofÂsupporters craved for one or the other to attain tennis immortality.ÂÂÂUnlike theEdbergBecker final that was suspended from the rain and bad lightÂof the Sunday evening, thisone began from scratch to the raucous, riotousÂbacking of a crowd that was drawn straight from the streets of cosmopolitanÂLondon. There was no public ballot to decidewho held these precious tickets.ÂThe fans queued all night for the simple privilege of paying on the gate toÂwitness what unfolded as one of the great sporting moments of all time.ÂÂÂHalf of that crowd had never set foot in the All England Club's illustriousÂgrounds before, let alone taken their seats at a Wimbledon final. ThousandsÂmore who failed to make it into the Centre Court flocked to Henman's Hill forÂthe right to watch the proceedingson a giant screen. They would have loved toÂbe seeing Tim Henman in action as Britain's first men's singles finalistÂsince Bunny Austin lost to Donald Budge in 1938, which was two years afterÂFred Perry became the last champion from these shores.ÂÂÂFor Henman, it was not meant to be. Fate and the elements conspired againstÂhim when he was set fair for victory over a stumbling, fumbling Ivanisevic inÂthe semi-finals. A second interruption by rain threw the British No 1 off hisÂstride, Ivanisevic regrouped with a vengeance and Henman's Hill became hisÂCalvary.ÂÂÂIn the absence of Britain's best hope, an Ivanisevic-Rafter final was easilyÂthe next best thing. And the fascination of it was that Ivanisevic had failedÂin three previous Wimbledon finals, his first to Andre Agassi in 1992 and theÂother two to the unassailable Pete Sampras in 1994 and 1998.ÂÂÂInevitably, the talented, broodingly unpredictable, lefthander enteredÂWimbledon carrying the label of acompulsive loser, a player in decline toÂincrease the dead weight of odds against him; the nearly-man, returning twoÂmonths short of his 30th birthday and with a world ranking of 125 --- so lowÂthat he had to beg a wild card from the All England Club hierarchy.ÂÂÂSuitably, the bookmakers made Ivanisevic a 125-1 shot for the title before aÂball was struck. Only when he gunned down Henman was he taken deadlyÂseriously.ÂÂÂAnd yet, Goran was still the underdog when he walked out on to the CentreÂCourt to be assailed by an atmosphere of such massive voltage that itÂthreatened to blow every fuse in the London Borough of Merton. For a secondÂor two, Goran wore a bewildered ``what on earth am I doing here?'' expressionÂon his face. Then he smiled, nodded and waved to the crowd --- notÂextravagantly, for the excesses of emotion were to come three hours and fiveÂsets later.ÂÂÂSuffice to summarise that the good Goran, always believing that God wasÂguiding him andkeeping the bad Goran firmly in the shadows, won 9-7 in theÂfifth. In the end, Rafter was so demoralised and so resigned to the fact thatÂdestiny was calling Goran that he could only jab his return off a nervyÂsecond serve into the net on match point No 4. When it was over, all 14,000Âfans were united in their clamorous acclaim for the threetimes loser-turnedÂwinner of the world's most coveted title. There has never been a more popularÂwinner since the great Perry himself.ÂÂÂAfter clambering up through the crowd for a tearful reunion with his familyÂand friends in the guests' balcony, Ivanisevic said: ``I think I must beÂdreaming. Somebody is going to wake me up and tell me: `You lost theÂWimbledon final again.' I don't care now if I never win another tennis matchÂin my life.''ÂÂÂTo Goran, striding out for the first defence of his title on Centre CourtÂnext summer will be his proudest moment since he won it. Win or lose, theÂnearly man who finally became champion will know his place in sportingÂfolklore is secure.