Obama the Sports Fan: How the President’s Sports Knowledge Works For and Against Him

By Nicole Bartnik: Subscribe to Nicole's RSS feed

July 23, 2012 7:14 PM EDT

With the Nov. 6 election quickly approaching, President Barack Obama is gearing up for a hard-fought campaign against Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

To wind down from the weight of being commander-in-chief, Obama is known to sit back and enjoy what many fellow Americans look to for solace and comfort: sports.
Obama makes no effort to hide his immense interest in watching sports, with basketball being one of his lifelong passions. There is Barack-etology, in which the president unveils his NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament picks during "March Madness." Then there are his brief appearances on Monday Night Football, pickup games with friends and colleagues, and an occasional coaching role on his daughter Sasha's youth basketball team.
In March, the president even invited British Prime Minister David Cameron along to an opening round game of the NCAA men's tournament before discussing relations between the two allies.
Last week, Obama immersed himself in the Olympic spirit as he watched the U.S. men's basketball team rally from an early deficit to beat Brazil, 80-69, in a friendly.

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During that game, the president gave a brief halftime interview with ESPN regarding Team USA's chances in London.
"Obviously the talent that we've got at this point is unbelievable. ... So there's no reason that we shouldn't bring home the gold. We just have to stay focused," he said.
Obama's interest and enthusiasm for sports extends far beyond basketball. He frequents the green on many Sundays for a round of golf, regularly follows college and professional football, and is a knowledgeable baseball fan, and the White House is not shy about sharing the president's fandom.
While there is nothing unusual about fondness of sports, Obama's high-profile position means his hobbies and interests are scrutinized more than the average sports fan. For example, when Obama had filled out his NCAA college basketball bracket on ESPN, his critics complained that he was wasting time on frivolous matters rather than attending to more important issues.
Others note that it only takes 20 minutes out of a busy schedule to assess the bracket and select picks, and Obama's interest in the tournament connects him to the average American. A president who can analyze teams and matchups thoroughly, as many sports fans do, counters the perception that the most powerful man in the world cannot enjoy everyday activities.
Meanwhile, Romney took the opposite approach when it came to the NCAA tournament. The Republican nominee said he wouldn't fill out a college basketball tournament bracket.
"I'm not plugged in well enough this year to do that," Romney briefly told reporters in March.
To most voters, Romney's indifference to the NCAA tournament has little to no effect on their opinion of him. Some may view Romney's attitude as a sign that he is simply too busy working on settling important political and economic matters to take time to follow sports, while others may argue that it demonstrates Romney's inability to relate to the average citizen, whether true or not.
Obama's interest in sports can also work against him. While addressing voters in June on Romney's home turf of Massachusetts, Obama jokingly thanked Boston for trading Kevin Youkilis, a much-beloved Red Sox infielder, to Obama's favorite baseball team, the Chicago White Sox.

Yankees acquire OF Ichiro Suzuki from Mariners

The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) -- Ichiro Suzuki is headed to a new team and, after all these years, maybe a shot at playing in the World Series.

The New York Yankees acquired the star outfielder from the Seattle Mariners in a trade Monday for two young pitchers.
''I am going from a team with the most losses to a team with the most wins,'' he said. ''It's hard to contain my excitement for that reason.''
The Yankees also got cash in the deal that sent 25-year-old righties D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar to the last-place Mariners. The trade was announced a few hours before the Yankees played at Seattle.
Moving from one clubhouse to another, Suzuki was set to start in right field in place of the injured Nick Swisher and bat eighth for New York on Monday night. It will be the first time Suzuki started a game batting anywhere other than the top three spots in the lineup.
The Yankees made the trade a few days after learning that the speedy Brett Gardner would likely miss the rest of the season because of an elbow problem, and manager Joe Girardi said Suzuiki will mostly play left field.
''We're very excited with the caliber of player we are getting. We feel that he brings the speed element. He's a tremendous hitter. That speed element is what we lost when Gardy had surgery,'' Girardi said. ''So this is a big day for us.''
Suzuki was given No. 31 because the number he wore his entire career with the Mariners, No. 51, has not been worn since four-time World Series champion Bernie Williams last played.
''No. 51 is a special number to me, but when I think about what 51 means to the Yankees, it's hard for me to ask for that number.''
Mitchell made his major league debut this season and pitched four games for the Yankees. Farquhar made his big league debut last year with Toronto and was claimed last month on waivers by the Yankees from Oakland.
The 38-year-old Suzuki had spent his whole big league career with Seattle. The 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner is batting .261 with four home runs, 28 RBIs and 15 stolen bases this year.
Suzuki is a career .322 hitter, a former AL MVP and holds the record for most hits in a season. He had batted over .300 in every season until dipping last year.
The only thing missing on Suzuki's resume is an appearance in the World Series, and he may get a chance with the Yankees. Suzuki was the AL MVP and rookie of the year in 2001 after a stellar career in Japan, and the Mariners reached the AL championship series that season before losing to the Yankees. Seattle has not been back to the playoffs since then.
He said he hasn't played in left field since those 2001 playoffs.
The Yankees certainly hope this trade with the Mariners works out better than the last big deal between the teams. New York sent prized young catcher Jesus Montero to Seattle before the season for All-Star pitcher Michael Pineda, who was later injured and is out for the year.
The Mariners had been in a delicate situation with Suzuki. A long time star and fan favorite, Suzuki's skills have been eroding. He's in the final year of a five-year contract, paying $18 million this season. There has been much debate in the Seattle media whether he would be back next year with Seattle, a team that is rebuilding with young talent.
Suzuki put an end to the speculation when he approached management around the All-Star break and asked to be traded.
''Several weeks ago, Ichiro Suzuki, through his long time agent, Tony Attanasio, approached (team president) Chuck Armstrong and me to ask that the Mariners consider trading him,'' said Howard Lincoln, the team's CEO. ''Ichiro knows that the club is building for the future, and he felt that what was best for the team was to be traded to another club and give our younger players an opportunity to develop.''
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has long admired Suzuki, saying, ''he's been consistent throughout his career.''
''They're been a lot of guys that have come here over the years, starting my first year with Cecil Fielder,'' he added. ''It's been unexpected, sort of out of the blue. That's why you don't ever listen to rumors. Getting someone like this is unbelievable.''
Said Suzuki about playing with Jeter: ''I noticed that he's not only a guy who has performed for a long time but consistently performed for a long time. And for a team that has the highest expectations of demand to win. To do what he has done there makes me see that he's exceptional, not just potential wise as a talent but also as a human being.''
Suzuki, usually stoic on and off the field, became emotional at times during the news conference, especially when talking about his admiration for the Mariners fans.
''When I think about this long period, it is difficult to express precisely my feeling,'' Suzuki said of his time in Seattle. ''When I imagined taking off a Seattle Mariners uniform, I was overcome with sadness. That made it a very difficult decision to make.''

