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Florida safety Jamar Hornsby has been released on his own recognizance after turning himself in Friday for using the credit card of a woman killed six months ago in an accident that also killed one of his teammates.

Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen will likely miss the Eastern Conference finals against the Penguins because of a blood clot in his ankle.

Bears running back Cedric Benson has hired a prominent defense attorney to help him fight charges of drunken boating and resisting arrest in Texas.

Serena Williams's 17-match winning streak ended Friday with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5) loss to Dinara Safina in the German Open quarterfinals.

My inbox still is getting hammered after my post-draft commentary.

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Rule changes that could be on the way, plus more NBA observations.

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Beyond discussions of mint juleps and giant hats, the talk of this weekend’s Kentucky Derby will likely surround the race’s first filly competing since 1999. Eight Belles will challenge 19 boys for the prestigious crown and with a four-race winning streak, she might have an underdog chance. In 134 years of the Derby, only 38 fillies have ventured out to run with the boys in sports’ most thrilling two minutes.

Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo, who for those who don’t know the first thing about soccer is to Michael Jordan as David Beckham-Spice is to Vlade Divac, had a run in with transvestites in Brazil. Ronaldo, who is recovering from knee surgery, was seeking a little professional female company, when he accidentally got himself a prickle of transvestites. Good to know he kicks with both feet!

Losing a front tooth didn’t stop Carl Landry from saving the Houston Rockets from NBA Playoff extinction. He lost his tooth in the first half after catching Carlos Boozer’s forearm to his mouth and came back to make the game-saving block, keeping the Rockets’ hopes alive. He was all smiles afterwards.

The folks at ESPN must be delighted at all of the intrigue surrounding this year’s NFL Draft. What we know is the Miami Dolphins will make Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long the first player chosen. What we think we know are which five players will come off the board next. What we have no idea about are where these guys are going.

After an exhibition game at the Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, soccer god David Beckham ran over to the stands, pointed at a boy and handed over his jersey. Two friends tugged at it, and now their youthful friendship is way out-of-bounds. Their squabble isn’t truemor worthy, it’s the fact that their parents have pulled the attorney card to settle the matter. One parent asked, “He (Beckham) pointed out that he wanted our son to have it. How do you explain this to a 10-year-old?” If you need to ask, maybe you need to turn in your parent card.

What you missed while stocking up on healthy snacks ... • NBA: Cavaliers summon Iron Man after Celtics take 2-0 series lead. • NHL: Hot Wings to go ... Detroit wins series opener over Stars. • MLB: Don't try it, he's got the high ground ... O's 6-foot-9 Daniel Cabrera tames the Royals.

It is times like these where Yankee-haters even must bow down to the catnip that is Derek Jeter's machismo. Maxim's Hot 100 list contains six women who've been romantically linked to the Yankee shortstop. Depending on Jeter's next conquest, he's entering the rarified air of such cooze-hounding heavyweights like Robert Evans, Kelly Slater, and Scott Baio. (Oh, and Bo Belinsky.) Let's gaze longingly and agogingly (author's note: not a real word) at Jeter's bodycount: • Scarlett Johansson • Gabrielle Union • Mariah Carey • Jessica Biel • Vanessa Minillo •…

What to watch after reading your kids a bedtime story ... • NBA: Eastern Conference semifinals, Game 2, Cleveland at Boston (7 p.m., ET); Western Conference semifinals, Game 3, New Orleans at San Antonio (9:30 p.m., ET). We welcome our new Hornets overlords. I can be helpful in finding people to toil in your hives. [ESPN] • NHL: Western Conference finals, Game 1, Dallas at Detroit (7:30 p.m., ET). Let's see them do a reality show about the Stars. [Versus] • Soccer: MLS, Chicago at D.C. United (7:30 p.m., ET). This soccer thing just might catch on. [ESPN2]

ESPN, soccer and Coldplay; banding together for a stronger America. [Awful Announcing]

Basketbawful once again brings you the nightly NBA previews. And the Spurs' championship formula. Basically, they...well, keep reading. Cleveland versus Boston: Game 2 LeBron James. I'm not a betting man, but I'd be willing to bet my life's savings - all $27.93 of it - that LeBron isn't going to have the worst game of his career for the second straight game. In fact, I kind of expect a triple double. Grammar. Said LeBron: "I can't play no worse than I did (in Game 1)." But...doesn't that mean...he actually can play worse? I'm just sayin'. Contradictions. Although he presumably thinks he can't…

In slow motion!Sweet.[Bugs & Cranks] | [Knuckle Curve] | [The Big Picture]

Oh, it's just the San Francisco Giants and their leader, Barry Zito.Falling to 0-7 with a 6.95 ERA on the season, despite a solid start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, Zito seems to have shown some improvement. However, he still couldn't manage to beat Phil Dumatrait, who was recently claimed off waivers and hadn't earned a win in seventeen previous career appearances. At least Phil is pretty pumped.Zito's line of five innings, three hits, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts was his most impressive of the season thus far, as his last time out he allowed eight runs on seven…

