«DEDICATO ALLA MANAUDOU» – Sorpresa e felice. Oro europeo e record del mondo nei 400 stile libero, Federica Pellegrini ha stupito anche se stessa. «È un record inaspettato, assolutamente – assicura ai microfoni della Rai -. Ho fatto una gara regolarissima, devo ancora realizzare. Io volevo vincere, è un record inatteso. È completamente surreale quello che sta succedendo qui per me». Record destinato a durare più di quello stabilito nei 200 un anno fa, battuto il giorno dopo dalla Manaudou… «Sono nella storia per qualche ora in più. E dai!», esulta la Pellegrini. Che poi spiega il suo gesto polemico alla tribuna dopo il tocco finale: «Il mio bla bla bla mimato con la mano quando sono arrivata è per tutte le cose che mi hanno detto, che arrivo sempre seconda. Oggi ho dimostrato che non è così. Ma è stato anche per i giudici, sebbene non si possa dire». Vittoria e record dopo la squalifica nei 200: «Penso che quella delusione mi abbia dato solo più forza, più voglia di far vedere cosa valgo. Mi ha dato tanta rabbia, mi è servita per affrontare con più cattiveria questa gara». Vittoria e record anche come messaggio alla Manaudou: «Sì, sì, perchè no…». Poi la gara. Perfetta: «Pensavo di avere troppa tensione, invece mi sono tranquillizata. Anzi, ero anche troppo tranquilla, poi c’è stato il guizzo di adrenalina ed è stato bellissimo». Oro in 4’01″53, i prossimo obiettivo non può che essere scendere sotto i 4 minuti. «Sì, è l’obiettivo che ci stiamo ponendo, tra qualche mese. Anche perchè le americane hanno fatto solo mezzo secondo più di me, sarà una lotta dura. Un muro comunque l’ho rotto già, quello dell’1’55″ nei 200 anche se in staffetta. Una soddisfazione me la sono presa, ora vedremo quale altro muro infrangere».

MARIN TERZO – Luca Marin ha conquistato la medaglia di bronzo nella finale dei 400 misti maschili. L’azzurro ha ottenuto il tempo di 4’16″69. Oro all’ungherese Laszlo Cseh (4’09″59, record europeo

SUBITO GREGARIO? – Il brasiliano a questo punto non solo rischia di uscire prematuramente dalla lotta per il titolo iridato, ma anche di essere costretto a fare da gregario per tutta la stagione al finalandese che nella gara della Malesia sembra aver recuperato quella freddezza nordica che lo scorso autunno gli aveva consentito di conquistare il suo primo titolo mondiale.

IL NERVOSISMO – Una situazione che innervosisce Massa, che non ha nessuna intenzione di fare il gregario a Raikkonen, e che lo ha portato a commettere qualche errore di troppo (magari per l’assenza del controllo di trazione?). In molti, nel paddock, iniziano a riecheggiare il fantasma di Rubens Barrichello ed a trovare analogie tra i comportamenti dei due brasiliani del Cavallino. «Io non devo dimostrare niente a nessuno», ha detto Massa infastidito nei giorni scorsi su un possibile cambio la prossima stagione con lo spagnolo della Benetton Fernando Alonso o con il tedesco Sebastian Vettel: «In Malaysia potevano fare primo e secondo facilmente – ha spiegato il ferrarista – la macchina era competitiva e veloce. Al 31/o giro ho preso il cordolo all’uscita della curva 6 in maniera un po’ aggressiva e poi ho perso il posteriore alla curva successiva. Dobbiamo capire se nell’urto con il cordolo la macchina abbia riportato dei danni. Non sappiamo i motivi».

© LaPresseLA DIFESA – La squadra, e in primo luogo Stefano Domenicali, fa quadrato intorno ai piloti, anche se, come precisa il responsabile della gestione sportiva parlando delle occasioni mancate dal team, «siamo in una situazione in agrodolce». «E chiaro – ha detto il direttore tecnico – che sono due zeri che nell’ ottica della classifica piloti e costruttori sono importanti ma dall’altra parte non dobbiamo drammatizzare. La classifica è corta. Sono convinto che dal nostro punto di vista e di Felipe la reazione non mancherà già dal Bahrain. Massa soffre Raikkonen? Non vorrei affrontare questo tema. In qualifica Massa ha fatto un giro straordinario, unico. Il pilota ha tutte le carte in regola e le qualità per fare bene. La squadra è unita e non vedo preoccupazioni».

