LURING LEBRON As the Knicks and the Nets, along with seemingly half of the N.B.A., prepare to woo LeBron James near his northeast Ohio home, advertising campaigns have sprung up across billboards and basketball courts, a larger-than-life homage to the larger-than-life James. In Harlem, painters were completing a portrait of James, wearing a Knicks uniform, on the surface of the Rucker Park basketball court. Nearby are the words: “Harlem loves you LeBron.” As the world awaits, the whole country is attempting to get Lebron.

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES TIED South Carolina Gamecocks players celebrate after infielder Scott Wingo (8) scored the winning run against the UCLA Bruins during game two of the 2010 College World Series finals at Rosenblatt Stadium. South Carolina Gamecocks defeated UCLA 2-1 in 11 innings.

DETROIT TAKES 1ST PLACE The Detroit Tigers overtook 1st place in the American League Central Monday night after defeating the division rival Minnesota Twins 7-5 in front of a sold-out crowd at Target Field in Minneapolis.

YANKEES STORM LA On the final night of the great reunion weekend, the Yankees recalled the glory years for Joe Torre. There was Derek Jeter at shortstop, Jorge Posada catching and Andy Pettitte on the mound, as special as ever. Mariano Rivera showed up, but his appearance was unexpected. The Yankees scored four runs off Jonathan Broxton in the ninth inning, then escaped with an 8-6 victory in 10 innings over Torre’s Dodgers on Sunday when Robinson Cano blasted a two-run homer. Yankee fans took over LA.

GHANA DOES IT AGAIN From left, Anthony Annan, Lee Addy and Sulley Muntari with an exhausted Gyan after the final whistle. Ghana is the only African team left in the tournament, and it became the third team from the continent -- joining Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002 -- to reach the quarterfinals of a World Cup. Ghana will play Uruguay next, having defeated the US 2-1 for the second straight world cup.

IMPROBABLY UNSTOPPABLE A baseball season defined by pitching excellence took another fascinating turn on Friday when Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks threw the majors’ fourth no-hitter this season. It was, perhaps, the most improbable no-hitter in years. Facing one of his former teams, the Tampa Bay Rays, Jackson allowed eight walks in a 1-0 victory at Tropicana Field. In an era marked by rigid adherence to pitch counts, Jackson threw 149 pitches, the most in the majors since 2005.

CLUTCH The Boston Red Sox David Ortiz congratulated Dustin Pedrioa after his go-ahead 9th inning home-run in Colorado. The Red Sox went on to win in extra innings 13-11. Pedrioa hit two home runs in the game.

HISTORY: TO BE CONTINUED John Isner of the United States and Nicolas Mahut of France fought to a fifth-set standoff, 59-59, after 10 hours of record-setting play in their first-round match at the 2010 Wimbledon championships. Isner reacted during the first-round match.

SAFE! Jason Bay scores in the New York Mets 8-run 3rd inning. The hottest team in sports won 14-6 for the 40th victory of the year.

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL! Netherlands fans had reason to celebrate when their team became the first to advance out of the group stage, thanks to its win over Japan.

SO CLOSE! Australia's Nikita Rukavystya could not quite get the ball above the outstretched hand of Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson. The teams tied, 1-1, in a Group D match in Rustenburg.

BRAVES CRUSHING AL OPPONENTS & DOMINATING NL STANDINGS

Oh dem bases on balls! On Sunday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves received more walks (11) than they had hits (9), and when it mattered, in the bottom of the eighth, they cashed the last two in. Eric Hinske broke a 5-5 tie with a two-out, two-run double in the eighth inning, and Chipper Jones drove in three runs with a pair of doubles as the Atlanta Braves topped the Kansas City Royals, 8-5, Sunday afternoon at Turner Field, completing a sweep of the weekend series. "Every time I went to the plate, it seemed like there were two guys on base. Finally I got the job done at the end," said Hinske, who had left five men on base in the game and had been 2-for-9 in the series prior to stepping up in the eighth inning. "We've got 25 guys on this team, and it takes 25 to win. It seems like a different guy every game coming up with a big hit at the end." Omar Infante added two hits, including a two-run first-inning double for the Braves, who have won seven of eight and raised their record to 5-1 in Interleague Play. The Braves' eighth-inning rally came out of nowhere, as, with the score tied at 5, Kansas City reliever Blake Wood (0-1) had just induced a double-play grounder from Jason Heyward. But then Wood walked Jones and Troy Glaus, Saturday night's hero. Jones, who had his second straight multihit game Sunday and drove in five runs in the series, was more than willing to oblige. "In that particular instance, I am trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark, but at some point, you have to figure a guy's not going to let you beat him," he said. "He didn't throw anything really close in four pitches. I was swinging 3-0, but sometimes you have to let the pitcher cut his own throat. He ends up walking Troy, then has to come down Broadway to Eric, and Eric made him pay." Hinske lashed an 0-1 pitch into the gap in right-center field, scoring the go-ahead runs. Melky Cabrera followed with an RBI single, plating pinch-runner Brandon Hicks. Craig Kimbrel (2-0) got the win for Atlanta, but did it the hard way. Kimbrel pitched himself into a bases-loaded, none-out situation by walking leadoff hitter Brayan Pena, then botched a potential double-play comebacker from Chris Getz, and walked pinch-hitter Scott Podsednik. But, following a visit from Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell, he pulled a Houdini and escaped unscathed. "It says a lot that [manager Bobby Cox] trusts me, leaving me out there," said Kimbrel, who credited catcher David Ross for his pitch selection and said he fed off the crowd. "Roger came out and talked to me and said, 'You know what? You can get out of this. Just go right at them.' That's what I did and got out of it. I quit trying to nitpick and hit corners. I just went right at them, and it worked out." Kimbrel struck out David DeJesus looking, then got Mike Aviles swinging before retiring Billy Butler on an infield popup. Kimbrel's effort impressed the Braves veterans. "The kid bowed his neck and made pitches when he had to and got out of the inning," Jones said. "That's what being able to throw the ball 95 miles an hour with a good slider will do for you sometimes." "I'm trying to tell him you cannot create your own save, especially in a tie game, but he just ain't getting it yet," closer Billy Wagner said with a laugh. "The kid's on the right track. He's head-and-shoulders above where I was at that age. So he competes, and that's all you can ask for." Wagner, pitching his fourth straight day, threw a scoreless ninth, recording his 14th save in 16 tries and the 399th save of his career. Kimbrel and Wagner capped off a superb performance from Atlanta relievers, as Cristhian Martinez, Eric O'Flaherty, Peter Moylan, Kimbrel and Wagner combined to throw seven innings of shutout ball, allowing Kansas City only five hits over the game's final seven innings. The 'pen was forced into service four batters into the third inning, as Kenshin Kawakami was pulled by Cox after yielding three consecutive hits. Kawakami, who came into the game having received a total of 24 runs of support all season, got four runs in the first inning, but could not record an out in the third inning. He left leading 4-3, with runners on first and second. It was his shortest start since joining the Braves. "Kawakami just did not have his good stuff today. He just couldn't locate it," Cox said. "He just didn't have it. For the first time since he's been with us, he just didn't have it. Pitchers go through a game like that occasionally, just like hitters." Cox said Kawakami would make his next start, as Jair Jurrjens still has one more rehab start to make. "Our bullpen did a great job today," Hinske said. "We sent a lot of pitchers out there. We fought, we battled and had a big hit there at the end to win the game." As with Kawakami, Kansas City starter Kyle Davies did not factor in the decision. Davies, who pitched with Atlanta from 2005-07 and was making his first start against his hometown team, allowed only four hits -- and just two after the four-run first inning -- but issued a season-high seven walks. He threw 103 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, only 53 for strikes. The 11 walks overall were the most by a Kansas City team since Aug. 5, 2006, when it walked 12 against Minnesota. Sunday's win gave the Braves 42 straight victories when scoring at least five runs, 31 of which have come in 2010, and it was their 14th final at-bat victory. It also raised Atlanta's record to 33-1 when leading after eight. Most importantly, the win came on a day when the Mets and Phillies lost, which made for good feelings heading into the team's off-day Monday. The Braves travel to Chicago for a three-game Interleague series with the White Sox, then come back to Turner Field for a nine-game homestand against Detroit, Washington and Florida. "It's early, but we know what kind of team we are," Hinske said. "We come to the field every day expecting to win ballgames. That's the bottom line. We have great starting pitching, a great bullpen and a lot of hitting. We go out there and play a hard nine every day. I like our mix. I like our guys in here; we all get along in the clubhouse. When we go on the road, it's awesome. "We're excited to get to the field every day," he added. "Everybody's ready to play every day. It's awesome." (MLB.com)

