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Norman, Jackson, low scores have Senior Open abuzz
Greg Norman reverted to his old form Thursday at the U.S. Senior Open.
Tim Jackson revived talk, at least for one round, of another improbable finish at Crooked Stick.
With Norman hitting his trademark drives and drawing the customary big crowds and Jackson, an amateur, charging hard over the last nine holes, the U.S. Senior Open became more than just a name game.
Jackson reached the top of the leader board in his tour debut, matching the course-record 66s shot earlier in the day by Norman, Joey Sindelar and Dan Forsman. All are at 6-under. Andy Bean and South Africa's Fulton Allem both shot 67.
"If you drive as firm as it is, if you drive on the fairway, you are going to get a lot of finish on the ball," Jackson said. "The conditions can change, obviously, but the way the course was playing, I thought it played fairly short."
Strange, considering the 7,316-yard layout is the longest in Senior Open history.
The cool temperatures and relatively calm breeze led to low scores and a scramble at the top.
Norman in the morning, and Jackson late in the day each had a streak of four straight birdies, one short of the tourney record for most consecutive.
Jackson finished with the lowest amateur score in the Senior Open by two shots. Four players shot 68 in previous years, the most recent being Rick Cloninger on Broadmoor's east course in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2008.
Norman and Bean were the only players to reach 7-under. Both bogeyed their next holes to drop back into a tie for the lead, and both closed the day poorly.
Bean dropped a stroke on two of the last three holes to fall two shots behind, and Norman bogeyed No. 18 after hitting into a bunker and then blasting out to the back corner of the green for a 40-foot par putt.
While the last hole tainted Norman's otherwise meticulous day, there was a buzz in the gallery that followed the 54-year-old Aussie.
"I think they enjoy the way I play the game of golf," Norman said. "I'm fairly aggressive, I like to play the game. I like to challenge myself and sometimes they see shots they couldn't dream of hitting in their time."
Norman certainly had them excited Thursday, with roars being heard around the course on each birdie he made.
Jackson, meanwhile, rekindled images of another Crooked Stick surprise: 1991 PGA champion John Daly, who qualified for that tournament as the final alternate. Jackson made it here as a qualifier.
Before Thursday, Jackson's most noteworthy accomplishment was losing to Tiger Woods in the 1994 U.S. Amateur quarterfinals. Now he shares the lead with a two-time British Open champion and two PGA tour winners.
One shot back is the big-hitting Bean, an 11-time winner on tour, and Allem, winner of three more PGA events. Seven players are two shots behind, including Senior British Open champ Loren Roberts and 1996 British Open winner Tom Lehman.
All took advantage of Thursday's low-scoring conditions.
"If you're going to shoot a low round at the U.S. Senior Open, this is the day, I think," Forsman said. "That doesn't mean that there won't be great scores going forward, but this course will show it's teeth before it's over."
The Shark is hoping the course doesn't bite him the way it did on 18.
Organizers moved the tee box up 42 yards, confusing Norman about where to play his ball.
The result: He hit into the left rough, leaving him a treacherous uphill second shot. The ball landed in the front bunker, which led to a poor shot out of the sand and a long par putt that was six feet short.
"There is such a severe upslope and the grain was going straight into me," the two-time British Open champ said. "When you're on a keen angle on an upslope, it's difficult to keep that accelerating through because your body wants to fall back. So you're not getting a full rotation."
But Norman has even bigger things planned for the weekend.
"I feel like I'm getting close," Norman said. "Even though I played very, very well today, I feel like I'm getting close to getting it all together."
Last year's winner, Eduardo Romero of Argentina, shot a 73.
The suddenly rejuvenated Tom Watson delivered on his promise of playing conservatively because of an illness that limited him to just one practice round. Watson, who lost the British Open in a playoff two weeks ago, finished Thursday with a 1-under 71.
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Fish rallies to oust Guccione at LA tennis
US second seed Mardy Fish saved three match points in a tie-breaker and rallied to defeat Australian Chris Guccione 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (14/12), 6-4 and reach the ATP Los Angeles Open quarter-finals.
Fish survived a 16-minute tie-breaker in the second set by denying the Aussie on three match points, the last on a backhand drop volley winner to reach 10-10, and taking his fourth set point when Guccione hit a forehand long.
Fish then broke Guccione to open the third set, the only service break either man surrendered, and then served out to advance at the 700,000-dollar hardcourt tuneup event for the US Open.
Next up for Fish on Friday will be Argentina's Leonardo Mayer, who ousted Russian fifth seed Igor Kunitsyn 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (7/9), 6-3.
Fish, who held at love in the final game of the match, won a title last March at Delray Beach, Florida, and battled back after a weak start.
Guccione took the first set on a backhand winner, capturing the last four points of the tie-breaker, and jumped ahead 3-0 in the second-set tie-breaker before Fish took the next four points, the last on a double fault after an ace for Guccione was overturned on review appeal.
Fish denied Guccione's first match point with a service winner to reach 6-6 and his second opportunity with a forehand winner to 8-8, setting the stage for his drop volley rescue and eventual fightback to victory.
