Keith Olbermann (born January 27, 1959) is an American news anchor, commentator and radio sportscaster. He currently hosts Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, an hour-long nightly newscast that reviews the top news stories of the day along with political commentary by Olbermann. Starting with the 2007 NFL season, Olbermann also serves as co-host of NBC's Football Night in America with Bob Costas.
Early life and career

Charles White (born January 22, 1958) is a former professional American football athlete. He

had a distinguished college career and later played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and the

Los Angeles Rams.
College career
White was born in Los Angeles and went to San Fernando High School. Later, he won the

Heisman Trophy as best college football player in America, playing tailback for the University of

Southern California Trojans. A major highlight of USC's distinguished Tailback U Era, White set

22 records in the NCAA, Pac 10 Conference and USC. Some credit goes to his talented

offensive line which included Anthony Munoz, Pat Howell, Brad Budde, Keith Van Horne and

Roy Foster. White was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
National Football League career
White went on to play in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns (1980–1984)

Texas Tech's athletic teams are all known as the Red Raiders with the exception of the women's basketball team, the Lady Raiders. Texas Tech is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in Division I-A. The university was a member of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1932 to 1956. Texas Tech became a member of the Southwest Athletic Conference in May 1956 and remained so until the conference was disbanded in 1995.

Michael Crabtree (born September 14, 1987 in Dallas, Texas) is a college football wide receiver for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
High school
Crabtree attended David W. Carter High School in Dallas and played quarterback for the football team. As a senior, he passed for 870 yards and eleven touchdowns on 45 completions out of 100 attempts. He also ran for 646 yards and nine touchdowns on 100 carries. He was a four-star football recruit as an athlete.

In addition to playing football in high school, Michael Crabtree was also on the basketball team and ranked among the top 50 recruits going into college. During a visit in 2004, Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight asked Crabtree which sport he was going to choose. Though the decision was not an easy one, he opted to play college football exclusively.

Black toenails are caused by pools of blood that accumulate under the nail from repeated bruising. "It never really bothers me; it hurts in the beginning when my toenails turn black and blue," 26-year-old Jessica Horne, who will run her second ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, told ABCNews.com. "Another toenail grows underneath and the black and blue one falls off."

There are also chafed nipples (more of a problem for bra-less men) and tummy troubles, according to ABCNews.com. "Runner's runs" may be caused by blood flow out of the intestines to the legs, the site reports, sending the digestive system awry. Marathoners should walk for 20 minutes after finishing to redirect blood to their internal organs, according to a handbook distributed to entrants.

Now that it is officially November, the final mad rush to the BCS championship is under way. After today, at least two more teams will be knocked out of the running for the national title. One showdown has undefeated Texas and undefeated Texas Tech squaring off in prime time. The other top 10 battle of the week is between two one-loss SEC teams trying to get back in the race. The bad blood between the arch-rival Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs is an added bonus.

Formerly known as "The World's Largest Cocktail Party" the latest Florida/Georgia showdown could determine the winner of the SEC East, and bring the winner a step closer to a BCS title berth.

Both the Gators and Bulldogs have a loss, but if the winner goes on to run the table and teams like Texas, Alabama, Penn State and Oklahoma stumble, the Gators or Bulldogs could take their place.

Vincent Paul Young, Jr. (born May 18, 1983 in Houston, Texas), commonly Vince Young, or "VY", is an American football player. He is a dual-threat quarterback, and the current starting quarterback for the National Football League Tennessee Titans. Young was drafted by the Tennessee Titans as the #3 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft on April 29, 2006. He was awarded honors in his rookie season: NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and a roster spot on the AFC Pro Bowl team. On April 17, 2007, EA games announced that Vince Young would be on the cover of their NFL video game franchise Madden NFL 2008.

Young played college football for the University of Texas Longhorns before turning professional. As a college junior, he was one of three finalists for the 2005 Heisman Trophy, finishing second to Reggie Bush and ahead of Matt Leinart in the final vote. Young was named the best college football player of 2005 by College Football News, based upon their statistical analysis. Following the Heisman voting, Young led his team to a BCS National Championship on January 4 2006 in a classic thriller against the defending BCS national champion University of Southern California Trojans in the 2006 Rose Bowl. The game featured two Heisman Trophy winners as Young's opponents: both USC quarterback Matt Leinart and USC running back Reggie Bush. The game was called one of the most-anticipated games in the history of college football. In perhaps the most spectacular individual college football performance ever, Young completed 75% of his passes for 267 yards and also managed to run for more yards than Bush; he totaled 200 yards at 10 yards a carry.