TIGER WOODS RETURNS TO FORM

Behind and somewhat beneath a tree in the 18th fairway, 264 yards from a green protected by two bunkers and the Pacific Ocean, Tiger Woods stood over his ball with a 3-wood in hand. Suddenly, he backed away. Was he considering the more prudent lay-up shot? “No, just gathering myself,” Woods said later. Woods took his stance again, then laced the 3-wood with a stirring left-to-right arc that avoided the tree. He watched as the ball climbed in the sky, then split the bunkers to land on the front of the green. This was no ordinary shot. Even though the par-5 18th green slopes toward the fairway, Woods’s shot bounced forward and began to curve on a different path — right to left and uphill. It was a little white orb tracking in the direction of the hole, but it arrived more like a signal from somewhere far away. Tiger Woods, standing hundreds of yards away and improbably behind and beneath a tree, had made his return to major championship golf. The gallery beside the 18th green understood, wildly cheering a shot few would even attempt. Woods was left with an eagle putt that he missed, instead converting his fifth birdie on the back nine to finish with a 66 and a score of one under par after three rounds. There was an unmistakable symbolism in his charging finish. A day after he had looked confused and conquered, Woods was, in his words, “back in the ball game.” He was in third place, five strokes behind the leader, Dustin Johnson. A round of five under par did not seem very likely after three holes Saturday. Woods had bogeyed the second and third holes. “I was pretty unhappy,” he said about his start. “But I didn’t lose all concentration. I just kept telling myself that my goal was to get back to even par for the tournament.” It was a fair goal, except at that moment Woods was six over. But Woods’s tee shots were accurate, as were his approach shots. For a change, he sank medium-range putts. In a flash, with most of the attention at Pebble Beach on any one of 25 other contending golfers, Woods made three successive birdies. A bogey at the eighth left him where he started the day, four over par, but Woods was encouraged. “I still saw good things happening,” he said. “The wind had not whipped up. I thought I could make birdies.” The first birdie in the run came at the 11th. He made another at the 13th after a brilliant second shot that stopped 10 feet from the hole. Dressed in a cream-colored sweater and matching pants, Woods seemed in control, his emotions as muted as his wardrobe. Friday, he had dressed in black and it suited his mood and his game. Saturday, he looked like a man dressed for a walk in the park, and at times for Woods it appeared as easy as that. He birdied the 16th with another curling, testy putt and then hit his tee shot at the daunting 17th hole just over the green onto the fringe. He made that putt, too. “That putt was a joke,” Woods said later, laughing. “I was just trying to get it close.” The 18th hole was like something from a vintage Woods performance, something from another Woods era — before the November auto accident. Woods had a different analysis. “I’ve been saying that this is a process and that I would slowly get better,” he said, standing behind the 18th grandstand. “So, yes, it’s been a while, but I felt the chance to have a round like this was coming. “I put it all together and I fed on the surge. I turned it around.” Woods was asked to look ahead to Sunday’s final round and to assess his chances. “We’ll know after the next 18 holes,” he said with a wide smile. “But I am right there. I am in contention and that was my intent.” Woods then began talking about the second shot at the 18th hole again, how at first he didn’t think he could go for the green because the tree was in the way and there wasn’t much of a gap with trouble all around. And then, in a scene from another time, Woods said he caught himself. “I thought that maybe I can,” he said. “I thought: Why not?” (NY Times)

SURGING METS TAKE DOWN YANKEES

There is little remaining evidence to support the notion that the Mets are somehow still not legitimate, somehow still not worthy of praise. By now, they have stated their case in full -- against the good teams, against the bad teams, against the teams in between. And also against the Yankees. This incarnation of the defending World Series champs may not be as mighty as those that have come before, but no matter. They are still the Yankees. And they still represented an obstacle in the cyclonic path of the Mets. Rather than fold on Friday, however, Hisanori Takahashi and the Mets won their eighth straight game -- a complete, convincing and almost clinical 4-0 dispatching of their interborough rivals. Then they patted each other on the back, ever so cautiously. "You can go around the locker room and look, and everybody's playing good together," right fielder Jeff Francoeur said. "This is a great team. We might not have 100 guys putting up 20 home runs and 60 home runs, but we've got a great team and a great group of guys in here. And if we keep playing like that, I think it will be a good summer." Taken in context, the Mets' eighth straight victory came not without warning signs: They have still done most of their recent damage against some of the worst teams in baseball, and they have yet to bridge the gap between streakiness and consistency. And then there's that bullpen, which had to endure a furious Yankees rally in the ninth. But those are worries for another day. Right now, the Mets are streaking. Streaks are fun. And the Mets are having a blast. "We believe in our team," Angel Pagan said. "There's no doubt that we believe in the talent we have right now. Everybody's pumped. Everybody is doing their job. We're playing great baseball, so what else can you ask for? It's fun when you win." It was Takahashi who silenced the Yankees for most of the evening, Pedro Feliciano who preserved the most critical outs and Francisco Rodriguez who -- a bit begrudgingly -- climbed upon his tightrope to save it. Perhaps looking over his shoulder just a bit, Takahashi entered Friday knowing that the closer John Maine edges to a return from the disabled list, the more tenuous his rotation spot becomes. But Takahashi displayed none of the shakiness that undermined him earlier this month, submitting his second six-inning shutout against the Yankees. Only in the sixth, when the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs, did Takahashi need to sweat. But on his 103rd and final pitch of the evening, the 35-year-old rookie induced a groundout from Yankees catcher Jorge Posada to end the threat. "He's shown us that he can handle any situation," catcher Rod Barajas said. "He's been an unbelievable asset for us to have." "His fastball gets on you kind of quick, and he mixes in his changeup," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "He doesn't throw too many balls over the plate." The Mets at the time were clinging to a 1-0 lead, courtesy Ike Davis' RBI single in the first. That was all they could -- and would -- do against Javier Vazquez, who pitched seven innings of one-run ball before departing. Later, in the eighth, Pagan provided some critical insurance with a two-run double off Chan Ho Park that should have sealed the game. But after Feliciano's brilliant two innings of relief, Mets manager Jerry Manuel -- citing his desire to give his closer a night off -- asked Raul Valdes to protect a four-run lead in the ninth. Valdes promptly put two Yankees on base with one out in the ninth, forcing Rodriguez -- who had been prepared to start the ninth inning -- to warm for a second time, this time in haste. A 12-pitch battle with Brett Gardner led to a bases-loading walk, before Rodriguez struck out Jeter and got Nick Swisher to pop out to third baseman David Wright. Though he later admitted his displeasure with the way Manuel had used him -- "I want the ball every day if it's up to me," he said -- Rodriguez nonetheless did what he was supposed to do. And the Mets did what they weren't supposed to: keep on streaking in the Bronx, oblivious of their opponent. Now, the Mets have won eight straight, matching the season-high streak they enjoyed back in April. Following that stretch, the Mets proceeded to lose four out of their next five games. But they insist that they are a better team now, a more consistent team, perhaps even a smarter team. They aim to become a more accomplished team as well. And they're accelerating -- or is it streaking? -- toward that goal. "We're playing the game the right way," Francoeur said. "And that's the key."

