No rest for Serena Williams before Olympics

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ (AP Sports Writer)

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• Serena Williams practices for the Bank of the West Classic tennis tournament, Tuesday, July 10, 2012, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
• Serena Williams practices for the Bank of the West Classic tennis tournament, Tuesday, July 10, 2012, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -- Serena Williams has had little time to reflect on her first Grand Slam title in two years and even less time to sleep with a schedule she says is ''probably the most hectic it has been in my career.''

And it has only just begun.
Three days removed from winning Wimbledon and less than three weeks away from returning to London to go for Olympic gold, a jet-lagged Williams was back on the court Tuesday - more than 5,000 miles and eight time zones away from the All England Club - in the serene setting at Stanford.
''I don't know really where I am right now,'' she joked.
The 14-time Grand Slam singles champion left London a day earlier, watched ''at least five movies'' on the flight - ''The Hunger Games'' was her favorite - because she couldn't sleep and only rested a few hours before she showed up on Court 10 wearing a pink, long-sleeved shirt and black capris in front of about a dozen spectators.
Leaving the London drizzle for the Stanford sunshine wasn't the only reason Williams returned.
The Bank of the West Classic, where the top-seeded Williams will defend her title beginning Wednesday against NCAA champion Nicole Gibbs of Stanford, holds special meaning for Williams. The tournament is where her comeback took shape last year when she beat Marion Bartoli in the finals for her first WTA title victory since returning from blood clots in her lugs and two foot operations that threatened her life and career.
''I really wanted to come here more than anything,'' Williams said. ''This is kind of where I felt like it began. Just getting on that plane and coming here to play is probably the best thing I could have done.''
What a way to gear up for the Games.
Not only did Williams win the singles title at Wimbledon, she also teamed with older sister Venus to capture the doubles crown. The ''super hectic schedule,'' as Williams refers to it, isn't slowing down either.
The two will be right back on grass at the All England Club when Olympic competition begins July 28.
Williams, now No. 4 in the world rankings, and Venus won gold in doubles in 2000 and 2008 and will go for a third again this year. Serena might also team with Andy Roddick or John Isner in mixed doubles. She has never medaled in singles.
A year ago at this time, even playing in the Olympics didn't seem possible.
Williams cut her feet on glass at a restaurant two weeks after her 2010 Wimbledon title, leading to a series of health problems for most of the next year, including being hospitalized for clots in her lungs. She also had a pocket of blood removed under the skin on her stomach.
Now she's back and better than ever.
''She's proven herself to be a great champion,'' Roddick said during a conference call Tuesday before a tournament in Atlanta. ''She's almost become a master of comebacks. I remember when, what, four or five years ago, she was below 100 in the world? People were wondering if that was it. She came back and dominated.''
Seemingly with ease, too.
What has propelled Williams more than anything is her serve. She broke her own Wimbledon record for aces in a match with 23 against Zheng Jie in the third round. Less than a week later, she eclipsed that mark with 24 against Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals and finished with 102 for the tournament.
Williams tossed a football around the Stanford courts Tuesday before practicing her serve - a motion her father, Richard, has said is similar to her racket swing. She used to toss the ball around as a kid, too.
Age hasn't slowed down Williams yet.
She is the first woman in her 30s to win Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova took home the title in 1990 at age 33. If she stays healthy, Williams has a chance to match Navratilova's total of 18 Grand Slam titles as well. Only Steffi Graf with 22 major championships has more.
''I've actually never felt this fit and this good in my entire life,'' Williams said. ''It's really, really, really weird but I've never felt this good.''
She could not have said that a year ago.
Williams walked onto the court at Stanford as the favorite then, but hardly the clear-cut choice she once was - especially entering the fall's U.S. Open, where she lost in the finals to Samantha Stosur. Now that punishing serve is back, and so are those hard-hitting strokes and fleet footwork that propelled Williams to the top of women's tennis.
Not to mention that aura of invincibility.
''I'm so in awe of her,'' said Gibbs, who was a ball girl for Williams for an exhibition in Cleveland when she was 12 years old. ''She's one of my idols growing up. I'm honored to play against her.''
Bartoli also is back in the field at Stanford as the No. 2 seed. Third-seeded Dominika Cibulkova and fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic, both looking to shake off first-round losses at Wimbledon, figure to round out Williams' top competition.
In another example of how much has changed, Bartoli beat the former world No. 1 in straight sets in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year. Then Williams whipped the Frenchwoman in straight sets in the finals at Stanford.
And now?
''I'm glad I was able to play against her last year at Wimbledon because I think that was my best chance to ever beat her,'' Bartoli said. ''I predicted that last year here at Stanford. And I think my prediction was kind of right.''
---
AP Sports Writer Melissa Murphy in New York contributed to this story.