ÂÂÂAll Material Subject to CopyrightÂÂÂBrian GallagherÂdistributed by CROWN - www.croatianworld.net - CroWorldNet@aol.comÂNotice: This e-mail and the attachments are confidential information.If youÂare not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified thatÂany dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and the attachmentsÂis strictly prohibited and violators will be held to the fullest possibleÂextent of any applicable laws governing electronic Privacy. If you haveÂreceived this e-mail in error please immediately notify the sender byÂtelephone or e-mail, and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 06 Jan 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8298/1/H-IVICA-KOSTELIC-opet-PRVI-Kostelic-Wins-Again.html From: ÂIVICA KOSTELIC PRVI U VELESLALOMU, NIKA FLEISS CETVRTA U SLALOMUÂÂIvica Kostelic Wins in ALLEGHEÂÂÂALLEGHE, 6. prosinca (Hina) - Niz odlicnih nastupa Ivica Kostelic je nakonÂpovrataka iz Amerike nastavio u Europi. Na danasnjem FIS veleslalomu uÂtalijanskom Allegheu osvojio je prvo mjesto ispred dvojice Austrijanaca.#L#ÂÂKostelic je nakon dvije veleslalomske voznje potigao vrijeme 2:01.74 minute.ÂDrugoplasirani Cristopher Kronberger zaostao je 17 stotinki, a treceplasiraniÂThomas Draggabe gotovo dvije sekunde.ÂÂÂTime je nabolji hrvatski skijas potvrdio dobru formu uoci nedjeljnogÂveleslaloma u Val d'Isereu, jer je jucer na istoj stazi bio drugi.ÂÂÂNika Fleiss, koja se je nedavno vratila na skijaske staze nakon lakseÂozljede, u Obergurglu ostvarila je odlicno cetvrto mjestu u FIS slalomu uÂjakoj konkurenciji najboljih austrijskih skijasica. Prva je bila AustrijankaÂCarina Raich (1:26.41), ispred Novozelandanke Claudie Riegler (1:28.13) i sunÂarodnjakinje Christine Sponring (1:28.67). Mlada Samoborcanka sa 1:28.77 bilaÂje cetvrta, a iza sebe je ostavila ugledne slalomasice Karin Koellerer iÂSabine Egger.ÂÂÂSlalom je vozen u vrlo losim uvjetima, jer organizator nije mogao ureditiÂstazu zbog novog snijega. Zato i nije nastupila Rijecanka Ana Jelusic,Âprocijenivsi kako u takvim uvjetima ne bi osvojila bodove potrebne za nastupÂna ZOI u Salt Lake Cityu.ÂÂSubmitted by Ratimir Mocnaj letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Dec 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8301/1/E-Croatian-sensation-in-World-Cup-skiing-made-HISTORY-in-Aspen.html This came from USA Today from Nov. 26; a similar story appeared in theÂÂNY Times. John KraljicÂÂÂCroatian shocks men's slalom field with Aspen winÂÂBy David Leon MooreÂÂUSA TODAYÂÂÂASPEN, Colo. -- There's another Croatian sensation in World Cup skiing,ÂÂthis time on the men's tour.ÂÂÂIvica Kostelic, the older and largely ignored brother of 19-year-oldÂÂdefending women's World Cup champion Janica Kostelic, stormed into theÂÂspotlight Sunday by winning a World Cup men's slalom at Aspen MountainÂÂin 1 minute, 38.81 seconds.ÂÂÂThe result was historic and as unexpected as any World Cup finish inÂÂyears. Kostelic, 22, has spent more time in rehab than on the slopes,ÂÂhaving accumulated four major knee injuries since 1998.ÂÂÂHis best previous result in a World Cup was 21st, and Sunday he startedÂÂway back in the field -- 64th out of 75 skiers.ÂÂÂBut he skied as flawlessly as his little sister and won with the highestÂÂbib number in a slalom race in World Cup history.ÂÂÂAfter his victory over second-place Giorgio Rocca of Italy andÂÂthird-place Mario Matt of Austria, Kostelic's mother, Marisa, beamed inÂÂthe finish area. ''Last year it was my daughter,'' Marisa said,ÂÂreferring to Janica's slalom victory in Aspen. ''This year it is my son.ÂÂWe love Aspen.''ÂÂÂAspen felt likewise, showering the modest, oft-injured skier with warmÂÂovations.ÂÂÂ''I feel like I'm still in a dream,'' he said an hour after the race.ÂÂ''But it looks like it's real. It looks like I won.''ÂÂÂIvica often trains with his champion sister, who has won 12 World CupÂÂraces. ''I'm her rabbit,'' he said. ''She catches my times, but I'mÂÂbetter than the rest of the girls, I guess.''