Ryder Cup 2010 Breakdown: 10 Questions and Answers for Success

Filed under: Ryder Cup

NEWPORT, Wales -- Welcome to Ryder Cup week, golf's answer to the Rubik's Cube. Lots of moving parts. So many possible twists and turns, none of them providing an indication of success or failure until the result is imminent.

When play begins Friday at Celtic Manor, the United States will be defending champs but significant underdogs. Despite an American victory two years ago at Valhalla GC in Louisville, Ky., the Europeans have won five of the past seven matches and the U.S. has not been victorious on foreign soil since 1993.

Now, the 38th renewal of the biannual competition is nearing and it's raining and cold.

In Wales?

Imagine that.

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Elliott: Tiger's Lonely Ryder Cup | Captains Take Different Approach
More Ryder Cup: Players Banned From Twitter | Tiger Responds to McIlroy

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When the first competitive shots are hit Friday morning in four-ball play, followed by afternoon foursome matches, the final results will be slightly more difficult to predict.

Nevertheless, the eventual answer to success should come from 10 pressing questions.

 

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Zebra Report: Boundary Rules, Helmet-to-Helmet and Pylons

Filed under: Boston College, Notre Dame, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Officiating

I wasn't watching the game, but I received an e-mail pointing me to the first half of the Notre Dame-Stanford game this past Saturday.

Apparently there was a play where a receiver caught a pass going toward the end zone and had a little encounter with everyone's favorite orange friend: the pylon.

Like the foul-pole in baseball, it's a boundary marker that signifies something is in play, instead of out. (Other than on kicking plays, but let's ignore that for now)

Anyway, on this particular play, I was told the receiver's foot hit the pylon while he had possession of the football and was on his way to the ground. The ruling, which was correct, was an incomplete pass. The reason it was the correct ruling was that the receiver caught the pass in midair and hadn't yet hit the ground. The distinction is that, while the pylon is used to signify being inbounds in many cases, touching it does not equal touching the ground -- as it is technically positioned out of bounds. Had the player gotten one foot down before kicking the pylon with his other -- as long as he had possession of the ball and the ball was breaking the plane of the end zone, of course -- it would have been a touchdown. Instead, he didn't get one foot down inbounds, even though he hit the object that often signals inbounds.

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What is this? Zebra Report for Week 1 With Introduction

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Josh Bidwell Appears Healthy; Redskins Punter Shuffle Stalls

Filed under: Redskins, NFC East

Redskins fans know all about the revolving door at kicker that has continued since Norv Turner cut seven-year veteran Chip Lohmiller during training camp in 1995. Sixteen men have kicked for the Redskins in the 16 seasons since: Eddie Murray, Scott Blanton, Chris Jacke, Cary Blanchard, Brett Conway, Kris Hepnner, Michael Husted, Scott Bentley, James Tuthill, Jose Cortez, John Hall, Ola Kimrin, Jeff Chandler, Nick Novak, Shaun Suisham and Graham Gano.

However, Washington has had an even more difficult time settling on a punter since foolishly parting ways after the 1999 season with Matt Turk, a Pro Bowl pick in three of his five years with the Redskins. In the 11 seasons since the exit of Turk -- who's now with Houston as the NFL's second-oldest player -- Washington has called upon 16 men to punt, including kickers Conway, Tuthill, Suisham and last week, Gano. The regulars were Tommy Barnhardt, Bryan Barker, Craig Jarrett, Tom Tupa, Andy Groom, Derrick Frost, Durant Brooks, Ryan Plackemeier, Hunter Smith, Glenn Pakulak, Sam Paulescu and Josh Bidwell.

Remove Blanton, Jacke and Blanchard from the kicking list and Washington has used 13 kickers and 16 punters in the last 11 seasons. During those same 11 seasons, Shane Lechler has punted in all but two games and Sebastian Janikowski has kicked in all but three games for Oakland. The last game that either missed was the second week of 2002. That reduces Washington's list to eight kickers and 14 punters.

All of this is a prelude to Redskins coach Mike Shanahan's announcement Thursday that it looks like Bidwell, who tested his injured right hip by punting during this morning's monsoon in the Washington area, will be able to play Sunday at Philadelphia. The 35-year-old Bidwell, who missed all of 2009 following hip surgery with Tampa Bay, felt something pop in his hip last week at St. Louis, forcing Gano into double duty.

 

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Carmelo Anthony Denies Saying He'd Sign Extension With Nets

Filed under: Nets, Nuggets, NBA Rumors

DENVER -- Carmelo Anthony said nobody ever approached him about whether he might want to sign an extension if he were to be traded to New Jersey.

"Not at all,'' the Denver star said after Wednesday's second day of training camp, contrary to some reports that he had agreed to sign a contract extension with the Nets if he were to be traded to the team.

