As part of the revival of the world’s most legendary soccer club, The New York Cosmos today announced that iconic footballer Eric Cantona has been persuaded to come back into the game as Director of Soccer with overall responsibility for all soccer-related matters, which will include the proposed first team.

Despite many attempts by numerous soccer clubs to lure the Manchester United Player of the Century back into the limelight since leaving in 1997 – until now, no one has been successful. Cantona’s new role at The New York Cosmos will see him exercising the innovative leadership and cutting-edge creativity that he is known for, towards implementing the club’s vision and philosophy in all areas of soccer operations. This announcement comes on the heels of the recent signing of Cobi Jones as his Associate Director of Soccer and Ambassador. Together, Cantona and Jones will carry forth the club’s legacy and integrity while developing and attracting world-class soccer talent from all areas of the globe.

Cantona has been credited with making a substantial contribution during his time at Manchester United (1992-1997), which included four Premier League Championships (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997). Today, Manchester United is the most valuable club in the world (Forbes, April 2010).

Throughout Cantona’s 14 years as a professional, he played in France for Auxerre, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier and Nimes. He later went to England to play one season for Leeds United – winning a Championship during the 1991-1992 season – before joining Manchester United, where he would spend the rest of his career until retiring in 1997.

“Three years ago, when I first had the idea of reviving The New York Cosmos, I couldn’t have dreamt that we’d be able to attract an icon the likes of Eric Cantona,” says Paul Kemsley, Chairman of The New York Cosmos. “It’s a personal thrill for me, as he was one of my heroes during the 1990′s and is a further endorsement to the tremendous global attraction and power that The New York Cosmos carries. Our name already resonates throughout the world and so will our football team.”

Says Eric Cantona, “I am very honored to join the legendary club New York Cosmos. It’s a big project, a wonderful project. The Cosmos are very strong, beautifully made, with a great past. It’s kind of a mix between football and art. I will do everything that I can to help us first find our way to regain the #1 position in the United States, and then for us to become one of the best clubs in the world over the coming years.”

An indispensable tool for coaches and the perfect low-cost gift for ice hockey players and fans, iPlayBook IceHockey allows the user to draw plays, position players and create drills — all in the palm of the hand. Users can choose from three different ice formations and diagram face-offs, power plays and penalty kills, then share their plays with coaches, players and fans.

Working like a cross between a whiteboard and on-screen animation, iPlayBook IceHockey lets the user reposition players by touching and dragging them around the screen. Users can even draw passes with the touch of a finger. When a play or drill is just right, the user can save it to the photo library as an image or e-mail it to friends directly from within the iPlayBook IceHockey app.

iPlayBook IceHockey is a novel way for coaches to collaborate with one another and for players to visually review plays during the game, if needed, without tipping their hand to the other team. But it also gives fans the opportunity to get more involved in their favorite sport. Fans watching the game can create plays they think would work better or re-create successful plays while discussing the game with friends.

“iPlayBook IceHockey is an outstanding tool for coaches and players at all levels,” stated Jim Boyle, founder and president of iPlayBook Apps. “We are thrilled to bring our outstanding iPlayBook App technology to the popular sport of ice hockey.”

What better backdrop for football’s biggest game than the world’s largest domed stadium, in the state where everything is bigger? On February 6, 2011, the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington will make history by hosting Super Bowl XLV, marking the first Super Bowl in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the third Super Bowl held in Texas.  The stadium will seat more than 90,000, serving as the largest venue to host a Super Bowl since 1993. This event presents a valuable opportunity for visitors to experience the Lone Star State, and to enjoy all the experiences Texas has to offer beyond the stadium.

Sixteen events hosted by several North Texas cities will surround the 45th Super Bowl, including the NFL Experience at the Dallas Convention Center on January 27-30 and February 2-6. On February 5, the Taste of the NFL will take place at the Fort Worth Convention Center, and the NFC Fan Party will be held in Dallas’ historic Fair Park. Fort Worth’s Sundance Square will serve as ESPN’s production headquarters. For the schedule of events,  visit http://www.northtexassuperbowl.com.

“The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is a vibrant melting pot of nightlife, cuisine, shopping, culture and family fun, and we encourage visiting sports fans to spend a few extra days exploring,” said Julie Chase, Tourism Director for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism.