PSU report on sex-abuse scandal due out Thursday

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• FILE - In this March 7, 2007, file photo, Penn State University president Graham Spanier speaks during a news conference at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey …

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- A potentially explosive report into whether football coach Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials took steps to conceal that former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was a child molester will be released Thursday - online for all to see, officials said Tuesday.

Attorneys for the university's deposed president, meanwhile, broke a monthslong silence and denied suggestions that Graham Spanier participated in a cover-up with the image of Penn State and its powerful and lucrative football program at stake.
The internal report by former FBI chief Louis Freeh is expected to reveal how the university treated Sandusky, Paterno's one-time heir apparent, after top administrators fielded complaints about his encounters with young boys more than a decade ago. It is also expected to cast light on how the Hall of Fame coach, who died in January, exerted control over the football program while Sandusky worked under him and after Sandusky retired from coaching.
And the report could influence how Paterno is remembered while affecting an ongoing NCAA probe into the school's conduct and the criminal cases against two Penn State administrators.
Freeh's spokesman said the report will be published online at 9 a.m. Thursday. Investigators will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. in Philadelphia to discuss its findings and recommendations. The university trustees, who are meeting in Scranton on Thursday, said they will respond shortly thereafter.
Paterno's family said in a statement Tuesday that the late coach ''did not cover up for Jerry Sandusky. Joe Paterno did not know that Jerry Sandusky was a pedophile. Joe Paterno did not act in any way to prevent a proper investigation of Jerry Sandusky. To claim otherwise is a distortion of the truth.''
Paterno supported the decision by the board of trustees to hire Freeh to conduct a thorough investigation of the Sandusky allegations, but recent news leaks raised questions about fairness and confidentiality, the family said in the lengthy statement. They said the Freeh group turned down an offer for the family to respond to allegations after also asking to review the findings to prepare a response.
The winningest coach in major college football, Paterno never got a chance to speak to the Freeh group before he died of lung cancer on Jan. 22 at age 85.
''It is our firm belief that the report would be stronger and more credible if we were simply given a chance to review the findings concerning Joe Paterno in order to present the case he was never allowed to make,'' the family said.
Trustee Ryan McCombie - who was elected to the board this spring and was not a trustee when Paterno was fired in November - said he hoped the report took a broader look beyond Paterno ''and addresses the university as a whole - and how this culture was handled or mishandled correctly - and comes to some closure on that.''
''The people who loved Joe Paterno will still love him when this is over,'' McCombie said. ''The people who disliked him may feel they have ammunition to continue to dislike him.''
Tuesday's announcement that Freeh and his team of investigators have completed their work came a few hours after lawyers for Spanier denied that he was ever told of any criminality by Sandusky. The lawyers were rebutting reports that indicate Spanier, who was interviewed by Freeh investigators on Friday, might have tried to cover up the abuse.
''At no time in the more than 16 years of his presidency at Penn State was Dr. Spanier told of an incident involving Jerry Sandusky that described child abuse, sexual misconduct or criminality of any kind, and he reiterated that during his interview with Louis Freeh and his colleagues,'' said a statement from the lawyers, Peter Vaira and Elizabeth Ainslie.
Both Spanier, 63, and Paterno were ousted by school trustees a few days after Sandusky's November arrest. Prosecutors described how Sandusky, 68, culled the most vulnerable children from his charity for at-risk youth and used gifts and his access to Penn State facilities to abuse them over a 15-year span. Sandusky was convicted last month on 45 counts of abuse involving 10 boys and will likely die in prison.
Freeh was hired by the university to find out what school officials, including Spanier and Paterno, knew about the child molester in their midst, and the former FBI director and federal judge promised a wide-ranging investigation.
Freeh said in November that he would not interfere with the state's criminal probe but promised to conduct his review in ''a thorough, fair, comprehensive manner, leaving no stone unturned, and without any fear or favor.''
Freeh and his team of lawyers and former law enforcement officials interviewed more than 400 people, asking questions that went beyond Sandusky and the child sex-abuse scandal and into the relationship between football program and the university administration.
Lawyers for the young men who testified against Sandusky - and others who might file civil lawsuits related to the scandal - will be reading the report closely for what it might mean for any future litigation. A civil complaint and a second legal notice of a lawsuit have been filed in Philadelphia, while others have indicated they also may sue.
''I'm going to be looking for what we believe will be full and complete disclosure,'' said Harrisburg lawyer Ben Andreozzi, who represents the young man described as Victim 4 in court records.
Penn State has disclosed that Freeh's probe turned up emails among top officials that have been turned over to prosecutors.
Two Penn State administrators are charged with lying to a grand jury and failing to properly report suspected abuse when then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary described witnessing Sandusky attack a young boy in the football team shower in 2001. Athletic director Tim Curley, now on leave, and vice president Gary Schultz, who has since retired, deny the allegations and await trial.
Spanier's comments to the Freeh group - that he was never told of any criminality by Sandusky - echoed his testimony before a grand jury that neither Curley nor Schultz informed him of the sexual nature of what McQueary saw.
The extent of Spanier's involvement has come under scrutiny recently after CNN reported on emails that said Spanier was ''supportive'' of a decision by Curley and Schultz not to report the incident. Spanier warned, however, that they might ''become vulnerable for not having reported it,'' CNN said.
Spanier's lawyers said the emails were selectively leaked without the full context, and were ''distorting the public record and creating a false picture.''
In May, Spanier filed a related civil lawsuit against Penn State seeking access to old work emails so he could better prepare for the school's internal investigation. A university lawyer responded that state prosecutors asked the school not to share the emails so that the ongoing criminal investigation would not be compromised.
A court hearing on the case is scheduled for Aug. 17, but Spanier went ahead and requested to speak to Freeh's team. His lawyers said they would revisit the issue of the lawsuit now that the interview has taken place.
Spanier has said he turned in his resignation in November, while trustees have said he was terminated without cause.
''Since November of last year, when he resigned his presidency, he has wanted the Freeh Group to create an accurate report and has been determined to assist in any way he can,'' said the statement from Spanier's lawyers. They ended their four-paragraph statement by saying they remained ''hopeful that truth and reason prevail.''
Spanier declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press.
The NCAA is reviewing how Penn State exerted ''institutional control'' in relation to the Sandusky matter, and whether university officials complied with policies that pertain to honesty and ethical conduct. The NCAA could open a more formal investigation that may expose Penn State to sanctions.
---
Online: http://www.TheFreehReportonPSU.com
---
Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pa. Michael Rubinkam contributed to this report.
Source:http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ex-psu-president-says-never-164119572--ncaaf.html

