ROCKET DOWN A federal appeals court Thursday refused to reinstate a defamation lawsuit disgraced former pitcher Roger Clemens filed against his former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, who claims he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone more than a dozen times.

FALLING APART, FALLING OUT OF THE PICTURE Joe Mauer had four hits to lead the Twins to another back-and-forth, 7-6 win over the White Sox on Wednesday. The Twins have won six straight and lead the AL Central by five games over Chicago.

PADRES ONLY GETTING BETTER San Diego, now 24 games above .500 and five games up in the National League West is winning and winning and winning. For the first time in franchise history, the Padres have become the first NL team to win 70 games, now standing at 71-47 with a .602 winning percentage.

ELI DOWN, GIANTS LOSE New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is forced to leave Monday night's preseason game with the Jets after suffering a three-inch gash over his eye that requires 12 stitches. The Jets defeated the Giants 36-31.

STRUGGLING Johnny Damon is struggling in the power department since leaving the New York Yankees for Detroit, hitting just seven homers to this point in the season with the Tigers.

DELAYED BY FOG...When a shroud of soupy fog postponed the beginning of the P.G.A. Championship on Thursday morning, Bubba Watson killed time by playing a popular puzzle video game called Angry Birds on his iPhone. At other points, he threw things at his fellow golfer Rickie Fowler as he tried to sleep. Read More

ATLANTA ON TOP Braves ace Tim Hudson has allowed just two earned runs over his last five starts after shutting out the Dodgers on three hits over eight innings as he continues to look like a strong Cy Young candidate. Above, Atlanta celebrates its only run in the 1-0 victory Friday.

SMILING NORTH OF THE BORDER Jose Bautista got the Blue Jays' ninth-inning rally started with his Major League-leading 36th homer, and Fred Lewis capped off the four-run frame with a walk-off sacrifice fly to take the finale away from the Red Sox.

INAPPROPRIATE BRAWL Major League Baseball suspended pitcher Johnny Cueto and managers Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa as a result of the ugly brawl between the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

A HELMET AND A SMILE Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (85) and wide receiver Terrell Owens (81) during player introductions prior to the pro football hall of fame game against the Dallas Cowboys at Fawcett Stadium.

A VIEW TO MATCH A couple ate lunch as Steve Black of Australia dived past their balcony in the lead-up to Round 4 of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Polignano a Mare, Italy. Gary Hunt of England leads the six-round series.

SURGING CINCI The Reds, who notched their first sweep since June, swept the Cubs at Wrigley for the first time since 2005. Joey Votto led the onslaught with a two-run homer and four runs scored to back winner Travis Wood. Cincinnati is in first place for a reason.

DIFFERENT MANAGER, SAME RESULTS Buck Showalter's magical touch as Orioles manager finally met reality Saturday night at Camden Yards. Not a harsh reality, but at least a reminder of why he came to Baltimore in the first place. Playing the first game with Showalter as manager, the O's fell 4-2 to the first-place Chicago White Sox in Baltimore.

FOREVER A HERO Tom Glavine, former member and future Hall-of-Famer' for the currently first place Atlanta Braves was retired with a ceremony at Turner Field Friday night.

SWEET SUCCESS Luca Ferretti of Italy celebrating after winning the men's 5-kilometer open water competition at the European swimming championships in Balatonfured, Hungary. Ferretti finished in 58 minutes 43.4 seconds, The Associated Press reported, beating his teammate Simone Ercoli by 17.1 seconds.

HISTORY IN THE BRONX Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th career home run on Wednesday, becoming the youngest player ever to reach the feat. He is only the seventh player in major leauge history to hit the triumphant milestone.

DENVER DISASTER The Colorado Rockies struggles continued Tuesday night as they fell 7 games out of contention in the NL West after a 10-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

EVERY TEAM PLAYS As August rivalries heat up and playoff races get serious, many teams find themselves falling out of postseason contention. Two of those teams, the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals, played Monday night, above.

