Fantasy Football

Next weekend is the big event. My skills will be put to the test, my knowledge on display for all to see. It will be a chance to show my kids and their friends the old man can still compete.
Yes – it is our fantasy football draft. And truth be told, I’m more than a little worried.
For several years now my sons and some of their friends have extended me the privilege of being the token “old guy” in their fantasy football league. In fact, my team name is “Old Guys Rule." The other 11 league members are pretty much in their 30s now, and I’m slightly beyond that – okay, a whole lot beyond it. But they invite me because they respect my football acumen, my competitive nature and my superior intellect. Yeah – right.
The truth is they invite me because I am a great target on draft night. They love making fun of me. I always have my lists of players, but I don’t get into the details as deeply as many of them. I don’t always know who the hottest rookie prospect is, who got hurt in training camp, or the latest statistics. They always seem so surprised when I actually make a good choice – and yes, that does happen on occasion.
The running joke is the team I draft will always be a threat – but only if they move the clock back 10 years. I tend to favor veterans who might be just slightly past their prime. And I may not be able to come up with the first name of every guy I choose. But despite a bad year last season, I have made the playoffs from time to time. Still, my overall record is pretty dismal.

But draft night is always loads of fun. There is a lot of good conversation with a great bunch of kids (they will always be kids to me) and some good food and my yearly beer or two. I get to spend time with my two sons, as my youngest comes home from Baltimore every draft weekend. It helps keep me feeling young, even as all outward signs point in the opposite direction.
Just the fact they include me is something of a honor, which does not escape me. Granted they get good entertainment value in return, but I still appreciate being one of the guys for at least that one night.  And I’m still convinced that despite my having just the ninth pick in the first round, I can come up with a team that will make a run at the title.
Now I have to go load my new draft program onto my iPad. Not that I’m taking this seriously or anything.

Cesc Fabregas

Brief news ahead of this weekend's Premier League matches (times GMT):
* Arsenal will be without captain Cesc Fabregas and fellow midfielder Samir Nasri for the trip to Newcastle United on Saturday (1630), manager Arsene Wenger said.
Fabregas looks poised to join Barcelona while Nasri is wanted by Manchester City but Wenger remained coy, telling reporters: "I expect nobody to leave (the club). At the moment there is no news."
Asked about Spain international Fabregas's omission, he added: "Cesc is not on strike. Cesc is not injured, he's not match fit. I don't want to go any deeper than that."
Turning to Nasri, Wenger said the France playmaker was ill while on duty for Wednesday's friendly against Chile.
"Nasri went for the national team, he was sick, and he has not completely recovered yet. There are no other aspects why he is not in the squad," he added.
Robin van Persie will captain the side which will also be without the injured Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby.
* Manchester United left back Patrice Evra is doubtful for Sunday's game with West Bromwich Albion (1500) at the Hawthorns where the champions start the defence of their title.
"We've got a doubt with Patrice Evra," said manager Alex Ferguson. "He got an injury last Sunday, he missed the France game. We'll give him until tomorrow but he is doubtful."
Evra picked up a knee injury in the 3-2 victory over rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley.
Midfielder Darren Fletcher and winger Antonio Valencia are out of contention and striker Javier Hernandez is still unavailable after suffering concussion on their U.S. tour.
"Chicharito (Hernandez) is still maybe 10 days away from taking part in any football training. It's not a concern, it's just a precaution given the fact he had concussion a couple of years back," Ferguson told reporters.
* Manchester City's new striker Sergio Aguero will not start in the home match against Swansea City on Monday (1900) with manager Roberto Mancini telling reporters the 23-year-old Argentina international was not yet ready for a full game.

Unsettled compatriot Carlos Tevez, back in training after a holiday following the Copa America but unlikely to feature on Monday, is still keen to leave the club for family reasons.
* Chelsea forward Fernando Torres is fit for the visit to Stoke City on Sunday (1230) after suffering mild concussion during Spain's friendly with Italy on Wednesday.
He was taken to a Bari hospital after a 14th minute collision in the 2-1 defeat but manager Andre Villas-Boas told reporters the 27-year-old was available for selection.
* Liverpool striker Luis Suarez could feature in Saturday's opener against Sunderland at Anfield (1400) after his belated return to training following Uruguay's Copa America triumph.
"He's trained and has no problem. We'll wait and see how he is tomorrow. We'll also see how Glen Johnson is in the morning," manager Kenny Dalglish told reporters.
"Obviously, Steven (Gerrard) and Martin Skrtel aren't there and they are the only two (missing)."
Johnson picked up a thigh strain in a pre-season friendly while Gerrard is still recovering from a groin problem and Slovakia central defender Skrtel has a calf injury.
* Bolton Wanderers have signed Turkey forward Tuncay Sanli on a season-long loan deal from Vfl Wolfsburg but he is not available to play at promoted Queen's Park Rangers on Saturday (1400) because the deal is subject to a work permit.
The 29-year-old, who moved to the German club from Stoke City in January having had a successful two-year spell at Middlesbrough, is joining with a view to a permanent transfer.
* Premier League newcomers Norwich City have made a bid for Liverpool's 20-year-old Spanish defender Daniel Ayala ahead of their visit to Wigan Athletic on Saturday (1400).
"Things are going on at the minute and we'll see how it transpires. We're more or less there but we'll see how it goes today," City manager Paul Lambert told reporters.
Defender Elliott Ward and striker James Vaughan are out with knee injuries picked up in pre-season. City are also in talks with Preston North End to buy left back Steven Smith.

Tim Tebow

The one good thing about the NFL lockout is that it made fans savor football even more. As the owners dragged players through the mud and we waited all summer for labor peace, the growing possibility that the NFL season would be delayed or canceled sent waves of dread through the general public. The result is that everyone is SUPER excited about the preseason, even though the preseason sucks. Like, it really sucks. The problem, of course, is that the NFL is like HEROIN. We can't stop. We want to, but we just can't. Sure, we go through the emotional pain of watching third-string quarterbacks struggle to earn a roster spot, but every so often there's that bit of payoff, that brief moment when you mainline the NFL and it feels fantastic.