Sports radio stations gear up for RGIII Era

By Dan Steinberg

I can hardly say a word about RGIII hype, what with the 451 RGIII blog items I’ve typed up over the past four months.
Plus, there was the Sports front on Sunday, seen above. That’s a pretty high mission.
Still, if you’ve listened to D.C. sports talk radio over the last few weeks, you couldn’t help but notice that there have been a lot of ads for training camp coverage. Ads that are promising lots and lots and lots of RGIII coverage. All day.
Get ready, everyone. It’s coming.
Here’s the ESPN 980 ad, which goes like this:
“With a new era under center for the burgundy and gold, the hope has never been higher in D.C. Get all the latest from what Robert Griffin III is doing out at Redskins Park....The RGIII ERA is here, and ESPN 980’s your RGIII destination.”
And here’s the 106.7 The Fan ad, which goes like this:
“106.7 The Fan is your number one station for Redskins training camp coverage. Keep it locked on The Fan for around the clock coverage, and the most Redskins talk in town....And we’re following Robert Griffin III all day, starting with D.C.’s only morning sports show, the Sports Junkies. You won’t find more Redskins coverage anywhere. Your flagship station for D.C. sports and Redskins training camp news all day!”

Bob Costas plans to honor Israelis

Updated Jul 23, 2012 7:42 PM ET

     

 

NEW YORK (AP)

NBC Sports anchor Bob Costas says he plans his own on-air commemoration this week of the Israelis killed in Munich 40 years ago despite the refusal of Olympic authorities to do so during Friday's opening ceremony for the London Games.

Remembering Munich

View a gallery of images from the 1972 Munich Massacre.

A bid to honor the athletes and coaches killed by Palestinian gunmen during the 1972 games with a moment of silence has gained momentum recently, even drawing President Barack Obama's support.
Costas, who called the International Olympic Committee's decision baffling, told the Hollywood Reporter that he intends to note that denial on Friday when Israeli athletes enter the Olympic Stadium. Costas has been the lead host of NBC's Olympics coverage for 20 years.
''Many people find that denial more than puzzling but insensitive,'' Costas said. ''Here's a minute of silence right now.''
Through a spokesman, Costas denied a request by The Associated Press to speak further about his plans. His comments to the Hollywood Reporter were made more than a month ago and published late last week, and NBC noted that things can change in the interim.
''Our production plans for Opening Ceremony are still being finalized and Bob is part of that planning,'' said NBC Sports Group spokesman Adam Freifeld.

RELIVING THE TERROR

Four decades after our worst fears were realized, the Munich massacre remains seared in our psyche.

IOC President Jacques Rogge offered a moment of silence Monday to the 11 Israelis during an Olympic Village ceremony promoting a United Nations initiative calling on nations to halt armed conflict during the games. It drew about 100 people.
Two days earlier, Rogge said that the opening ceremony ''is an atmosphere that is not fit to remember such a tragic incident.'' The opening ceremony is televised worldwide; in the U.S. alone NBC's telecast of the 2008 Games in Beijing averaged 34.2 million viewers.
Abraham Foxman, national direction of the Anti-Defamation League, said support from Costas would be welcome. Foxman's organization, which promotes Jewish causes, has backed an effort to bring notice to the Munich victims at opening ceremonies for years.
''I think he's right, and I think it will make a difference because of who he is,'' Foxman said. ''It's sad that one has to characterize it as courageous. It's such a common-sense thing to do.''
Criticizing the IOC could be a delicate issue for NBC. In addition to choosing where future Olympic competitions will be held, Rogge's organization also awards exclusive rights to televise the events to networks in different countries. The IOC has awarded NBC those rights in the U.S. through the 2020 Games.

Here comes the science! Els can rule the world again, says his sports scientist

The Open champion's in-house boffin says he'll go on to claim more Major titles now he has addressed his putting deficiencies

Ernie Els will claim more Majors now he can putt again, according to the sports scientist who helped him win The Open.
The Big Easy admitted he felt like an "absolute fool" on the greens earlier this season and TV commentator David Feherty joked he looked like he was "putting with a live rattlesnake".
But since hiring Dr Sherylle Calder - his fellow South African who has worked with the England and Springbok rugby teams - Els has refound his old touch.
And Calder said the 42-year-old is not finished with his fourth Major.
"He was absolutely terrible when we started working together in January," she said. "The way his hands moved, the way he hit the ball - the stroke wasn't fluid.
"We basically started from scratch. Every credit has to go to a guy who has reached the top of the game to do that.
"We're nowhere near where we want to be - we still have a way to go - so this is a big bonus. I'm delighted for him.
"There's always room for improvement and the aim is to win Majors as we get better at what we do."
Els, who last won a Major at the 2002 Open, explained: "Basically it is eye gym. You go to the gym for your body and you do your curls or your cardio or whatever to get your body in shape.
"And it is the same with your eyes. You get your eyes in shape. You can get a bit lazy.
"It's reaction stuff. There will be rugby balls, cricket balls and soccer balls coming up on screen. There's a little up and down arrow so as this happens, you have to react on screen.
"And then there's a number that appears for a split second and you've got to remember the number and type it in.
"Last year I thought I had no chance of winning again. Last year was a pretty big hole.
"But since the start of the year and especially the last month or two, I started seeing some better signs and stared believing in that.
"I had no confidence in my putting. So to win the Open after all that is quite satisfying."

SIZZLING STEYN SINKS ENGLAND

LONDON: South Africa moved to within one victory of becoming the No. 1 Test team in the world after trouncing England by an innings and 12 runs yesterday led by Dale Steyn's five-wicket haul.
Steyn finished with 5-56 and was supported by legspinner Imran Tahir's 3-63 as England slumped from 203-5 to all out for 240 during the afternoon session on the last day of the first Test at The Oval.
South Africa leads 1-0 in the three-match series and will replace England at the top of the ICC world rankings if they win the second Test, which starts on August 2 at Headingley in Leeds.
Ian Bell and Matt Prior had given England hope of saving the match with a stand of 86 after Ravi Bopara (22) was the first batsman out yesterday with 15 added to the overnight total of 102-4.
But England collapsed after Prior fell for 40, caught in the slips by Jacques Kallis trying to sweep Tahir.
Seven runs later, Steyn claimed the key wicket of Bell, who made 55 from 220 balls with six fours.
It was a bruising defeat for England, which had enjoyed the better of the first day to reach 267-3. South Africa dominated from then, however, led by an epic 311 not out by Hashim Amla, an unbeaten 182 from Jacques Kallis and 131 from captain Graeme Smith to give the visitors a daunting 637-2 declared.
England realistically needed to bat through at least two sessions Monday to save the match, but poor shot selection contributed to its first Test defeat at home since going down to Pakistan at this venue in 2010.
Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss had already gifted South Africa their wickets on Sunday with needlessly extravagant shots, and Bopara followed suit just 30 minutes into the morning session. Bopara flashed at a delivery from Steyn that he could have ignored, dragging the ball onto middle stump.
Wicketkeeper AB de Villiers then dropped Bell, who was on 20, after he nicked a delivery from Tahir that he was trying to block.
Bell narrowly avoided being run out in the 62nd over when a direct hit from JP Duminy would have left him stranded by a foot, but he and Matt Prior otherwise batted with discipline to survive 90 minutes to the end of the session.
England whittled away South Africa's lead after lunch until Prior, having batted sensibly for 132 minutes, tried to sweep Tahir and was caught at slip by Jacques Kallis for 40.
The game appeared to be up for England when Steyn removed Bell with his second delivery with the new ball. Bell opened the face of his bat and tried to run the ball to third man, but merely guided it to Kallis at slip.
Stuart Broad was caught behind for 0 off Steyn on referral, while Graeme Swann launched a doomed counterattack and was caught for 7 by Alviro Petersen off Steyn.
The victory was sealed when James Anderson was trapped lbw to Tahir for 4.