Torii who? As a Minnesota Twins rookie, to hear your name in the same breath as Kirby Puckett's has got to be pretty sweet. Speedy center fielder Carlos Gomez hit for the cycle Wednesday night during the Twins 13-1 pounding of the struggling Chicago White Sox, just a day after being one-hit by Gavin Floyd.Gomez, who went 4-for-6 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored, homered off Mark Buehrle on the game’s third pitch, trucked around the bases like he had a chance of being thrown out. He showed off his wheels again in the fifth with an RBI triple, doubled in a run in the sixth and completed the…

Not only is Joey Votto adorable, he can also hit bombs. The 24-year-old monster first baseman blasted three homers Wednesday for the Cincinnati Reds, raising his batting average to .302 with 7 longballs and 18 RBIs on the season.During Chicago Cubs' righty Jon Lieber's first start of the season (Welcome!) Votto sparked the four-homer second inning, followed by Adam Dunn and Paul Bako with solos and Jerry Hairston Jr. with a two-run shot.But Votto wasn't finished smoking fastballs through the wind and the rain. He and Brandon Phillips sent back-to-solo taters off Sean Marshall in the fifth,…

Everyone is in on it. All of major league baseball got together and decided not to sign Barry Bonds.At least, that's what the Player's Association is wondering. The union so far has held off on filing a collusion grievance on behalf of the troubled outfielder, but have expressed concern regarding the number of offers he's received since becoming a free agent... which is zero. They needn't waste their time and money on a witch-hunt, however. We'll be happy to tell you why no one has signed The new Home Run King!Common sense tells us that teams without a proper designated hitter or left fielder…

You think it's too early to look ahead to the upcoming college football season? Of course not! SC's Kevin Beane takes a look at some of the more intriguing games awaiting us to kick off the season next year. Let's see what's shaking for week one.

Kyle Busch would rather make contact than make friends — his battle with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took them both of the pace while Clint Bowyer slipped through for the win at Richmond. Busch now leads the points, and has no problem sleeping in the bed he's made.

As we continue through the NBA playoffs, the headlines continue to focus on the box scores and the extravagant honors. But which stories helped us get to this point in the campaign? SC's Jonathan Lowe takes a closer look at the Most Valuable Story.

SC's Jeff Kallman remembers Buzzie Bavasi, the baseball executive who helped the Brooklyn Dodgers integrate baseball, hoodwinked Gil Hodges into a raise, and didn't mind admitting he was a fool to let Nolan Ryan walk.

In the outburst that sparked a million angry message board posts, author Buzz Bissinger has given a name and a face to the conflict between the corporate mainstream media and the uncensored world of online blogs. SC's Seth Doria gives his take.

Bali sees perfect surf as Indian Ocean churns to life

At home in Ventura with the top-rated ASP Rookie

A progress report with Rachel Harris, Santa Barbara's newest pro

West Coast sees weekend of fun SW swell

Waiting period begins as Teahupoo goes missing

His age suggests that Sergio Garcia is about to enter his prime and has every reason to look ahead. He already has six PGA Tour victories, 10 more around the world, has made four Ryder Cup teams and contended in a half-dozen majors. Comfort comes from looking back. The 28-year-old Spaniard showed up at The Players Championship with a putter he used in 2000, when he was a fresh-faced challenger to...

Kason Gabbard threw an eye-high pitch at Richie Sexson. That was it for the Mariners 6-foot-8 first baseman. He charged the mound, sparking a fourth-inning brawl in Texas' 5-0 win over Seattle on Wednesday night. "I'm 6-foot-8. He can hit corners at will," Sexson said. "6-8 and all of a sudden he's up that high?

The San Antonio Spurs' Big Three congregated around the scorer's table during a timeout in the fourth quarter, not long before they put the game away for good. Tim Duncan patted Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. They all laughed. The NBA's defending champions were not going into an 0-3 hole against the New Orleans Hornets.

Rolling, not rusty. The Detroit Red Wings looked as sharp as they have throughout the playoffs -- and perhaps in any postseason -- jumping out to a big lead and beating the Dallas Stars 4-1 Thursday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Detroit played for the first time since sweeping the Colorado Avalanche a week earlier.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen found their shooting touch. LeBron James can only hope he left his in Cleveland. Pierce scored 19 points, Kevin Garnett added 13 with 12 rebounds, and Allen broke out of a seven-quarter scoring drought with 16 points to help the Boston Celtics beat the Cavaliers 89-73 on Thursday night and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Filed under: Bears, Buccaneers, NY Giants, Texans, Chicago, Houston, New York, Tampa BayA number of you aren't going read this because as Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says, the public prefers to follow news of celebs and sports figures who are "[expletived] up." The rise of the sports blog generally hasn't be driven by fans' desire to read do-gooder stories. (Though I have to say, I think that would be an interesting niche sports blog).In any event, I want to highlight a few stories in the news this week that talk about NFL players doing good in the world.The New York Times had a…

Filed under: Cavaliers, Wizards, Eastern, NBA Fans, ClevelandEvery Papa John's franchise in Northeast Ohio sold one-topping pizzas for 23 cents yesterday to atone for the "crybaby" t-shirts given away in Washington last week. And as you'd expect, it was a complete cluster. From the Columbus Dispatch:The offer, intended to remedy a franchisee's insult to Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James (No. 23), resulted in closed stores, long lines and angry customers after stores became overwhelmed by the demand. Police were called to help control the crowds at some outlets."It's total chaos," said Ann…

