Pimms2 This tea-colored, gin-based drink will cool and fortify with its fruity, refreshing flavor. Drink it on the rocks or in a cocktail. (Just look at that killer glass on the left; don’t you feel cooler already?)

Invented in 1823 by a London oystermonger, Pimm’s has become THE drink for generations of Brits at Wimbledon, yacht races, Royal Ascot, polo matches and assorted other social events. Americans are now getting in the know.

I discovered the restorative power of Pimm’s nearly 20 years ago when a fancy lawn party began to wilt under a fierce August sun. Beer was too heavy, wine too warm, gin and tonics too been-there-done-that. I got out the Pimm’s and whipped up the classic Pimm’s cocktail: Pimm’s, soda, ice and a spear of freshly-cut cucumbers. My guests chilled out the party was saved.

As with any classic, there’s room for improvisation with the Pimm’s cocktail. Here’s a recipe adapted from the company’s Web site: Pour about 1 1/2 ounces of Pimm’s into a tall glass loaded with ice; drop in orange and lemon wedges, fresh mint, diced strawberries and a cucumber spear. (Honestly, I think this is a bit much do what I do and go with the cuke and, possibly, a lemon wedge). Top with 7-Up, bitter lemon or Italian lemon soda, ginger ale or seltzer.

So fare ye well Shaun Micheel, who added a five-over-par 76 to his opening-day 68, and Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who was heading south faster than England’s World Cup chances, and Brendon de Jonge, who had a two-shot advantage on the field mid-way through yesterday’s second round before reality bit.

It was nice knowing them but, when the weekend comes on, so do the thoroughbreds, the likes of Ernie Els, twice the winner of this tournament, Dustin Johnson, twice a winner of the annual PGA Tour event staged on this course, and Ryo Ishikawa, the Japanese teenager who is often mentioned in the same sentence as his playing partner Rory McIlroy but gave the Ulsterman a lesson this week, beating him by 11 shots over two days.

All three will head into today’s third round at one under par and with justifiable hopes of adding their name to the lustrous list of past winners of this event at Pebble Beach Nicklaus, Watson, Kite and Woods but they will have to overcome Graeme McDowell, who plotted his way around the treacherous links by Carmel Bay in 68 shots yesterday to give himself a two-shot advantage over the field.

The afternoon starters were just heading out on to the course when the Ulsterman returned to the clubhouse but, with the wind stiffening and the greens drying out, the chances of anyone overtaking him were about as remote as a Pebble Beach gift shop never selling another postcard, although Phil Mickelson had the galleries buzzing when he started his second round with four birdies in five holes to move from the obscurity of four over par to a distinctly dangerous position near the foot of the leaderboard.

McDowell, one assumes, will have noticed Lefty’s charge, although he will be trying mostly to think about his own game. “It is great to be in position going into the weekend of a major championship,” he said. “That’s what I practise for. I’ve got two more tough days on this golf course and I’m just really trying to stay disciplined and stay calm and keep doing what I’m doing.”

This is easier said than done, although it is only a couple of weeks since he shot 64-63 at the weekend around Celtic Manor to win the Wales Open. The only obviously similarity between Celtic Manor and Pebble Beach is that both have 18 holes and a clubhouse but success in any theatre breeds confidence or at least it clearly has for McDowell.

“I’d be lying if I hadn’t thought about picking up the trophy on Sunday afternoon,” he said. “I think that’s only natural. But I’m trying to be very realistic about it as well. I have no idea but I’ll certainly be giving it my best shot, a hundred percent. If I get a sniff Sunday afternoon I’ll be ready for it.”

He had better be ready because plenty of others will, even Tiger Woods, who added a one-over 72 to his opening 74 to finish on four over for the tournament. “I feel good. I’m right in there, only seven shots back,” he said.

Welcome to the latest addition to the collected wisdom of Tiger Woods. Earlier in the week he was warning about the dangers of trying to play “catch-up” on a US Open set-up, where birdies are rarer than cheap digs at the Pebble Beach Lodge. Now he was arguing the case that seven shots back is “right in there”.

Where does the truth lie? Somewhere in between probably, although there is no doubt that Woods would swap his position for that of Els, who played brilliantly over the first two days for a return of one under par.

“I love the way the course is set up,” the South African said after his round. “It’s almost links golf on steroids, with the rough and the grass around the bunkers. It’s fast. I didn’t like the greens too much yesterday but other than that I think it’s one of the better setups I’ve seen at the US Open.”

It is never bad advice to look out for the golfer who loves the course when searching for potential winners and, with two days to go, Els has given himself an excellent chance to win his third US Open and his first major championship since 2003.