Toronto flip-flops on decision to bar teen sports shooters from Ontario Games event

Jake Edmiston  Jul 23, 2012 – 6:58 PM ET | Last Updated: Jul 23, 2012 7:07 PM ETChris Baldwin, 18, who's scheduled to compete as a sport shooter at the Ontario Summer Games in Toronto next month.

Bowing to criticism from the sports community on Monday, City of Toronto staff reversed a decision that barred two teen sport shooting champions from speaking at an Ontario Summer Games ceremony.
In the wake of the Scarborough shooting last week, organizers thought it best that national sporting rifle champions Chris Baldwin, 18, and Sabrina Sergeant, 17 be prevented from speaking at a youth promotion event in Toronto on Wednesday ahead of the Ontario Summer Games, which take place in August.

“This is unfortunately something that has been handed down to us out of our control and we deeply apologize,” read an email sent to the two athletes last Tuesday — a day after the Danzig Avenue block party shooting that killed two and injured two dozens others.

Upon further reflection, and discussion with the Games Organizing Committee, the City of Toronto regrets the decision

“We realize that gun violence has nothing to do with the sport of Sporting Rifle or any of your Athletes and that your sport promotes the safe and responsible use of rifles.”
City spokesperson Deborah Blackstone said the decision was made “due to the very young audience expected to participate” at Wednesday’s event, that will see over 200 summer camps try out the various sports associated with the Summer Games.
This week, the Canadian Shooting Sports Association released a statement condemning the decision.
“These teens are very disciplined and have refined their craft over many years, and now some faceless anti-gun bureaucrats are associating them with drug dealing, gang member criminals,” said John Evers, who runs the London-area sportsmen’s association that produced both Mr. Baldwin and Ms. Sergeant.
Mr. Baldwin, who’s won a total of six gold medals at previous Summer Games, said he received a call from organizers on Monday afternoon informing him that he’d receive his three minutes of speaking time on Wednesday after all. The city’s change of heart came after the National Post publicized the ban on the two athletes in a column by Matt Gurney on its web site on Monday.
Mr. Baldwin took the city’s flip-flop in stride.
“The message I will be giving the people in the room isn’t going to change,” said the teen, who began shooting at age eight. “As an athlete ambassador, I can’t go and rant for three minutes about the stupidity of the decision that was made earlier. I’m going to talk about the importance of the Summer Games for my sport.”
City staff were unavailable for comment Monday and the statement from the City of Toronto was unclear on who exactly gave the directive to stop the athletes from speaking, and then changed their mind.
“Upon further reflection, and discussion with the Games Organizing Committee, the City of Toronto regrets the decision,” wrote Ms. Blackstone in an email to the National Post.
National Post
With files from Matt Gurney

Find below the text of the email sent by an employee of the City of Toronto last week:
RE: Athlete Ambassador Appearances
Sent: Jul 17, 2012 3:31 PM
Unfortunately due to the untimely shootings that have taken place in Scarborough and the City recently, we have received a directive that we can no longer have the Sporting Rifle Athlete Ambassadors present on stage at the World Record Camp Games event.
This is unfortunately something that has been handed down to us out of our control and we deeply apologize. We realize that gun violence has nothing to do with the sport of Sporting Rifle or any of your Athletes and that your sport promotes the safe and responsible use of rifles.
We appreciate your understanding of this matter and apologize to both the CSSA and your Athlete Ambassadors sincerely.
Shortly before 4 p.m. Toronto time on Monday, the city of Toronto sent this statement to the editors of the National Post:
In follow up to Matt Gurney’s article, we wanted to provide you with the following information:
Upon further reflection, and discussion with the Games Organizing Committee, the City of Toronto regrets the decision that was communicated to the Canadian Shooting Sports Association and supports the participation of all athlete ambassadors in the on stage welcoming ceremony of the World Record Camp Games. The athlete ambassadors representing the sport shooting have been invited to participate in the welcoming ceremony at the World Record Camp Games.
The City of Toronto very much values the participation of all Ontario Summer Games athlete ambassadors in the World Record Camp Games event and looks forward to hosting all athletes representing all 28 sporting events at the 2012 Ontario Summer Games.

Innovative Fox Sports Chairman David Hill leaving Fox Sports

By Michael Hiestand, USA TODAY
David Hill, who pioneered putting NFL game clocks continuously onscreen, is leaving Fox Sports.
The Fox Sports chairman, who led the launch of the News Corp. network sports division in 1993, used the continuous onscreen clock at a time when broadcasters across the board rejected the idea out of fear that viewers would quickly change the channel if they could instantly see a game was a blowout.

CAPTION

By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Hill's other innovations include baseball coverage with constant camera cross-cuts – they make down times between pitches seem more lively – as well as the so-called glowing puck for NHL action. The puck appeared to glow and left an onscreen "comet tail" in its wake. Occasionally, though, the glowing puck would go awry and appear to pop in and out of the stands.Hill's creations also included putting tiny cameras in baseball fields and (sometimes annoying) animated characters on event coverage – such as a gopher cartoon character tht would pop up from the track during coverage of NASCAR races. Hill also brought UFC MMA programming to Fox in mixed martial arts' first big broadcast network deal.
Hill will continue working for News Corp., focusing on programming and digital initiatives in and out of the U.S. In a restructing, Fox Sports co-presidents Randy Freer and Eric Shanks now will report to Fox Networks Group president Peter Rice.
Hill, a native of Australia, in a statement said he's "immensely proud of the work we've done to revolutionize the television business."

Oakland A's playing 'Moneyball' again

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Moneyball, take two?

