South Bend—

On the day Skylar Diggins graduated from Notre Dame, she was presented with a new Mercedes by Roc Nation, the company founded by Jay-Z that represents her.  Diggins is among his first high-profile clients, who also include the Yankees’ Robinson Cano and Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. Diggins was an All-America guard for the Fighting Irish who was taken third overall in the WNBA draft by the Tulsa Shock.

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Photos by Anna Forsström

Södertalje—

Sweden has been pretty active over the year in the world of basketball and they don’t seem to be slowing down with the list of talent participating in some of the world’s highest leagues. Over the weekend in Södertälje, the Final Four For the Under 20/18 were played and chance to take a look at the upcoming talent crop.  Also, WNBA La. Sparks guard, Farhiya Abdi continued with her consitent play posting 9 points in nearly 21 minutes of action on Sunday evening in a preseason match up against the Oklahoma Shock.  In Europe, Thomas Massamba and his Lukoil squad have advanced to the finals of the Bulgarian league. Take a look below at the results from this weekend’s tournament.

Results, HU20:

Final: Solna – Borås 70–58
Third Place: Södertälje – Ullvi 89–63

All Star Team:
Tobias Borg, Södertälje BBK
Eddie Alm, Borås Basket
Niklas Larsson, Solna Vikings (MVP)
Kevin Katheka, Ullvi Basket
Jesper Eliasson, Solna Vikings

Results, DU20:

Final: Northland – Södertälje 79–61
Thirdplace: Uppsala – Lidingö 57–40

All Star Team:
Elin Gustavsson, KFUM Uppsala
Allis Nyström, Northland Basket (MVP)
Amanda Tivenius, KFUM Lidingö
Ulrica Holmqvist, Södertälje BBK
Josefin Vesterberg, Northland Basket

Results, HU18:

Final: Uppsala – Fryshuset 90–58
Thirdplace: Södertälje – Göteborg 86–69

All Star Team:
Ludvig Swanström, Södertälje
Jakob Merlenius, Uppsala
Anes Zekovic, Uppsala (MVP)
Jakob Stenhede, Göteborg
Robel Gebremeskel, Fryshuset

Resultat, DU18:

Final: Luleå BG – Uppsala 83–53
Third Place: Södertälje – Alvik 62–57

All Star Team:
Sigrid Sandström, Uppsala
Emma Eriksson, Luleå BG (MVP)
Rebecka Garderyd, Luleå BG
Katharina Fasth-Gillstedt, Alvik
Jelena Jakovljevic, Södertälje

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Fans can get Tigers tickets for the 45^th Anniversary celebration of the ’68 World Champion Tigers by calling 866-66-TIGER or visit tigers.com. For season, group, parties and suites call 313-471-BALL (2255).

@Tigers To Honor 1968 World Champions

The Tigers will host the Minnesota Twins at 4:05 p.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive early to be in their seats to enjoy the pregame festivities, which begin at 3:40 p.m. Gates open at 2:00 p.m.

The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a 1968 Tigers 45th Anniversary commemorative coin, courtesy of Belle Tire.

José Feliciano will perform the national anthem. Feliciano performed “The Star Spangled Banner” prior to Game 5 of the 1968 World Series between the Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals at Tiger Stadium, a game the Tigers won 5-3 on October 7.

Players and coaches from the ’68 team scheduled to attend include:

Wayne Comer - Outfielder #27
John Hiller - Lefthanded Pitcher #18
Al Kaline - Outfielder #6
Mickey Lolich - Lefthanded Pitcher #29
Tom Matchick - Infielder #2
Denny McLain - Righthanded Pitcher #17
Hal Naragon - Coach #52
Jim Price - Catcher #12
Mickey Stanley - Outfielder/Shortstop #24
Dick Tracewski - Infielder #44
Jon Warden - Lefthanded Pitcher #39
Don Wert - Third base #8
Daryl Patterson - Righthanded Pitcher #43
Ray Lane - Radio Broadcaster
*Players subject to change

The tribute will continue with a special video tribute on the Comerica Park HD scoreboard created specifically for this event. The video will be followed by an on-field, pregame ceremony to recognize the members of the 1968 team.