A-ROD NO MATCH FOR RAYS The Tampa Bay Rays, 6-5 against New York in 2010, completed a series victory with a 3-0 shutout Sunday afternoon. Alex Rodriguez, still sitting on his 599th home run, strikes out in the 5th inning. Now just one game out of first place in the American League East, the Rays are undoubtedly the Yankees biggest challenger for the division crown. Both teams are predicted to face off in this year's ALCS.

TWINS KEEP WINNING The Twins scored three runs in the first inning off Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, and that was more than enough to back right-hander Kevin Slowey, who tossed eight scoreless innings for his 10th win of the season. Minnesota has won 8 in a row and is just a half game out of first place.

KODAK MOMENT At the X Games, Travis Pastrana won the gold medal for the seventh time in the Moto X Freestyle at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Above, his picture-perfect skills on display.

PHILADELPHIA FIRE Raul Valdez 11th-inning single gave the Phillies a walk-off victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The red-hot Phils have now won 8 consecutive games and completed a homestretch sweep.

THINGS JUST AIN'T THE SAME Los Angeles isn't New York. And the Dodgers are not the Yankees. This, Joe Toree does not need reminding of as he watches in pain as the Dodgers fell six games out of first, deep into third place in the National League's Western division. The first place San Diego Padres won the game 6-1.

TOP AND BOTTOM Washington Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham (16) slides safely into second base as Atlanta Braves second baseman Martin Prado catches the wide throw during their game at Nationals Park. The Braves are in first in the NL east and the Nationals are in last but the Nationals won the game 3-0.

NO-HITTER IN TAMPA Tampa Bay, known over the last couple years for being on the wrong side of no-hitters, collected its first ever no-hitter behind Matt Garza in a 5-0 defeat of the Detroit Tigers monday night at Tropicana Field. Read More

PADRES NOT LETTING UP Chris Denorfia celebrates with Yorvit Torrealba after scoring on Adrian Gonzalez's two-run home run as the first-place red-hot San Deigo Padres completed a three-game sweep of the lifeless Pittsburgh Pirates.

SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT Matt Kemp and James Loney Celebrate the Dodgers 13th inning walk-off Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles.

A LOOK INTO THE ACTION The Angles Howard Kendrick bats against the first-place Texas Rangers in a 1-0 loss Friday night. C.J Wilson pitched a complete-game gem.

BRAVES REMAIN UNSTOPPABLE Tim Hudson and Martin Prado celebrate an 8-0 victory over the first-place San Diego Padres. The also first-place Braves have a 7 game lead on the Philadelphia Phillies in the National Leauge East.

A FAMILIAR FEELING The New York Mets, who have won just once since the All-Star break (a win handed to them by a bad call at home plate) find themselves in similar territory to season's past: amidst a collapse. They have been swept by one of the worst teams in baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and are just hanging on to a record over .500. New York is now 6.5 games out in the NL East and 4 games out of the NL Wild Card.

FOR THE SKIPPER After legendary manager Lou Pinella announced his retirement plans set for the end of the 2010 baseball season, the Cubs put together a show at Wrigley Field Tuesday night. Aramis Ramirez banged three homers and drove in seven as the Cubs scored 13 straight to rally back after trailing by six. Above, Derrek Lee celebrates his 2-run double.

THE RIGHT CALL Buster Posey gets the call right as the red-hot San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium monday night.

CARDINALS TAKE FIRST The Los Angeles Dodgers fell 5-4 as the St. Louis Cardinals won in walk-off fashion for their fifth consecutive win. The victory at Bushe Stadium put them in first place in the National League central.

PHILLIES RALLY, CLIMB IN STANDINGS On a beautiful afternoon in the North Side of Chicago, the disappointing Chicago Cubs gave up 5 runs in the 9th inning to the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies as fans from the city of brotherly love took over Wrigley Field and witnessed the birth of second place in the National League east.

