| Dons boss calls on fans help to down mighty Bayern
GLASGOW: Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood has called on the Dons supporters to roar them to glory against German giants Bayern Munich in the Uefa Cup first leg last 32 clash on Thursday. Despite a horrendous injury list and two confidence draining defeats in the past week the Pittodrie side's boss says he is not running scared of the Bundesliga leaders. Bayern were already massive favourites to comfortably see off the side lying fifth in the Scottish Premier League. But Aberdeen's hopes of upsetting the odds were dashed further with news five players - Richie Byrne, Derek Young, Jackie McNamara, Jamie Smith and Richard Foster - will miss the first leg at Pittodrie. Zander Diamond, Barry Nicholson and Darren Mackie are also struggling to recover from niggling injuries.
Rooney seeks Munich tribute
Wayne Rooney feels winning the UEFA Champions League would be the 'best possible way' for Manchester United to honour the victims of the Munich disaster. Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the plane crash which saw eight United players, and 23 people in total, lose their lives. The Red Devils were on their way home from a European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade with Sir Matt Busby's team having been tipped to lift that season's trophy. United legend Sir Bobby Charlton, who survived the crash, recently addressed the current squad with his memories of the accident. Fascinating "It was fascinating to hear Sir Bobby speak about the disaster and hear his story of what happened," said Rooney in the Daily Mirror.
Rainy conditions produce hours of delays, misery at Auto Club 500
But at 11 p.m. -- 10 hours after the scheduled starting time -- NASCAR officials gave up, and the Auto Club 500 was postponed until this morning due to a wet track. With 87 laps completed, the Sprint Cup Series race will resume at 10 a.m. Fans who had tickets for Saturday or Sunday will be admitted. .
NTSB report rules pilot at fault
The Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Roanoke said Hickin died from blunt head, face, chest and abdominal injuries. Thermal injuries also were listed. A toxicological report from the Federal Aviation Administration Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory in Oklahoma City said Hickin tested negative for drugs and alcohol. The flight originated from Waynesboro's Eagle's Nest Airport. The NTSB said the weather was clear at the time of the crash and that Hickin was flying under Visual Flight Rules flying by sight rather than aided by instruments. Hickin, who was married with five children at the time of his death, was employed as a pilot with Gemini Air Cargo. .
Tucson business leaders looking to create sports authority
PHOENIX (AP) -- Business leaders want to create a regional sports authority in Tucson that will generate money to refurbish ball fields and better compete with Maricopa County, where spring training is booming. The Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce broached the idea this week with the Tucson City Council. Tucson's authority might resemble the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority, created after Maricopa County voters in 2000 approved a tax on hotel and car rentals to support spring training and youth sports. The exact funding mechanism for Tucson is still being explored, and the business group is expected to report back to council in the coming months. In Maricopa County, the authority has paid for a spring training stadium in Surprise, will provide funding to open ballparks next year in Goodyear and Glendale and is scheduled to help pay for updates to the county's other ballparks.
More bands join the party at Stagecoach
The Eagles are getting company when the band kicks off the Stagecoach Festival in Indio this May. The second annual country-music event expanded the lineup on its newly announced third day by adding the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Shooter Jennings, the Sons of San Joaquin, Chuck Wicks and Don Edwards, which will play at the Empire Polo Field on May 2. The festival will also include members of Professional Bull Riders. Earlier in the week, festival organizers announced the addition of a Friday date to be headlined by the Eagles, with performances from John Fogerty, Trisha Yearwood, Shelby Lynne, Glen Campbell and Rissi Palmer. .
Blues braced for Fazackerley raid
CITY are bracing themselves for an approach from Newcastle United for coach Derek Fazackerley. Fazackerley worked with newly-installed Toon boss Kevin Keegan at St James' Park previously and followed him to England and then City. Meanwhile, deposed keeper Andreas Isaksson is not angry that his fellow Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson has dropped him in favour of Joe Hart and dismissed the notion that the two of them had endured a major fall out. "It's the manager's decision to drop me, my relation with Sven is OK," Isaksson told sources in his homeland. "Sven understands that I want to leave the club. Then it's up to the clubs in a future deal. I have to play. "I'm trying to find a new club, but no-one has been in contact yet." And The Sun have reported that Nedum Onuoha is attracting the interest of Aston Villa, with Martin O'Neill considering a £6million swoop.
Winter storm whitewashes suburbs
Things won't just become normal when the snow stops," Cunningham said. "The airlines will have to play catch-up Friday and Saturday." It should take about 24 hours for airlines to get back on track once the snow stops, he added. The National Weather Service said a hazardous weather advisory remains in effect until 6 p.m. today The advisory states snow will continue to fall throughout the day, and will be heavy at times. The total accumulation will be 6 to 10 inches. Metra officials reported no weather-related delays. ComEd spokesman John Dewey said there were no significant outages throughout the system. "The snow didn't cause an issue because there wasn't strong winds with it," Dewey said. Commuters Thursday, however, did have to contend with a power outage that knocked out traffic signals about 4:30 p.m.
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