Scores & Sports Today 08/31/2009

MLB-Giants even wild card, Teixeira hits 101 RBIs as Yanks finish sweep, Greinke's 1-hitter leads Royals past Mariners, Wainwright beats Nats for MLB-best 16th win, Red Sox sweep. http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

LLWS-CONGRA-CHULA-TIONS! West region champions from Chula Vista, Calif., outlast Chinese Taipei to gut out 2009 Little League World Series championship.

NFL-By performing admirably in a hostile environment Sunday night, Jay Cutler proved he's ready to lead the Bears. The Pro Bowl passer, who forced a blockbuster trade out of Denver last spring and became the Chicago Bears' first franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman, returned to Invesco Field on Sunday night and led his new team to a 27-17 preseason win over the Broncos.

CFL-Friday 8/28 Calgary Stampeders 23 at Toronto Argonauts 20 and Sat. 8/29 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 30 at Edmonton Eskimos 31 who are leading the CFL West Division.

NCAA FootBall-Alabama's Saban signs extension until 2017. Alamo Bowl, Pac-10 reach deal starting in 2010, Preparing for season-openers, poll watching, BCS forecast and more.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/08/30/mandel.overtime/index.html?eref=T1

NBA-NBA suspends Nuggets' Smith, Suns' Richardson. New York Knicks forward Al Harrington and Golden State's Stephen Jackson are promoting an affordable shoe line they started called Protégé.

WNBA-Thompson scores 21 to lead Sparks past Sun, 91-81, Langhorne's 18 lead Mystics past Lynx 81-75, Christon scores 18 points as Liberty top Sky 77-63. Storm beat Dream in double overtime. Hammon leads Silver Stars over Shock, Taurasi leads Mercury past Sun, Monarchs hold off Fever 79-78.

NCAA BAsketBall-With Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry in the NBA, who will be the breakout player this season? Georgetown's Austin Freeman and Memphis' Elliot Williams are right at the top of that list.

NHL- Less than two years after his hiring, Paul Kelly is out as as executive director of the NHL Players' Association.

Golf-PGA-What a turnaround. One week after missing a cut, Heath Slocum avoids a 5-man playoff with a par on 18 to win the Barclays title. Slocum takes down the big boys and edging tiger by 1. U.S. Amateur- Beyong Hun An At 17, he entered the 109th U.S. Amateur in hopes of making it through the stroke-play qualifying portion and into match play. He left with the trophy, the youngest ever to do so.

Tennis-U.S. Open issues tweet warning. Watch what you tweet, telling players and their entourages to be careful about what they post on the social networking site Twitter.

NASCAR- Edwards passes Ambrose for Nationwide victory. And, There's just two races to decide the Chase. The race is tight as ever as a few points separate spots 7-14. It's just the kind of competition NASCAR dreamed of.

Soccer- World Cup-USA at El Salvador 8:11 ET, Honuduras at Trinidad and Tobago 9:00 ET, Mexico at Costa Rica 10 ET.

Scores & Sports Today 08/28/2009

MLB-As August turns to September, the argument over who's the American League MVP is raging. Save your energy on this one. Twins All-Star catcher Joe Mauer is your man.
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

LLWS- California rallied to eliminate Georgia 11-10 in the Little League World Series.Chula Vista will face Texas Saturday for a World Series title game berth at stake. Taiwan beat Curacao 5-2 earlier Thursday to set up the international final.

NFL-Michael Vick goes 4-for 4- as eagles clip Jags 33-32.Byron Leftwich outplays Luke McCown as Bucs top Dolphins 10-6.Backup Kyle Boller leads visiting Rams over Bengals 24-21. Fridays Presason: Patriots at Redskins 8 PM, Packersat Cardinals 10 PM. Saturday: Colts at Lions 1 PM, Saints at Raiders 4 PM, Bills at Steelers 7:30 PM, Titans at Browns 7:30 PM, Jets at Giants 8 PM, Seahawks at Chiefs 8 PM, 49'ers at Cowboys 8 PM, Ravens at Panthers 8 PM and Chargers at Falcons 8 PM.

CFL-Today 8/28 Calgary Stampeders at Toronto Agronauts at 7"30 PM ET and Saturday 8/29 Hamilton Tiger-Cats atEdmonton Eskimos 7 PM ET.

NCAA Football-Can anybody take away the spotlight from Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators? Yes, Texas' Colt McCoy can, but his 'Horns have to survive the season's biggest shootout first. Texas-Oklahoma is beyond big this season. The Sooners and 'Horns will play a loser-leave-town death match in what figures to be the No. 1 regular-season game. Each team has won a national championship this decade. Each school hates the other's guts.

NBA-BEIJING -- Thirty years after the Washington Wizards became the first NBA team to visit China, veterans of the team plan a return trip to the basketball-crazed country next month. Teams and sponsors have also found a lucrative market for their merchandise in China's booming economy, and current NBA stars such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard receive rapturous receptions from fans during their regular offseason visits.

WNBA-What's Hot in WNBA? All-Star Voting: Check out who was named to star the WNBA All-Star Game.
http://www.cbssports.com/wnba/allstar/rosters

NCAA BasketBall-Grambling player dies after getting ill at practice. Pitino address media, says family's in 'pure hell'.

NHL- Coyotes' future in Arizona hinges on lease talks. Former coach Demers joins Canada's Senate. Isles' Sillinger retires after 17-year NHL career.

PGA-Barclays Highlights: Sergio Garcia Surges To Top Of Round 1 Leaderboard. Seven days ago, Sergio Garcia wasn't even sure if he would be eligible to play in The Barclays for the start of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup.

NASCAR-ESPN NASCAR analyst Ray Evernham has married race car driver Erin Crocker. Evernham won three championships as crew chief for Jeff Gordon before moving into ownership.

Soccer-Finally, the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League draw is done and we know who's playing who and when.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/gabriele_marcotti/08/27/champions.draw/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0PTxWUf9i

Tennis- U.S. Open men's seed report: No. 2 Andy Murray is ready to break through for his first Grand Slam title,Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych are unpredictable -- and dangerous, and Rafael Nadal isn't in good enough form to complete the career Slam this year

Scores & Sports Today 08/27/2009

MLB-With the Rockies suddenly breathing down their neck, the Dodgers rose up and stung Colorado 6-1 on Wednesday. The win pushes the Dodgers' lead back to three games in the NL West. It's time to forgive Pete Rose for his sins against baseball. What Rose did was wrong, that we can agree on -- but it wasn't a cardinal sin.
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-There are many reasons the phony football of August is not worth watching. Winning or losing games in the preseason doesn't really matter. When star players have to beg for a series or two, you know something's wrong. Anyway, on to the Regular season soon and after injuries are evaluated and fianl player selection is complete we will be ready for some FOOTBALL! Bob Costas will host NBC's Sunday Night Football pregame show from the site of
the game starting this season.

