RAIN OR SHINE Parma's Hernan Dellafiore warming up before a Serie A match against Sampdoria in Parma, Italy.

FAST BREAK: NOT SO FAST John Wall, who had his first career triple-double, tries to block the shot of Houston's Kevin Martin in the Wizards' 98-91 win.

SLAM BUMP Edmonton Oilers defesmen Kurtis Foster (26) makes a pass while he is checked by the Carolina Hurricanes center Jiri Tlusty (19) during the 1st period at the RBC center.

FLORIDA FEROCITY Dwight Howard yells at the ball after what he thinks was a bad call. He had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Orlando continued its recent reign over Atlanta with a 93-89 victory Monday night

THE CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPH The New York City Marathon is one of the largest in the world, attracting tens of thousands of entrants. Above, runners crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge after the start of the Marathon.

RIGHT BEHIND YOU The British team of Steven Burke, Edward Clancy, Jason Queally and Andrew Tennant in the men's 4-kilometer team pursuit during the European Track Cycling Championships in Pruszkow, Poland. The British team won the gold medal.

HOLD ME BACK Jockey Calvin Borel, center, after an on-track incident during the Breeders' Cup Grade III Marathon race at Churchill Downs. Borel was involved in a fight with jockey Javier Castellano.

EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF New York Knicks forward Wilson Chandler (left) and Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) try to gain control of a loose ball during the second half at the United Center. The Knicks won 120-112.

WET AND WILD Stephanie Gilmore of Australia en route to winning her fourth consecutive women's world title at the Rip Curl Pro Search surfing competition in Isabela, P.R.

ROOKIE FEVER John Wall celebrates the overtime ensuring 3-point basket against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Verizon Center on November 2, 2010 in Washington, DC. The Wizards came out victorious with their first win of the 2010 basketball season. John Wall is in his rookie season with Washington.

A RING FOR THE BAY

San Francisco has won it's first ever World Series title. A home run by Edgar Renteria and help from left-handed pitching ace Tim Lincecum pushed the Giants to their first World Series championship since 1954, when they played in New York.

I GOT IT Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez topples to the ground after leaping and barely snagging a line drive off the bat of Jeff Francoeur in the second inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. The Giants are one win away from a World Championship.

SMILES IN TEXAS Josh Hamilton is congratulated after rounding the bases by Nelson Cruz. His Home Run gave the Texas Rangers a 4-0 lead over the Giants in Game 3 of the World Series. San Francisco leads 2 games to 1.

OREGON WINS! Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas in the first half after a touchdown pass, one of his four against U.S.C.

SAFE AT HOME Cody Ross slid home safely to score a run in the seventh inning, as the Giants took a 2-0 World Series lead with a 9-0 win, outscoring the Texas Rangers 20-7 in the first two games at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

THE FREAK AT THE BAY Tim Lincecum, the Giants’ ace and a two-time Cy Young winner, was far from dominant Wednesday night, but he threw well enough to be the winning pitcher in Game 1 of the World Seires.

THE WORLD AWAITS FOX Sports exclusive coverage of Major League Baseball’s World Series begins Wednesday, Oct. 27 with Game 1 between the American League Champion Texas Rangers and the National League Champion San Francisco Giants live from AT&T Park. Another highly-anticipated pitching showdown takes center stage for Game 1 as San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum and Texas’ Cliff Lee face-off. Also on deck, Emmy-Award winning documentary film maker Ken Burns contributes a special open to begin coverage of the MLB’s 106th World Series

1-0 Shaquille O'Neal throws down on a fastbreak as the Celtics jumped out to an early lead in Boston. The Celtics went on to win, in their first game of the season, 88-80 over the Miami Heat and Lebron James.

GETTING READY IN A DIFFERENT CITY Center Shaquille O'Neal, who played with LeBron James in Cleveland last season, walked under the Boston Celtics' championship banners on media day at the team's training camp in Waltham, Mass., in September.

NEW FACE OF NATIONAL LEAGUE Even in this culture where baseball is seen as an uneventful sport, the Giants captivated our attention with postseason dominance and a glamorous cast. With all the star power in these playoffs, the Giants clinched the National Championship Series, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 in a compelling, dramatic masterpiece at Citizens Bank Park.

TO THE WORLD SERIES WE GO Neftali Feliz and Bengie Molina embrace in celebration of eliminating New York and clinching the American Leauge Championship.

NOT DONE YET Phillies closer Brad Lidge (left) and catcher Carlos 'Chooch' Ruiz celebrate after Lidge saves a Game 5 win. Jayson Werth's solo homer in the top of the ninth (below) gives Lidge insurance. The Phillies now trail 3-2 entering Game 6.

TIME TO CELEBRATE The San Francisco Giants keep showing that building a loaded, All-Star lineup isn't the only way to make a deep October run. The second-chance players and homegrown talent can pay big dividends this time of year, too. A club of castoffs and postseason newcomers is now just one win away from the World Series. Juan Uribe, sore left wrist and all, hit a sacrifice fly off Roy Oswalt with one out in the ninth inning Wednesday night, sending the Giants past the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 for a 3-1 lead in the NL championship series.