This test is based on the best selling book The Animal in You by Roy Feinson, which explores how biological and social pressure conspire to form our personalities. If you find it to be uncannily accurate, it’s due to the test’s sophisticated algorithms.

When you’ve entered your personal data, the test will build a mathematical model that corresponds to your unique personality, match it to our database of animal profiles and choose the ones closest to you. Though you may have one or two other possible results, remember that each person properly matches only one animal personality.

* 06.18.10
World Cup tie breakers: What the USA needs to do to advance
* 06.18.10
US vs. Slovenia ends in 2-2 tie: US soccer still alive (video)
* 06.18.10
Serbia vs. Germany: World Cups third big upset in as many days
* 06.18.10
Serbia upsets Germany to start World Cup schedule Friday
* 06.18.10
USA vs. Slovenia: Americans must embrace role of Goliath to beat this David

After its 2-2 draw with Slovenia Friday, the USA will qualify for the second round of the World Cup with a win over Algeria, and it will likely also advance with a tie. It will be eliminated with a loss.

IN PICTURES: Top 10 goals of the first week

Qualification for the second round goes like this:

Two teams advance out of every four-team group. The first and most obvious decider is points (three points for a win, one for a draw).

* If two teams are tied on points, the first tiebreaker is goal difference how many goals a team has scored minus how many it has conceded. The thinking is that this is the best measure of which team is better over the three games.
* If that is inconclusive, the second tiebreaker is goals scored. This rewards the team that is more offensive.
* If the teams are still tied on these measures, the next tiebreaker is who won the head-to-head matchup.
* If theyre still tied, World Cup officials flip a coin, literally.

Heres how that plays out in the US situation.
1. A USA win

With a win, the USA will finish above Algeria and either England or Slovenia depending on the result of that match. But it can finish no worse than second.
2. A USA draw

The USA will also advance with a draw if:

1. Slovenia defeats England.
2. England and Slovenia draw so long as Englands doesnt score two-plus goals more than the USA in its draw.

This takes some explaining. If both the USA and England draw, Slovenia will top the group with five points and the USA and England will be tied with three points. They will have the same goal difference (zero) because they will have drawn all three games.

But the USA has an advantage because it drew 2-2 Friday while England drew 0-0 with Algeria. That means the USA leads 3-1 in the goals scored tiebreaker. (The USA and England drew 1-1 in the first group game.)

However, the US will be eliminated if Englands draw is far more high scoring than the USAs. For example, if England draws 3-3 and the USA draws 0-0, England would win the goals scored tiebreaker, 4-3.

If both teams are tied on the goals scored tiebreaker England draws 2-2, USA draws 0-2, for example it will come down to a coin flip, since the head-to-head tiebreaker will be indecisive.
3. A USA loss

The USA will be eliminated with a loss because at least Algeria and Slovenia will finish with more points.

These are the current Group C standings:

1. Slovenia: 4 points, 3 goals for / 2 goals against (+1 goal difference)
2. USA: 2 pts., 3/3 (0)
3. England: 2 pts., 1/1 (0)
4. Algeria: 1 pt., 1/2 (-1)

Jerry Cooke, one of the principals of JPC Monroe who owns the Oak Ridge Commons and Oak Ridge Marketplace shopping centers, is in the process of purchasing the property at 2202 Oak Ridge Road. But the land is all he wants. Cooke says the house on the property beside Josies Boutique has to go.

So he plans to give the house to anyone who will pay to move it. The 1,100-square-foot home that was built in 1910 has three bedrooms and one bathroom. It has been unoccupied for several years.

The proposed move has already been approved by the towns Historic Preservation Commission. If Cooke is unable to give the structure away within a 60-day time frame, it might be burned as a training exercise by the fire department or have to be demolished.

Manny Ramirez
Manny Ramirez
#99 LF
Los Angeles Dodgers

2010 STATS

* GM49
* HR7
* RBI33
* R24
* OBP.384
* AVG.295

The Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder hasn’t given a formal interview since returning from a spring training trip to Taiwan, and that probably wasn’t going to change just because he was returning to the city where he spent almost eight seasons and contributed to a pair of World Series titles.

Before any of the real reporters could approach him, a phony one did. Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp, holding his blue batting-practice bat like a microphone, immediately stuck it into Ramirez’s face and said, “How does it feel to be back in Boston?”

Ramirez gave Kemp about as much time as he was going to give anyone. After Kemp returned to the other side of the clubhouse, which was about seven feet away, he yelled at the assembled media, “Manny smells good today. If y’all get close enough, you can smell him.”