There were reports of a a possible four-team deal, also involving Utah and Charlotte, in which the Nuggets would have received New Jersey forward Derrick Favors, Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko and a first-round draft pick. Sources said Tuesday that deal is dead.

Asked if he would have any interest in going to New Jersey, Anthony said, "I'm here. This ain't the offseason. The season has started. I'm not a free agent yet.''

Anthony can opt out of his contract next summer and become a free agent. He has yet to sign a three-year, $64.47 million extension offer that is on the table. Because of the risk of losing him for nothing, the Nuggets could deal Anthony by the February trade deadline.

 

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LeBron James Believes Race a Factor in 'The Decision' Backlash

Filed under: Cavaliers, Heat, Sports Business and Media

This past July, LeBron James and his management company, LRMR, announced his intention to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat during an hour-long special on ESPN. Close to 10 million people tuned in to watch the announcement, which was widely panned as a self-serving effort to attract attention.

On Wednesday, both James and Maverick Carter, a childhood friend who also serves as LRMR's CEO, were interviewed by CNN's Soledad O'Brien to discuss "The Decision." In the middle of Wednesday's interview, O'Brien posed a question about the backlash that followed James' announcement: "Do you think there's a role that race plays in this?"

James responded to O'Brien by saying, "I think so at times. It's always, you know, a race factor."

Carter added, "It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure."

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MLB: Most World Series Games to Start Before 8 p.m. ET

Filed under: MLB Biz, MLB Playoffs, World Series, Sports Business and Media

Kids -- and grownups who have to to go work early -- might be able to watch all of the World Series games this year.

Major League Baseball announced Thursday that six of the possible seven games would start before 8 p.m. ET.

"I am extremely pleased we are able to provide our fans the earliest World Series start time since 1987 with Saturday's Game 3," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a prepared statement. "The changes we made with FOX last year to start the World Series games earlier helped increase viewership including more young fans and we are optimistic that the earlier start time for Saturday's Game 3 will keep us moving in the same direction."

The lone Saturday game -- Game 3, on Oct. 30 -- will start at 6:57 p.m., the earliest World Series start time since Game 6 of the 1987 World Series and an hour earlier than last year's Game 3.

Game 4 the next night will start once FOX concludes its NFL coverage, or at approximately 8:20 p.m.

All other games will start at 7:57 p.m. ET.

FOX said Chevrolet's agreement to sponsor an earlier broadcast allowed it to move the games up.

Games 1-2 and 6-7 will be at the National League park, with Games 3-5 hosted by the American League. Pregame show times in parentheses. All times Eastern:

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Wade Redden to be Placed On Waivers

Filed under: Rangers

The New York Rangers have been known for a lot of things in their storied history, but fiscal sanity in free agency has never been one of them. There is perhaps no greater example of the Rangers free-spending, and often times ill-advised ways, than the six-year, $39 million contract the club signed defenseman Wade Redden prior to the 2008-09 season.

It was a bad move before the ink dried on the contract, and it was only downhill from there.

During his first two seasons on Broadway, Redden scored just five goals (the two worst goal-scoring seasons of his career) and amassed just 40 points, this after averaging over 40 per season over the previous five campaigns with the Ottawa Senators. According to Jesse Spector of the Blueshirts Blog, the Rangers are expected to place Redden on waivers on Saturday, ending what will be an extremely expensive free agent blunder. He quotes general manager Glen Sather as saying, "in the end you have to do what's best for the team."

 

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Alberto Contador Tests Positive for Clenbuterol, Latest Tour Title in Doubt

Filed under: Cycling

Alberto Contador tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol days before he sealed his third career Tour de France title back in July, a violation his spokesman said Wednesday came as a result of tainted food.

"The experts consulted so far have agreed also that this is a food contamination case, especially considering the number of tests passed by Alberto Contador during the Tour de France," Jacinto Vidarte, Contador's publicist, said in a statement.

The Union Cycliste Internationale, cycling's governing body, said in a statement Thursday that Contador was provisionally suspended per rules set by the World Anti-Doping Agency. UCI said that lag in the announcement was due to the small amount of clenbuterol (50 picograms) found in the sample taken on July 21, the last rest day before the final four legs of the race.

"This case required further scientific investigation before any conclusion could be drawn," UCI said.

The positive, however, doesn't necessarily mean the Spaniard would get a two-year ban or have this year's title stripped.

"The UCI continues working with the scientific support of WADA to analyze all the elements that are relevant to the case," UCI said. "This further investigation may take some more time."

Under WADA rules, athletes are responsible for anything they put in their bodies and appeals have largely been unsuccessful for athletes who claim they ingested a banned substance via a supplement. But Vidarte said it's possible that they may be able to trace back what food may have caused the positive. He added that it's "the only possible explanation" and expressed "confidence that (cycling officials) can clarify this very serious problem."

