The players play their guts out, and the fans cheer out their lungs. 50′S-QB-DAVE LEGGETTQB-TOM MATTEHB-HOWARD HOPALONG CASSADYHB-DON COOKFB-BOB WHITEE-DEAN DUGGERE-TOM HAGUEE-JIM HOUSTONG-AUREALIUS THOMASG-JIM REICHENBACHT-FRANK MACHINSKYT-JIM MARSHALLT-JIM TYRERC-KEN VARGOK-THURLOW ‘TED’ WEED60′S-QB-DON UNVERFERTHQB-REX KERNHB-PAUL WARFIELDHB-TOM BARRINGTONFB-JIM OTISE-BILLY ANDERSE-BRUCE JANKOWSKIE-JAN WHITEG-TOM JENKINSG-ALAN JACKT-MIKE CURRENTT-DAVE FOLEYC-BILL ARMSTRONGDL-NICK ROMANDL-DICK WHITFIELDDL-PAUL SCHMIDLINDL-BILL URBANIKLB-DOUG ADAMSLB-DICK WORDENLB-MARK STIERDB-JIM NEINDB-TOM PORTEMOUTHDB-TED PROVOSTDB-JACK TATUMK-DICK VAN RAAPHORST70′S-QB-CORNELIUS GREENE HB-ARCHIE GRIFFINHB-RON SPRINGSFB-PETE JOHNSONWR-DOUG DONLEYWR-BRAIN BASCHNAGELTE-FRED PAGACG-JIM KREGELG-KEN FRITZT-JOHN HICKST-CHRIS WARDT-KURT SCHUMACHERC-STEVE MYERSDL-PETE CUSICKDL-JIM COPEDL-NICK BUONAMICIDL-AARON BROWNDL-BOB BRUDZINSKILB-RANDY GRADISHARLB-ARNIE JONESLB-ED THOMPSONLB-TOM COUSINEAULB-ALVIN WASHINGTONDB-NEAL COLZIEDB-STEVE LUKEDB-TIM FOXDB-RAY GRIFFINDB-MIKE GUESSDB-RAY ELLISDB-VINCE SKILLINGSDB-TODD BELLK-VLADE JANAKIEVSKI80′S-QB-MIKE TOMCZAKQB-ART SCHLICHTERHB-KEITH BYARSHB-TIM SPENCERFB-GEORGE COOPERWR-CHRIS CARTERWR-GARY WILLIAMSTE-JOHN FRANKG-GARY ZACHAROFFG-SCOTT ZALENSKIG-JOE LUKENST-JOE STARYSNIAKT-WILLIAM ROBERTST-TIM MOXLEYC-JEFF UHLENHAKEDL-JEROME FOSTERDL-MIKE SULLIVANDL-KENNETH COLEMANDL-ALONZO SPELLMANLB-ERIC KUMEROWLB-CHRIS SPIELMANLB-MIKE MCCRAYDB-SHAUN GAYLEDB-GARCIA LANEDB-DOUG HILLDB-SONNY GORDONDB-VINNIE CLARKK-RICH SPANGLER90′S-QB-BOBBY HOYINGQB-JOE GERMAINEHB-EDDIE GEORGEHB-PEPE PEARSONFB-RAYMONT HARRISWR-DAVID BOSTONWR-JOEY GALLOWAYTE-RICKEY DUDLEYG-DAVE MONNOTG-ROB MURPHYT-ALAN KINET-ORLANDO PACET-TYSON WALTERC-JUAN PORTERDL-DAN WILKINSONDL-LUKE FICKELLDL-MIKE VRABELDL-RYAN PICKETTDL-MATT FINKESLB-STEVE TOVARLB-MARK WILLIAMSLB-GREG BELLISARILB-ANDY KUTZENMOYERLB-NA’LL DIGGSDB-ROGER HARPERDB-CHICO NELSONDB-TIM WALTONDB-SHAWN SPRINGSK-TIM WILLIAMS00′S-QB-TROY SMITHQB-CRAIG KRENZELHB-CHRIS ‘BEANIE’ WELLSHB-ANTONIO PITTMANWR-MICHAEL JENKINSWR-SANTONIO HOLMESWR-TED GINN JRTE-BEN HARTSOCKG-BRYCE BISHOPG-ADRIAN CLARKET-ROB SIMST-ADRIAN CLARKEC-ALAN STEPANOVICHDL-RYAN PICKETTDL-DARRION SCOTTDL-TIM ANDERSONDL-WILL SMITHDL-KENNY PETERSONDL-SIMON FRASERDL-QUINN PITCOCKDL-JAY RICHARDSONDL-VERNON GHOLSTONLB-MATT WILHELMLB-A.J. A coach who had everything he would ever need at Kentucky left for the money and the fame of the NBA.He now finds himself in a somewhat similar position, only now he isn’t the man in the spotlight in the state of Kentucky which could be a reason for the speculation. Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio can be credited for the nation’s top recruiting class of 2010.