Young decided he would forgo his last year of NCAA college eligibility and become a professional player by entering the 2006 NFL Draft. This decision made him the second player in Longhorn coach Mack Brown's eight year term as head coach of the Texas Longhorns to enter the NFL with eligibility remaining.
Early years

Jeffrey Michael Fisher (born February 25, 1958) is an American football head coach, currently the head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. With the resignation of Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher , Fisher now has the longest tenure as head coach with one team among active head coaches in the League. He has a 105-93-0 (.530) record.
Early life
A native of Southern California, Fisher starred as a high school All-American wide receiver for Taft High School in Woodland Hills.
Playing career
Fisher later went on to star as a University of Southern California Trojan under coach John Robinson. During his collegiate career (1977–1980), he played alongside such defensive stars as Ronnie Lott and Joey Browner. Fisher also played alongside Bruce Matthews who he would later go on to coach when he became coach for the Oilers/ Titans. Fisher and the Trojans won a national championship during the 1978 season, and in 1980 he was honored with a Pac-10 All-Academic selection.

Fisher entered the NFL as a 7th round draft pick of the Chicago Bears. An excellent special teams player, his playing career came to an end in the NFL when his leg was broken during a collision on a kickoff, by former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.
Early coaching career

The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball and the culmination of the sport's postseason each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the "Fall Classic". The St. Louis Cardinals are the current (2006) World Series champions. They failed to qualify for the post-season in 2007, so a new team will be crowned this year.

The World Series is played between the winners of the American League and National League, which currently includes 30 clubs based in certain U.S. and Canadian cities. The modern World Series has been an annual event since 1903, with the exceptions of 1904 and 1994. Baseball has employed various championship formulas since the 1860s. When the term "World Series" is used by itself, it is usually understood to refer to the "modern" World Series exclusively.

The World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff. Best-of-seven has been the format of all the modern World Series except in 1903, 1919, 1920 and 1921 when the winner was determined through a best-of-nine playoff. The Series winner is awarded the World Series Trophy, as well as individual World Series rings.

The New York Yankees have played in 39 of the 102 Series up to and including 2003 and have won 26 World Series championships, which is far more than any other Major League franchise. The St. Louis Cardinals have won ten championships, which is the second most all time and the most for any National League team. The Cardinals also hold a 3 Series to 2 edge against the Yankees in Series play, the only one of the "classic eight" National League teams to lead the Yankees overall.
Overview

Kerry Michael Collins (born December 29, 1972 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the fifth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State, where he was a Heisman Trophy finalist during his senior season in 1994.
Playing career
Penn State and the Carolina Panthers

The Infield Fly Rule in baseball (specifically, rule 6.05e, coupled with the definition in rule section 2.00) is intended

to prevent unfair gamesmanship by the fielders that would result in an easy double play or triple play.
The rule
The infield fly rule applies when there are fewer than two outs, and there is a force play at third (runners on first and

second base, or bases loaded). In these situations, if a fair fly ball is hit that, in the umpire's judgment, is catchable by

an infielder with ordinary effort, the batter is out regardless of whether the ball is actually caught in flight. The rule

states that the umpire is supposed to announce, "Infield fly, if fair." If the ball will be almost certainly fair, the umpire

will likely yell, "Infield fly, batter's out!" or just "Batter's out!" Umpires also typically raise one arm straight up to

signal to everyone that the rule is in effect.

Any fair fly ball that could have been caught by an infielder with ordinary effort is covered by the rule, regardless of

where the ball was caught. The ball need not be caught by an infielder, nor must it be caught in the infield. For

example, if an infielder retreats to the outfield in an effort to catch a fly ball with ordinary effort, the Infield Fly Rule

would be invoked, even if an outfielder ultimately caught the ball, and even if no infielder attempted to make a play

on the ball. Similarly, a fly ball within the infield that could have been caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, but is

caught by an outfielder, would also be covered by the rule.

On a caught infield fly, the runners must tag up (retouch their base at the time of pitch) in order to be eligible to

advance, as on any catch. If the infield fly falls to fair ground untouched, or is touched and dropped, runners need

not tag up. In either case, since the batter is out, the force play on other runners is removed.
History

The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the then-Houston, Texas, team began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. The Oilers won two AFL championships before joining the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger.

The team relocated to the state of Tennessee in 1997, first playing in Memphis for one season before moving to Nashville. For two seasons, the team was known as the Tennessee Oilers before changing its name to Titans in 1999.
Franchise history
Houston Oilers era (1960-96)
The Tennessee Titans began in 1960 as the Houston Oilers, a charter member of the American Football League. They are owned by Bud Adams, a Houston oilman who had made several unsuccessful bids for an NFL expansion team in Houston. Adams is considered the second-most influential of the eight original AFL owners, since he and Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt were more financially stable than the others.