Still, the news of Contador's positive was another reminder of cycling's doping scandals that have ensnared many of the sport's top riders. Landis, who claimed for years that he never doped, reversed course last spring and said that not only he used performance-enhancing drugs, but alleged Lance Armstrong did as well. The claims, which the seven-time Tour de France champ Armstrong has denied, led to a federal probe of Armstrong and his business dealings.

Contador, who finished 39 seconds ahead of Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, is scheduled to appear at a news conference in Madrid on Thursday.

Clenbuterol has long been listed as a banned stimulant by anti-doping authorities. While not approved for use in the U.S., the drug is commonly used to treat asthma and can act as a stimulant and weight-loss aid in high doses.

Clen, as it's commonly known, has also been shown to aid in muscle development in animals, but there has been no conclusive studies to show that it does the same in humans.

U.S. swimmer Jessica Hardy is probably the most prominent athlete to test positive for clenbuterol in recent years. She was flagged for the substance days before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a result she said was due to use of a supplement.

She appealed the result and the American Arbitration Association ruled the positive was the result of unknowingly ingesting the clenbuterol and cut her two-year ban in half. The supplement manufacturer, AdvoCare, denied its product caused her to test positive.

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NFL Two-a-Days: Michael Vick Is Back

Filed under: Eagles, NFL Video

What is it about Michael Vick that makes him so popular and liked among his peers? LeCharles Bentley tells us in this edition of Two-a-Days, and says Vick's growth as a quarterback is more than impressive.

Click below to watch:

 

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Ted Leonsis Fined $100K by NBA for Talk of Hard Salary Cap

by Hal Spivack

Filed under: Wizards, NBA Rumors, NBA Transactions, Sports Business and Media

Ted Leonsis, majority owner of the Washington Wizards and owner of the Washington Capitals, said on Wednesday that he expects the NBA to soon possess a hard salary cap model similar to the NHL's.

The league's collective bargaining agreement will expire after the season, and many owners are looking at the NHL and their hard salary cap for direction. This summer, FanHouse's Sam Amick reported that if owners are successful in creating a hard cap similar to the NHL's in the neighborhood of $45 million, high-salaried teams like the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers may be forced to release star players to fit the cap number.

The NBA currently employs a soft salary cap, which allows teams to circumvent certain rules and exceed the league's "cap number" in order to build winning teams.

Leonsis, who is well-versed with both the workings of the NBA and NHL salary cap models, spoke to a group of Northern Virginia business leaders before the Wizards training camp session on Wednesday.

 

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Jimmie Johnson's Drive for Five Gets Boost With Dover Victory

Filed under: A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Sprint Cup, Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR

DOVER, Del. -- Jimmie Johnson, like most of the rest of the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, moved a spot closer to the front after NASCAR came down hard on Clint Bowyer last week.

The four-time defending Cup champ shifted further toward the head of the class as he won the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday from the pole, finishing 2.637 seconds ahead of Jeff Burton. Johnson's sixth victory of the season advanced the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet four spots in the Chase to second, 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

It was Johnson's sixth victory at Dover, the most among active drivers, and a record 13th for team owner Rick Hendrick. But Johnson's 53rd Cup win preceded one his most muted celebrations, even as his newborn daughter, Genevieve, made her victory circle debut.

"I don't know how to describe it," Johnson said. Today was a big victory, hopefully a step towards the championship, but it's not the prize we want.. ... At the end of the year, if we're fortunate to win the championship, I'll be the guy with the biggest smile, be the guy that's hungover more than anyone come Monday morning."

Bowyer's rough run since his victory last Sunday in New Hampshire continued. He clipped the wall on Lap 158 and was forced to take a drive-through penalty for speeding on pit lane en route to a 25th-place finish, the lowest among the 12 Chase drivers.

That further dimmed Bowyer's title hopes. He was already docked 150 championship points by NASCAR on Wednesday after the car he won with last weekend failed inspection, a penalty that dropped him from second to 12th in points. He left Sunday's race 235 points behind Hamlin.

 

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Cubs Players Endorse Mike Quade

Filed under: Cubs

Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is still going over candidates to replace Lou Piniella as the team's manager in 2011, interviewing Eric Wedge, getting ready to interview Bob Melvin, and of course, the in-house candidate Ryne Sandberg. Bob Brenly was also in consideration to move from the Cubs broadcast booth to the dugout, but pulled himself from contention earlier this week.

If Hendry were to ask his players what they think he should do, though, he could call off the search. Many of the players seem to like the guy they have running the team right now, Mike Quade.

"He's done a great job, and I hope he's here longer than just this year and managing for us next year,'' Ryan Dempster told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Because he deserves it.''

