PG Professional Golf introduces jerky meat snacks for golfers

SUGAR LAND, Texas -- Move over hot dog, there’s a new favorite at the snack shack. PG Professional Golf, the world’s largest recycled golf ball company and leading green grass supplier, announced the introduction of its new line of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky meat snacks.

When golfers need a snack at the turn or wherever hunger hits, PG Professional Golf has another way to satisfy their hunger. The company’s Jack Link’s Beef Jerky gives golfers a meat snack that they can really sink their teeth into. Made of premium cuts of beef and chicken, PG Professional Golf’s jerky brand is available in a variety of flavors and styles. From traditional jerky strips to nuggets and sticks, the company has a meaty snack to fit your taste and curb your hunger.

“Golfers no longer have to choose between a hot dog and a bag of partially hydrogenated chips out on the course,” said Gary Krueger, President, PG Professional Golf. “Our Jack Link’s Beef Jerky meat snacks not only provide a healthy alternative, they taste great too! And you don’t have to worry about dripping mustard on your favorite golf shirt.”

PG Professional Golf’s Jack Link’s Beef Jerky is offered in several sizes and varieties. Authentic Jerkys in the 3.65 oz. pre-pack include tender strips of 100% beef smoked with genuine mesquite and are available in Original, Teriyaki, Peppered, and KC Masterpiece BBQ flavors. These packs retail for $6.99. The 1 oz. Beef Steaks include tender strips of 100% beef and have a tender, softer chew than our natural style jerky. These packs are available in Original, Peppered, and KC Masterpiece BBQ and retail for $1.39.

Bite-sized Steak Nuggets in the 3.65 oz. pre pack include tasty nuggets of 100% beef that are nice and tender and a softer chew than traditional beef jerky. Flavors include Original, Teriyaki and Peppered. These packs retail for $6.99 and are also available in 1 oz. packs that retail for $1.39.

Mouth watering Tender Cuts in the 3.5 oz. pre pack include marinated slow-cooked tender cuts of beef or chicken and are made with the leanest meats and the finest seasonings. Lip smackin’ flavors include Prime Rib, BBQ Pork and Chicken Fajita. These packs retail for $6.99 and are also available in 1 oz. packs that retail for $1.39.

Beef Sticks and Combos are also available. The All American Beef and Cheese includes the perfect combination of savory smoked sticks and Wisconsin cheeses. It’s handy enough to slip in your pocket or golf bag – no refrigeration required! This pack retails for $1.29.

Convenient and satisfying Jack Packs include a triple combo of smoky beef sticks, mellow Wisconsin cheeses, and crunchy pretzel rods. They come in Original and Pizza Stick flavors and retail for $1.69.

For those of you who want the simplicity of a beef stick, we offer the Original X-Stick in Original flavor. You can eat this snack stick anytime, anywhere. The extreme adventure is in the bold taste. This stick retails for $1.19.

Golf course did not break law in attempted squirrel poisoning

NTIOCH, Calif. (AP) - The Contra Costa County agriculture commissioner said.A suburban golf course that put out pesticides to poison squirrels did not violate the Endangered Species Act.

The Mount Diablo Audubon Society had asked for an investigation of Roddy Ranch Golf Club, saying the group violated terms of its land-use permit by putting out poisoned bait for the ground squirrels that burrow in the grass.

Agricultural Commissioner Edward Meyer said an investigation found no violation of the Endangered Species Act and he said the golf course distributed the bait only once and stopped when there was a complaint.

Hawk-Eye to be used in Dubai tennis championships

ABU DHABI, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The hi-tech Hawk-Eye system will be used in the upcoming Dubai Tennis Championships, which runs from February 19 to March 3, the tournament's official website reported on Wednesday.

The state-of-art line-calling system has been used in television coverage of several major tennis tournaments, including Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the Australian Open, the Davis Cup and the Tennis Masters Cup.

Hawk-Eye will use a number of dedicated cameras around the court to track the ball with great accuracy, with the ability to determine if a ball is in or out to within a couple of millimeters.

Players must challenge immediately if they think a ball is in or out, and once a player challenges, the official review will be provided simultaneously to the television broadcast and in-stadium video boards, allowing the players, chair umpire, on-site fans and television viewers the opportunity to see the live results of a player challenge.

To avoid frivolous challenges, the number of challenges that a player can make was limited in the recent Australian Open to two in each set, with an extra challenge allowed if the set went to a tiebreak. However, if the players challenge was correct, that challenge was not deducted from their allowance.

Hawk-Eye has been welcomed by most of the players, as they can relax in the knowledge that they have not been denied an important point by a bad call from the lines-person or umpire.

"I think positive of it," the report quoted Maria Sharapova, world number one and Dubai Women's Open 2006 runner-up, as saying.