Exactly a decade after the Oakland Athletics inspired the book that became a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt last summer, baseball's most frugal franchise is becoming a must-see attraction again. The A's are a majors-best 14-2 in July and coming off a stunning four-game sweep of the high-priced New York Yankees to move into a tie for the final American League wild card spot.
With a little more than two months to play, general manager Billy Beane's new bunch of no-names and up-and-comers are starting to turn the Oakland Coliseum into the real-life ''Moneyball'' sequel.
''I think Billy's really good at finding eager players to be able to produce,'' third baseman Brandon Inge said. ''Kind of the opposite of high-maintenance players. They're not all caught up in selfish stats. They want to come in and they want to be a part of a winning organization, and that makes the difference in everything. We really don't have any high-dollar guys who are prima donnas. That's probably the key. We're more of a blue-collar team.''
And a low-budget team, too.
Still saddled with the same ballpark issues, Oakland traded away its three best pitchers - All-Stars Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez, and 2009 Rookie of the Year closer Andrew Bailey - last winter in the latest payroll purge. Oakland began the season with a league-low $53 million payroll.
To put that in perspective: the $200 million Yankees have two stars - slugger Alex Rodriguez ($30 million) and ace CC Sabathia ($24.3) million - making more money combined this year than the entire A's roster.
Sweeping the big, bad Bronx Bombers for the first time in a four-game series at the aging Oakland Coliseum sent a clear message across the American League: Wins aren't coming cheap against the A's anymore.
''It definitely feels good to battle and be victorious against the best teams, on paper, in the game,'' said center fielder Coco Crisp, whose two-out RBI single in the 12th inning Sunday capped Oakland's major-league leading 11th walk-off win. ''You can look up and down a lot of lineups like Detroit, or the Angels, the teams with high payrolls. Obviously, they have high payrolls for a reason, because the players on the team deserve it. When we battle against those guys and come out with wins, it's definitely a great feeling.''
When the season began, nobody figured Oakland could contend. Most thought the A's would lose around 90 games. Some guessed 100.
Instead, a new class of youngsters emerged: outfielder Josh Reddick, catcher Derek Norris and pitchers Tommy Milone, Jarrod Parker and Travis Blackley. The arms have carried the club more than anything, even while Oakland's three best remaining starters in the rotation - Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden - are rehabbing from injuries.
The A's lead the American League with a 3.37 ERA, almost a third of a run better than Tampa Bay and New York, who are bunched in the pack trailing Oakland. Oakland also is on pace to shatter last year's mark of 114 home runs, already having smacked 101 long balls in what is becoming a sudden surge of power at the plate, offsetting a majors-worst .228 batting average.
''It's the same formula when I was here and we were winning,'' said Yankees third baseman Eric Chavez, who played for the A's from 1998-2010.
The comparison to those A's of old might still be premature.
Beane bucked the trend of relying on the common trio of statistics - batting average, home runs and RBIs for hitters; wins, losses and ERA for pitchers - and instead turned to hard numbers over subjective scouting to fuel his team's successful runs in the early 2000s. Every team now uses some level of ''sabermetrics,'' and all with more money than Oakland.
The A's also have only won five straight and 14 of the last 16 games heading into Tuesday's series at Toronto. Those 2002 Athletics chronicled in Michael Lewis' best-selling book won an AL-record 20 consecutive games, with the last coming in September, not late July.
There have still been some thrilling moments, with 10 different players accounting for Oakland's major-league leading 11 wins on a game-ending RBI. And after every one, players toss whipped-cream pies and a sports-drink bath at the hitter in a celebration that has become so routine concession workers behind the dugout already have them prepared in the late innings.
''Those games are hard to win,'' A's manager Bob Melvin said. ''It means you're scrappy and you won't take defeat and you'll battle till the last out.''
The surprising run hasn't washed away Oakland's biggest problem: an aging ballpark the team says drains money and forces the franchise to shed stars for salary relief each offseason.
The latest rebuilding project came as a result of Beane and owner Lew Wolff's insistence that they expected to hear from Commissioner Bud Selig about whether the franchise would be allowed to build a new ballpark some 40 miles south in San Jose, even though the San Francisco Giants own the territorial rights to technology-rich Santa Clara County. More than three years since Selig formed a committee to study the issue, no resolution seems to be coming soon.
No big contracts or proven players, either.
Oakland's only All-Star representative was rookie closer Ryan Cook, who has a 1.70 ERA and 10 saves. Reddick leads the team with 21 home runs and 46 RBIs. The highest-paid player is outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who signed a $36 million, four-year contract after coming over from Cuba.
Cespedes is batting .299 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs this season, even after he was sidelined for about a month with a strained muscle in his left hand. While his back-loaded contract makes many wonder how long Oakland will be able to afford him, it's clear how much Cespedes has helped the A's latest ''Moneyball'' movement.
Oakland is 39-24 with Cespedes in the lineup and 12-20 without him.
''If the playoffs started tomorrow,'' Cespedes said in Spanish over the weekend, ''you better be careful against the Oakland A's.''

NCAA slams Penn State, fines it $60 million

By MARC LEVY, MICHAEL RUBINKAM and RALPH D. RUSSO (Associated Press) | The Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- A potential exodus of star athletes. No hope of playing in the postseason. More than a decade of accomplishments erased from the record books. And Joe Paterno's legacy in shreds.

