Inov-8 330 Mudclaw Review

Click the link to view the Inov-8 330 MudclawAnyone whose read my earlier posts knows that I'm an Inov-8 convert.I have been using their trail shoes for several years and recently tried and liked their lightest race shoe the 212 X-Talon.As the trails recently be a tad around the slippy side I needed to locate something after some more grip than my Adidas Kanadia trail shoes. The X-Talon's have fantastic grip but they offer very little support so whilst they're ideal for racing they are not that good for churning out the miles in training.I've never been a big fan of Inov-8′s fell shoe styling (212 excepted) but recent changes for their colourways plus some subtle changes to the uppers have, in my opinion, improved the range considerably.?We all know that exactly what a fell shoe looks like shouldn't matter a hoot?but we are all aware it does and how things look can have a big effect, even when it's?all in the mind.When searching for a grippy trail shoe the 330 caught my attention and whilst I understand it's designed to be considered a fell racer the upper?does look more like a trail shoe.These shoes do feel slightly larger than the same sized 212 but I guess that's to become expected because the 212 should be a tight fitting stripped down racer.Following a obligatory walk around the house for a day, my first run?within the 330s would be a 90 minute trot around Baildon Moor and the very first thing you notice is the massive levels of traction that the heavily studded sole supplies. The shoes really inspire confidence in muddy conditions and certainly live up to their name.The shoes are extremely comfy and although nice and little as a great off-road shoe ought to be, they offer descent cushioning from the midsole and also a noticable amount of welcome'bounce' in the studs on hard surfaces.The heel is very low, a feature of Inov-8 shoes that we still don't fully understand, and initially?I could feel a little movement when climbing steep wholesale jordans shoes ground. This has basically?disappeared now?the shoes have been?wet and dried several times and started to mould to my feet but I would rather a greater heel to ensure the movement isn't there to begin with.Another issue is the shoe's capability to handle wet rock-put simply, they don't! Knowing this you'll be able to?use them very effectively but the first couple of times you attempt them on a wet, hard, cambered surface the results can be very un-nerving. What I learn about shoe design / manufacture you can write around the back of a small stamp but I want to have experienced two lines of studs running across the length of the sole unit which were produced from super soft sticky rubber.For those who have a relatively efficient style and keep light on your feet these shoes can be used for almost anything from hard packed trails towards the high fells however i think they'll really come into their very own on long-distance fell races where comfort, support?and grip are needed.I've now done around 15 hours within the shoes and overall I like them very much and would gladly recommend them. If? you try before you buy to make sure you obtain the right size and become aware of their dislike of wet rock, you'll not go far wrong.Click the link to see the Inov-8 330 Mudclaw

‘NBA 2K13′ will include the Dream Team* and Team USA 2012, allow for debate-settlin’

Well, this is a neat little surprise.
Remember how for a little while there, folks were batting around the question of whether the 2012 edition of Team USA — led by present-day superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul — could have beaten the 1992 version popularly referred to as "The Dream Team," which featured legends Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and is widely considered the greatest team ever assembled in any sport? Well, in case you were under a rock for a couple of weeks (or got on Billy King's scotch plan to "Eternal Sunshine" the memories away), let's catch you up:
The discussion started when a reporter asked Kobe at a pre-London workout how he thought the 2012 squad would fare against the Dream Team. Kobe, unsurprisingly, said he thought his team would "pull it out," citing superior speed, scoring and wing depth. This, naturally, led to a slew of Dream Teamers, including the famously shy Charles Barkley, disputing Bryant's claim. Hoops fans all over the world, including President Barack Obama, shared their opinions on the topic, with most falling on the side of the '92 squad, which smashed its opponents by an average margin of 43.8 points per game en route to gold in Barcelona, compared to the crummy lil' 32-point average posted by 20-Doz during their 8-0 run in London.
[ Y! Sports Minute: Coach fuels Jordan-James debate ]
While chatter on the matter has largely subsided in the wake of another U.S. gold-medal win at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday has brought us a new fuel-for-the-fire nugget: "NBA 2K13" — the forthcoming annual update to the wildly successful basketball video-game series from 2K Sports, which will feature Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose on its cover and is being "executive produced" by Brooklyn Nets minority owner/hip-hop legend Jay-Z — will include both the Dream Team and the 2012 squad, enabling players to get their "Rocky Balboa" on and simulate the result for themselves (or choose their side and influence the outcome on their own, if they want to be non-scientific about it).
2K Sports shared a promotional image of the Dream Team lined up and ready to go on its Twitter account on Wednesday morning, dovetailing nicely with a story from SI.com's Sam Amick in which Jordan (as part of the 2K team announcing USA Basketball's involvement in this year's game) reiterated that he doesn't think "we would've had any problems with [2012], as much as they think they probably would've given us a lot more difficulties." Promotional synergy, y'all!

