GINOBLI!!!

Manu Ginobli of the San Antonio Spurs is an exciting player to watch and the name can be catchy especially when Charles Barkley screams GINOBLI! Unfortunately for the Spurs', the sixth man of the team will be sidelined due to his ankle injury. Playing in the 2008 olympics did not seem to help, but only worsen the injury as this exciting player will undergo surgery. Ginobili needs surgery on his left ankle, an operation that will sideline the San Antonio Spurs guard for six to eight weeks. The Spurs announced Friday afternoon that the surgery, which will correct an impingement of the ankle, will take place next week. The team has not released an official timetable for Ginobili’s return, but the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year did not sound optimistic regarding a speedy recovery. The Spurs will need Manu Ginobli back if they want to compete in the tough western conference and return to NBA finals.

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China's He captures gold in uneven bars, American Liukin silver

With all of this talk about some Chinese gymnasts being underage, the IOC has made it very clear that they will not investigate the people in question. With that, the girl at the center of it all, He Kexin, won a tiebreaker against Nastia Liukin in a confusing matter. China's He Kexin won a tiebreaker over all-around champion Nastia Liukin of the United States for the uneven bars gold medal Monday at the Beijing Olympics. Both scored 16.725, but He got the nod because her execution marks were closer to a perfect 10 than Liukin's. Liukin would not criticize the scoring system that does not award dual gold medals. "It's nothing I can control, and honestly, I can say it has been very fair to me, and I got the biggest gold medal of them all," said Liukin, winner of the women's all-around gymnastics gold. He, at the center of an age-eligibility controversy throughout the games, was fast and furious on the bars. Her twists and flips went by in the blink of an eye, and she won by about that short a margin. Liukin, who sat stone-faced for much of the competition, now has four medals, two of them silver. "I've tied my dad," she said of Valeri Liukin, who also is her coach and competed for the Soviet Union. "I'm a little sad, but at the same time, it's great to have four Olympic medals." Monday's bronze went to China's Yang Yilin, her third medal, including bronze in the all-around. U.S. women have won six medals here; China's women have five, including team gold. For the first few minutes after her final score was issued, Liukin didn't even know the result, unable to see anything beyond the "2" in front of her name. When she finally did look, she figured she had to be seeing double. "I turned to my dad and said, 'Dad, we got the same score.' He looked up and said, 'Oh yeah.' We started getting a little confused," she said. They weren't the only ones. "It's not correct. I believe it's correct to have two gold medals," International Gymnastics Federation president Bruno Grandi said. "But this is my modest opinion. The IOC is different."

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Dream Team continues its domination

Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant were on the same court on Saturday, although neither of team were donning an LA Lakers jersey. The two met as Spain battled Team USA in Olympics basketball. The United States gave the Spanish team a major beating, winning by 119-82 and asserting its dominance after falling into a mediocre third place in the 2004 Olympics. The team now has a 4-0 record, and have four more games to play. Whether the Dream Team will continue to rise to the top remains to be seen, but it is wonderful to see it begin to regain some of its former glory. It has won by huge margins in its previous games. Team USA bombarded Spain a variety of shots and including an impressive 12 for 25 touch from beyond the arc. It also displayed tight defense, preventing Spain star player Pau Gasol from scoring a single point in the first quarter and forcing him to commit three turnovers. The sound of that is so sweet you'd think you were back to the good ol' days of the Dream Team.

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Phelps breaks record in a squeaker

You've heard the expression. Every second matters. How about 1/100 of a second? Well, to American swimmer Michael Phelps, it does. It was by that tiny time frame that he had won his seventh gold medal in the Beijing Olympics' 100-meter butterfly, defeating Serbian Milorad Cavic and tying with Mark Spitz's record. Phelps' next match will be on Sunday at the 400-meter medley relay, where he would try to set a new record for "most gold medals in a single Olympics".

Due to Phelps' tight victory, there were some questions as to whether he had truly won the contest. There were videos that could be used as references, but as LA Times put it, "video does not determine winners in swimming." "Touchpads and plastic sensors" do. Videos are merely used as secondary evidences in the event of a protest. It is still unclear whether anyone had filed a complaint.

It does seem though that Phelps won the match by single stroke. LA Times reported that Cavic used a long last stroke, while Phelps used a short one. That, apprently, meant a lot of difference.

Whether the victory will still be contested or not, I do believe that Phelps has already done great honor for the United States. I look forward to his success in future matches.