ÂÂÂSunday, he was better than the guys, too. ''That's what dreams are madeÂÂof,'' said Paul Casey Puckett, who posted the top American finish, 14th.ÂÂÂToday, Aspen hosts another men's slalom, the last major ski race in theÂÂUSA until the Salt Lake City Olympics in February.Âdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Dec 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8300/1/E-Croatian-soccer-match-in-Southern-California--with-Mexico.html From: ÂHi Nenad!ÂÂThis would likely be well received for readers in Southern California.ÂÂÂSoccer fans in Southern California may get the opportunity to see their teamÂplayÂ- LIVE - next month.ÂÂÂThis is the lowdown:ÂÂÂCroatia and Mexico are finalizing plans for a friendly match in Los AngelesÂbetweenÂDec. 12 and 16.ÂÂÂStay tuned!!ÂÂÂJulie GobinÂÂÂ##########################ÂÂJulie GobinÂÂEditor, Chino Valley Daily BulletinÂÂ4200 Chino Hills Parkway #645ÂÂChino Hills, CA 91709ÂÂPhone: 909.597.8250ÂÂFax: 909.597.7340Âdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Dec 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8299/1/EH-Ivica-Kostelic-First-in-ASPEN-Ivica-Kostelic-PRVI-U-ASPENU.html Ivica Kostelic First in ASPENÂASPEN, CO, UNITED STATES : Ivica Kostelic of Croatia celebrates his victoryÂin the World Cup Slalom 25 November, 2001, at Aspen, Colorado. Racing fromÂthe 64th position Kostelic won the race with a time of 1:38.81 seconds.ÂÂSubject: Ivica Kostelic PRVI U ASPENUÂÂPRVI SLALOM SKIJASA ZA SVJETSKI KUP U AMERICKOM ASPENU ZAVRSIO SENZACIONALNOMÂPOBJEDOM HRVATSKOG SKIJASA IVICE KOSTELICAÂÂIvica kao Janica!ÂÂ* Nitko jos nije u Svjetskom kupu pobijedio sa startnim brojem 64, jer je toÂ- nemoguce. Tako smo barem mislili do jucerÂÂÂÂÂÂNevjerojatno! Ivica Kostelic u prvom je slalomu sezone za Svjetski kupÂpobijedio! Drznuo se, u stilu svoje sestre, odrzati skolu skijanja usredÂnajmondenijega svjetskog zimskog centra, Aspena u Coloradu. Jedan od najvecihÂrezultata hrvatskog sporta, a postigao ga je sportas koji je protekle cetiriÂgodine vise vremena proveo druzeci se sa kirurzima nego sa skijasima izÂSvjetskoga kupa. No, njegovo je vrijeme moralo doci.ÂÂÂÂÂÂStartni broj 64, pocetak koji nikako nije bio obecavajuci. Svjezi snijegÂna stazi u Aspenu, snijeg i u zraku, uvjeti za sve samo ne za probijanje meduÂ30 najboljih. Ivica je, medutim, vrebao, stigao na start kada je vec polaÂpublike nestalo, a kamere su odavno zavrsile prijenose prve voznje.ÂFenomenalna, mekana i precizna voznja, 49 stotinki sekunde zaostatka, mirisÂsenzacije! Matt, Aamodt, Rocca, Schilchegger, Albrecht, Kosir, Kostelic...ÂSale vise nije bilo.ÂÂÂÂÂÂBilo je jasno da je ni u drugoj voznji nece biti. Nesto ritmicnija stazaÂnego u prvoj voznji, ali ipak teska i jedna od onih koja ne oprasta pogreske.ÂBilo je skakanja, odustajanja... No, momci su dobro ocistili stazu od novogÂsnijega, koji je pao izmedu dvije voznje. Ivica Kostelic krenuo je jednakoÂdobro kao i u prvoj voznji, samo je staza ovog puta bila odlicna, spremna zaÂsenzaciju. Zavoj po zavoj, bilo je jasno da ce to zavrsiti odlicnimÂplasmanom. Ali, 1.22 sekunde prednosti!?ÂÂÂÂÂÂOcito, nas je skijas zadao pretezak zadatak sljedecoj sestorici. Kosir,ÂAlbrecht, Schilchegger, Rocca, Aamodt, Matt! Sekstet asova, ali - u borbi zaÂdrugo mjesto! Ivica je fenomenalan, senzacionalan pobjednik. Sa startnimÂbrojem 64. Nitko i nikada dosada. San ili java?ÂÂÂÂÂÂ- Ovo je fenomenalno, Svjetski kup to dosad nije dozivio. Sa tim brojem!ÂNe, to doista nitko nije ocekivao, druga je voznja bila savrsena. Joj, sviÂsmo sokirani, ovo stvarno... - u potpunom transu pricao je Vedran Pavlek,Âdirektor skijaske reprezentacije nakon Ivicinog trijumfa.ÂÂÂÂÂÂSve se izvrtilo i Ivicinoj glavi, posve smo sigurni. Ozljeda jedna, paÂdruga, treca, cetvrta. Dvije teske upravo u Coloradu (Beaver Creek).