Dempster isn't alone, as Marlon Byrd feels much the same way.

 

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Bowyer Penalty Costs Him, Team 150 Points After Car Fails Inspection

Filed under: Clint Bowyer, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR

NASCAR has docked championship contender Clint Bowyer and his team owner Richard Childress 150 championship points and suspended Bowyer's crew chief Shane Wilson and car chief Chad Haney for six races after the No. 33 Cheerios Chevrolet failed post-race inspection following its victory Sunday in New Hampshire.

Bowyer's penalty of 150 driver points drops him from second in the Sprint Cup Series championship to 12th among the 12-drive Chase contingent. However, he will get to keep the win in the Chase for the Sprint Cup opener -- his first victory in two years.

In addition to their suspensions Wilson and Haney have been fined $150,000 each. They, along with Bowyer, are on probation until Dec. 31.

"The team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4 (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules) and 20-3 (car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications) of the 2010 Rule Book," NASCAR said Wednesday.

In a statement, team owner Richard Childress said the car was legal and that he would appeal the penalties to the fullest extent possible.

 

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NFL Receives 'A' Grade for Racial Hiring; Still Behind on Gender Diversity

Filed under: NFL Coaching

The NFL received its highest grade ever for racial diversity hiring practices by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. While the league continues to make strides in racial diversity hiring practices, they are still behind on hiring women, according to the report issued Wednesday.

The NFL received its first 'A' on racial hiring practices in 18 years, but received a 'C' for gender hiring -- equaling an overall grade of 'B.' The NFL also received an overall grade of a 'B' last year.

The 'A' grade for racial diversity hiring practices can certainly be attributed to the "Rooney Rule," which forces teams to interview at least one minority candidate for open head coaching vacancies and select front office positions.

The rule was approved in 2002, championed by then-Steelers' owner Dan Rooney, the son of team founder Art Rooney. Although Dan Rooney -- who now serves as ambassador to Ireland for the United States -- has removed himself from all NFL committees he used to chair or be a part of, commissioner Roger Goodell continues to expand the rule. In recent years he has applied it to certain team managerial positions.

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Video: David Beckham Angrily Confronts Heckler as Lawyers File Suit

Filed under: MLS, Los Angeles Galaxy

The heat from the David Beckham prostitution scandal that broke last week clearly has gotten to the Los Angeles Galaxy star and his wife, Victoria, as the player was seen angrily confronting a heckler while leaving the field following Friday's loss to New York.

Meanwhile, friends of the former Spice Girl have said she is "going through bouts of rage and feelings of humiliation" and is considering leaving the U.S.

But the Beckhams can bring the heat as well. They have filed a multi-million libel suit against former call girl Irma Nici and the editor and publisher of In Touch magazine, which ran a cover story on her claims that she slept with Beckham in 2007. The magazine is published by a German company, Bauer Media.

 

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Real Salt Lake Bucks Trend, Advances in CONCACAF Champions League

Filed under: MLS, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders FC, Toronto FC

Playing its fifth match in 14 days on Tuesday evening, Real Salt Lake earned passage to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals with a 1-1 draw at Toronto FC. The obvious focus will be the defending MLS Cup champs' 3-0-2 during that two-week gauntlet, which included a trip to Panama. But for a real sense of perspective on RSL's accomplishment, you have to rewind back to 2008.

That fall, CONCACAF expanded its club tournament and added a 16-team group stage. Four MLS clubs qualified for that first campaign, followed by five in 2009-10 as Toronto earned Canada's lone berth. Five entered again this term, equaling 14 MLS entries overall.

 

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Thierry Henry Can't Escape Karma, Will Miss Red Bulls-Galaxy

Filed under: MLS, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls

The justice that the game's authorities have been unwilling to visit upon Thierry Henry has been dispensed anyway, for the second time in four months. Henry's celebrity might seduce the suits, but it's no match for karma.

There was a quiet sense of satisfaction among many in South Africa as the French national team, which cemented its qualification for the World Cup with Henry's rather scandalous handball against Ireland, threw a team-wide tantrum and suffered the most embarrassing first-round elimination in recent memory.

It was hard not to wonder if Henry and his teammates felt they might not be deserving of their spot. They certainly played and behaved like it.

Now comes word from the New York Red Bulls that their new star will miss Friday's marquee showdown at the Los Angeles Galaxy. The game between the playoff-bound clubs, scheduled to feature Henry, Rafa Márquez, Landon Donovan and David Beckham, was shaping up to be the most hyped regular season MLS match since Beckham debuted with the Galaxy three years ago.