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Soni Surprises Jones For 200 Breaststroke Title

With all of this talk about Michael Phelps breaking world records and winning 6 gold medals in these Olympics, you dont often hear about all of the other great swimmers who have also caputured gold. For instance, Rebecca Stoni, a swimmer from USC. Rebecca Soni gave the U.S. women's swim team a much-needed boost, setting a world record in the 200 breaststroke with an upset of Australia's Leisel Jones. Soni had already claimed a surprising silver behind Jones in the 100 breast, a race she wasn't even supposed to be in. She took over when Jessica Hardy failed a doping test at the U.S. trials and was dropped from the team. Jones was out front over the first 100, but Soni came on strong at the end, finishing a full body length ahead of the Aussie in 2:20.22. She beat Jones' mark of 2:20.54, set 2½ years ago in Melbourne. Later Friday, 41-year-old American Dara Torres advanced to the semifinals in the 50-meter freestyle, qualifying behind Aussie teen Cate Campbell -- who was not yet born when Torres competed in her first three Olympics. Soni's victory came about 14 hours after American distance hopes Katie Hoff and Kate Ziegler failed to make the final of the 800 freestyle, and two summers after Soni underwent a minor heart operation. "It's been a long road to get here, and I really can't believe that just happened," she said. Jones claimed silver and Norway's Sara Nordenstam took bronze.

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U.S. women let mistakes overcome them as China wins gold

Did anyone else stay up late and watch the Olympics last night too? I know I did! Watching Michael Phelps win his 10 gold medal with his eyes basically shut was spectacular. And watching him and his team win yet another gold medal by completing the 800 free relay in under 7 minutes smashing the old record was also i sight to see. But the real story is how the U.S. Women Gymnastics had the Gold Medal in there reach, and how they let it slip away. Alicia Sacramone crouched on the ground near the floor, her head buried in her hands, disbelief etched across her face. The Olympic gold medal was in the Americans' grasp, the title that would say, yes, they really are the world's best team. And they fumbled it away. With a fall off the beam here, a splat on the floor there and two more steps out of bounds Wednesday, the Americans all but personally handed the gold medals to the Chinese team and settled for silver. China's score of 188.9 points was more than two points ahead of the U.S., a blowout in a competition that was supposed to be decided by the slimmest of margins. "No one else made mistakes, so it's kind of my fault," Sacramone said, still trying to blink back the tears from her red-rimmed eyes. "I think everybody knows you always have good days and bad days. I just wish today was a good day."

"I am not disappointed at all," Johnson insisted. "We are human when it comes down to it. We make mistakes. And it came down to China had a better day today. Give us another day, we could probably come out on top." The truth is, the Americans wanted gold not silver.

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Indians trade Byrd to Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox acquired pitcher Paul Byrd from Cleveland on Tuesday, hoping to boost a rotation hurt by an injury to Tim Wakefield and the struggles of Clay Buchholz. The Red Sox will send either a player to be named or cash to the Indians. The 37-year-old Byrd is 7-10 with a 4.53 ERA in his 14th season. But since the All-Star break, he has won all four of his starts and has a 1.24 ERA. Boston began play Tuesday in second place in the AL East, four games behind Tampa Bay. The Red Sox were two games ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the wild-card race. "Give me a few minutes before I talk," Byrd said as he packed up in the Indians' clubhouse. "I'm not lucid right now. I'm saying funny things. Give me a half-hour and I'll talk." Byrd was in Cleveland before Tuesday's game against Baltimore when the trade was announced. Byrd was at Fenway Park for Game 7 of last year's American League Championship Series on the day the San Francisco Chronicle reported he had used human growth hormone from 2002 to 2005. He then said before the game that he had used HGH for a medical condition but that he never injected the banned drug without a doctor's prescription.

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Give me gold or..I'll bail

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has quipped jokingly that he would leave the United States if the fabled Team USA basketball team comes short of snatching the gold medal. And where's he gonna go? Italy. And he's not alone. Carmelo Anthony has also dropped his own ultimatum: either he gets a gold medal or he ships his stuff elsewhere. The United States is indeed an instant contender this year, but lately it has not gone unopposed. Only recently, Australia had given the United States quite a match in a pre-Olympics game. Gone were the days the old Dream Team massacred its opponents on court, winning by obscene margins. Just in 2004, Team USA had relinquished its championship throne to Argentina, when it only brought home the bronze medal. I personally have high hopes for this year's team, a.k.a the "Redeem Team", mainly because the 2004 roster did not have the same firepower as this year's. But of course, that remains to be seen. And just like Kobe and Carmelo, I think I'll be packing up the moment I see gold medals dangling off the necks of some other country's basketball players. Kidding.

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First taste of victory

Athletes from the United was quick to work as the 2008 Olympics opened Friday, in Beijing. Mariel Zagunis gave the country a head start when she became the first American to garner a gold medal. She cruised to victory in the female saber fencing competition and was in tears after the victory, saying that "it was a dream come true." Two other Americans, Sada Jacobson and Becca Ward, won the silver and bronze medals respectively, giving Uncle Sam a sweep in the said competition. The United States needed this boost after trailing behind other countries in the medal scoreboard. Zagunis, who became the first "American in a century to win a fencing gold" in 2004, played her victory match this year against Jacobson. In the semifinals, she played bronze medalist Becca Ward and had won 15-11. Ward went on to win a match against Russian Sofia Velikaya in a squeaker 15-14 victory. Former President George H.W. Bush was present to witness the awarding ceremony.