Thanks for supporting WoodlawnPost.com in 2013! 

Ostella GT3 Cup Car

Pigot GT3 Cup Car

Tight battles took place within the field at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, but the participants kept the race clean at the 2013 Castrol Presents Victoria Day Speedfest Weekend.

“It was the perfect start to this season,” said Joe Lawrence, President & CEO, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. “The weather was fantastic, we saw a tight race for the podium, and the new track accommodations enhanced the entire experience.”

“We couldn’t be happier with the result of the weekend,” said IMSA Development Series Director Steven Sewell. “We had good, clean racing and showcased youthful talent at the front mixed with experienced drivers throughout the Masters class.”

Pfaff/Alegra Motorsports started the 2013 season on a high note at the Saturday race, producing two Platinum Cup podium finishes in the first of two 45-minute races. Spencer Pigot led the field flag-to-flag and teammate Chris Green finished in second. Pigot maintained speed throughout the 32 laps, posting his fastest time on lap 16 of the circuit.

“It went pretty perfect,” Pigot said. “We were able to get a good lead off the start, made a little mistake in the middle that allowed David (Ostella) to catch up and it was pretty close there for a while and I just had to keep pushing to keep him behind me. And eventually with the traffic I was able to get a gap with him. I’m very happy with the weekend so far and can’t thank the guys at Alegra and Pfaff enough to be here.”

Green’s run to a second-place finish started on lap two when he passed rookie David Ostella after making contact at Turn 5B. Ostella wouldn’t let Green by easily, however, and seven laps later was back ahead of Green in second position. As Ostella made runs at the leader, Green continued to creep up on the 21-year old and eventually passed Ostella on the 29th lap with five minutes remaining.

Although Ostella was never able to pass Pigot and finished fifth overall, he produced some impressive numbers including setting a race lap record in his first closed-cockpit car, battling the fellow former open-wheel racer. On lap 10, Ostella began the chase to Pigot, posting the fastest lap in the field at that point. He followed it with another fastest time on lap 11 and shortened the gap to just seven-tenths of a second in lap 17, but a minor racing incident with a lapped car ultimately slowed his progress.

With only two laps to go, GT Racing’s Jean-Frederic Laberge made a pass into third position after holding onto fourth for the majority of the race. The Montreal native is pleased with making it to the podium.

Tim Sanderson opened up the 2013 season with a first-place finish in the Gold class. Sanderson represents Racing for Joanne’s House this season and moved up from 12th starting position to finish 11th overall in Race 1 of the Castrol Presents Victoria Day Speedfest. His time best lap of 1:24.116 is now a track-best time in the Gold Cup category.

While Carlos de Quesada of Pfaff/Alegra Motorsports finished second followed by Martin Barkey with Fiorano/Garage Racing, who finished third, both drivers were experiencing series “firsts”. Today’s event was Barkey’s first green flag in Series competition, and De Quesada was learning his Gold Cup car in his first race in that class.

Race 2 was filled with lead changes in the Platinum Cup as the contest for best tire preservationist unfolded. A small war for the podium took place between rookie driver David Ostella of SpeedMerchants and Pfaff/Alegra Motorsports teammates Spencer Pigot and Chris Green.

“It was an awesome race,” Ostella said. “The car is back together probably better than yesterday! The guys did awesome and the team is great – Once I got in the front it was just about being consistent and being smooth and making sure I stayed up front. I had one incident and almost spun it but I kept it under control and Spencer (Pigot) got by me there, but I just worked my way back up and got him back and kept my head down. The GT3 Cup car is awesome and my Michelin tires were amazing-they were consistent the whole way through and it was just a great race today.”

Fans saw a mix of familiar faces with new drivers stepping up to bring home the hardware.

Ostella started in third position off the grid and jumped up to first by lap seven. His patience was apparent as he saved his tires for the latter half of the race. While Pigot and Green posted fastest laps on their fifth time around the circuit, Ostella posted his top two fastest times on lap 17 and 19.

