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Tuesday, July 8th 2008, 4:00 AM Alex Rodriguez's bitter divorce took an ugly turn on Monday night when Team A-Rod accused his estranged wife of going on a spiteful spending spree in Paris. Spurned spouse Cynthia Rodriguez used the Yankee slugger's credit card to the tune of $100,000 to punish him for a dalliance with Madonna that both he and the Material Girl deny, an A-Rod pal said. "She's been spending wildly," the friend said. "She spent close to $100,000 on her jaunt to Paris." Cynthia flew the godparents of her daughters, Dodd and Sabina Romero, and their older...

You know that old adage ‘use it or lose it’? The saying can now be applied toward men and sex, according to new research involving erectile dysfunction, Reuters reported Monday. The July issue of the American Journal of Medicine reports that older men who have sex more than once a week are less likely to develop ED.

The storied Pittsburgh Steelers football franchise has been secretly shopped to potential buyers amid continuing divisions among the five sons of the team's founder, Art Rooney Sr. The talks affect not only one of America's iconic sports franchises, but one of its most fabled sports families. Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, who helped build the National Football League and is the oldest of the five sons, wants to consolidate his control by acquiring most of his brothers' shares in the Steelers over 10 years, those briefed on the talks said. In a statement1 Monday afternoon, Dan Rooney confirmed these efforts and...

Mando Ramos, a two-time lightweight world champion, died Sunday morning at the age of 59 at his home in San Pedro.

Effective Pitching and American League Errors Carry Nationals to Victory NATIONALS CAPTURE ALL-STAR GAME, 4-1 Americans Blanked Till Ninth – Vander Meer Wins From Gomez at Cincinnati TWO RUNS SCORE ON BUNT Durocher Makes Full Circuit on Errors – Ott Drives Triple – 27,067 Fans Pay By JOHN DREBINGER Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. CINCINNATI, July 6.-Playing grim, tight-lipped baseball behind three of their master moundsmen, Colonel Bill Terry’s National League forces throttled the might and power of the American League today as they brought down Marse Joe McCarthy’s troops in the sixth annual All-Star game, 4 to 1....

Dara Torres just won the women's 50 meter freestyle race in the Olympic trials in Omaha, NB, setting a new American record time in the process. Nothing new in that, right? Wrong! This is her fifth Olympics at age 41. Last night she set a new record in the 100 meters freestyle, too. As a has-been college swimmer, I can't imagine being competitive at that age, let alone still setting records. Finally, she has a smile and warmth that could melt even a liberal's heart (if they have one). What a great story!

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait -- The sun was just barely rising over a dusty horizon when the horn sounded. Service members and civilians with U.S. Army Central took off from the start line, some at a faster pace than others. The Peachtree Road Race had started in Kuwait. While more than 55,000 will run through the skyscraper-lined streets in Atlanta, Ga., during the 39th annual 10 kilometer Peachtree Road Race, more than 1,100 people gathered at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, to start their 4th of July festivities on the right foot. More than 3,000 participants ran the race in Iraq and Afghanistan....

The Caisse d'Epargne rider caught Luxembourg's Kim Kirchen to finish ahead of Belgium's Philippe Gilbert, with Jerome Pineau of France in third. Valverde, 28, is one of the favourites to win the Tour, along with Australian Cadel Evans, who finished sixth. Britain's David Millar came home in 11th while Mark Cavendish finished two minutes back in 120th place. Local boy Lilian Jegou and Spaniard David De La Fuente spent 185km of the 197.5km race from Brest to Pulmelac in front but were caught by the peloton with 7km remaining.

Here is the scenario of what could be one of the most dramatic and debated plays in major league baseball history... The New York Yankees are playing the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Game 7 of the ACLS and the score is 4-4 in the top of the ninth. The Yankees have runners on first and second with nobody out. Alex Rodriguez is at bat and Red Sox closer Jonathon Papelbon delivers a hanging curveball... Rodriguez connects and launches a missile that is destined for the Yankee bullpen in right field and the Yankee baserunners are pumping their...

My noisemaker of choice:

Lou Gehrig's Farewell Speech "Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. "Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest...