 

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US Bid Committee confident ahead of FIFA vote

Last week, FIFA inspectors completed their visit to Qatar, the final stop on a globe-spanning tour of the nine bidders vying to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. The Middle East nation's chances took a hit when Harold Mayne-Nicholls, head of the inspection team, said the bid presented "a...

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Carmelo Anthony Admits Opting Out Next Summer Is 'Big Risk'

Filed under: Nets, Nuggets, NBA Rumors

DENVER -- Carmelo Anthony admits it's a "scary'' proposition.

If the Denver star forward opts out of his contract next summer, he stands to lose tens of millions of dollars if a new NBA collective bargaining agreement severely curtails minimum salaries.

"It's scary,'' Anthony said after the Nuggets' first practice of the season on Tuesday about the uncertainty of a new CBA. "Of course, it's scary. There's a lot of anxiety to see what's going to happen.''

With that in mind, Anthony admitted it would be risky to opt out of his contract next summer. But then he said it's not all about money.

"It's a big thing. It's a big risk,'' Anthony said. "But at the end of the day, it's about basketball. Money is money. Money's going to be there. It's about basketball.''

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More 'Melo: Trade to Nets Officially Dead l Anthony Denies Asking for Trade

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Jim Furyk Wins Tour Championship, Banks Cool $11.35 Million

Filed under: PGA, FedEx Cup

ATLANTA -- Jim Furyk's 2 1/2-foot putt for par and $11.35 million rolled straight and true into the cup on the 72nd hole of the Tour Championship Sunday afternoon.

With his cap turned backward to combat the annoying drip of a steady afternoon rain -- a look that was anything but hip -- Furyk calmly reached into the cup to retrieve his golf ball before popping upright to fire it with Brett Favre velocity into the stands. He raised both arms into the air and marched off the green like a conquering hero.

"I remember knocking the putt in and picking it out of the hole, and I was thinking, 'What am I doing?' I hit it, and I knew it was in the middle, and I'm taking a step to pick it up as it's going in, and it just hit me. I was excited and dropped the putter and you know, I don't know. I guess at that moment you're not really responsible for what happens next, you just go with whatever happens."

Considering the significance of the moment -- monetarily if not historically -- the reaction might be considered somewhat muted.

Furyk came to the FedEx Cup and, well, delivered.

And while it may not have been overnight, it did arrive with great style.

On the strength of a final-round, even-par 70 Furyk finished 8 under to not only claim the Tour Championship by one stroke over Luke Donald but also commandeer the $10 million playoff bonus.

 

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Report: Lance Armstrong Staff Member to Testify in Front of Grand Jury

Filed under: Cycling

Allen Lim, an exercise physiologist on Lance Armstrong's Team RadioShack, reportedly will be the latest person to testify in front of a federal grand jury investigating the seven-time Tour de France champ.

Lim will go before the panel in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. Floyd Landis, who reversed course last spring and finally admitted he had doped to win the 2006 Tour de France, alleged in e-mails sent to anti-doping officials that Lim aided Armstrong's doping efforts.

Armstrong has repeatedly denied he ever used performance-enhancing drugs.

Lim will join a growing list of individuals who have been called by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Last week, prosecutors called Stephanie McIlvain, who worked for longtime Armstrong sponsor Oakley.

Federal investigators are attempting to determine whether Armstrong and his teammates conspired to purchase and use illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

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More Coverage: Latest Lance Armstrong Stories

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Roster predictions ahead of US friendlies

When the United States take on Poland on Oct. 9 and Colombia on Oct. 12, it will mark the genuine beginning of Bob Bradley's second tenure as the US national team's head coach.

The European leagues will be on a break, meaning he can call on his regulars across the Pond ? although expect elder...

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Tiger Woods' Golf Course Back on Track

by Milton Kent

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends, Sports Business and Media

An Asheville, N.C., golf course, designed by Tiger Woods is back in construction mode after developers agreed to reduce the potential impact the course would have had on the local environment.

Construction on The Cliffs at High Carolina, a mountain course scheduled to open in the fall of 2012, has picked up again now that developers have dropped by nearly half the effect the course would have had on adjacent trout streams.

A coalition of environmental groups had challenged permits issued by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, charging that the course would negatively impact trout streams without mitigation. Course developers slowed down the construction to address the issues, and cut the number of linear feet of impact from 3,132 to 1,665 by making the course shorter and by lengthening the walk between tees and greens.

The Cliffs will be Woods' first American course, and, in a statement issued Thursday, he proclaimed himself pleased with the changes.

 

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What did you think of De Rosario's post-goal actions?