England end on a high

Australia well beaten at Old Trafford as hosts win series 4-0

England completed a 4-0 victory in the NatWest Series with Australia after cruising to a seven-wicket Duckworth-Lewis victory in the final one-day international at Old Trafford.

Skipper Alastair Cook (58) and Ravi Bopara (52 not out) sealed the win with a third-wicket stand of 92 which helped the hosts chase down a revised target of 138 with 11 balls to spare.
Rain during the day meant the contest was reduced to 32 overs each, with a further weather delay chopping three more overs off England's innings.
Australia had been put into bat in the overcast conditions but could only muster 145-7, a total that would have been even weaker had George Bailey not blasted an unbeaten 46 at the death.
The resulting chase rounded off a dominant display throughout the five-match series from England, who missed the chance to go top of the ICC ODI rankings when third contest at Edgbaston was washed out.
England were big favourites to take a 10th straight one-day international win as they started their reply, but suffered a less than ideal start as Ian Bell (four) chipped to midwicket off Clint McKay in the first over.

Progress

Progress was also interrupted by a short break as the bad weather briefly returned - and after the delay Jonathan Trott was bowled for 10 sweeping at slow left-armer Michael Clarke.
That left Cook and Bopara in a slightly uncomfortable situation, but the duo did not panic and began to build the required momentum, with the captain in the anchor role as he reached his first half-century of the series from 69 deliveries.
Bopara injected the spark England needed to stay on course in his run-a-ball 50, which he brought up just before Cook was well-caught at slip by Clarke off Ben Hilfenhaus. But by then the job was as good as done.
Australia had earlier suffered a dramatic collapse during the middle of their innings, which started at 5.30pm due to the adverse weather.
After David Warner and Matthew Wade put on an opening stand of 43, the tourists were put firmly on the back foot as they lost four wickets for just 12 runs, with two of those dismissals being run outs.
England did have chances before the glut of wickets, with Wade edging high to James Anderson, whose drop deprived fellow paceman Stuart Broad of the opening wicket.