The newest addition to the SpeedMerchants team clinched his first victory in the series and tallied 32 total points under the near-perfect weather conditions at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Pigot and Green were back on the podium for Pfaff/Alegra Motorsports for the second time of the weekend, racking up points for the team.

Green started in pole position after posting the second-fastest time in the qualifying session. The Montreal native held onto the lead for a few laps before dropping back to third position. In the Gold Cup, Tim Sanderson with Racing for Joanne’s House earned his second title of the weekend. Sanderson was joined on the podium by Carlos de Quesada for the second time this weekend.

SportsCarBoutique’s newest entry Andrew Danyliw finished third in the Gold Cup standings, just in front of Fiorano/Garage Racing’s Martin Barkey in the third position of Masters Gold Cup.

The Masters Championship competitors were not to be outdone by the youthful leaders at the front of the pack. Anthony Mantella of SpeedMerchants and Marco Cirone of Mark Motors Racing took turns leading the Masters Platinum Cup and were as close as two tenths throughout the race. Cirone started off the grid in fourth position and Mantella began in seventh.

Mantella worked his way up to surpass Cirone and hung on for the duration of the race, but with just five laps remaining Cirone took the lead. With the win, Cirone racks up his second victory of the weekend and leads the points standings in the Masters Platinum Cup.

SpeedMerchants team owner Jim Hoddinott was pleased with Mantella’s performance in the 45-minute sprint.

Coming in third for GT Racing was Etienne Borgeat, racking up more points after a second-place finish in Race 1 of the Castrol Presents Victoria Day Speedfest Weekend.

Perry Bortolotti was able to hold off Ilker Starck for eighth position overall. Less than one second separated the two for the duration of the 45-minute sprint.

Round three of the 2013 Ultra 94 GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin Series takes place June 7-9 in Montreal for the Grand Prix du Canada. For series news and updates, follow us on Twitter at @GT3Canada or on Facebook.

For race results, event information or to download a Spotter’s Guide, visit http://imsachallenge.ca.

SODERTALJE—

Media day kicked off for the Women’s Swedish National team as they prepare for 2013 European Championships in France in June. The women will partake in a series of games to be hosted from May 31st to June 2nd in Sodertalje.  Some of the teams particiapting are Great Britain, Latvia and Turkey.

Other News from Around The League

• Peter Oqvist stays with Sundsvall
• Tommie Hansson leaves 08 Stockholm
• Joakim Blom stops with Elite league
• Johan Jeansson signs with Uppsala for two years
• Udominate signs Evelina Estola

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David Beckham has announced that he will retire from the game that has been so gracious to him over his 20 year career. On Thursday, the world of soccers most recogziable name made a statement about his exiting of the game at this point.

“I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level.

“I want to thank all my team-mates, the great managers that I had the pleasure of learning from. I also want to thank the fans who have all supported me and given me the strength to succeed.

“If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over 100 times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy.

“I’m fortunate to have realized those dreams.”

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STOCKHOLM—

Sweden advances to the semifinals to meet neighboring Finland on Saturday after eliminating  Canada 3-2 Thursday night,  at the world hockey championships in Stockholm. It was Sweden’s Fredrik Pettersson who would score the winning point in the fourth round of the shootout. The United States who cruised past Russia 8-3  will  meet Switzerland in the other semifinal. The world hockey championships final will be held on Sunday.

Written by Andrew Mitchell for Woodlawn Post

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Amsterdam—

Chelsea defeated Benfica 2-1 to take the championship in the Euroleague on Wednesday night. It was a goal by Branislav Ivanovic around the 93 minute mark that sealed the victory.

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CANADA–

Andrew Wiggins, the nation’s No. 1 , will  reportedly be attending the University of Kansas next fall. The 6-7 Wiggins will join a class that includes the best center prospect
Joel Embiid, Wayne Selden, Brannen Greene and Conner Frankamp.

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STOCKHOLM—

The shoe that has been made famous around the world has now filed a claim in the Stockholm courts to be able to search several Coop stores throughout Sweden in order to prevent them from selling a knockoff version of their shoes. Converse which is now owned by Nike found several pairs of the knockoff versions and would like to find the supplying manufacturer of the shoes. Further investigation will take place.

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