With that, we turn to Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos quarterback who weally, weally wants to play so bad he could scream. The sportswriter article du jour is something along the lines of "Tim Tebow is not good enough to be an NFL quarterback." EVERYONE loves shitting on this guy. It's just fun. There's always that kid in high school who's nice, and he tries hard to have everyone like him, but he's annoying enough and his kindness feels forced enough that you feel compelled to make fun of him at every opportunity. That's Tim Tebow. Hey, it's fun to do bad things, and wecompletelycondone all Tebow Bashing.
So why not jump into the fray? In honor of the NFL's return, we present to you the Tim Tebow play that looked like it could be awesome but resulted in three offensive penalties and an injured Dallas Cowboy. Enjoy! Also, we have no idea who won this game. Who cares?

Texas A M

Texas A&M is leaving the Big 12 for the SEC ... if you believe the Aggie Yell Rivals fan site. The news came last night, just a day after Texas governor, former Aggie yell leader and presidential candidate Rick Perry stirred the conference realignment pot by saying "conversations are being had."
Even with Aggie Yell reporting that A&M's defection was a done deal, others are saying it's not. The Sporting Newsreported that rumors of A&M accepting an SEC invite are "just not true" and "way premature." Texas' Rivals site,Orangebloods.com, reported that Texas A&M's regents will meet August 22nd to vote on whether the Aggies should jump into the SEC's bed — and they're rumored to be leaning on leaving due to unhappiness over the Longhorn Network (A&M got what it wanted Thursday when the NCAA ruled that high school games cannot appear on school or conference networks, but A&M apparently still isn't satisfied).
A&M spokesman Jason Cook told Orangebloods: "There's no agreement in principle, nothing."
But there is a lot of smoke. Orangebloods also reported that the SEC's presidents will hold an emergency meeting Saturday to vote on A&M's application.
Texas lawmakers are going to get pulled into the fray to try to save rivalries. So are lawyers. A&M could be facing some serious hurdles to leaving, including fees for leaving the Big 12 and recently signed contracts. According to Orangebloods:

"The source said Texas A&M made a 10-year pledge to hold the Big 12 Conference together when ABC/ESPN vowed a year ago to keep paying the Big 12 as if it was still a 12-member league with a championship game. The source also questioned if A&M might be liable for breach of contract after signing a 13-year, $1.17 billion TV contract with Fox Sports for the Big 12's second-tier rights to football in April."
What's all this mean for Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State and Baylor? Maybe nothing if the other universities stick together.
"Two officials at separate Big 12 schools said Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would stay in the Big 12 as long as the other schools were willing to stay together," Orangebloods reported. "A third official in the Big 12 said the remaining nine schools were 'solid.'"
Yeah, but we thought A&M was solid too.
Missouri may have another option. According to the Sporting News, the Tigers may get an SEC invite — if Oklahoma turns one down.

Beach Volleyball

Beach volleyball athletes and organizers rarely shy away from tying the marketing of their sport to the bodies of those who play it.
Let’s see: bronze-skinned babes, bikinis, the beach... there’s a natural advertising line there.
But now a pair of British Olympic hopefuls are taking the sex appeal of their sport one step further by slapping barcodes on their behinds.
Zara Dampney and Shauna Mullin have signed a sponsorship deal with the betting firm Betfair and have agreed to sport Quick Response (QR) codes on their bikini bottoms at this week’s tournament in London.

The QR codes, when photographed with a smart phone, direct the photographer to Betfair’s Web site — where they can place their bets on a full array of sporting events.

Betfair public relations head Andy Lulham told the Telegraph that he wanted to place his company’s advertising where cameras focus — and the sun don’t shine.
The London 2012 beach volleyball tournament began Monday and concludes Sunday at the Horse Guards Parade. Earlier this week U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s office forced organizers to turn down the tournament’s sound systembecause it interfered with riot meetings.
A note to tournament organizers: you may want to beef up the security when Dampney and Mullin are playing, because not everyone has a massive zoom lens on his or her cell phone camera.

PGA Championship

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are always among the fan’s favorites each time they compete. The 93^rd PGA Championship will be no exception. The two best-known golfers in the world can expect to have some solid support when they tee it up at the Atlanta Athletic Club in nearby Johns Creek.
Woods and Mickelson were mentioned more often than any other players by some of the golfers interviewed while enjoying 18 holes on Friday at Rivermont Golf and Country Club in Johns Creek. While other competitors were mentioned, it was Tiger and Phil who drew the most pre-tournament attention.
“I’m always pulling for Tiger,” said Sidney Conn of Johns Creek. “He’s the best that’s ever played and I want to see him come back and play at the same level.”
Richard Gomez of Dunwoody said, “I’m pulling for him to start up again here.”
Woods tied for 29^th at the 2001 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club, his chances dashed that year by a first-round 73. He has four PGA Championships among his 14 major championships. He returned to tournament golf last week after being idle since April while recovering from knee surgery.
Mickelson was runner-up in 2001, losing to David Toms by one shot. Mickelson’s score was the second-lowest all-time in the PGA Championship. He had that one stolen when Toms made a hole-in-one during the third round and made a gutsy par on the 72^nd hole after intentionally laying up. Mickelson has gone on to win four major championships, including the 2005 PGA Championship.
“I like Phil,” said Tim Puffer of Roswell. “I love his attitude, his demeanor and the way he interacts with the fans.” Puffer and Mickelson also share a common trait--both attended Arizona State University.

Mike Ray of Atlanta, who works in the golf industry, also picked Mickelson. “He finished second there the last time and he’s playing pretty good.”
Other players mentioned frequently were Adam Scott, the young Australian who was second at the Masters this spring, and newly crowned U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy.
“Just for the irony of it, I’d like to see Adam Scott,” said Jeff Kohlman of Johns Creek, who was referring to the new partnership between Scott and Steve Williams, the former caddie for Tiger Woods who was recently fired. “I think he’s a good player who will be able to deal with everything.”
There was also a segment who was pulling for a player from the region.
Dave Morrison of Cumming said, “I think it’s going to be a Southerner, someone used to the heat and used to playing in these conditions. Maybe someone like Matt Kuchar.”
Ed Godshall of Dunwoody agreed with the Southern flavor, but chose former Clemson star and Sea Island resident Jonathan Byrd. “He’s about due for a great tournament.”
None of the players interviewed selected defending PGA champion Martin Kaymer, who won last year’s tournament at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis.