BACK ON TRACK Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano, right, after the Yankees beat the Rangers in Game 5. They now trail 3 games to 2 going into Texas for Game 6.

STILL YOUR DADDY Cliff Lee pitched eight scoreless innings for the victory, striking out a career-high 13 batters; in eight career postseason starts, he is 7-0 with a 1.26 earned run average. The Texas Rangers are up 2-1 in the ALCS. Lee is no 3-0 against the Yankees in the postseason. The Rangers won Game 3 8-0.

CLUTCH Jimmy Rollins hits a three-run double in the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. The NLCS is tied 1-1.

WE'RE EVEN Marcus Thames after striking out in the sixth inning. The Yankees struck out 10 times in the game. The Texas Rangers won Game 2 of the ALCS 7-2.

COMEBACK IN ARLINGTON Thames after his run-scoring single gave the Yankees the lead. They did not give it back.

THE STADIUM AWAITS With Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez as members of the Yankees, New York will enter hostile territory in Arlington, Texas Friday night for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

IT COULD BE OVER San Diego Chargers outside linebacker Shawne Merriman was placed on the injured reserve list with a calf injury and a minor-injury designation Wednesday.

ROAD WARRIORS The Texas Rangers celebrated their Division Series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field Tuesday night. Their 5-1 win gave them a 3-2 series victory, winning all three games on the road- two behind ace Cliff Lee.

CAREER ENDS AT HOME In the series' fourth one-run affair, Cody Ross homered then drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh, sending the San Francisco Giants to the NLCS with a 3-2 win over Atlanta in Bobby Cox's finale. His legendary career as manager came to an end appropriately at Turner Field. The Giants will battle the Philadelphia Phillies for a place in the World Series.

DISGRACED Brooks Conrad committed a Division Series record three errors Sunday in Atlanta, handing the San Francisco Giants a 2-1 series lead on two unearned runs in there 3-2 victory at Turner Field in front of forty two thousand fans.

TWIN TRADITION The Yankees swept the Twins in three games yet again in 2010. After a 6-1 win Saturday night in the Bronx, New York advanced to face Texas or Tampa Bay in the American Leauge Championship Series. The Twins have lost 12 straight playoff games.

AND THEN THEY WERE TIED Atlanta Braves' Rick Ankiel rounded third base after hitting a game-winning home run against the San Francisco Giants. The Division Series is now tied 1-1.

THE SCENE A jet flyover before the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves National League Division Series match. It was Game 1 and the Giants won the game 1-0 behind Tim Linsecum's 12-strikeout performance.

HISTORY IN PHILADELPHIA

The first playoff no-hitter since 1956 is only the second no-hitter in postseason baseball history. Roy Halladay is the first starting pitcher to have more hits in a post-season game than he allowed.

READY TO GO A general view of the field before game one of the 2010 ALDS between the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

PRESEASON COMPLETE Mike Comrie scored twice and Evgeni Malkin had a goal and three assists in Pittsburgh's 5-2 win oon Sunday in the final exhibition game for each team.

A CHAMPIONSHIP TO ENJOY Freddy Sanchez and the San Francisco Giants won the National Leauge West Division Championship Sunday at AT&T Ballpark.

ONE LAST HURRAH The Red Sox, looking to force New York into a Wild Card berth and give Tampa Bay the American League East division title, celebrate Eric Patterson’s RBI single in the bottom of the tenth inning late Saturday night.

STILL ALIVE Powered by three home runs, including a 3-run home run by Adrien Gonzalez, the Padres beat the Giants, 6-4, and are now two games behind San Francisco in the NL West and just one game back of the Braves for the Wild Card.

GOODBYE GUYS! METS RID MANAGER AND GM: According to the NY Post, sources close to the New York Mets organization have stated that both Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel have been informed that they will not be retained for the 2011 season. More

MUTUAL HONOR Blue Jays Manager Cito Gaston was honored before his last game in Toronto on Wednesday. He is retiring after the season.

A CLINCHER FOR THE AGES: ONE BIG SWING ENDS 15 YEAR DROUGHT The moment was 15 years in the making. When Jay Bruce's walk-off blast capped Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Astros, the dream became reality -- the Reds are NL Central champions. Video: Reds Clinch ; Photographs

CELEBRATE THE CLINCH Roy Halladay tosses a two-hitter, then exults with Carlos Ruiz as Philadelphia clinches its fourth straight NL East championship.

I GOT YOU Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (82) is congratulated by quarterback Matt Cassel (7) after scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won the game 31-10.

HOW SWEET IT IS The Texas Rangers, including Bengie Molina, celebrate a win that clinched an American League West division title, their first in 11 years.

RAYS RECLAIM FIRST After riding a three-run fifth inning to a win over the Mariners, the Rays had to wait to see how things ended in the Bronx. And when the Red Sox fended off a Yanks rally, the Rays owned the American League East lead.

GOLDEN CITY BEST IN THE WEST Juan Uribe homered twice, including a slam, and drove in six in a nine-run second as the San Francisco Giants reclaimed first place in the NL West by overwhelming the Cubs and Ryan Dempster, who lasted just 1 2/3 innings.