MONTREAL -- A revised edition of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts was passed Thursday by the Association of Boxing Commissions via a majority vote at the ABC's annual conference. The amended document -- drafted by the ABC's MMA Chairman Dale Kliparchuk, New Jersey State Athletic Control Board Deputy Attorney Nick Lembo, ABC President Timothy Leuckenhoff and veteran referee "Big" John McCarthy -- primarily provided clarifications to the already existing Unified Rules instituted in April 2001 that serve as a regulatory beacon for the sport throughout North America. The motion to pass the revised document was introduced by Commissioner...

(Apparently still retired, he denies the story about him wanting to play another year) As of Wednesday night, there was only one public comment from Brett Favre, in a text message to his friend and Biloxi Sun Herald sports reporter, Al Jones. "It's all rumor." But what a huge rumor it is. On Wednesday afternoon, ESPN.com reported that Favre had the "itch" to be back on the field for training camp to play for an 18th NFL season. It is a dramatic turnaround for the 38-year-old Favre, who announced on March 4 that he would retire after 16 years as...

-Rod's wife, Cynthia, has been shacked up with rocker Lenny Kravitz in Paris. The couple's two daughters — 3-year-old Natasha and 2-month-old Ella — remained in Miami, sources said. The stunning news emerged a day after revelations that Alex Rodriguez has been paying late-night visits to Madonna's Upper West Side apartment. The game of musical celebrity beds has effectively ended the randy Rodriguez's already-shaky marriage, even though divorce papers have not been filed, sources said. Cynthia Rodriguez, 34, has been in Paris for at least the past four days visiting Grammy-winner Kravitz. C-Rod was seen outside the 44-year-old Kravitz's pad...

With the blankest of blank expressions on their faces, these mysterious figures have been popping up in the most unlikely of places. The faceless mutants have a penchant for A-list celebrity bashes and have been spotted at Elton John's White tie ball and Harrods summer sale, opened by Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall.

"Congrats, newly minted NBA rookie! Now you've been drafted. Next comes the delicious multimillion-dollar contract. And that's when you must do what most NBA players do: start going through cash like Jack Black through the Keebler factory." "All kinds of athletes wind up with nothing but lint in their pockets. And if everyone from Johnny Unitas to Sheryl Swoopes to Lawrence Taylor can do it, so can you! With my How to Go Bankrupt* DVD series, it's a layup to go belly-up!" "Ten essentials, just to get you started:" "2). Buy a house the size of Delaware. Evander Holyfield was...

Thursday, August 28th Vanderbilt at Miami Ohio 6:30 p.m. ESPNU (HD) North Carolina State at South Carolina 7:00 p.m. ESPN (HD) Wake Forest at Baylor 7:00 p.m. FSN (HD) Oregon State at Stanford 8:00 p.m. ESPN2 (HD)

With his family "tugging" on him to play, Brett Favre has an "itch" to come out of retirement and report to training camp with the Green Bay Packers later this month, according to sources close to the team and player. Favre has communicated his potential desire to coach Mike McCarthy but talks have not advanced to a substantive stage, a Packers source said. The source said the Packers would be reluctant to open the door for Favre because "Brett retired for the right reasons, even though I know his family is tugging on him ."

With the 2008 All-Star rosters set to be announced Sunday and the requisite number of big-market stars currently leading the voting, it’s time to take a look at who would make the Midsummer Classic if the selections were based solely on first-half performance. For the record, I’m in support of letting the fans decide the starters. The All-Star Game, at its core, is an exhibition, and we the fans should get to see who we want. Besides, the fans are voting for people like Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki because they have established themselves as stars over...

Us Weekly reports in its new issue, on newsstands tomorrow, that Madonna's seven-year marriage to Guy Ritchie has stalled out – and the singer has been hosting late-night visits from New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez at her Central Park West apartment in New York City. A ringless and grim-faced Ritchie, 39, arrived in New York City from London yesterday after several weeks apart from his family. A source tells Us that the $28-million-a-year Rodriguez, 32, has made numerous solo nighttime visits to Madonna, 49, at her spacious home and would sneak out "as late as midnight." Says the source, "All...