Filed under: Fighting, MMA, MMA/BoxingAfter a prolonged controversy about whether his contract would allow him to participate, American Nick Diaz is officially on this weekend's Dream.3 mixed martial arts card in Japan. Here's a look at Diaz showing off his gym:EliteXC officials had previously said that Diaz would be violating his contract if he participated in the Dream.3 card, but his trainer, Cesar Gracie, says they've worked out all the contractual issues and that Diaz will, in fact, fight the Japanese welterweight Katsuya Inoue. "I pulled an all-nighter with Nick last night, cutting…

Filed under: Soccer, Premier League, Soccer PostsSomehow, it all comes back to Wigan Athletic.Wigan is a small club that's been in the top flight of English football for only the last three years, and it's spent most of that time fighting for its spot in the Premier League. Last season, Wigan only avoided relegation on the last day of season with a win at Sheffield United. This season, they didn't stave off relegation until last week, when they upset Aston Villa, 2-0.What's more, Wigan plays on the worst pitch in the Premier League. They share JJB Stadium with a rugby league club, which…

Filed under: Phoenix, Diamondbacks, NL West, MLB InjuriesThis is just a great story: Doug Davis, who underwent surgery on April 10 after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, has been declared cancer-free after a CT scan on Thursday revealed that the disease had not spread. In fact, he's feeling so good right now that he's expected to make a minor league rehab start with Triple-A Tucson on Saturday. After that, he'll probably need just one more start in the minors before coming off the disabled list and returning to the majors.It should come as no surprise that he's making such a quick…

Dinara Safina ended Serena Williams's 17-match winning streak with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory on Friday to reach the German Open semifinals.

Ian Kinsler hit a two-run home run and then got hit by a pitch, setting up a fourth-inning brawl in the Texas Rangers' 5-0 victory against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili both scored 31 points and the Spurs beat the Hornets 110-99 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals Thursday.

They were supposed to be rusty after a week layoff. Not these Red Wings, who take it to the Stars and earn a 4-1 win in Game 1. Dallas was supposed to ride a wave of momentum, but this series could get out of hand soon, Wes Goldstein says.

Johan Franzen, Brian Rafalski and Tomas Holmstrom scored power-play goals for the Detroit Red Wings, who built a big lead in the second period and coasted to a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday.

An extra English club will compete in the first qualifying round of next season's UEFA Cup after England's FA finished top of the 2007/08 UEFA Fair Play standings.

Romania are guaranteed a presence in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League group stage as a reward for their impressive progress in UEFA's club competitions.

The Netherlands will launch a four-pronged pursuit of another UEFA Cup title next season after being given four tickets for the first round of the 2008/09 edition.

The United Kingdom authorities have announced that visas will be free of charge for FC Zenit St. Petersburg fans coming with tickets to next week's UEFA Cup final.

Attack will meet defence in next week's UEFA Cup final at the City of Manchester Stadium as high-scoring FC Zenit St. Petersburg tackle a resilient Rangers FC side.

In the ARIZONA REPUBLIC, Paul Coro writes "today was offered as a day of hope for all parties involved to get a resolution on Suns coach Mike D'Antoni's future. There is no deadline, just an expectation that an outline would be provided today for just how interested the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks are in D'Antoni. The possibilities remain as open as when the week began, when he interviewed in the Valley with both teams."

In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mark Heisler writes "a year ago, Derek Fisher's life changed, or would have if it ever did, which it never really has. A year ago to the day, Fisher made his dramatic return from New York City, where his 10-month-old daughter had undergone eye surgery that morning to face his former teammates, the Golden State Warriors, in a playoff game. Tonight on the same court, Fisher will make yet another return against another set of former teammates, the Jazz, in another playoff game.”

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili both scored 31 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Hornets 110-99 on Thursday night in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Ray Allen broke out of a seven-quarter scoring drought with 16 points to help the Celtics beat the Cavaliers 89-73 on Thursday to take a 2-0 eries lead.

Brian Bannister, the Royals pitcher who happens to be an avid photographer, and Mark Teahen are featured in this week's This Week in Baseball.

Billy Beane's legacy is simple: He built it, he tore it down, and he built it again. As this year's no-name A's enter the weekend, they're tied with the Angels for first place in the AL West.

The Rangers survived the loss of starter Kason Gabbard after 3 2/3 innings and went on to defeat the Mariners, 5-0, at Safeco Field on Thursday.

Rangers pitcher Kason Gabbard had to come out of Thursday's start against the Mariners after getting shaken up in a bench-clearing brawl started by Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson.