Part of the Prairies and Lakes Region, the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is a popular Texas destination. Located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington is also home to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the International Bowling Museum, Six Flags over Texas and Hurricane Harbor. The region stretches north and south through charming small towns, as well as natural attractions such as freshwater lakes, forests, and authentic dinosaur tracks.

A sophisticated city with superb nightlife and restaurants, Dallas welcomes visitors to shop and dine at NorthPark Center and the Galleria, to explore the Dallas Arboretum, bustling Uptown area, historic West End Entertainment District, Dallas Museum of Art or Nasher Sculpture Center, and experience the multi-venue AT&T Performing Arts Center with four state-of-the-art facilities featuring music, opera, theatre and dance. F ort Worth, the “City of Cowboys and Culture,” is home to some of the country’s best museums, in addition to Bass Performing Arts Center, the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo (January 14 through February 5), the world’s largest honky tonk (Billy Bob’s Texas) and world’s only twice daily cattle drive in the Stockyards National Historic District.

Visitors to Plano enjoy museums, shopping, historic landmarks, and the famous Southfork Ranch of “Dallas” fame. Grapevine is easily accessible by the Tarantula Train from the Fort Worth Stockyards, and features wineries, parks, the Grapevine Opry, shopping at Grapevine Mills and downtown, and more. Denton is known for its lively music scene and is considered Texas’ horse country. Centrally located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, Irving is home to numerous hotels, golf courses, and the Mustangs of Las Colinas, the largest equestrian sculpture in the world.

The Prairies and Lakes Region is only one of Texas’ seven diverse regions, each of which offers dramatic landscapes, storied history, and opportunities for exploration and adventure. This includes outdoor adventure in the Big Bend Region and live music, art and cuisine in the Hill Country, the 624-mile Texas Gulf Coast, world-renowned birding in the Rio Grande Valley and lush national forests in the Piney Woods. In Texas, there truly is something for everyone.

World champions Spain are still on top, although defeat in Buenos Aires has seen them lose a quarter of their lead. Germany (3rd) and Brazil (4th) have traded places, as have England (6th) and Uruguay (7th), with the two European teams benefiting from their successful start to EURO 2012 qualifying. Norway (14th, up and Slovakia (16th, up 11) have both climbed into the top 20 for the same reason.

Russia (25th, down 9) and France (27th, down 6) have lost considerable ground, in contrast to Turkey (21st, up 7), who are on the rise again.

The most impressive climbers, however, are Montenegro (40th, up 33) as their two victories in EURO 2012 qualifiers have catapulted them into the top 50 for the first time. This represents an incredible rise for the newest member of the FIFA family, who started off at the foot of the ranking with no points to their name just three years ago.

Other teams that can celebrate jumps of at least ten positions and a place in the top 50 are Lithuania (42nd, up 10), Cyprus (43rd, up 20) and Northern Ireland (45th, up 14). There are also some major movers further down the ranking, including Belarus (55th, up 23), Panama (70th, up 27), the Cape Verde Islands (77th, up 31), Guinea (81st, up 21), Georgia (89th, up 21), Burundi (122nd, up 20) and particularly Guinea-Bissau (140th), who have climbed 48 places after returning from almost three years of inactivity with a victory. In all, seven associations are currently in their highest-ever position in the world ranking since its introduction in 1993: Slovakia, Montenegro, Cyprus and Belarus, as well as Burkina Faso (39th), Uganda (63rd) and Botswana (82nd).

• Leader Spain (unchanged)

• Moves into top ten none

• Moves out of top ten none

• Matches played in total 159

• Most matches played 62 teams with three matches each

• Biggest move by points Montenegro (up 236 points)

• Biggest move by ranks Guinea-Bissau (up 48)

• Biggest drop by points Bulgaria (down 116 points)

• Biggest drop by ranks El Salvador (down 24)

• Newly ranked teams none

• Teams that are no longer ranked none

• Inactive teams (not ranked) São Tomé e Príncipe

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 20 October 2010.

Paul Ngeny, 31, of Auburn, Calif., led a record field of more than 14,000 registered runners Sunday at the fifth annual Disneyland Half Marathon, crossing the finish line first with a time of 1:07:24, beating the fastest Disneyland Half Marathon time by 41 seconds.