ÂGlasnogovornik Hrvatskoga skijaskog saveza, Ozren Müller, tiho je spomenuoÂkako bi bilo dobro da se Ivica, koji se proteklih godina iz Amerike vracao sÂnovim savovima, ovog puta vrati s jednim pravim rezultatom. To nije praviÂrezultat, to je cijela zivotna prica, smjestena u minutu i 38 sekundi.ÂÂÂÂÂÂDa prica do kraja bude senzacionalna, Ivica nije samo vodeci u poretkuÂslalomasa za Svjetski kup, on trenutacno vodi i u ukupnom poretku! Sa 103Âboda u dvije utrke.ÂÂD. FigenwaldÂÂÂdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Dec 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8302/1/E-Wild-Card-Ivanisevic-Upsets-Kuerten-at-Masters-Cup.html Wild Card Ivanisevic Upsets Kuerten at Masters CupÂKafelnikov Rallies to Beat FerreroÂÂBy PAUL TAITÂ.c ReutersÂÂSYDNEY, Australia (Nov. 13) -- Goran Ivanisevic dented Gustavo Kuerten'sÂhopes of claiming the year-end top ranking when he outlasted the French OpenÂchampion to win their Masters Cup round robin match 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 Tuesday.ÂÂIvanisevic described the win as his best since his extraordinary WimbledonÂvictory last June because he overcame Kuerten by playing his natural serveÂand volley game instead of being lured into a baseline battle with theÂBrazilian.ÂÂ"Yeah, it was, especially because of the way I played, I know I don't have aÂchance if I stay back and rally with him so every chance I had I tried to hitÂa winner or come in, don't give him any rhythm," Ivanisevic said.ÂÂIvanisevic's win came after Olympic champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov produced aÂblistering seven-game blitz to beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 in aÂmuch scrappier opening match of the Ken Rosewall Group.ÂÂIvanisevic is only 13th in the Champions Race which Kuerten heads and made itÂinto the elite eight-man tournament by virtue of his Wimbledon victory, whichÂhe achieved as a wild card.ÂÂBut it was as if Ivanisevic was atop the Champions Race and not Kuerten as heÂraced through the first set in only 25 minutes.ÂÂ"Maybe it's the lucky wild card thing again," Ivanisevic said.ÂÂThe eighth-seeded Croatian completely dominated the early stages of theÂmatch, pounding Kuerten with heavy serves and unplayable forehands.ÂÂHe stumbled as he closed in on an unlikely victory but regained hisÂcomposure, serving his 28th ace to set up match point and then punching aÂbackhand volley crosscourt on the next point to finish an intense match inÂone hour and 51 minutes.ÂÂIt was one of those days when the "good Goran" turned up to play -- theÂCroatian's way of explaining the two sides of his volatile nature.ÂÂIvanisevic's power game helped him to break Kuerten's serve in the secondÂgame of the first set and he claimed another break six games later when heÂrifled a backhand service return past a bewildered Kuerten.ÂÂKuerten served solidly in the second set but was never able to settle intoÂhis baseline routine against Ivanisevic, whose serve regularly topped 118.1Âmiles per hour.ÂÂThe Brazilian kept plugging away and at least managed to keep his own serveÂon track during the second set to force the tiebreak, which he won 7-2.ÂÂIvanisevic later said he was suffering from a sore toe, which he stubbed inÂthe shower of his Sydney hotel last week, but he put the pain aside much asÂhe has with the shoulder injury that has dogged the latter stages of hisÂenigmatic career.ÂÂDespite being upset by a handful of line calls which threatened to bring outÂ"bad Goran," Ivanisevic held his nerve to close out the match in front of aÂdisappointingly small crowd of about 3,000 in the 17,800 capacity SuperDome.ÂÂKuerten came into the tournament with indifferent form, losing six of hisÂeight matches since the U.S. Open. Kuerten said Ivanisevic's serve was theÂdifference but admitted that he is becoming frustrated with his slump.ÂÂ"It just shows the way I've been playing. It's tough for me when I'm notÂplaying well," he said.ÂÂKuerten's loss opens the way for challengers Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi.