Australian Open warm up.

Sharapova is World No.5 a past winner at the US open and Wimbledon while Williams is currently the World No. 8 and a six time Grand Slam winner.

Venus Williams beat Russia’s Maria Sharapova in straight set. That was last Saturday at JB Group Classic exhibition in Hong Kong. The score was 6-4, 6-3.

In the early games both Williams and Sharapova held serve comfortably. Sharapova faltered first as both players held serve comfortably in the early games. After a long rally, serving 4-5 in the first set, Sharapova sent a backhand into the net. She missed another backhand that gave Williams a one-set lead. Sharapova was noticeably erratic in the second set. On the other hand, Williams had hamstring soreness but appeared unaffected on last Saturday’s game. She felt better after treatment. Notwithstanding a fall on her left wrist while practicing in Hong Kong.

Sharapova took some chances since she played against an opponent in good form. William was serving consistently then, while Sharapova did not take chances on opportunities who played poorly on second serves.

Since the Australian Open is scheduled to take place this week, that is January 14 to 27 to be exact. And surely this will be an exciting and breathe taking game with the calibers of Williams and Sharapova. May the best win! Good luck!

“If it gets back to that, it means we’re playing at a championship level, so hell yes I would (like to see the Lakers-Celtics rivalry rekindled),” — Kobe Bryant

As you will see it’s been two decades since the teams played a meaningful game. The Lakers won three consecutive NBA titles to start this decade, while it’s also that long since the Celtics were championship material. Do you think Celtic pride will be restored?

Kobe Bryant of Lakers asked to be traded during an interview last May, and has not yet rescinded. He is still with the Lakers, he appears grounded after an off-season of controversy and uncertainty. I believe the Minnesota Timberwolves dealt Garnet to the Boston Celtics instead of the Lakers. To transform the Celtics from also-ran to league powerhouse with a 9-1 record, Garnet has joined Allen and Paul Pierce. As I see it the three can renew a meaningful rivalry with the Los Angeles and their Big One, Kobe Bryant. As what I discovered, Bryant a known Celtics hater grew up in Philadelphia.

As far as I remember and as you will look-up the past, the Lakers and Celtics defined the NBA in the 1980s. The teams played three times for the league title in the decade. The Boston’s 7-0 streak against the Lakers ended with the Lakers’ 1985 victory. With James Worthy, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson in purple and gold, and Robert Parrish, Mchale and Larry Bird in green and white, the teams could not have been different. Those were the days that your Dad was either a Lakers or a Celtics fan. Good day!

Steroids for you. Want to build muscle up and fast? Want to be one of those “Body beautifuls”? Is it really good for you? Will it actually make you big and strong? Hold on to your seats and let’s dig up the dirt on steroids.

Basics first. What are steroids? Steroids are any class of chemical compounds that can occur naturally or are made commercially. Cholesterol, adrenal hormones, bile acids, sex hormones, and poisons from certain toads are examples of steroids.  Naturally, they are produced by both plants and animals and are important in biology and medicine.

There are three types of steroids, namely:

• Corticosteroids. It controls key functions of the body, such as carbohydrate and protein metabolism, the cardiovascular system, kidneys, and other organs, among other functions.

• Estrogens and progesterones. These are active female sex hormones that are the active ingredients in birth control pills.

• Androgen. Also known as anabolic steroids, are used to treat female breast cancer, weight gain, red blood cell production, and are also used to help patients recover from surgery. 

The dirt. When used only for short periods over the course of a year, you might experience mood swings and increase in appetite. This will results in weight gain, not increase in body mass, like the target of bodybuilders. You may have lower resistance to chicken pox.

Long term use is another matter. Patients’ faces may become bloated, their appetites will increase, will become overactive and experience difficulty in sleeping, have mood swings, get heartburn and indigestion, and be at risk of cataracts. On top of these, they will also bruise easily, develop brittle bones, have a tendency to become diabetic, and become at risk for a more serious case of chicken pox.

Non-medical use of this steroid is banned. Steroids are controlled substances. And there is very good reason for it. To increase strength and body weight, athletes use anabolic steroids. Studies show that the use of anabolic steroids can have internal, physical, and psychological side effects. Those that can occur in both male and female are: liver cancer, heart attacks, elevated cholesterol levels, risk of contracting and transmitting HIV, clotting disorder, weakened tendons, weight gain, among others.

Steroids also stop the lengthening of the bones, which results in stunned growth for adolescents. Male abusers could experience “feminization”, develop breasts, severe cases of acne, reduced sperm count, impotence and shrinking of the testicles. Females, on the other hand, could experience the opposite, “masculinization”, develop facial hair, breast reductions, deepened voice, and menstrual cycle changes.