Us Weekly reports in its new issue, on newsstands tomorrow, that Madonna's seven-year marriage to Guy Ritchie has stalled out – and the singer has been hosting late-night visits from New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez at her Central Park West apartment in New York City. A ringless and grim-faced Ritchie, 39, arrived in New York City from London yesterday after several weeks apart from his family. A source tells Us that the $28-million-a-year Rodriguez, 32, has made numerous solo nighttime visits to Madonna, 49, at her spacious home and would sneak out "as late as midnight." Says the source, "All...

A teenage girl riding in an all-night bicycle race suffered severe injuries early this morning when a bear attacked her on a trail ... Police officers with shotguns escorted medics into dark woods to retrieve the girl... "She was cut up and bit pretty good," After the mauling, the girl used her cell phone to call 911 but was unable to communicate... Another rider who came along found her sitting on the ground and said she could utter only one word: "Bear." He then used her phone to make another call for help. Sinnott said he didn't arrive in time...

Germany coach Joachim Low generously praised Spain ahead of Sunday's Euro 2008 final in Vienna, pinpointing their consistency throughout the competition. "The Spaniards have been the most constant team here," said Low. "They have shown consistent levels of performance, they are flexible regarding their positioning and they are sure of the passes they make. ..."We have the experience of this kind of tournament. We believe we can win such games - we have a winner's mentality."

For only the 4th time in MLB history, a team that failed to get a hit in a game has won that game.

LIGHTWEIGHT FIGHT - 12 ROUNDS MANDALAY BAY RESORT & CASINO, LAS VEGAS - HBO-PPV 9PM EST ODDS MANNY PACQUIAO -480 DAVID DIAZ +330 “This will be my hardest-fought battle,” said Pacquiao. “It’s been over three years since I have changed weight divisions and I will be doing it against the lightweight division’s world champion. I saw how he took the fight to Erik Morales in his last title defense and I’m expecting to see the same firepower out of him when we meet. But this is my drive for five. Five world titles in five different weight classes and I...

I have never posted a vanity, so I hope I did this correctly - I'd like to propost that every year, June 26 be recognized by lovers of freedom everywhere as "Heller Day." We could all gather our loved ones for a day of target practice and have a barbecue or something. Let's all remember the day that the Supreme Court declared the obvious: we have an individual right to bear arms.

Not Your Normal Women’s Open By Phillip HowleyEdina, Minn. – OK, enough is enough. We all know that the early portions of a golf competition can produce some surprising results. We all know the names on the leader board for a first round of a major championship can be like names on an Etch-A-Sketch. They tend to disappear when things start to shake out.Now that the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open is heading into the weekend, the gratuities should be over with Helen Alfredsson tied for second in the 1993 U.S. Women's Open. (John Mummert/USGA) and the preliminary niceties expended. It’s...

WIMBLEDON, England: Former champion Maria Sharapova has been ousted in the second round at Wimbledon by 154th-ranked Alla Kudryavtseva. Kudryavtseva recovered an early break in the second set to beat the 2004 champion 6-2, 6-4 on Court 1 on Thursday. It was Sharapova's earliest exit from a Grand Slam event since her first full season on the circuit in 2003. Since her breakthrough at Wimbledon in '04, Sharapova has added major titles at the 2006 U.S. Open and the last Australian Open.

AMAZING catch! This girl ought to be playing Pro ball.... LOVE the expressions on the faces of the paid players! BallGirl

RNC can swing a bat better than you There's some gloating going on in the RNC today. And not for reasons you'd think. Last night the RNC beat the DNC in their annual softball game, 20-6. Ouch.

He knows you're coming, and at this point the inevitable has happened. He's stuck with you. For two days, flying thousands of miles in a small private plane with all the comfort of a four-door sedan. The sportswriter vs. Charlie Weis. He'd rather take a sledgehammer to the knees than endure this torture. "I know why you're here," he says. The natural response: Why? "To see if I'm human," he replies. Here he is, everyone. Charlie Weis: the most hated man in college sports. From his arrogance to his controversial hiring at Notre Dame, to a contract extension seven games...