We will probably know if Gaborik will play or not during today’s morning skate at the training center. Charlotte Bobcats (24-25, Last Week: 11)The once red-hot Bobcats have dropped three straight games and are tied with Chicago for the sixth spot out East.What better way to potentially head into the break on a high note than with games against Washington and Minnesota?17. Although he finished with a record of 11-11, he spent time in the minors for lack of control and ended the season with an ERA of 6.36.As was the case last year, Parra will be the wild card for the 2010 rotation No one has ever questioned his physical abilities. UConn has been struggling as of late and has only beaten one legitimate team this year which was the struggling Texas Longhorns when they beat them 88-74 at home. Having a big, consistent, game-breaking threat on the outside would move defenders out of the box and make Oregon’s ground game that much scarier and more difficult to defend.The Gardena, CA native is a long shot?Scout lists his interest in Oregon at Medium, while Rivals omits the Ducks entirely.But in an ideal world, the four-star WR would spread the wideout wealth around the Pac-10, rather than (God forbid) committing to USC, where he would ride the bench for two and a half years behind the Trojans’ epic 2010 haul at wideout.I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Farmer will add that other dimension to the Ducks offense And I hear there’s a recent vacancy. Confidence runs high with Wilson, who was the top corner at the Senior Bowl?an important distinction this year. His defensive staff now in place with the additions of Scott Lakatos and Warren Belin, Coach Grantham can now begin the process of putting together his 3-4 defense.I will not be the least bit surprised if many from this defensive class do not step in and contribute in their freshman seasons.Listed below you will find these 12 players and their impressive credentials. Demetre Baker (6′, 200lb) – Plays Linebacker Super Prep All American Scout four-star, Rivals three-star.

They got screwed big time when they signed Paul Millsap to a new contract, expecting Carlos Boozer to opt out. Haslem has become an important piece of the Heat’s increasingly competitive squad in the Eastern Conference.Never mentioned among the league’s top power forwards, Haslem displays night in and night out that he can hang with the best of them, while having the maturity to defer to the best offensive option on any given possession.. Can Alberto Zaccheroni’s three-man defense contain Ajax’s Luis Suárez?How the defense will play is always a question mark when it comes to Juventus. There is not too much he can do to hurt his stock at the combine right now.. The rams will likely address receiver this offseason.The Rams could also address tight end in the offseason, where unrestricted free agent Randy McMichael is not expected to return.

That the match will be close, and there is really no way to tell what these guys are gonna do tomorrow.But Rajat is bent upon proving that the Fed will win So here goes my attempt to bring a balance to things. 6-7.  Daryl Washington?ILB/OLB/SS, 6′2″ 225 lbs., Second or Third Round Pick Pros  Washington has quickly risen up many big boards over the Senior Bowl practices.  While his turnover was the one with the big red flashing sign next to it that read “GAME OVER,” the other turnovers were just as painful, just as important, and just as difficult to overcome.The Saints defense created all five of them though, and that’s why despite what the stats or the storyline might’ve said, they were the better team.Now go negative and napalm the whole thing.Jared Allen is a piece of Trump with worse hair  Trade Peterson for Herschel Walker. Cena represents the PG era while Edge represents the attitude era of WWE.And now for my story on what happened to Edge while he was away…July 2009: Edge undergoes a surgery for his Achilles tendon, not to be outdone Cena undergoes the same procedure now Cena has 2 left footAugust 2009: Edge ate a whole cowSeptember 2009: Edge ate another whole cowOctober 2009:Edge worked on the luxury cruise ship as thecaptain of MV queen ll. He must improve his decision making and become more of a floor general.