NCAA FootBall-Big House suites cost up to $85K per year? Are we in a depression ?
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/08/26/michigan.big.house.ap/index.html#ixzz0PO0UXavw

NBA-Allen Iverson might head to the land of the King -- not LBJ's Cleveland, but Elvis' Memphis.Jason Williams has come out of retirement to sign with the title-contending Magic.

WNBA-Sparks beat Sky 75-63 for 6th straight victory. Storm shoot their way past Mystics.
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncw/scoreboard

NHL-The NHL is offering about $140 million to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes in U.S. Bankruptcy Court and would avoid a sticky issue still facing the case by accepting the existing lease to play in Glendale.

PGA-Despite its flaws, the creators of the FedEx Cup playoffs can hang their hats on at least one thing: The world's best players are competing this week in the New York City area, which wasn't the case in years past.

Soccer-MLS-For the fourth week in a row, Columbus, Houston and Chicago find themselves first, second and third, respectively, in the Free Kicks Power Rankings.

Tennis-It's no surprise the top-ranked players in the world get the top seeds for the U.S. Open -- Roger Federer and Dinara Safina. The draw for this year's final grand slam event is Thursday. Will Roger Federer and Serena Williams win their third Slam titles of the year at the U.S. Open?

Scores & Sports Today 08/26/2009

MLB-The Rockies cut the Dodgers' lead in the NL West to two games, and Peter Gammons notes clutch hits aren't the only reason why. Rangers hold off wild rally by Yankees in ninth. Lidge blows another save as Pirates shock Phils.Ellsbury sets Sox steals mark in win vs. ChiSox. Greinke mows down 15 as Royals stop Indians. Tigers hand slumping Angels 5th loss in 6 games. Wainwright picks up NL-best 15th win for Cards. Zambrano returns but Cubs get rocked by Nats. Giants hold off Diamondbacks. Hot Rays spank Blue Jays behind two Pena HRs. Marlins slip past ailing Mets. Braves fall in 12.
Scores and More: http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

LLWS-The NY team won Tuesday, as did Saudi Arabia, Canda, Mass., Mexico and Texas.

NFL-Of the 253 men enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there are no assistant coaches. What are some of the obstacles to the induction of the first? Celeb owners Venus, Serena visit with Dolphins. Floyd Little, Dick LeBeau named finalists for Hall of Fame. Vick to debut, Big Ben to play,T.O. out against Steelers. Edgerrin Jamessigns with Seahawks.

NCAA FootBall-You know about the Big 12's underclassmen, but what about the elder statesmen? With the depth of talented seniors, the league could challenge the SEC for NFL Draft supremacy in 2010. USC has been a dominant program, losing just nine games in the past seven seasons. But seven of those losses are in the Pac-10. So how does the conference shed the "Pac-1" title? Jump the Trojans.

NBA-Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess help make the Spurs a title threat again. The East's top three -- Cavs, Celtics, Magic -- have been busy adding pieces. The Wizards stand to make a big improvement, provided Gilbert Arenas is healthy.

WNBA- Dream continue hot streak with win over Monarchs
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/wnba/08/26/roundup.ap/index.html#ixzz0PIBuKtDu

NCAA BasketBall-Is it time for the NCAA to get out of the eligibility and enforcement business? FSU broke through to the tourney under Leonard Hamilton last season. But without star Toney Douglas, where do the Seminoles turn? Derwin Kitchen could cook up another run.

NHL-Reinsdorf out, NHL, Ice Edge in. Ice Edge Holdings, had met Tuesday's court-imposed deadline.

PGA-Tiger Woods could potentially win three FedEx Cup events and lose the title and a hefty $10 million bonus. Why? Because it's virtually winner-take-all in Atlanta. This doesn't seem right.

NASCAR-You can complain about the Chase all you want, but the format is here to stay. Why? It's the only reason Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart are in the same conversation.

SOCCER-MLS-The 2009 season has been an unmitigated disaster for the Red Bulls, but the franchise itself is the root cause. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/tables?league=usa.1&cc=3888

TENNIS-Top seeds Federer, Safina head U.S. Open fields.Rib injury forces Cibulkova out of U.S. Open. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/#ixzz0PIHswm55

Track-U.S. caps track world with event-best 10 golds.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/#ixzz0PICLFI4z

Scores & Sports Today 08/25/2009

MLB-The Rockies were down three headed to the bottom of the 14th against the Giants. Game over, right? Oh, no. Ryan Spilborghs' walk-off grand slam inched Colorado closer to the NL West lead. Tigers top Angels in battle of division leaders. Phils' Lee extends streak; Howard's HRs help. Rays hand Halladay worst outing in 2 years. Cabrera, Tigers survive late rally to clip Angels. BoSox continue offensive surge, roll by ChiSox. Howard, Lee power Phillies past injury-prone Mets. Brewers overwhelm Nationals with six-run sixth inning.

LLWS-NY, Mexico, Curacao, Japan move on at Little League World Series. Mexico beat Germany 13-0. Willemstad, Curacao win over Dhaharan, Saudi Arabia 5-3 and Chiba City, Japan beat Maracaibo, Venezuela 5-4 and Staten Island,New York has 8-3 victory over Urbandale, Iowa and Warner Robins, Ga. edged Mercer Island, Wash. 3-2.

NFL-Philip Rivers got his big-money contract extension. Now all he needs to do to keep up with Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger is to win the Super Bowl. Rivers inks 6-year, $93M deal with $38M in guarantees. Sanchez so-so as starter in Jets' 23 loss to Ravens 24. Vikings' Favre to play first half vs. Texans. Eagles Vick appears readyto play when Eagles host Jacksonville on Thursday.

NCAA FootBall-Every SEC West team except one has reached Atlanta. The optimistic buzz in Oxford says 2009 will be Ole Miss' year. Gators QB Tebow returns to work at practice. Vols' Kiffin chooses Jonathan Crompton as QB starter. Kevin Riley wins 3-man battle for Cal's starting QB gig. Texas A&M picks QB Jerrod Johnson to start opener at New Mexico.

NBA-Shaquille O'Neal says ex-teammate Steve Nash's idea for a reality TV show was "slightly different" from the premise of Shaq VS. At an appearance Saturday to promote the series-ending episode -- in which he'll race against Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps -- the Cleveland Cavaliers center said Nash's premise was based on training with other athletes, not competing against them.