Chances

The wicketkeeper-batsman was then put down on four, but the clearest opportunity was squandered by Samit Patel, who let a high one from Warner slip through his hands at third-man.
The breakthrough finally came when off-spinner James Treadwell, playing in his first ODI since last year's World Cup, trapped a sweeping Warner lbw in his opening over.
Tredwell's fine spell continued as his smart fielding caught Peter Forrest short of his ground, before the Kent spinner had Wade stumped for a disappointing 12 from 40 balls.
The wickets continued to tumble as a direct hit from Eoin Morgan ensured a Clarke single ended in disaster, while Bopara scuppered any comeback hopes as his four overs went for just eight runs and included two wickets, both caught behind by Craig Kieswetter.
From 86-6, Bailey and the tail tried to muster a defendable target, and even though the 29-year-old helped his side score 58 runs in the last 10 overs, England would not be denied.

Andre Ho Olympic racquet sports Q&A Richmond table tennis star aims to lay it all on the table at Summer Games

By Yvonne Zacharias, Vancouver Sun July 10, 2012

 

Canadian table tennis player Andre Ho in action. The Richmond native will represent Canada at the 2012 London Olympics.

Photograph by: Peter Scudner photo , PNG files

 

started playing table tennis when I was around 7½. My dad really likes to play. He had a table in the basement and I just kind of got interested from there. I just started to play a little bit. I guess I played for about a year just for fun. I played in my first Canadian national championship when I was maybe around eight. I won four gold medals. That was probably a big reason why I decided to play the sport, I guess.
My parents are originally from China. They emigrated to Canada maybe about 30 years ago. I was born in Vancouver so I am fully Canadian. I was born and raised in Richmond.
What people don't realize about table tennis is it's a lot harder than it seems when we are playing and that we need to travel a lot to improve our game. We need to fly to Asia, Europe. We need to go to many places to train and play in competitions. So it's not so easy for us for either school or just, honestly for me, I'm almost never home. It's really hard on the body and also on the mind sometimes.
I think home is probably the best place. I would say in the whole year, I was probably two months at home. After Grade 10, I started doing online studying. It obviously took me a little extra time. I really have to manage the time very well because it's hard to manage between training and studying. Sometimes right after you are done training, you don't want to go right to studying because you are really tired from training. All athletes have to go through it.
Right now, I am playing fulltime. I play around four to six hours a day. We train about six days a week. We just need to be really dedicated to the thing that we really want. I know that I want to be as fit as I can in this sport.
I think our sport has a lot of ups and downs. We have good moments. We have bad moments. Sometimes in the bad moments, it can be really hard because it is an individual sport. We get recognition when it is good for ourselves but we also get a lot of fault because we are also playing by ourselves.
I think the best thing that has ever happened to me as an athlete is I have had the opportunity to travel to so many places to play at either competition or training and I feel for me, that is probably the best thing because not everyone has that opportunity. It came not only from Table Tennis Canada but also from my parents because many times, our association cannot fund me for every single tournament so I also need to rely on my parents a lot. I am very fortunate to have them.
For my last meal before a competition, I don't like to eat anything too heavy or greasy. Nothing too fried. But I don't have anything that I have to eat before I play but nothing too heavy I guess.
When I'm not training or competing I want to be home. Maybe in the backyard or on the balcony. Just enjoying the weather.
If I wasn't an athlete I don't know what I would be. I would probably be working hard on my studies.
My favourite music is hip hop, although I like pretty much all kinds of music.
Something people don't know about me is I seem kind of shy, but at the same time, if somebody gets to know me well, I am not so shy. I am pretty outgoing.
My Olympics will be a success if I have the right preparation and the right mindset for the matches.

• B.C. ATHLETES:
ANDRE HO
Birthdate: April 11, 1992
Hometown: Richmond
Event: Singles, team
Career highlight: He secured the spot on his first Olympic team with a five-game win over Canadian teammate Pierre-Luc Hinse of Gatineau in April at the first North American qualifying tournament.
TOBIAS NG
Birthdate: Oct. 8, 1985
Hometown: Vancouver
Sport: Badminton
Event: Mixed doubles (July 28 to Aug. 3)
Career highlight: Won gold at the 2011 Pan Am Games with Grace Gao, whom he'll partner with in London.