Penn State football, a longtime powerhouse that was once one of the cleanest, most admired programs in college sports, escaped the so-called death penalty from the NCAA on Monday but was dealt a heavy blow that will cripple it for years to come.
The university agreed to an unprecedented $60 million fine, a four-year ban from postseason play and a cut in the number of football scholarships it can award - the price it will pay for having looked the other way while Jerry Sandusky brought boys onto campus and molested them.
The NCAA also erased 14 years of victories, wiping out 111 of Paterno's wins and stripping him of his standing as the most successful coach in the history of big-time college football.
''Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people,'' NCAA President Mark Emmert declared.
Penn State meekly accepted its punishment, pledging to hold itself to high standards of honesty and integrity.
Penn State spokesman David La Torre said university President Rodney Erickson had no choice but to acquiesce, given the threat of a total shutdown of the football program.
''It was clear Penn State faced an alternative - a long-term death penalty and additional sanctions for the program, university and whole community. Given the situation, he believed the sanctions offered and accepted was the appropriate and course of action,'' La Torre said.
At a student union on campus, several dozen alumni and students gasped, groaned and whistled as they watched Emmert's news conference. The news was a crushing blow to many students.
Nicole Lord, a senior, questioned why Penn State's student body, and especially its athletes, should be punished ''for the wrongs of three men and a monster.''
''They keep breaking our hearts and breaking our hearts and breaking our hearts,'' she said.
Sandusky, a former member of Paterno's coaching staff, was found guilty in June of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years, sometimes on campus. An investigation commissioned by the school and released July 12 found that Paterno, who died of lung cancer in January at age 85, and three other top officials at Penn State concealed accusations against Sandusky for fear of bad publicity.
The NCAA's punishment was announced a day after the school took down a statue of Paterno that stood outside Beaver Stadium.
The sanctions will make it difficult for the Nittany Lions to compete at the sport's highest level. Raising the specter of an exodus of athletes, the NCAA said current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school.
For a university that always claimed to hold itself to a higher standard - for decades, Paterno preached ''success with honor'' - Monday's announcement completed a stunning fall from grace.
Paterno's family said in a statement that the sanctions ''defame the legacy and contributions of a great coach and educator.''
''This is not a fair or thoughtful action; it is a panicked response to the public's understandable revulsion at what Sandusky did,'' the family said.
Emmert said the penalties reflect ''the magnitude of these terrible acts'' and also ''ensure that Penn State will rebuild an athletic culture that went horribly awry.''
He said the NCAA considered imposing the death penalty, or a complete shutdown of football for a season or more, but worried about the collateral damage.
''Suspension of the football program would bring with it significant unintended harm to many who had nothing to do with this case,'' Emmert said. ''The sanctions we have crafted are more focused and impactful than that blanket penalty.''
Gov. Tom Corbett expressed gratitude that Penn State escaped the death penalty, saying it would have had a ''severe detrimental impact on the citizens of State College, Centre County and the entire commonwealth of Pennsylvania.''
A drop-off in attendance and revenue could damage both the university, where the football team is a moneymaker that subsidizes other sports, and much of central Pennsylvania, where Saturday afternoon football at Penn State is an important part of the economy.
But given Penn State's famously ardent fans and generous benefactors, the precise economic impact on Penn State and Happy Valley, as the surrounding area is known, remains unclear.
First-year coach Bill O'Brien, who was hired to replace Paterno, will have the daunting task of trying to keep players from fleeing the program while luring new recruits.
''I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead,'' O'Brien said.
Already, at least one recruit, Ross Douglas, a defensive back from Avon, Ohio, backed out of his commitment. Douglas told Rivals.com on Monday: ''We prepared ourselves for it, and today was just the icing on the cake. I love Penn State to death, but I have to do what's best for me, and I'm going to look elsewhere.''
Separately, the Big Ten announced that Penn State will not be allowed to share in the conference's bowl revenue during the NCAA's postseason ban, an estimated loss of about $13 million.
Emmert fast-tracked the penalties rather than go through the usual circuitous series of investigations and hearings.
The NCAA said the $60 million fine is equivalent to the annual gross revenue of the football program. The money will go toward outside programs devoted to preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims.
Penn State said it will pay the fine in five annual installments of $12 million. The governor demanded assurances from Penn State that taxpayer money will not be used to pay the fine; Penn State said it will cover it with its athletics reserve fund and capital maintenance budget and, if necessary, borrow money.
By throwing out all Penn State victories from 1998 to 2011, the NCAA stripped Paterno of the top spot in the record book. The governing body went all the way back to 1998 because, according to the investigative report, that is the year Paterno and other Penn State officials first learned of an allegation against Sandusky.
Former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will replace Paterno with 377 major-college victories, while Paterno will be credited with 298.
''I didn't want it to happen like this,'' Bowden said. ''Wish I could have earned it, but that's the way it is.''
Penn State will also lose 20 scholarships a year for four years. Major college football programs are normally allowed 85 scholarship players per year.
The postseason ban is the longest handed out by the NCAA since it gave a four-year punishment to Indiana football in 1960.
Penn State players left a team meeting on campus in State College without talking to reporters. Penn State's season starts Sept. 1 at home against Ohio University.
''Our heritage, our legacy has been tainted and damaged,'' said Troy Cromwell, a wide receiver on the 1986 team that won the second of Paterno's two national championships. Cromwell said he felt bad for current and incoming players, ''but at the end of the day, there were still those kids, those poor kids, and those victims, and we have to think about them first in everything that we do.''
The harshest penalty handed out to a football program came in the 1980s, when the NCAA shut down Southern Methodist University's team for a year. SMU football has never gotten back to the level of success it had before getting the death penalty.
Jim Delany, commissioner of the Big Ten conference, said he believes Penn State is capable of bouncing back. ''I do have a strong sense that many of the ingredients of success are still at Penn State and will be there in future years,'' he said.
---
Russo reported from New York. Associated Press writers Mark Scolforo in State College, Kevin Begos in Pittsburgh, Tom Coyne in Indianapolis and Brent Kallestad in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed to this story, along with AP videographer Dan Huff in State College.