Israeli fourth seed Dudi Sela, who helped his homeland upset Russia in a Davis Cup quarter-final earlier this month but made a second-round exit last week at Indianapolis, defeated American Robert Kendrick 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Sela, who reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon, will next face US sixth seed Sam Querrey, who ousted American qualifier Ryan Sweeting 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3.
Querrey, runner-up at Newport and Indy the past two weeks, dropped the first five games of the second set then won the next five and while he dropped the tie-breaker an early service break in the third sparked the win.
"I kind of lost focus in the second set then I think he kind of lost focus," Querrey said. "He let me right back into it without me really playing well, then he picked it up in the tiebreaker.
"You've just got to stay positive and bounce back and I thought I did a good job of that in the third set."
German top seed Tommy Haas and Russian eighth seed Marat Safin will meet to decide who plays the Querrey-Sela winner in a Saturday semi-final.
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Cavic riffs on Phelps ahead of 100 fly showdown
Milorad Cavic is tired of hearing about Michael Phelps having to compete in a supposedly inferior swimsuit. The Serb even offered to buy his American rival one of the latest models if that's what it takes to even the playing field for their rematch in the 100-meter butterfly.
Cavic's comments, coming after both swimmers easily advanced in Friday morning preliminaries, sets up a tantalizing rematch of their memorable race at the Beijing Olympics, which Phelps won by a hundredth of a second on his way to capturing a record eight gold medals.
Cavic, who wears the Arena X-Glide, said the perception that Phelps has no choice except to stick with the Speedo LZR Racer because of sponsorship commitments is "a complete lie."
"I know he's making a lot of money from Speedo," Cavic said. "It's loyalty. But throughout all my experiences, I've learned this — free will is a gift with a price tag, and whatever you choose to do you're going to pay, but how much you're going to pay is really dependent on you."
Cavic said Arena would provide Phelps one of its polyurethane suits "within the hour." The X-Glide and a similar suit by Jaked are considered fastest at these championships, where a staggering 29 world records were set through the first five days.
Speedo allowed its athletes to switch to another suit if they thought it would improve their chances in Rome. But Phelps, who has been sponsored by Speedo since he was a teenager and earns millions from the company, decided to stick with the LZR.
"If Mike wants an Arena, he just has to say it," Cavic said. "If he wants a Jaked and they don't want to give it to him free, I'll buy it for him. He has options. I think in the media it's been portrayed that he has no option, he has to swim for (Speedo). It's a complete lie."
Cavic still thinks he won the 100 fly at the Olympics, even though both timing devices and high-resolution photographs appear to show conclusively that Phelps touched first. Cavic rekindled the issue this week, insisting that he was ahead at the wall but didn't put enough pressure on the timing touchpad, so it recorded Phelps as the winner.
The Serb has been yearning for a rematch ever since Beijing, and he doesn't want the suits to overshadow what happens in the water.
"I think there's three options for Michael," Cavic said. "The first option is to use the suit that he's wearing, the second option is to get one of these (polyurethane) suits, which I guarantee Arena will provide him within the hour, as soon as he wants. The third option would actually be a dream of mine, to have the whole final everybody swimming in briefs. I swear to God, this is it, this is what I want, but this is the most unrealistic of all scenarios."
Phelps did not comment on Cavic's offer, hustling through the mixed zone without talking to reporters.
At the U.S. nationals in early July, Phelps lowered the world record in the 100 fly to 50.22 seconds. But nearly everyone believes it will take the first sub-50 performance in history to have any chance of winning gold in Rome.
Cavic was fastest in morning prelims with a time of 50.56. Phelps won his heat with one of his patented late charges and tied for second overall with teammate Tyler McGill at 50.90.
Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, was livid after his swimmer was beaten by Germany's Paul Biedermann in the 200 freestyle, saying the X-Glide gave the winner a huge technological edge. Bowman even threatened to pull Phelps from future international meets unless FINA speeds up its ban on all bodysuits, which is supposed to go into effect by May 2010.
Cavic found Bowman's comments a bit hypocritical, especially since the whole swimsuit debate started with the introduction of the LZR Racer in early 2008, which led American team leader Mark Schubert to declare that anyone who wanted to win gold at the Olympics should switch to Speedo — even if they had a deal with another company.
At these world championships, Schubert led the fight to get bodysuits banned, a measure approved by the FINA congress just before the start of the swimming competition.
"Last year at the height of the suit controversy, Mark Schubert said, 'Do you want the money or do you want the win?'" Cavic said. "Michael Phelps has plenty of money. Who knows what it is? I think it's just loyalty and he's very gracious for everything Speedo has done for him."
Also Friday, 42-year-old Dara Torres and Australian star Libby Trickett surprisingly failed to advance in the preliminaries of the 50 butterfly. They tied for 17th at 26.41 — one spot out of making the evening semifinals.
"It was so fast here," Trickett said. "I'm pretty sure my time would have made a final in 2007."
Fast, indeed.
With 29 worlds records and three days of competition still remaining, these championships are put up truly staggering numbers by the closing ceremony Sunday night. Of course, they will also be tainted by the perception that this was more about the suits than the swimmers.