Fresno State Defeats Georgia 6-1 to win CWS (2-1). At least this year's Georgia choke will make people forget about UNC choking in 2006.

If the roles were reversed, Georgia football coach Mark Richt would've been proud. Richt made the flight to Omaha hoping to see the Georgia baseball team win the national title. Instead, he saw a football game. Well, at least in the score sense. After using clutch hitting and closer Josh Fields to overwhelm Fresno State in the series opener, Fresno took round two 19-10 using a barrage of offense. Georgia coach Dave Perno felt like he was on the gridiron. "We had a tough time defending the post pattern across the middle. It was killing us," he jokingly said about...

Each day brings new entries in the "Brown Shoe Diaries." The latest photos from the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) reveal Big Brown was stepped on by Guadalcanal leaving the gate, and that the shoe did not re-set itself during the race as previously thought; the colt ran the entire way with the shoe dislodged and the nail protruding from it. Even trainer Rick Dutrow, who had a hard time accepting the possibility that the incident hampered the colt, now believes after seeing the photos that it could have been an issue. In a photo (shown below) that originally appeared as...

Four years, two teams and a championship later, Shaquille O'Neal is still ripping Kobe Bryant. Video on TMZ.com shows the Phoenix Suns center doing a freestyle rap in a nightclub on Sunday night in which he puts down his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate. "You know how I be," Shaq rapped. "Last week Kobe couldn't do without me." Bryant led the Lakers to the NBA Finals this season, but they were beaten 4-2 by the Boston Celtics. O'Neal and Bryant last played together during the 2003-04 season, when the duo led the Lakers to the Finals. They lost to the...

...He talked about how he came to the United States from Ecuador with $40 in his pocket on June 24, 1955, the anniversary of which will be celebrated this evening at Dodger Stadium before the Dodgers' game against the Chicago White Sox. He talked about how he used to translate Vin Scully's English-language broadcasts over the air from a studio in Pasadena. He talked about times he had to call games seated next to stadium loudspeakers or in places where his view of the field was obstructed...

Has anyone emailed you a link to that awesome footage of the ball girl making a stunning catch in foul territory during a minor league baseball game between the Fresno Grizzlies and the Tacoma Rainiers?    The video has been making the rounds on the Internet and likely fooling a lot of people, but what we are seeing is, in fact, staged. It is actually a viral video for Gatorade titled "Ball Girl" that was created by Chicago's Element 79 Partners and directed by Baker Smith of harvest, Santa Monica.    In a cluttered environment full of viral work that isn't really...

I know where to begin. I just don't know how to explain. The beginning is easy: I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being thoughtless and insensitive. I'm sorry for making a casual reference to something that should never be construed as casual. Real apologies don't mix with rationalizations, so I won't insult your intelligence by offering you any. This is about my living up to a standard I expect of everyone else -- respect, awareness, honesty and accountability.

Look no farther than Portland's Eastern Promenade for proof on Sunday as the walking dead take to the baseball fields to play the time-honored sport of kickball. Picnics will be ruined, dog walks disrupted, and bike rides seriously altered. And it could be just the beginning – we could be looking at zombie scavenger hunts (for brains), zombie capture the flag (for brains) and zombie marches (for equal rights ... and brains). This is the third straight year of Zombie Kickball. Typically the pastime of elementary schoolers (and occasionally low-watt thrill-seeking 20- and 30-somethings), kickball has an unknown appeal to...

A photo taken during the early stages of the Belmont Stakes has revealed Big Brown was running with a loose shoe as the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner attempted to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1979, Newsday reported Monday.

OMAHA, Neb. | A pair of bulldogs will tangle for college baseball’s top prize, with one considerably more rested than the other. Fresno State’s Bulldogs qualified for their first College World Series final by defeating North Carolina 6-1 on Sunday night. They’ll turn around quickly and face Georgia’s Bulldogs, who ran through their side of the bracket without a loss, which means in the new series schedule Georgia will be playing its fourth game in nine days tonight when the finals begin at 6 p.m. Fine by Georgia. “We were all getting kind of itchy and talking back to each...