SUPERIORITÀ RAIKKONEN – I segnali di sofferenza con Raikkonen tuttavia ci sono. In primo luogo la partenza di Sepang, con l’affannosa manovra per bloccare subito l’attacco del finlandese («in partenza ho frenato tardi, ho tenuto la linea e sono riuscito a fare la curva davanti» ha cercato di giustificarsi Massa), ma non solo. Una volta superato Massa, grazie al rientro ai box del brasiliano, protagonista di un pit stop lento, ed al giro più veloce fatto registrare nel passaggio precedente all’uscita del compagno di squadra, Raikkonen ha tenuto un ritmo di gara superbo, recuperando giro dopo giro secondi preziosi sul brasiliano. E quest’ultimo, nel tentativo affannoso di stargli dietro, ha fatto l’errore di prendere male il cordolo e finire in testa coda sulla ghiaia. D’altronde anche lo stesso Raikkonen è stato chiaro al termine della gara: «Ho capito – ha spiegato il campione del mondo – che la macchina mi permetteva di attaccare fin dalla partenza ma poi ho deciso di farlo al pit stop. Ho guidato con una autostrada libera davanti a me. È stato facile e l’auto, molto veloce, si è dimostrata perfetta. Ora pensiamo al futuro».

LA CONSAPEVOLEZZA – Se da un lato la vicenda Massa può preoccupare, dall’altro c’è la consapevolezza che la Ferrari c’è è può lottare per il gradino più alto del podio: «Era nostro dovere – ha detto Domenicali – reagire nella maniera in cui sappiamo fare. Dobbiamo lavorare tranquilli senza picchi di eccessivo entusiasmo o del peggiore pessimismo. Sono contento perchè abbiamo dimostrato quella che è la vera Ferrari come ci aveva chiesto l’avvocato. In gara – ha aggiunto – non è emerso nulla di straordinariamente diverso da quello che ci aspettavamo, salvo una ottima prestazione della Bmw. Dopo due gare è diventata una rivale importante che può togliere dei punti come ha fatto ai nostri diretti concorrenti».

LA CERIMONIA – Tornando alla cerimonia, ad accendere la fiaccola di fronte al tempio dedicato a Era è stata l’attrice greca Maria Nafpliotou nel ruolo dell’alta sacerdotessa. Il primo tedoforo è stato il vice-campione olimpico di taekwondo Alexandros Nikolaidis. «Esprimo qui il desiderio che il simbolo della torcia sarà riconosciuto da tutti – ha dichiarato il presidente del Cio Jacques Rogge – e che in ogni luogo dove essa passerà possano esserci le giuste condizioni affinché questo simbolo possa risuonare». Anche questa sembra un pia illusione, se è vero che parecchie organizzazioni per la difesa dei diritti umani hanno promesso di far sentire la propria voce contro la Cina e contro lo stesso Comitato Olimpico Internazionale, reo, ad avviso di molti, di non fare nessuna pressione su Pechino perché allenti la morsa repressiva nei confronti degli oppositori politici e delle minoranze etniche.

NUOVE PROTESTE – L’associazione “Reporters senza frontiere” ha reso noto di avere programmato le proteste odierne. «Se la fiamma olimpica è sacrificata, i diritti umani lo sono ancora di più. Non possiamo lasciare che il governo cinese si impossessi della torcia, un simbolo di pace, senza condannare la drammatica situazione dei diritti umani nel paese». Dichiarazioni che fanno chiaramente capire che le dimostrazioni contro Pechino 2008 sono appena all’inizio.

With their focus on the big picture of an NBA title, the Celtics were ho-hum about becoming the league’s first 50-win team after a 100-86 victory over the Sixers last night at the sold-out Wachovia Center.

“I didn’t even know we had 50 wins, to tell you the truth,” said Garnett, who had his 23d double-double of the season with 26 points and 12 rebounds. “I haven’t even looked at our record. I’ve looked at who we’ve played and the person I’m going to guard.

“Other than that, I [don't care] about the record. My focus is on who we play one game at a time. That’s it.”

At 50-12, these Celtics tied the second-fastest route to 50 wins in franchise history. The 1964-65 and 1985-86 teams both reached 50 wins with just 11 losses.

“It doesn’t really mean anything,” Allen said. “I haven’t thought about it. I don’t think any one of us has looked at the schedule or the record at 50 wins. I know 50 is 50.

“Any time you win 50 games in a season – and we have quite a few games left – it’s a pretty remarkable accomplishment. But I’m going to check my mailbox first to see if I’ve got any prizes in it for winning 50 games before I speak too soon. Other than that, you don’t win anything for 50.”

Said Rivers, “Numbers are numbers. We just want to keep getting better and keep playing. You don’t get a trophy for getting 50 wins.”

The Celtics extended their winning streak to nine games, tying a season high already accomplished twice. They have won four straight on the road and improved to 7-0 on the road against the Atlantic Division.

Allen had 21 points and nailed four 3-pointers while Paul Pierce added 17 points. New Celtic Sam Cassell, in his debut, was scoreless with four fouls in 5:24. The Sixers, who played an afternoon game at Milwaukee a day earlier, shot a season-low 31.6 percent from the field.