The sharper cookies among you noticed that asterisk in the subject line and might be wondering what's up. Well, the whole Dream Team isn't represented in "2K13" — Scottie Pippen won't be included on the '92 roster, because he couldn't come to terms with the game's makers, according to multiple reports. (That's especially weird considering he was one of the all-time legends available for selection in the 2012 model of the game; you'd figure there must be some relationship in place there. But apparently, not enough to get this deal done.)
That's a bummer, both because it'd be nice to have the whole gang together and because Pippen was an integral on-court part of the Dream Team — remember, he led the team in assists, trailed only Jordan in steals and gave many European players fits on the defensive end in Barcelona. Luckily, I'm sure that as soon as the game drops on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2012, about 300 enterprising fans will upload step-by-step tutorials on how to create your own Scottie Pippen to YouTube. They're helpful like that.
The absence of Pippen puts "NBA 2K13" at a significant disadvantage in its quest to be a better video game than the Sega Genesis classic "Team USA Basketball." Will the gameplay, graphics and music be superior? Only time will tell:

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.''

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.

British Open: Jeev laments missed opportunities

Golf | Posted on Jul 20, 2012 at 09:05am IST

Lytham St Annes: Golfer Jeev Milkha Singh was kicking himself after allowing a flying start end with a level par 70 in the first round of the British Open here on Thursday.
Jeev, who won the Scottish Open in a play-off on Sunday, was on top of the leaderboard at three-under-par through 11 holes at a benign Royal Lytham and St Annes, but dropped three shots over the next two holes.
The two-time Asian Tour No.1 bounced back with a birdie on 14 but dropped another shot on 17 after finding thick rough with a wayward tee shot. Still, the Indian star was pleased with his effort, considering he only played six holes in practice after gaining a last-minute ticket into The Open from his Scottish success.

"I played really well the first 11 holes. I think the 13th hole was the hole that got me. I hit a bad shot and I think I got greedy with it. When you hit it in the rough you need to take your medicine and move on. I made a double there but came back with a birdie on the next and made some good pars coming in.
"I think I've just got to stay patient. I'm happy. I've come away with a 70. I thought I could have done much better. But it's alright and I look forward to the next three days," he said.
Jeev had only a brief look at Royal Lytham and St Annes on Tuesday and then spent several hours at the range on Wednesday. He said he relied on his long-time caddie, Janet Squire, to map out his game plan.
"I take it in a way that if you play a lot of practice rounds, you see a lot of trouble. So you might as well not see it, you might as well just tee it up straight and see the good and go for it. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't. I'm still happy. I think it worked for me, and I'm going to do the same most of the time," said the 40-year-old Indian.
"I like to play the golf course blind. I think that's why I paid my dues on No.13, but that's alright. It could have gone my way, and it couldn't have, too, but that's all right. That's the way I like playing coming into a tournament. I think mentally I was a little tired so I just wanted to take it easy.
"I rely quite a bit on her (Janet), because she's walked the course a few times and I just ask her where to go and just look at the yardage book and fire away."
Jeev, whose best finish in a Major was tied ninth in the 2008 PGA Championship, started brilliantly with a 25-foot birdie conversion on the first hole before holing another long effort on the fourth. He snared three more birdies and dropped bogeys on the seventh and 17th holes and a double on 13 where he took two shots out of a greenside bunker.

Team sports seen as key factor in preventing childhood obesity

Children who play on several sports teams are nearly 40 percent less likely to be obese, according to study by Hood Center for Children and Families

AFP RELAX NEWS

Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 3:59 PM

Kids who play multiple team sports are 40 percent less likely to be obese.

Parents who want fit kids shouldn’t make them diet, they should make them play team sports.
New research finds that children who play on several sports teams are nearly 40 percent less likely to be obese.
"Team sport participation had the strongest and most consistent inverse association with weight status," wrote researcher Keith M. Drake, of the Hood Center for Children and Families at Dartmouth in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and colleagues in Pediatrics, in a study published July 16. "Obesity prevention programs should consider strategies to increase team sport participation among all students."
"Adolescents who played on three sports teams or more in the last year were 27 percent less likely to be overweight/obese and 39 percent less likely to be obese compared with adolescents who did not play on any sports teams," write the researchers.

The researchers also found that teens who walked or biked to school more than three days a week had a 33 percent lower risk of obesity than those who took the bus or rode in a car.

In the study, researchers surveyed 1,718 New Hampshire and Vermont high school students and their parents about their daily habits, diets, weight, and physical activity.
Other factors associated with a lower risk of being overweight or obese included extracurricular physical activity and eating fruits and vegetables.

A separate study published this March in the journal Obesity finds that the number one way parents can help an obese child lose weight is to lose weight themselves. In the study, parents who served as role models and shed weight themselves proved to be the most inspiring and motivational method for their own children -- more than making changes to the home food environment or enrolling kids in physical activities, researchers said.