Q: Switching to 2007, Scout had Kodi Burns as five star recruit at QB. I was one of three players on my team to achieve an accounting degree. Plus, players like Harden, Green, Maynor, Westbrook, Durant and basically the entire team could have the rare chance of staying great friends and not ever wanting to leave. They could actually play the majority of their careers together, pending conflicts (knock on wood). 4. Camby will be able to step right in and play his defensive game, but in a lot of ways he’ll be rusty.Despite having a true center guarding the paint, I still see Perkins and Sheed being a tough tandem to deal with. He couldn’t find his role on the team, but the suspension seems to have been a wake up call.Before the suspension, he was always looking to take his own shot and not worry about getting his teammates involved. In addition to Rice and Smith, the other members of the 2010 Hall of Fame Class will be Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm, Floyd Little, Dick LeBeau, and John Randle. 1 in his position of wide receiver with his slick 4.56 in the 40.With this speed, he should be able to stretch the field, giving Barklely more room to operate the short passing game and utilize the powerful running game with former five-star Marc Tyler returning as the probable featured back.Dillon Baxter is no slouch either.

Wesley Johnson: 6′7″ 205 lbs., RS JuniorJohnson is considered by many a top five pick Johnson, like Turner, has great versatility as well. But he took to long and John Morrison would eliminate Shawn from the top turnbuckle Shawn cannot believe it He goes back to the ring and super kicks everyone Then leaves The 27th man then enters, Dolph Ziggler He enters the ring and stood in the middle. The second prospect that will be covered is Central Michigan quarterback Dan Lefevour .Career Statistics Passing yards: 12,905 Touchdowns: 102Despite playing for a mid-major school and against weaker defenses, LeFevour put up fantastic numbers throughout his career. Joe Haden?…Adios! Major Wright?…See ya later, Gator!Aaron Hernandez?…ummm….buh-bye Urban Meyer?…Urban Meyer?…Urban?…Anyone…Buuee Just kidding. Oklahoma returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to the Oregon 27. The trading deadline is only four days away (Feb.

Terrance Parks and Jajuan Harley will also look to be in the mix after having success in the rotation last season.Florida State will have a tough schedule again. All of the Sportsbooks on the list come with a great bonus to sign up, pick one and sign up and be ready for college basketball!The main thing is to just start watching college basketball, once you get into the game the rest will come easy and before you know it you will be winning like a pro and ready for March Madness to begin!. Wade is going to go by him at will, and even though the Bucks defense is good, I don’t think the will come up with the win on this one. Belive it or not I really like ECW some day´s, they really create a sence of interest by having new talent and new feuds, but the fact is the show doesn´t bring good ratings, and the audience usually stays silent on the shows cause they are used to pay for big stars like Cena, Batista, HBK. Backlash was a pay per view that happened right after WrestleMania since 1999. Here the complete list:1 Buffon2 Caceres3 Chiellini5 Cannavaro6 Grosso7 Salihamidzic 8 Marchisio10 Del Piero11 Amauri13 Manninger15 Zebina16 Camoranesi20 Giovinco21 Grygera22 Sissoko26 Candreva27 Paolucci28 Diego29 De Ceglie33 Legrottaglie39 MarroneSource: Juventus . Although not as wonderfully magnificent as Lewis Hamilton, Jarno is accompanied with consistent results and various podium finishes including a deserved solitary win in Monaco 2004.

While his help defense is still horrendous, when Carter attacks on offense the way he did in the fourth quarter, he allows the Magic to compete with and beat any team in basketball. He does have a medical condition, but would be a major upgrade in the secondary for the Packers. What made this popular was that they created edgier characters and storylines, swearing was more common and the programs centred on things that were considered to be taboo. While it is a need, when first-year Ram, and four-year veteran Ruvell Martin is the dean of receivers, going after a free agent like San Diego’s Vincent Jackson would be the best bet.All that being said, if a guy like Bradford because of his shoulder injuries falls here, you take him And if running backs Clemson’s C.J.