“The course was very nice and comfortable,” Ngeny said. “I liked running through the parks and all the music. I could keep on going for a hundred miles.”

Finishing just behind Ngeny was Eric Marenburg, 27, of San Diego, Calif., with a time of 1:12:10. Kevin Broady, 48, of Brea, Calif., finished third with a time of 1:12:43.

Rachel Booth, 29, of Mountain View, Calif., claimed the title of 2010 women’s champion with a time of 1:15:19, beating the fastest women’s finisher time in the history of the Disneyland Half Marathon by 00:04:04. Booth, who performed better than she expected, finished just 18 seconds off of an Olympic trial qualifier time.

“It was great. Magical,” Booth said. “It’s in Disneyland and it’s just a happy day. Always enjoyable. Everyone was so loud and cheering.”

The women’s second-place finisher was Theresa Lowry, 36, of San Diego, Calif., with a time of 1:19:05. Susan Loken, 47, of Phoenix, AZ, took third place with a time of 1:19:13.

Other notable finishers of the 2010 Disneyland Half Marathon are Jon Megeff, 47, of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., who won the men’s Master’s Division (age 40+) with a time of 1:16:57, Merryt Jackman, 41, of San Diego, Calif., who topped the women’s Master’s Division (1:28:16) and Scott Parson, 51 of San Jose, Calif.,(00:56:45), and Sandi Rush, 49, of Oceanside, Calif., (1:17:06), winners of the men’s and women’s wheelchair divisions.

The fifth anniversary of “The Happiest Race on Earth” welcomed its largest registration field as more than 14,000 runners from every U.S. state and 16 countries made the magical 13.1 mile journey. The course traveled through the two Disneyland Resort theme parks – Disneyland and Disney California Adventure – and along Anaheim streets, passing landmarks such as the Honda Center and running on the field of Angel Stadium of Anaheim, while Disney characters and festive entertainment inspired runners along the way.

Participants who completed the half marathon received a special edition medal featuring Sleeping Beauty Castle circled by a vibrant number “5″ and running Mickey Mouse. Nearly 570 Legacy runners – those who completed all five Disneyland Half Marathons – received a special medal lanyard.

The third annual Coast to Coast Race Challenge medal was presented to approximately 2,350 runners who completed the Walt Disney World Marathon or Half Marathon or Disney’s Princess Half Marathon this year at Walt Disney World Resort and then also completed Sunday’s Disneyland Half Marathon. The Coast to Coast medal showcases the iconic “Partners Statue” of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse.

The 2011 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend is scheduled for Sept. 2-4, 2011. Registration for next year’s Disneyland Half Marathon is scheduled to open Jan. 3, 2011.

Perkinson, the winner of flight 57, won from the Super Senior division (70 and older).

“I just came down to have some fun and play some golf in Myrtle Beach,” said Perkinson. “I won my flight on Thursday when a competitor double bogeyed the last hole, so I felt fortunate to make it to the finals. In the championship, I was 2-under on the front nine and hung on at a very challenging TPC Myrtle Beach golf course.”

“What a great week of golf in Myrtle Beach,” said Dave Macpherson, tournament director of the GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship. “I cannot remember a week with better weather or a field as competitive as this one. Congratulations to Bobby Perkinson for winning our championship and thanks to all the players for coming to Myrtle Beach to participate in this event.”

Hosted by Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, the GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship is considered to be the most comparable experience to the U.S. Open for the amateur golfer. Held the week before Labor Day, the event is open to all amateur golfers with a verifiable USGA handicap, or the foreign equivalent.

This year, nearly 3,100 players from 48 states and 18 countries competed on more than 55 Myrtle Beach area golf courses in the GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship, the first as a title sponsor for the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED GOLF GROUP. The SI GOLF GROUP is a unit within the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED GROUP. It is the No. 1 media company in golf with a combined audience of 12.6 million avid golfers and fans. GOLF.com is the digital engine of the group and is the most visited website in the sport.

The 28th annual GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship will be held August 29 – September 2, 2011.

A serious eye injury can leave your child on the side lines or bench longer than they would like. The Pennsylvania Association for the Blind encourages you to take the following steps to ensure your child can enjoy their favorite sports this season safely.