Jeremy Lin to Sports Illustrated: ‘Honestly, I preferred New York’

By Dan Devine | Ball Don't Lie
 On his way out of New York, Jeremy Lin tells his side of the story. (Getty Images)
(I promise: We're going to talk about other stuff soon. Hang in there.)
We got the New York Knicks' side of the decision not to match the offer sheet that Jeremy Lin signed with the Houston Rockets on Wednesday morning, thanks to tabloid beat man Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Isola reported that the Knicks declined to bring back the restricted free-agent point guard, in part, because owner James Dolan felt "betrayed" and "deceived" by Lin agreeing to a restructured three-year, $25.1 million deal that would have been much more financially onerous for New York to equal than the four-year, $28.8 million sheet initially floated by the Rockets, which the Knicks said they would match.
Whether or not you think there's any validity to the owner's feelings — and, y'know, I don't — that's the spin coming out of Madison Square Garden. We didn't bring the kid back because the kid's a no-good traitor. Well, we got the no-good traitor's side of the story on Wednesday afternoon, thanks to Pablo S. Torre of Sports Illustrated.
Shortly after the Knicks announced they wouldn't match and Lin officially became a Rocket, Torre spoke with the 23-year-old point guard about where he is, how he got there and where he'd have liked to be: "Honestly, I preferred New York."

Torre's exclusive interview with Lin — whom he profiled in a pair of late February pieces that made Lin one of just three NBA players to appear on back-to-back SI covers — includes some amazing details about Lin's courtship (or lack thereof) by the Knicks.
While it's hard to pick which is the most revelatory, the fact that New York's brass had "spoken to [Lin] and his representatives only once this month" before a brief phone call from general manager Glen Grunwald late Tuesday night to confirm the team's decision and wish him luck seems like a pretty instructive bit of information, especially considering the Knicks had publicly represented that Lin's return was all but assured, with one source suggesting the team would match any offer "up to $1 billion" and head coach Mike Woodson saying Lin was his starting point guard.
It also lays plain Lin's situation at the time that Houston tendered its reconfigured offer sheet: "By this point, Lin had no real idea what the Knicks would do. But there also wasn't much choice: There was all of one offer sheet in front of him to consider." It just so happened it was the one that included a so-called "poison pill" offer that would leave the Knicks in an even hotter circle of luxury-tax hell in 2014-15 than was previously reserved for them thanks to their own machinations. So he signed it, which seems less like deception or betrayal than doing what literally anyone else would do in the same situation.
Lin also flatly, if indirectly, rebuts bombs lobbed by the likes of ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who claimed the guard has "been all about the money since the day he burst onto Broadway," and Isola, who had called Lin out on the carpet for choosing not to rush back from knee surgery for Game 5 of the Knicks' first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat because he estimated himself at "85 percent."
Lin pretty quickly brushed aside the financial talk — "If I really wanted to, I could have triple-digit endorsements," he told Torre — but he got into the Game 5 question:

"Every single vet on our team that has been in the league longer than five years pulled me aside and told me that I shouldn't play," Lin says. "And I had arguments with them about why I should."
Dolan — who didn't talk to Lin often but had generally been "really nice to me" — wound up expressing support. "I have plans for you in the future," Lin recalls the owner saying. "This is a long-term investment. Don't rush back."

He didn't — and as I wrote then, he shouldn't have — but I'm sure a certain portion of the New York fan base won't ever let him live it down. Doesn't sound like Lin will hold it against them, though:

"I love the New York fans to death," Lin says. "That's the biggest reason why I wanted to return to New York. The way they embraced me, the way they supported us this past season, was better than anything I've ever seen or experienced. I'll go to my grave saying that. What New York did for me was unbelievable. I wanted to play in front of those fans for the rest of my career."

It'll be fascinating to see what Dolan, CAA or whomever else have up their sleeves if they want to paint that guy as a villain. I'm sure someone in the Garden's Photoshopping Lin with a coat made out of puppies as we speak.

Axford blows lead, Brewers fall to Cardinals 3-2

Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke(10) takes the ball from closer John Axford (59) as catcher Martin Maldonado, right, looks on against the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 16, 2012, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

By Chris Jenkins
AP Sports Writer / July 17, 2012 

MILWAUKEE—In what is shaping up as a rough season for John Axford, this might have been the worst moment yet.

And it might end up costing Axford his job as Milwaukee's closer.

Allen Craig hit a bloop RBI single off Axford to put St. Louis in front, and the Cardinals rallied to beat the Brewers 3-2 on Monday night.

"In all honesty, I couldn't feel anything," Axford said. "It was the most awful outing I've had all year."

