http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A nenad@nenadbach.com Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:59:33 -0800 20 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 Èuvalo) Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 Puljiæ) Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 Pu¹æenik) Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 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 Puljiæ) Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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 Puljiæ) Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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 Puljiæ) Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 Mihajloviæ) Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 25 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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). nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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 Puljiæ) Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9252/1/Ivan-Ljubicic-Ace-Leader.html    TEPESHK@aol.com (Katarina Tepesh) Sat, 08 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9227/1/FIFA-ranks-Croatia-6th-in-the-world.html    nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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.   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 Puljiæ) Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 Pu¹æenik) Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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.    nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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.  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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.   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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.  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 20 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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.  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 16 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 Puljiæ) Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0800 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 Puljiæ) Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700 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 Puljiæ) Thu, 14 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 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 Puljiæ) Thu, 14 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 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 00:00:00 -0700 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 Puljiæ) Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 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 protégé 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 Cvjetkoviæ) Tue, 11 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700 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 nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0700 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. “Mate Parlov is the biggest boxer in the history of Croatia,” 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 Karmazin’s title defense against Cory Spinks at the Savvis Center in Spinks’ hometown of St. Louis on Saturday, July 8.“I have dreamed of being a champion for a long time,” said Preskar, who has sparred with Oleg Maskaev, Hasim Rahman, Wayne Braithwaite, Larry Donald, Owen Beck, and Gerald Nobles, among others.“I 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 I’m ready for anybody. Hopefully, Mr. Don King can help me achieve my dream.” 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 York’s Madison Square Garden. The one blemish on his record is a four round draw with Marcelino Novaes, who was 5-2, in Preskar’s fourth fight in Las Vegas. According to Vedran Nazor, Preskar’s New York-based advisor and publicist, trainer Yoel Judah told King about Preskar after watching him spar at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn. While Judah was unavailable for comment for this article, Bruce Silverglade, the owner of Gleason’s who is not easily impressed, remembers observing Preskar in the ring during that time period. “He’s a very smart guy, and you have to be smart to be a good boxer,” said Silverglade. “He’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.”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. “It was hoped that would provide Mario with the challenges he desired,” said Nazor. “It 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. He’s disciplined, intelligent and strong.” 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. “I put all my guts and power into my boxing career,” said the always exuberant and extremely positive Preskar. “Step by step, in a few years I see myself with many championship belts.”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 Preskar’s time comes to fight for a title is yet to be seen. But one thing is certain. “I will be ready,” said Preskar. “When my time comes, I will be ready to beat the best. Everything is coming together, just as planned.”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. “Mr. King is working on promoting me in Croatia,” said Preskar, who is 6â€