LA FIGHTS, WINS CHAMPIONSHIP

Purple and gold confetti raining down upon him, Kobe Bryant hopped up on the scorer’s table, shook his fists and extended five fingers. Quantcast When he hopped down, Boston’s legendary Hall of Fame center Bill Russell was waiting to shake his hand. A Game 7 classic — and this time, it finally went the Lakers’ way. Beating Boston for the first time in a Game 7, the Lakers came up champions again after trailing in the last quarter of the last game of their season. Kobe Bryant, the Finals MVP, scored 23 points despite 6-of-24 shooting and the Lakers won their 16th NBA championship tonight, dramatically rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Celtics, 83-79, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Bryant earned his fifth title with the Lakers, who repeated as NBA champions for the first time since winning three straight from 2000-02. “This one is by far the sweetest, because it’s them,” Bryant said. “This was the hardest one by far. I wanted it so bad, and sometimes when you want it so bad, it slips away from you. My guys picked me up.” Ron Artest added 20 points for the Lakers, who didn’t show a champion’s poise while making just 21 shots in the first three quarters, even hovering around 50 percent at the free throw line. Yet with Bryant driving the lane and Pau Gasol finally coming alive with nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles reclaimed the lead midway through the fourth quarter and hung on with a few more big shots from Gasol, who had 18 rebounds, and Artest, a first-time champion as the only newcomer to last season’s roster. “Well, first all I want to thank everybody in my hood,” Artest said in an ABC interview right after the game. “I definitely want to thank my doctors ... my psychiatrist, she really helped me relax a lot.” With their fifth title in 11 seasons, the Lakers moved one championship behind Boston’s 17 banners for the overall NBA lead. Amid the confetti and streamers after the final buzzer, Magic Johnson rushed the court to congratulate Bryant, who now has the same number of titles, and to hug Artest, the only new addition to the Lakers’ championship roster from last season. Artest has been a liability for much of the postseason, but the former head case came up with a remarkable game on the Lakers’ biggest night, playing sturdy defense along with his scoring. Paul Pierce had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who just couldn’t finish the final quarter of a remarkable playoff run after a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Garnett added 17 points, but Boston flopped in two chances to clinch the series in Los Angeles after winning Game 5 back home. “Listen, give the Lakers credit,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “They were terrific.” Rivers knows changes are coming, even saying afterward that the ’10-11 Celtics will be different than the ’09-10 team. “We were the tightest, most emotional, crazy group I’ve ever been around in my life,” Rivers said, adding that he’ll wait a while before deciding on his oft-speculated future. He called this team “crazy close” and throughout the playoffs, the Celtics only got closer. Down by 14 in their first playoff game against Miami, they won that night and rode that instant burst of confidence not only past the Heat, but through Cleveland and Orlando in the next two rounds. The Celtics were a .500 team for the final two-thirds of the season, prompting many to wonder if they could turn it back on for the playoffs. That question was answered long ago. Yes, they could — and one or two more stops on Thursday, they’d have won an 18th title. “There’s a lot of crying in that locker room,” Rivers said. “A lot of people who care. I don’t think there was a dry eye. A lot of hugs, a lot of people feeling awful. That’s a good thing. Showed a lot of people cared.” After three quarters of mostly terrible offense, the Lakers tied it at 61 on Artest’s three-point play with 7:29 left. Bryant’s free throws 90 seconds later gave the Lakers their first lead of the second half, and the Lakers went up by five points before Bryant and Sasha Vujacic hit free throws in the final seconds to keep Los Angeles ahead. Bryant said he had to downplay the magnitude of the rivalry during the series, but it was a gigantic part of his motivation for this title, without question. Because it was Lakers-Celtics, the best rivalry in league history. And because it was against the team that denied him a title in 2008, the Celtics then blowing out the Lakers in Boston in Game 6 two years ago for their 17th championship. That loss drove Bryant all last season, and drove him again tonight. He was not at his best in Game 7, and acknowledged as much. Didn’t matter — he still captured the finals MVP award, after averaging 28.6 points in the series. He’s won three straight crowns before, and is already eyeing another three-peat try. “Let’s go for it again,” Bryant said, moments before hoisting the finals MVP trophy. The Lakers will relish this title because they took it from the Celtics, their greatest rivals, with fourth-quarter poise and defense. The teams have met in 12 NBA Finals, but the Lakers won for just the third time. Exactly two years to the day after Boston beat the Lakers by 39 points to clinch the 2008 title, Los Angeles got revenge for perhaps the most embarrassing loss of Bryant’s career — even if he did little more than grab 15 rebounds for most of the night. But forget how it looked, because history will. Bryant even did something Jerry West and Magic Johnson never could: He beat the hated Celtics in Game 7 of the finals. The Celtics had never lost a seventh game in the finals. Despite nursing a lead through most of the night while holding the Lakers to ridiculously low shooting percentages until the final minutes, Boston couldn’t close it out on the coast, becoming just the seventh team to blow a 3-2 finals lead after winning Game 5. Los Angeles had lost a seventh game to Boston four times previously — but those teams didn’t have Bryant, who’s just one title shy of Michael Jordan’s six rings after winning his second title without Shaquille O’Neal, his partner in the first three. With that fourth-quarter escape act, Bryant and fellow five-time champion Derek Fisher even earned the right to celebrate a title at home for the first time since winning their first rings in 2000. Lakers coach Phil Jackson won his 11th title overall, his fifth in Los Angeles — and perhaps the last for the winningest playoff coach in NBA history. Weary of the regular-season grind and facing a likely pay cut with the Lakers, Jackson hasn’t determined his future, though he previously said another title would make him more likely to chase an unprecedented fourth threepeat next season, when he’ll be 65. “I got to take a deep breath. I got to take some time to think about this,” Jackson said. “This was great I’ll wait to make that decision in a week.” With his hands already full, maybe Jackson will follow Russell’s lead and put that 11th championship ring on a chain around his neck — and Bryant isn’t likely to settle for just one handful of rings. He made that clear tonight. “He knows how bad I want him back,” Bryant said. “I’ve been openly blunt about how much I want him back.” The Celtics had much more poise from the opening tip in Game 7, playing vicious defense that forced Los Angeles to miss 21 of its first 27 shots. Bryant and Gasol were a combined 6 for 26 in the first half while the Lakers made just 26.5% of their shots, and only Ron Artest’s 12 points and relentless effort kept the Celtics’ halftime lead to six points. The Lakers are the first team to rally from a 3-2 deficit to win a finals since Houston did it in 1994, beating the New York Knicks. Boston did it twice to the Lakers, including an infamous 1969 finale in which thousands of celebratory balloons never were released from the Forum rafters in Inglewood. Staples Center had no such problems, unleashing a downpour of streamers and confetti when the Lakers finally finished it off. Although Los Angeles stumbled to the brink of elimination for the first time in these playoffs last weekend in Boston, Bryant’s teams still are spectacular finishers: They’ve closed out their playoff opponents on the first try 10 times while winning three straight Western Conference titles over the last three years. Bryant further cemented his place in the NBA’s highest circles by leading the Lakers to back-to-back titles, something no other NBA superstar has accomplished since he and O’Neal did it nearly a decade ago. He also picked up a unique bit of Lakers credibility by sending home the Celtics in a Game 7, which West failed to do in three tries and Johnson couldn’t manage in 1984. (Detroit Free Press)

Some Candidates for Sports Photo of the Day of June 17th, 2010 from Game 7 of NBA Finals:

SWITZERLAND STUNS SPAIN

The World Cup needed a jolt. Switzerland provided it. Gelson Fernandes scored on a rare Swiss attack, giving his team a stunning 1-0 upset Wednesday over European champion and tournament favorite Spain. The loss ended Spain's run of 12 straight wins and handed the Spanish just their second loss in 50 games -- the other was to the United States at the Confederations Cup in South Africa last year. It also provided a thrill at a tournament that has seen few surprises and just 25 goals after the first game for all 32 teams. ''To be fair, I'm not used to scoring goals, so I was a bit surprised,'' said Fernandes, who got just his second in international play. ''It was a bit of luck.'' And tenacity. Eren Derdiyok created Switzerland's big chance in the 52nd minute by surging through the center of Spain's defense and rounding Iker Casillas. Gerard Pique's desperate tackle stopped Derdiyok, but Fernandes pounced on the loose ball and forced it into the net. ''It's just a special moment,'' he said. Spain badly outshot the Swiss and held the ball 63 percent of the time, but could find no way through Switzerland's determined defense. ''Today wasn't our day,'' Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. ''We have two games ahead of us. We have to find a way to win them.'' It won't be a gimme. Well-regarded Chile beat Honduras 1-0 in the other Group H opener Wednesday. The win was Switzerland's first over Spain. At the final whistle, Fernandes fell to his knees and raised both arms to the sky. The entire team then went to the small section of Swiss fans in the Moses Mabhida Stadium and saluted them as they cheered and rang alpine cow bells. ''These were three unexpected points,'' Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said before defending his team's defensive play as the only way to nullify Spain. ''If you play an attacking game against Spain, you'll lose and suffer one goal after the next,'' he said. History was not on Spain's side: Only two of the last eight reigning European champions had won their opening match at the World Cup -- France in 1986 and Germany in 1998. And Spain has not advanced past the World Cup quarterfinals since its best finish of fourth in 1950. Derdiyok nearly doubled the Swiss lead in the 75th minute when he shrugged off Carlos Puyol's tackle and poked the ball past Casillas only to see the shot rebound off the post. Spain was lifted before the kickoff by the return of Andres Iniesta, but the Barcelona midfielder could not provide the spark to ignite his country's attack. He was taken out in the 77th minute after a crunching tackle from Stephan Lichtsteiner. Del Bosque brought on Liverpool striker Fernando Torres in the 62nd minute, but he, too, could find no way through the Swiss wall of defenders. Midfielder Xabi Alonso came closest to equalizing when his powerful drive in the 70th minute slammed into the crossbar. David Villa was Spain's most dangerous forward, but the top scorer from the European Championships in 2008 repeatedly saw his efforts blocked or go wide. Villa got by Lichtsteiner in the 10th minute, but goalkeeper Diego Benaglio dived at his feet to snuff out the chance. Then his free kick deflected wide off the wall after Stephane Grichting pulled down Iniesta just outside the penalty area. With Spain's forwards sputtering, it was center back Gerard Pique who came closest to breaking the stalemate when Iniesta's through ball in the 24th minute set him free and he fired low -- only to see Benaglio save the shot. ''He's a world class keeper with one-on-one situations,'' Hitzfeld said. ''He was decisive to our win.'' Fernandes put it even more simply. ''We defend very well,'' he said. The numbers back him up. Switzerland was knocked out of the last World Cup on penalty kicks by Ukraine in the round of 16 without conceding a goal in the tournament and has now gone 490 minutes in World Cup play without being scored upon. (NY Times)

LAKERS FORCE GAME 7

LA CRUSHES BOSTON & PUSHES FINALS TO BRINK
Kobe Bryant simply would not allow the Boston Celtics to end his season Tuesday night, and now the NBA Finals come down to a winner-takes-all showdown featuring the league's two most storied franchises. It sounds like the perfect conclusion to a compelling year, especially for the Lakers, 89-67 winners in Game 6, who suddenly look whole again. The same cannot be said of the Celtics, who played their worst game of the series and may have lost their starting center in the process. Kendrick Perkins sprained his right knee midway through the first quarter and did not return after being carried into the locker room. The injury demoralized the Celtics, and they never were emotionally engaged the rest of the way. It is unlikely that Perkins will be available Thursday for only the third Game 7 in the Finals since 1988. "It doesn't look great," Doc Rivers said. "But I don't know." This will also be the first Game7 in the Finals for both Phil Jackson and Bryant, who are one win away from winning their 11th and fifth titles, respectively. The Lakers are also looking to win back-to-back championships while Boston is one win away from its second title in three years. "It's really a high tension situation," Jackson said of Game 7. "A lot of times it's not about the coaching. It's about who comes out and provides the energy on the floor and dictates the kind of game they want to dictate." The Lakers will be heavily favored on their home floor. Tuesday night, they took control in the first quarter, went ahead by 22 in the first half and never trailed over the last 44 minutes. Bryant was in top form again, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds in 40 minutes. This time he got help from his struggling teammates. Pau Gasol had 17points and 13 rebounds and came within one assist of a triple-double. Ron Artest added 15points, while the Lakers bench outscored the Celtics reserves 24-0 through three quarters. Ray Allen led the Celtics with 19 points and finally made a three-pointer after missing his previous 18. Rajon Rondo struggled, scoring 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting and absorbing an Artest forearm to the chin late in the third quarter. "I don't know if it was intentional but it was definitely a foul," Rondo said. The lack of production from Boston's bench is a major concern for Rivers. If Perkins is unable to play in Game 7, Glen Davis or Rasheed Wallace will be promoted to the starting lineup. The pair shot a combined 0-for-10, although Davis - who dominated the fourth quarter of Boston's Game 4 victory - did grab nine rebounds. The Lakers' starting center, Andrew Bynum, should be available but he continues to suffer from a tender right knee. He was limited to just under 16 minutes and only two in the second half. But the Lakers have other options. Artest found his stroke in Game 6 after scoring a total of 24points in the previous four games. Sasha Vujacic, who had scored just 10 points in the series, matched that total Tuesday night. Still, everything the Lakers do on the court begins and ends with Bryant, who Thursday has an opportunity to finish the season on his terms. "It's a game we have to win," Bryant said matter-of-factly. "It's as simple as that. I'm not going to go crazy over it."

GIANTS LOVE NEW STADIUM

It was only a minicamp practice, but the small and vocal group of Giants fans at New Meadowlands Stadium treated it like game day on a Tuesday. For many, it was their first look at the team’s $1.6 billion stadium. Hundreds took the day off work, and many tailgated in the parking lot before the free practice. For fans who could not afford the personal seat licenses needed to buy season tickets, it was a rare chance to roam around the new stadium, which is a few hundred yards from what remains of the nearly demolished Giants Stadium. The several thousand Giants fans who filled the lower bowl also worked on getting their vocal cords in shape. At one point, they heckled a cameraman who wore a Philadelphia Eagles cap. The main attraction, though, was the 2010 squad, which includes promising rookies and many veterans eager to erase memories of last year’s lackluster 8-8 record. “Coming off of last year and the disappointing year, we’re definitely chomping at the bit to get out there and play good football,” defensive end Justin Tuck said after the team ran drills for about two hours. On Tuesday, the biggest questions were as much about the playing conditions as about the team. Eli Manning said that the wind swirled differently and that it would blow even harder as the cold weather approached. Becoming used to running plays with the crowd screaming also helped him focus, he said. The FieldTurf surface took some getting used to as well. The big casualty was Domenik Hixon, who caught his spike in the turf while returning a punt. He crumpled to the ground, where he lay for a couple of minutes. He walked off the field on his own but sat out the rest of the practice with an ice pack on his right knee. “We’re hoping it’s not something serious,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “Domenik is a tough guy. He has fought his way through some things in the past.” The Giants’ top draft pick, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, also played tough. In one scrimmage, he grabbed the jersey of an offensive lineman, leading to a miniscrum that ended with some shoving, and finally some laughter. (NY Times)

FIRED UP CELTICS SWAT LAKERS

BOSTON CONTROLS GAME 5 & GRABS SERIES LEAD
When Rajon Rondo shoved Ron Artest with 4:41 remaining in the second quarter of the Celtics’ 92-86 Game Five victory on Sunday, it triggered a role reversal that played out for the rest of the night. With less than five minutes remaining in the quarter, Rondo attacked the Lakers on a fast break, setting up Boston center Kendrick Perkins who later dished off to a cutting Kevin Garnett. Garnett was then shoved to the ground by Artest on a hard foul, prompting Rondo to push Artest in retaliation after the whistle was blown. Rondo received a technical foul for his exploits but his team received a shot in the arm for his courage. With his team leading 34-31 in the second period, here’s Rondo—the second smallest member of the Celtics’ rotation—shoving Artest—arguably the Lakers’ best defender and most physical player—to the side like he’s two inches shorter than him. Rondo’s push, followed by a profanity-laced reprimand of Artest, showed the Celtics’ heart and passion, and was just one of a series of plays that helped to mentally subdue two of the Lakers’ most important players for another contest. Highlighted by 6'4" reserve guard Tony Allen’s block on Laker seven-footer Pau Gasol in bottom of the third quarter, the Celtics out-muscled and out-played the Lakers for a second consecutive game. Gasol, who had 23 points and 14 rebounds in Game One went on record record to say “Garnett has lost a step,” was stuffed three times in the period. One by Allen that left him on the floor and two others by Garnett, the same player who had “lost a step.” In fact, Garnett has actually gained a few steps over the past few contests, averaging 19.6 points per game in the last three outings. Light years more effective than the 11 points per game Garnett struggled to score in the series first two games. Garnett’s inspired containment of Gasol (15.3 points per game the last three meetings, 12 points and 12 rebounds in Game Five) has helped swing the series in Boston’s advantage, but it was Rondo’s shove that swung the series momentum. Artest, known for his bruising style of in-your-face defense, was pushed by Rondo and later torched by Paul Pierce for 27 points, while the Laker forward could only muster a seven-point, 2-of-9 shooting performance. Since churning in a strong Game One with 15 points and two steals, Artest has bottomed out over the last few games (like Gasol). Artest has averaged just six points per game and is shooting a wretched 24 percent from the field, connecting on 8-of-33 field goals in his last four games. Artest was acquired by the Lakers last summer to be their hired hit man, their bruiser sort to speak. After his first career Finals game, Boston has now turned Los Angeles’ biggest offseason acquisition into its biggest goat and a player that Lakers coach Phil Jackson has to strongly consider lessening minutes for at this point. Gasol and Artest aren’t the only two reasons why the Lakers now find themselves down 3-2, and one game away from another Celtics’ championship. Los Angeles cannot afford to have two of their core players physically and mentally manhandled again in Game Six if the Lakers want to even the series. (CNN)