Olympic great Janet Evans told The Associated Press that the debate over swimsuits was threatening to "make a mockery of the sport." Mark Spitz, the winner of seven golds at the 1972 Munich Games, was so amused by the whole situation that he released a statement to the AP saying he planned to come out of retirement at age 59.
"The suits that are breaking world records are so good that today I am announcing my comeback, effective immediately and ending on Dec. 31, 2009," Spitz said, all in jest.
Seven more records fell on Thursday, pushing the Rome championships past the 25 world marks set at the Beijing Olympics. This meet had already surpassed the 15 records established at the last worlds in Melbourne two years ago.
"It's been a very exciting meet. It's been very fast," said Australia's Jess Schipper, one of those getting in on the record-breaking fun. "But we all knew it was going to be fast coming in here, so nobody can say that they didn't expect this. I think that the world records, while they may have been helped with the suits, it still has a lot to do with the swimmer and the work you've put in."
When in Rome, throw out the record book.
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David Ortiz says union told him of 2003 positive test
David Ortiz spent the afternoon answering questions about drugs, not his big home run.
Manny Ramirez brushed off news that linked him to more cheating.
One by one, some of baseball's biggest stars keep getting implicated in an ever-growing drug scandal that won't go away. Ortiz became the latest, acknowledging Thursday that the players' union confirmed he tested positive in 2003.
Shortly after hitting the go-ahead homer in Boston's 8-5 victory over Oakland, Ortiz responded to a story on The New York Times' Web site that he and Ramirez tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs six years ago when they were teammates with the Red Sox.
"I've just been told that the report is true," Ortiz said in a statement after contacting the union. "Based on the way I lived my life I'm surprised to learn I tested positive."
The popular Big Papi, who had never been linked to drugs, said he intended to find out what was in his system and would tell the Red Sox and the public.
"You know me — I will not hide and I will not make excuses," he said.
Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa are among the many All-Stars tainted by the cloud of steroids and drugs, which has called into question some of the sport's greatest achievements over the last two decades.
Ortiz and Ramirez led the Red Sox to the World Series title in 2004 — their first in 86 years — and another championship in 2007.
Ramirez, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, recently served a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. Asked about this second alleged doping violation, he told reporters in St. Louis: "You want more information, I'm pretty sure you guys got the phone number to the union. Call the union, and they can explain that to you guys."
"Me and David, we're like two mountains," he said. "We're going to keep playing the game, and we're going to keep doing good. We're trying to move forward; that's the key here."
Ramirez went 0 for 5 with a strikeout as Los Angeles beat the Cardinals 5-3 in 10 innings Thursday night.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who guided Boston to those two titles, said the news "blindsided everybody," including Ortiz.
"Nobody condones the use of performance-enhancing drugs," he said. "The testing procedure was confidential. I don't know how you can go back on that now."
Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon played with Ortiz and Ramirez on those championship Red Sox teams. Will fans think those Boston clubs were full of steroid users?
"That probably is what's being said, and that's what makes guys like me upset," Damon said.
In 2003, 104 major leaguers tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs; the results were supposed to be anonymous and are now under court seal.
"Precisely for that reason, the Players Association will not, indeed cannot, comment on whether the information is accurate," union leader Donald Fehr said.
The Times' story cited lawyers involved in pending litigation over the testing results who spoke anonymously because the information is under seal. The newspaper did not say what the players tested positive for.
"Can somebody in baseball — we're all begging, people — get that stupid list out and move on," Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "This is ridiculous; this is embarrassing; this is a joke. Whoever is there is there, get them out, and that's it."
There were no penalties for a positive test in 2003 — the anonymous tests were conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004. But federal agents seized the results as part of the BALCO investigation. The union has argued the search was illegal, and the case is currently before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the meantime, the names on the list keep coming out one by one.
In June, the Times reported Sosa also was on the 2003 list, and Rodriguez admitted using performance-enhancing drugs after he was linked to the 2003 list earlier this year.
Major League Baseball declined to comment on the Times' report, telling The Associated Press it didn't have the list of players who tested positive in 2003. Red Sox owner John Henry did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
Try as it might, baseball has not been able to escape the drug stain.
"We're just trying to move on and play the game, and play it clean," Texas pitcher Kevin Millwood said. "And this cloud keeps looming over. And when these names keep leaking out, it just builds this whole thing back up again."
The news revived an ongoing debate — should all 104 names be revealed?
"Coming out every couple months with a couple names here, a couple names there, it could go on for years and years and years. It reopens a wound we're trying to close. I don't know what can be done," Seattle pitcher Jarrod Washburn said.
Said Atlanta star Chipper Jones: "It's like somebody wants to keep this on the tips of everybody's tongues. And if that's the case, I'd rather we just got it over with."
Ramirez was a long-established star in 2003. Ortiz, in contrast, had been a part-time player before that season.
Ortiz had never hit more than 20 homers with Minnesota early in his career. He came to Boston as a platoon player in 2003 and had four homers by July 1, then hit 27 the rest of the year.