Shaquille O Neal

Shaq has always been a man to speak his mind, and the perfect forum for Shaq’s rebuttal to the critics would be by sitting in front of his biggest talker of them all, Skip Bayless.
Skip Bayless is the quintessential trash talker, but he is nobody special in the sports industry.
This man has made his career by pissing people off, and plenty of athletes have wanted a piece of the action. While those athletes wouldn’t be able to match Bayless’ wit and smarts, a well prepared Shaq could make Skip look very foolish.
The best part of watching Skip talk is when he refers to his days of playing sports, but they’re all the way back when he was in high school. He claims that he was good in school, but he wasn’t good enough to do anything but star on his JV team.

Shaq was one of the greatest centers of all time, and the fact that he likes to have fun shouldn’t be a concern of anyone besides his friends and family.
As an analyst, your job is to break down games and player performances, not criticize a man for being overweight or too old. It’s one thing to say he shouldn’t be that way on a team, but to destroy him over his lifestyle is terrible.
If Shaq will agree to come on the show and the two can remain somewhat civilized, it could make for some of the best TV in years.
While I highly doubt this will ever happen, I bet that Bayless would try to get Shaq to snap the whole time by saying downright mean things, and odds are he would succeed too!
Check back for more on the NBA as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s NBA Page to get your fill of the NBA.

Rooney

If August arrives and they still don't itch for football then it's time to bow out. Those who watch the game might heed similar advice.
There can be times when the Premier League seems woefully unlike the hype. Bolton 0 Southampton 1 in September 2001, a dire 4-5-1 fest in my first weeks of reporting on it, almost made me flee back to the gnarled bosom of the Scottish Premier League.
But no competition, not the World Cup nor the Champions League, delivers the same spectacle. With the Premier League's 20th season about to begin, some will cancel their pay-TV subscriptions, bin their season tickets or decide weekend afternoons would be better spent at the garden centre. But not many.
The 2010-11 season was not a vintage edition of the "Best League in the World" (trademark) but 2011-12 promises much better. If relegated Blackpool was the most entertaining side last season, this time the theatre should revolve round the top end of the league. Every one of the leading clubs looks in a position to improve. Manchester City should be more assured, Arsenal more mature, Chelsea more inspired, Liverpool more cohesive, Tottenham more potent. But Manchester United -- who should be more fluent -- remains the team to beat.
Whether the champions retain their status depends less on the impact of Ferguson's new signings -- though his summer transfer business has seemed impressive -- and more on the effect of existing stars. Wayne Rooney had a dismal 2010-11 until February, when an iconic goal against City revived his genius, while Javier Hernandez spent the first part of last season as an impact substitute. A full season of those two, in top form, would make Ferguson's team formidable.
United's right flank was a weakness until Fabio established himself as a more convincing fullback than Rafael, his brother, and Antonio Valencia returned from injury. More from them will also see United improve, while Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, on loan last season, are useful prospects to have back.
That's not to minimise the importance of new arrivals David de Gea, Ashley Young and Phil Jones. Most rests on goalkeeper De Gea and while it's improbable that, in a debut season, a young foreign rookie will entirely fill the gloves of Edwin van der Sar, the Spaniard's pre-season displays have been encouraging. Phil Jones, given Rio Ferdinand's record of injuries, will play a part but it doesn't have to be a key one given that Ferguson also has Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans to cover. Young, bought for pound stg. 3 million ($4.7m) less than Stewart Downing, looks the bargain of the summer. United's attacking was uncharacteristically predictable at times last season, and Young adds a dimension. He could also be the set-piece king lacking since Cristiano Ronaldo left. Ferguson still hasn't signed a creator to replace Paul Scholes but even if targets such as Wesley Sneijder, Samir Nasri and Luka Modric elude him, he'll feel United can cope given Scholes's limited contribution last season and Rooney's new deeper position.
Fabio Capello feels it's "impossible to predict" who'll win the title until this transfer window closes. "Arsenal and Tottenham need to buy some players, United are looking for Sneijder and Modric. At the end of the market, you can more or less understand what will happen," the England manager said.

He has a point, but City will also be right up there even if it makes no more signings before August 31.
City has the deepest squad in Europe and young, improving players such as Vincent Kompany, Joe Hart, David Silva and Yaya Toure, who made great contributions last season and can do even more this time. The big "ifs" involve Carlos Tevez. In the next 24 days a club -- most likely Inter Milan -- will either cough up the gazillions required to release poor little Carlito from his pound stg. 250,000-a-week purgatory or the window will close and Roberto Mancini will know he's keeping the Argentinian. Nobody has scored more EPL goals over the past two seasons and if Tevez goes the loss to City cannot be overstated. If he stays, how much can Mancini -- not the world's best man-manager -- get out of him?
The attacking part of City's game must improve. Time and again, United wins titles through its ability to put away the "lesser" teams. City dropped points against Sunderland, Birmingham and Aston Villa last season. Now Mancini is acclimatised to the Premier League, there is no excuse for pound stg. 27m Edin Dzeko to look like a Bosnian lamppost again, while Mancini expects this to be a breakthrough season for his crackpot protege, Mario Balotelli. "I speak to Mario every day and I need a psychologist," joked Mancini, who played down an outburst from Balotelli about being homesick. "Sometimes I've been disappointed with him but sometimes I understand his behaviour," Mancini said. The luxury for City's manager is the extraordinary options half-a-billion pounds of squad investment buy and, even if Dzeko and Balotelli fail and Tevez leaves, there's the new pound stg. 38m signing, Sergio Aguero. "He can play as a No 9 or No 10 and left or right. In one or two years he can be a first striker but now he could play behind Dzeko, Carlos or Mario," Mancini added.
Can London compete with Manchester? Andre Villas-Boas' brief but gilded CV suggests he'll be a top manager at Chelsea, but Carlo Ancelotti was a top manager. Villas-Boas' speciality is motivating and there may be a new mental edge to their play that makes Chelsea better, but problems remain -- the age of leading players and the puzzle of how to assimilate and revive pound stg. 50m Fernando Torres.
Though Cesc Fabregas is still likely to leave Arsenal, he was not a key contributor when the Gunners were riding high last season and, with Jack Wilshere's development and Aaron Ramsey's return, it's conceivable Arsenal could challenge without him. Gervinho is a good buy but Arsene Wenger is losing time to use this transfer window to improve his defence.
Including the pound stg. 58m lavished on Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez in January, Liverpool is the biggest spender of the year. But not, when you look at the buys, apparently the wisest. Liverpool will be harder to beat thanks to Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke but won't win enough games to mount a title challenge. Spurs need to make signings before the window closes but, without the Champions League to sap them, could do better than last season.
Ferguson expects his "noisy neighbours" to draw confidence from winning last season's FA Cup and make a racket in the title race. I agree, but thanks to their experience, their manager and to Rooney and Hernandez, I would bet on United -- just -- to drown out City.