BC-AP Sports Digest

The supervisor is Pat Horne until 8 a.m. The day supervisor will be Richard Rosenblatt. The supervisor can be reached at 800 845-8450, ext. 1630. Sports Photos, ext. 1918; graphics, ext. 7636; agate, ext. 1635. AP stories, along with the photos that accompany them, also can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns are available from the Service Desk (800 838-4616) or your local AP bureau. All times EDT.
PENN STATE:
PENN STATE-ABUSE
Now the NCAA gets its say on Penn State. College sports' governing body was expected to deal a series of heavy blows to the Nittany Lions' football program on Monday, less than two weeks after a devastating report accused coach Joe Paterno and other top university officials of concealing child sex abuse allegations against a retired assistant coach for years to avoid bad publicity. A news conference was scheduled for 9 a.m. in Indianapolis. By Tom Coyne and Ralph D. Russo.
AP Photos.
AP Videos.
TOP STORIES:
GLF--BRITISH OPEN
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England - Adam Scott had the claret jug in his grasp with four holes to play. A player of enormous potential was poised to fulfill his promise at age 32, collecting the first major championship of his career after building a comfortable lead over three days of brilliant golf. Then, a bogey. And another. And another. And finally, at the 18th hole, with a 7-foot putt to at least force a playoff, he missed again. Scott's knees buckled. Golf's oldest championship had been snatched away, handed to Ernie Els in one of the great collapses in golfing history. By Paul Newberry.
AP Photos.
BBO--HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Receiving baseball's highest honor always seems to produce a special impression on those directly involved. It was no different Sunday when the late Ron Santo, a star third baseman for the Cubs and later a beloved broadcaster for the team, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum along with former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin. By John Kekis.
AP Photos.
CYC--TOUR DE FRANCE
PARIS - After making history in Paris as the first Briton to win the Tour de France, Bradley Wiggins is heading home to London where he hopes to cap off his tremendous run of success with an Olympic gold medal. By Greg Keller.
AP Photos.
VIDEO:
- The NCAA said that that it would levy "corrective and punitive measures'' against Penn State on Monday in the wake of the child sex-abuse scandal involving former football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
- Penn State has taken down the famed statue of once-sainted Joe Paterno on a day when the NCAA announced it is about to spell out its punishment to the university for its handling of a child sex abuse scandal.
COMMENTARY:
GLF--TIM DAHLBERG-072212
LYTHAM St. ANNES, England - The enduring image of Tiger Woods from this British Open will be of him bent over on one knee, his other leg angled to the side, as he desperately tried to save his day with a miracle shot from deep in a bunker off the sixth green. His problems, though, are much deeper than one misadventure at the Open.
By Sports Columnist Tim Dahlberg
NEW/DEVELOPING:
BBA--YANKEES-ATHLETICS
OAKLAND, Calif. - A tying home run. A game-ending single. Players streaming out of the dugout, mobbing the final hitter on the field. A whipped-cream pie - maybe two - in the face, and a sports-drink bath to wash it all down. No matter how many times the scene unfolds, it never seems to get old in Oakland this season. Seth Smith hit a tying homer in the ninth inning, Coco Crisp singled home the winning run in the 12th and the surging A's rallied from four runs down to stun the New York Yankees 5-4 Sunday and complete a four-game sweep. Oakland improved to 14-2 in July, the best record in the majors during that span, with a league-leading 11th walk-off win. By Antonio Gonzalez. Sent
AP Photos.
OLY--BKO-ARGENTINA-US
BARCELONA, Spain - Dressed up like the Dream Team, this U.S. Olympic basketball squad even played like one - for 10 minutes. Though it didn't last, the Americans never thought it would. Argentina came nearly all the way back before the U.S. held on for an 86-80 victory in an exhibition game Sunday. By Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney.
AP Photos.
PRO FOOTBALL:
FBN--COLORADO SHOOTING-MANNING
AURORA, Colo. - A half dozen Denver Broncos visited with survivors of the Colorado theater shooting on Sunday to try to lift their spirits, while quarterback Peyton Manning on also called four patients. By Arnie Stapleton. Sent
Also:
- DETROIT - FBN--Lions-Berry Arrested. Lions CB Berry arrested for second time in a month. Sent
OLYMPICS:
Olympic Spotlight
OLY--MUNICH MEMORIAL
LONDON - Complaining that the Olympic movement is still ignoring their pain, Israelis marked the 40th anniversary of the Munich massacre on Sunday with a modest service in the atrium of a London apartment block. By Rob Harris. Sent
AP Photos.
OLY--LONDON 2012-MASCOTS
LONDON - Sinister. Disturbing. Creepy. Frightening. The official mascots of London's Olympic and Paralympic Games - Wenlock and Mandeville - have been called all of those things, but organizers are hoping to tack on a more positive title: merchandising magic. By Cassandra Vinograd.
AP Photos.
OLY--BKW-TURKISH RIVALRY
ISTANBUL - The rivalry between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray is one of the fiercest in women's basketball. Sunday night the teams' fans actually had something in common - cheering on their national team against a U.S. squad that included six players who have suited up for the Turkish rivals. By Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg.
AP Photos.
Also:
- KOURTANE, Finland - OLY--ATH-Kluft Withdraws. Former Olympic and world heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft withdraws from London Games because of injury.
GOLF:
GLF--TRUE SOUTH CLASSIC
MADISON, Miss. - Scott Stallings shot a 4-under 68 in the final round of the True South Classic to beat Jason Bohn by two strokes, earning his first Tour victory of the year and the second of his career. By David Brandt. Sent
AP Photos.
AUTO RACING:
CAR--NASCAR-NATIONWIDE-CHICAGOLAND
JOLIET, Ill. - After spending most of the week sick in bed, Elliott Sadler brushed off questions from team owner Richard Childress about a potential replacement driver, then held off a charge by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on a green-white-checker finish to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday.
AP Photos.
CAR--INDYCAR-EDMONTON
EDMONTON, Alberta - Helio Castroneves has been quietly lurking in the championship race this season, taking advantage of mistakes by others to position himself for a run at the IndyCar Series title. After his win Sunday at Edmonton, everybody knows he's in the mix for his first career championship. Sent
AP Photos.
Also:
- HOCKENHEIM, Germany - CAR--F1-German GP. Alonso wins German GP to extend championship lead. By Nesha Starcevic. Sent
ALSO:
- DETROIT - BBA--Tigers Cabrera Homers. Tigers Cabrera hits 300th homer. Sent
- ATLANTA - TEN--Atlanta Open. Roddick beats Muller to win Atlanta Open. By George Henry. Sent
- COLUMBIA, S.C. - FBC--Carlen-Obit. Jim Carlen dies; led West Virginia, Texas Tech and South Carolina teams. Sent
Monday's Time Schedule
BASEBALL
American League
Baltimore at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m.
Boston at Texas, 8:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.
Kansas City at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Seattle, 10:10 p.m.
National League
Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m.
Atlanta at Miami, 7:10 p.m.
Washington at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at Houston, 8:05 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.
Colorado at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.
San Diego at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m.

SPORTS: Port Angeles 12U softball team still winning at regionals

HOQUIAM — The fantasy ended for one North Olympic Peninsula team and got a little more difficult for another in bracket play at the Northwest Babe Ruth Softball regional tournament Saturday.

But the North Olympic 12U team of Port Angeles continues to roll and is close to a regional championship.

Meanwhile, having won four straight in the preliminary 10U round-robin, Forks saw its hopes for a regional title shattered in two unimaginable games.

In a noon game, the little girls who could were leading Meridian, Idaho 4-3, only to see the Idaho girls plate two in the bottom of the sixth inning to win 5-4.

Tossed into the loser’s bracket at 4 p.m. against host Hoquiam, Forks led 2-1 with two out in the top of the sixth when Hoquiam scored three runs to win 4-2 and end Forks’ dream season.

On Sunday, Upper Rogue awaited the Meridian, Idaho and Hoquiam winner to determine the regional champion.

In 12U play, North Olympic continued to roll.

Opening with a 10-0 win over Upper Rogue on Saturday morning, Port Angeles then awaited host Hoquiam, a 6-5 winner over Ellensburg, in the night contest.

That one saw North Olympic lead 3-1, only to have Hoquiam score three runs and take a 4-3 lead into the fifth inning.

The Port Angeles girls scored two and shut the haborites down for a 5-4 win.

North Olympic now awaits to play the Hoquiam and Ellensburg survivor for the championship and a ticket to the 12U World Series in Florida.

In 16U competition, things got a bit harder for North Olympic.

The Port Angeles team opened with a 12-3 win over Upper Rogue, but then in the night cap committed just too many mistakes in falling to Hoquiam 6-3.

On Sunday, the North Olympic girls needed to beat Upper Rogue, and then defeat Hoquiam twice to retain their regional title.

Results weren’t available by press time.