Ortiz followed up with seasons of 41, 47 and 54 home runs as he stamped himself as one of the game's best sluggers. Last year he dipped to 23 homers, and his slump continued this season. He's hitting only .228 with 14 home runs.
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I'm staying at Chelsea: John Terry
Chelsea captain John Terry has put an end to speculation that he might be tempted by a mega-money move to Manchester City by confirming that he was "totally committed" to staying at Stamford Bridge.
The 28-year-old issued a statement on Sunday suggesting that despite numerous reports to the contrary he had never contemplated quitting the London club.
"There has been a lot of speculation recently about my future and I want to clear this up once and for all," the England skipper said.
"I am totally committed to Chelsea and always have been.
"Chelsea have also made it clear to me consistently that there was never any intention to accept any kind of offer."
City have had two offers rejected for Terry, but boss Mark Hughes was reportedly planning a fresh 35 million pounds bid for the defender.
Although Terry has spent his whole career at Chelsea and remains the club's most talismanic figure, it was believed City's offer to raise his wages to 200,000 pounds a week had forced the Blues skipper to consider his future.
A host of Chelsea players and new manager Carlo Ancelotti had made it clear they wanted Terry to stay.
Former Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink said he expected Terry to remain with the London club.
The Dutchman, who led the club in a caretaker capacity from February until the end of the season before returning to his full-time role as Russia coach, told the BBC: "It depends always on the circumstances within the club and City have a lot of ambition. They want to be competitive with the top four.
"I haven't spoken with John, but if the team is competitive enough there shouldn't be any concern at Chelsea."
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Weir at center of rainy Canadian Open
Mike Weir wasn't talking about water when asked about buying a round to celebrate his hole-in-one.
"It's good drinking weather right now," Weir said.
Ace protocol aside, he probably could have used a stiff belt Sunday after a rules violation cost him a stroke in the rain-delayed Canadian Open.
Nearly 5 inches of rain has fallen since play started Thursday, leading to the loss of about 27 hours of daylight to unplayable conditions and forcing the tournament to at least a Monday — or possibly Tuesday — finish at saturated Glen Abbey.
"Instead of reading the grain, you have to read the current," said Weir, trying to become the first Canadian winner since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
Five shots behind leader Jason Dufner when third-round play was suspended Sunday because of rain and lightning, Weir took a penalty stroke for an infraction Saturday on the final hole of the second round.
"It's been a crazy week," Weir said. "Look at all this. I mean, this is bizarre."
Weir's ball moved before he played his second shot on the par-5 18th, but he was unsure whether he grounded his club or caused the shift. After calling for a ruling, he replaced the ball in its original location and took a one-stroke penalty.
Before Weir signed his scorecard, the penalty stroke was rescinded after he and the rules committee reviewed video and determined it was inconclusive whether he caused the ball to move. On Sunday, more video was reviewed, and Weir again assessed himself a one-stroke penalty for causing the ball to move, even though it was still inconclusive whether he addressed the ball.
"Even though I don't think I did, I guess there's that gray-area possibility I could have," Weir said. "So with that, I didn't feel comfortable myself not taking it."
Weir wasn't disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.
"If a committee makes a decision or an error we can certainly correct it," said Dean Ryan, a Royal Canadian Golf Association rules official.
Weir got in 11 holes Sunday in mostly sunny conditions before lightning forced the players off the course at 10:15 a.m. After another round of lightning and heavy rain and hours trying to get the flooded layout in shape, play was called for the day at 4:25 p.m. because of lightning on the leading edge of another wave of thunderstorms.
Weir drew a thundering roar of his own on the 200-yard fourth with a perfect 4-iron. The ace was the seventh of the tournament, the most since the tour began keeping extensive records in 1971. There were five in the 2004 John Deere Classic.
Dufner, the second-round leader after rounds of 68 and 63, was 14 under after playing six holes in 1 under Sunday. He had a one-stroke lead over Anthony Kim and Jerry Kelly. Kim was 4 under after nine holes, and Kelly was 1 under through six.
"None of the players can control what's going on," Dufner said. "I think everybody wants to get out there and play and compete and try to win this golf tournament."
Retief Goosen was two strokes back at 12 under along with 2001 winner Scott Verplank, Bob Estes, Peter Tomasulo and Michael Letzig.
The players were scheduled to resume play at 7:30 a.m. Monday, the first time the tournament has gone past the weekend since 1988. The PGA Tour still hoped to complete four rounds, but there was a possibility the event could be cut to 36 or 54 holes.
The tournament would go to Tuesday if play was suspended after more than half the field finished the fourth round, forcing the tour to complete the round rather than revert to the 54-hole scores. A playoff also could spill over to Tuesday.
"The regulations prohibit us from going beyond Monday, except for the situation where we would have more than half the field finish the final round," PGA Tour tournament director Steve Carman said.
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Contador's reign on Tour expected to last
Four years after his seventh Tour de France win, Lance Armstrong capped his return with an impressive third-place finish. Alberto Contador's second title, at age 26, was eye-catching in its own way — he's got two more than Armstrong had at the same age.