UNITED STATES STUNS ENGLAND

In the end, Robert Green did not blame the much-criticized World Cup ball or the wet grass at night or the short hop that bounced dreadfully off his gloves. He could blame only himself. “It’s obviously a horrible mistake, a terrible mistake,” Green, England’s goalkeeper, said. “I’ll have to recover from it.” His stunning error in the 40th minute led to a Clint Dempsey goal and a 1-1 tie for the United States in its World Cup opener on Saturday. The result put the Americans in heartening position to advance to the second round with group matches remaining against Slovenia and Algeria. Even if the United States was a bit lucky, it earned the result. After conceding a goal from a lapse in concentration in the fourth minute, the resilient Americans played sturdy defense with a suddenly cohesive back line that left England’s top striker, Wayne Rooney, frustrated and inconsequential. The Americans also received steadfast goalkeeping from Tim Howard, who was as resolute with bruised ribs as Green was stunningly yielding. “The result is terrific,” United States midfielder Landon Donovan said. “A few of us were talking about how we’re a little disappointed that we didn’t play better with the ball, didn’t maybe find a way to win the game. Maybe another day we do. I think all things considered, playing one of the best teams in the world, getting a point out of the first game is a big plus.” The United States did not get a victory, as it did against England 60 years ago in the World Cup, but it got the next best thing. Nine of the 23 the Americans played their recent club seasons in England, giving them a familiarity and confidence that became evident after another maddeningly vulnerable moment in the early minutes of a World Cup opener. In 2006, the United States surrendered a goal to Jan Koller of the Czech Republic in the fifth minute of a 3-0 loss. On Saturday night, it was the fourth minute. After an England throw-in, midfielder Frank Lampard pushed the ball to forward Emile Heskey, who does not score often but provides value by making space for others. He eluded Jay DeMerit and sliced a pass to Steven Gerrard, who knifed into the penalty area ahead of a momentarily inattentive Ricardo Clark. That loss of concentration was costly. Gerrard sprinted free and pushed the ball into the net from 10 yards with the outside of his right foot, past the diving Howard. After the Koller goal four years ago, Donovan said he felt a sense of futility, of “Oh, no.” Saturday night was different. He said he was confident his team would come back. It did, but not before the Americans had another scare in the 30th minute, this one regarding Howard’s health. As Heskey chased a cross in the penalty area, Howard charged off his line, only to have Heskey slide into his ribs, studs up. Howard writhed on the turf at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, and it was unclear if he would be able to continue. “He had every right to go for that ball, the same as I did,” Howard said. “Initially, I was in a lot of pain. I was going to give myself 5 or 10 minutes to get through it. I felt a lot of discomfort.” A cortisone shot at halftime helped “a little bit,” Howard said. Green, too, could have used something to numb the pain of a nightmarish moment that occurred five minutes before intermission. Twenty-five yards from goal, Dempsey spun to his left, then to his right, separating himself from Gerrard. He fired a left-footed shot that seemed harmless enough. It bounced once, then twice and should have been easily fielded by Green on one knee. But as Green went to scoop the ball, it seemed to short-hop him and skidded off his gloves. Green turned to his right and dived desperately, hoping to redeem his mistake and rescue a save, but the ball rolled slowly, agonizingly over the goal line. Somehow the game was tied. Many of the World Cup goalkeepers criticized the official Adidas ball before the tournament, saying it flew erratically and was difficult to control. “This ball’s doing silly things,” Howard said. “Unfortunately, at this level, those things happen. I feel terribly for him, but with goalkeeping, you have to have broad shoulders.” Gerrard called Dempsey’s shot “a freak goal,” and said England had to rally around Green. This was only his 11th appearance for his country, and there could not have been a worse time for his usual consistency to desert him. But something strange was bound to happen with the new ball, Donovan said. “This ball is crazy,” Donovan said. “Especially at altitude, especially when it’s wet, it’s very difficult for goalies. There’s going to be in this tournament a lot of goals that are freaky like that. You feel bad for Robert Green, but that’s why you put the ball on goal.” As the ball crossed the line, Dempsey turned away to celebrate, then hesitated. “Wait a minute?” he said he asked himself. “Did the ref say it was a goal or not?” Finally, Dempsey saw the linesman running back toward midfield, flag down. He had become the only American other than Brian McBride to score in two World Cups. “To be fair, he probably should have done better with it,” Dempsey said of Green. “But at the same time, these balls move everywhere; they’re tough to deal with.” Entering the match, the most urgent question for the United States was the sturdiness of its back line. Oguchi Onyewu had not played a full 90 minutes in eight months, since rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee. But he seemed to grow more comfortable and assertive as the game went on. DeMerit played with the same scrappiness that he exhibited against Spain last June in the Confederations Cup. Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra were also insistent in not letting attackers get behind them. Michael Bradley was often disruptive, dropping deep in midfield. It was a characteristic American effort, full of resolve instead of beauty, with defenders hustling, sliding, diving, heading away crosses, not giving Rooney many touches on the ball or space to operate. “That’s the only way you can make his day difficult,” DeMerit said. “If you let a player like that turn and run at you, you’re going to have a long day.” All that hard work also brought a little bit of good fortune with a goalkeeping mistake. “You put shots on target,” DeMerit said, “sometimes they go in.” (Chicago Tribune)