Last modified: July 22. 2012 6:02PM

Sports in Brief: Castoneves wins Canadian Open

Helio Castroneves thrust himself into the IndyCar Series championship race Sunday in Edmonton, Alberta, by recording his second victory of the season. The Brazilian held off hard-charging Takuma Sato over the final 15 laps to pick up the win. It moved him one spot in the standings to second - he jumped over teammate Will Power - and he trails leader Ryan Hunter-Reay by 23 points with four races remaining.
Elliott Sadler held off a charge by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on a green-white-checker finish to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Stenhouse appeared to have the stronger car and was chasing down Sadler in the closing laps of the race. But a late caution bunched up the field for NASCAR's version of overtime, and Sadler got a push from Justin Allgaier on the restart and pulled away. Stenhouse finished second, followed by Allgaier, Kenny Wallace, and Michael Annett.
Fernando Alonso led from the start to win the German Grand Prix in his Ferrari in Hockenheim, Germany, and extend his Formula One lead.
TENNIS: Andy Roddick beat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2, to win the Atlanta Open and earn his 32d ATP World Tour title. Roddick, 29, ranks third among active players in career titles behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He will play for the U.S. team when the Olympics begin next week at Wimbledon.
GOLF: In Madison, Miss., Scott Stallings shot a 4-under-par 68 in the final round of the True South Classic to beat Jason Bohn by 2 strokes. It was his first Tour victory of the year and the second of his career. He finished with a 24-under 264 - a tournament record at Annandale Golf Club.
Dan Quinn birdied three of his first seven holes to pull ahead and then stretched his lead on the back nine to beat former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien in the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev. Quinn earned $125,000 from a total purse of $600,000. The former NHL star will caddie for Sunday's British Open winner, Ernie Els, this week in the Canadian Open.
NBA: The Chicago Bulls reportedly will sign former 76ers center Nazr Mohammed, according to the New York Post. The signing of Mohammed, who was with the Thunder last season, spells the end of Omer Asik's time in Chicago. The Turkish big man signed a three-year, $25 million offer sheet with the Rockets.
HORSE RACING: In Saratoga Springs, N.Y., favorite Bern Identity overtook Handsome Jack in the final sixteenth of a mile and moved on to a 11/4-length victory in the $200,000 Sanford Stakes for 2-year-olds. Ramon Dominguez joined Hall of Famer John Velazquez as the only riders in the 144-year history of Saratoga Race Course to win six races on a single card. On Saturday, Questing coasted to a 4¼-length victory in the $300,000 American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies.
NFL: Detroit cornerback Aaron Berry was arrested in Pennsylvania for the second time this offseason. Berry was taken into custody early Saturday morning on three charges of simple assault, Harrisburg police said. Berry, who is from Harrisburg, was arrested in that area June 23 on suspicion of DUI, failure to stop and render aid from an accident, and other counts.

London 2012: Diver Tom Daley 'stronger' after family heartache

By Nick Hope BBC Olympic sports reporter

TOM DALEY ON THE BBC

• Monday 23 July at 22:35 BST on BBC One: Tom Daley - Diving for Britain

Double Commonwealth champion Tom Daley says he wants to win an Olympic medal for his family after a difficult year.

Tom's father Rob Daley passed away last May and the diver was criticised in early 2012 from within the GB camp over his media commitments.
"It's about time we got some good news in our family," Daley told BBC Sport.

Daley on his Dad

"My dad was always Olympic crazy, he absolutely loved it and it was his big thing when he came and watched me in Beijing - he was just so proud to say that his son was an Olympian. It's great to know that he's always been so supportive and I definitely think he's still looking after me now."

"It's definitely been a tough year, but it's helped me gain a lot of motivation and inspiration and made me stronger."

A 'Tom Daley - Diving for Britain' documentary will air on BBC One at 22:35 on Monday 23 July.
Daley made his Olympic debut four years ago, where at 14 he was the youngest member of the British team to compete in Beijing.
He finished seventh in the individual 10m platform event and eighth alongside Blake Aldridge in the synchro competition. A year later, he secured victory at the World Championships in Rome.
Rob Daley was believed to be in remission following the removal of a brain tumour in 2006, however a scan in 2010 revealed it had returned.
He was not well enough to travel to Delhi, but Tom still managed to win double Commonwealth gold.
"We kind of knew that it was inevitable, it was just a question of when. For us and for me it brought me closer to my dad throughout the whole thing. I think if he didn't have that brain tumour we wouldn't have been so close, it's great that we've had that really strong connection."
At the 2011 World Championships Daley finished fifth, eight weeks after his father lost his battle with his condition.
"There was loads of pressure because the media was asking, 'Is he going to perform well, is he not?'" Daley added.
"I wasn't prepared properly because I had just lost my dad and it was about going in there and giving it my best shot. I know he would have wanted me to have carried on."

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GB divers in LMFAO lip sync video tribute

In February of this year, GB diving performance director Alexei Evangulov decided against entering Daley into the 10m individual event and then compared him to Russian tennis-flop Anna Kournikova after the Plymouth-born diver finished seventh alongside Peter Waterfield in the synchro competition.
Daley, 18, insisted he had never missed a training session due to media commitments and that he pays little attention to what the media say about him.
"To be honest I don't watch anything, I don't look at the papers," Daley said.
"I look at some of the pictures and watch some of my dives back but apart from that I focus on training and competitions. I can't focus on what others are writing or saying - so I have to focus on myself."
Daley claimed overall victory in the World Series in April and followed that up with an impressive European Championship gold and new British record score in Eindhoven in May.
He secured qualification for London 2012 with victory at the GB Olympic trials in Sheffield and his first event, 10m synchro, will take place on Monday 30 July.
The teenager will then return for the 10m individual preliminaries on 10 August.
"London 2012 is the biggest thing in my life," Daley said.
"It's going to be an amazing experience and I'm going to really try and go in there and do the best six dives that I could ever do. For me it means everything."
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Tom Daley relives his Beijing Olympic experience and looks to London

David Cerny's sculpture does push-ups in London.

Reuters

1:06 a.m. CDT, July 23, 2012

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Els wins British Open after stunning Scott collapse
LYTHAM ST ANNES, England (Reuters) - South African Ernie
Els won the British Open by one stroke from Adam Scott on
Sunday after the Australian suffered an extraordinary late
collapse on an incident-packed final day. World number 13
Scott, chasing his first major championship, started the last
round with a four-shot lead and seemed to be cruising to
victory as he maintained that cushion with six holes to play.

Wiggins becomes Britain's first Tour de France winner

PARIS (Reuters) - Bradley Wiggins was greeted by thousands
of Union Jack-waving fans on the Champs Elysees when he claimed
the 99th edition of the Tour de France to become the first
British winner of the famous race on Sunday. Wiggins finished
safe in the bunch on the 20th and last stage, a 120-km ride
from Rambouillet, as he helped his Sky team mate and fellow
Briton Mark Cavendish to victory.

Alonso pulls away with German GP victory

HOCKENHEIM, Germany (Reuters) - Fernando Alonso led from
pole position to chequered flag to win the German Grand Prix
for Ferrari on Sunday while Germany's Formula One world
champion Sebastian Vettel was stripped of second place for an
overtaking infringement. The Spaniard's third win of the season
stretched his championship lead to 34 points and ensured he
will stay on top through the European summer break which starts
after next weekend's race in Hungary.

U.S. learn from narrow win over Argentina

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - It was the narrowest winning
margin yet for the U.S. basketball team in the run-up to
defending their Olympic title, but coach Mike Krzyzewski said
the 86-80 victory over Argentina provided a valuable lesson for
his squad. ``We learned a lot,'' he said, pointing to the way the
travelling rule is called by international referees, the proud
way Argentina battled back and the atmosphere of playing in
Barcelona, where the Dream Team roared to gold in 1992.