• ABOUT TABLE TENNIS (July 28-Aug. 8):
• Table tennis made its Olympic debut at the 1988 Games in Seoul, Korea. Since the sport joined the program, China has won 20 of a possible 24 gold medals.
• Of the four nations - China, Germany, Singapore and South Korea - that medalled in table tennis at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, only China won gold.
• China won eight of the possible 12 medals available in 2008.
• Table tennis is played on a table that is, according to www. london2012.com, 2.74 metres long and 1.525 metres wide. The court is 18 metres by nine metres. The ball weighs in at just 2.7 grams.
• Singles matches are played in a best-of-seven games format. Competitors need to score 11 points and have a two-point advantage in order to win one game.
• Team matches consist of four singles and one doubles match, in a best-of-five games format. A winner is declared when a team wins three individual matches.
• There are 172 table tennis competitors at the London 2012 Olympics - 86 men and 86 women.
• There are four medal events, which means there are 12 medals available.
• Canada has yet to win a medal in table tennis since the sport joined the Olympics 24 years ago.
• Johnny Huang finished fifth at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the highest finish for a Canadian in table tennis.
• Last month, Prime Minister Stephen Harper fell to Mo Zhang, Canada's top-ranked female table tennis player, in a friendly competition to help announce the Olympic table tennis team.
• Zhang, Andre Ho, Pierre-Luc Hinse and Eugene Wang were all nominated for Canada's Olympic table tennis team on June 6.
Cam Tucker, Vancouver Sun

 

2012 All-Star game live blog

By Mark Townsend | Big League Stew

Pablo Sandoval rips a first inning first bases clearing triple off Justin Verlander. (Getty)

9:43 PM (ET): Bryce Harper's All-Star debut went like this: Draws a walk against Jered Weaver. Tags up and advances to second on a flyball to left field. Gets caught in a rundown trying to advance to third on a groudball to the pitcher. Tagged out. But man, those shoes.

9:33 PM: Ryan Braun just had the first webgem of the evening, leaping to rob former Miwaukee Brewers teammate Prince Fielder of extra bases. That gets Stephen Strasburg to the dugout with a scoreless All-Star debut.

9:25 PM: The Cardinals connection of Rafael Furcal (triple) and Matt Holliday (RBI single) struck against Texas Rangers left-handed Matt Harrison in the fourth. Former Royal Melky "Melk-Man" Cabrera then followed with a two-run homer to expand the NL's lead to 8-0. Cabrera was also stiffed by former Yankees teammate Robinson Cano on a handshake attempt as he rounded the bases.

9:16 PM: Left-handers David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays and Gio Gonzalez of the Washington Nationals each tossed a perfect third inning. It appears we're settling in for a pitcher's duel the rest of the way.

9:00 PM: Joe Nathan restored order for the American League in the second with a 1-2-3 inning. Matt Cain then breezed through his second scoreless inning. National League maintains their 5-0 advantage as we head to the third.

8:46 PM: Here's video of Chipper Jones' passionate pre-game speech in the National League clubhouse. It appears to have worked.

8:35 PM: The National League breaks through first, second, third, fourth, and fifth against Justin Verlander. After a one-out single by Melky Cabrera, Ryan Braun doubled over the head of right fielder Jose Bautista to bring home the first run. Verlander would proceed to walk Carlos Beltran and Buster Posey, which led to the very first, according to Baseball Reference, bases clearing triple in All-Star game history off the bat of Pablo Sandoval.
Rafael Furcal's RBI infield single wrapped up the NL's record-tying five-run first inning (it's the fourth time they've done it). All in all, Verlander needed 35 pitches (19 strikes) to complete the inning, and obviously will not be returning for his scheduled second inning of work.

Ron Washington and Tony La Russa meet at home plate. (Presswire)8:06 PM: As expected, Billy Butler drew a massive, near minute long applause as the Kansas City Royals lone representative. All members of the St. Louis Cardinals, including National League manager Tony La Russa, were also greatly warmly. Derek Jeter and Chipper Jones received nice hands as well. On the flip side, yes, Robinson Cano was booed unmercifully, though not far behind was Chris Perez of the Cleveland Indians and CC Sabathia.

