Dein erstes Forum » best in the world.A possible obstacle

NEW ORLEANS -- Former New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas told a jury Wednesday that he thought a heated argument between retired Saints star Will Smith and an irate driver had cooled -- but then he heard gunshots and turned to see his friend being gunned down.After the shooting stopped I stood there in shock. Telling myself that didnt happen, Thomas said, his voice shaking. Telling myself he didnt just kill one of my friends, my former teammate.Thomas, who spent eight seasons with the Saints, said he walked up to the SUV to confirm his fear, and peered through the passenger window to see Smiths body slouched over the steering wheel.Nobody disputes that Smiths killer was Cardell Hayes, 29, a former semi-pro football player and owner of a tow-truck business. At dispute in the second-degree murder trial is whether Hayes legitimately feared for his life in a post-collision confrontation with Smith and others.He also wounded Smiths wife, Racquel, in the legs, before surrendering to police at the scene.Thomas testimony is the latest to bolster the prosecutions scenario of how the shooting unfolded: The Smiths were out for the evening with friends after a festival in the French Quarter, and were traveling in three different vehicles.At one point, Smiths Mercedes SUV stopped short behind an orange Hummer, perhaps lightly striking it, before steering around it and continuing downtown. Moments later, the Hummer, driven by Hayes, rammed into the rear of Smiths vehicle, and both men got out to confront each other.Prosecutors and their witnesses say Racquel had calmed her husband and the argument had subsided when Hayes fired, hitting her in the legs, followed by a bullet to Smiths side and seven more in his back.In opening statements and cross examinations, defense attorneys John Fuller and Jay Daniels have questioned the credibility of prosecution witnesses while insisting that Hayes fired because he feared that Smith was returning to his vehicle to fetch his own gun.The Hummers crash into Smiths SUV, they suggested, was an accident that happened as Hayes was trying to report Smiths license plate number on a 911 call.Fuller noted that Smith had been drinking at the festival, a bar and two restaurants earlier that night, but Thomas insisted that Smith showed no signs of being out of control, and resisted suggestions during cross examination that he was trying to burnish Smiths image.I want justice, he told Fuller at one point.Thomas had been in a car that was ahead of the accident scene.Another Smith family friend, Rebecca Dooley testified Wednesday that Hayes shouted taunts at the slain mans body, sounding evil and showing no remorse.Dooley and her husband were riding with Smith and his wife when the Hummer slammed into them.They just both seemed angry: Will saying `You hit my car, `Mr. Hayes saying, `You hit me first, then back and forth, back and forth, Dooley testified.Dooley said her husband and Hayes passenger also had words, and that the passenger took a swing at her husband. But she said no physical contact was made among any of those arguing, and she too thought tempers had calmed.Then, she said: I see Mr. Hayes walking toward Will with a gun pointed at him. I hear shots fired. I see Wills body jolt.Look at you now. You were showing off, Dooley quoted Hayes as saying over Smiths slumped body.It just sounded like there was no remorse -- evil kind of sounding, Dooley testified.Then, she said, I heard Mr. Hayes say, `Wheres that white boy at?At that point I though he was looking for my husband, she said, but no other shots were fired.Contradicting a developing defense narrative, Dooley and Thomas said they never heard Smith threaten to fetch a gun before he was shot.Dooleys husband, Richard Hernandez, also took the stand Wednesday, and the defense pointed to inconsistencies in his testimony as well as a discrepancy between his account and what his wife apparently told police.Fuller noted that Hernandez testified at one point that the drivers were calm after the accident but also said he pulled his shirt off, expecting a fight. Fuller also said that Dooley had told police that a passenger in Hayes Hummer, Kevin ONeal, tried to calm the situation down.But Hernandez, who had argued with ONeal at the scene, characterized ONeal as aggressive. Cheap Air Max 95 Wholesale . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. Air Max 95 Wholesale China . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.airmax95cheap.com/ . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Air Max 95 Cheap Authentic . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. Cheap Air Max 95 China .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Russias dominance of synchronized swimming remains unchallenged after it captured the team gold Friday to preserve a 16-year winning streak.Russia has won every Olympic gold medal on offer in the sport since 2000 and Fridays victory was never in doubt. A near-perfect score in the free routine meant none of the other competitors could possibly match the Russians total, allowing them to begin the celebrations early.Russia performed its routine to dramatic string music, wearing costumes depicting angel wings. The idea was to seem like a prayer, said Natalia Ishchenko, who along with Svetlana Romashina became a five-time Olympic gold medalist, matching former Russian great Anastasia Davydova as the most decorated synchronized swimmer of all time.I think its the best program in the history of synchronized swimming, Ishchenko said. We joked before the competition that there are five Olympic rings and we need five Olympic medals.Russias opponents have come and gone -- the U.S., a former power in the sport, has not even competed in the team event at the last two Olympics -- and few have even come close to contending for Olympic gold. Its hard to match the countrys combination of top training facilities, state funding and choreography experience drawn from the Russian ballet tradition.On Friday it wasnt even close. Russia won with 196.1439 points, with China taking silver at 192.9841 and Japan the bronze at 189.2056. The second- and tthird-place finishers were almost an afterthought for Ishchenko, who said of them merely that we always respect our opponents a lot and they help us to be better.ddddddddddddRussia is already looking to the 2020 Olympics and the next generation of its swimming dynasty. Careers in the sport tend to be short, with the exception of the veterans Ishchenko and Romashina. Teammate Maria Shurochkina estimated that about half the team would not be around for Tokyo, but Russia would nevertheless be strong, the best in the world.A possible obstacle to Russias hold on the sport would be the introduction of male synchronized swimmers to the Olympicsl. Mixed-gender duets debuted at last years world championships to strong opposition from Russia, which won one of two titles in the new discipline but lost out to the U.S. for the other.Ishchenko said she was against the inclusion of mixed duets in the Olympics, fearing the long-established womens duet could be removed to make way.Its a tough question, she said. The female athletes in classical duets perform on a higher level. Now I think there are only three countries in the world at a good level in the mixed duet.Even so, Russia has already spent years training a mixed pair in case of an Olympic change, and it would be brave to bet against another Russian gold-medal sweep in 2020. ' ' '