Man U

Nani scored in injury time Sunday to give Manchester United a 3-2 win over Manchester City in English football's season-opening Community Shield, completing his team's comeback from 2-0 down.
The Premier League champion trailed to goals by Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko despite dominating chances and possession but got back in the game when Chris Smalling tapped in Ashley Young's 52nd-minute free kick. Seven minutes later, Nani lifted the ball over goalkeeper Joe Hart to round off a sparkling team move.
The Portugal winger then took the ball from Vincent Kompany, ran unchallenged into the area and rounded Hart to score.
Lescott was arguably City's best player at Wembley, blocking a close-range effort by Smalling on the line and deflecting a free kick by Nani past the post before he headed in David Silva's 38th-minute free kick.
While City's attacking players were overshadowed by Nani, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck, central defender Lescott also made a crucial challenge on Rooney in the 69th when United had worked a three-on-two opening.
Argentina forward Sergio Aguero was an unused substitute for City, which had seemed happy to settle for a penalty shootout until Nani's second goal.
United cleared a corner kick up to halfway and Kompany, the City captain, was beaten by Nani. With the United fans roaring, the winger outpaced his opponent, dodged to the left around Hart and hit the winner.
The game was littered with yellow cards and rash tackles, with Mario Balotelli squaring up to Nemanja Vidic and rolling on the ground claiming injury when he fell attempting to get out of a tackle by Nani.

Dzeko and Anderson were both booked in the first half when they went chest to chest following the striker's tackle from behind, while City fullback Micah Richards was lucky not to get a red card for a high two-footed lunge on Young on the left corner of the area.
Referee Phil Dowd only booked the defender.
But the 77,169 fans at Wembley were also treated to plenty of entertaining football, most of it from United.
Young, Nani, Rooney and Welbeck, the latter picked to play up front instead of Dimitar Berbatov, combined well without carving open clear openings.
Lescott beat Rio Ferdinand to the ball to make it 1-0 before new United goalkeeper David de Gea was at fault for Dzeko's goal, allowing the Bosnia striker's speculative shot from long range to slip over his outstretched hand.
It was only at 2-0 down that United really hurt City.
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson revamped his central defence for the second half, introducing Phil Jones and Jonny Evans for Vidic and Ferdinand, and brought on young midfielder Tom Cleverley for Michael Carrick.
Cleverley was key to the move that was started and finished by Nani, taking a pass from Rooney and slipping it to the Portugal winger to finish from about six yards.
De Gea atoned for his error late on when he punched away a goal-bound effort by substitute Adam Johnson, keeping the score at 2-2 and setting the scene for Nani's winner.

Triathlon

Alistair Brownlee delivered another devastating run for a crushing victory in the London leg of triathlon's world series on Sunday to stoke up expectation he can repeat the feat when next year's Olympic race is run over the same Hyde Park course.
Britain's Brownlee, the 2010 world champion, controlled the race to finish in one hour 50.09 minutes. Russian Alexander Bryukhankov was second 25 seconds back with Brownlee's younger brother Jonathan taking third after overhauling current world champion Javier Gomez with a terrific run.
The victory completed a great weekend for British triathlon after Helen Jenkins won Saturday's women's race.
Subject to rubber-stamping of the British Triathlon Federation, she and both Brownlees are now sure of their place at London 2012, where they will seek to win the country's first medals in the sport first introduced at Sydney 2000.
With the London race in its third year on partly the same course, which goes out of the Royal Park to take in landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the Wellington Arch, it was always likely to be one of the most straightforward of the test events for London 2012 venues.
Race organisers and Olympic officials were delighted with the large crowds and action-packed racing, which was also tested by traditional British summer conditions of snatches of sunshine interspersed with torrential downpours.
Fears that algae growth would cause problems for the 1,500-metre Serpentine swim also proved unfounded and Spaniard Gomez and Olympic champion Jan Frodeno of Germany led the 65-man field out of the water.
The Brownlee brothers, who finished one-two in the Madrid leg of the world series in June, were right behind them as a large group swept out of transition one together.
It did not take long for Alistair Brownlee, the senior brother at 23, to stamp his authority on the race as he led a four-man breakaway a lap into the seven-lap cycling leg.
Bryukhankov, New Zealander James Elvery and former world champion Ivan Rana of Spain were with him and they eventually came in over a minute clear of the chasing pack who failed to get themselves organised enough to mount a worthwhile chase.

GOOD SHAPE
Alistair Brownlee tore out of T2 and within moments was away and clear.
Pounding a relentless pace he was 20 seconds clear of Bryukhankov halfway into the four-lap 10km circuit and had plenty of time to high-five his way down the finishing chute, to the delight of the hardy fans who braved the lashing rain.