“We’ve got to continue to do the things we’ve been doing and we’ve got to do them a little bit better,” Sixers coach Mo Cheeks said, “especially when you’re playing against a team like Boston.”

Since a Dec. 5 loss to Boston left them at 5-13, the Sixers had gone 25-20. They entered last night’s game having won four straight and were facing a potential first-round playoff opponent.

The Celtics came out focused from the tip-off, sending a message to the Sixers about what they could be looking forward to come playoff time. Boston is 3-0 against Philadelphia this season.

“It’s one of those things where we might see them again,” Pierce said. “So we wanted to make a statement tonight. You always want to go out there and win and make a statement because you want to try to take a team’s confidence away.

“You want to make teams think they can’t beat you. Mentally, that’s half the battle, anyway.”

The Celtics ran out to a 15-0 lead before finishing the first quarter ahead, 26-20. The Sixers got back into the game – and had it tied at 44 – before going into halftime down, 53-47.

“It was great,” said Rivers about the early lead. “But then we let our guard down.”

The Celtics put the Sixers away in the third quarter by opening with a 10-3 run finalized with a Garnett alley-oop dunk to take a 63-50 lead. They outscored the Sixers, 23-15, in the quarter, holding the home team to 5-of-22 shooting, as they built a 76-62 lead. Garnett had 12 points and 5 rebounds in the period.

Boston’s defense kept the Sixers from getting back in the game by holding them to 7-of-23 shooting from the field (0 for 5 on 3-pointers) in the fourth quarter.

“We all know that Boston’s a very good basketball team,” Cheeks said. “No. 1 defensive team in the league and they showed why tonight.”

But having 50 wins, right now, isn’t a big deal to the Celtics.

Said Pierce, “It’s great. It shows that we’ve been playing well through the course of the season. But we have bigger goals than that.”

His name could barely be heard over the din. The Mets might have batted last and worn their white uniforms, but they were not the home team in Monday’s 10-inning 1-1 tie. Red Sox fans swooped into Fenway Park, er, Tradition Field, comprising a vocal majority of the largest paid crowd (7,353) in the stadium’s history.

A quick scan of the lower seating level could find Ortiz and Matsuzaka jerseys with every swivel of the head, although green Red Sox caps were popular, too. One man wore a T-shirt exhorting the Yankees to do, um, something not nice, but it was unclear where his allegiances stood Monday.

The Mets and the Red Sox, despite their memorable tussle in the 1986 World Series, are unofficial allies. They share a common enemy in the Yankees, whose senior vice president, Hank Steinbrenner, engaged in some kind-of, sort-of, not-really-unfriendly verbal jousting a week ago with Boston’s principal owner, John Henry, when Steinbrenner questioned the popularity of Red Sox Nation.

There was no denying that Monday. The outnumbered Mets fans tried compensating for their size by exaggerating their emotions. Like in the top of the first inning, when Brady Clark lost a fly ball in the sun and they jeered him. Huh? Those weren’t boos? That sound was “Yooooooooooouk,” the nickname of the on-deck hitter, Kevin Youkilis. Oh, well. “I’ve played on a different team enough to know the Mets get the same thing on the road,” Brian Schneider said. “Big-market teams — the Mets, Boston, the Yankees, the Cubs — whenever you’re playing against them as an opposing team on the road, there’s going to be a lot of fans.”

Presumably, many of those fans had something in common with their sporting idols Monday: Both groups flew here. To minimize travel before the team leaves March 19 for Japan, Red Sox ownership paid for 50-seat commuter jets to shuttle players back and forth from their spring training base in Fort Myers, Fla., 140 miles away, to the east coast of Florida.

The Red Sox brought along stars like Manny Ramírez, David Ortiz and Mike Lowell, who would otherwise be granted immunity from three-hour bus rides, for Sunday’s game against the Dodgers in Vero Beach. They flew back Sunday night, picked up a new contingent of players and made the 23-minute flight Monday morning, busing here from Vero Beach.

“I brought my little pillow along,” Ellsbury said. “I can sleep anywhere.”

The Mets play the Red Sox on Tuesday in Fort Myers. No plane for them. The team bus is scheduled to leave here at 7:15 a.m.

“I’ll take my private jet,” Ryan Church said. “No, no, I won’t. I’ll be on the Greyhound Express.”

Manager Willie Randolph said, “You win world championships, you can do that kind of stuff.”

For the first time since 1919, the Red Sox will enter the season as the prohibitive favorites to win another World Series title, although the Mets acquired Santana this off-season to improve their chances of opposing them. They had to fend off the Red Sox, who did not want to part with three players prominently mentioned in trade discussions for him — Ellsbury, Jon Lester and Jed Lowrie — who were part of the traveling party.

“Not at all,” Santana said, when asked if he had thought about playing for Boston instead. “I was just thinking about doing my job. I’m a Met.”