– Wear proper eye guards (lensed polycarbonate protectors) for racquet sports, basket ball, tennis or volleyball;
– Use batting helmets with polycarbonate face shields for baseball and softball;
– Use helmets and face shields approved by the U.S. Amateur Hockey Association when playing hockey.

Regular reading glasses or sunglasses or even safety glasses don’t provide the necessary eye protection for many sports. Purchase eye guards at sports stores or your local optical store. Ask someone familiar with your child’s eyesight to fit them properly and make sure the eye guard contains cushioning along the eyebrow and the edge of the nose to help prevent athletes from cutting or damaging his or her face.

Almost all sports related eye injuries can be prevented. Whatever your sport or age, protect your eyes! Contact the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind or your local blind agency for more information.

Twenty-nine-year-old athlete Paul Spencer broke the Guinness World Record for the “Fastest Cycle Across America: North to South, then West to East” today, Saturday, August 21st. He completed the 4,700 mile trip in 44 days, 400 days shorter than the previous Guinness World Record(TM) for the trip, achieved in 1999.

Spencer, of Roswell, Ga., and Avon, Colo., began the North to South leg of the trip with Dean Stanley (support crew) on July 8th at City Hall in Blaine, Wash., and completed it in 15 days when he arrived at San Ysidro, a community in San Diego, Calif., on July 22nd. On July 24th, he began the West to East leg of the trip at City Hall in Los Angeles.

“The first leg from the Canadian border in Blaine, Washington to the Mexican border in San Diego was a breeze compared to what we had to contend with across the central United States from Los Angeles to New York. Cycling across the Arizona desert in temperatures of 125 degrees, then burning across the Rockies in only two days, storm surfing in Colorado, followed by fighting the headwinds across the Kansas plains made the last 3,000 miles quite a struggle at times,” says Paul Spencer. “Amazingly, we stayed on schedule, averaging over 100 miles per day to break the record.”

As part of his Guinness World Record effort, Spencer raised money to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Lupus Foundation of America, and Disability Snowsport UK.

Spencer’s experience working with skiers in the 2010 Paralympics Alpine Ski events in Vancouver inspired him to raise funds for Disability Snowsport UK. His sister’s diagnosis of lupus at age 13 motivated him to help support the Lupus Foundation of America. Paul supports the work of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America because of the recreational and other opportunities that the organization provides to children.

Spencer, who was born in England, will celebrate his 30th birthday days after crossing the finish line. He is an avid athlete, who is also an accomplished skier and ski instructor, a cyclist, as well as a surfer, rock climber, kite-surfer, sky diver and triathlete. He has participated in many endurance cycling events, including British Columbia’s Nimby 50 mountain bike race, cycling 874 miles from John O’Groats to Lands End in Great Britain, and mountain biking more than 600 miles from Lhasa, Tibet, to Katmandu.

He plans to complete the Tour D’Afrique in 2011, a 7,500 mile journey from Cairo to Cape Town, and aspires to one day climb Mt. Everest.

As athletes head back to school, many have already gone back to sports. That means an increased possibility of injuries due to heat exhaustion, being out of shape from summer break and being back in direct contact with other athletes.

More than 30 million athletes participate in sports each year in the United States with the most common types of sport-related injuries being sprains (mostly ankle), muscle strains, bone or growth plate injuries, repetitive motion injuries, and heat-related illness.(1) However, according to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, skin infections also are a top injury for certain sports(2) and a recent review of infectious disease outbreaks found that skin diseases accounted for more than 50 percent of all infectious diseases in competitive sports.(3)

Concussions, fractures and sprains typically occur at full speed and often a fraction of an inch can separate a good move from a severe injury. There are steps that can be taken to help minimize the chance of injury, such as assuring proper protective equipment is used at all times.

Yet, skin infections such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are preventable if athletes, coaches and parents are educated and execute a plan for prevention. In July, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) issued a new position statement on Preventing Skin Diseases in Athletics in order to raise awareness about how to prevent skin infections in sports.

Staph infections, especially MRSA, are spread from person-to-person through direct skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces such as towels, used bandages, hot and cold tubs, or weight-training equipment surfaces that have touched a person’s infection. In football and other direct-contact fall sports, that can include locker rooms or turf on the playing fields.