WNBA-The defending WNBA champs beat the San Antonio Silver Stars 99-84 Sunday night. Smith also led the Shock with 17 points in Saturday's win at Chicago. Detroit (11-14) is a game behind Chicago and Washington for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

NCAA BasketBall-Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings sacrificed a $100,000 pay raise to fund his Commodores' 10-day trip to Australia earlier this month. Israeli standout Nimrod Tishman began classes at Florida on Monday and could join the Gators this fall. The 6-foot-6 point guard still must be cleared by the NCAA. At 98 years old, John Wooden is still often spotted in the bleachers at UCLA home games.

NHL-Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie has submitted an amended proposed agreement to buy the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes for $212.5 million and immediately move them to Hamilton, Ontario, with or without the NHL's consent.

Golf-Tim Jackson shoots 68 to take lead at USGA Amateur. Yang, Woods to meet in field in Shanghai event.

NASCAR-Three-time reigning NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson donated $150,000 in grants Monday to four Charlotte-area school systems. Power Rankings: Glass half full or half empty for Johnson?

SOCCER-Costa Rica names team for WCup qualifiers. Costa Rica plays at home against Mexico on Sept. 5, and goes to El Salvador on Sept. 9. It is at home against Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 10 and plays at the United States on Oct. 14. MLS-After three seasons of abject futility, Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy are, in fact, one of the best teams in MLS.

Tennis-Best of three: Federer ready for U.S. Open run; Clijsters is for real. Kim Clijsters has made an immediate impact in just two tournaments. In his book, the eight-time Grand Slam singles champion Andre Agassi discusses his start in tennis as a child, his relationship with his father and his failed marriage to Brooke Shields

Scores & Sports Today 08/24/2009

MLB-Eric Bruntlett became the second player in major league history to get the final three outs on his own, accomplishing the feat Sunday to preserve the Philadelphia Phillies ' 9-7 victory over the New York Mets. With runners on first and second in the ninth inning and a run already in, Jeff Francoeur hit a line drive up the middle that appeared headed toward center field for a single. But both runners were stealing on the 2-2 pitch, so Bruntlett was in perfect position as he moved over to cover second base.
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-Red-hot Cutler throws TD in Bears home debut Bears 17 Giants 3. 49ers slip past Raiders with 18-point 4th quarter 49ers 21 Raiders 20. Saints net 420 yards in blowout, Saints 38 Texans 14,
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/schedule?year=2009&season=1

CFL-Friday 8/21 Saskatchewan 25 Montral 34. http://sports.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/cfl/totalstandings.asp

NCAA FootBall-There was college football before Tim Tebow, touted as the game's best ever. In case you forgot, less than two decades ago, Charlie Ward put together a career that surpasses Tebow's ?

NBA-His scoring has increased each of the past five seasons. But despite his steady improvement, Wizards forward Caron Butler doesn't seem to get the attention he deserves. ChrisPaul takes part in LeBron's charity ride as they bikethrough Akron.

WNBA-Storm down league-leading Fever, 74-60, Smith leads Shock past Sky, 76-67, Powell leads Monarchs in rout of Mystics, Whalen's late free throws lead Sun past Lynx, Parker lifts Sparks over Silver Stars in OT.
http://sports.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/wnba/standings.asp

NCAA BasketBall- Former Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight will be inducted into the university's athletics Hall of Fame nearly a decade after he was fired for violating a zero-tolerance policy imposed by then-IU President Myles Brand.

NHL-Senators owner Melnyk fires back at Balsillie, "I clearly believe the sport of hockey is better off without him," Melnyk said.

Golf-LPGA-The spirit of the Solheim Cup shown through this week as the U.S. defeated the Europeans. Now only if the LPGA could conjure up that kind of magic at every tour stop. PGA- Ryan Moore beats Stadler in sudden death for first PGA tour title at the Wyndham Championship.

NASCAR-Sprint Cup competitors can't be surprised Kyle Busch won the legendary Bristol night race Saturday. They should be terrified he may have found the maturity to win a whole lot more. UA F1-The new US F1 Formula One team has landed YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley as its primary investor for its 2010 debut racing campaign.

Soccer-Sky Blue wins first WPS title, 1-0 over Sol.Ching leads Dynamo past Isidro Metapan.Marathon trounces D.C. in Group B play. Crew ease past Islanders in CONCACAF CL. Osorio resigns from Red Bulls as head coach.

Tennis-Roger Federer will bounce into the U.S. Open on a high note. The world No. 1 soundly defeated Novak Djokovic 6-1, 7-5 to win the Cincinnati Masters championship.

Scores & Sports Today 08/22/2009

MLB-Tribune Co. agrees on deal to sell Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field to Ricketts family, Sale will be in region of $845 million, must be approved by Major League Baseball. What Fenway Park hex? Hideki Matsui had two homers and seven RBIs, and Yankees won the highest-scoring game in Red Sox-Yankees history 20-11. http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-The pomp and circumstance of his arrival faded into the night after a 17-13 victory over the Chiefs, leaving Favre with the reality of the challenge before him. Titans Punter kicks into HD screen over field, but after a 30-10 Dallas win, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he doesn't think it is an issue. Atlanta Falcons starters were flawless. St. Louis Rams starters had no answer, even against the second-stringers, Falcons 20 Rams 13.

CFL- Friday, August 21, 2009-Saskatcheqan Roughriders 25 at Montreal Alouettes 34 and Winnipeg Blue Bombers 37 at BC Lions 10. http://sports.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/cfl/totalstandings.asp

NCAA FootBall- Can Florida just get a pass to the SEC title game? Maybe not, but there hasn't been a sure thing like the Gators winning the SEC East in a long, long time. Two Tulane players diagnosed with swine flu.

NBA-Iverson, a certain Hall of Famer coming off a $20 million-a-year salary who can't find an NBA job, has been waxing poetic about his comeback via Twitter updates. We call it a comeback because, well, Iverson does -- and also because he was for all intents and purposes retired down the stretch of a miserable stint with the Pistons last year.

WNBA-Candace Parker had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the L.A, Sparks to a 67-66 overtime win against the San Anonio Silver Stars on Friday night. Langhorne scores 19 to key Washington Mystics win. McCarville, Christon lead New York Liberty past Connecticut Sun in OT.

NCAA BasketBall- The 2010 Final Four is in Big Ten country. The league has worthy contenders for a trip to Indianapolis, while others are just looking to get over the hump and into the Big Dance. Denis Clemente's H-O-R-S-E shot becomes internet sensation. It's been viewed more than 40,000 times on YouTube.

GOLF-Playing a hand in separate matches Friday at the Solheim Cup, Paula Creamer helped Juli Inkster make history and secure two points to lift the U.S. to a 4½-3½ lead. Tiger Woods ended the suspense a bit earlier than usual, committing Friday morning to The Barclays, the first of four FedEx Cup playoff events beginning next week on the PGA Tour.