"It was brilliant, one of the best receptions I've ever had and the whole event was a great experience," Brownlee told Reuters. "To be honest, I couldn't believe I got away on the bike. I was worried I would be attacked on the bike.
"I felt good on the run, I was confident I was in good shape after the work we've put in."
Jonathan Brownlee, 21, posted the day's best run with a 29 minute, 35-seconds-effort to take third ahead of Gomez.
With the race acting as an Olympic qualifier for many nations, athletes were punching the air in celebration all the way down the field as they secured the various criteria needed for selection to return to the same course in less a year.
However, it was a day to forget for Chris McCormack. The 1997 world champion who went on to become a dominant force at the Ironman distance has returned to the Olympic distance this year in an attempt to make the Australian team for London 2012 having been controversially overlooked in 2000.
The 38-year-old came out of the swim way adrift and cut a forlorn figure trailing way beyond the back of the main pack in the bike before dropping out.

Deion Sanders

I'm a sucker for sports stories. The tale of the troubled or poor or skinny or picked on kid who overcomes that to use physical strengths to propel himself or herself into stardom with a legion of fans rooting for him or her the whole way. Sure we have the tales of sports stars who have done wrong. But then there are the ones who have done right. The cornerback "Prime Time" Deion Sanders is one of them. He played for five different football teams, and even moonlighted as a baseball player for the Yankees, Braves, Reds, and Giants. He is a flashy kind of guy. He said crazy things and did wild dances of celebrations that often ticked people off. And at last night's Hall of Fame ceremony he even gave Snoop Dogg a shout out and decorated his trophy bust with his trademark bandanna which may have caused a few eye rolls.
But what's most intriguing about Sanders is that he has done all of it -- every scene-stealing moment -- for his mother. And his speech was incredible.
*Cue the tears*
What is it about a massive football player pouring his heart out that gets me every time? I look at my own son, a skinny toddler and often bulldozed by his sister, and hope he appreciates life in the same way, maybe not as a football player but in whatever he chooses to do.
Deion said that when he was just 7-years-old, he promised his mother that she will be proud of him someday because he will become one of the best football players in NFL history and make them rich enough so she will never have to work again.

He saw what she went through to put food on their table, the sacrifices she made to put a roof over their heads. His mom was a janitor, and the kids would make fun of her. Tease Deion about it. I think we can all agree how hurtful that can be for a kid. Deion's father was a drug addict. His step-father was an alcoholic. The future could have been tragic for him. But he kept his promise to his mom. A promise so much larger than I will brush my teeth tonight. Or I will eat my veggies. Deion's accomplishments aren't just a testament to his strength, but to his mother's. It was his mother's love, her strength, her determination, and how she raised Deion that made him the man he is.
Our job as mom is so much bigger than us.
Deion is a man who knows how to succeed on the football field and off. A man who knew that all his showy antics would add up to big endorsement deals. And he took the criticism he got and shrugged it all off. Because his dreams and his promise was bigger than anyone knew.
"The problem with some dreams is that the dream is only about you," he said during his induction speech. "If your dream ain't bigger than you, then there's a problem with your dream."

Championship

The field for the 93rd PGA Championship, to be played Aug. 11-14 at Atlanta Athletic Club. Players listed only in the first category for which they qualify. Two spots are reserved in case the winners of the Bridgestone Invitational and Reno-Tahoe Open are not already eligible:
PGA champions: Martin Kaymer, Y.E. Yang, Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem, David Toms, Davis Love III, Mark Brooks, Steve Elkington ,John Daly, Larry Nelson.
Masters champions (5 years): Charl Schwartzel, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson.
U.S. Open champions (5 years): Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Lucas Glover.
British Open champions (5 years): Darren Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, Stewart Cink.
Top 15 and ties from 2010 PGA Championship: Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Dustin Johnson, Camilo Villegas, Wen-chong Liang, Matt Kuchar, Jason Day, Paul Casey, Simon Dyson, Bryce Molder.
Top 20 from the 2011 PGA Professional National Championship: Daniel Balin, Brian Cairns, Todd Camplin, Jeff Coston, Sean Dougherty, Scott Erdmann, David Hutsell, Faber Jamerson, Marty Jertson, Brad Lardon, Robert McClellan, Rob Moss, Mike Northern, Dan Olsen, Steve Schneiter, Mike Small, Stuart Smith, Jeff Sorenson, Bob Sowards, Craig Stevens,

Top 70 from the PGA Championship Points list through the Greenbrier Classic: Luke Donald, Nick Watney, Steve Stricker, K.J. Choi, Hunter Mahan, Martin Laird, Bill Haas, Jonathan Byrd, Ryan Palmer, Webb Simpson, Mark Wilson, Charley Hoffman, Bo Van Pelt, Brandt Snedeker, Rory Sabbatini, Gary Woodland, Jim Furyk, Aaron Baddeley, Adam Scott, Spencer Levin, Fredrik Jacobson, Robert Garrigus, Ryan Moore, Charles Howell III, Steve Marino, Rickie Fowler, Retief Goosen, Kevin Na, D.A. Points, Geoff Ogilvy, Justin Rose, Keegan Bradley, Kevin Streelman, John Senden, Scott Stallings, Chris Kirk, J.B. Holmes, Arjun Atwal, Sean O’Hair, Heath Slocum, Robert Allenby, Jhonattan Vegas, Tommy Gainey, Brendon de Jonge, Jeff Overton, Johnson Wagner, Andres Romero, Charlie Wi, Brendan Steele, Brian Gay, Robert Karlsson, Cameron Tringale, John Rollins.
2010 Ryder Cup players, provided they are still among the top 100: Ross Fisher, Peter Hanson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Edoardo Molinari, Francesco Molinari, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood.
PGA Tour winners in the last year: Rocco Mediate, Michael Bradley, Harrison Frazar.
Alternates from the PGA Championship points list: J.J. Henry, Brandt Jobe, Ryuji Imada, Bill Lunde, Jerry Kelly, Tom Gillis.
Special invitations: Thomas Aiken, Fredik Anderson Hed, Ricky Barnes, Thomas Bjorn, Gregory Bourdy, Tim Clark, Ben Crane, Ernie Els, Hiroyuki Fujita, Sergio Garcia, Richard Green, Anders Hansen, David Horsey, Yuta Ikeda, Ryo Ishikawa, Raphael Jacquelin, Brendan Jones, Anthony Kim, K.T. Kim, Pablo Larrazabal, Matteo Manassero, Alexander Noren, Jose Maria Olazabal, Jerry Pate, Alvaro Quiros, Scott Verplank, Brian Davis, Jamie Donaldson, Johan Edfors, Stephen Gallacher, Tetsuji Hiratsuka, S.Y. Noh.
Alternates: D.J. Trahan, Paul Goydos, Chris Stroud, Jimmy Walker, Chad Campbell, Kris Blanks, Kyle Stanley, Kevin Chappell, Carl Pettersson, Marc Leishman, Roland Thatcher.