ÂÂThe Brazilian leads the Champions Race by 48 points from Hewitt, with AgassiÂanother 39 points adrift in third.ÂÂHewitt and Agassi meet in a crucial round-robin match Wednesday. EitherÂplayer can afford to drop one round-robin match and still have the chance toÂbeat Kuerten for the top spot.ÂÂAustralia's Hewitt beat Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean in the John NewcombeÂGroup on Monday, while Agassi downed Hewitt's Davis Cup teammate Pat Rafter.ÂÂKafelnikov appeared to be headed for a heavy defeat in an error-prone openingÂto his first round robin match, gifting Spanish baseliner Ferrero aÂsuccession of easy points.ÂÂKafelnikov complained about the height of the net at the start of the secondÂset. Match officials found it to be five centimeters too high and the net wasÂadjusted during a short delay.ÂÂFrom that point on Kafelnikov's serve and forehand began finding their rangeÂand he strung together a match-turning sequence of seven straight gamesÂagainst fourth seed Ferrero, who is playing in the $3.7 million tournamentÂfor the first time.ÂÂSubmitted by Katarina TepeshÂCopyright 2001 Reuters Limited.Âdistributed by CROWN (Croatian World Net) - CroworldNet@aol.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Nov 2001 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7734/1/EH-Croatia--Argentina-3-2-Friendlies-World-Cup-2006.html   HRVATSKA POBIJEDILA ARGENTINU 3:2 01.03.2006  Scroll down for English.Iako oslabljena neigranjem Roberta Kovaca i Joea Simunica te zaostatku od 1:2 nakon prvih 45 minuta, reprezentacija Hrvatske odlicnom je igrom u drugome poluvremenu pripremnoga susreta na St. Jakob Parku u Baselu preokrenula rezultat i pobijedila jednu od najjacih svjetskih momcadi, Argentinu, s 3:2. Sjajan debi ostvario je Luka Modric, a hrvatski strijelci bili su Ivan Klasnic, Darijo Srna i Dario Simic.Izostanak standardne obrane, debi ModricaIzbornik Zlatko Kranjcar iskoristio je ovu utakmicu da isproba igraca zagrebackoga Dinama Luku Modrica. Istrcali smo bez standardnih branica Josipa Simunica i Roberta Kovaca, pa je Igor Tudor prekomandiran u obranu.Ludi pocetakRijetko se u dvobojima dviju jakih momcadi vidaju stvari kakve smo imali priliku vidjeti danas u Baselu. Utakmica je pocela ludo. Vec u trecoj minuti Ivan Klasnic iskoristio je nesporazum argentinskoga vratara i Burdissa nakon mlakoga slobodnog udarca Nike Kranjcara te je doveo Hrvatsku u rano vodstvo!No, nepunu minutu kasnije opasni Carlos Tevez na drugoj vratnici dobro je iskoristio paralelno dodavanje Lionela Messija nakon neopreznosti hrvatske obrane i s pola metra zakucao je loptu u mreýu klizecim startom. Novi veliki sok dosao je u sestoj minuti, kada je Stjepan Tomas, dijelom i krivnjom vrlo losega terena, predao loptu ravno u noge opasnom igracu Barcelone Messiju. On je presao nekoliko metara i sa 17 metara pogodio donji desni kut Pletikosine mreýe, donijevsi Argentini prednost od 2:1.Zbunjeni hrvatski stoperiTada se igra malo smirila, a Argentinci su vise drýali loptu. Nasi stoperi djelovali su zbunjeno stalnim promjenama mjesta suparnickih igraca, sto je sputavalo i igru ostatka momcadi. No, nakon petnaestak minuta Hrvatska je proigrala i pokazala da moýe biti vrlo opasna.Odlican debi ModricaU 14. minuti sjajna prilika Hrvatske. Marko Babic izvrsno je zaobisao argentinskoga branica i centrirao, lopta se odbila do Dade Prse, a on je ponovno ubacio u sredinu za Klasnica, koji je, naýalost, za milimetar zakasnio. Nepunu minutu kasnije vrlo solidni Luka Modric ostao je sam blizu suparnickoga gola, no njegov kratki centarsut nitko nije stigao poslati u gol.Opasna akcija Babica i Prse i u 26. minuti, no argentinski branic na vrijeme je uklizao. Na drugoj strani, pocetnicka pogreska Babica u vracanju lopte Tomasu dala je jos jednu priliku Argentini, no Hernan Crespo otisao je previse u stranu i