NASCAR-Mark Martin claimed the pole at Bristol, beating out Greg Biffle in critical Cup race. Martin is clinging to the 12th and final Chase berth with three races left.

SOCCER-The U.S. national team will play at Germany in October in the first meeting of the two most successful women's soccer nations in nearly three years. Padilla is just one of two Mexican-league players to head north this week. Luis Ángel Landín joined Houston on a loan deal that runs through the end of the 2010 season. MLS' two high-profile moves this week could have a great impact on similar moves in the future.

Tennis-A 53-shot rally did the trick for Andy Murray bating Julien Benneteau. The second-ranked Murray will face No. 1 Roger Federer in Saturday's semifinal.

Scores & Sports Today 08/21/2009

MLB-Nationals promote Rizzo to full-time GM position. The Rockies and Giants are chasing the wild card. The division title is in sight, too. So, yeah, this is a big weekend. http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-Thursday 8/20-Cincinnati 7 New England 6 (Ochocinco kicks PAT; Bengals top Brady, Pats). Philadelphia 15 Indianapolis 23 (Manning tosses 2 TDs as Colts slip past Eagles). Friday 8/21-Atlanta at St.Louis,Kansas City at Minnesota, and Tennessee at Dallas al at 8:00 PM ET.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/#ixzz0OozWG766

CFL-Friday 8/21 Saskatchewan at Montreal at 7:30 PM ET and Winnipeg at BC at 10:30 PM ET.

NCAA FootBall-Judge: NCAA records on Fla. St. cheating public.Three media groups protest SEC credential policy.Among the restrictions the media groups object to are: An effective ban on using video or audio clips from SEC games on a newspaper's website and A prohibition on "real-time" description of in-game events.

NBA-LeBron hosts 'More Than A Game' documentary screening Thursday night and brought 1,000 guests with him.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/08/20/lebron.ap/index.html#ixzz0Op2Wgm9u

WNBA-Atlanta and Chicago are making the biggest moves down the home stretch. Both have maneuvered into playoff position in the East, while Los Angeles is on the rise out West.

NCAA-BasketBall-Memphis will be forced to vacate its NCAA-record 38-victory, Final Four season of 2007-08 under former coach John Calipari and serve three years' probation because of NCAA rules violations, the NCAA Committee on Infractions announced Thursday.

NHL-Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk fired back at BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie on Thursday. "I clearly believe the sport of hockey is better off without him," Melnyk said.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/hockey/nhl/08/20/sens.owner.ap/index.html#ixzz0Op4YWGt8

PGA-Who was best in majors this year: Tiger? Missed the British cut. Lefty? Missed the British completely. Nor was it the winners. Ross Fisher earns the award, by compiling the lowest composite score in the game's most difficult events.

NASCAR-He's won there five times yet Kurt Busch says he's no fan of Bristol. Denny Hamlin? It's his favorite.

TENNIS- Vera Zvonareva, an Olympic bronze medalist, is ranked No. 7 on the WTA Tour. She's one of four Russian Women amongst the top 10 and she's one of the WTA's fast-rising stars.

Scores & Sports Today 08/20/2009

MLB-Smoltz signs with Cards, will start Sunday, Cards prevail in ninth, Dodgers sign Padilla, Nationals to name Rizzo full-time general manager.
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard


NFL- Tarkenton calls Favre scene 'absolute circus'. Venus, Serena join celebs buying into Dolphins. Jones ready to unveil Cowboys' $1.15B stadium. PreSeason Schedule- http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/schedules/preseason

CFL-Week 8: Friday 8/21 Saskatchewan at Montreal 7:30 PM ET and Winnipeg at BC 10:30 PM ET.

NCAA FootBall- Injury bug has hit, but this could still be milestone year for ACC.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/08/19/acc-
injuries/index.html#?eref=T1#ixzz0Oj4qIya6

NBA-OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Less than two months before it is to be unveiled to Oklahoma City Thunder players and their fans, the Ford Center's overhauled interior sits waiting like a present ready to be unwrapped.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/08/18/Thunder.arena.ap/index.html#ixzz0Oj5T3rGq

WNBA-ESPN plans to debut women's GameDay show,Leslie scores 28 to power Sparks past Lynx, Whalen scores seven of 20 in fourth quarter as Sun rally by Liberty, http://scores.espn.go.com/ncw/scoreboard#

NCAA BasketBall-NCAA to strip Memphis of wins from '08 Final Four season.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/ncaa/08/20/memphis.ncaa.ap/index.html#ixzz0Oj7RG5I1

NHL- Team USA is bound to be small and inexperienced come Vancouver. But between the pipes? But with Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas in net, the U.S. stacks up well.


PGA- Think the golf season is over because the majors have passed? Not so fast. The FedEx playoffs are around the corner, and a lot is on the line.
Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/notebook?page=notebook/bb-090819

Nascar-"NASCAR is a uniquely American sport," Obama said beneath the South Portico, flanked by nine of the 12 drivers who competed last year for NASCAR's top prize. Three drivers had scheduling conflicts and could not attend.

Soccer-Dynamo edge El Salvador club in CONCACAF, Crew beat Islanders in CONCACAF Group C match, D.C. United loses to Marathon in CONCACAF Group B.

Tennis-Having American standouts isn't absolutely essential to the viability of global tennis -- but it matters. So when will we see the next generation of U.S. stars?

Scores & Sports Today 08/19/2009

MLB-Sources: Smoltz 'strongly leaning' toward Cards.
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-The moment Brett Favre became a Viking, he burned Packers' ties. Favre is nearly 40, and no quarterback over the age of 38 has won a title
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/don_banks/08/18/vikings-
favre/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0OdFqi3fv

NCAA FootBall-Three sleeper teams who could challenge for the Big Ten crown. The sleepers: Iowa, Illinois, Michigan State; wild cards: Michigan, Northwestern
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/08/18/
bigten-sleepers/index.html#?eref=T1#ixzz0OdGflOvd

NBA-Quentin Richardson was traded an absurd four times so far this offseason. Now with Miami, Richardson may have found the best fit for his skill and value
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/steve_aschburner/08/18
/quentin.richardson/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0OdHp07sl

WNBA-In naming eight core players for the next three years, the U.S. women's team answered some questions. But the jigsaw puzzle is only beginning to be pieced together.

NCAA BasketBall- Duke, UConn, LSU, Arizona St. top NIT Tip-Off.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/#ixzz0OdIsE2wq

NHL-Mike Modano came back for a 20th season to get a chance to be part of the Olympic team. Wes Goldstein says the veteran can be a leader for a young group on Team USA.

NASCAR-Monday's NASCAR meet and greet with President Obama isn't the sport's first trip to the White House. But courting a Democrat? It may be an eye-opener for some, but it ain't unusual, either.