One of them finally did get close enough after Ramirez had changed from his street clothes into his official Dodgers workout apparel. Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes approached him and politely requested an interview in Spanish. Ramirez politely declined, Ronnie Belliard telling Rojas he would be happy to serve as Ramirez’s official spokesman and interview stand-in but laughing as he said it because even Belliard knew that on this unusual and circus-like day, no one wanted to hear from a utility infielder with a .256 average.

IT’S L.A., AND IT’S LIVE

ESPNLosAngeles.com For more coverage of the Dodgers and the complete Los Angeles sports scene, visit ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Eventually, Ramirez disappeared into an area of the clubhouse that was off-limits to media. He wouldn’t be seen again until he came into the dugout for batting practice, carrying three bats and two gloves, one of which was red, white and blue, and with the back left pocket of his uniform pants hanging out.

Shortly thereafter, in a media scrum that was almost as large as the one Ramirez would have had if he had chosen to engage it, Dodgers manager Joe Torre gave his usual rehearsed response when asked for the umpteenth time this week what kind of reception he thought Ramirez might receive from the Fenway faithful, the one about how he hoped those fans would appreciate what Ramirez helped the Red Sox do during his time with them.

A half-hour or so later, Ramirez stepped into the batting cage for the first time at 5:40, and the answer everyone had been waiting for finally came. It can’t be definitively stated that he wasn’t booed at all, but the cheers he received were loud enough to drown out any catcalls that might have been directed his way.

When Ramirez stepped out of the cage after taking his first allotment of hacks, he received another loud cheer. Kemp, who had followed Ramirez into the cage, who had his right back pocket hanging out of his uniform pants and who, like Ramirez, was helmetless, stopped after one swing and turned to wave an acknowledgement to the crowd, feigning as if he thought the ovation was for him.

Game time was still more than an hour away, and so was the arrival of most of the crowd. As such, there still was no way to predict what Ramirez would hear when he actually stepped into the batter’s box as the Dodgers designated hitter for the first time in either the first or second inning — he was batting fourth — against rookie Felix Doubront, who was scheduled to make his first major league start for the Boston Red Sox.

But the three-day, three-ring circus was officially under way. And while it was anything but a normal pregame routine, it seemed to be a perfectly comfortable fit for Ramirez.

Trade efforts increase

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said before the game that his effort to trade for an additional starting pitcher has intensified in recent days and has reached a point of trying to zero in on specific individuals. However, Colletti said no such trade is imminent, and he seemed to believe that if he does eventually make a deal, he will need most and perhaps even all of the six remaining weeks before the non-waiver trading deadline.

“The conversations have picked up a little bit, but nothing is really hot,” Colletti said. “If a team is holding onto a pitcher until they can get value back for him, that value [the other club is seeking] isn’t going to go down as it continues to get later.”

More on the Dodgers

For more news, notes and analysis of the Dodgers, check out Dodger Thoughts from Jon Weisman. Blog

The most prominent names of pitchers who figure to become available in the coming weeks are Houston right-hander Roy Oswalt and Seattle lefty Cliff Lee.

Oswalt has a year plus an option left on his contract, as well as about $25 million in guaranteed money. Lee would seem to be a better fit because he is owed only about $5 million for the rest of the season, after which his current contract will expire. But the big sticking point there will be which players the Mariners want in return for Lee.

Kemp bats leadoff

Kemp batted leadoff for the first time this season Friday night, becoming the second player in two games to do so after regular leadoff man Rafael Furcal was put on the bereavement list and returned to the Dominican Republic to be with an ill family member.

At first glance, Kemp would seem to be curious choice to bat first, not only because he has middle-of-the-order power but mostly because he is hitting only .254, has a .324 on-base percentage and has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost 3:1. But Torre says he likes what he has seen of Kemp at the plate in recent days.

Torre also said he didn’t expect Kemp to suddenly start being selective just because he is batting leadoff for one game.

“I just want him to be who he is,” Torre said. “It just looks like he is thinking more toward [hitting up] the middle the last couple of days. But I can’t guarantee anything with this wall sitting here.”

Torre was referring, of course, to Fenway’s famed Green Monster in left, which is so tantalizing to right-handed hitters that they often fall into the bad habit here of trying to pull the ball to left.

Furcal back Tuesday?

By the way, Torre said Furcal won’t join the team until at least Tuesday, when the Dodgers open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

This test is based on the best selling book The Animal in You by Roy Feinson, which explores how biological and social pressure conspire to form our personalities. If you find it to be uncannily accurate, it’s due to the test’s sophisticated algorithms.

When you’ve entered your personal data, the test will build a mathematical model that corresponds to your unique personality, match it to our database of animal profiles and choose the ones closest to you. Though you may have one or two other possible results, remember that each person properly matches only one animal personality.