7:50 PM: Phillip Phillips — the reigning American Idol who is not a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, I've been informed — performed a tune before a moving tribute to the history of the Negro Leagues aired. If you haven't already, I urge you to check out the special piece from Nick Bromberg earlier today detailing Ryan Howard's visit to the Negro League Museum on Monday. So much incredible history there and a wonderful story about Howard.
Player introductions are next.
(AP)
7:27 PM: Welcome to Big League Stew's 2012 All-Star game live blog. I'll be here all night keeping you up to date on all of the latest news and happenings at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. The pre-game festivities are due to begin within the next 10-15 minutes and first pitch should come within the hour, so get comfortable and follow along with us. Also feel free to leave your predictions in the comments.

Found money: Treasure trove of baseball cards may be worth millions

Karl Kissner of Defiance, Ohio, finds box of baseball cards in grandfather's attic that turn out to be part of rare 1910 series—and in near-mint condition. They could bring up to $3 million at auction.

Karl Kissner poses in front of an attic door in his grandfather's Ohio home where he and a cousin found a collection of century-old baseball cards. (John Seewer / Associated Press / July 10, 2012)

Associated Press

July 10, 2012, 4:33 p.m.

DEFIANCE, Ohio — Karl Kissner picked up a soot-covered cardboard box that had been under a wooden dollhouse in his grandfather's attic. Taking a look inside, he saw hundreds of baseball cards bundled with twine. They were smaller than the ones he was used to seeing.

But some of the names were familiar: Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Cy Young and Honus Wagner.

Then he put the box on a dresser and went back to digging through the attic.

It wasn't until two weeks later that he learned that his family had come across what experts say is one of the biggest, most exciting finds in the history of sports card collecting, a discovery worth perhaps millions.

The cards are from an extremely rare series issued around 1910. Up to now, the few known to exist were in so-so condition at best, with faded images and worn edges. But the ones from the attic in the town of Defiance are nearly pristine, untouched for more than a century. The colors are vibrant, the borders crisp and white.

"It's like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic," Kissner said.

Sports card experts who authenticated the find say they may never again see something this impressive.

"Every future find will ultimately be compared to this," said Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator.

The best of the bunch — 37 cards — are expected to bring a total of $500,000 when they are sold at auction in August during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. There are about 700 cards in all that could be worth up to $3 million, experts say. They include such legends as Christy Mathewson and Connie Mack.

Kissner and his family say the cards belonged to their grandfather, Carl Hench, who died in the 1940s. Hench ran a meat market in Defiance, and the family suspects he got them as a promotional item from a candy company that distributed them with caramels. They think he gave some away and kept others.

"We guess he stuck them in the attic and forgot about them," Kissner said. "They remained there frozen in time."

After Hench and his wife died, two of his daughters lived in the house. Jean Hench kept the house until she died last October, leaving everything inside to her 20 nieces and nephews. Kissner, 51, is the youngest and was put in charge of the estate. His aunt was a pack rat, and the house was filled with three generations of stuff.

They found calendars from the meat market, turn-of-the-century dresses, a steamer trunk from Germany and a dresser with Grandma's clothes neatly folded in the drawers.

Months went by before they even got to the attic. On Feb. 29, Kissner's cousin Karla Hench pulled out the dirty green box with metal clips at the corners and lifted the lid.

Not knowing whether the cards were valuable, the two cousins put the box aside. But Kissner decided to do a little research. The cards were at his office in the restaurant he owns when he realized they might have something. He immediately took them across the street and put them in a bank vault.

Still not knowing whether the cards were real, they sent eight to expert Peter Calderon at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, which recently sold the baseball that rolled through the legs of Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series for $418,000.

Calderon said his first words were "Oh, my God."

"I was in complete awe," he said. "You just don't see them this nice."

The cards are from what is known as the E98 series. It is not clear who manufactured them or how many were produced, but the series consists of 30 players, half of them Hall of Famers.

The experts at Heritage Auctions checked out the family's background, the age of the home and the history of the meat market. They looked at the cards and how they were printed.

"Everything lines up," said Chris Ivy, the company's director of sports auctions.

They then sent all the cards to Professional Sports Authenticator, which had previously authenticated fewer than 700 E98s. The Ohio cards were the finest examples from the E98 series the company had ever seen.

The company grades cards on a 1-to-10 scale based of their condition. Up to now, the highest grade it had ever given a Ty Cobb card from the E98 series was a 7. Sixteen Cobbs found in the Ohio attic were graded a 9 — almost perfect. A Honus Wagner was judged a 10, a first for the series.