As an example, football is a fall sport that has one of the largest participant bases and therefore, one of the highest injury rates. The top three injuries for football are knee, head/face and ankle, with skin infections lower on the list.(2) However, these top injures are not contagious. If a high school team has around 100 football athletes, skin infections have been shown to occur on at least one team member and unfortunately, that one infection can spread to an entire team.(2) The challenge becomes keeping that one highly contagious infection from spreading.

What Parents Can Do

Most organized sports-related injuries (62 percent) occur during practices rather than games, yet approximately 33 percent of athletes do not take the same safety precautions during practice as they would for a game.(2) Being diligent during all sports play is important.

In addition to taking precautions for preventing sports-related injuries, attention to potential skin infections should be a priority as well. Because skin infections are preventable, a skin infection prevention plan should be in place at all facilities that host sports activities. Athletes should understand the plan and follow the precautions off the field as well. This plan should include:

1. providing sinks and liquid, antibacterial soap for washing hands and arms before and after practices and games; if a sink is not available, providing antibacterial gel or wipes that contain chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) in order to provide long-term protection from bacteria;

2. providing clean and available showers for athletes, if at all possible;

3. ensuring sports equipment is cleaned and dried between practices and games;

4. assuring all wounds be covered with clean, dry bandages and checked by a physician if inflamed or painful;

5. eliminating the ability of athletes to share towels or other personal items; and

6. encouraging soiled clothing and towels be taken home in separate bags for cleaning (not put back in lockers or bags with clean clothes).

Lastly, an athlete should have his or her own antimicrobial wash that kills bacteria including MRSA for up to six hours such as Hibiclens® soap or Hibistat wipes.(4) Hibistat wipes, unlike alcohol-only gels, are formulated with isopropyl alcohol and CHG. This enables it to immediately kill bacteria on the skin, while also bonding with the skin to provide ongoing protection without leaving a sticky residue.(5) It is individually-wrapped and used without water, providing portability and convenience, especially when no sink is readily available.

(1) Safe Kids USA. (2009). Sport and Recreation Safety Fact Sheet . Retrieved July 27, 2010, from Safe Kids USA: http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/sport-and-recreation-saf ety-fact-sheet.html

(2) Comstock, D. (2010). National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. Ohio: Center for Injury Research and Policy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

(3) Zinder S, B. R. (2010). National Athletic Trainers’ Association Pronouncement Committee Position Statement: Skin Diseases. Journal of Athletic Training , 411-428.

(4) Study #030917-150

(5) Tests 05-0338-201 & 05-0521-201, Study HIB 3-107-10-1

Callaway Golf Company announced the January 15th retail availability of their new Odyssey® Black Series® Tour Designs line of milled putters. The latest innovation from The Number One Putter in Golf®, Black Series Tour Designs were crafted through extensive work between the Odyssey design team and professional golfers across the world’s major tours.

With a new black look, the precision-crafted milled putters in Odyssey’s Black Series Tour Designs line feature updated shapes and more head options, all designed to offer elite performance at the highest levels of the game. Each putter is milled from 1025 carbon steel for the soft feel demanded by the best players in the world.

“In creating the Black Series Tour Designs putters, we consulted with some of the greatest players in the game, including Phil Mickelson,” said Austie Rollinson, Principal Designer for Odyssey Golf. “We incorporated this Tour player feedback into the design of these precision-crafted milled putters. The result is updated shapes and more head options preferred by better players, all delivering the truest roll possible in a premium look.”

Black Series Tour Designs putters feature Advanced Roll Technology (A.R.T.) for precise response and the truest roll possible. A.R.T. is achieved through multi-material construction using tungsten weighting, which creates a quicker, more favorable roll by moving the center of gravity back and lower in the putterhead. A urethane dampening layer is subtly placed between the carbon steel putter head and the tungsten flange, which enhances the feel at impact.

The TD Milled Face has a precise, deep milling pattern that generates consistent impact performance across the face, resulting in better feel, distance control and a smooth roll. Each putter is finished with a Deep Black PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating, producing a durable, glare-free look that was added specifically in response to feedback received from the world’s best golfers.

Black Series Tour Designs putters are available in several core models, including the #2, #4, #6 and #9. The new product introduction retail price for Odyssey’s new Black Series Tour Designs putters is $269.

For more information on these products and Odyssey’s complete lineup, visit www.odysseygolf.com.