SOUTH AFRICA OPENS WORLD CUP

The World Cup came to Africa on Friday for the first time, and South Africa proved to be an eager and proud host, if not a completely satisfied participant. Bafana Bafana, or the Boys, as South Africa’s team is known, took a lead in the second half but could not hold it as Mexico scored in the 79th minute to forge a 1-1 draw before 84,490 at Soccer City Stadium. But if South Africa did not win, at least it did not lose. With group matches remaining against Uruguay and France, it can maintain hope — however slight — that it will not become the first host nation to exit before the second round. Ultimately, a long-awaited day was rewarding if not decisive. Sixteen years after the end of the racial policies of apartheid, South Africa affirmed both that it was ready to host the world’s biggest sporting event and that it could hold its own against some of the world’s top soccer competition. “The time for Africa has come,” Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s president, said before the match. “It has arrived.” Logistical issues must still be resolved. Traffic jams left some seats empty at kickoff. And it remained to be seen how efficiently fans could be transported out of the stadium. Still, as Tlou Chokoe, a 53-year-old accountant, put it, “Now we can say that we are able to do things that no one gave us any chance of doing.” South Africa entered the tournament under enormous pressure, which was evident in a nervous and cautious first half. Zuma had voiced expectations of winning the tournament, which seems highly unlikely. No African team has advanced beyond the quarterfinals, and South Africa is ranked 83rd in the world, above only North Korea in this 32-team field. The hope of an entire continent, not merely a country, seems to weigh heavily on the shoulders of Bafana Bafana. That hope swelled again in the 90th minute only to be dashed when a dangerous shot by forward Katlego Mphela glanced off the goal post. “We are still in the competition; I can’t ask for more from the Boys,” said Carlos Alberto Parreira, South Africa’s coach. “They did not disappoint us. I’m very happy. We could have won with some breaks.” South Africa relaxed in the second half, unfurling its speed on the counterattack. A beautiful diagonal pass came out of the midfield in the 55th minute. Siphiwe Tshabalala sprinted onto the ball and rocketed a left-footed shot just inside the right goal post for a 1-0 lead. The crowd erupted with the din of plastic trumpets, called vuvuzelas, and Tshabalala and four teammates celebrated with a theatrical chorus line dance on the sideline. But Mexico, which had dominated play for much of the game, only to be thwarted by missed opportunities, did not withdraw. In the 79th minute, a substitute midfielder, Andrés Guardado, fired a cross to the unmarked defender Rafael Márquez, who blasted a shot from 6 yards past the otherwise impenetrable goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, leveling the score at 1-1. Friday’s one bittersweet moment came in the absence of former President Nelson Mandela. He canceled a scheduled appearance after his 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in an automobile accident Thursday night on the way home from a pre-World Cup concert in Soweto. It was hoped that Mandela’s presence might summon the same kind of inspiring and galvanizing moment that occurred when South Africa won the 1995 rugby World Cup here, as dramatized in the movie “Invictus.” Yet Mandela’s spirit and influence in attracting the World Cup were still evident in the stadium. “You must start the game,” he said in a statement conveyed through Zuma. “You must enjoy the game.” Several fans interviewed equated the expectation and excitement present on Friday to Mandela’s release in 1990 after 27 years in prison. “Everyone is together around the country, embracing,” said Mabule Mothapo, a 35-year-old doctor. “We are not black or white; we are just South Africans today.” Maintaining unity after the World Cup will certainly be a challenge in a country that is still struggling to provide the basic necessities of electricity and running water to everyone. Still, Soccer City Stadium, built in the shape of a calabash, a gourd used as a cooking pot, was for a few hours Friday also a melting pot. Soccer is primarily the sport of blacks in South Africa, while rugby is the sport of whites. Ever so slightly, there is increasing crossover. A rugby match was played recently in Soweto, and Friday’s soccer match drew blacks and whites who stood shoulder to shoulder in the stands, waving the South African “rainbow nation” flag, wearing shirts in the green and white of Bafana Bafana, and participating together in a pregame ceremony that featured traditional African costumes and dances. “It’s like a political party that has to move from right to left or left to right,” said Jens Schutte, 38, the chief financial officer of an automotive company, who is white. “Whites are moving more toward soccer, and blacks are getting interested in rugby.” All over Johannesburg, the national flag of South Africa flew in a crisp breeze on Friday. Even the sideview mirrors of many cars bore covers in the shape of the flag. Eight or nine hours before kickoff, the vuvuzelas were in full throat. Inside the stadium they blew incessantly, sounding variously like duck calls, trumpeting elephants, rumbling motorcycles and swarming bees. A number of dignitaries attended the opening match, including Desmond Tutu, the retired Anglican archbishop from South Africa who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He wore a Bafana Bafana scarf and danced along to the pregame music in his box. Hours before the tournament, Tutu told reporters that he could not have dreamed that South Africa — isolated from international sport for nearly three decades until the early 1990s — would host the World Cup one day. “I’m dreaming; wake me up,” Tutu said Thursday at the Soweto concert. “We want to say to the world, Thank you for helping turn this ugly, ugly worm, or caterpillar, which we were, into a beautiful, beautiful butterfly.” If this World Cup begins to change the way the rest of the world views Africa — rebutting stereotypes of poverty and conflict — then it also might change the way South Africans view themselves, said Trod Maloba, a doctor. “This gives us a vision of the future, and whatever that may be, we know collectively that nothing is impossible,” Maloba said. (NY Times)

BRUTAL BOSTON TIES FINALS

The fashionable “Beat L.A.” chants had all but faded from TD Garden, the oxygen bled from the building by Ray Allen’s misfires, Kobe Bryant’s impossible jumpers and Derek Fisher’s intensity. An anxious air hung over the Boston Celtics on Thursday as they teetered on the edge of a heavy series deficit. Then Glen Davis rumbled and shimmied, Nate Robinson bounced and bellowed and belief was restored. The crowd thundered anew — “Beat L.A.!” — and the Celtics bullied their way to a 96-89 victory over the Lakers, tying the N.B.A. finals at 2-2. It was an unusual victory, built on the backs of the Celtics reserves, most prominently Davis, the hefty center, and Robinson, the diminutive guard. They suffocated the Lakers with boundless energy, combining for 15 points in the fourth quarter and propelling the Celtics to a permanent lead. “I don’t think that what we did today was really in the scouting report,” Davis said. “A lot of things that we did was just will and determination and seizing the moment.” And a lot of things were just plain unusual, such as Davis doing a little shimmy after a big free throw, or celebrating a play so enthusiastically that drool spilled from his mouth. The image was captured by the network cameras, to the great amusement of his teammates. “When you’re in the moment, you’re in the moment,” the playful Davis said. “If I slobber, snot, spit, please excuse me. Kids, don’t do that. Have manners and things like that. Sorry about that. Did I catch you with some?” Davis was free to roam the paint in part because Andrew Bynum, the Lakers’ long-limbed center, was forced out by a nagging knee injury. He played just 12 minutes, raising doubts about his availability. Bynum’s absence “bothered us in the second half,” Coach Phil Jackson said, but the Lakers are hopeful that he can return on Sunday for Game 5, after a two-day break. The series will return to Los Angeles for Game 6 and a possible Game 7. The Celtics’ Rasheed Wallace left the game late in the fourth quarter after aggravating a back injury. He also picked up his sixth technical foul of the postseason, one shy of the limit. Another technical foul would trigger an automatic suspension. The Celtics’ Kendrick Perkins is in the same predicament. On a difficult night for the Celtics’ starters, Coach Doc Rivers turned to Davis, Robinson, Wallace and Tony Allen, who joined Ray Allen to open the fourth quarter. They promptly turned a 2-point deficit into a 9-point lead. Paul Pierce, who had been quiet for much of the night, secured the victory with 7 points in the final 2 minutes 17 seconds and finished with 19. The Lakers, looking exhausted and frazzled, could not keep pace. Bryant, finding scant help, kept launching difficult jumpers, going 10 for 22 from the field, finishing with 33 points. He had to do most of his work on the perimeter, going 6 for 11 from the 3-point arc. He also had 7 turnovers. “He was tired,” Jackson said. “Physically, I thought he had to work too hard in the course of the game, and he couldn’t finish it out the way he wanted to finish it out.” The Lakers pulled within 6 points four times down the stretch, mostly on Bryant’s efforts, but Pierce responded each time. They finally got within 5 points on a meaningless Bryant 3-pointer with 11 seconds left. Derek Fisher, the Lakers’ savior in Game 3, spent much of Thursday night on the bench with foul trouble. The Celtics thoroughly dominated the boards, 41-34, and pulled down 16 offensive rebounds, leading to 20 second-chance points. Davis powered through repeatedly for putbacks and layups. Emotions flared in the fourth quarter. After Lamar Odom knocked Robinson to the floor with a hard foul, Robinson leaped up and went nose to chest with Odom, drawing a technical. Wallace, who had drawn a technical foul a minute earlier, started berating the officials, and Rivers quickly called a timeout to calm everyone’s nerves. “Somehow, we’re going to have to keep our composure,” Rivers said. Robinson played the first 9:09 of the fourth quarter, in place of the ineffective Rajon Rondo (10 points), and made several big plays, including a runner in the lane that gave the Celtics an 83-74 lead. Davis hit a pair of free throws to make it an 11-point lead. Ray Allen, who missed all 13 of his shots in Game 3 bounced back slightly with 12 points. After going four days and nearly 61 minutes of basketball between field goals, Allen finally found the net, converting a fast-break layup a minute after tipoff. That ended an 0-for-16 streak that began in the fourth quarter of Game 2. When he landed, Allen clenched both fists in quiet celebration. Allen missed his next five shots, starting with an errant a 3-pointer that had 18,624 people exclaiming “awwww” in unison. That left him 1 for his last 21. He did not make another field goal until late in the third quarter, hitting a 20-footer that drew the loudest ovation of the night and tied the score at 56-56. Davis and Allen provided all the points in a 17-8 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters and wiped out the Lakers’ lead for good. Then the celebrations began, with Davis whooping and the 5-foot 9-inch Robinson at one point leaping onto his broad back. “You were on my back?” Davis said to Robinson, as they sat side by side on the interview podium. “You didn’t even notice,” Robinson said. “We’re like Shrek and Donkey. You can’t separate us.” Everyone laughed and Davis concluded, “You shouldn’t have let us two get up here.” On this night, there was no containing either one. (NY Times)