So it seems pretty unlikely, then, that Santana, then a Twin, was itching to avenge his loss last spring to the Red Sox, which gave them the Mayor’s Cup, the trophy awarded to whichever of the Fort Myers-based teams wins the spring series.

Either way, he continues to impress. Since giving up a three-run homer to the Cardinals’ Juan González in the first inning of his first start Feb. 29, he has allowed one run in eight innings. Santana plowed through Boston’s lineup in his four innings, allowing two hits — both singles — while striking out four. His fastball reached 92 miles an hour, a slight increase from his last start.

“It’s what I’ve expected from him since Day 1,” Randolph said.

Randolph was also expecting Carlos Beltrán (sore knees) and Carlos Delgado (impingement of right hip) to return to the lineup, which they did. Delgado, who said his hip felt fine, struck out twice, and Beltrán served as the designated hitter because his left knee was bothering him enough that he was not comfortable playing the outfield.

“Every time I’ve got to run for the ball, and I’ve got to stop and turn, I don’t feel confident right now,” said Beltrán, who went 0 for 3. “I can do it in practice, but in a game, you just react, and I don’t feel confident.”

Even if the Mets’ supporters could puff out their chests a little when a between-innings trivia question asked, “Which player scored the winning run in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series?” neither team’s supporters left unhappy.

When the Mets made the final out in the 10th, Boston Manager Terry Francona looked toward the Mets’ dugout to see if the game would continue. Randolph waved his hand, indicating no, and the Red Sox filed into their clubhouse.

The early day was just as well. The Red Sox had a plane to catch.

Crystal is a New York native and lifelong Yankees’ fan who frequently attends games at Yankee Stadium. In 2001, he directed and produced the film “*61,” which chronicled Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle as they sought to break Babe Ruth‘s single-season home run record in 1961.

Crystal’s minor-league contract was approved by Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and he’ll join the Yankees tomorrow for workouts at the team’s training facility in Tampa, Florida, according to a statement from the team.

“I’ve been waiting 50 years for this call,” said Crystal, who will wear uniform No. 60. “I’m overwhelmed by the generosity of the Yankees and Commissioner Selig. I know this (will) be tougher than the Broadway Softball League, but I’m looking forward to helping the younger players, which, by the way, is all of them.”

Crystal was the captain of his high school baseball team in New York and batted .348 during his senior season.

“The Yankees are excited to welcome the newest member of our team, known for his humor and wit as well as his undying love for the Yankees,” Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost said in a statement. “The Yankees are very grateful to the commissioner’s office for allowing us to extend this special invitation to Mr. Crystal.”

Country music singer Garth Brooks played in spring training games for the San Diego Padres in 1999, the New York Mets in 2000 and the Kansas City Royals in 2004 to raise money for his children’s charity. He had 2 hits in 47 at-bats.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

The Federer-Sampras match at Madison Square Garden brought plenty of excitement to New York. Above: Roger Federer, left, shakes hands with Pete Sampras after his 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6)win at MSG. (Getty Images Photo / March 10, 2008)

BY JOHN JEANSONNE | john.jeansonne@newsday.com

March 11, 2008

Masters of the universe and tennis superheroes Pete Sampras and Roger Federer last night brought some comic-book wish fulfillment to sold-out Madison Square Garden, a mighty collision of generations for the benefit of sports archeologists.

Federer, rightful heir to the Sampras throne of the previous decade, needed all of his powers for a 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6) victory amid the true dynamics of a champions’ showdown. Sampras offered glimpses of the old chain-saw serve and slam-dunk volley to make Federer earn his keep, which he did with his elegant athleticism, stylish as the faux-tuxedo black attire he favors.

Sampras, as was always his custom, played the proven serve-and-volley fundamentals of an earlier era in the appropriate “classic whites.” And not raggedly, either.

Saint Mary’s regular season stunningly ended with a 25-6 record. As of yesterday, according to realtimerpi.com, the Gaels had an RPI of 40 and strength of schedule of 136. The former number would seem a strong endorsement for inclusion in the 64-team event although some bracketologists might latch on to the strength of schedule and things like “good wins, bad losses” in attempting to make a case against the Gaels.

The RPI and SOS numbers for Gonzaga: 30 and 100. For USD: 97 and 108.

Bennett was on a panel of coaches, with Grier, Gonzaga’s Mark Few and USD women’s coach Cindy Fisher before Sunday’s semifinals praising the WCC Tournament’s move from campus facilities to a neutral site, the Orleans Arena at the Orleans Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas.

After the loss, Bennett was even more enthusiastic about it.

“It has taken us (WCC) this long to figure it out,” Bennett said. “This is our reward for being a No. 2 seed and going 12-2 (WCC regular season). We get to play them (USD) on their home court.

“It doesn’t make much sense.”