LOUIS DEFEATS SCHMELING BY A KNOCKOUT IN FIRST; 80,000 SEE TITLE BATTLE FIGHT ENDS IN 2:04 Rights Drop the Loser Thrice and Trainer Tosses In Towel 1936 SETBACK AVENGED Challenger Says He Was Fouled With a Kidney Punch – The Gate Tops $900,000 By JAMES P. DAWSON The exploding fists of Joe Louis crushed Max Schmeling last night in the ring at the Yankee Stadium and kept sacred that time-worn legend of boxing that no former heavyweight champion has ever regained the title. The Brown Bomber from Detroit, with the most furious early assault he has ever exhibited here, knocked...

OMAHA, Neb. -- The beginning of the end for Fresno State's 2008 baseball team could have come on the opening weekend of the season, when the Bulldogs split a four-game series with UC Davis, a new NCAA Division I program. "Oh yeah. I was thinking ‘How did this happen?' I mean, we're supposed to be something this year," junior second baseman Erik Wetzel said. Perhaps now -- with Fresno having not only become the first No. 4 regional seed to make the College World Series but now about to play Georgia in the best-of-three championship series that begins Monday night...

For Father's Day last week, my oldest son got me tickets for yesterday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals (in which the Red Sox got trounced 9-3). Despite the loss, it was a good day and the seats were fantastic (just about 15 rows behind the Red Sox dugout). However, I am in shock over the amount of money that we ended up spending. I will list it out for you here and I promise that I am not exaggerating: Tickets - $148 each ($296 total) Parking - $35 Four beers at $7.50 each ($30 total) Four hotdogs at $7...

<p>I decided to go scout the Miami Dolphins on Monday, to see how they look this year. This is important, because the Dolphins represent South Florida's manhood, and last season we had the same community testosterone level as the audience for a Barbra Streisand concert. The Dolphins lost 15 games and won only one, which I believe was against Princeton.</p>

Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta was killed today in a fiery crash during a drag race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, race officials said. Kalitta, 46, was pronounced dead at Old Bridge Township Hospital after his car lost control during the fourth and final round of qualifying at the National Hot Rod Association Super Nationals, according to statement by the association.

NHL could suspend MSG's ownership of Rangers Sporting News - RSS Feed Posted: June 19, 2008 Tripp Mickle and Eric Fisher SportsBusiness Journal The NHL has proposed disciplinary proceedings against Madison Square Garden that could result in the suspension or termination of the company's ownership of the New York Rangers, according to a draft letter written by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that was filed in New York district court late yesterday. The letter, part of the league's ongoing legal fight against MSG, alleges that MSG -- by suing the NHL -- has violated the league constitution. The letter was part...

SEATTLE — A group of prominent local businessmen, including an attorney representing this city, discussed a "poisoned well” plan aimed partly at forcing the Oklahoma City-based owners of the SuperSonics to sell the NBA team rather than move it to their hometown. 'Poisoned Well' strategy sought to bleed... Sonics cite struggles in Seattle Plan hatched to keep Sonics in Seattle ... Testimony in federal court here Friday also revealed that Wally Walker, a former star player and executive for the team, was given the duty of driving a "wedge” between the NBA and the Sonics' owners before a critical vote...

A principal in the infamous Las Vegas shooting involving NFL star Adam "Pacman" Jones has died under mysterious circumstances in the Bronx - and now authorities are trying to determine if she was murdered. Sadia Morrison, a 26-year-old celebrity stylist, was found dead last Friday behind 1065 University Ave., a building in High Bridge where she may have gone to visit a friend or boyfriend, police said. At first, investigators thought she had jumped to her death, police sources said, but it now appears that is not the case. An autopsy was inconclusive, and the medical examiner is conducting further...

Curt Schilling statement from his blog: 22 years ago June the Boston Red Sox picked a Freshman Pitcher from Yavapai Junior College (the best JC team in the nation btw!) in the 2nd round of the (Last!) January Draft. 3 World Series rings, 3k innings plus later, there’s a chance it’s all over. To all of the well wishers, thank you. To all of the anti-Schilling people, thank you. Both sets of you were inspiration and motivation to be whatever it is I was for 19 some odd years on a major league mound. I am set to have what...