Pletikosa se stigao vratiti na gol, pa je to ostalo nekaýnjeno.Aktivan je na lijevoj strani nasega napada bio Modric, koji je opasno kombinirao sa suigracima i od njega su dolazile najcesce prijetnje Pekermanovoj momcadi.Ukazanje KranjcaraNiz pogresnih predaji lopti u opasnoj zoni nastavio je u 36. minuti Dario Simic. Argentina je dobila priliku u situaciji tri na jedan, ali Tevez opet odlazi previse na stranu. Odgovorio je sutom s dvadesetak metara Niko Kranjcar, kojemu je to bila prva opasnija akcija. Do kraja poluvremena igrala se uglavnom ravnopravna utakmica, uz ocekivanu malu nadmoc Argentine.Tokic zamijenio TomasaPocetkom drugoga poluvremena umjesto nesigurnoga Stjepana Tomasa u igru je usao Mario Tokic.Agresivnija igra donijela izjednacenjeHrvatska je u nastavak usla agresivnije i prenijela je igru na argentinsku polovicu. Stajali smo bliýe argentinskim igracima, oduzevsi im prostor za opasno kombiniranje.Rezultiralo je to savrsenom akcijom Dade Prse u 52. minuti. Napadac Glasgow Rangersa probio se po desnom boku, usao iskosa u sesnaesterac i sjajno pronasao Darija Srnu necuvanoga na drugoj vratnici. Ponajbolji hrvatski igrac glavom je pogodio suprotni kut argentinske mreýe za izjednacenje, 2:2.Argentinci bez prostora za kombiniranjeI dalje se nastavila vrlo dobra igra Hrvatske, koja je pritisnula argentinski zadnji red i izborila nekoliko udaraca iz kuta, dok s druge strane nije bilo prilika pred Pletikosom. Argentinci su bili potisnuti na svoju polovicu, a Darijo Srna i Luka Modric opasno su busili argentinske bokove.U 65. minuti Niko kranjcar je sjajnom dubinskom loptom izbacio Dadu Prsu, no vratar Abbondanzieri na vrijeme je istrcao i na rubu sesnaesterca izbio loptu iz njegovih nogu.Nakon te prilike i 25 minuta odlicne hrvatske igre ponovno su svoju igru kratkih dodavanja nametnuli Argentinci, a jedina prava prilika rodila se u 73. minuti, no na vrijeme je udarac blokirao kapetan Niko Kovac.Povratak Ivice OlicaPosljednjih 15 minuta priliku je nakon sest mjeseci stanke zbog ozljede umjesto strijelca Ivana Klasnica dobio Ivica Olic. Moýda i najbolja prilika Hrvatske nakon izjednacenja nastala je u 80. minuti. Opasno je lopta setala po crti Abbondanzierija poslije odlicnoga centarsuta Modrica, koji je u svome debiju odigrao sjajnu utakmicu, stalno stavljajuci na kusnju argentinsku obranu.Simic pogodio za pobjedu!Posljednjih desetak minuta obiljeýila je mirnija igra, uz nesto inicijativniju Argentinu, no bez konkretnih prilika. Medutim, u drugoj minuti sudacke nadoknade sjajan potez Darija Simica. Nakon kornera Ivana Leke, kojega je izborio Olic, branic AC Milana ledima je zahvatio loptu i uz malu naklonost srece ona je dokazala da je okrugla - pokraj ukocenih promatraca zavrtjela se i otisla u suprotni kut argentinske mreýe! Vrlo dobra igra i zasluýena pobjeda hrabre Hrvatske!HRVATSKA - ARGENTINA 3:2 Strijelci: 1:0 Klasnic (3), 1:1 Tevez (4), 1:2 Messi (6), 2:2 Srna (52), 3:2 Simic (90+2). Gledatelja:15.000 Sudac: Nobs (Svicarska)HRVATSKA: Pletikosa - Simic, Tudor, Tomas (Tokic, 46) - Srna, N. Kovac (J. Leko, 83), Modric (I. Leko, 84), Babic - Kranjcar (Buljat, 90) - Klasnic (Olic, 75), Prso (Petric, 90) Izbornik: Zlatko Kranjcar ARGENTINA: Abbondanzieri - Coloccini (L. Gonzalez, 60), Burdisso, Samuel - Ponzio, Demichelis, Cambiasso - Messi, Riquelme, Tevez (Aimar, 68) - Crespo (D. Milito, 75) Izbornik: Jose Pekerman Croatia vs Argentina 3-2   BASEL, Switzerland, Mar 1 (Reuters) - Croatia fought back from a goal down to upset fellow World Cup contenders Argentina 3-2 on Wednesday as the two sides got in some early shooting practice for the tournament in Germany.Preparing for their fifth major tournament in six attempts, Zlatko Kranjcar's Croatia team enhanced their reputation as dark horses with a gutsy win over the twice world champions.Taking the lead after just three minutes through striker Ivan Klasnic, Croatia found