Soccer-MLS-Did Mexican-born players force Padilla out? Padilla caused a stir when it was revealed that he was actually born in the United States, something that didn't sit well with Guadalajara, a club that has long prided itself on using only Mexican-born players.


Tennis-What is tennis' place in America today? Mary Joe Fernandez and Cliff Drysdale discuss tennis' place in America today and the signs that tennis is on the rebound.
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/columns/story?columnist=garber_greg&id=4399662

Scores & Sports Today 08/18/2009

MLB-Red Sox release future Hall of Famer Smoltz. Strasburg has agreed to a four-year contract worth more than $15 million, for the first time in the Nationals brief history.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ted_keith/08/18 /strasburg.deadline.signs/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0OXMH1mOq

NFL-PRESEASON-Wilford scores game's lone TD, Miami Dolphins fend off Jacksonville Jaguars. NY Giants return fumble for TD as time expires to beat Carolina Panthers.
http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/scoreboard?seasonYear=2009&seasonType=1
&weekNumber=3

NCAA FootBall-EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Syracuse has agreed to play three home games against Notre Dame and Southern California over the next seven years in the new stadium at the Meadowlands.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/08/17 /syracuse.meadowlands.ap/index.html#ixzz0OXOjfgBj

NBA-Love, Team USA begin courtship, Kevin Love's solid shooting, passing and rebounding are good fits for Team USA.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/scott_howard-cooper/
08/17/love/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0OXNJbfse

WNBA-Janel McCarville's so-called "ugly" winning shot produced a picture-perfect victory for the New York Liberty.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/more/08/16/sun.wnba.ap/index.
html#ixzz0OXP1gJSJ

NCAA BasketBall-Great Alaska Shootout narrowed to six teams. Men's teams scheduled to play this year are Alaska
Anchorage, Houston, Nicholls State, Oklahoma, San Diego and Washington State.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/ncaa/08/14 /alaska.ap/index.html#ixzz0OXPkOEOZ

NHL- Kids dominate USA's Olympic camp,Team USA's 34-man roster includes only five veterans with Olympic experience.
U.S. won't have time to become an Olympic force if NHL quits Games in 2014
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/allan_muir/08/17 /team.usa.camp/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0OXNvYcr9

PGA- Tiger Woods's failure to turn a commanding lead into a PGA Championship win on Sunday left Irish bookmaker Paddy Power about $2.12 million out of pocket.

NASCAR-Flash Gordon, Ryan McGee calls him "Four-Time." As in four-time Sprint Cup Series champion. Jeff Gordonmay be trailing Tony Stewart in points, but he has the top spot in this week's Power Rankings.

Soccer-Once again, Estadio Azteca is where U.S. soccer progress goes on holiday. So now we're off to "another day," and in this case, it's a far, far more important day: Sept. 5, as the United States meets El Salvador.

Tennis-Murray passes Nadal for No. 2 in ATP rankings. Sharapova triumphs, Mauresmo out in Toronto.

Scores & Sports Today 08/17/2009

PGA-An All-Time Upset. Y.E. Yang did what had never been done, coming from behind on Sunday to stun Tiger Woods. The jaw-dropping finale ranks with the biggest upsets in golf history,
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/#ixzz0ORVTExKt

MLB-Rangers top Red Sox again, grab AL wild-card lead. Lopez, Mariners put end to Yankees' five-game win streak.
Scores and More: http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-If the Dolphins are to contend for the AFC East title again, they're going to need much more production from their wide receivers, including Ted Ginn Jr.
http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/scoreboard

NBA-At 50, Magic still has rare vision. Even in retirement, Magic Johnson, who turned 50 Aug 14., continues to make an impact on the NBA.

WNBA-Candace Parker scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Sparks rout Sacramento 78-61 on Saturday night. http://www.cbssports.com/wnba/scoreboard

NHL-Mark Messier, who in 1994 led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup title in 54 years, is returning to the club as a special assistant to general manager

NASCAR-Vickers outlasts Johnson in fuel duel at Michigan. Run out of gas and probably blow any chance at making NASCAR's championship chase - or make a bold move toward title contention by winning the race.

Olympic Sports- BERLIN -- Usain Bolt crossed the finish line, saw his record-setting his arms as if he were a soaring bird. The Jamaican shattered the world record again sunday, running 100 meters in 9.58 seconds.

MCAA FootBall-As part of a sportsmanship initiative, the American Football Coaches Association and NCAA are encouraging schools to arrange teamwide handshakes on the field before kickoff.

NCAA BasketBall- Florida State has signed men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton to a five-year contract that will pay him $1.5 million a year with potential bonuses of another half-million dollars.


Tennis-Andy Murray battles back after dropping the first set and defeats Juan Martin Del Potro to claim the Rogers Cup crown in Montreal. It's Murray's fifth tournament title win of the season.

Scores & Sports Today 08/14/2009

NFL-Quarterback Michael Vick has signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, his agent, Joel Segal, confirmed.
Isaac Redman, an undrafted rookie from Bowie State playing long after the starters for both Super Bowl teams left the field, scored twice in the fourth quarter and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-10 in a preseason opener Thursday night. Pats 27, Eagles 25 : Brady tosses 2 TDs in return. Gradkowski steers 3 TD drives, Raiders top Cowboys 31-10, Ravens shut down punchless Redskins in first game 23-0.


MLB-If Atlanta is going to make a serious run at the Phillies in the NL East, they Braves better start this weekend. Isn't the old adage pitching wins games? Tell that to the Angels, who despite being 26th in team ERA, are leading the AL West. Confused? http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

PGA-91st PGA Championship- No one will hand Tiger a 15th major despite an opening-round 67 that gave him the lead at the 91st PGA. But don't be surprised if the trophy engraver has already started warming up.

Soccer- U.S. soccer star Landon Donovan has tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus, Donovan told SI.com on Thursday night.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/grant_wahl/08/13/donovan.flu.ap/index.html#ixzz0OA3H0DLI

NCAA FootBall- Deal between Big Ten, Gator Bowl could reshuffle bowl marriages.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/08/13/bowl.arrangements/index.html#ixzz0OA3cqjWw

NBA- New prez, new coach, new roster. Minnesota has undergone a major overhaul ...which makes it the team to watch.Nuggets keeping sunny outlook despite gloomy offseason of losses.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/scott_howard-cooper/08/13/nuggets/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0OA4eyLfD

NHL- Capitals hire Irbe as goalie coach. Reinsdorf, top Coyotes creditor come to terms. Leafs owner won't have to testify in 'Yotes trial
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/#ixzz0OA5XSzCK

NASCAR- Tony Stewart is speeding along in the Sprint Cup Series standings and has built an impressive 260-point lead over Jimmie Johnson with only four races left in the regular season. But once the Chase begins in September, none of that will matter. How far a driver is in front of the standings when the checkered flag flies Sept. 12 at Richmond means bupkis.