Rugby

England held off Wales 23-19 in an international rugby Test match as Jonny Wilkinson kicked 13 points and Manu Tuilagi touched down in his national team debut.
James Haskell also scored a try for England, which led 20-7 in the second half at Twickenham Stadium in London. The game was both teams’ first warm-up match for the Rugby World Cup, which begins next month in New Zealand.
“It was a good run out for the boys,” England’s Tom Croft said in an interview with Sky Sports. “We’ve been working hard for six weeks and I think it showed today.”
George North touched down twice and Shane Williams once for Wales, with Rhys Priestland kicking two conversions.
“We kept right on going to the end and I’m proud of that,” Williams told Sky Sports. “It’s the first game, you’re always a little bit rusty. England were the same, but to be fair, they deserved it in the end.”
Wilkinson opened the scoring with a penalty goal in the sixth minute. North scored Wales’s first try along the right touchline in the 17th minute, finishing off a series of passes from the left, with Priestland converting to make it 7-3.
England went back in front eight minutes later after Haskell touched down off a five-meter scrum and Wilkinson converted. Wilkinson then booted a drop goal two minutes before halftime to extend the lead to 13-7.
Tuilagi scored his first England try three minutes into the second half when he took a pass from Wilkinson and burst through Welsh defense. Wilkinson added the conversion to push the advantage to 20-7.
ComebackWilliams started the Wales comeback when he touched down n the right corner in the 56th minute, though Priestland put the conversion wide. Wilkinson then kicked another penalty to increase the England lead to 23-12.

Wales pulled within 23-19 as North scored his second try and Priestland converted with four minutes left, but England was able to control the ball until time expired.
Both teams had players come off in the second half. Wales fullback Morgan Stoddart left after injuring his leg, while England captain Lewis Moody, returning to the team after missing last winter’s Six Nations with a knee injury, limped off with the help of training staff.
“He’s got a bit of a strain,” England manager Martin Johnson said of Moody. “You don’t know about these things for another 24 hours. Injuries are part of the game.”
The teams continue their World Cup preparations with a rematch Aug. 13 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
“These games are massive,” Williams said. “The boys are fighting for their positions. These games are almost as important as the World Cup at times.”
Joe Ansbro’s 76th-minute try gave Scotland a 10-6 win over Ireland in another World Cup warm-up at Murrayfield in Edinburgh.
Ruaridh Jackson converted Ansbro’s try and Chris Paterson added a penalty goal for Scotland. Jonathan Sexton kicked two penalties for the Ireland points.

Inter Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng reversed Wesley Sneijder’s opener in AC Milan’s 2-1 defeat of Inter Milan Saturday in the Italian Supercup tie played in Beijing.
The Serie A champions had a sluggish start before the 80,000 fans filling the Bird’s nest stadium and fell behind on a free kick from the Dutch sharpshooter, but secured the win with a furious second half.
Milan’s sixth Supercup victory sees them move one ahead of city rivals Inter in the all-time rankings.
Under new coach Gian Piero Gasperini, Inter hardly suffered in the first half from the absences of Brazil defenders Maicon and Lucio, while Argentine players Esteban Cambiasso and striker Diego Milito were also allowed a rest after July’s Copa America.
Milan did little early in the game, save a missed shot from Robinho after a pass-and-go with Ibrahimovic, before falling behind on Sneijder’s majestic shot.
After a high drive from Dejan Stankovic, the Dutchman on 22 minutes stunned Christian Abbiati by the closest post with a swerving free kick from the top-left corner of the box.

Inter’s Argentine newcomer Ricardo Alvarez aimed high on 35 minutes and Samuel Eto’o tried from a tight angle as the Nerazzurri contained the Devils’ equalizing efforts with Gasperini’s three-man defence closely supported by the midfield.
Ibra, however, had a great chance on 40 minutes, but nodded against the post off a cross from Ignazio Abate from the right flank.
Milan veteran Clarence Seedorf and his compatriot Sneijder fired high early in the second half as Milan pressed for an equalizer that Ibra nodded home on the hour.
A hammering action allowed Robinho to set up Seedorf on the right for a precise cross that the Swede deflected into the empty net.
Massimiliano Allegri brought on striker Pato for his Brazil compatriot Robinho as Milan kept up a brisk pace and reversed on 69 minutes with Boateng’s flick after a great effort from Pato.
Julio Cesar only managed to slap his compatriot’s firm shot against the post and was helpless as the Ghanaian Boateng slid to deflect.
Striker Giampaolo Pazzini came on for Stankovic, but Inter failed to create telling troubles for the Devils’ defence.
“We knew it was a hard game,” Allegri said. “It was a derby and it was not easy to start the season with a game like this. We did not start well. In the second half we played better, with more courage.” The Chinese capital is to host two more editions of the trophy by 2014, following a deal worth about 10 million euros (14.3 million dollars) with the Serie A football league.

PGA Tour

The limp was gone and the sort of exuberance that we have come to expect from Tiger Woods was back Thursday.

Woods made his return to the PGA Tour after a three-month layoff with a vengeance that was good to see during the first round of the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio. Woods shot a two-under par to tie for 18th after converting a couple of incredible shots.