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US Basketball Team Gets Big Beijing Welcome

With the Olympics only 2 days away, everyone participating in the games cant help but feel a little anxious. That includes the US Basketball team. Mike Krzyzewski could feel anticipation build as the plane carrying the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team neared Beijing. "I was sitting next to Jerry (Colangelo) and said, 'You know, we've waited three years to get off this plane and do this," the coach said Wednesday, shortly after the team arrived for the Summer Games. "I think we're prepared, and while we're here we need to prepare more." With their Olympics opener scheduled for Sunday against the host Chinese, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and the rest of the team arrived amid near pandemonium after fans waited hours for a glimpse of their basketball heroes. Later, the players held a team meeting before deciding to head to the Olympic village to take in the sights. "It's a little overwhelming that it's really here -- the reality that we're here," said Colangelo, the managing director of USA Basketball. "We're honored we're playing in China," Krzyzewski said after attending the ceremonial opening of the 24 Hour Fitness-sponsored strength and conditioning facility at the U.S. training center at Beijing Normal University. "We've been treated with the greatest amount of respect and friendliness. We could not have been treated better. I know we'll get the same treatment in Beijing. The Chinese people love basketball and we're excited we're playing the first game against China." That excitement was on display when the U.S. team arrived at Beijing's airport earlier Wednesday. Dozens of fans, most wielding cell phones or digital cameras, mounted a spiked iron fence to get a closer look, many shouting "Kou-bi-er" -- the local rendering of Bryant's name -- in hopes of getting his attention.

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Several White Sox and Royals Players Suspended and Fined

Several players from the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals were suspended for getting a little rough during a weekend game. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was suspended two games and Royals manager Trey Hillman was given one game Tuesday. All four penalties also included undisclosed fines. Olivo and Greinke appealed their suspensions, which were to begin with Tuesday night's game against Boston. They can continue to play until the appeal process is complete. Baseball disciplinarian Bob Watson issued the suspensions following Sunday's game in Kansas City. Olivo will sit out for the second time this year -- he was suspended four games at the beginning of this season after throwing a punch at the Mets' Jose Reyes while playing for Florida last September. Hillman will immediately serve his penalty. The Royals were on their way to a 14-3 win when trouble began in the fifth inning. Olivo already had three RBIs when he was hit by a pitch from White Sox reliever D.J. Carrasco and charged the mound, starting a bench-clearing brawl.

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Yankee Prospects May Have Been Forced to Kick Back Bonus Money

If the scandal between Yankee A-Rod and Madonna wasn't enough, there's a new scandal surrounding the New York Yankees. Major League Baseball investigators are looking into accusations that several New York Yankees prospects from the Dominican Republic were forced to kick back portions of their signing bonuses to one or more team employees, several sources told ESPN. The revelation is one of several developments in an ongoing investigation of a financial scandal involving the signing of players from the Dominican Republic. Last week, the Red Sox's Dominican scouting supervisor, Pablo Lantigua, was fired after MLB investigators confronted him about allegedly skimming signing bonuses, according to an MLB source. Four MLB investigators returned to the United States from the Dominican last week and are preparing a report for the commissioner's office. While clubs have fired several officials already implicated in the scandal, MLB has worked closely with the FBI, which is conducting its own investigation into the alleged skimming of bonuses. One source briefed on MLB investigators' findings said he believed "less than a half-dozen" teams would be implicated, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Nationals and White Sox. The 20 or so employees, based in both the United States and the Dominican Republic, either received money or were aware of others who did, the source said.

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Exercise, camaraderie, and more

At least in some towns in the United States, adults are trying different ways of redefining exercise as we know it. In Newport New Hampshire local adults are coming out to their gym on Friday nights to attend a two hour session of routine warm-up exercises and what they call "spastic ball", a game which is said to be some sort of a hybrid between soccer and basketball. The rules are pretty loose, and the folks playing the game intend it to be that way. IN an interview with MSNBC, founder Mike Pettinicchio said that while it was nice to have some competition, he added that the people playing "spastic ball" did not want it to be overly serious about their workout session. In fact, they see it as a way to simply meet with friends and have some fun. In Portland Oregon, something similar is being done. And as MSNBC put it, "are a way to enjoy childhood activities without all the rules."


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PHOTO SOURCE: SENTER, CHERYL. Associated Press.

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Expanding the (Mark) Cuban Empire

That's right folks. The animated owner of the Dallas Mavericks who has passionately heckled at NBA referees is now setting his sights on a buyout of baseball team Chicago Cubs. Four folks are said to have shown interest in the team, but Cuban currently seems to be the most loaded with $1.3 billion to shell out on The Tribune Company. Cuban apparently owns more than just sports companies, as HDNet channels is also under his name. He has also hosted "The Benefactor" and had a brief stint with Dancing with the Stars" Aside from Cuban's entrepreneurial exploits, however, Cuban is known for his loquacious personality. And as a recent NY Times article noted, "there is no one in baseball like him". The article noted that Cuban sets himself apart from typical team owners and executives. Why? Well, you don't see a team owner getting fined $1.7 million for from complaining too loud against referees. It'd be exciting to see a character like Cuban in a baseball dome.

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PHOTO BY: SANDOMIR, RICHARD. New York Times

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