~STORY OF THE WEEK~
CHICAGO WINS THE CUP

A 49-year-old Stanley Cup drought ended in a flood of anxiety. Patrick Kane, the 21-year-old winger, scored 4 minutes 6 seconds into overtime Wednesday, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks over the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3, and giving Chicago its first Cup since 1961. The Blackhawks had come up empty in five finals since their last Cup victory until Kane scored his third goal of the series. It came suddenly on a shot from the bottom of the right circle that whizzed under the stick and pads of Flyers goalie Michael Leighton. Many in the crowd at the Wachovia Center did not know that a goal had been scored until they saw Kane and his teammates throw their sticks in the air in celebration. No red light went on, and both teams had to wait several moments until the officials confirmed the goal after reviewing the replay and searching for the puck in the padding at the back of the net. But Kane did not need a review. “I shot, I saw it go right through the legs, sticking right under the pad in the net,” he said. “I don’t think anyone saw it in the net. I booked it to the other end. I knew it was in. I tried to sell the celebration a bit.” He added: “I think some guys were still kind of a little iffy to see if the puck was in the net. I saw the coaches there pointing at the puck and jumping around. It’s pretty surreal right now for sure.” Chicago Coach Joel Quenneville described the view on the bench. “When it went in, I don’t think too many people knew it,” he said. “But it made a funny strange sound. Like the back of the leather and the back of the net. And I asked Kaner where did it go in? He said it went in long pad, five hole, in that area,” he continued. “When they lifted up the net, when they went searching for the puck, it was underneath in there deep. They lifted it up, it fell through. We knew that was the winner.” The last time the Blackhawks were champions, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita were young Chicago stars playing with curved sticks, Glenn Hall stood bare-faced in the goal, and John F. Kennedy was president. Jonathan Toews, the Chicago captain, was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. He finished second in overall playoff scoring, but had played unevenly in the finals, with three assists and a minus-5 mark. Nevertheless, he was a force on face-offs throughout the series, winning 97 and losing only 52, and for his preternatural leadership abilities. “This is the best feeling you can ever get playing hockey, and I just can’t believe it’s happening," Toews said. He and his teammates Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, both defensemen, won the Stanley Cup and Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in February. The trio joined Ken Morrow (Team USA and the Islanders in 1980), Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan (both Canada and the Red Wings in 2002) in this exclusive club. The Cup drought was the second longest in league history, after the Rangers’ 54-year sojourn in the wilderness, which ended in 1994. The Blackhawks seemed to be hanging on for a narrow victory in the third period against a furious Flyers attack, but they did not hold on in regulation. Philadelphia’s Scott Hartnell scored with 3:59 left for his second goal of the night, sending the game to overtime. But Kane’s goal, which came after the Flyers had at least four clear chances at the Chicago net in the extra session, made the road team winners for the first time in the series. It was a victory typical of this series: not well played, but exciting and unpredictable. Like the Olympic gold medal game at Vancouver in February, it ended memorably, in overtime. John Madden threw his gloves into a corner after Kane scored, picked them up after he thought the goal might not count, then threw them again. “It was like we won two Cups tonight,” said Madden, a former Devils wing. “It was pretty weird.” Flyers fans stood and saluted their resilient team, then booed loudly as the Blackhawks paraded the Cup around the ice. The Flyers had earned a berth in the playoffs on the last day of the regular season by winning a shootout against the Rangers and were seemingly eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals, trailing the Boston Bruins by three games to none, and by 3-0 in Game 7 in Boston. But the Flyers rallied to become the third N.H.L. team to win a best-of-seven-game series after trailing by 0-3. The Blackhawks, with a 17-7 shooting advantage, were the better team in the opening period, but the score was tied at the first intermission after Dustin Byfuglien and Hartnell traded power-play goals. The Blackhawks held the edge in play in the second period as well, outshooting the Flyers by 10-6. But they fell behind when Danny Briere, the leading scorer of the finals, beat Chicago goalie Antti Niemi on a play that started when Keith tripped over Hartnell’s skate. Patrick Sharp tied the score by finishing a fine passing play with a shot from 21 feet that beat Leighton to the short side at 9:58 — a soft goal, but not quite as soft as Kane’s overtime winner. Andrew Ladd tipped in Niklas Hjalmarsson’s shot at 17:43, and the Blackhawks were ahead by 3-2 entering the third period. Niemi, who had a shaky series, stopped 21 of 24 Flyers shots and ended with an .882 series save percentage. He became the first Finnish goalie to backstop his team to a Stanley Cup. Leighton ended with 37 saves on 41 shots. His save percentage in the series was .876. The Flyers’ line of Hartnell, Danny Briere and Ville Leino was by far the best for either team in the series. Briere led the series in scoring with 3 goals and 10 assists for 13 points. Leino — a rookie even though he is 26 and who had already been named the most valuable player in the Finnish SM-liiga, Europe’s second-best professional league — had 7 goals and 14 assists for 21 points in the playoffs. That tied him for the postseason rookie scoring record, set by Dino Ciccarelli of the Minnesota North Stars in 1981. It was the sixth straight final series that the Flyers have lost. That ties them with the Maple Leafs of 1933-40 and the Red Wings of 1956-95 for most consecutive finals lost. At one point they ranked 29th in the 30-team league, but Peter Laviolette, who won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with a lightly regarded Carolina team, took over as coach in December. “It hurts a lot,” said the Flyers captain Mike Richards, who had a quiet finals. “At the end, they got the last bounce.” Chicago’s Stan Bowman, 36, became the youngest general manager to win the Cup. The son of the legendary coach and manager Scotty Bowman, Stan Bowman was in his first year at the helm of the Blackhawks. It was also the first Stanley Cup for Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville, one of only three men to participate in at least 800 N.H.L. games as both a player and a head coach. His name is already engraved on the Cup, from when he was an assistant with Colorado in 1996. Now it will be etched onto the silverware with the 2010 Blackhawks. The same is true of Marian Hossa, the first player to reach the Stanley Cup finals in three straight years with three different teams. After losing with the Penguins and the Red Wings the last two years, he finally won Wednesday. Hossa was the first person Toews passed the Cup to. “What a relief,” Hossa said. “I’m so happy to finally do this.” On the ice after the game, the Blackhawks and their family, friends and fans celebrated as 2010 was added to the club’s previous Cup victories, in 1961, ’38 and ’34. Kane, whose summer was marked by controversy when he and a cousin pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after they got into a late-night dispute over a fare with a Buffalo cab driver, ended the season in glory, with the 16th overtime goal to win the Stanley Cup. On the ice he was being horsecollared by his jubilant friends and showed the television audience his “famous cousin.” “Got to shout out to my people back in Buffalo, my hometown,” Kane said. “I have four buddies who drove all the way to come out here; my five family members; three sisters, three beautiful sisters. My mom and dad. What a feeling, I can’t believe it. We just won the Stanley Cup.” (NY Times)