The 37-year-old Armstrong said the Spaniard has the potential to become a five-time Tour winner.
"Well, he's that good and he's not that old, so you can do the math," Armstrong said.
Armstrong is the second-oldest rider to reach the podium, but he was bested by his Astana teammate's devastating attacks in the mountains and a display of power in the time trials.
Back to competition this season after 3 1/2 years of retirement, the Texan quickly realized he wouldn't be able to unsettle his younger rival on the road and challenged him mentally.
Armstrong criticized his teammate's strategy following the first mountain stage in the Pyrenees, hinting that the Spaniard was running against the team common interests. He then revealed tensions within the Astana team due to their rivalry.
Even after securing the yellow jersey in the Alps, Contador was confronted by his team for his tactical choices.
Asked Sunday on French TV what the hardest moment in this race, Contador said: "It was in the hotel."
"It has been an especially difficult Tour for me, but I savor it and it is more special because of it," he said after the awards ceremony.
But the Spaniard didn't even take a tumble and was so dominant that his reign on the Tour seems as if it could last a long time.
"Contador is first of all a great climber, very elegant and flowing," Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. "But he also showed a great strength of character."
Armstrong plans to try his luck another time next year on the Tour with his new RadioShack team. He acknowledged Contador's superiority.
"Contador is that good, so I don't see how I would have been higher than that, even in the other years," said Armstrong, who won the Tour seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 before retiring. "I think his performance this year would have beaten my performances in '01 and '04 and '05."
Contador already is one of cycling's greats, having won all three Grand Tours of France, Italy and Spain, something Armstrong never achieved in his career.
"It was a hard Tour," said Contador, who had to sit out last year while Astana was banned because of previous doping scandals. "Before leaving, I knew I had to be ready both physically and mentally. At the end of each stage, I said 'one day less'. There were tensions, but the situation has normalized. And I am very happy with the result."
Even if Armstrong returns in 2010 with a strong team fully dedicated to his ambitions, Contador's greatest rival in the future could just as well be Andy Schleck of Luxembourg.
At only 24 years old, the climber finished second, 4 minutes, 11 seconds behind Contador. He has now twice won the Tour de France's white jersey awarded to its best rider under 25 and became the first rider to take the shirt twice since 1997 tour winner Jan Ullrich, who won it three times between 1996 and 1998.
"I'm coming back to take the yellow jersey," Schleck said. "Alberto showed this year that he was the strongest, the real boss of the peloton. I have much respect for him, but next year I'm coming to win."
Armstrong, who will be approaching 39 years of age next July, would bet on Contador in his duel with Schleck.
"He time trials a lot better," he said of the Spaniard. "Andy's time trialing I suspect will improve. He's a little younger. With young athletes, you never know how they respond to what comes their way. Alberto is pretty serious and hard-headed and competitive, so I think he'll stay focused."
Armstrong became the second oldest rider to make the podium after Raymond Poulidor of France finished third in 1976 at age 40. Armstrong, however, expects to perform better in 2010 with another season under his belt.
"I'm staying positive," Armstrong said. "My level will be a little better next year."
Armstrong wants to come to the Tour with a strong outfit, including current teammates Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloeden, and together they could challenge Contador.
The Spaniard's future is still unclear. But whatever he decides, it's almost certain that the Contador-Armstrong rivalry will reignite in 2010.
"I'm going left, he's going right," Armstrong said. "See you on the start line next year."
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Phelps content with 2nd in 200 free heats
Michael Phelps was unconcerned about posting only the second fastest time in morning heats for the 200-meter freestyle at the world championships Monday.
Paul Biedermann of Germany beat the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at last year's Beijing Olympics.
Phelps won the final heat, but Biedermann's time in the previous heat was faster.
"That's fine. I'll be in the first heat tonight," Phelps said, looking ahead to the evening semifinals.
Biedermann won the heats in 1 minute, 45.30 seconds. Swimming his first individual event, Phelps clocked 1:45.60, and Danila Izotov of Russia qualified third in 1:45.86.
Phelps holds the world record of 1:42.96 set at last year's Beijing Olympics.
Olympic silver medalist Park Tae-hwan of South Korea qualified eighth, after missing the final of the event he won in Beijing — the 400 free.
Biedermann broke Ian Thorpe's seven-year-old 400 free world record Sunday.
Phelps also won his first gold on the opening day in the pool, swimming the leadoff leg for the Americans in the 400 free relay.
"That felt really good coming off the relay. It felt really controlled for a morning swim," Phelps said. "We noticed yesterday that all the guys were swimming faster in the morning, so you have to kind of step up in the morning."
Biedermann doesn't have any designs on beating Phelps when it counts — in Tuesday's final.
"I don't think it's going to be much of a duel at all," the German said. "He's a very good racer. I think he looked really relaxed this morning. From looking at the time he's in really great shape."
Still, Phelps was impressed with Biedermann's swim in the 400, one of six world records set Sunday in likely the last meet that 100 percent polyurethane bodysuits will be permitted.
"I still can't believe the 400 free got broken. I thought that was the best record on the book," Phelps said. "It was crazy to see that go, but people are swimming fast. You usually don't see that in a post-Olympic year, but it's good for the sport. It makes it more exciting."