Unless and until Matt Walsh tells Roger Goodell that there are other people out there who also have illicit videotapes made by the New England Patriots of opponents’ signals, Walsh’s fifteen minutes of fame is up. We already knew that the Pats taped opponents’ signals in the past. Given that Walsh’s attorney has certified to the league that these are the only such tapes he has in his possession, there is nothing else that is interesting about Matt Walsh with regard to these matters. Because the bell is about to toll on his minor celebrity status, allow me to ask a couple of rhetorical…

The Orlando Magic crushed the Detroit Pistons last night throwing kerosene on the embers of yet another NBA controversy regarding an error by a timekeeper. Game 2 of this series witnessed the third demonstrable scoring table error of this season. This one happened in the playoffs. I have said here before that the timekeepers in basketball games can affect the outcome of games if they are so inclined. The NBA had better look into ways to “professionalize” that position or they risk adding more anecdotal “evidence” to the stories of conspiracy theorists who are convinced that all NBA…

Long-term readers of these rants know that I have a longstanding fondness for betting on horse races. They also know that I am anything but enamored by the goofs that run horseracing and the politicians who legislate about it. Now, in the aftermath of Eight Belles horrible demise at the end of the Kentucky Derby, lots has been written – and said – about that incident and what it may or may not mean. I’ve read a lot of it and I think there are three columns out there that are excellent and stand out from most of the rest. As I would have expected, Andy Beyer had a thoughtful analysis in…

Here is some more information on the new college football bowl games that have received blessing by the NCAA. The Congressional Bowl will be played in Washington DC in December and Navy will be one of the teams - - no matter how mediocre Navy may be in any given year so long as it is bowl eligible. That is not a given. Navy has been good for the last several years but before that you could pencil in Navy for less than four wins every season and be “on the money”. When Navy plays in the game, there will be some kind of draw despite the Middies being on Holiday Break because there are a…

When NBC acquired the television rights to the Kentucky Derby, one of the positive parts of its bid was that it wanted to do a one-hour show leading up to the race itself. That show caught on and developed good ratings and was expanded to two hours either last year or the year before that. This year, it was a program that took the better part of three hours. Folks, there isn’t that much to say about a single horse race to fill three hours on TV; I don’t care how many “up close and personal” features they make or how many stories of “tragedies overcome” they put together, three…

"In Boston, Cassell's career may finally have a happy ending." Uploaded Today 0 likes so far. Be the first! .

"These old fashioned mascots can't handle any speed beyond a horse-drawn wagon." Uploaded Yesterday 20 likes

"Ernie Johnson gets his sweet revenge on the Chuckster." Uploaded Yesterday 499 likes

"In soccer, this is worth two goals." Uploaded Wednesday, May 7 105 likes

Ethan: LeBron almost had a quadruple double (including turnovers) and the Cavs still lost? How can that be? I thought getting double digits of various statistics was the surefire way to victory.We tried to find a picture of Ray Allen scoring, but since that doesn't exist, here's one of Rondo stuck in Big Ben's orbit.Amir: Quintuple double if you count blown layups, which I do. He had 11. Who do you think is sadder today, LeBron or Ray Allen, who after putting up a goose egg in a victory now knows he's completely and utterly useless?Ethan: I'd say Allen feels sadder; this has to be worse than…

Two of the Red Wings’ four goals last night came off deflections right in front of Stars goalie Marty Turco. Wings score on Turco One of Mike Babcock’...

Johan Franzen who scored nine goals in the Wings' series against Colorado, displayed a sense of calm and confidence. Johan Franzen highlights What I thought woul...

Ryan Malone posted personal highs of 27 goals, 24 assists, 51 points, a plus-14 rating and 103 penalty minutes during the regular season. Ryan Malone highlights ...

The Stars' Stephane Robidas is currently tied for first in points among defensemen in the playoffs. The pass was quick, sharp and tape-to-tape. Mos...

Luca Sbisa of the WHL's Lethbridge Hurricanes is currently ranked twelfth among North American defensemen for the 2008 Entry Draft. For elite teenag...

As if we haven’t written enough about the mainstream media vs. the emerging media, a wacky story took place in Lexington, Kentucky this week. Jerry Tipton of the Lexington-Herald Leader, a man who has covered college basketball for nearly 30 years, recently wrote a couple stories about Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie’s decision to offer scholarships to an 8th grader and a freshman in high school. (As we noted yesterday, this practice is nothing new.) For his stories, Tipton interviewed the parents of both players. Then, someone named Marc Maggard of the site Kentucky Ink decided to…

Lee Diekemper, who now rocks a Barry Melrose mullet and flashier gear than Don Cherry, recaps the night in the NHL. Detroit 4, Dallas 1: Marty Turco’s Detroit nightmare continues. The Stars goalie hasn’t won a game in Joe Louis Arena since his college days at Michigan. The Stars never could recover from the Wings 4-0 lead, but it’s not like the rowdy crowd was a factor. Really, empty seats at a Wings playoff game in the city formerly known as Hockeytown? Too many turnovers and penalties killed the Stars. Detroit leads series 1-0.

Boston 89 Cleveland 73: We’re wracking our brains trying to find any parallels between last year’s Cavs-Pistons Eastern Conference Finals and this series after two games. Other than a close game one, there isn’t much. What we had previously chalked up as an off-game for LeBron appears to be more than that; perhaps the Celtics have LeBron rules in effect. After the 2-for-18 stinker, the NBA’s best player shot 6-for-24 last night in a game that turned ugly in the third quarter and stayed that way. Like Windhorst, we’re not ready to count the Cavs out just yet, but…

Rangers 5, Mariners 0: Richie Sexson was hit by a pitch (read: the ball didn’t hit him and wasn’t even close to doing so) on a day when his team failed to score a run, so he felt compelled to brawl. Safe to say he was frustrated, perhaps because he’s not earning his pay. You can view the video right here. Rangers announcer Tom Grieve drops the quote of the night in the first 21 seconds. Diamondbacks 8, Phillies 3: Brandon Webb was the story again. He moved to 8-0 thanks to a complete game six-hitter and failed to walk anyone. Chris Snyder and Chris Young each had two RBI.

