2012 » al powers, theres more easy prey; if thos

LONDON -- The Football Association has charged Jose Mourinho with improper conduct after the Manchester United manager was sent to the stands for the second time in a month in Sundays 1-1 draw with West Ham.Mourinho has until Thursday evening to respond to the charge.Referee Jon Moss disciplined the Portuguese coach when he kicked a bottle of water on the touchline after France midfielder Paul Pogba received a yellow card for diving in the first half of the Premier League match.The draw left United without a win in four league matches at Old Trafford for the first time since 1990.After 13 rounds, United -- the most decorated team in English soccer with 20 league titles -- is sixth in the table and 11 points off leader Chelsea, which fired Mourinho last year.Wholesale Jets Jerseys Authentic Chris Herndon Jersey . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. http://www.cheapnewyorkjetsjerseysauthentic.com/ . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Jets Jerseys China .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Authentic Trenton Cannon Jersey . LOUIS -- St.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Heres a secret about table tennis. The worlds most prestigious tournament, the Olympics, is also one of the easiest.The reason for this paradox, like much about the modern version of the sport, can be linked to a single force: China.In whats widely seen as an attempt to keep China from complete domination, table tennis officials have allowed each nation at the Olympics only two entries in mens singles and two entries in womens singles.This levels the playing field, giving other countries a chance for a medal -- because of Chinas perennial strength, its likely to be bronze this year, as in past Olympics. But it also waters down the competition, keeping hard-to-beat players out of the mix and filling what should be the sports showcase tournament with weaker players.The quality is very low, said Massimo Costantini, a former Olympian who coaches the U.S. table tennis team. I understand. It gives others chances. But its fake. Its not the reality.Table tennis officials are sensitive about the matter.They point out that other sports also restrict the number of athletes from each nation. Other countries also dominate particular sports, as China does table tennis; the Americans in certain track events, for instance. But high-level table tennis, outside Asia and parts of Europe, is less popular, and so theres worry about Chinese domination killing interest in other parts of the world.The Olympics are not only for the best players, said Thomas Weikert, president of the International Table Tennis Federation, but must work to have the whole family here.Other countries have to get a medal chance, so for the image of table tennis its not so bad, Weikert said.Of course, its not sso good for the high-level players who dont make the Olympics from European and Asian powers, but it is China that feels the most pain.ddddddddddddMaking the two-person singles Olympic team for China is hard because there are so many world-class players who could compete for gold if given the chance.Perhaps the most glaring example this year is the current No. 1 for women, Liu Shiwen, who wasnt chosen for Chinese singles, though shell play in the team competition. But the mens No. 2, Fan Zhendong, and No. 3, Xu Xin, also both missed out on Chinese singles.Competition, especially in the later rounds at the Olympics, is still fierce, but the two-player-per-nation rule usually gives an easier path to the sports stronger players who manage to make their national teams.Without lots of strong players from the traditional powers, theres more easy prey; if those players can be dealt with in the middle rounds, top players can put themselves on the brink of contending for a medal.Dimitrij Ovtcharov, the No. 5-ranked German and bronze medalist in London, acknowledges that its much tougher to win the world championships, for instance, which is filled with Chinese and Japanese stars, than to be Olympic champion. But, he said, most fans dont know and dont care.If you are Olympic champion you are Olympic champion. Nobody cares how many Chinese you played, Ovtcharov said. Its about the title, and the Olympic title is more prestigious than the world championship title.---Online:AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org/---Follow Foster Klug at www.twitter/apklug ' ' '