"I think a majority of the players, and the fans, enjoy it. If you don't want to use it, you don't have to use it. It's your choice. But if there's a doubt in your mind and you want to challenge a call, why not? It's there for you."

The 3 million U.S. dollars Dubai Tennis Championships is owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free and comprises a WTA Tier ll tournament played back-to-back with an ATP World Series Gold tournament.

In 2006, the event attracted some of the world's leading players, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin-Hardenne.

Editor: Liu Dan

Ron: I want to be an actor

MAN United star Cristiano Ronaldo wants to become an actor.

The Portuguese winger — accused of play-acting on the pitch — said: “I could see myself as an actor. It could be something interesting further down the line.”

The winker added: “At the moment I’m concentrating on my football.”

Ronaldo, 22, would follow in the footsteps of Old Trafford legend Eric Cantona, 40.

The Frenchman has made 13 movies since hanging up his boots, including the 1998 film Elizabeth alongside Cate Blanchett.

English FA agree to help Asian football development

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - England's Football Association has agreed to support the development of soccer in Asia with the signing of a four-year memorandum of understanding.

The agreement, which runs until 2010, focuses primarily on education and training including help with technical and youth development, together with research, information gathering and the supply of equipment.

"This is another big step in the AFC's cooperation with other football bodies to develop the game in our continent," said AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam, who signed the deal recently with FA chairman Geoff Thompson.

"The FA has vast experience in tutor training and youth development and we are confident that our association will help Asian football develop further."

Thompson said he was looking forward to a promising period of cooperation.

"We are looking forward to starting this new phase of cooperation with the Asian Football Confederation in 2007," he said.

"The sharing of expertise and experiences has undoubtedly contributed to the development of coaches, referees and administrators in Asia, and most certainly to the personal and professional development of our own tutors in England."

Bin Hammam has been working to overhaul domestic clubs and leagues in Asia and instill a greater level of professionalism to make the continent more competitive.

Updated on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2007 7:07 am EST

Beckham might make MLS start on US Independence Day

NEW YORK (AFP) - Get ready for "Independ It Like Beckham..." England football star David Beckham likely would make his Major League Soccer debut for the Los Angeles Galaxy

on July 4, the US Independence Day holiday, under the 2007 Major League Soccer schedule released.

Beckham, who remains under contract to Real Madrid until the end of June, signed a 250 million-dollar deal last month to join the Galaxy once his contract with the Spanish giants expires.

And while the MLS release made no mention of Beckham's likely debut date, the Galaxy's first game after June 23 is not until July 4, a Wednesday night when the Chicago Fire will visit Los Angeles.

So on the day Americans celebrate declaring their freedom from England in 1776, MLS figures to have the nation's sport fans captured by "Beckham-mania".

Injuries or delays in Beckham's arrival and joining the team could alter the exact date of the former England captain's Galaxy debut, but little about Beckham and his wife Victoria's US stay is expected to be among the lackluster.

A marketing bonanza is part of the riches that created the package used to lure Beckham to the US league in a bid to spark interest in the sport and the league, so such a debut would fit with the fireworks tradition on the day.

Should that not happen, Galaxy will host Kansas City on July 7 and not play another MLS match until an August 5 visit to Toronto, four days before the Galaxy plays its first US away game at Washington against DC United.

In addition to eight more games in Los Angeles, the Beckham circus would visit New England on August 12, New York on August 18, Denver on August 26, Salt Lake City on September 19, Kansas City on September 27, Columbus on September 30, Houston on October 7 and Chicago on October 21 in the final game of the MLS season.

Playoffs begin the following week with the MLS Cup final on November 18 in Washington.

The extended gap around the time of Beckham's arrival would allow the Galaxy time to participate in the new SuperLiga involving four MLS clubs and four Mexican league teams to be staged from July 24 to August 29, as well as other exhibition matches with Beckham.

Part of the break would include the MLS All-Star Game on July 19 when the US league's top talent will play against Celtic.

The 13-team MLS season opens April 7 with the Galaxy's first game coming the next day at Houston.

Updated on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2007 2:46 pm EST

Leading Brazilian clubs sign Singapore deal

SINGAPORE, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Brazil's leading soccer clubs have signed an agreement with Singapore's sports council (SSC) and football association to raise the standard of the sport in the city state.
Clube Dos 13, an elite group including clubs like Gremio, Sao Paulo, Santos, Flamengo and Internacional, signed the agreement to explore working opportunities and soccer development.

"We are here on a mission of friendship and cooperation to help Singapore develop world-class players and possibly embark on an international career," president of Clube dos 13, Dr Fabio Andre Koff told reporters.

"There are many areas of expertise that we would be happy to share with our partners in Singapore."

The details of the agreement are yet to be announced but it is believed they may include exchange programmes for players and coaches.