Michael Singletary (born October 9, 1958 in Houston, Texas) is a former linebacker in American football who played his entire career for the Chicago Bears in the NFL, after starring in college at Baylor University, whose team is also known as the Bears. While with the Bears, Singletary was known as "The Heart of the Defense" for the Monsters of the Midway in the mid-1980s. His nickname is Samurai Mike. Singletary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Singletary is currently the linebackers and assistant head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and was overseeing the progress of college linebackers at the 2007 Senior Bowl.
College career
Singletary was the only college junior to be selected to the All-SWC Team of the 1970s, Singletary earned All-America honors in both junior and senior years at Baylor, where he averaged 15 tackles per game and established a team record with 232 tackles in 1978, including 34 in a game against the University of Houston. Singletary's senior season of 1980, Baylor won 10 games for the only time in school history.
Professional career
At 6'0, 230 lbs, Singletary became a starter in the Bears lineup in the seventh game of his rookie season (1981). In a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, his third as a starter, Singletary put on a remarkable defensive performance recording 10 tackles and forcing a fumble. A nearly unanimous all-rookie selection, Singletary went on to start 172 games for the Bears during his 12-year career, which is the second most in club history.

An intense player, Mike finished as the Bears' first or second leading tackler each of his last 11 seasons. He amassed an impressive 1,488 career tackles, 885 of which were solo efforts. A constant force on defense, he missed playing just two games, both in 1986. He also recorded 7 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries.

Vernon Leonard Davis (born January 31, 1984 in Washington, D.C.) is an NFL tight end for the San Francisco 49ers. Vernon is nicknamed "The Duke", a nickname shared with his father. Vernon went to college at University of Maryland which he chose over Florida, Purdue, Miami, and Virginia. He was drafted by the 49ers in the 1st round (6th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft and the 49ers signed him to a deal that makes him the highest paid tight end in the National Football League (5 years, $23 million). He joined Kellen Winslow II (2004 NFL Draft) as the third highest tight end ever drafted after Ron Kramer (Green Bay, No. 4 in 1957) and Mike Ditka (Chicago, No. 5 in 1961).
Early years
Davis attended Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track & field. In track & field, he was the DCIAA champion in the high jump with a jump of 6'5".

FootballDavis played primarily tight end and safety but he also played wide receiver, kick returner, linebacker and defensive end. In his senior season he caught 21 passes for 511 yards and 5 touchdowns. He, however, missed three games with a deep bone bruise below his knee. He also caught three two point conversions and returned two kick offs and two punts for touchdowns. He has 35 receptions for 385 yards as a junior.

High School Football Awards

* Selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl
* Rated as the third-best tight end in the nation by ESPN.com's Tom Lemming
* A member of SuperPrep's Elite 50 and that publication's 39th-rated player nationally
* A Mid-Atlantic all-region pick by SuperPrep and the third-best player (at any position) in the region
* Second team All-USA by USA Today
* Ranked as the fourth-best tight end in the nation and the seventh-best player (overall) in the Atlantic East by Rivals.com
* First team All-Met by The Washington Post
* Gatorade Player of the Year for the District of Columbia

College career

Ryan James Howard (born November 19, 1979 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a baseball player who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. Howard is the reigning National League MVP and the fastest player to reach 100 home runs in Major League Baseball history. He graduated from Lafayette High School in 1998 and attended Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University). Howard is six feet, four inches tall and 250 pounds. He is 27 years old and is in his fourth year in the big leagues. He bats and throws left handed.

One of the game's most feared sluggers, Howard is best known for his hitting. His 58 home runs in 2006 led Major League Baseball. As with many Philadelphia players who have played near the end of Veterans Stadium before its destruction and almost all "Phan Phavorites" at Citizens Bank Park, Howard has a fan club known as "Howard's Homers", with the group sporting Homer Simpson masks.
Career
Minor League Years
Selected in the 5th round of the 2001 draft, Howard quickly ascended the Phillies' minor league system, earning consecutive MVP awards in the Florida State and Eastern leagues (2003-2004). While doing this, he impressed scouts enough that general managers of several teams tried to lure the Phillies' Ed Wade into trading him, as Jim Thome was blocking his path to the majors. Rumors circulated that Howard would be traded to the Pirates for starting pitcher Kris Benson. Wade refrained from doing so.
2004 - A "Cup of Coffee"

Todd begins his 11th season with the Rays and 16th in the Major Leagues. Kalas returns as pregame host and in-game reporter for every Rays telecast on Fox Sports Net Florida and the Rays Television Network. In addition, he hosts "Inside the Rays" on FSN. He has also filled in with play-by-play and color on both the Rays television and radio networks. Prior to joining the Rays, Kalas worked on the radio broadcast team of the New York Mets (1992-1993) and the television broadcast team of the Philadelphia Phillies (1994-1996). After graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University in 1988, he moved to the Tampa Bay area as sports director at Vision Cable in Clearwater before beginning his baseball career with the Louisville Redbirds in 1991. In the offseason, Kalas has worked the last five years with Cox Sports Television in Louisiana handling play-by-play of college basketball, football, baseball and arena football. In addition, he is an announcer for USF basketball games and also fills in as pregame host for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Todd is the son of longtime Phillies broadcaster, Harry Kalas, a 2002 Hall of Fame inductee.