WNBA-Late spurt helps Fever continue winning ways,Whalen hits milestone in Suns win over Storm,Taurasi leads Mercury's drive over Silver Stars, Dream stop Shock for third time this season,Brunson sparks Monarchs' rout of Silver Stars. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncw/scoreboard

Tennis- Bad day? Williams sisters ousted from Cincinnati Open on same day. Finally able to get a full match under his belt, Rafael Nadal thwarted Philipp Petzschner 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals in Montreal.

Scores & Sports Today 08/13/2009

MLB-John Smoltz, designated for assignment by the Red Sox after his meltdown against the Yankees last week, has refused an option to the minor leagues. http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

Soccer-Mexican coach Javier Aguirre showed his relief after his team's 2-1 victory over the United States on Wednesday in a critical World Cup qualifier. An early Cornell Glen strike earned Trinidad and Tobago a desperate 1-0 win against fellow World Cup qualifying struggler El Salvador at Hasely Crawford Stadium on Wednesday. Carlos Costly scored a goal in each half to lead Honduras to a 4-0 win over Costa Rica in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/wires/08/12/2080.ap.soc.hondruas.costa.rica.0179/index.html#ixzz0O4F3LSFi

NFL-Tony Dungy believes Michael Vick will be back in the NFL this season, maybe even this week.The Vikings' passinggame remains a work in progress. Jackson, Sage Rosenfels and the rest of their offensive teammates have much to
prove. My thrill ride: 21 camps in 24 days. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp09/columns/story?columnist=
mortensen_chris&id=4366287

NCAA FootBall- Rep. Joe Barton had a plane to catch, but he wanted to give college football officials a warning before leaving the highly publicized hearing. the Republican said in his Texas twang that unless the officials took action toward a playoff system in two months, Congress would likely move on his legislation aimed at forcing their hand.

NBA-Nowadays, European teams can lure NBA players in their earning prime. Olympiakos proves it again, adding Von Wafer and Linas Kleiza to a roster that already includes Josh Childress.

WNBA- All-Star Voting: Check out who was named to star the WNBA All-Star Game.
http://www.cbssports.com/wnba/allstar/rosters

NCAA BasketBall-NIT Tip-Off reveals 16-team field. Top-seeded Duke, Connecticut, LSU and Arizona State will host regionals of the 25th of November at New York's Madison Square Garden. The championship game is Nov. 27.

PGA-Tiger Woods' 2009 season has one gaping hole: a major victory. The world's No. 1 player will try to correct that at the PGA Championship.

NASCAR-CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Congress came to the manufacturers' rescue with a "Cash for Clunkers" program. Turn in your old gas guzzler and the government will give you up to $4,500 toward a new ride. Too bad a similar deal wasn't offered to Nascar Sprint Cup teams.

TENNIS-Nadal won his first match since May when Ferrer retired with a left knee injury in the first set of their match Wednesday night at the Rogers Cup. Nadal led 4-3 when Ferrer informed the chair umpire he could not continue.

Scores & Sports Today 08/12/2009

MLB- Red Sox win after brawl costs two. Scores and More:http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

Soccer-Today Mexico vs USA-Three warning signs for U.S. against Mexico: 1) Andrea Guardado the most dangerousplayer on Mexico's Roster 2) The First 10 minutes-Historically Mexico has a history of fast starts 3) The Elements-playing in Azteca stadium a harrowing experience and the high Altitud (7,200 ft above sea level) is breathtaking for the American players. Also Today-Trinidad vs El Salvador and both badly need WC qualifier win. And Today CostaRica plays Honduras. Costa Rica leads the North and Central American and Caribbean region with 12 points.

NFL-Postcard from camp: Browns-Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn are neck-and-neck in their quarterback duelRead more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/don_banks/08/11/browns.postcard.ap/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0NyX7R0ng

NCAA FootBall-If No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Texas meet, it will be about more than the BCS title. These are the flagship programs from the nation's two biggest football states.Both teams boast star coaches and elite QBs, but represent contrasting cultures.Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/08/11/florida-texas/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0NyYTOEyW

NBA-Retired Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning has been announced as one of three recipients of this year's "Mannie Jackson Basketball's Human Spirit Award" by the National Basketball Hall of Fame.

WNBA-Katie Douglas and the streaking Indiana Fever got the jump on the Phoenix Mercury in a showdown between WNBA conference leaders. http://sports.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/wnbafront.asp

NCAA BasketBall-The Vanderbilt Commodores announced Wednesday they leave Friday for a five-game, 10-day tour of Australia visiting Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Townsville. The trip takes Vanderbilt to the home country of junior center A.J. Ogilvy, who is from Sydney.

NHL-With 409 career goals, 442 assists and two scoring titles during a 12-year career, Calgary's Jarome Iginla ranks as the No. 1 right winger.The Canucks brought back the Sedin twins and have a top goaltender in Robert Luongo. But is it enough to repeat as Northwest champs?

PGA-Often after a golfer breaks through with that first major win, there's a letdown. Don't expect that to be the case with British Open champ Stewart Cink. Jennifer Song became the second woman to win two U.S. Golf Association
championships in the same year, beating Jennifer Johnson 3 and 1 on Sunday in the U.S. Women's Amateur final at Old Warson.

NASCAR-Jeff Gordon said Tuesday he will be ready to race this weekend, even though the four-time NASCAR champion has a stiff back from his spectacular accident at Watkins Glen.

Tennis-He might have to lug around more than just a tennis bag now, considering the addition of his twin girls. But papa Federer is back.

Scores & Sports Today 08/11/2009

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy and a champion of the disabled who founded the Special Olympics, died Tuesday, the Special Olympics said. She was 88.

MLB- Yankees' run ends BoSox skid over. Scores:http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-The People's QB-Christianity is always part of any discussion about Kurt Warner. But the long-shot Cardinals quarterback is first about giving time to others and 'impacting people in the big picture.

CFL-Thursday 8/13 Calgary at Edmonton 9 PM ET, Friday 8/14 Bc at Ttoronto, Sat. 8/15 Montreal at Winnipeg 8 PM ET,Sunday 8/16 Hamilton at Saslatchewan 7 PM ET. http://sports.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/cfl/scoreboard.asp?week=06

NCAA Football-Early outlook for 21 new coaches, plus five coaches on the hot seat
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/08/10/coaches-primer/index.html?eref=sihpT1#ixzz0NsQlzrbU

NBA-The Pistons said Monday they have hired Brian Hill to work as an assistant coach on John Kuester's first staff as an NBA head coach. Former professional basketball star Dikembe Mutombo gave U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton a guided tour Monday of a hospital he founded in his native Congo.