The WWE simply was getting beaten consistantly and it didn’t look like the gamble of putting RAW to the same night as Nitro was going to pay off. We diehard fans, chirping with our necks outstretched like hungry baby birds, were ready to bask in the glory of a returning Pride champion, but instead were left to fend for ourselves after being given only small tastes of a resurrected Wandy. Gregg Easterbrook (well-known and respected NBA writer) has said that NBA players, “Lack training in fundamentals…launch off-balance shots, won’t listen to coaches, and endlessly try to mega-dunk .” If you want off balance shots and mega in your face hits why not watch the NHL? At least their fighting is “part of the game” (separate issue).This combined with the fact that NBA teams are drafting players, but then watching them play in Spain. Hughes said, “I was invited to work out a few weeks ago with four other guys, and despite doing the best, my lack of experience was a concern for them.

He is a duel player, serving as a cornerback on defense, and a kick-off returner. Both did well in ratings, and both had about the same amount of access to homes. Unga will likely carry a bigger load come next season, and he’s ready for it. You gain a little more with Johnson because he will simply be on base more than Hideki would have been.When Posada DHs, his speed is only slightly better than Matsui’s was. “Once we knew we were finally getting our moment to walk out, everyone started screaming and chanting ?USA.? It was a lot of fun seeing everyone going in and getting so excited. Please allow me to quote Shon Coleman’s exact words to AuburnUndercover regarding his commitment to Auburn: “It’s 100-percent.

His combination of speed and power made him a hot commodity.However, his stock seems to be slipping based on the fact that maybe his speed still isn’t good enough. He may be catching up with Ronald Reagan for the “Most Stuff Named After You No Matter How Ridiculous” award.One of Lombardi’s most famous quips is his quote of “Winning isn’t everything.  They would turn off the TV and go to bed and then I would get back up, turn the TV back on, decrease the volume and finish watching the game. His shooting numbers are very good, 44.9 percent career and 39.7 percent this season. Dwyer went on to become ACC Player of the Year and Derrick Morgan Defensive Player of the Year.

Forcier will benefit tremendously from an offseason spent in the weight room.Secondly, Forcier is from San Diego where the average temperature in November is 70 degrees. Backing up Ichiro will be a Ryan Langerhans orr Eric Byrnes, with Michael Saunders starting the season in Triple A again. Auburn picked up a talented linebacker recruit last year by the name of Harris Gaston. Putz insists his name is pronounced differently: claiming it sounds like ?puts? instead. Over 15 million people will be watching the Daytona 500 on Sunday; I have to know the reason for this.I love sports; the competition, the drama, the little nuances in different sports. Another disappointing season in Kansas for the Royals and Royal fans.

Metcalf played from 1989 to 2002.Football is a game of field position, even more so in the NFL than college.  Having to kick to Spiller can change an entire team?s strategy on special teams.  The two most prominent incidents out of Eugene have been those involving quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James. Now, we will either never know the facts involved in both of these stories, or we will eventually be enlightened to how both incidents allegedly occurred.But what has gained steam locally, is the arrest of backup linebacker Kiko Alonso and the dismissal of Jamere Holland.  As almost everyone felt, Holland?s dismissal seemed imminent, as this was his second chance after not making it at USC.  Alonso was just suspended for the 2010 season after being arrested and cited for driving under the influence.No more than 14 hours before Alonso?s arrest, Chip Kelly had given a press conference expressing that theUniversity of Oregon would not accept bad behavior from their athletes. Pundits are already banging on Kelly?s handling of the incidents, specifically Alonso and James.  People are questioning how he can make such a quick decision on Alonso and let the process run its course on James. This question can be easily answered.  When you are arrested and cited for a DUI, the police officer has performed abreathalyzer and other field sobriety tests.  Therefore Alonso was almost assuredly guilty because all the research was done by the officer at the scene.Looking at James? incident, unless there are witnesses, which it doesn?t sound like there are, this is a he said, she said battle. I told them I have nothing but love for the Giants and I always will,” said Pierce.Two summers ago, Osi Umenyiora began his own campaign for a new contract. They have NEVER had good recivers, and LaFell automatically is the #1 guy down there A trade up for Dez Bryant may be in order. Cardinals do not pull the trigger All good QBs are gone, so I guess it is Leinart for a year Graham could compliment Darnell Dockett well.. NFC SOUTH (New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) A division full of developing teams is one of many divisions in a three-team race of late. Texas A&M Aggies (14-5, 3-2) LW: 7The Aggies were only able to beat Colorado by four points in giving the Buffs their ninth loss of the year.