The Philadelphia Phillies are a professional baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From to the present, the Phillies have played their home games at Citizens Bank Park in the South Philadelphia section of the city.

The "Phillies" name originates as a shortened version of the "Philadelphias", as the convention at the time was to call the team by their home city. They are nicknamed "the Fightin' Phils", or "The Phils". It is a convention in Phillies culture to substitute "F" with "Ph" in various terms or names, such as "the Phans".

One of the 19th century National League franchises, the club was founded in Philadelphia in . Then the Philadelphia Quakers, the names "Quakers" and "Phillies" would coexist starting with their second year of existence, and continue until . The team attempted to change names in to the Philadelphia Blue Jays to change the team's image, but it only lasted two years.

At the outset of the 20th century, the team made its home in the Baker Bowl. After much fighting to get out of their lease and the badly aging stadium, they moved into Connie Mack Stadium (then Shibe Park), home of their American League rivals, the Philadelphia Athletics. The A's would move in to Kansas City, Missouri, eventually moving to Oakland to become today's Oakland Athletics.

The Phillies have won one World Series Championship in their history, against the Kansas City Royals in 1980. In addition to their 1980 World Series victory, the Phillies have made four other World Series appearances, losing in 1983 to the Baltimore Orioles, in 1993 to the Toronto Blue Jays, in 1915 to the Boston Red Sox and being swept by the New York Yankees in 1950.

On September 30, 2007, the Phillies won the NL East Division for the first time since 1993, overcoming the New York Mets, who led the division for most of the season, on the season's last day.

Joseph Matthew Blanton (born December 11, 1980 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball.
College Career
He graduated from Franklin-Simpson High School (Kentucky) in 1999. He attended the University of Kentucky and led the Southeastern Conference and finished eighth among all NCAA Division I pitchers with 133 strikeouts in 2002 and finished with a 4.59 ERA.
Minor League Career
Blanton was selected by the A's with the New York Yankees first round pick (24th overall) in the in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft as compensation for the loss of free agent Jason Giambi. In 2003, he ranked second in all of minor league baseball with a combined 174 strikeouts with the Athletics Single A and Double A teams behind John Maine of the Baltimore Orioles organziation.

The next season, Blanton helped the Triple A Sacramento River Cats win the Pacific Coast League with a 11-8 record and a 4.19 ERA. After that, he was called up to the Athletics big league roster on September 18, 2004. He would have a 5.63 ERA in 3 relief appearances and no decisions for the Athletics that year.
Major League Career
In 2005, Blanton joined a rotation that had lost pitchers Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson to trades. In his first full season as a big leaguer, he went 12-12 with a 3.53 ERA in 33 starts. His 33 starts set an Oakland rookie record for most games started which had broken the previous mark of 32 set by Matt Keough in 1978. He also tied the Oakland rookie record for most wins in a season with 12. His first career complete game came as a 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 24, 2005.

In 2006, Blanton's ERA rose over 100 points and gave up the fifth highest hits in the American League (241, .309 batting average). However he had four more wins than the previous year and the same amount of losses.

At Florida State: One of the preeminent receivers in all of college football for the 2008 season who will contend for All-America, All-ACC and national wide receiver honors...a pre-season second team All-America and All-ACC fi rst team selection by Phil Steele...opens the season as the starter opposite All-ACC selection Preston Parker...his big play capabilities have earned him the reputation as one of the nation's top big play receivers...is a threat to score on every reception with his incredible combination of speed and height...enters the 2008 season as the nation's leader with the highest averaged yards per catch (18.6) for a receiver with at least 100 career catches...the No.

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in interscholastic events at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The IHSA regulates 14 sports for boys, 14 sports for girls, and eight co-educational non-athletic activities. More than 760 public and private high schools in the state of Illinois are members of the IHSA. The Association's offices are in Bloomington, Illinois.

In many sports, statewide competitions are broken down into various classes, based on school enrollment. Thus schools with the largest student populations will participate in a class independent of schools with smaller populations. Within Illinois, there are also many smaller groupings of high schools, competing with their nearby communities in conferences. There are 73 such conferences within the IHSA as of August 2005. Some of these conferences subdivide themselves into divisions.
Governance
The IHSA is headed by an eleven-member Board of Directors. All eleven members are high school principals from member schools. Seven of the ten are elected to three-year terms from seven geographic regions within the state of Illinois. Three other board members are elected at-large. A treasurer, who does not vote, is appointed by the Board. The Board of Directors determines IHSA policies and employs an executive director and staff. They also work with the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Principals Association, the Illinois Association of School Boards, the Illinois Association of School Administrators, the Illinois Athletic Directors Association and the North Central Association.