It wasn’t a blazing performance by any means, but for a man who we last watched hobble off the course after just nine holes at The Players on May 12 with knee and Achilles tendon injuries, it was something of a victory for him just to feel healthy again.

“It feels great,” Woods said to reporters afterward. “As anybody who’s been off and who’s been injured, first time back it’s a little nervous to see what happens. But my practice sessions were good, so there’s no reason why I should be worried out there. I went out there and let it go, let it rip and see what happens.”

As irony would have it, Woods 68 is six strokes off the lead of Adam Scott, who has hired Woods' recently fired caddie Steve Williams. It likely won’t be lost on most observers that Woods has won the Bridgestone six times and has a won a total of seven at Firestone with Williams on the bag, should Scott manage to hold on.

But we all know it was just the first round and it is just six strokes — hardly insurmountable for the old Woods.

Kevin Durant

One night after scoring 66 points at Rucker Park in Harlem, Kevin Durantmoved downtown for another summer league game but this time watched Bulls guard John Lucas III put up 60 points.
But Durant got the last laugh at the Pro City summer tournament at a packed gym at Baruch College in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. He scored 41 points and hit a 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left to send the game to overtime where his team, The Franchise, beat Lucas' squad, Big Apple Basketball, 146-143.
Video highlights of Durant's work at Rucker Park dominated the airwaves Tuesday, and he made it clear that Lucas' performance deserved the same treatment.
"Should be broadcasted by everybody. Everybody should know. The way he played was unbelievable. He got it easier tonight than I got it last night. He had a hell of a game," Durant said.
Lucas shot 22-for-41 from the field and made 6-of-19 3-pointers. He was 10-of-11 from the free throw line and had four assists.
The son of former NBA coach John Lucas, John Lucas III was quick to say he knew that he couldn't win a shootout against the two-time NBA scoring champ.
At times, though, the two went at each other shot for shot and talked to each other throughout.
On one play, Lucas III went to the corner off a screen and hit a jumper over Durant as he faded away and on another play he went directly at Durant for a layup.
"Nah, I was just playing ball," said Lucas III when asked if he was trying to get back at Durant after his team was dominated by Durant the previous night. "Kevin's a scorer. I can't compete with him on the scoring tip. He's 6-9. In a real game, this is what he do. He gets buckets.

"Me? I run the team, orchestrate the team and just make sure I knock down open shots. I'm not going to come down and do what I was doing tonight in a real game. It's summertime. It's all fun and games, but it kind of got competitive. He'd come bucket and say something to me. I'd come at him and say something to him. It was all for fun."
Durant's shot was off throughout the night. He connected on only 9-of-29 shots and missed 10-of-12 3-point attempts, but he did make 21-of-23 free throws. He grabbed six rebounds and had seven assists with four turnovers.
He quickly ruled out fatigue as the reason for missing so many shots.
"I'm used to playing in the summertime every day," Durant said. "It is what it is. I was working on some stuff. My shots from 3 weren't falling but it happens."
Durant was joined by Indiana's Roy Hibbert, New Jersey's Sundiata Gaines and former NBA player Andre Barrett who also starred at Seton Hall. Durant was well aware coming into the game that he wouldn't be able to replicate his Rucker Park performance with the talent on his team
"I knew I couldn't do that tonight," he said. "It's a lot more guys that (were) on the pro level on my team tonight. This league wasn't like the Rucker. I just tried to go out there and try to get the win."
Durant likes to play in leagues throughout the country during the summer, but he was non-committal about suiting up for a third straight time Wednesday night at Dyckman Park in Washington Heights.
Durant said he would have to wait and see while adding that "I just try to get better man. I like to play in every part of the country to see how the ballers are. I had fun."

Danica Patrick

A deal is nearly complete that would allow Danica Patrick to drive a full-time Nationwide Series schedule with JR Motorsports and a limited Sprint Cup Series with Tony Stewart’s Stewart-Haas team, the Associated Press reports.
She would continue to drive in the Indianapolis 500 as well.
All that remains now for Patrick, already rated the third-highest paid female athlete by Forbes, is to start winning.
Her third-place finish in the Indy 500 in 2009 is the highest for a woman in the race. She has one IndyCar victory and is winless in 19 Nationwide races.

Patrick has driven in 19 Nationwide races for JR Motorsports the last two seasons and owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he’s pleased with her performance.
“I would like for her to run fulltime, and I'm sure she is considering that, and I think she would enjoy it,” Earnhardt said at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I feel confident that she's content where she is and happy with what we're doing. I think things are looking positive for us to put something together.”
Driving in the Indy 500 would complicate matters because drivers spend most of May in Indy and Nationwide has three races that month.
“She's way ahead of the curve,” Earnhardt said. “We've had the opportunity to put several drivers in that car, and her performance is right on par with all those drivers. We started out struggling and she had a steep, steep climb to go and she's really come a long way. I'm excited about what the potential is with her going forward.”

CITI

Nadia Petrova of Russia and Shahar Peer of Israel had little difficulty reaching the championship round in the Women’s Tennis Association tournament in College Park, dropping just one set each in their four matches leading up to the final on Sunday.
Both found a challenge that day.
Second seed Petrova upset top seed Peer for the Citi Open title, winning in straight sets 7-5, 6-2, but it was not an easy victory. She fell behind early in both sets, having to fight back to take them both.
“I started off really good, but then I backed off,” the 24-year-old Peer said. “I need to learn to keep this way of playing for a longer period of time as I take my next step.”
Peer, who is ranked 24th in the world, said that she struggled throughout the afternoon with the placement of her serves, causing her to not swing as hard as she normally would to ensure that her serves would be in play.
“Unfortunately it happened today when I really needed my serve.” Peer said. “Against such a big server you need to get some free points, and I didn’t get it today.”
On the other end of the court, Petrova had no issues with her serves as she tallied seven aces in the match.
“I knew if I’m serving solid that it will be very difficult for her to break,” Petrova said.
The win gives Petrova her 10th career WTA title and first since 2008. “I’ve been waiting for this one very patiently,” Petrova said.
With the championship victory, the 32^nd-ranked Petrova earned $37,000 in prize money.
While much of the media was pegging Peer as the favorite to win the tournament, the predictions did not faze Petrova during the tournament.
“Luckily for me, I brought my laptop here and haven’t opened it once,” she said.
Throughout the match, several fans cheered loudly for Peer and waved Israeli flags.
“It is a very good feeling to have a lot of people behind you,” Peer said.