I just got done reading a book about the 1960 World Series. Ironically, he won a rare Triple Crown in 1933, yet finished second in the MVP voting. After all the dust settles I think Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State and Villanova will be the final four and I’m going out on a limb here with this pick but I think Ohio State will be cutting down the nets with Evan Turner being MOP.                                                                              . So after a restart the drivers got some good side by side green flag racing in until a 12 car crash on the tri-oval took out Danica Patrick and a host of others including Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Colin Braun, Jason Leffler and several others.

But not only did he duck Paul Williams, he called him out and accused Williams of not wanting to fight. So Paul Williams fights Sergio Martinez, (who is actually tougher than people realize), and wins a close, great fight. If New Jersey wants a shot at any big name free agent, they do this. New York Knicks (18-29, Last Week: 21)David Lee is another member of the 2010 free agent class and could be a huge under-the-radar steal for some lucky team.Lee has been on fire and is averaging 19.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game this season. 23. I am going to do this as long as I can.”There are other things I want to do with my life I want to open more gyms.

The House of Commons Commission, which was embroiled in controversy over its failure to reappoint Elizabeth Filkin, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, has hired a PR firm to improve its image. The committee’s decision to seek outside public relations advice will be widely interpreted as an attempt to improve a reputation badly tarnished by the Filkin affair.The commission was little known outside of Westminster before it decided not to reappoint Ms Filkin and told her that she would have to reapply for her own job.Members of the commission accused Ms Filkin of leaking a letter she wrote to Mr Martin in which said she was the victim of a whispering campaign by MPs. Ms Filkin also claimed that the Speaker had refused to meet her to discuss her concerns.Mr Stonborough, a respected former TV and radio journalist, has been hired for an undisclosed sum to provide part-time strategic advice on how to handle the departure of Ms Filkin next month, as well as guidance on other issues.. Tony Blair was under fresh pressure to name a date for a referendum on joining the euro yesterday as the only two other EU nations outside the single currency said they expected to take a decision on joining next year. The statements raised the prospect that the UK could become the sole EU member outside its single currency if the Blair Government failed to settle the issue.Sensing the changing tide within the EU, Peter Hain, the Minister for Europe, warned yesterday that Britain could even become the only member of an enlarged 25-nation EU outside the single currency after 10 new member states joined.Mr Blair has authorised ministers to highlight the benefits of euro membership following the launch of the notes and coins.

There was further evidence last night that the British public was warming to the new currency. A poll by NOP for ITN’s Powerhouse programme found a majority of 51% would definitely or probably vote yes in a referendum in a year or two if the Government and a number of business leaders recommended entry, with 43% saying they would definitely or probably vote no.If a referendum were held now, 43% would definitely or probably vote yes – up from 32% last February – and 53% no, down from 61% last February.Yesterday, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said the country was likely to hold the plebiscite on euro membership in 2003. In an interview with Berlingske Tidende newspaper, he said the decision on the euro would come “when people have sufficient familiarity with the euro and experience which indicates that it is very impractical not being part of it”.In September 2000, Danes rejected swapping their currency for the euro in a referendum by 53-47 per cent but Mr Moeller said that vote was “theoretical” because of the lack of notes and coins. Some officials were cautious about Mr Moeller’s pronouncement and wanted to hear from the Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.Meanwhile the Swedish Prime Minister, Goran Persson, sketched out a timetable for euro membership for the first time The referendum would be held at the earliest in spring 2003. If that was successful Sweden would apply around February 2004 for its currency to join the ERM-2 exchange rate mechanism. It would join the euro in 2005, introducing notes and coins a year later.Pedro Solbes, European Commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, ducked the question as to whether this timetable was satisfactory and whether the UK would be required to join the ERM.