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Video: Michael Bradley Scores Again, 'Gladbach Doesn't Lose

Filed under: Bundesliga (Germany), U.S. Men's National Team

While other European-based U.S. national team players have struggled to make their mark through the first month of the season, Michael Bradley continues to be ever-present at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

On Saturday afternoon the 23-year-old scored his second goal of the German campaign, and it was a big one -- it staked 'Gladbach to a 2-0 lead in Gelsenkirchen. Schalke 04 recovered and earned a 2-2 draw (Spanish legend Raúl scored the 87th-minute equalizer after 'Gladbach was reduced to 10 men), but the point ended a hideous three-game losing streak for Bradley's team during which it yielded 13 goals.

 

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College Football TV Schedule: Week 5

Filed under: Media Watch

College football season is starting to kick into high gear, as all the conferences are definitely into the league play portion of the schedule. Here's a TV viewing guide for those who want it.

The biggest game is easily a rematch of last season's SEC championship, where the result was -- as you see at the right -- the Alabama Crimson Tide knocking off the Florida Gators. Florida was the defending national champ, but now the shoe is on the other foot, with Bama defending its own title.

That's not the only game of interest, of course. How about a little Oklahoma-Texas, for the Big 12's biggest rivalry?

Also, don't forget about Stanford and Oregon butting heads. It may not have the national interest of either of the above teams, but the West Coast will have its eyes all over that one. The No. 9 Cardinal will face the No. 4 Ducks in primetime. Do not ignore that one, as it could prove to be more exciting than the SEC game.

Here's the list.

(Note: All times are p.m. and Eastern)

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Full Week 5 Scoreboard | Buy College Football Gear

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The Irish Are Fighting a Losing Cause

Filed under: Notre Dame

Urban Meyer fantasizes about coaching Notre Dame, so you can call him a dreamer. You can call him a good Catholic boy. You can call him college football's most accomplished parole officer.

One thing Meyer has never been called is a fool.

He is named after a pope, so Meyer knows Chris Rainey will be granted sainthood before the Fighting Irish win another national championship. And if a school can't win a title, why go?

That's why Meyer chose to coach Florida instead of Notre Dame. That's why despite reaffirming his dream of coaching the Irish last year, Meyer never considered leaving Gainesville. Reality trumps emotion, and the former Notre Dame assistant knows the Irish will never be relevant.

Sure, they will always matter in cosmetic ways. NBC will keep showing them. Their recruiting classes will always be ranked as the second coming of the '79 Steelers. Their new coach will always be hailed as the next Knute Rockne.

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Sorting Through NASCAR's Sprint Cup Chase Contenders

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCARThe seventh edition of NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup kicks off Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with 12 drivers scrambling to claim top honors for the 2010 season.

Who are these guys, and what chances do they each really have to bring home the hardware? FanHouse answers these questions below, in order of the initial seeded point standings:

1) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | Hamlin has been NASCAR's streakiest driver of the season -- both good and bad. During a 10-race span toward the middle of the 26-race regular season, Hamlin notched five wins. The feat was all the more impressive because Hamlin was driving while still recovering from a knee injury that had been surgically repaired due to a ligament tear in the offseason.

But Hamlin, with his series-best six wins on the year, has also had stretches of drought. Until winning last weekend at Richmond, he had registered just three top-10s in the 10 previous races. Mechanical issues were at fault in some finishes, crashes in others. Regardless, Hamlin's championship run a year ago was derailed by the same issues. ODDS: 9-2

2) Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (-10) | Going against Jimmie Johnson to win the 2010 Chase is a lot like going with the Utah Jazz to beat Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 or 1997 NBA playoffs. Sure, John Stockton and Karl Malone winning the title over the Bulls -- six-time champions in the 1990s -- would have been the pleasing story. But it didn't happen then, and one is hard pressed to make a substantial case that Johnson will lose now. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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NFL Power Rankings, Week 4: Steel City Takes Over on Top

Filed under: NFL Power Rankings

Each Tuesday during the regular season, FanHouse will roll out its NFL Power Rankings. Our Week 4 rankings are below. For previous editions, click here.

Just because you're undefeated doesn't mean you should take a top spot in the Power Rankings.

That said, when you're undefeated while your starting quarterback is sidelined, and you've played some pretty good competition, you probably deserve serious consideration.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are surviving without Ben Roethlisberger, to the point where you know some genius out there is going to trump up the idea of a quarterback controversy, especially if the team loses one or two games shortly after Roethlisberger returns to the lineup.

With a dominating win Sunday over previous unbeaten Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh takes over the top spot in this week's Power Rankings. It's not unreasonable to suggest that they could be there for a while. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Washington Wizards Usher in New Era at Midnight Madness

Filed under: Wizards, NBA Fans

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The basketball was a bit ragged, but everything else about the Washington Wizards Midnight Madness was a success.

New owner Ted Leonsis and the Wizards brought the college classic to the NBA for the first time on Monday, an idea he thought up when he "saw that YouTube video of John Wall doing his dance" at Kentucky's midnight madness last season. And for what was mostly just a glorified marketing grab, the event turned into a really good time.