Joseph Vincent Paterno (born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York), nicknamed JoePa, is the head coach of Pennsylvania State University's college football team, a position he has held since 1966. Paterno has won more football games against teams currently in NCAA Division I-FBS (formerly Division I-A) than any other coach in history. He also has the most bowl game wins and more FBS undefeated seasons than any other coach in college football history.
Early life
Paterno grew up during the Depression. He nearly had to leave high school because the tuition of $20 a month was such a burden for his family. In 1944, Paterno graduated from Brooklyn Prep and headed to Brown University to study and play football. At Brown he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. There, he was a capable but unspectacular quarterback and also played cornerback. He currently still shares, along with Greg Parker, the Brown University record for career interceptions with 14. It was at Brown that he honed his skills as a leader, allowing him to go into coaching after graduation in 1950, joining Hall of Famer Rip Engle at Penn State as an assistant coach. Paterno thought his stint as an assistant coach would be brief, before going to law school. He never went to law school and instead became one of the most famous and recognizable coaches of any sport in the United States.
Records and accomplishments
At age 80, Paterno is coaching his 58th season at Pennsylvania State University as an assistant or head coach in 2007, holding the record for any football coach at any university. The 2007 season marks Joe Paterno’s 42nd season pacing the sidelines as head coach of the Nittany Lions, passing Amos Alonzo Stagg for the most years at a single institution.

Under Joe Paterno, Penn State has never been under NCAA probation, and has never been under any serious investigation for wrongdoing.
Career record

The most searched term today is "ufc 90 results".

UFC HITS CHICAGO FOR UFC 90: SILVA vs. COTE

ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® HITS CHICAGO FOR UFC 90: SILVA vs. COTE

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"THE SPIDER" SILVA vs. PATRICK "THE PREDATOR" COTE

UFC® WORLD MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

SATURDAY, OCT. 25, 2008

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Sports fans in Chicago unite! The UFC® is coming to town and it is bringing the world's greatest pound for pound fighter, Anderson "The Spider" Silva, for a middleweight title fight against his number one contender, Patrick "The Predator" Cote. The UFC will make its historic first trip to Chicago this fall when it presents UFC 90: SILVA vs. COTE live from Allstate Arena on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008.

One huge factor in what looked to be Tampa’s Bay’s stunning sweep of the Fenway Park ALCS games was that Jonathan Papelbon didn’t leave the bullpen until a courtesy/desperation appearance in the seventh inning of Game 5 -- one that looked bad when he allowed two inherited runners to score but became surprisingly important when he stifled any further scoring.

For most of this series Papelbon was neutered as Tampa Bay scored early and often and the Rays’ starting pitchers negated Boston’s bats (until the final three innings of Game 5 when the Red Sox incredibly rallied back from a 7-0 deficit to stave off elimination with by winning 8-7).

For Red Sox Nation there was going to be much gnashing of teeth about the absence of Manny Ramirez, whether David Ortiz was healthy and the first postseason slump by Jacoby Ellsbury – that is until the astounding three-inning deathbed kick by Boston that sent the series back to Tampa Bay for Game 6 on Saturday night.

But a Red Sox weapon every bit as mighty as the Boston bats which suddenly awoke from a series-long slumber has been Papelbon – a 27-year-old who in just three-plus seasons in the majors could be on track to become the next Mariano Rivera, the game’s next great closer.

Let’s be clear that assertion is a very early statement. Rivera has excelled for a decade, working 76 postseason games and 117 innings with 34 saves and a ridiculous 0.77 ERA. He may not have the zip of his early years but the hitters still know the cutter is coming and are still left helpless dealing with it.

Papelbon will turn 28 in November and has worked in 15 postseason games for 24 innings without allowing a run. He has allowed only 10 hits, striking out 21 in the 24 innings.

Can he maintain that level of dominance? For him to have a shot at answering that question Boston must maintain its standing as an annual playoff contender. The Red Sox are young but Tampa Bay’s arrival and the continued rebuilding in Toronto give pause to the thought that Boston can replicate the Yankees’ 12-year playoff run.

Then there is the question of whether a hard thrower like Papelpon -- someone who relies on heat -- can sustain that dominance over a decade. An even bigger question to me is whether Papelbon can continue to throw a splitter over time without injury.

Watching Brad Lidge in the late parts of the season, where he has maintained his perfect save record despite some rocky moments, makes one appreciate the utter dominance of Rivera and Papelbon.

It was supposed to be exactly what it turned out to be -- equal parts tennis and carnival.

Billie Jean King's victory over Bobby Riggs "was not about tennis. It was about social change," she said. "It was about changing a way of thinking, about getting women athletes accepted."

The ease with which she beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the Battle of the Sexes, still the most watched tennis match (50-million worldwide on television; 30,472 at the Houston Astrodome), wasn't the point. It was that she won.

She was 29 and had bigger things on her mind than getting onto the court with a 55-year-old hustler who played his role as defender of male chauvinism to the hilt.

It was a different era, the advent of women's liberation. King took the movement into sports.

