Man U nips Porto, advances to Champions League semis

Only six minutes into the match, Cristiano Ronaldo's 40-yard riser past Porto goalkeeper Helton was all Manchester United would need in their 1-0 victory in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal. The win secured a 3-2 advantage in the aggregate, per BBC Sport.

Per ESPN Soccernet, Man U coach Sir Alex Ferguson praised not only Ronaldo's strike as "fantastic hit," but also gave credit to his defense that played "very well."

This victory marked the first time in 12 matches that a visiting English team has won an away leg in Porto, and the first time since 1999 that Manchester has won on the road during the second leg of the Champions League tournament, per the USA Today. They also won the Champions League tournament outright that year.

Twitterers responded to the victory with excitement, and look forward to the semi-final match between Manchester United and fellow Premier League foe Arsenal:

1. 
   Kiki1405 Arsenal and Manchester United will play the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League yeah!! 16 Apr 2009 from web
2. 
   azwandi Phew! Man Utd survived the Porto curse! 16 Apr 2009 from web
3. 
   imajoseph Great win today United, first English team to win in Porto !! - http://bkite.com/06wmv 16 Apr 2009 from Brightkite
4. 
   zachearl The week is mostly over... Man Utd beat Porto and will play Arsenal in the CL Semis in 2 weeks :-) Glory, Glory, Man Utd! 16 Apr 2009 from web
5. 
   ziadrazak Glad ManUtd won against Porto. The campaign goes on... 16 Apr 2009 from TwitterBerry
6. 
   joe3428 sleepy but smilling... as Arsenal go through the semifinals Champions League... bring on United! 16 Apr 2009 from web

In the other quarterfinal legs, Arsenal beat Villarreal 4-1 (aggregate), Chelsea beat Liverpool 7-5 (aggregate), and Barcelona beat Bayern 5-1 (aggregate).

Per metacafe.com, video of Cristiano Ronaldo's 40-yard strike can be seen here:

Porto V Manchester United Ronaldo Goal

Man U nips Porto, advances to Champions League semis

Greg Paulus, Duke Wide Receiver?

Duke Head Football Coach David Cutcliffe announced today that he will allow Duke Basketball Senior Guard Greg Paulus to tryout for a spot on the football team for the 2009-10 season--but not at the quarterback position per ESPN.com.

Paulus, 6-1, 180 pounds, threw for 11,763 yards--including 152 touchdown passes, while setting six state passing records during his high school career with Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, New York per ESPN.com. He was honored as the 2004-2005 Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year per Gatorade.com, and received scholarship offers from both Notre Dame and University of Miami. Yet, Paulus turned down both offers, and instead committed to play basketball for Coach Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils.

But, following a season in which he lost his starting spot to sophomore Nolan Smith, and his playing time was reduced to only 16 minutes per game per GoDuke.com, Paulus has spent the off-season investigating the opportunity to return to football. Last week, Paulus worked out in front of representatives for the Green Bay Packers, and has allegedly reached out to the University of Michigan about playing for the Wolverines next season.

Yet, if Paulus decides to suit up for the Blue Devils next season, Coach David Cutcliffe insists that it will be at slot wide receiver not the quarterback position despite the fact that the Blue Devils only have two quarterbacks on their spring roster per GoDuke.com.

My fellow Twitters, what do you think... should Greg Paulus play college football somewhere next season?

1. 
   Bizzork Greg Paulus should play QB for Michigan. It would be so cool. That's gotta be the coolest story out there now. 16 Apr 2009 from web
2. 
   joats greg paulus may be playing college football at michigan next year...ridiculous 16 Apr 2009 from web
3. 
   tarheeljlc Really, Greg Paulus...really? You haven't annoyed college sports fans enough? Go into obscurity where you belong. Seriously. 16 Apr 2009 from web
4. 
   imjustlikemusiq Greg Paulus, quarterbacking for Michigan? That would be something... 16 Apr 2009 from web
5. 
   ThisIsLeonidas Can't wait for Greg Paulus to suck at two sports. 16 Apr 2009 from TwitterBerry
6. 
   alexlr Greg Paulus is going to be running the spread for Richie Rodriguez and the Wolverines? This must be a sick joke. 16 Apr 2009 from web

-- this quote was brought to you by quoteurl

Greg Paulus, Duke Wide Receiver?

Derrick Rose looks to be early favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year

Many commentators and sports analysts seem to think Derrick Rose has Rookie of the Year honors in the bag.

Per ESPN's NBA analyst David Thorpe, the Chicago Bulls' point guard has his pick for ROY because he's "a smart player" and "few players can slow him when he executes his stop-and-go dribble game." (See Thorpe's analysis in video below:)



SI.com's Bryan Armen Graham also has the 20-year-old NBA star and Chicagoan at the top of his list. Graham said "not only has the South Side native averaged 16.8 points and a rookie-best 6.3 assists in 37.0 minutes, Rose has also become the sixth No. 1 pick since 1980-81 -- and first backcourt player -- to help his team make the playoffs."

Basketball fans on Twitter seem to agree that Rose has clinched the award:

1. 
   prashantrao Really looking forward to watching Derrick Rose for the next 10-12 years of my life. 14 Apr 2009 from web
2. 
   chrisjbrandon Damn it's scarry watching sports center, & the Bull's Derrick Rose is only gonna get better. (the next Michael Jordan perhaps?) 14 Apr 2009 from TwitterFon
3. 
   slamfan Derrick Rose is a BEAST 14 Apr 2009 from web
4. 
   gafferpete woohoo! looks like the Bulls' Derrick Rose is going to win rookie of the year! 15 Apr 2009 from web
5. 
   DJKaBz Derrick Rose got NBA rookie of the year!! Watch out Orlando in the playoffs!! 15 Apr 2009 from Twittelator
6. 
   ProfessorTracey Professor Tracey's Pick For NBA Rookie Of The Year - The Chicago Bull's Derrick Rose: I love this dude's game!
   
   .. http://tinyurl.com/dg86bv 15 Apr 2009 from twitterfeed
7. 
   ianchoe derrick rose, rookie of the millennium. i want his game. I WANT IT. 15 Apr 2009 from web

ESPN's Scoop Jackson's Q&A with Derrick Rose.

Derrick Rose looks to be early favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year