Retired sports card auctioneer Barry Sloate of New York City said: "This is probably the most interesting find I've heard of."

The highest price ever paid for a baseball card is $2.8 million, handed over in 2007 for a 1909 Wagner that was produced by the American Tobacco Co. and included in packs of cigarettes. A similar Wagner card brought $1.2 million in April. (Wagner's tobacco cards were pulled from circulation, either because the ballplayer didn't want to encourage smoking among children or because he wanted more money.)

Heritage Auctions plans to sell most of the Ohio cards over the next two or three years through auctions and private sales so that it doesn't flood the market. In all, they could bring $2 million or $3 million, Ivy said.

The Hench family is evenly dividing the cards and the money among the 20 cousins named in their aunt's will. All but a few have decided to sell their share.

"These cards need to be with those people who appreciate and enjoy them," Kissner said.

Lance's associates get lifetime bans

Three associates of Lance Armstrong have received lifetime bans for doping violations, the US Anti-Doping Agency announced Tuesday.

Team doctor Luis Garcia del Moral, team consulting doctor Michele Ferrari and trainer Jose "Pepe" Martí trafficked, encouraged the use of and administered performance-enhancing drugs while part of the US Postal Service team, USADA said in a news release.
Armstrong won six of his seven Tour de France titles as a member of the USPS team.
"The objective of USADA's investigation into the sport of cycling is to protect the rights of clean athletes by ridding the sport of those in the system, whether coach, doctor, trainer, or manager who abuses their influence by encouraging, coercing or assisting athletes in cheating through the use of dangerous performance-enhancing drugs," USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement. "When USADA has information about the existence of a sophisticated, far-reaching doping conspiracy, it is our duty under the established rules to conduct a thorough, fair investigation to uncover the truth."
USADA had already sought a ban of Armstrong, who has until Saturday to respond to allegations that he led a conspiracy to use performance-enhancing drugs from 1998 to 2010.
Armstrong, who could lose some or all of his Tour de France titles, has denied the allegations.

Following the precedent it set in its allegations against Armstrong in June, USADA did not detail how it came about the evidence it had against del Moral, Ferrari or Martí. However, USADA’s claims against the three are lengthy:
• Del Moral, the USPS team physician from 1998 to 2003, allegedly administered blood transfusions to boost a rider’s endurance, gave saline solutions to riders to help avoid detection of drug use and provided a number of banned drugs, including endurance-boosting erythropoietin (EPO) and testosterone.
• Ferrari, a consulting doctor for riders on the USPS team and later Discovery Channel team, is accused of developing “a distinctive mixture of testosterone and olive oil” (known as "the oil") to assist with recovery, advising riders to use EPO and creating doping schedules to help riders avoid failing a drug test.
• Martí, a trainer for the USPS and Discovery Channel team from 1999 to 2007, “delivered performance-enhancing drugs, including EPO, testosterone, human growth hormone (HGH) and cortisone” from his native Spain to riders living, competing or training elsewhere in Europe, according to USADA. Marti also allegedly assisted injections of EPO, saline and blood transfusions.
“Permanently banning these individuals from sport is a powerful statement that protects the current and next generation of athletes from their influence, and preserves the integrity of future competition,” Tygart said.
Armstrong filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday aimed at blocking USADA’s actions against him. The suit, however, was dismissed within hours as US District Court Judge Sam Sparks wrote that the court would not “indulge Armstrong's desire for publicity, self-aggrandizement or vilification” of USADA.
The lawsuit was resubmitted Tuesday afternoon. The new suit does not include attacks on Tygart — the original filing claimed he has a “well-publicized obsession” of “getting” Armstrong — and USADA, which the initial suit called a “kangaroo court.”

More than just a PR maneuver, however, the lawsuit raises a few issues about USADA’s authority to investigate Armstrong for deeds that allegedly happened, in many cases, more than a decade ago and overseas.

Armstrong’s lawyers argue that USADA — an independent organization largely funded by taxpayer money — should have to abide by US laws, which would allow Armstrong the ability to confront his accusers and have the means to examine the evidence via the discovery process. Also, under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, an arbitration panel — not a jury — has the final say in these matters.

The other arguments put forth by Armstrong’s lawyers included the contention that the International Cycling Union (UCI) — not USADA  — has authority in this case, USADA is illegally breaking WADA’s eight-year statute of limitations and enticed prospective witnesses to lie in exchange for reduced doping bans.