Milwaukee was leading 2-0 going into the ninth but Axford struggled with his control right away, eventually loading the bases with two outs and surrendering a tying two-run single to Matt Holliday. Axford (2-6) then was lifted after giving up Craig's single, which dropped softly into shallow left field.

Axford left the game to a steady stream of boos from the crowd.

"It's kind of a `What have you done for me lately?,'" Axford said. "And if I'm not doing the job, they can say whatever they want."

Axford's sloppy inning wasted another strong performance by Mike Fiers, who pitched seven scoreless innings.

Manager Ron Roenicke acknowledged that Axford's role was up for review.

"We talk about it all the time," Roenicke said. "We talked about it just now, and we will again tomorrow."

And Roenicke isn't sure why Axford is struggling to find the dominant form he showed last season.

"I think he's got a lot going on upstairs," Roenicke said. "But he still seems to be the same guy. You talk to him before the game or batting practice, he seems to be the same guy. So I don't know what all the issues are."

Corey Hart hit his 17th homer for the Brewers, and Ryan Braun added an RBI double in the eighth.

Fiers continued his string of strong performances since he was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on May 29. He is 2-1 with a sparkling 0.76 in his last six games.

Monday's loss was another setback for the Brewers, who announced earlier in the day that ace Zack Greinke will skip his scheduled start Wednesday and isn't scheduled to pitch again until July 24 at Philadelphia.

Roenicke said Greinke was fatigued and thrown off his routine after making three straight starts -- a July 7 game where he was ejected in the first inning, another start the following day and again in the Brewers' first game after the All-Star break.

Greinke said before the game he was "fine" with Roenicke's decision but was reluctant to discuss it. Greinke has been subject to trade speculation in recent weeks, with the Brewers mired in fourth in the NL Central.

St. Louis had lost three straight after getting swept by Cincinnati in a weekend series. Jason Motte (4-3) claimed the win.

The Cardinals had a scoring chance in the fourth when Yadier Molina hit a one-out double and David Freese walked. But Fiers got Matt Carpenter to fly out to center -- allowing Molina to take third base -- then got Daniel Descalso to ground out.

Milwaukee had a chance with two outs in the fifth when a sharp grounder by Cody Ransom glanced off the glove of Freese at third base, allowing Ransom to take second base on a play that was ruled a double. But Descalso charged a soft grounder by Fiers and threw him out, ending the inning.

Descalso led off the seventh with a single, and Lynn remained in the game to hit. After taking a ball from Fiers, Lynn fouled off two bunt attempts then struck out on another bunt attempt. Rafael Furcal hit a grounder back to Fiers, who bobbled the ball but recovered in time to throw to first as Descalso took second. Fiers then got Skip Schumaker to line out, ending the inning.

Francisco Rodriguez relieved Fiers in the eighth and gave up a leadoff single to Holliday, but got out of the inning without giving up a run.

Braun then gave the Brewers some breathing room, doubling in Norichika Aoki.

NOTES: Holliday extended his hitting streak to 15 games. ... Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy is scheduled to begin a rehabilitation stint at Class-A Wisconsin on Thursday. Lucroy has been on the disabled list since May 28 with a broken bone in his right hand. ... The Cardinals purchased the contract of RHP Trevor Rosenthal from Double-A Springfield and transferred LHP Jaime Garcia to the 60-day DL.

For Fans of Knicks, Conflict Over Lin

By HOWARD BECK

Published: July 16, 2012

The frenzy is spreading, just as it did all those months ago, a palpable buzz reverberating from Midtown to Chinatown and to every corner of every borough. Jeremy Lin is still stirring passions, except this time with his contract, not his clever passing.

Richard Perry/The New York Times

Jeremy Lin sparked interest in the New York Knicks, but some fans question his future value.

The Knicks have until Tuesday night to match a three-year, $25.1 million offer to Lin, the 23-year-old point guard sensation, or lose him to the Houston Rockets. The contract devised by Houston contains a $14.98 million balloon payment in the final year: a provision that could cost the Knicks three times that amount in luxury-tax penalties under the N.B.A.’s restrictive new system.

So the debate now rages: to pay or not to pay. To invest in Lin’s enticing potential and popularity, or to let him leave.

Suddenly, everyone is a salary-cap expert, an economist, a scout and a chief executive.

“Got to let him go,” said Joe Anthony, a 38-year-old Brooklyn resident, speaking outside a sporting-goods store at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue. “While he has all of the potential in the world, I think there’s a lot of question marks.”

Lin electrified Madison Square Garden and became a global star in February when he seized the Knicks’ point guard job and sparked a seven-game winning streak, saving their season. His made-for-Broadway story was irresistible: Harvard-educated. Undrafted. Overlooked. Waived twice. The son of Taiwanese immigrants. An Asian-American in a league with no others.