First and foremost, right now, you need to go to your calendar and clear off any plans for May 15th. The Office is a one-hour season finale, and then Lost follows. We couldn’t be more excited. In the immortal words of David Aames in Vanilla Sky (oh yeah, we’re going there): “I don’t care if God calls, I’m busy!” Here’s something from last night’s episode that probably won’t have an impact on the show, but is so damn cool - on the Easter Eggs site, they have a screengrab of Locke’s high school locker. In it, there’s the album…

Dale Earnhardt Sr. was aggressive, reckless, a villain and a winner. The driver who's most like him? It's not his son, Jeff Owens says.

Kurt Busch was part of the closest finish in NASCAR history at Darlington, and he says it could be even tighter this weekend.

Kyle Busch as the next Intimidator? Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sights are set on more than just a single rivalry this season, Lee Spencer says.

In My Mind: For the Love of the Game PostedMay 09, 2008 Swimnetwork.com's Nathan Jendrick talks about how his involvement in the sport of swimming is a tale of one love lost, and one gained.

Shameless Plug: The Pity Clap PostedMay 09, 2008 Watching the mile is boring; watching the mile swam by a 6 year old deserves the Pity Clap.

Chlorination Episode Ten PostedMay 08, 2008 2:02 PM PDT Duration 00:04:01 Why is Bolles so successful? Why do kids want to go swim there? You'll be suprised what Chris and Mike found out...

Chris McGiffin and Susan Kirk Part 1 PostedMay 07, 2008 10:11 AM PDT Duration 00:02:31 Chris McGiffin and Susan Kirk talk about Berkeley Aquatic Club's new facility and how it will impact their masters program that has 90 members.

Chris McGiffin and Susan Kirk Part 2 PostedMay 07, 2008 10:11 AM PDT Duration 00:02:08 Chris McGiffin and Susan Kirk talk about marketing masters programs and how masters swimming can impact age group programs.

The old girl has been called "too tough to tame." She's also known as the "Lady in Black." After a particularly rough race, Kyle Petty once said he'd like to see Darlington Raceway filled with water and used for bass fishing tournaments.

Ward Burton's track record at Darlington Raceway, a mark that's stood for 12 years, is now living on borrowed time.

A good first impression is important. And for several Sprint Cup rookies, Darlington Raceway made a first impression on both driver and car.

Check out Rick Hendrick's first Chevrolet. Watch a dissected Impala SS new car being pieced together. See the cars and memorabilia of Casey Mears, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The last time Darlington Raceway was repaved, the effects were felt immediately. On a new coat of asphalt applied over the previous winter, Ward Burton zipped to a lap of 173.797 mph in qualifying for the 1996 TranSouth 500, setting a mark that still stands at the old track today.

This 12 year old kid that lives in Connecticut just took off his Brett Favre jersey.It doesn't sound like a big deal until you realize that he has been wearing it every single day since Christmas 2003.(Don't panic. His mom washed it a lot.)Still.I bet that Connecticut Pats fans loved that.Look, pretty much everybody likes Brett Favre. At least a little bit. But WOW. He wore the same shirt for four years.And I thought is was freakish that my son is very attached to his white socks with blue on the heels and he wants to wear them every day.And we have six pairs of those.David Witthoft wore the…

Lefty and smarty pants (and also a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals) punched a door at his hotel on Friday night and broke his pitching hand.*snort*Dude. Your Mom told you not to punch doors.The poor guy idiot was already on the DL.Seriously, this is stupider than when Brian Griese got hurt when he tripped over his dog.(That still makes me laugh. A lot)Anyway - good work Bale. I hope you went to college because you just screwed up your first career choice.

Because 32 bowl games just weren't enough.Yep. They have approved 34 College Bowl games for next year... or this year... you know what I mean!Next season.Normally I would just roll my eyes at this information and let it go except now there is a bowl game in Washington DC.Woo Hoo! Maybe I'll get to see UCF play this year after all. I mean, we usually score a fairly low level bowl game.Don't look at me like that. Why what college did YOU go to?I suppose it doesn't matter. With 34 bowl games we should all be seeing our schools play this year.** I don't mean to say that I don't think the BCS is…

Sportsmanship is alive and well at Division II colleges Western Oregon and Central Washington.I’ll let Jeff Gordon (not that one) at the St. Louis Post Dispatch take it from here…Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky – a pint-sized, light-hitting outfielder — jacked a three-run homer against Central Washington. In her exuberance over the once-in-a-blue-moon blast, she blew out a knee near first base.As she lay in a heap, her teammates and coaches faced an unhappy reality: She would have to crawl back to first base, downgrade her hit to a two-run single and leave the game for a…

Well, well, well... Danica Patrick finally won a race.As a woman I should probably rise up and cheer. Hooray! She is the first female IRL winner. It even makes me feel a little bit better about the whole misogyny in sports media thing.How come instead I just keep thinking, Oh good, maybe now she won't have to act slutty for money anymore.Poor Danica. I think it is too late for you to ever win with the ladies. I know I can't take you seriously. This isn't even the sleaziest picture of you I could find.There is another great post on this subject over at The Big Lead.