Close to 3,500 fans were on hand at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., to ring in a new year of Wizards basketball in an event covered by NBA TV. It was celebration of a fresh start for a team that finished with just 26 wins last season.

"It all starts right now," Leonsis told FanHouse. "12:01, camp is open and my bet is that the guys are really excited to play in front of a big crowd the first night of practice."

"This is a restart," he continued. "The team really struggled the last two years both on the court and with attendance, so we want to try and build a team that fans can fall in love with." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Phillies Clinch Fourth Consecutive Division Title

Filed under: Nationals, Phillies, NL East, MLB PlayoffsWASHINGTON (AP) -- The Philadelphia Phillies are the NL East champions for the fourth consecutive year and, fittingly, Roy Halladay helped seal the deal this time with a two-hitter.

Halladay earned his 21st win with his fourth shutout and ninth complete game -- all highs in the majors this season -- and Jayson Werth drove in four runs, leading the Phillies to a 8-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, wrapping up the division with five games left.

Halladay (21-10) heads to the playoffs for the first time in his 13th major league season, having played his entire career with the Toronto Blue Jays before being traded to Philadelphia last winter.

Normally stoic on the mound, the former Cy Young winner punched his glove with his pitching hand after striking out a swinging Danny Espinosa for the final out. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Recap: DC 1, HOU 3

WASHINGTON ? The Houston Dynamo shrugged off their crushing midweek loss in Kansas City to beat D.C. United, 3-1, at RFK Stadium on Saturday night.

The Dynamo used an own goal and strikes from Geoff Cameron and Dominic Oduro to mount an impressive comeback after D.C. goalscorer Andy Najar had...

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NBC Will Air Day 2 of Ryder Cup on Tape Delay

Filed under: Ryder Cup, Sports Business and MediaFaced with a five-hour time difference between Wales and the east coast, NBC will be showing day 2 of the Ryder Cup next Saturday from Celtic Manor on tape delay.

Day 2 of the tournament usually provides the most excitement for viewers. It builds upon the opening day's matches and sets the final 12 singles matches for the tournament finale on Sunday. A large piece of the tournament is decided on day 2. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Reserves Power US Women to Win in FIBA Second-Round Opener

Filed under: WNBA

For a moment or two, United States coach Geno Auriemma pondered tinkering with his starting lineup in the second-round opener at the FIBA World Championship in the Czech Republic. After getting blitzed 87-46, the Canadian national team is probably thankful he didn't.

As it was, the youth and speed of reserves like Angel McCoughtry, Lindsay Whalen and Candice Dupree gave Auriemma and the U.S. team a second gear that they were able to exploit in forcing 32 Canadian turnovers to go along with 20 steals.

"I think that's one of the advantages that we have in the tournament that hopefully we can take and use to our advantage," said Auriemma. "It's that we've got some depth. They're young. They're inexperienced. They haven't played at this level, but as long as they don't realize that they're young and they're inexperienced, we'll be alright." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Pete Carroll Tells Seahawks He Needs 'To Do a Better Job'

Filed under: Seahawks, NFC WestRENTON, Wash. -- Pete Carroll had his regular Monday morning postmortem with his coaches and players, and he started pointing fingers.

At himself.

Carroll said later: "I need to do a better job.''

"Today's a day for telling the truth,'' Carroll said after looking at the game film of Sunday's 27-20 win over San Diego.

And the truth was that the Seahawks were fortunate in some ways to beat the Chargers. Seattle wasn't good in the red zone and the Seahawks gave away points at the end of the first half because of play-calling decisions.

In the end, the Chargers made more mistakes and that saw the Seahawks through.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said Carroll's mea culpa was part of the overall philosophy the coach brought with him from his tenure with Southern California.

"I think one thing that's important is for coaches and players to feel like they are on the same team,'' Hasselbeck said after Monday's session. "The coaching staff has done a nice job in a short period of time building relationships and trust.

"When he says that in front of the whole team, the coaches and that staff, that's something.''

Carroll said the overall success he had in nine years at USC may be playing against him now in Seattle, a team that is 2-1 this year after having won just nine games total the last two seasons. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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David Beckham Reportedly Paid $10,000 for Night With Prostitute Irma Nici

Filed under: MLS, Los Angeles GalaxyA former prostitute is spilling the beans about her reported affair with soccer superstar David Beckham, as Irma Nici is claiming the L.A. Galaxy midfielder spent $10,000 for one night with her.

In an exclusive interview with In Touch magazine, Nici claims that she and Beckham slept together five times in 2007. Nici said that Beckham paid her $10,000 for sex during one of their meetings. Reportedly, after an hour of foreplay, Nici and Beckham had protected sex for about 15 minutes. She said Beckham was "gentle and kind," rating him as a partner as a 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10.