Lin’s No. 17 jersey became a top seller in days. “Linsanity” T-shirts flew off the racks at local sporting-good stores. Sports Illustrated put him on back-to-back covers. “Saturday Night Live” devoted skits to him. Restaurants named sandwiches and shakes after him. Creating Lin puns became a sport unto itself.

But Knicks fans are a tormented, anxious lot, scarred by years of bad basketball, bloated payrolls and underachieving players. The thought of devoting $25 million to a virtual rookie with a 26-game résumé strikes some fans as less than sane. Others cannot bear to see Lin leave, no matter the cost.

“I think for the last 10 years, people have had nothing to get excited about for the Knicks,” Nelson Park, 29, said while taking a smoking break outside a Midtown office building. “And finally, after one year, we have something. I mean, how many millions of dollars have they spent on other players?”

Outrage and despair filled blogs, message boards and Twitter timelines over the weekend, when word circulated that the Knicks were likely to let Lin go. Fans threatened to stop watching games, to cancel their season tickets, even to — gasp — switch allegiances to the Brooklyn Nets.

When the Knicks struck a deal Saturday night to acquire Raymond Felton, a veteran point guard, the prospect of losing Lin seemed more real than ever. A person briefed on the team’s thinking said it was highly unlikely the Knicks would match.

Two petitions aimed at reversing that fate were begun Sunday. One referred to Lin as “the best thing that has happened to New York Knicks basketball in the last 20 years.” It had 7,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon.

The emotions may be even stronger in Chinatown, where Lin-watching parties flourished in February. Wilson Tang, the 33-year-old owner of Nom Wah Tea Parlor, hosted some of those gatherings.

“The whole Linsanity thing was great,” Tang said. “It was great for New York. It was great for the Knicks. It was great for sales. It was great for Asian-Americans like myself, to see someone like that make it.”

Although Tang said it would pain him to see Lin go, he said his loyalty to the Knicks would not change, “because I’m a New York Knicks fan, not a Jeremy Lin fan.”

Another fan, Jeffrey Wong, said in an e-mail that he was “probably a little more caught up than most fans” when Linsanity erupted. He called the contractual debate “a little confusing and frustrating.”

“But I think in the end, if the Knicks don’t re-sign Jeremy, and even if they do, they come off looking like bumbling idiots,” Wong wrote.

Of course, Knicks fans are sadly accustomed to bumbling, ill-fated decisions.

The franchise spent the last decade chasing fading stars and overhyped talent with huge salaries, like Stephon Marbury, Jalen Rose and Steve Francis. The Knicks led the league in payroll and luxury-tax payments for years. All it got them was a permanent seat at the N.B.A.’s draft lottery — except in the years when the Knicks had no first-round pick because they had traded them away.

That scars of that legacy are evident on all sides of the Lin debate. Some fans see an albatross contract and shudder at the thought of a smaller, speedier Jerome James. Others see a cruel twist: that after years of fiscal recklessness, the Knicks have suddenly gone conservative.

“The problem the Knicks have faced for the last 10 years is just cap issues and maneuverability,” said Anthony, the fan who favors letting Lin go. He added, “If this guy turns out to be a bust, then they’re going to be caught with another lame duck that they’re not going to be able to move.”

Park, who wants the Knicks to match the contract, said it was worth the risk.

“It’s a lot of money, but compared to what they’ve spent in the past, it’s not that much,” he said. “Again, players like Marbury and Eddy Curry, they’ve gotten nothing out of it.”

Still others say the issue is not the money, but the résumé. Lin averaged 18.6 points and 7.6 assists in his 26 games as an everyday player. But he hardly played as a rookie, and his ultimate value is unclear.

“They’re paying him $1 million for every game that he’s actually started in his career,” said Connor Loughlin, a 26-year-old fan who was heading to work in Midtown.

Even Lin’s teammates have become engulfed in the debate. Carmelo Anthony, when asked if the Knicks should keep Lin, referred to the contract as “ridiculous.” J. R. Smith, in an interview with Sports Illustrated, said the contract could stir jealousy in the locker room.

At one Midtown restaurant, Lin’s probable departure will not only hurt some patrons’ feelings, but their stomachs. At the height of Linsanity, the chef at Feile, on West 33rd Street, created the LIN-burger -- “a five-spice pork burger,” said Mark Collins, the restaurant’s manager. “Had some ginger on it. Some pineapple. A really interesting burger.”

“At the time of Linsanity, when it was at its height, they couldn’t get enough of it,” Collins, a Knicks fan, said of the burger. “It was very popular.”

Collins, 37, said the dish was discontinued when the season ended but would return if Lin did. Now he figures it is gone for good.

The LIN-burger was priced at $11 which, when you think about it, is a lot to pay for an entree with such a short track record.

Ken Belson and Tim Rohan contributed reporting.

Some Penn State players stand by former coach

Penn State tailback Silas Redd still stands by his former coach Joe Paterno. Defensive tackle Jordan Hill does, too.