Riggs had won the Wimbledon singles, doubles and mixed doubles championships -- 34 years earlier. He had walked into a London bookmaker's office on the eve of the tournament, bet he'd win all three titles and walked away from Wimbledon with $108,000 from the bookie. He had won the 1939 and '41 U.S. Open titles.

More recently, Riggs had made a name for himself by becoming one of America's more sexist men, putting down women's tennis in particular and women in general. And here was the hustle of a lifetime -- man vs. woman.

King was ranked No. 2, and in 1973 she had matched Riggs' three Wimbledon crowns, the only other player, man or woman, to achieve the feat. She had won five Wimbledons and three U.S. Opens.

The match was anticlimactic, over almost as soon as it began. Technically it meant nothing -- yet it meant everything to an entire gender, serving to shatter the psychological myth that limited women's aspirations.

It was a $100,000 winner-take-all affair. King and Riggs also were guaranteed $75,000 apiece for ancillary rights to the promotion.

As a brass band blared marching music, King made her entrance in a gold litter, a la Cleopatra, carried aloft by four muscular men. Riggs rode in a golden rickshaw pulled by a harem of six showgirls.

They exchanged prematch gifts. Riggs gave King a gigantic candy sucker. She gave him a baby pig.

Riggs insisted on a best-of-five match rather than the best-of-three that women usually play. "Women can't play three-out-of-five sets," he said. But King knew better. She was 26 years younger, and this wasn't man vs. woman. It was age vs. youth.

The moment King saw how aggressively Riggs was attacking, she decided to run him ragged.

In the first set, Riggs couldn't even get his racket on 26 of King's 34 winners. He double-faulted at set point. He had said he would jump off a bridge if King beat him. After that set, a publicist for women's tennis handed out invitations to "The Bobby Riggs Bridge Jump."

By the midpoint of the second set, Riggs was obviously tiring, withering under King's favorite shot, the running cross court backhand. Her father, Bill Moffitt, at 55 the same age as Riggs, shouted "Go, baby, go!" after every point she won.

King broke to open the third set and went up 4-2. By then, Riggs was experiencing hand cramps. He didn't know King had leg cramps. "It was a combination of nerves and just all that running," she said after the match. "When I felt the first twinge I said, "Oh, God, not now -- not this close.' I was really worried." But a quick calf massage relieved the pain.

At 5-3, King twice failed to put Riggs away at match point. But a double fault by Riggs gave her a third chance and this time it paid off when he hit a high backhand volley into the net.

King flung her racket into the air. Riggs leaped over the net and embraced her, saying, "You were too good." It had taken her 124 minutes to alter the course of history.

Tin Cup Chalice led from gate to wire and jockey Pedro Rodriguez lulled the field of 12 to sleep through slow middle fractions to prevail by a length in the $500,000 Indiana Derby at Hoosier Park. Trained by Mike Lecesse, Tin Cup Chalice was allowed to set fractions of 23.20, 48.20, 1.13.40, and 1.38.60 before finishing the mile and a sixteenth in 145.00.

Pyro, the 6-5 favorite in the field under Shaun Bridgmohan, finished second and was gaining after some early traffic trouble. Acai was third under Tyler Baze.

Tin Cup Chalice a New York-bred gelding has now won eight of nine lifetime races with his only loss coming in his last out in the Step Nicely on Sept. 14 at Belmont Park when he lost by a neck.

On the Indiana Derby undercard, My Private Lake won the Michael G. Schaefer gate to wire by a length and three-quarters and returned $18.60 and Unreachable Star ($7) used a ground-saving trip in the Gus Grissom to prevail by a half-length.

In a year, the Los Angeles Galaxy may find forgettable, the one consistently bright point has been Landon Donovan. The U.S. national team star has been on a tear during the 2008 season -- his hat trick against D.C. United on Saturday brings his league-leading scoring total to 19 goals through 20 games, by far his career best in Major League Soccer.

Enjoy it while you can, because It’d be a real shocker if Donovan is still in the league next year.

Landon has made no secret of his desire to get another crack at Europe’s big leagues, and has dropped hints all season that he’s itching for a second chance. (He has often said he wouldn’t mind playing in the English Premier League or Spain’s La Liga.)

But with the rumor mill in high gear, I truly believe that the latest whisper out there -- that Donovan could end up at German Superclub Bayern Munich (originally reported by The Washington Post’s Steven Goff) -- is extremely realistic and there’s a good chance it could go down.

American players demand plenty of interest from European teams, but it’s rare for any of them to get any sort of sniff from one of the elite clubs. Donovan is simply the all-time leading scorer on the U.S. national team, and he’s helped his own cause further with his scintillating play this season. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that more European fans know it, thanks to his being the best player on a team featuring David Beckham.