In the women's 100-meter backstroke, Gemma Spofforth of Britain set a championship record with a time of 58.78, improving on American Natalie Coughlin's 59.44 from the last worlds in Melbourne, Australia two years ago.
Anastasia Zueva of Russia touched second in 59.01 and Olympic silver medalist Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe was third in 59.51.
Coventry holds the world record of 58.77.
Coughlin, the Olympic and defending world champion, is taking this year off.
Olympic silver medalist Rebecca Soni of the United States led the 100 breaststroke heats in a championship record 1:05.66. Leisel Jones held the previous mark of 1:05.72 set two years ago, and the Australian also holds the world record of 1:05.09, although she is sitting out these worlds.
Yuliya Efimova of Russia was second in 1:06.42 and Olympic bronze medalist Mirna Jukic of Austria was third in 1:06.58.
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Manchester United to offer Park new contract
The hard-working Park Ji-Sung is to be rewarded with a new contract by Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson, who praised the South Korean midfielder's intelligence and penetration on the field.
Chief executive David Gill made the announcement at a press conference here Thursday, a day ahead of the Premier League champions' pre-season game against FC Seoul.
"Discussions will take place," Gill said of a player who became the first Asian to contest a Champions League final when he played in United's 2-0 defeat to Barcelona last season.
"We're looking to extend the contract. Sir Alex and the coaches are very happy with him and Ji enjoys his time with us immensely.
"When it's done it will be announced."
Park moved to Old Trafford in 2005 from PSV Eindhoven for four million pounds (6.6 million dollars) and his current contract runs out at the end of the forthcoming season.
When asked if he wanted to play at another club, he said in May: "I have no reason to move."
He has been crucial to United building a huge fan base in South Korea and despite a lack of preparation, is expected to play a part of their match here on Friday.
"I feel he may be able to play some minutes but he's not been with us (for the last few weeks) so he's not done the same preparation as the rest of the players," said Ferguson.
"But I'm sure he'll get a few minutes and that will be a big lift to the fans here in Korea."
Park has made 123 appearances for United and Ferguson took time to reflect on the qualities that first attracted him to the 28-year-old.
"I went to see him play for PSV in two quarter-finals and we identified a player with great understanding of space," he said.
"When his team had the ball his movement was always clever and he had decisive penetration in attacking areas.
"We felt at the time that we needed a player who could penetrate in the last third and that's why we brought him to Manchester United.
"In his time with us he's developed his technical and tactical abilities and done very well. He's become a very important player for us and had a fantastic career with us."
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Manny makes magic with his only swing for Dodgers
One pitch. One swing. One spectacular drive into the heart of Mannywood. Even Manny Ramirez thought his pinch-hit, tie-breaking grand slam Wednesday night was the most improbable happening to date in his 12 awfully eventful months with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"It's crazy. I can't believe it," Ramirez said. "It was one of the best moments in my career. I'm just glad it happened in LA."
And on his own bobblehead night, no less.
With a sixth-inning shot that stretched even his adopted hometown's propensity for unlikely plot twists, Ramirez and the Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 for their fifth consecutive victory.
Ramirez wasn't even planning to play after bruising his left hand when he was hit by a pitch one night earlier, but Dodgers manager Joe Torre couldn't resist using his most potent bat with the bases loaded.
"Just the way he was sort of stalking around the dugout, I had a real good feeling that if he had an opportunity, he'd be ready to do something," Torre said.
The sellout crowd leaped to its feet in cheers when Ramirez's filthy batting helmet poked out of the dugout, with many fans holding aloft the bobblehead doll sporting his dreadlocks and baggy uniform. After a pitching change, Manny kept them standing with a whip-quick shot into the section of outfield seats bearing his name.
"I'm running around the bases amazed, just laughing," said Los Angeles' Matt Kemp, who was on second base. "I was in awe. He's amazing, man. I can't really explain him. I've never seen somebody who can go up there, no warmups or nothing, and just go hit."
Ramirez, who returned July 3 from a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug rules, was in the on-deck circle longer than he was at the plate, and he took more curtain calls than swings. He even pulled his homer into Mannywood, the short left-field corner section of Dodger Stadium seats dedicated to his growing cult of personality in Southern California.
Ramirez claimed he got "a good pitch to hit" from Nick Masset, who had just relieved Bronson Arroyo. Masset's first pitch actually was low and fast, but didn't sink enough to elude Manny's bat.
"I had my best double-play guy in there to try and get a ground ball, and it was a sinker that didn't sink," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "That's stuff that I'd seen out of Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron. He was in the lineup, then they scratched him, then he came in and saw one pitch and hit a grand slam. I mean, it doesn't get more dramatic than that."
Ramirez, who's second to Lou Gehrig (23) in baseball history with 21 grand slams, is batting .347 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 16 games since coming back to the club with the majors' best record. Los Angeles improved to 61-34 with a three-game sweep of the Reds, who have lost five of seven — and 12 straight in Chavez Ravine.