“These campaigns are good for the general public but they are probably not as good for the people that we really need to hit. Perhaps we ought to target through text messages, young people’s magazines or at cinemas when particular films are showing.”The new figures will make disturbing reading at the Home Office, where the reduction in drink-driving over the past decade has been cited as an outstanding example of crime prevention through public information campaigning.But signs that a new group of young drink-drivers was emerging first became apparent a year ago when figures showed a rise in such offences by those aged 19 to 29.Mr King said a recent RAC Foundation study had shown that 25 per cent of drivers thought they could drink between three and five pints of beer and still be under the drink-driving limit. The estate agent’s blurb says the building is “well known in photographic circles” – a description that hardly sums up the notoriety of a mansion that provided the backdrop to the Joy of Sex video. It was the setting for the orgy in a French theatre production of Spartacus, an Ann Summers erotic lingerie catalogue and a Playboy documentary, not to mention one of Kylie Minogue’s more sultry videos.The imposing Victorian mansion was the home of the photographer Michael Joseph, a man who once proclaimed “If you need an orgy, you call me” and snapped such sex symbols as Jerry Hall and Britt Ekland.And today 46 Clapham Common Northside is back on the market for a titillating £3.5m.For those not drawn by the prospect of swimming in a pool where Playboy models once frolicked, the ornate Grade II listed mansion has many other selling points.

Designed by the architect James Knowles, the elegant terrace was intended to be seen by the Queen as she travelled out of London.It has eight bedrooms, a penthouse suite, wine cellar, library, games room, garden and roof terrace.Tony D’Alton of property dealers Knight Frank says the building’s sexual associations will not deter potential buyers. “Why should it? Half of Soho used to be brothels that are now very smart places,” he said.. The former world cycling champion Graeme Obree tried to kill himself, fearing that his sporting career was over. He has two children.The cyclist is thought to have disappeared from his home in Ayrshire and driven to a secluded farm several miles away, in Kilmaurs, before attempting to hang himself. He was found unconscious by the daughter of the farmer, Robin Smith, who raised the alarm.Paramedics revived the critically ill sportsman and he was taken to nearby Crosshouse Hospital. He was transferred to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow amid fears that he might have suffered brain damage.Yesterday, the twice world champion was back at his family home in Irvine, Ayrshire, but was unwilling to talk about what had happened.His wife, Anne, a nurse, whom he married in 1989, said: “Christmas is always an emotional time for Graeme because his brother isn’t around.” Obree’s brother Gordon, from Newcastle upon Tyne, died aged 30 in a car crash in south-west Scotland in October 1994.”He doesn’t want to talk about anything.

He can’t remember the incident,” she said, adding that Obree had recently changed his medication for depression and that “the illness may have kicked in before the medication did”.Obree broke the one-hour record held by the Italian champion Francesco Moser in 1993. He had a passion for his sport, the determination to succeed and constructeda bicycle using a bearing salvaged from an old washing machine. When the Union Cycliste Internationale banned his home-made design he adapted it by using a child’s mountain-bike saddle and extending the handlebars beyond his front wheel.He went on to win the world title for a second time in 1995. Butlater the same year he was dismissed by the French cycling team Le Groupement a week after signing a two-year contract. His problems worsenedlast year when he suffered a serious knee injury falling from his bike in a night-time training run.. More than 100 terrorism suspects and activists belonging to organisations connected with Osama bin Laden are based in Britain, Scotland Yard disclosed yesterday.