Landon has another influential name in his corner: new Bayern manager Jürgen Klinsmann, an unorthodox soccer mind to begin with who isn’t afraid to shake things up. More important, the former German national team coach was also once an advisor to the Galaxy, is a big proponent of American soccer and knows Donovan’s game well. If ever there were a perfect storm for America’s biggest star to end up at one of the world’s biggest clubs, this is it.

"I would love for it to happen," Donovan told ESPN’s Andrea Canales. "It's up to the league, it's up to the Galaxy and it's up to me. I feel like I have a good relationship with all those parties, and if it were to happen, I think that would be great."

And how sweet would that be? Obviously it’d be great to see Donovan get a shot with the four-time European champions and compete for playing time with the likes of international stars Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski. But for Lando, it would also be the ultimate second chance. His spell with Bayern’s German rival Bayer Leverkusen is viewed as a failure, not least of all by Donovan himself, who says he wasn’t mentally mature enough for the demands of top-level soccer.

Now, everything’s different. At 26, Donovan is in the prime of his career. He is the mature leader of the Galaxy, the domestic face of MLS and perhaps the most talented American soccer player there is, period. He’s itching for his second chance, and he’s got someone with serious clout across the pond who can vouch for him. For Landon, it could soon be auf wiedesehen to MLS.

Athletics usually attract those with a competitive nature, and sports are the domain where competitive people can excel to become the modern day celebrity-icons known as professional sports players. Young children across the world practice playing their sport with friends in their neighborhood. What sport are most of these would-be athletes playing, what is the most popular sport in the world?

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport played today. The term soccer first appeared in the 19th century as for Association Football, and is used in the United States commonly, but the term football is used by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport’s world governing body and by most of English speakers throughout the world.

A survey in 2001 by FIFA 2001 showed more than 240 million people play the sport of football in over 200 countries across almost every part of the globe. Because of this some have named football the world’s favorite pastime, but instead we are naming football the world’s most popular sport!

It was recently reported that Google and Nike have partnered to launch Joga, a social networking website for football (soccer) enthusiasts. This is no wonder since football is the most popular and most played sport in the world!

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What are the most popular sports worldwide?

Football (Soccer) ranks at the top of a majority of the credible lists published.

"Most popular" could mean: "most watched", "most played" or "most revenue-generating."

Based on the variable definition of "most popular" the following observations apply:

- The most played sport in the world is FOOTBALL. (Soccer)

- Based on the number and size of stadiums around the world, the number of people who wear football merchandise, number of people who are aware of football, and the number of leagues/tournaments worldwide (The FIFA World Cup, Uefa Champions League, The South American Cup, The American Cup, The Asian Cup, 70 English league teams, 40 Italian league teams, 40 Spanish league teams) football ranks at the top of the list regardless the definition of "most popular".

* Rugby is also very popular in many former English colonies (with the notable exception of the United States) and carries a large group of followers, however participation rates fall below that of football.

"For a long time, elements of the Chinese government itself thought women’s gymnast He Kexin was born Jan. 1, 1994, which would make her 14 and too young to compete in these Summer Olympics.

Whether it was repeated mentions in the government-controlled media – including a new one uncovered Friday by the Associated Press – or on official gymnastic meet registration forms and websites, He was “this little girl” and a “new star.”

As recently as December 2007, in provincial gymnastics meets and news reports that covered it, she was a 13-year-old prodigy, too young for the 16-year-old Olympic age limit for gymnastics.

Then, suddenly, she wasn’t.

Earlier this year China produced her passport that claimed she was born Jan. 1, 1992, making her old enough to perform a brilliant uneven bar routine and push China to the women’s all around gold medal.

The Chinese either got it wrong in 2007 or wrong in 2008. Considering 2000 Chinese bronze medalist Yang Yun later admitted on state television she was 14 that year, the reported ages of He Kexin and at least two of her teammates have aroused suspicion in nearly everyone except the powers that be – the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Both organizations accepted the new passport as fact, certified He and tried to cover their collective ears at all the complaints. Wednesday, the IOC even slipped a gold medal around He Kexin’s neck.

If the IOC had a modicum of decency and courage (don’t count on it), it would open an immediate investigation into whether it might take that medal right back.

If not for the of-age gymnasts who lost to the Chinese, then for He and her diminutive teammates, who – if they actually are old enough – don’t deserve suspicion tainting their accomplishment.

While the IOC undoubtedly is petrified of humiliating the host country in such a scandal, doing nothing merely humiliates the IOC and continues the belief that the organization is about money, not fair play.

For its part, the Chinese gymnastics delegation told the AP that the mistake was made by the media and provincial officials, not on the passport. Everything is on the up and up.

“It’s definitely a mistake,” Zhang Hongliang told the AP. “Never has any media outlet called me to check the athletes’ ages.

“We already explained this very clearly,” Zhang said. “There’s no need to discuss this thing again.”

Oh, but there is. The age of the Chinese gymnasts has overwhelmed the women’s gymnastics competition.