By GENARO C. ARMAS

AP Sports Writer

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. —

Penn State tailback Silas Redd still stands by his former coach Joe Paterno. Defensive tackle Jordan Hill does, too.
Redd, Hill and the rest of the Nittany Lions are trying to weather another stormy period after former FBI Director Louis Freeh's investigation of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal concluded that Paterno and three other top school officials concealed allegations against his former defensive coordinator.
Most Nittany Lions, before a player-organized charity event Friday, said they didn't watch the news conference Thursday about the probe, but had at least heard of the findings.
Nearly all the Nittany Lions declined comment about the report itself, trying to refocus attention for the "Uplifting Athletes" charity event for which they had gathered to raise money for the Kidney Cancer Association.
"It has nothing to do with us," Redd said about the findings. "We're just talking about this event and this season."
But Redd said his opinion of Paterno, the coach that recruited him to Penn State, hadn't changed. He said Paterno, in his view, remained "the best college football coach of all time."
Some newspaper columnists and former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden have said the statue should be taken down - but not Redd.
"Because I feel he did a lot more good than bad for this university," he said.
Hoping to take a picture at the statue in cap and gown when he graduates, Hill said he would be sad if the statue was removed. His opinion of Paterno hasn't changed, either.
"I'm still a big supporter of coach Paterno and he is one of the reasons that I'm here," he said. "All you can really say is no man is perfect at all."
Now that Freeh's findings have been released, Penn State can now concentrate on answering the NCAA's own inquiry into the scandal. President Rodney Erickson has said the school plans to respond to questions about institutional control and ethics in the coming weeks.
It's possible the NCAA could then launch a formal investigation which could lead to sanctions.
Whether that could include the so-called "death penalty" - where a program is shut down - seems unlikely, at least for now. It has happened just once, against SMU back in the 1980s. Current NCAA rules limit the penalty to colleges already on probation that commit another major violation.
"When that time comes, if it comes, then we'll worry about that," Hill said. "Right now, our eyes are looking forward to what's coming up."
Linebacker Michael Mauti said he read the report, but like others, said "it wasn't his place to talk about it."
"All we can do is show up for work and prepare for the season. All we can do is this right here," said Mauti, a redshirt senior and defensive leader, as he gestured out to field where the offense vs. defense competition was being held. "Stay together."
It's a familiar refrain for players since early November, when school trustees fired Paterno days after Sandusky was arrested.
Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien took over as head coach in early January. Two weeks later, Paterno died of lung cancer.
In June, Sandusky was convicted of 45 criminal counts. And this week, Freeh's long-awaited report placed blame on Paterno and three other high-ranking school officials for concealing allegations against Sandusky in 1998 and 2001 to avoid bad publicity for the school and program.
The Paterno family has said the late coach would not cover up allegations, and that they hoped to release a comprehensive response to put conclusions in a different context and offer a "complete picture."
"I don't think it's really my place to say," Mauti said when asked about criticism of Paterno's legacy. "You can't really take away what he's done ... I don't worry what other people say. I know what he's meant to me and meant to my family."
Once they got into the event, the roars from a field sounded as if it were a football scrimmage. The offense beat the defense in a tug-of-war to take a round in the annual charity competition, which had been scheduled for Friday for months.
"I hope all the stuff that's been going on doesn't cast a shadow over what we're doing out here today," quarterback Matt McGloin said. "This is something we've put on each and every year and I don't want everything that's happened to effect what we've done out here today."

Panel: New NBA, NHL teams would overload fans' finances

By Bryan Johnson & KOMO Staff Published: Jul 12, 2012 at 5:11 PM PDT

The proposed site for the new arena just south of Safeco Field is seen in this aerial image.

SEATTLE -- Financial experts are telling the King County Council that two more sports teams could put Seattle fans on financial overload. They warn a new sports arena for basketball and hockey could have fans cutting back support for other teams.

Chris Hansen, for his part, believes questions have been answered. Seattle has fans. Seattle wants the Sonics. Traffic questions have been answered.

But this is Seattle. Probably the only place where if someone wants to spend hundreds of millions of his own dollars, there will be hearings, after hearings, before planning meetings, environmental impact studies, and SEPA compliance.

A hearing Thursday was No. 8 on Hansen's build an arena plan. Today's guests were an expert panel.

The argument most make is think of all the jobs building it and then think of all money all the screaming fans will spend.

The experts think a new arena would create 1,600 construction jobs for two years. But the economists add, the tax impact of the basketball arena is fairly small.

But they say the larger question is whether Seattle could support six professional teams, when you factor in the current Mariners, Seahawks, Sounders and Storm.

The money gurus say it is quite likely basketball and hockey would steal fans away from other teams.

Economist Dick Conway says he studied whether this is a great place for a new team:

"If you just consider population and you just consider the number of sports teams we have, this might be one of the worst places to locate a team," Conway said.