STRASBURG ELECTRIFIES D.C

As Stephen Strasburg warmed up in the bullpen, making final preparations for a game he has awaited all his young life, Stevie Wonder was playing through the speakers at Nationals Park. "Oh, baby, here I am,'' Wonder crooned. "Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours.'' Strasburg wasted no time showing why this is a very good thing for baseball followers, in particular the fans of the Washington Nationals, who finally have hope for life after last place. With 40,315 jammed into a park that wasn't one-quarter full when Randy Johnson won his 300th game last June, the 21-year-old from San Diego State blew away the Pittsburgh Pirates over seven innings, striking out 14 while winning his debut in dramatic fashion. Nationals Manager Jim Riggleman called it "a special night,'' and catcher Ivan Rodriguez said it was "a good show.'' Strasburg himself spoke the loudest with his right arm, which once allowed him to strike out 23 in college. Back-to-back home runs by Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham in the sixth inning provided the lead for Strasburg. He could have hung nothing but zeroes on the scoreboard had Rodriguez, the future Hall of Famer, not called for a 1-0 changeup to Delwyn Young, which was deposited in the first rows of the right-field bleachers for a two-run home run. Otherwise Strasburg put on a 94-pitch clinic, illustrating why the Nationals were willing to invest a record $15.1 million in him after a down-to-the-wire negotiation with agent Scott Boras last summer. Boras' reputation for hyping his clients is legendary, but Strasburg's debut made you wonder if he has been undersold. "This is the only time you'll ever hear this from me,'' Nationals President Stan Kasten said. "About Stephen, Scott was not exaggerating.'' An all-business kid who proposed to his girlfriend in the Instructional League and got married shortly thereafter, the pitcher focused so hard he couldn't count the innings. "The only thing I really remember was the first pitch,'' Strasburg said. "It was a ball inside. Everything else was a blur. At one point I lost track of how many innings I threw. It was like I'm just going to go out and have fun. It's just like getting married. You go out, want to remember everything, and when it's over you can't remember a single thing.'' Strasburg, who opened the season with 11 starts in the minor leagues after pitching well enough in spring training to possibly open his career in the National League, experienced his first curtain call from the crowd and his first postgame pie in the face, courtesy of teammate John Lannan. He was as much in control as he was overpowering. His walked none while setting a franchise record for strikeouts (one short of the record for a major league debut, shared by the Brooklyn Dodgers' Karl Spooner and the Houston Astros' J.R. Richard), and only went to a three-ball count on three hitters. Strasburg's strikeouts came in bunches, including the last seven hitters of the game. He finished his night by blowing away Young and Andy LaRoche on three pitches each, with both going down flailing helplessly at 99-mph fastballs. He threw 35 pitches at 98 mph or harder (including two at 100 mph) and 18 that Pittsburgh hitters swung and missed. The Pirates swung at 39 pitches total, putting only eight in play. "He was very good,'' Pirates left fielder Lastings Milledge said. "Very poised. The kid had great, great location … He was so good with command of his off-speed and putting away righties with his changeup. There's a lot of good things to be excited about this kid." This wasn't quite Kerry Wood striking out 20 Houston Astros in his fifth career start, but given the scrutiny he was under it was at least as impressive. Riggleman, the Cubs' manager in Wood's rookie-of-the-year season, noted the similarities. "As he went through the game, that's what Kerry would do,'' Riggleman said. "He would just get on a roll where he got a lot of swings and misses.'' Strasburg and 2010 first overall pick Bryce Harper — still unsigned and represented by Boras — are viewed as climate-changers for the lowly Nationals, who are coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons and rank 24th in the majors in attendance at their beautiful ballpark just down the street from the Capitol. "We can't ask [fans] to come out until you earn it,'' Riggleman said. "This was kind of a night you earn it to get some of them to come back.'' (LA Times)

PLAYERS PREPARING FOR CUP
The South Korean players Kim Hyung Il, left, and Kim Jae Sung in Rustenburg, South Africa, for the World Cup. They will play Greece on Saturday.South African security officials have gone on record as saying they hope the U.S. is bounced in the first round of the World Cup, allowing them to avoid the logistical nightmares that would ensue if President Obama kept his promise to come cheer the Americans on in the tournament's second round. Apparently organizing security for Mexican President Felipe Calderon is less complicated. South African leader Jacob Zuma invited Calderon to Friday's World Cup opener between South Africa and Mexico, and Calderon immediately accepted. "All of the Mexico -- and the whole world -- is excited about this event and what it signifies," Mexican defender Carlos Salcido said Wednesday. "It's important, we know ... representing our country." The visit is Calderon's first to South Africa, and while in the country he will also participate in official talks with Zuma aimed at building better relations -- the results of Friday's match notwithstanding.

BLACKHAWKS 1 WIN AWAY

Dustin Byfuglien scored two goals and had two assists as the Chicago Blackhawks got off to a quick start, got their offense untracked and beat the Philadelphia Flyers 7-4 on Sunday night for a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup finals. Brent Seabrook added a power-play goal and Dave Bolland, Kris Versteeg, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp also scored for the Blackhawks. Chicago can capture the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961 with a victory Wednesday night in Philadelphia in Game 6. A Flyers win would send the series back to Chicago for a decisive Game 7 on Friday night. All five wins in the series have come on home ice. Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen, James van Riemsdyk and Simon Gagne scored for the Flyers. Gagne's goal with 2:36 left made it 6-4, but a half-minute later Byfuglien converted an empty-netter. After two straight losses in Philadelphia, a return to the United Center invigorated the Blackhawks as did some line mixing by coach Joel Quenneville. The Blackhawks blitzed Flyers goalie Michael Leighton with three goals in the final 7:43 of the first period and the United Center erupted as Chicago quickly found the offensive game that had helped it make the finals. Leighton was pulled — for the second time in the series in favor of Brian Boucher — after giving up three goals on 13 shots in the first period. Trailing 3-0, the Flyers wasted little time in getting one of the goals back as Ville Leino took the puck to side of the net and tried to stuff it in. But after hitting goalie Antti Niemi, the puck sat just off the line before Hartnell came in and knocked it home just 32 seconds into the period. Kane, who had been with Byfuglien on a struggling Blackhawks first line that Quenneville split up, got his second goal of the finals on a nice pass from Andrew Ladd. Ladd had his shot blocked by Chris Pronger, recovered the puck and passed it to Kane, who streaked to the net uncovered to beat Boucher for a 4-1 lead. But as they have done throughout the series, the gritty Flyers responded quickly to a Chicago goal with one of their own. Timonen converted from the left circle after Niemi had gone down making a save seconds earlier, and it was 4-2. With Flyers defensive star Pronger in the penalty box for hooking, the 257-pound Byfuglien who likes the space in front of the net, finally got his first goal of the series after a pass from captain Jonathan Toews, making it 5-2. Before the goal, Niemi made a great pad save on a point-blank attempt by Mike Richards during a Flyers power play, keeping it a two-goal game. Van Riemsdyk scored on a rebound in the final period to cut Chicago's lead to two and Niemi made another nice stop on Richards with about five minutes left. Kane then skated down the left side and made a nice feed to Sharp. That gave the Blackhawks a four-goal lead with just under four minutes left. Aggressive from the outset, shooting from all angles, getting the puck through the neutral zone and able to keep their own end clear, the Blackhawks were in control early after two losses in Philadelphia that appeared to swing the momentum in the Flyers' favor. On a power play, Seabrook took a nice pass from Versteeg, who had skated behind the net, lined it up from the left circle and beat Leighton for a 1-0 lead. The Blackhawks had entered the game just 1 for 9 on the power play in the series. With a delayed penalty about to be called on the Flyers, Bolland gathered the puck as it bounced off the boards behind the net and then shoveled it in off Leighton's skate for a two-goal advantage. About two minutes later, Versteeg took a pass at center ice, skated high between the circles and rifled the puck past Leighton for a 3-0 lead. Leighton withstood a furious early attack with a great stop on Patrick Sharp, as Chicago had a quick 6-1 shots advantage, but the Blackhawks kept coming. Chicago finished the period with a 13-7 advantage. Quenneville, as he did late in Game 4, broke up the Blackhawks' struggling first line of Kane, Toews and Byfuglien, who had combined for only one goal and four assists in the first four games. But this time he shuffled it even more with Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky joining Toews to start the game. Kane skated with Ladd and Sharp, and Byfuglien was teamed with Versteeg and Bolland. NOTES: In the 20 previous Stanley Cup finals series tied 2-2, the club winning Game 5 has won the Stanley Cup 14 times. Last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the six teams to overcome a loss in Game 5 after the series had been knotted at 2-2. ... Among the 22,305 in attendance was Michael Jordan, wearing a Toews jersey and waving a souvenir towel. (AP)