It’s not just the wild and often ill-timed accusations by USA Gymnastics team coordinator Marta Karoyli and her husband Bela Karoyli, who dubbed the Chinese “half people.”

It’s the snickers from disbelieving fans around the world who can’t come to grips with girls who look so young actually being 16.

The entire competition has lost credibility. Outside of China the focus has been on the birth dates, not the brilliance of the Chinese athletes.

The IOC and FIG can’t continue to bury their heads and hope it will blow away.

“The FIG has received confirmation from the International Olympic Committee that all passports are valid for all gymnasts competing in the Beijing Olympic Games,” FIG said in a statement.

“Stringent control measures are taken at the time of athlete accreditation for all official FIG competitions. Further, all athlete ages for the Beijing Olympic Games are consistent with the FIG records for all past FIG competitions.”

In an effort to protect the health of athletes whose bones and muscles have not fully formed, FIG years ago instituted the 16-year-old age minimum. To compete in these Games, a gymnast had to be born in 1992 or earlier.

A younger and presumably smaller gymnast would have an advantage in some disciplines due to their nimble nature. Nadia Comaneci scored seven perfect-10s in the 1976 Games when she was just 14.

Perhaps it’s believable that one person’s age could be so terribly confused. However, He is just one of the gymnasts with suspicious confusion.

The birth date of Yang Yilin was listed on official national registration lists posted by the General Administration of Sport of China website from 2004-2006 as a too-young Aug. 26, 1993, according to the AP.

On her passport her birth date is Aug. 26, 1992.

Jiang Yuyuan’s birthday was Oct. 1, 1993 as recently as a registration list for a 2007 competition. According to her passport she was born Nov. 1, 1991.

All three of those gymnasts produced high-scoring performances on the uneven bars that gave China a lead it would not relinquish in the women’s team all around. It was one reason Marta Karoyli stomped around mocking the Chinese to her American gymnasts, calling them “little babies” and later claiming one still had “baby teeth.”

Karoyli’s suspicions were never wrong, just the style, means and timing in which she and her husband expressed them. The fact that her team’s performance was not strong and she expanded the conspiracies to include Olympic officials who were supposedly distracting her gymnasts didn’t help (that accusation was refuted by USA Gymnastics itself).

No matter the strength of the allegations, the moments after the competition was not the time for Karoyli to throw a hissy-fit unbecoming of a team coordinator.

Gymnastics deserve better from everyone. This cloud of controversy isn’t fair to the Chinese, the Americans or anyone else, and it shouldn’t be played out in media quotes and old websites.

A real investigation with real explanations is long overdue. It’s time for the IOC to do more than count the money here."

I totally agree.

Michael Phelps will use the $1 million bonus he earned for winning eight Olympic gold medals in Beijing to start a foundation, the American swimmer said on Tuesday.

The first initiative by the Michael Phelps Foundation will be an eight-city tour across the United States during which Phelps will discuss his Olympic experiences with children.

“Thanks to a lot of hard work, some good fortune, the inspiration I drew from so many supporters around the world, and incredible team mates, I was able to achieve that dream by winning eight gold medals in Beijing,” Phelps said in a statement.

“Now, my goals reach beyond the pool, to helping others realize their dreams, and continuing to grow the sport I love so much.”

Swimwear manufacturer Speedo pledged to give Phelps $1 million for at least tying the record seven gold medals his compatriot Mark Spitz won at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

Phelps claimed eight gold medals in Beijing, however, to set a new Olympic standard for a single Games. The Baltimore native has won 14 Olympic gold medals in his career.
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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - World record holder Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay spearhead one of the strongest 100-meter lineups assembled at a Golden League meeting when they clash in Brussels on Friday.

“I’m definitely going out there to compete at my best,” Bolt told reporters on Wednesday when asked if he would be chasing the record of 9.69 seconds he set at last month’s Beijing Olympics.

“I’ve already got the biggest thing there is but it would be good to go out a winner (in the season’s final race).”

Bolt, who also won Olympic gold in the 200 meters and the 4x100 relay, takes on American world champion Gay and fellow Jamaican Powell who ran the joint second-fastest 100 meters of all time in Lausanne on Tuesday.

Powell, who was fifth in Beijing, clocked 9.72 in Switzerland to match Bolt’s old world record set in New York in May.

“I’m very happy after all I’ve been through this year,” Powell said.

Bolt did not compete in the 100 meters in Lausanne, easing up well before the finish in the 200 to record a time of 19.63, outside his world record of 19.30.

Last week he won the 100 meters in 9.83 seconds at the Golden League meeting in Zurich.

“Usain Bolt we all know is on fire right now,” said Gay of Friday’s race at the 50,000-capacity King Baudouin stadium.

The American failed to reach the final in Beijing because of a hamstring injury.

“I don’t think I am as sharp right now, considering my leg, to be very competitive with the other two guys,” said Gay.