Conway says this is something that needs more study, a survey of fans. Other consultants suggest more studies of traffic to determine if there will be an impact on the Port of Seattle. And they question whether there is enough pedestrian access in the area so people would walk through what they called an inhospitable area.

The experts say new sports teams would add to civic pride, quality of life, and attractiveness to business. But there are traffic and fan questions that deserve deeper study.

Right now, the county council has just two more hearings scheduled, though more could be scheduled in August.

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.

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.

Quidditch nerds target Olympics to promote sport

By BELINDA GOLDSMITH, REUTERS
OXFORD, ENGLAND - Quidditch players riding broomsticks tagged on to the Olympics on Monday, acknowledging the game adapted from the Harry Potter series was for nerds but arguing that it was a legitimate sport worthy of being in the Olympics.
Five teams of quidditch players from Britain, the United States, Canada, France and Australia, flew into England for the sport's first major international tournament and to hold an exhibition match as the Olympic torch passed through Oxford, 95 km north-west of London.
The sport of ground quidditch was adapted in 2005 by U.S. students at Middlebury College in Vermont from the flying broomstick game in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels.
Since then, the sport has spread to 25 countries and has some 700 teams, mainly based in the United States and largely at colleges and universities.
Alex Benepe, one of the sport's founders, set up the New York-based non-profit International Quidditch Association in 2007 as players started to take the game more seriously and quidditch now boasts a rule book and a World Cup.
He said players happily admitted they were nerds, but sporty nerds, and they wanted to prove this was now a legitimate sport - and even aim for the Olympics in the future.
"Most people who play are nerds but we have a lot of jocks or athletes playing this sport as well, some of whom have never even read the Harry Potter books," Benepe, dressed in a three-piece suit and top hat, told Reuters.
"We thought it would be a great time to piggy-back off the Olympics, being held in the home country of Harry Potter, and show people this is an exciting sport. There are a lot more ridiculous sports in the Olympics than quidditch."
The International Quidditch Association describes itself as a magical, non-profit body "dedicated to promoting the sport of quidditch and inspiring young people to lead physically active and socially engaged lives".
Players said they were attracted to the sport as it drew in like-minded people who loved reading but also sport.
"Quidditch has helped athletes who had to be in closet about their nerdiness," said Benepe.
Allison Gillette, a player on the U.S. team which won the international tournament, said quidditch was as physically demanding as rugby and just as competitive but it retained a humour and camaraderie that other sports often lacked.
She said players were often teased but their tormentors changed their minds when they saw it was such a tough game.
"It is very physical but somehow having to run with a broom between your legs is humbling and this keeps a great sense of community in the sport," Gillette, a student from Emerson College in Boston, told Reuters.
Quidditch is best described as a mix of rugby and dodge ball. Each team has seven players and uses three different balls. Every player must have a broom between his or her legs.
Three players on each team are called chasers who aim to score goals through a hoop, worth 10 points each. Two players are beaters who use dodge balls, or bludgers, to disrupt the game. A keeper defends the hoop. The seeker's role is to snatch the snitch which is worth 30 points.
The snitch is a tennis ball in a yellow sock tucked into the waistband of a snitch runner who is not on either team, does not use a broom and can use any methods to avoid capture.
Benepe, who works in marketing in New York, said the game had changed since 2005. The cape once worn by players was ditched as it could choke people and the rules were now clearly set out.
"It has become far more serious and its growing popularity in the last year or two has really increased the quantity and the quality of players and improved the game," he said.
British player Angus Barry, who is studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics, at Oxford University, said five official teams had emerged in Britain in the past year and there were another 10 or so playing that did not join tournaments.
"The Harry Potter aspect is there but it is not an essential part of the sport. The sport would not have survived if it was just about Harry Potter. It stands on its own," said Barry.
Spectators looked on with amazement as the players, some wearing goggles, rode their brooms across the field.
Not all were convinced quidditch would make the Olympics.
"It's alright but it's a bit weird," said 10-year-old Tom Bound from Oxford, a Harry Potter fan who was hoping - in vain - to see some of the stars of the film series at the match.
"I don't think it's for the Olympics. It's probably better when the broomsticks actually fly," added his mother Emma Bound.