Sources inside and outside the team said this week that the San Diego Chargers will initiate a flurry of contract "activity" in the next month and that talks will continue through the season with numerous players who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in the next three years. As of now, quarterback Philip Rivers, left tackle Marcus McNeill, linebacker Shawne Merriman, defensive end Luis Castillo and receiver Vincent Jackson will be free to sign with other teams after the 2009 season. Tight end Antonio Gates and cornerback Antonio Cromartie are set to be unrestricted after 2010.

Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bush didn't play at all last year, as the 2007 fourth-round draft pick was recovering from a broken leg. He started the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list and finished the season on injured reserve. Bush has declared himself ready to compete for playing time, and will participate in this weekend's rookie mini-camp. He's considered to be currently slotted behind incumbent Justin Fargas and rookie Darren McFadden. If nothing else, his healthy emergence might make it that much easier to cut LaMont Jordan after June 1.

The Detroit Lions have fewer injury concerns than a year ago and could open camp in July with all their veterans available. Tight end Dan Campbell (right elbow, third surgery) is the biggest question mark. He expects to be ready for camp, but coach Rod Marinelli will monitor his progress carefully. Campbell played in two games last season before going on injured reserve. He is participating in the offseason conditioning program but is not doing any drills.

The New York Giants announced the signing of Mississippi State TE Eric Butler and Army P Owen Tolson. The press release also said the team will have 12 signed free agents for rookie camp, which starts today. According to Garafolo, it sounds like they're done announcing signings, which means something might have happened to take Akron DT Nate Robinson out of the running for a contract. The Irvington native said he had agreed to a deal with the Giants, but sometimes these things die before they're finalized.

After not addressing its thin wide receiver corps in the draft, the Miami Dolphins brought in several college free agents to compete for jobs. By far the best of the lot was Davone Bess of Hawaii. Bess stood out at last weekend's rookie minicamp because of his glue-like hands and shoulder-length dreadlocks as he caught everything in sight. At a muscular 5-10, 190, Bess is hoping to fill a void in the slot left by last year's trade of Wes Welker to the Patriots.

Brandon Webb becomes the Majors' first eight-game winner.

Joba Chamberlain is an emotional dude, but it's not like he would pass out at the sight of childbirth or anything.

If you're still disappointed in the Royals then you probably just need to lower your expectations a bit.

Can stats and scraps co-exist? The dichotomy between objective and subjective analysis rages on.

Cardinals fans look to oust Jason Isringhausen from the closer role.

Celtics vs. Cavaliers Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: "Call it a pothole on the road to a long career, but Rajon Rondo is off to a rough start in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Though Rondo returned with some solid play in the second half of the Celtics' 89-73 win over the Cavaliers in Game 2 last night, a frustrated Celtics coach Doc Rivers replaced Rondo with Sam Cassell late in the first quarter. The bench players, including Cassell, James Posey, P.J. Brown and Leon Powe, erased an early 21-9 Cleveland lead and set the tone for an eventual Celtics blowout." Christopher L. Gasper of…

TrueHoop reader Ben e-mails about the moment when Chauncey Billups got hurt last night: I'm a little surprised that there isn't any chatter out there whatsoever about the way Chauncey was injured last night. If you look not at Chauncey doing the splits, but at Jameer Nelson's right foot, you can see that their feet got "tangled up." But they wouldn't have been "tangled up" if Nelson's foot had been upright rather than nearly parallel to the ground, with toes pointing toward the baseline bleachers. Do this yourself: Sit on the ground, and try to put your foot at that angle. Unless I'm just…

The other day, CNBC's Darren Rovell interviewed agent David Falk. I quoted Falk from Rovell's interview on TrueHoop. It went like this: I wanted to meet a college player who I really enjoyed watching this year. So I asked a friend of mine, who is a very powerful man in the game, to introduce me to him. And he said, "I'd like to help but I can't." And when I asked why. He said, "You are three years and $500,000 short." I didn't really waste any time wondering who that story might be about. How could you ever know? I printed it as Falk intended it: as a general comment on the sad state of…

Love the moxie in the ending of this little anecdote, from Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune: After he left [the University of Portland], Spoelstra spent two years as a player/assistant coach on a pro team in Germany. Then he used his father's connections to help him bag a job in Miami the summer of 1995. The Heat had just let go interim head coach Alvin Gentry, who had taken over for fired Kevin Loughery midway through the 1994-95 season. No head coach was in place, but Dave Wohl, the vice president of basketball operations, was looking for a video coordinator. Chris Wallace, then Miami's…

Holy small sample size, Batman! But for what it's worth, if you compare Chris Paul's first seven playoff games to every other great point guard's first seven, Paul's just about the best ever.TrueHoop reader John: "There has been all kinds of talk about matchups in this Lakers/Jazz series. Fisher-Wlliams, Kirilenko-Kobe, etc. The most entertaining for my money has been Millsap-Turiaf. These guys are both going insane against each other; it's a blast to watch at start of the fourth quarter when Kobe is sitting."Pretty hilarious prank on Charles Barkley. I missed this last week, but here is a…

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has laughed off suggestions he could leave the club.