Chad Billingsley (10-5) earned his first win in seven starts with six strong innings, while Arroyo (10-9) struck out eight in the first four innings before tiring.
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Mitre gets 1st win since '07, Yanks take 1st place
Sergio Mitre is back in the majors and determined to make the most of his opportunity with the surging New York Yankees.
Mitre earned his first win in two years, Robinson Cano hit a two-run homer and the Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victory.
"I know I can pitch here," Mitre said. "It's just a matter of staying healthy. That's been my biggest problem throughout my career."
The Yankees (56-37) moved a season-best 19 games over .500 and took a one-game lead in the AL East over Boston, which lost to Texas. New York hasn't been alone in first this late in the season since it won the division in 2006, according to STATS LLC.
"Yeah it feels great that there's nobody in front of us but it doesn't mean anything at this point in the year," shortstop Derek Jeter said.
Alex Rodriguez had a key two-run single for New York, which made the most of just six hits. The Yankees are a major league-best 43-22 since Rodriguez came off the disabled list May 8 following hip surgery.
Mitre, called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before the game, allowed four runs, three earned, and eight hits over 5 2-3 innings in his first major league start since Sept. 15, 2007. It was his first win since July 29, 2007, for Florida at San Francisco.
The 28-year-old right-hander is serving as the Yankees' fifth starter with Chien-Ming Wang sidelined by a strained right shoulder.
"I thought he did a nice job," said manager Joe Girardi, who came away with a good impression of Mitre when he skippered the Marlins in 2006. "He threw a lot of strikes. He worked quickly. He almost got through six so I was happy with his performance."
Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect ninth for his 27th save in 28 opportunities.
Brian Roberts had three hits for Baltimore, which has lost nine straight in the Bronx and fell to 1-13 in road games against the AL East this season.
Mitre (1-0) missed the 2008 season and had elbow-ligament replacement surgery on July 15 last year. He agreed to a minor league contract with the Yankees during the offseason, then was suspended for the first 50 games after testing positive for a banned substance under the major league drug program.
Twins 3, Athletics 2, 10 innings
At Oakland, Calif., Michael Cuddyer hit a go-ahead triple in the 10th inning a night after he was called out in a game-ending play at home trying to score the tying run.
Cuddyer's two-out triple off All-Star closer Andrew Bailey (4-3) scored Joe Mauer, who singled with one out.
Matt Guerrier (5-0) worked two scoreless innings for the win in this pitcher's duel, a far cry from the slugfest a night earlier in Oakland's 14-13 comeback victory.
Rangers 4, Red Sox 2
At Arlington, Texas, rookie Tommy Hunter (2-1) pitched six solid innings to beat Josh Beckett and knock Boston out of first place in the AL East.
The Red Sox have lost four straight for the first time since last July, scoring only eight runs in the stretch.
Hank Blalock hit a two-run single in the first, and Beckett (11-4) retired 13 in a row after that before Michael Young's one-out single in the sixth. It was his third complete game in six starts.
Tigers 9, Mariners 7
At Detroit, Magglio Ordonez hit a grand slam in a five-run first inning.
Seattle's Jack Hannahan hit two of the seven home runs in the game. Miguel Cabrera and Placido Polanco also homered for Detroit while Wladimir Balentien and Ryan Langerhans connected for Seattle.
Indians 2, Blue Jays 1
At Toronto, Victor Martinez hit a two-run double in the ninth inning and Cliff Lee (6-9) pitched his second straight complete game as Cleveland snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Indians trailed heading into the ninth against closer Scott Downs (1-1) but took the lead thanks to a rare Toronto error — their major league-low 33rd.
Rays 3, White Sox 2
At Chicago, Carlos Pena's sacrifice fly off Bobby Jenks capped Tampa Bay's two-run ninth.
The Rays had the bases loaded with no outs against Jenks (2-3) when Pat Burrell walked to force in Jason Bartlett with the tying run. Pena drove in Evan Longoria with a sacrifice fly to right, making it 3-2 and sending the Rays to their fourth win in five games.
The late rally made a winner of Jeff Niemann (9-4) and spoiled an outstanding start by Chicago's Clayton Richard, who allowed four hits over a career-high eight innings.
Angels 10, Royals 2, 2nd game
Angels 8, Royals 5, 1st game
At Kansas City, Mo., Erick Aybar broke open a close second game with a three-run triple and had seven hits in the doubleheader sweep.
Aybar had three hits, three runs and an RBI in the opener. In the nightcap, he finished a homer shy of the cycle after his bases-loaded triple off Juan Cruz started the Angels' seven-run seventh inning.
The AL West-leading Angels had 25 combined hits, winning for the eighth and ninth time in 10 games.
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Lance Armstrong eyes 2010 Tour with American-backed team
Lance Armstrong has already achieved a victory at this year's Tour de France.
Five days before the race ends on the Champs-Elysees, the Texan has without question proven he is still a potential Tour winner and has found a new sponsor for his team next year.
Following a difficult first Alpine stage last week, where he lost 1 minute, 35 seconds to his Astana teammate and race leader Alberto Contador, Armstrong rose from his ashes Tuesday with an acceleration reminiscent of his heyday — when he won in seven consecutive years between 1999 and 2005 before deciding to retire.