It was he who proved that the Dome and Dumber route was not the best way to make a Millennial architectural statement: not only is his super-lightweight, technically sophisticated Eden Project visually mind-blowing, but it also drew big attendances from day one. If the Dome gave British architecture and the unseemly grandiosity of the Government a bad name, the cluster of geodesic blisters in Cornwall proves that effective originality on a large scale can be both exciting and lucrative.And it is because big is considered beautiful in Frankfurt that Grimshaw’s team was given the chance to reinvent the exhibition hall. Messehalle 3 is a two-level volume whose upper floor is surmounted by a continuous run of compressed and splayed structural elements making up the “folded plate”; the symmetrical arrangement of four valleys and four peaks gives a clear span of 165 metres It is clearly a remarkable achievement. Even so, it almost didn’t happen.The design of Messehalle 3, one of four big exhibition halls on the city-centre site (in Frankfurt, the mulleted are not personae non gratae to be banished to the outer limits), was the subject of an architectural competition at the beginning of last year. Grimshaw picked his favoured design team, yanked in an engineer from the design firm Arup and announced that he would enter the competition, provided a damn good idea popped up between lunch and teatime at their Conway Street offices, just off Fitzroy Square, west London. As soon as a folded-plate roof was suggested, avid sketching broke out.

The blue touchpaper was lit, and the man from Arup scuttled back to his computer to discover if the solution was feasible. It was – and it was a winner in every sense.The roof, and therefore the ambience of the upper floor of Messehalle 3, is not just an aesthetic treat, but a pin-sharp manifestation of effective function at low cost. With an internal volume of nearly 830,000 cubic metres and a structure embodying 10,000 tons of steel, the exhibition centre cost about £100m. It is an unremarkable amount for such a large coverage of floor-space – particularly as the project was completed by the Godzilla of Germany’s main contractors, Hochtief, in just 18 months, despite the unusual complexity of a roof that was, in terms of both fabrication and erection, groundbreaking.The Godzilla sobriquet is not tendered lightly.

Hochtief is Germany’s biggest construction conglomerate, with massive in-house architectural and engineering resources, and it is singularly underwhelmed by the reputations of internationally famous architects. If it disagrees with a design detail, out it goes in favour of its own. And so Grimshaw’s success in dealing with the contractors – the completed Messehalle is little different in form from the original detailed model – is notable.Grimshaw’s project leaders, Neven Sidor and Ingrid Bille, managed in almost every instance to push through details that Hochtief at first threatened to bin. It seems they did better in that respect than Norman Foster, whose highly praised Commerzbank tower, about a mile away from the Messehalle complex, was rather more thoroughly Hochtief-ised.Messehalle 3’s practical virtues – sound-attenuation, ventilation, cooling, smoke-dispersal – were not known in advance. But extensive pre-erection testing of the roof’s performance, sometimes using 1:1 scale mock-ups, showed that its form was perfectly efficient in those areas: form and function have coalesced almost seamlessly.

They were both cleared last month of assault causing grievous bodily harm to a student by a jury at Hull Crown Court.The three men are expected to be committed to face trial at Middlesex Crown Court at the next hearing on 20 February.* Four men will appear in court next week charged with public order offences relating to violence at Cardiff City’s 2-1 victory over Leeds in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday. South Wales Police said yesterday the accused men had been arrested during the disturbances at Cardiff’s Ninian Park ground and that further arrests were likely.. A teenage girl who was stabbed 35 times in an attack at a secluded beauty spot survived the ordeal by “playing dead” the Old Bailey was told yesterday. He knocked the young man out and locked him in the car boot and then ordered the girlfriend to strip when she said she had no money or mobile phone, Christine Laing, for the prosecution, said.When the teenager resisted what she thought would turn into a rape attack, the man stabbed her repeatedly in the face, hands and neck.

The girl kicked out at his groin and sent the attacker fleeing as her boyfriend managed to free himself through the rear seat of his Ford Sierra car.The girl was taken to hospital where she had 143 stitches. Some wounds had cut down to the bone and left scarring – particularly to the girl’s face, said Ms Laing. Mr Haywood, who is unemployed and has four children, denies attempted murder, attempted rape, false imprisonment and two counts of attempted robbery.Ms Laing added: “Both the voracity of the blows and the number and direction of them left her in no doubt that he was trying to kill her.”When she tried to defend herself, he stabbed her somewhere else. The girl curled up and ‘played dead’ after sending the man reeling with a kick,” she added.