Chris Mort has revealed that talks between Kevin Keegan and Mike Ashley were 'productive and constructive'.

Emmanuel Adebayor has hit out at press speculation that has intimated he is ready to quit Arsenal.

Dinara Safina put an end to Serena Williams' 17-match winning run with a 2-6 6-1 7-6 (7-5) victory over the American in Berlin.

Lewis Hamilton is upbeat about his chances of winning in Turkey following Friday's free practice sessions.

A day into the month of May, the Tampa Bay Rays are still in first place in the American League East. In a 4-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, Matt Garza went 6 innings strong, surrendering just 2 earned runs on 3 hits. He’d strike out 3, and walk 2. “His fastball had life, good velocity,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said of Garza. “He pitched just high enough to tease some guys. There were some at-bats where, obviously, we got ourselves out chasing some bad pitches.” Tags:

Entering Sunday afternoon’s game, Carlos Delgado had just 3 hits in his last 9 games. However, the slumping New York Met hit 2 home runs against the Atlantas Braves en route to a 6-3 Mets victory, giving the Mets the series victory over Atlanta. Despite hitting the 2 home runs, Delgado didn’t emerge from the dugout following the 2nd shot for a curtain call. “The way I look at is I hit a solo home run in the seventh inning,” Delgado said. “I’ve got a great deal of respect for the game. I don’t think that’s a place for a curtain call.” Tags:

Entering Sunday afternoon’s game, Carlos Delgado had just 3 hits in his last 9 games. However, the slumping New York Met hit 2 home runs against the Atlantas Braves en route to a 6-3 Mets victory, giving the Mets the series victory over Atlanta. Despite hitting the 2 home runs, Delgado didn’t emerge from the dugout following the 2nd shot for a curtain call. “The way I look at is I hit a solo home run in the seventh inning,” Delgado said. “I’ve got a great deal of respect for the game. I don’t think that’s a place for a curtain call.” Tags:

Joe Saunders led the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to their 2nd straight victory, a 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners. Saunders, the 26 year old southpaw, went 8 innings strong, allowing 4 earned runs on 6 hits. The victory boosted Saunders to 3-0 on the season, and gave the Halos an 11-7 record. Tags:

The Kansas City Royals lost a tough one to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim yesterday. Not only did they wind up losing the game 5-3, but they may have lost their centerfielder, David DeJesus, as he left the game in the top of the 5th inning with a foot injury. Joey Gathright would later enter the game as DeJesus’ replacement.  Tags:

Scoring summary from Thursday's NHL game:Stars 1 at Red Wings 4First Period1. Detroit, Rafalski 2 (Lidstrom, Holmstrom) 4:28 (pp)2. Detroit, Franzen 12 (Kronwall, Hudler) 15:34 (pp)Penalties - Kronwall Det (hooking) 1:11, Norstrom Dal (hooking) 3:45, Fistric Dal (roughing) 4:19, Holmstrom Det (interference) 7:52, Petersen Dal (holding) 13:56, Modano Dal (hooking) 18:30.

DETROIT - Brenden Morrow says he felt the Joe Louis Arena ice tilt Thursday night.After playing the Detroit Red Wings even for six or seven minutes, the Dallas Stars were overwhelmed and dropped the opener of the NHL's Western Conference final 4-1 Thursday night.

Movements in the world of hockey Thursday:National Hockey League:FLORIDA PANTHERS-Agreed to terms with D Keaton Ellerby.American Hockey LeaguePROVIDENCE BRUINS-Recalled D Kevin Schaeffer from Reading (ECHL).

HALIFAX - The United States needed every bit of its quick start to survive a scare from an opportunistic German team.Zach Parise's power play goal with 8:56 remaining in the third period was the winner as the Americans held on for a 6-4 qualifying round victory over Germany at the IIHF world hockey championship Thursday.

DETROIT - The memory of their demise in the NHL's Western Conference final a year ago continues to spur the Detroit Red Wings on to greater things this spring.

The Philadelphia Flyers have done a remarkable job dealing with adversity all season. The team now faces its toughest test yet as the puck drops on the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins. There's no sugar-coating what the loss of Kimmo Timonen (blood clot in his left ankle) means to this Flyers' team. He's the single most irreplaceable player on this team -- more than ev...

As a native of the Delaware Valley, it's nice to see the Flyers back in the thick of things. I grew up a Flyer fan and celebrated two cups as one of the million crazies on Broad Street as a teenager. The ex-Predator contingent on the Flyers makes this series even more interesting to me. The joke in Nashville is that there is ALWAYS a Nashville connection in anything that happens. The local me...

Click on The RUMOUR Chart now to see over 50 Players with real-time updates. I will be holding special UFA/RFA Rumour Chat in the HOCKEYBUZZ CHAT ROOM at NOON ET, followed by the Buzzcast at 4pm. This batch of RFA's is interesting on so many levels. A top veteran NHL scout was kind enough to sit down with me and go through these 35 players and he predicted that 5-10 would indeed be ch...

Five days after the demise of the Rangers' season it's hard to contain the scattered roaming thoughts of what went wrong. Did Glen Sather overcompensate for his prior free agent spending sprees and hold back too much this past trade deadline? It seems to me that Sather who was happy how the team was playing after the All Star break failed to act on some of the shortcomings that appeared earli...