REDS KEEP GETTING IT DONE Two of the hottest teams in baseball met Friday night in Cincinnati as the Rockies, winners of 10 of their last 12 fell to the first place Reds at Great American Ballpark in front of a sold out crowd of over 42,000. Bronson Arroyo, above guided Cincinnati to its 50th win, 3-2.

REMEMBERING THE BOSS Fans line up around a makeshift memorial in remembrance of former owner George Steinbrenner as they enter the stadium before the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY The baseball season resumed Wednesday where it began, in Minnesota, as the Twins looked to gain ground in a division they led less than a month prior the the Chicago White Sox hot-streak. Playing for the first year in their new outdoor ballpark, the Twins have sold out nearly every game and are expected to keep Minneapolis buzzing as Joe Mauer and co look for another postseason run.

YANKEE 'BOSS' DEAD Perhaps the most infulential buisnessman of the last 40 years, George Steinbrenner the 3rd has passed. He died after suffering a heart attack in his Tampa home on the morning of July 13, 2010, the day of the 81st All-Star Game.

"VOICE OF GOD" GOES TO HEAVEN Renowned legend Bob Sheppard, PA announcer for the New York Yankees and New York Giants from 1956 to 2009, has passed away. Athletes from around baseball expressed the honor they felt when Sheppard announced their names at Yankee Stadium Monday. For New York, the news overshadowed even Spain's World Cup victory.

SPAIN: CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD Spain defeated the Neaterlands 1-0 Sunday to take the World Cup title, finishing a successful year in South Africa with a European title.

FIRED UP SOX CHARGE INTO FIRST The White Sox continued their remarkable run, homering five times during a win over the Royals and moving into first place in the AL Central with their eighth win in a row. Carlos Quentin blasted two home runs and manager Ozzie Guillen got ejected yet again.

LEBORN FIRES UP MIAMI Lebron James, along with old friend and new South Florida arrival Chris Bosh and hometown boss Dwayne Wade fired up the huge crowd and promised championships and the return of Heat NBA dominance.

THE KING HEADING TO MIAMI
The one and only Lebron James announced his place for the 2010 NBA season- Miami, Florida. The now-Heat kept everybody waiting as ESPN went all-out in a suspenseful interview and hype-packed special.

ENOUGH TO WIN Spain’s Carles Puyol, third from left, celebrated with his teammates after scoring Spain's only goal in their 1-0 defeat of Germany to advance to the World Cup finals.

GOAAAAAAAAAAL! The Netherlands, unbeaten in 25 straight matches, will be in the final, after defeating Uraguay Monday night 2-1 in South Africa.

WELCOME TO THE BIG CITY New York basketball just added a formidable force to its center stage. Amar’e Stoudemire was on the Madison Square Garden marquee, wearing a white Knicks jersey with a No. 1 on the chest. His image filled electronic billboards across the premises. A large banner inside bore a slogan, “Stat City,” that played on his nickname, STAT (Standing Tall and Talented). Stoudemire, in cap, averaged 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Suns last season. Above, he announces his deal.

WINNING WIMBELDON At Wimbledon on Sunday, Mr. Nadal, 24, won his eighth Grand Slam title, the same number as Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Fred Perry and Ken Rosewall.

DEFINITION CHAMPION Serena Williams swept to her fourth Wimbledon singles title, and second without losing a set, against Russian 21st seed Vera Zvonareva on Saturday.

MAKING A STATEMENT Despite being favored to win, Brazil fell to elimination at the hands the Neatherlands 2-1 Friday in South Africa. The Neatherlands is making an incredible run at a title.

FIRST PLACE FOR A REASON Jared Weaver, who shut out the second-place Texas Rangers for 7 innings Thursday night, guided the Los Angeles Angels to a 2-1 win at home, putting them 5 and a half games up in 1st place.