WIGGINS STAYS IN CONTROL

 
BESANCON, France: Bradley Wiggins tightened his grip on the yellow jersey with a maiden Tour de France stage victory that heaped the pressure on defending champion Cadel Evans yesterday.
Britain's Olympic track champion Wiggins was widely expected to increase his overnight lead of 10sec on his Australian rival on the first of two long time trials to feature in the 99th edition of the race.
But by the end of a 41.5 km solo ride that had seen former four-time world champion Fabian Cancellara finish 57sec in arrears, Wiggins had pushed his advantage over the Australian to 1min 53sec.
The icing on the cake for Team Sky was Chris Froome's second place at 35sec, two days after the Kenyan-born Briton claimed his maiden stage at the first hilltop finish at La Planche des Belles Filles.
Evans's American teammate Tejay Van Garderen was fourth at 1:06, just ahead of French time trial champion Sylvain Chavanel in sixth at 1:24.
Wiggins' priority had been to distance his rivals for the yellow jersey.
But soon after turning on the turbos from the start of the slightly technical rolling course, it was clear he would be giving Evans a small mountain to climb ahead of two days in the high Alps tomorrow and Thursday.
Italian Vincenzo Nibali, an aggressive racer who could become a key ally of Evans' in the mountains, did well to finish at 2:07 and is now fourth overall at 2:23.
Having raced against Froome and Wiggins at last year's Tour of Spain, where the English pair finished around a minute ahead of him on a 47 km time trial in Salamanca, the Italian was not surprised.
"I expected to lose as much time to Froome and Wiggins after the Tour of Spain result last year," said Nibali, who rides for Liquigas.
Russian Denis Menchov, a former winner of the Tour of Spain and Giro d'Italia, is in fifth at 3:02.
Despite getting the job done, Wiggins is not celebrating yet.
"After the rest day (on Tuesday) it will be a whole different ball game," he said. "And anything can happen, a bad day or a crash, so let's just take it a day at a time," he said.

Nova pitches Yankees to 7-3 win over Red Sox

By HOWARD ULMAN (AP Sports Writer) 

BOSTON (AP) -- Ivan Nova struck out 10, Andruw Jones hit his fourth homer in three games and the surging New York Yankees went into the All-Star break with a 7-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night.

The Yankees took three of four at Fenway Park and boosted their record to a major league-best 52-33. They hold the biggest division lead in baseball at seven games over Baltimore.
Boston (43-43) dropped its sixth game in the last seven and fell into a last-place tie in the division with the Toronto Blue Jays, 9 1-2 games off the pace. Only three AL teams - Minnesota, Kansas City and Seattle - are below .500 at the break.
Nova (10-3) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings. Jones provided a cushion with a two-run homer in the seventh that gave New York a 7-2 lead.
Jon Lester (5-6), who won at least 15 games in each of the last four seasons, left with one out in the fifth after giving up five runs and nine hits. Until Sunday, the lefty had rebounded from early-season troubles and posted a 3.86 ERA in 13 starts.
The Yankees scored in the first inning in all four games in the series, taking a 2-0 lead in the finale. The first three batters all hit safely - singles by Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson and an RBI double by Mark Teixeira. Granderson scored when Nick Swisher grounded into a forceout.
The Red Sox got an unearned run in the bottom of the inning when Jeter dropped a routine popup by Cody Ross with two outs. The shortstop's misplay scored Pedro Ciriaco, who had singled and stolen second.
New York made it 3-1 in the second on a double by Jayson Nix, a passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia and a sacrifice fly by Chris Stewart. Boston came back again with a run in the third on Ciriaco's single and David Ortiz's double.
The Yankees drove Lester from the game in the fifth, scoring twice for a 5-2 lead. Teixeira started the rally with a single and scored on a triple by Alex Rodriguez. Jones then singled in Rodriguez.
Nova won five consecutive starts before going 0-1 in his next three. He would have gotten out of a first-inning jam had Jeter held on to the soft popup near second base. The righty even pumped his fist and started walking off the mound but stopped as the ball bounced out of Jeter's glove.
Then Nova struck out the side in the second before escaping trouble in the third when the Red Sox scored a run and loaded the bases with one out. But Saltalamacchia struck out for the fifth time in seven at-bats and Ryan Sweeney grounded out.
Nova fanned three of his last four batters and at least one in each of his six innings.
Jones' homer was his 11th of the season and the Yankees' 134th, most in the majors. They're on a pace for a club-record 255. The 1997 Seattle Mariners hold the major league record with 264.
NOTES: Robinson Cano extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a double in the ninth, tying Jeter for the longest on the Yankees this year. ... Ortiz's double was his 373rd with the Red Sox, tying Jim Rice for sixth in club history. ... Nova had lost his last road start, ending a streak of 16 starts without a loss away from home. ... Jeter scored his 1,816th run in the first, tying Boston's Carl Yastrzemski for 16th on the all-time list. ... Red Sox 1B Adrian Gonzalez left the game in the third because of illness. He struck out in his only at-bat, ending his career-best hitting streak at 18 games. ... The Red Sox will honor Jason Varitek before their night game July 21 against the Toronto Blue Jays. The catcher retired in February after 15 seasons with the team. ... Ceremonial first pitches were thrown by Ted Williams' daughter Claudia (to Rice) and Babe Ruth's granddaughter Linda Ruth Tosetti (to Ortiz).