Brazil's ambassador to Singapore Paulo Alberto da Silveira Soares told the Straits Times broadsheet that Singapore had been chosen as it had had close ties with Brazil in the past, in areas such as the shipyard industry.

"With our help who says Singapore cannot make it to the World Cup finals in 2010 or 2014," he said.

SSC chief executive officer Oon Jin Teik welcomed the partnership and said: "The Brazilians will bring in their professional skills by working with youth groups like the Sports School.

UNIQUE BRAND

"They will also bring in their unique brand of commercialisation, from marketing to sponsorship to broadcasting," he told the Today tabloid.

Singaporean soccer players have, in the past, travelled to train with individual clubs including in England.

This deal is different, the SSC official said.

"This tie-up brings another dimension to Singapore football.

"It is not just one team coming for a friendly, but all the Brazilian league teams partnering us."

Chief executive officer of Singapore's domestic soccer league, the S-League, Winston Lee said Brazil could also learn from Singapore.

"We could share with them our expertise in administration and marketing," he told the Straits Times.

Lee would not rule out the participation of a Brazilian team in the S-League in the future. This season, the S-League will feature a team from Japan, South Korea and China.

By Ossian Shine

Updated on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2007 7:50 pm EST

League of Asean clubs and nations in pipeline

SINGAPORE, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A regional soccer league featuring clubs and countries from the Asean nations could soon become a reality.

Asean Football Federation honorary secretary Paul Mony has confirmed that the project -- first mooted seven years ago -- was being reconsidered.

"The discussions are at an exploratory stage," he told Singapore's Today tabloid.

"The feasibility of such a league is still being worked out and factors like cost are being studied."

The AFF organised the recent Asean soccer championships and has 11 South-east Asia affiliates - Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Brunei and East Timor.

A regional league could include club sides from the region's leading nations and national teams from the minnows.

Cambodia's national coach, Australian Scott O'Donnell, is in favour of such a league.

"Clearly some countries in the region do not play enough matches.

"We need to play more matches at the top level and this is the only way we can improve," he told Today.

Updated on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2007 8:11 pm EST

Real Madrid, Barcelona lead soccer's revenue list

LONDON (AP) -- Spain has the two soccer clubs that earned the highest revenue during the 2005-06 season, with Real Madrid leading Barcelona in an independent report released Thursday.

Real Madrid ($373 million) kept its spot atop the "Football Money League," a report based on the 2005-06 season released by business advisory firm Deloitte.

Barcelona ($331 million) jumped four places to second, with Italy's Juventus ($321 million) in third. England's Manchester United ($310 million) -- which had been No. 1 for the first nine years of the report until it was overtaken by Real Madrid last year -- was fourth, largely because of a poor season.

Deloitte said it only used revenue as its ranking and not the wealth of individual club owners.

"The two (Spanish) clubs have had contrasting strategies, with Real focussing on driving commercial revenue from recruiting its 'galatico' players and Barcelona having a more balanced revenue profile," report editor Dan Jones said.

The global top 20 contains only European clubs: Italy's AC Milan was fifth at $305 million, followed by Chelsea ($282 million), Internazionale of Milan ($264 million), Bayern Munich ($262 million), Arsenal ($246 million) and Liverpool ($225 million).

The report used exchange rates of last June 30.

Updated on Wednesday, Feb 7, 2007 7:09 pm EST

China international in hospital after QPR brawl

BEIJING, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Chinese under-21 international Zheng Tao was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital following a brawl in a match against Queens Park Rangers at the English club's training ground on Wednesday, according to media reports.

The violent fracas caused Premier League referee Dermot Gallacher to abandon the friendly in west London with QPR winning 2-1 in the second half.

Xian Chanba defender Zheng was unconscious for five minutes after the fighting, which was sparked off when Gao Lin hit a player from the English second division club.

"I've never seen anything like it in my life," a witness told the Web site of the Ealing Gazette. "There were punches, kung-fu kicks and all sorts. It was absolute mayhem."

The Chinese Olympic team for next year's Beijing Games are in England for a two-week stay at Chelsea's training complex in Cobham.

Shanghai Shenhua striker Gao, who could be sent home, said he had been provoked.

"I failed to control myself in the match," he said in a apology published on Sina.com.

"When facing the provocation I failed to obey the three rules of submitting to the referee, respecting opponents, and not striking back, which caused the incident ... I sincerely apologise to the fans."

China's assistant coach Jia Xiuquan also apologised.

"In the future we will put more effort in to strengthening the management of the players and will definitely avoid similar things happening again," he said.

Chinese players are often accused of lacking the physicality to compete with sides from outside Asia and there were scuffles in the first tour match against a Chelsea reserve side on Monday.

"I never expected to see this kind of thing. We came here to train, not to fight. I am very disappointed, very," head coach Ratomir Dujkovic told Titan Sports.

Updated on Wednesday, Feb 7, 2007 11:29 pm EST