"It was a high," Nici, 26, told In Touch. "All of these women dream of being with him, and I got to hook up with him. It was very exciting." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Roster predictions ahead of US friendlies

When the United States take on Poland on Oct. 9 and Colombia on Oct. 12, it will mark the genuine beginning of Bob Bradley's second tenure as the US national team's head coach.

The European leagues will be on a break, meaning he can call on his regulars across the Pond ? although expect elder...

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Thierry Henry Can't Escape Karma, Will Miss Red Bulls-Galaxy

Filed under: MLS, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red BullsThe justice that the game's authorities have been unwilling to visit upon Thierry Henry has been dispensed anyway, for the second time in four months. Henry's celebrity might seduce the suits, but it's no match for karma.

There was a quiet sense of satisfaction among many in South Africa as the French national team, which cemented its qualification for the World Cup with Henry's rather scandalous handball against Ireland, threw a team-wide tantrum and suffered the most embarrassing first-round elimination in recent memory.

It was hard not to wonder if Henry and his teammates felt they might not be deserving of their spot. They certainly played and behaved like it.

Now comes word from the New York Red Bulls that their new star will miss Friday's marquee showdown at the Los Angeles Galaxy. The game between the playoff-bound clubs, scheduled to feature Henry, Rafa Márquez, Landon Donovan and David Beckham, was shaping up to be the most hyped regular season MLS match since Beckham debuted with the Galaxy three years ago. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Denny Hamlin Blasts RCR, Kevin Harvick Strikes Back in Practice

Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR Fights, NASCARAn already controversial Chase to the Sprint Cup championship became far edgier Saturday when Kevin Harvick repeatedly struck and damaged Denny Hamlin's car during the early laps of morning practice as the teams prepared for Sunday's race at Dover International Speedway.

The incident came a day after Hamlin leveled fierce criticism at Richard Childress Racing and said it was "a crock" that RCR driver Clint Bowyer didn't get a competitive advantage from the rear end of his car being too low at Richmond, where he won the Chase's first race.

Hamlin, for one, wasn't buying the team's explanation that a post-race push from a tow truck damaged the car and made it too low.

"You can talk about how small the thing was off and you can really try to say that 60-thousandths didn't help him (Clint Bowyer) perform any better -- that is a crock," Hamlin said Friday. "Let me tell you something, that helps a lot."

Hamin wasn't finished. "In the garage, everyone has known it for months," he said. "It's not two weeks' old. This is something that's been going on for months. They've (33 team) been warned for a long time, way before Richmond. This is not something that, 'Oh man, they just told us halfway after Richmond and going into Loudon that our car's wrong.' They knew it was wrong way before that and I felt like they just, they wanted to get everything they could. What did they have to lose really? You almost can't fault them for that." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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Penn State Still Has Temple's Number

Filed under: Penn State, TempleSTATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The idea, not just around Temple's program but in many pockets around college football, was that this would be the year the Owls finally took their in-state rivals down.

It was a good idea, but only that. Temple, which last defeated Penn State in 1941, led the Nittany Lions 13-6 in Beaver Stadium Saturday afternoon, but eventually was worn down and defeated, 22-13, for its first loss of the season. It also was the 28th straight loss to Penn State by Temple (3-1), including five straight under head coach Al Golden, who played for and coached under Joe Paterno.

The 23rd-ranked Nittany Lions (3-1) finally went ahead late in the third quarter on Collin Wagner's fifth field goal, then marched 96 yards for a game-clinching fourth-quarter touchdown, a one-yard run by sophomore Michael Zordich.


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United president meets with supporters

D.C. United were one of the first MLS clubs to foster effective, cooperative partnerships with their fans and supporters? groups and, for many years, the result was an atmosphere in the stands to match the quality of the soccer being played at RFK Stadium. But after nearly three years of struggle,...

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Video: Toronto FC Becomes Third MLS Team to Tie in Mexico

Filed under: MLS, Columbus Crew, Toronto FCToronto FC became just the third MLS team to avoid defeat in Mexico when it secured a 0-0 draw at Cruz Azul in a CONCACAF Champions League game late Tuesday night.

Major League Soccer's all-time record now stands at 0-20-3 in Mexico. The other two draws were earned by D.C. United (at Toluca in 2009) and the Houston Dynamo (at UNAM Pumas in 2008). That's three points in three years -- at this rate a win is just around a few corners.

Toronto's result was all the more remarkable considering the exhausting nature of the past week. Head coach Preki Radosavljevic and GM Mo Johnston were fired on Sept. 14, and the club then won a dramatic game in Houston on Saturday to preserve its flickering MLS playoff hopes. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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