themselves 2-1 behind after another three minutes -- but turned things around again with second half goals from Darijo Srna and Dario Simic."We already showed in our qualifying campaign that we have some very good individual players and we have proven it again with this performance against one of the World Cup favourites," Kranjcar said."I know this will increase expectations back home, but I don't think that will cause us any problems -- in fact, I am sure it will give us even more confidence for the World Cup."Argentina coach Jose Pekerman was understandably less euphoric about Wednesday's goal-fest, but insisted the result would have little bearing on his team's preparations."It's a bad result for the team but I think they can go on and get better and better," Pekerman told a news conference."I am always looking for a balance between defending and attacking and although it didn't work out tonight I am convinced of the strength of our defenders and believe that what happened tonight cannot happen again."FIERY STARTPerhaps motivated by the freezing conditions in Switzerland's St Jakob stadium, both sets of players made a fiery start.Klasnic needed a little help for the opening goal, however, profiting from an early mix-up in the Argentine defence.Coming out to deal with a cross from Niko Kranjcar, goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri managed to tangle with the feet of team mate Nicolas Burdisso, allowing Klasnic to rifle the loose ball into an empty net.Croatia had little time to celebrate, however, with Argentina equalising and then taking the lead with only six minutes on the clock.Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was at the heart of both goals, setting up Carlos Tevez for the first before grabbing the second for himself.Already billed as one of the men to watch at the World Cup, the 18-year-old played a neat one-two with Juan Roman Riquelme on the right before firing in a shot for Tevez to poke across the line at the far post.The ball looked as if it might even have gone in without the striker's intervention, but Messi did not have to wait long for his first international goal.Pouncing on a poor back pass from Croatian defender Stjepan Tomas, the teenager curled an unstoppable left-footed strike past diving goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa to apparently hand control back to the South Americans.CROATIAN FIGHT-BACKArgentina certainly looked likeliest to score again as Messi, Riquelme, Tevez and Hernan Crespo, captaining Argentina for the first time in the absence of Juan Pablo Sorin, spent the remainder of the half probing gaps in the Croatian defence.But their failure to score again proved costly in the second half when Kranjcar's men turned things around.With 52 minutes gone, midfielder Darijo Srna put Croatia back on level terms when he headed in a perfectly-weighted cross from the left by Dado Prso.It seemed as if that would be enough to give the Croats a noteworthy draw with both coaches using the rest of the second half to tinker around with their substitutes.But with the match two minutes into injury time, defender Dario Simic got up for a vital corner and headed into the bottom right corner to earn his team their dramatic victory. http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldFootballNews&storyID=URI:urn:newsml:reuters.com:20060301:MTFH79290_2006-03-01_22-56-05_L0191391:1 * 90' SIMIC SCORES!!! CROATIA LEAD 3-2!!! * 52' SRNA SCORES!!! Croatia level at 2-2!!! * 6' Argentina take the lead!!! Messi with the goal and the South Americans are now 2-1 up!!! * 5' Quick response from the Argentinians as Crespo equalises!!! 1-1!!! * 4' Klasnic puts Croatia in front!!! 1-0!!!   Formatted for CROWN by Ivo Bach  Distributed by CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! Ivobach2@aol.com (Ivo Bach) Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000