Dein erstes Forum » ing as France won its first major basketball

RIO DE JANEIRO -- You know a sporting event starts pretty late when Cinderella is unable to attend because her chariot has already turned into a pumpkin in the parking lot.The first beach volleyball match of these Olympics for Americans Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross was scheduled to start Saturday night at midnight local time. Yes, a midnight start! Which meant it technically was not a Saturday night match but a Sunday morning match. Not only that, but the match that was played ahead of them went longer than expected, so the first serve was pushed back to 12:34 a.m.Walsh Jennings says it was the latest match she has ever played, which is saying something considering she turns 38 next week and these are her fourth Olympics. She says her previous latest start was probably 11 p.m. in London at the 2012 Olympics. Still, she said that she loved the start time early Sunday morning.It is a party atmosphere, she said after beating Australias Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Nikki Laird 21-14, 21-13 in a little over 30 minutes. Especially under the lights at night. The Brazilians get louder at night, and our fans were amazing tonight.Plus, Ross said, Were night owls.Thats good, because the pair has at least one other midnight match on the schedule, and could have a third as well because the gold medal match is set for a midnight start, too.Walsh Jennings is certainly a prime candidate to play in that championship match -- she and former partner Misty May Treanor won gold at Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. And she apparently is quite comfortable with playing even later than The Late Late Show host James Cordens carpool karaoke segments are televised. It felt magical out there, she said.Well, why wouldnt it seem magical considering where beach volleyball is being played at these Olympics?Unlike other Olympic sites such as Atlanta, Beijing or London, beach volleyball here is being played on an actual beach. While the beach volleyball venue in London was played on trucked-in sand at the Horse Guards Parade grounds just outside the prime ministers residence at No. 10 Downing Street, the Rio stadium is located smack dab on Copacabana beach. Sitting up high in the stands, you not only see the players battling away on the white sands, you can see the white crests of waves crashing onto the sand just behind the stadium. And during the day, you can also see people walking and jogging on the beach, sunbathing on the sand or kite surfing.Trust me, its a whole lot more spectacular than watching matches on imported sand amid the Beijing smog.The sounds are as invigorating as the setting. As always at beach volleyball, infectious music plays constantly over the loudspeakers. Dont Stop Believing. Uptown Funk. Cant Hold Us. Down Under. Get Happy. Beat It. La Bomba. Shut Up and Dance. Even the Darth Vader theme song played. The fans bounced and danced and swayed and waved their national flags and had the time of their lives.Parties go on late here in Rio, and were OK with that, said EJ Bituin, a fan from Chicago. As long as the beer is flowing.The venue also boasts a huge seating capacity of 12,000, with row after row rising so steeply and so high that you almost expect to see the Christ the Redeemer statue leading the fans in a samba.Its amazing. Its the best venue that weve ever seen as beach volleyballers, Laird said. And I say that as a 23-year-old, but its the same thing Ive heard from Kerri Walsh, and shes played in four Olympics now. Its a really cool venue.Brazilians are a lot more passionate about beach volleyball than Australians, which were hoping to change soon. But what it means is you can fill up a stadium with 12,000 fans here.Unfortunately, the stadium was only about half-full for the late matches, though that is probably not because of the start times as much as the high ticket prices in this financially strapped country that otherwise adores beach volleyball.Swiss player Isabelle Forrer said the stadiums steepness increased the volume of the fan noise and brought even more energy down to the players -- which they kind of needed given that they were playing so late.Its a flexible sport, Forrer said about the wide range of start times. We have seen a lot already [in our careers]. We have played late games, we have played really early games. We just try to manage our rhythm before the games and see how we manage for the next one we play at 10 a.m. Its something we cant change so we dont discuss it.Of course, with the vibrant atmosphere of the venue, the late start time wasnt an issue. They might actually be good, since the hot afternoon sun isnt baking down on the players or the fans.It didnt really feel like midnight out there, Artacho del Solar said after the match. Then she paused and added at shortly after 1:30 a.m.: But now it does. Air Max 270 React Blanche . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Air Max 270 React Noir Pas Cher . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. http://www.airmax270reactpascher.fr/fausse-air-max-270-react-noir-bleu.html . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Air Max 270 Bowfin Gris . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Air Max 270 React Fluo Pas Cher . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chicago White Sox recalled right-hander Brian Omogrosso from Triple-A Charlotte before the start of Friday nights game against the Kansas City Royals. Omogrosso appeared in 11 games for the White Sox earlier this year, and had a 5.14 ERA over 14 innings. He was 0-1 with a 4.91 ERAA in 10 games at Charlotte.dddddddddddd Omogrosso took the place of right-hander Deunte Heath, who was optioned to Charlotte after Thursdays loss to the Minnesota Twins. Heath allowed three runs in two innings Wednesday night and was carrying an 11.74 ERA in five appearances this season. ' ' '