9:34am Sebastian Hassett: Football. Frank Lampard's 200th goal for Chelsea overnight effectively secured the Blues a crucial win over West Ham, but I'm not sure whether Lampard receives enough recognition for his achievements.
Many claim Lampard is too one-dimensional and that his failure to play well for England indicates his quality - or lack thereof.
He's not a central midfielder, a striker or even a classic number 10 in the strictest sense. Instead, he's a bit of all three, and the fact he's doing the business well into his 30s shows what a special talent he is.
Let's hope when he eventually does leave Chelsea, be it this year or next, an A-League stint beckons.
9:27am: League. Adrian Purtell made his first appearance since suffering a heart attack last May as the Bradford Bulls defeated Hull KR 34-12 to move level on nine points with four other Super League clubs Sunday.
Purtell, who featured for Canberra and Penrith in the NRL before moving to Europe, feared he would never play again after the incident following a defeat to Leeds at the Magic Weekend ten months ago.
9:20am Brad Walter: League. NRL players are set to play for Samoa and Tonga in a Test match at Penrith Stadium on April 20.
Details of the Test were announced this morning and officials have told Fairfax Media that both nations were expected to be as close to full strength in the lead to the end of season World Cup.
‘‘Clubs will be treating it like a Test match so all NRL players are to be released if required unless injured,’’ Nigel Vagana said. ‘‘All CEOs and club football managers have all been made aware of game and Test protocols.’’
The Test will be played the day after Australia host New Zealand at Canberra Stadium and is on a stand-alone representative weekend, which also includes City v Country on April 21 at Coffs Harbour.
9:08am Paul Suttor:
Basketball. LeBron James and the Miami Heat have equalled the second-longest winning streak in NBA history by beating the Toronto Raptors 108-91 for their 22nd consecutive W, a feat achieved by the 2007-08 Houston Rockets.
They can move into outright second tomorrow if they beat the Celtics in Boston but they're still a long way from the all-time record of 33 set by the 1971-72 LA Lakers.
9:06am Rupert Guinness: Cycling. ... my hands and feet still feel cold after watching a rain and snow stricken Milan-San Remo bike race in Italy overnight ... and I'm sitting here in sunny Sydney!
It was a day for hard tough riders, that's for sure considering the elements. Love to know the physiological impact of racing in such brutal conditions. A real test of mind and body. Soon after the start in Milan where the temperature was 2 Celsius, reports came in of snow blanketing the Turchino Pass at 150km.
Organisers called for the race to be stopped at 117km in Ovada and re-started 46km further down the road in Arenzano - skipping the Turchino Pass. It was still miserable, foul weather all the way to the finish.
No postcard stuff of pristine blue waters and sunshine when the race hit the Italian Riviera for the fast stretch over the famed 'Capi' - hills that characterise this first of cycling's five one day monuments - to the finish line in San Remo.
It was wet, grey and bitterly cold. As for the result? Sadly, no Australian three-peat to back up the wins by Matt Goss and Simon Gerrans in 2011 and last year. But the finale was still gripping and was fought out by a six-man break that formed on the Poggio. The winner? German Gerald Ciolek (MTN-Qhubeka) in 5hrs 37 mins 20secs, from Slovakian Peter Sagan (Cannondale), and Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack). The peloton came in 14 seconds behind.
Time for a hot shower now ... will look in to that physiological impact side of things if sports editor Ben Coady likes the idea!
8:58am: On this day ... in 1995: “I’m back.” With those two words in possibly the world’s shortest ever press release, Michael Jordan announced he was ending his 17-month retirement from the NBA.
The living legend had shocked the sporting world by walking away from the game in 1993, disenchanted following the murder of his father earlier that year. A flirtation with minor league baseball ensued - inspired by his father - but with his beloved Chicago Bulls struggling, he returned to the hoops, much to the relief of millions.
A good excuse, as if we needed any, to show His Airness in full flight.
8:54am Glenn Jackson: League. Back where they belong, at Brookvale Oval and under siege, Manly are back where they will believe they belong; near the top of the table as one of the premiership pacesetters. Newcastle were one of the big winners out of the opening weekend, but they were given a lesson by Manly, who struck early, then monstered their opponents.
Manly thump Knights
The Manly Sea Eagles brought the Newcastle Knights thundering back to earth with a 32-0 win at Brookvale Oval.
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8:49am: Tennis. Maria Sharapova beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 6-2 to win her second Indian Wells WTA title in emphatic style.
The 25-year-old Russian, already projected to supplant Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka from No.2 in the world rankings by reaching her first final of the season, broke Wozniacki twice in each set en route to the victory in one hour and 21 minutes.
The victory in a match between former champions gave her a second title to go with the Indian Wells crown she claimed in 2006. It was Sharapova’s first trophy since her 2012 French Open triumph gave her a career grand slam, and stretched her streak of years with at least one title to 11.
8:46am Mark Fogarty: Motorsport. To finish first, so the old adage tells us, first you have to finish. But for Mark Webber, finishing first at his home race was always going to come down to how he started Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix alongside pole-sitting teammate Sebastian Vettel. And once again, Webber’s getaway let him down.
Raikonnen cruises over Finnish line
Lotus driver, Kimi Raikonnen, beats Fernando Alonso and Sebastien Vettel to win the season opener in Melbourne.
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8:43am: Football. Frank Lampard scored his 200th Chelsea goal as his side beat West Ham United 2-0 on Sunday to snatch third place in the Premier League from faltering London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham's 1-0 loss at home to Fulham had opened the door for Chelsea and they took full advantage by recording a victory that lifted them to within four points of second-place Manchester City.
Frank Lampard heads in his 200th goal for Chelsea. Photo: AFP
8:40am Chris Barrett: Cricket. The last thing Australia needed, on this tour never to be spoken of again, was Michael Clarke to break down.
But that was the concern facing the visitors late on Sunday as they crumbled to the brink of what - thanks to last Thursday’s wash-out – would effectively be a second successive defeat inside four days.
8:31am: Football. AEK Athens midfielder Giorgos Katidis was handed a life ban from all national teams by Greece's football federation EPO on Sunday after he appeared to give a Nazi salute to supporters during a match.
Banned: Giorgos Katidis. Photo: AFP
8:29am Ben Coady: Welcome to SportsDay live for Monday and another big week in sport. League fans - I hope you’re on top of the table in your tipping competitions. AFL fans - it’s the premiers Sydney Swans against the GWS Giants this weekend. Football fans - it’s the battle of the Harbour City with Sydney FC and the Wanderers. Rugby fans? - well, it’s nice autumn weather we’ve been having.
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