Wii Talk » s.Carpenter made his third All-Star team, but left

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Men and women in skimpy swimsuits frolicked in the surf, sprawled out on towels or kicked around a soccer ball at Copacabana Beach. Others cooled themselves under an umbrella at one of the many open-air kiosks serving food, beer and the local sugar cane cocktail, caipirinha.Inside the Olympic beach volleyball venue, the atmosphere was only slightly less festive.With a DJ spinning a samba beat and thousands cheering on their hometown teams, the Olympics sexiest sport returned to its spiritual home on Saturday for an opening session that brought out the best the beach has to offer.Defending champion Kerri Walsh Jennings and her new partner, April Ross, easily won their opening match with a 21-14, 21-13 victory over Australia that began at 12:34 a.m. and took just 35 minutes. Fellow Americans Casey Patterson and Jake Gibb also won their opener, beating Qatar 21-16, 21-16 on a day U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited the venue (as did Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi).Fans sang, waved their flags and cheered on their teams for the four matches on a sun-baked morning at the temporary stadium erected on this citys signature strip of sand. (Two more were to follow in the afternoon and evening.) Players kicked up sand as they dived for the ball, celebrated points with hugs and high-fives, and invariably saluted the crowd when walking off at after their matches.I love South American fans, and I love how the people love sports, said Argentinas Georgiana Klug, who lost her opener with Ana Gallay, falling to Spain in straight sets. All the singing, dancing -- it makes me feel like home.Beach volleyball joined the Olympic program at Atlanta in 1996, but for most Summer Games the venue has been built in a park (or parking lot), with thousands of tons of sand trucked in to create the playing surface. For the first time since Sydney in 2000, the sport is returning to an actual beach.And theres none more fitting.With the party ready to start both in and outside the arena, Italian Adrian Carambula got things started with his trademark Skyball, a high and spinning serve that wanders into the path of the sunshine and wind and confounds attempts at a return. Although he typically uses it sparingly, Carambula said he was egged on by his friends to start things off with a little flair.They said they wouldnt talk to me if I didnt, he said in a post-match interview that was twice interrupted because the prime minister asked him to come over and pose for a picture.My legs were shaking before the first serve, said Carambula, who with Alex Ranghieri beat Clemens Doppler and Alexander Horst 21-14, 21-13. When I walked in I actually got a little bit emotional. I wasnt expecting it, but I embraced it and I played with it. So very special.The biggest crowd -- and the most vocal support -- was for Brazils reigning world champions Alison and Bruno, who beat Canada in a straight-set but razor-thin 21-19, 22-20 victory. In the morning sessions other match, Austria beat Costa Rica in straight sets.In the afternoon, Brazils Agatha and Barbara needed three sets to get past the Czech Republic; the Dutch men beat Russia in straight sets and the women did the same to Venezuela.In the early part of the night session, the Spanish men beat Austria and Poland beat Germany. China held off Switzerland in a match that had to resume after a challenge on match point was reversed.---Jimmy Golen has covered Olympic beach volleyball since 2008. Follow him at http://www.twitter.com/jgolen Clearance Nike React Shoes . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. Nike React Clearance . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. http://www.nikereactcheap.com/ . 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SAN DIEGO -- St. Louis rookie shortstop Aledmys Diaz will replace his teammate, infielder Matt Carpenter, on the National League roster for next weeks All-Star game.The American League also made a change, with Cleveland right-hander Corey Kluber stepping in for Toronto pitcher Marco Estrada, who has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.The replacements were announced Thursday by NL manager Terry Collins of the New York Mets and AL manager Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals.Carpenter made his third All-Star team, but left Wednesday nights game against Pittsburgh with an injury. Diaz is batting .319 with 12 home runs, 44 RBI, 22 doubles, 54 runs scored, a .382 on-base percentage and a .534 slugging percentage.The last three months have been crazy, a lot of things happening, Diaz said. For sure its exciting to be part of the All-Star game.Was he thinking this was possible in spring training?Maybe nnot, Diaz added.dddddddddddd I think this organization gives a lot of confidence to young players, they treat them the right way, My first two years theyve given me a lot of support and I feel I can be an all-star, I can play every day and help my team win.Diaz said he also is looking forward to being part of the festivities in Boston slugger David Ortizs final season.Kluber, the 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner, will be making his All-Star debut in his sixth major league season. Kluber is 8-8 with a 3.79 ERA, striking out 114 batters in 114 innings.We all watched the All-Star game growing up, so to be able to experience one firsthand will be really cool, Kluber said. You could have made a case for any of our starters, so Danny (Salazar) and I are fortunate to be selected. ' ' '