While the final did not go her way, Peer said she was pleased that she was able to beat four talented opponents during her week in College Park.
“Obviously you want to finish it with a win, but I don’t want to get down on myself,” Peer said. “I had a great week.”
Doubles Play and Crowd
Also on Sunday, Sania Mirza of India and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan  won in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 over Olga Govortsova of Belarus and Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia for the doubles crown.
The tournament drew around 10,000 fans to the Tennis Center, roughly 1,500 for the final on a hot Sunday afternoon, said Sam Duvall of Lagardère Unlimited.
“Overall, we’re getting a lot of positive feedback,” Duvall said. “The players are really happy, which is really important for getting them onboard for next year.”

Braylon Edwards

When you have a ton of wide receivers on your roster, you could always use one more, especially if you're an aimless franchise like the Washington Redskins.
The Redskins have been chasing their tail for the better part of the past decade, and now, there has been some speculation that he would join Washington, giving it a massive target in the passing game. In theory, that sounds great, but in reality, the Redskins don't have a quarterback that can get him the ball.
Thanks to Mike Shanahan, Washington has continued to fall apart after trading Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb before the start of training camp. I'm sure every Redskins fan is just delighted with the thought of Edwards dropping underthrown balls from John Beck or Rex Grossman. In fact, I bet fans are running to the ticket office just to see it first hand.
Washington loves to throw money a big name guys with no idea as to how they'd work once they got on the field together. Edwards would be thrown into a unit that has a bunch of ill-fitting pieces and would have no quarterback to get him the ball.

Naturally, this won't deter the Redskins for pursuing Edwards and trying to ink him to a big money deal. This is what Washington does every year, without fail. Coaches come and go, but the desperate strategy remains the same.
Thanks to Shanahan, the team lost a viable starting quarterback, and have to deal with scrap heap signal callers, in an effort to throw something at the wall, hoping it sticks. Both Beck and Grossman are terrible players, and should be career backups.
No amount of receivers is going to change their lack of skill, but it won't stop this needless pursuit of a guy who needs a valuable quarterback under center to be productive. If I'm Edwards, I stay far, far away from the Redskins and look for a team that has a better chance of improving in the next couple of years.
Otherwise, he'll live to regret it as he wastes prime years of his career playing for a coach and franchise that has no direction.

Brandon Marshall

Brandon Marshall

Brandon Marshall isn't the bravest athlete I've covered.

After admitting to the world he's struggling with amental disorder it's more fitting to describe theMiami Dolphins receiver as the bravest person I've known.

Admitting to your family something is wrong with the way yourbrain's wired is courageous. Telling the world you have a mental disorder is fearless.

I had that opportunity the past decade. After sitting down with a psychiatrist for 15 minutes in 2001 she diagnosed me as bipolar disorder, handed me a bag full of drugs and told me to come back next week for more.

We repeated that cycle for a couple of months till I'd had enough. After visiting another clinician years later I discovered I wasn't properly assessed, and had been misdiagnosed.

Few of my family members have heard that story because of the shame the initial diagnosis brought, so one can only imagine what Marshall must feel like to pour his soul out to the nation Sunday in a nationally televised news conference.

"Therapeutic," he said. "It's part of my healing, and I hope it can help others heal, help others end their shame. I have a mental disorder, but it's not a death sentence."

The way Marshall viewed it, living with undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder, also known as BPD, would have been.

Marshall's goal was to bring awareness, but it appears he's done more. He's inspired many struggling with BPD, a mental disorder that studies say is more common thanschizophrenia and bipolar. And he's challenging the mental healthcommunity, which rarely diagnoses BPD because of its misperceptions, to provide a proper treatment plan.

He's touched others who are struggling to care for and tolerate their BPD stricken loved ones.

Mental illness causes as much, if not more distress, for its sufferers and their families as physical illnesses do.

Marshall's inspiration was his peers at McLean Hospital, where he spent three months receiving treatment, discovering things like mindfulness, radical acceptance and distress tolerance, which comes naturally to most but not to someone suffering from BPD.

During his opening statement he kept thinking about Ariel Adams, whose friends held an intervention for her on her 21st birthday to demand she seek help. And Ellen Miller Carter, who tried to commit suicide three times before she finally got the right diagnosis, and proper treatment plan.

Both Adams and Miller Carter got passed around like a hot potato by clinicians before they finally found McLean. After spending a year there as an outpatient, Miller Carter has become a mentor and sponsor for others. She's also preparing to re-launch her life.

After reading Sunday's story Bill Strickler, a St. Cloud resident, admitted he'd become reinvigorated. His wife Sharon battled with manic depression and BPD for 40 years before taking her life in December of 2009.

Stricker can't get over the fact he was living in the dark and didn't know enough about BPD to help her. That's why he's sponsoring billboard in Central Florida.

"No one wants to be rejected, especially those with BPD. Society has been locking up and separating the ill from society instead of trying to embrace them," Strickler said. "All these people with mental health illnesses, they all want peace of mind. They just don't know how to get it."

Marshall believes he's found the way.

With the assistance of McLean Hospital, the training ground for Harvard University's medical students, Marshall has been filming a documentary called Borderline Beast. It takes the world on his journey to mental health. Robert Vickers hasn't left his side for three months, following him from his depressed state up to today.

The documentary isn't flattering. It's complex and emotional, but genuine. Marshall has no intentions of repairing his NFLimage. At this stage of his life he's too busy trying to save lives like the late Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry. Marshall said he's been told that close friends and family members of Henry suspect he might have also suffered from BPD.

"You're not blessed until you bless others. There's a lot of people who suffer from what I suffer from that never have the opportunity to get the right help," said Marshall, who paid $60,000 for three months of treatment at McLean hospital. "That's my purpose in life."