WNBA-Lisa Leslie had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and became the first WNBA player to reach 6,000 career points as the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Indiana Fever 75-63 on Monday night. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncw/scoreboard

NCAA BasketBall-Each is a rising sophomore and the son of a former No. 1 overall draft pick. But Klay Thompson (son of Mychal) and Ralph Sampson III (son of you-know-who) don't have comparable burdens. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=4388545

PGA-Tiger Woods will be fined by the PGA Tour for his public criticism of a rules official after winning the Bridgestone Invitational, a tour official said Monday. John Rollins endures bogeys to win Reno-Tahoe Open.


NASCAR- Tony Stewart won the rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International on a steamy Monday, muscling an ill-handling car in the early going and then holding off Australian Marcos Ambrose over the final 25 laps for his Cup-record fifth victory at the famed road course.

Tennis-Rafael Nadal returned to competition after two months spent recovering from tendinitis in his knees on Monday, teaming with fellow Spaniard Francisco Roig to win a first-round doubles match 7-5, 6-4 over Novak Djokovic and Dusan Vemic of Serbia at the Rogers Cup.

Scores & Sports Today 08/10/2009

MLB-Four-game sweep of Red Sox could be defining moment of season for Yankees.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ted_keith/08/10/Yankees.RedSox/?eref=T1#ixzz0NmXr0rlm
All Scores for August 09,2009 and Season Key Dates.

NFL-T.O. debuts for Bills as sharp Collins leads Titans in preseason opener. Overshadowing Terrell Owens' debut for the Buffalo Bills, the two Titans quarterbacks combined to produce three touchdown drives in a 21-18 win to
kick off the NFL's preseason in the Hall of Fame game on Sunday night.

CFL-http://sports.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/cfl/scoreboard.asp?week=06

UFL-The United Football League will play its first game Oct. 8 in Las Vegas.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/more/08/06/ufl.ap/index.html#ixzz0NmZJcGfZ


NCAA Football-COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina's Steve Spurrier finds himself in agreement with Bobby Bowden.Spurrier said Sunday that Bowden and the Seminoles should not have to give up 14 victories as part of the NCAA penalties because of an academic cheating scandal at Florida State. Florida State's Bobby Bowden says he wants one more national title before retirement.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/08/09/fsu.bowden.ap/index.html#ixzz0NmaPND7I

NBA-The Minnesota Timberwolves and Kurt Rambis have reached terms on a deal that will install Rambis as the Wolves' new head coach, according to NBA coaching sources.

WNBA-Will Indiana and Phoenix meet in the WNBA Finals? Only time will tell. But the Fever's 90-83 road win Saturday made the possible matchup all the more intriguing. All Socres:http://scores.espn.go.com/ncw/scoreboard

NCAA BasketBall- NCAA OKs policy to ban betting states from hosting championships.The move came one day after a federal judge denied a request by professional sports leagues and the NCAA to halt Delaware's planned sports
betting lottery until a legal challenge is resolved.

NASCAR-NASCAR faced an electrical problem Sunday at Watkins Glen, where thunder and lightning pushed the Sprint Cup race to Monday for the second straight week.

PGA-Tiger wins second straight event. The battle was everything Tiger Woods expected. The finish was nothing anyone imagined, except for Woods hoisting another World Golf Championship trophy at Firestone.

Soccer-Nearly 75,000 watch Real Madrid top DC United 3-0 in exhibition. The Spanish powerhouse also beat Toronto FC 5-1 on Friday during its tour. Real which spent some $375 million on new players, outshot United 19-4.Soccer Betting Really Catching on in the US.Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/08/09/real.madrid.dc.united.ap/index.html?eref=T1#ixzz0NmdkHAcl

Tennis-Juan Martin del Potro upended top-seeded Andy Roddick in a thrilling 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6) match to capture his second consecutive Legg Mason Classic title.

Scores & Sports Today 08/06/2009

MLB-Spring training boosted Florida's economy by $752 million,drew about 1.6 million fans,created 9,205 full- or part-time jobs. Yesterdays Scores and More! http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-Giants make Manning league's highest-paid player: $15.3M per season. The Tennessee Titans will honor late quarterback Steve McNair with a No. 9 decal they will wear on the backs of their helmets this season. The NFL season is a month away and at Delaware racetracks in Dover and Wilmington and Harrington workers are carving out areas that look a little like Vegas sports books.

CFL-Friday 8/7 Toronto at Montreal 7:30 PM ET, Saskatchewan at BC 10:30 PM ET, Saturday 8/8 Edmonton at Hamilton 6:30 PM ET and Winnipeg at Calgary 9:30 pm ET.

Arena Football-The league, which previously called off play for the 2009 season but had said it planned to return in 2010, sent a terse, one-paragraph statement to its teams late Tuesday announcing it had SUSPENDED operations.

NCAA FootBAll-Grading nonconference schedules: Hokies, Dawgs, 'Noles tough enough. The Bowl Championship Series came of age this decade. That's not to say the BCS matured or got better. It just got older -- and more controversial. This was the first decade in which every major-college season ended with a championship decided on the field. Not necessarily the championship, just a championship.

NBA-Former Philadelphia 76ers coach Randy Ayers has returned to the organization as an assistant under Eddie Jordan. Kurt Rambis might be a head coach before many anticipated.Long considered the heir apparent to Phil Jackson on the Lakers bench, the Los Angeles assistant might now be the leading candidate to coach the Minnesota Timberwolves.

WNBA- Fever extend home winning streak to 11 games,Taurasi, Taylor lead Mercury to OT win over Storm, Nolan grabs 14 boards as Shock dump Liberty, and Fever forward Griffith retires in 11th season.

NCAA BasketBall-Canadian school's admittance to NCAA may change rules up north. Simon Fraser became the first non-U.S. school admitted to NCAA Division II, becoming afull member in 2012-2013.

PGA-All-Time Greatest Golfers Leaderboard- 1. Jack Nicklaus,290*,2. Tiger Woods,283, 3.Bobby Jones,265,4.Ben Hogan,231,6.Arnold Palmer,199,7.Byron Nelson,196, 8.Mickey Wright,142, 9.Gary Player,141,10.Walter Hagen,124,11. Tom Watson,120,12.Annika Sorenstam,116,13.Harry Vardon,106, 14.Young Tom Morris,91,15.Seve Ballesteros,90,16. Babe Zaharias,74,17.Gene Sarazen,72,18.Lee Trevino,68,19.Old Tom Morris,62,and 20. Billy Casper,36 * 300 points possible.

NASCAR-Richard Petty won 200 NASCAR races, seven championships, and has achieved just about all there is to accomplish in stock car racing. The surefire NASCAR Hall of Famer has done it all -- except qualifying for the Chase for the championship as an owner. Kasey Kahne is on the brink of giving the King that spot in the 10-race
sprint for the title.

