League Nashville Sports West

Historic outcome of the national election held on Saturday the November 24, 2007 shows that the Australian nation decided to emerge a new era of Australian politics. More than eleven years old John Howard’s government which considered as strong and stable has been cast off by the people of Australia with clear majority.

The political career of Australia's second-longest serving Prime Minister, John Howard has been finally ended. Provided the postal votes, to be announced in couple of days, don’t change the current statistics, John Howard would loose his own seat of bennelong, New South Wales which he held since 1974. The well-known Australian journalist Ms. Maxine McKew who is a new recruit to Australian Labor Party is about to write a historical defeat for John Howard in a close context.

Sports Briefs: Michael Vick starting prison time early

RICHMOND, Va. — Michael Vick got a head start on a possible long prison stretch, surrendering three weeks before he was to be sentenced for his involvement in a bloody dogfighting ring.The disgraced Atlanta Falcons quarterback surrendered to U.S. marshals in what his lawyer said was another step in his public repentance."From the beginning, Mr. Vick has accepted responsibility for his actions, and his self-surrender further demonstrates that acceptance," Billy Martin said in a statement. "Michael wants to again apologize to everyone who has been hurt in this matter, and he thanks all of the people who have offered him and his family prayers and support during this time."Vick pleaded guilty in August to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge after his three co-defendants pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with authorities.Federal sentencing guidelines suggest he could expect to serve a year to 18 months, but Vick, who has admitted bankrolling the Bad Newz Kennels, faces a maximum of five years in prison.He’s scheduled to be sentenced Dec.

NFL NOTES

ATLANTA: Facing millions in claims from banks, creditors and prosecutors, suspended Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has put his seven bedroom, 8 1/2-bath house in Duluth, Ga., up for sale. The asking price for the sprawling home and $1.5 acres grounds? $4.5 million. Only buyers with proof of income sufficient to buy the property and house are provided access to the home. The Web listing for the house has attracted more than 10 million page views. Vick is in a Virginia jail and awaiting sentencing Dec. 10 for felony dogfighting charges.

TAMPA BAY: Today's game between the NFC South-leading Buccaneers and Washington will be the Redskins' fourth at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., in less than 25 months and the sixth between the teams in five years.

Regional Sport Briefs

Fire Pro Wrestling returns Saturday night at Impact Christian Church, 401 W. 82nd Pl., Merrillville. In the main event, the "Aerial Assassin" Roach takes on Cade Lee for Lee's heavyweight title.Doors open at 6 p.m. Bell time is at 7 p.m.Table tennis tourney at Lincoln CenterThe South Bend Table Tennis Center is sponsoring The Highland Open this Saturday and Sunday at the Lincoln Center. The event is due to attract some of the top players in the nation.FYI: Call (219) 838-0114.Friday Night Baseball with Mike ColesFormer Purdue standout and Baltimore Orioles draft choice Mike Coles will hold Friday Night Baseball lessons at Dave Griffin's for ages 9-16. Coles, a member of the Windy City Thunderbolts, will offer instruction in hitting, outfield play and base running. The camp will run from Nov.

Little Niki's all grown up; Colts scoring leader 'in love with the sport again', and it shows

For a fan favourite, the Barrie Colts' Vladimir Nikiforov seems to take himself pretty seriously.

"After the first year, I was invited to the Stars camp, and I think I let it get to my head a bit," said the Lithuanian-born Long Island native, who amassed 55 points in the follow-up to his rookie campaign. "Things didn't end up working out, and last year I screwed around a lot.

Basketball season!

As Webster County�s Bev Hart enters his third year as head coach of the Trojans, he�s looking for two things from his troops ... aggressive play and a nasty attitude in rebounding.

The Trojans begin the 2007-08 campaign without the services of last year�s talented seniors, Jordan Coomes, Logan Dennison and James Tapp. The trio took with them a ton of points, rebounds and more importantly that hard-nosed play that the WCHS coaching staff is looking for.

�Early this summer we were pretty rough around the edges. But our play got better the last two weeks of the summer and won 10-of-12 games,� Hart explained. �We really got into a rhythm and played very well.

�But right now, I don�t think we�ve gotten back to that level. We�re still a little slow in decision-making and our biggest concern is defense and rebounding.

Smith Speaks on Black Male Athletes

Whether you are a student-athlete or just an uninterested spectator, it doesn't take much for one to realize that sports is an important aspect of Colgate life. So when guest speaker Professor Earl Smith of Wake Forest University was invited to give a special lecture titled "The Overrepresentation of African American Student-Athletes in Division I-A Sport Programs," its message was bound to have a strong impact on campus.

As a sociology professor, Smith's observations and research have led him to believe that the arena of professional sports has produced a system of inequality for African American athletes. Whereas, in sports such as football and basketball, African American athletes make up the majority of players, in other competitive sports such as tennis, soccer and swimming, hardly any players are African American.