Penn State facing severe NCAA sanctions, removes Paterno
statue

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Penn State
University braced for potentially crippling sanctions against
champion Sebastian Vettel was stripped of second place for an
overtaking infringement. The Spaniard's third win of the season
stretched his championship lead to 34 points and ensured he
will stay on top through the European summer break which starts
after next weekend's race in Hungary.

U.S. learn from narrow win over Argentina

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - It was the narrowest winning
margin yet for the U.S. basketball team in the run-up to
defending their Olympic title, but coach Mike Krzyzewski said
the 86-80 victory over Argentina provided a valuable lesson for
his squad. ``We learned a lot,'' he said, pointing to the way the
travelling rule is called by international referees, the proud
way Argentina battled back and the atmosphere of playing in
Barcelona, where the Dream Team roared to gold in 1992.

Penn State facing severe NCAA sanctions, removes Paterno
statue

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Penn State
University braced for potentially crippling sanctions against
down its statue of coach Joe Paterno for his role in the
scandal. The National Collegiate Athletic Association said on
Sunday it would announce punitive measures against the school
on Monday, and could levy the so-called death penalty that
would eliminate an entire season or more for the
scandal-scarred football program.

Cycling: Bring on London, says fired up Cavendish

PARIS (Reuters) - Mark Cavendish went off the radar for two
weeks during the Tour de France, only for the Briton to
re-emerge with victories in the last two sprints of the race
right on cue for the London Olympics. After winning the second
stage, Cavendish was never in the mix when Andre Greipel
claimed three stage victories. But on Sunday, the German rider
was nowhere to be seen as the Manx Missile snatched his fourth
victory on the Champs Elysees.

Stallings seals second tour win in True South

2012-07-22T225608Z_1_BRE86L0MR_RTROPTC_0_US-GOLF-PGA.XML ()
Cibulkova eases past Bartoli in California final

CARLSBAD, California (Reuters) - Dominika Cibulkova claimed

her second career title when she romped to a routine 6-1 7-5
victory over top seed Marion Bartoli to win the Carlsbad Open
on Sunday. In an impressive display from behind the baseline,
the second seeded Slovakian was quicker around the court than
her French opponent, rallying from a 4-1 deficit in the second
set to record a morale-boosting victory ahead of the Olympics.

Dodgers sweep Mets with late power surge

2012-07-22T232621Z_1_BRE86L0NO_RTROPTC_0_US-BASEBALL-DODGERS.XM
L () -

Mind games of the victorious

NEW YORK (Reuters) - For decades after the first sports
psychology lab was established in 1920 in Germany, mental
coaches have been the water boys of sports science, viewed by
their colleagues as not quite good enough to make the
first-string team. That has changed. Virtually every top
professional team and elite athlete has a psychologist on speed
dial for help conquering the yips - when stress makes crucial
muscles jerk and ruins, say, an archery shot - marshal the
power of visualization, or just muster the confidence that can
mean the difference between medaling or just muddling through.

The morning briefing ... the lighter side of sports

David Cerny's sculpture does push-ups in London.

Photograph by: Reuters , Reuters

A Czech artist has remodelled a traditional London double-decker bus into a mechanical sculpture of an athlete doing push-ups to celebrate the Olympic Games, which open in the British capital on Friday.
David Cerny, whose past works have enraged European politicians and sought to poke fun at rival artists, has installed the bus outside the Czech Olympic House in Lon-don's Islington neighbourhood.
Cerny bought the 1957 bus from an owner in the Netherlands, attached two huge arms, an electrical engine and a lot of wiring and suspension tools to make it into a piece of art named "London Boosted."
The mechanisms inside make the six-tonne bus move up and down on bright red arms, raising the chassis into various angles, accompanied by recordings of a groaning voice and video projections in the windows.
"There is one common exercise for every sportsman in the world and that is push-ups," Cerny said.
"It is training for sport activities, but at the same time it is also punishment in armies and prisons. So the push-ups are a very universal physical activity. . . . It is in a way very ironic."
In 2009, Cerny revealed a huge puzzle-like object, called "Entropa" in an EU building in Brussels that pictured European countries in unflattering ways, making a dramatic start to the Czech Republic's EU presidency.
Bulgaria protested for being shown as a squat toilet, Germany was a Swastika-like web of highways, including moving cars, France was covered by an "On Strike" banner and Britain was missing altogether.
In the Czech Republic, he once painted pink a Soviet tank that was serving as a monument of the 1945 liberation of Prague.
His "Shark" was a statue of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein floating in formaldehyde.
It was meant to poke fun at British artist Damien Hirst's embalmed shark and was banned from exhibitions in Belgium and Poland.
Cerny once also put up large replicas of guns and posters in London back in the 1990s, calling on people to observe a "Day of Killing" to control population growth, as part of an art fair.
In that context, the London bus seems uncontroversial.
"We will see how long the athlete can work out for," Cerny said. "Let's hope he will exercise for the full three weeks. He will be the biggest sportsman there."

Pope's Olympic message credits the power of sports

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI says he is praying that the London Olympics promote world peace and friendship — a message the Vatican is increasingly emphasising as it focuses renewed attention on the positive role that sports can play in society.

But while the message yesterday may be new, sports have long been a mainstay for the Vatican. The first soccer game was played in the Apostolic Palace in 1521 and every year the Swiss Guards face off against the staff of the Vatican Museums in a tournament.

A new movie — 100 Meters From Paradise — about a fictitious Vatican team at the London Games won a rave review in the Vatican newspaper, but the prospects of the world's tiniest sovereign state actually fielding an Olympic squad are slim.

Oh sure, athletes abound among the Vatican's clerics and cardinals: Pope John Paul II was an avid skier, and Benedict's personal secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein has been known to play a mean game of tennis. The late head of the Vatican bank, Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, took to the links at a Rome golf club and, in ancient times, many popes were accomplished game hunters.

Even Vatican guests have shown their athletic prowess. When foreign diplomats took refuge inside Vatican City during the World War II-era German occupation of Rome, the Chinese ambassador to the Holy See practised his golf swing in the Vatican gardens, according to photographs in a new book The Ears of the Vatican by longtime Vatican reporter Bruno Bartoloni.

"Sports have always been appreciated in the Christian tradition," said Giovanni Maria Vian, editor of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, which has given ample space to Benedict's renewed message about the good that sports can bring to society.

He said competitive spirit, physical fitness and personal achievement are all "positive values" that the church has emphasised from its beginning.

Just last month, the Vatican's culture office opened a new "Culture and Sport" department, saying the sporting world was in need of a "cathartic" change to fight from spiraling into a profession dominated by money and drugs.

"Sports has to find its cultural aspect again, its profound spirit, and again be the educational reference point for young people," the Vatican's sports czar, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, said at the launch of the new office, which has a counterpart in the Vatican department for laity.