Tennis-The top-seeded Roddick beat Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday at the Legg Mason Tennis Championship, his first match since losing the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer on July 5.

SOCCER-Tigres of Mexico defeated the Chicago Fire 4-3 on penalty kicks to win the SuperLiga title on Wednesday night.

Scores & Sports Today 08/05/2009

MLB-PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - Hank Aaron wants the list of players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 to be released and he does think it's time Rose, the career hits leader, be reinstated and voted into the Hall of Fame. Yesterdays Scores: http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-Asked whether Green Bay might be interested in the scandal-tainted quarterback, general manager Ted Thompson didn't rule it out Tuesday. The Chargers once welcomed Super Bowl talk. No more. After falling short the past three years, they are concentrating on the start instead of the finish. Things we don't MISS about Football: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/specials/rememberwhen/football/index.html?eref=T1

NCAA FootBall-Gap growing ever wider between college sports' haves, have-nots.Powers Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame and USC are among the haves.The chasm exists within the BCS, but is even more severe outside the big six. Areas of impact include salaries, scholarships, scheduling, facilities and more.

Arena Football-The Arena Football League is on the brink of folding and declaring bankruptcy, an inglorious end for the 22-year-old indoor league that has suffered through a year of turmoil.

NBA-In a replay of sorts of last year's opener, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will launch the 2009-10 NBA season -- only this time LeBron James has some welcome firepower in new teammate Shaquille O'Neal.

WNBA-Deanna Nolan's double-double leads Shock past Liberty, Tuesday night the 5-foot-9 Nolan added a career-high 14 rebounds to her 26 points as the Detroit Shock beat the New York Liberty 76-64. Other scores San Antonio Silver Stars 63 Los Angeles Sparks 59 and Phoenix Mercury 101 Seattle Storm 90.

NCAA-BasketBall-LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Arizona, led by first-year coach Sean Miller, will meet Wisconsin in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. The championship game is Nov. 25 and the tournament is sponsored by EA Sports.

NHL- San Jose Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick is expected to announce his retirement Thursday, ending the provocative hockey star's 20-year career.

PGA-Buick Open ratings up 167 percent over 2008, but Buick terminates title sponsorships of PGA Tour.

Tennis-Serena Williams had a chance to vault to the top of the Power Rankings. All she had to do was win a few matches in Stanford, but she couldn't. So it's still No. 2 for her.

Nascar-Late push just might get Vickers in Chase,but even with his recent burst -- seventh at Daytona, seventh at Chicagoland, fifth at Indy and sixth on Monday at Pocono -- Vickers is on the outside looking in on the top 12 in the standings.

Soccer-Chivas owner Vergara rips team over Twitter-They didn't play with heart, or with energy. They didn't try and they didn't use their talent. After all that has been worked on, I expected a better attitude from the players. More will to win."

Scores & Sports Today 08/04/2009

NFL-NYC grand jury indicts Plaxico Burres, former Giants reciever on weapons charges. AFC West's woes traced to bad drafts.Here then are 10 training camp stories better than Vick's; 10 football headlines fresher and more compelling than Favre's. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/john_lopez/07/27/storylines/index.html

CFL-Friday 8/7 Toronto at Montreal 7:30 PM ET and Saskatchewan at BC 10:30 PM ET, then 8/8 Edmonton at Hamilton 6:30 PM ET then Winnipeg at Calgary 9:30 PM ET.

NCAA FootBall-Like in corporate America, 2009 is the time to get lean in college football. Get ready for a new world order, To Baylor, Godspeed. To Indiana, fare thee well. To Duke, may the road rise to meet you. And to the entirety of the Sun Belt and Mid-American Conferences, safe travels.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=4369091&sportCat=ncf

NBA-The NBA has fined three teams an undisclosed amount for leaking details of their schedules before the league released them. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Basketball Hall of Fame has opened a Michael Jordan exhibit before his enshrinement next month.

WNBA- President Barack Obama says the WNBA serves as an inspiration for his two young daughters.Sasha and Malia, have never known a time when women did not play professional basketball in the United States.


NCAA BasketBall-"I enjoy watching ball, but I don't believe we should recruit in the summer," Kentucky coach John Calipari said via Twitter, where he now has more than 500,000 followers. "My time would be better spent on campus with our guys."

NASCAR-Hamlin wins at Pocono Raceway, With a heavy heart, Hamlin came to Pocono Raceway and snapped a 50-race winless skid. He took the checkered flag at the Pennsylvania 500 on Monday and dedicated this victory to his
grandmother Thelma Clark who died last week at 91.

Tennis-Roddick ready for Legg Mason Classic, is healthy and ready for his first match since losing the Wimbledon
final.

Scores & Sports Today 08/03/2009

MLB-The trade deadline has passed. So who came out as winners? Phils and Red Sox: Take a bow. Scoreboard:
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/scoreboard

NFL-Fatal Flaw? Carson Palmer's return doesn't guarantee wins for the Bengals. If Cincinnati's O-line doesn't show major improvement, it could be another long season in the Queen City. NFL Training Camp Reports:
Rapid Reports-http://www.cbssports.com/

NCAA Football-The moment when a championship season turns may be obvious at first sight, a la Penn State in '86. Or, like Florida in '08, it may only be recognizable in hindsight. Art takes many forms.

CFL-Thurs. 7/30 Edmonton 33 Montreal 19, Fri. 7/31 Hamilton 30 BC 18, Sat. 8/1 Wiinipeg 13 Toronto 12 and Saskatchewan 24 Calgary 23.

NBA-Now that MLB's trade deadline has passed, Chris Sheridan picks out the top 10 ballers most likely to be moved before Feb. 18. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba

WNBA- Jackson leads Storm to overtime win over Silver Stars.Scores: http://www.cbssports.com/wnba/scoreboard

PGA-Tiger claims 69th win at Buick Open, Funk wins Senior Open at 20-under par.

NASCAR-Rain washed out the Sprint Cup Series on Sunday at Pocono Raceway. They'll get back at it Monday on ESPN at noon ET. Stewart hit the wall in Turn 3 on the first lap of practice Saturday morning, forcing the No. 14 Chevrolet team to go to the backup car for Monday's Sprint Cup race.

Swimming-Phelps closes worlds with 5th gold, as U.S. relay sets 43rd record.

HorseRacing-Rachel Alexandra turned on the speed around the far turn and rolled past the boys once again to win the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational and establish herself as one of the greatest fillies in thoroughbred racing.

Tennis- Marion Bartoli upset Venus Williams 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the championship match of the Bank of the West Classicto win her first WTA Premier Tour title, and her first on American soil.