Sure, the title is an opportunity for my to put up a video. The bassist is the Gallof brothers former roommate and coworker. Yup, he's an Isles fan. When the Rangers faltered, he'd just stand outside Scott's door with a cackling mocking laugh. Not that we were any better. Just that it was funny. And in our bachelor pad in Kew Garden's at the time, it was ALL about the comedy. 4.5 years of wa...

Even though its victory over heavily-favored Tiger Woods at the Masters hasn't completely set in yet, the field is nevertheless feeling quite happy about pulling the shocking upset.

Brad Richards, Ryan Getzlaf and Mike Ribeiro were named the three starts of the game for the Dallas Stars in the team's 5-2 playoff victory over the Ducks on Saturday, a fact that filled the trio's mothers with pride.

Hillary Mitchell, an attractive 21-year-old political science major at Columbia University and a diehard baseball fan, says she has one thing and one thing only on her mind when trying to catch the eye of a major league player.

A troubled offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers got worse today when team mascot Steely McBeam, fresh off of a DUI arrest last week, was arrested for slapping his lover - the same offense two Steelers players have been charged with in recent months.

Former champion Fuzzy Zoeller had to be consoled by fellow golfers after Trevor Immelman of South Africa held on to win the Masters on Sunday.

As the Player’s Championship enters it’s second day, all eyes are on the #2 golfer in the world. Okay, that sounds a little less romantic than #1, but Tiger is sitting this one out while recovering from knee surgery. If you’re looking for someone else to cheer for, here are a couple of my favorites. 1. Brandt Snedeker. He’s my new favorite. Though he did win Rookie of the Year last year, he came into the spotlight during the Masters a couple weeks ago. He was in contention for the win all four days but began to fall apart on the last nine holes. Brandt’s tearful…

It’s getting harder and harder to believe the things that come out of Roger Clemens mouth. I had begun to wonder if it was possible that he hadn’t mixed his pitching with steroids. His unwavering denial amongst all the testimonies and witnesses made me question his former trainer, Brian McNamee. His filing of a defamation suit against McNamee made me ask, “would a guilty man really expose himself to such scrutiny”? But now, his character is coming under questions again. Country music singer Mindy McCready has confirmed that she and Roger have had a relationship for…

Eight Belles was an amazing story as she entered the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. In a field of 20 horses set to take to the track, she was the only filly. In fact, she was the first female to run since 1999 (the last one to win was in 1988). But there she stood, with the big boys, ready to compete in a race she had never even run. And run she did. In fact Eight Belles beat out 18 of the strongest, fastest horses in the world. But then, she suddenly collapsed after crossing the finish line in second place. She had fractured both front ankles, the left one leaving open skin, allowing…

Here’s a little cheat sheet if you’re watching the Derby this weekend: The jockeys wear silks, or their satin uniform. It is thought that King Charles II instituted the rule that the jockeys wear different and bright colors so the spectators could spot their favorites easier. The colors are established by the horse owners and the combinations of colors seems to be endless. Since 1924, the winner of the Derby, is presented with a gold trophy. It was commissioned by Churchill Downs President Matt Winn as a way to commemorate the 50th running of the Derby. The 14-karat gold trophy is…

The most glamorous sporting event is upon us as thousands make their way to the Blue Grass State for the annual running of the Kentucky Derby this weekend. Of course, with this historical race comes tradition; two more so than any. Women in their ornate bonnets and free flowing Mint Juleps. Mint Juleps have been a fixture at the Derby for more than 18 years. Each year, over 120,000 fans are served-using roughly 10,000 bottles of Early Times Mint Julep Cocktails poured over some 60,000 bags of ice and 1,000 lbs of crushed mint. Are you having your own Kentucky Derby party? Well, here’s…

When a teammate dies tragically in an accident, you mourn. You listen. You hold those around you close and share the unbearable pain of loss. You take one of the dead people’s credit card and use it to buy shit for six months. You get arrested for it when the parents notice their dead daughter has been buying stuff for six months despite being dead. Jamar Hornsby: creative financing available. Jamar Hornsby of Florida followed this unique plan for mourning the loss of a teammate and a Florida student closely enough: somehow, after the death of Florida walk-on Michael Guilford and…

Monday’s profile of Alabama athletic director Mal Moore listed online roleplaying games among his many hobbies and described him as a “tenth level Elf-Dragon”. Mr. Moore is actually an extremely accomplished paladin, and there is also no such thing as an Elf-Dragon. We regret the error. Roll Tide! On Tuesday, we reported that the University of Tennessee had, following the firing of Johnny Majors, considered attempting to hire Florida coach Steve Spurrier to replace the longtime Vol coach. This was inaccurate; Tennessee made no such attempt, a point clarified to us at great…

Never forget to twist the knife. Even in the article about his induction into the college football hall of fame, John Cooper gets this in his headlines in the Detroit Free Press. Ohio columnist: John Cooper, despite 2-10-1 record vs. Michigan, deserves Hall of Fame nod. “Thanks for the ringing endorsement, assface.” Honey, love of my life, let us be buried together forever–even though that hot Cuban guy I slept with in Miami in college had a horse