Armstrong's impressive run during the 16th stage allowed him to retain second place overall, 1:37 behind Contador, and to dream of even better days.
The 37-year-old, back in the saddle this year with the Kazakh-funded Astana team, was so happy with his aging legs' performance that he suggested he could still contend for the leader's yellow jersey if Contador has a "bad day."
"If there was a massive shake-up and something happened, then I'd have to be strong — to represent the interests of the team," Armstrong said in a phone interview with the Associated Press. "But I don't think that's going to happen.
"If he were to have a bad day, I think I could cover the moves for the team. But I don't think he's going to have a bad day."
Even if the three-week race is far from over — with a third and last Alpine stage featuring five climbs on Wednesday, a time-trial the day after and the dreadful ascent to the Mont Ventoux scheduled on the penultimate stage — Contador seems so strong this year that an eighth win for Armstrong in cycling's showcase event is unlikely.
But next year?
Armstrong confirmed Tuesday that he will ride the Tour in 2010 and announced that he found a new American sponsor to back his team next season. He said he will provide details Thursday and there is a strong possibility that his old friend Johan Bruyneel — Astana's current manager — will join him to launch a new team. Contador is expected to join another squad.
According to that scenario, Armstrong, who broke his collarbone in March in a crash that temporarily derailed his preparation for the Tour, would get rid of Contador and could build a team fully devoted to his ambitions. He also believes that after a long period away from competition, another year under his belt could help him get his optimum race conditioning back.
"I can certainly look to the season and assess the preparation, the races I chose — obviously avoiding the crash would have helped," Armstrong said when asked whether he could have been in a better position overall. "All of those things you could look at now. But that's pointless. I look at them this winter, and for next year I'll try to make some adjustments."
One of the oldest riders in the peloton, Armstrong showed during Tuesday's second Alpine stage that he still has the capacity to accelerate.
As Contador tried to keep pace with two attackers on the final climb, Armstrong lagged. Yet after dropping at least 35 seconds, he surged back to recover the lost ground.
"I realized the race was basically going away from us," he said. "So, I had no choice other than trying to make the cross. So I waited until we had a steeper section, and then I got away with an acceleration."
Armstrong added he was feeling better on his bike than he did during Sunday's entree into the Alps, when Contador crushed him and the entire pack on the ride up to the Swiss ski station of Verbier.
"I felt a lot better than Verbier. But I've made some changes to my position yesterday, I raised the seat height. So in general I was pedalling better today than Sunday."
Contador was impressed, but not surprised.
"It's easy to explain — he's a very great rider," said Contador, who leads his Astana teammate by 1:37. "He was in the past, and he showed it once again."
Contador and Armstrong finished in a small group of race leaders behind stage winner Mikel Astarloza. The route from Martigny, Switzerland, to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, featured the highest peak this year — the snowcapped Grand-Saint-Bernard pass on the Swiss-Italian border, at 8,113 feet, and its sister the Petit-Saint-Bernard pass, on the Italian-French border.
Wednesday's 17th stage features what some riders fear is the toughest Alpine route this year — a 105-mile ride from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Le Grand-Bornand marked by five tough climbs and another downhill finish.
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Roethlisberger listed as defendant in Nev. lawsuit
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a woman in Nevada.
According to online court records, a defamation lawsuit was filed in Washoe County on Friday. Andrea McNulty is listed as the plaintiff.
Details of the suit were not available late Monday night. Roethlisberger was one of nine defendants listed in the online court docket report.
Roethlisberger's attorney released a statement to several media outlets Monday night saying the two-time Super Bowl winner was accused of sexual assault in the lawsuit by McNulty. Atlanta-based attorney David Cornwell denied Roethlisberger sexually assaulted McNulty.
"This weekend Andrea McNulty served Ben Roethlisberger with a civil complaint accusing him of sexually assaulting her in July 2008. Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone; especially Andrea McNulty. The timing of the lawsuit and the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct. If an investigation is commenced, Ben will cooperate fully and Ben will be fully exonerated," Cornwell said.
Attorney Calvin R. Dunlap, of Reno, filed the suit, according to court documents. A telephone message left for him was not immediately returned.
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A's rally from 10-run deficit to stun Twins 14-13
Michael Cuddyer fumed after being called out, sure that he had scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire thought so, too. Cuddyer came crashing into home and Oakland pitcher Michael Wuertz reached out and did all he could to make a play — then got the favorable call as the Athletics rallied from 10 runs down for a 14-13 victory over the Twins on Monday night.
That's how this crazy slugfest finally ended: 3 hours and 32 minutes, 39 hits and 27 runs later.
"I was full speed out of the get-go and I saw (catcher Kurt) Suzuki kind of looking around," Cuddyer said. "I said to myself, 'If it hits and it rolls, I'm gone.' It hit and it rolled and he still didn't know where the ball was. It rolled all the way to the backstop and I didn't break stride one bit."
With the A's trailing 13-7, Matt Holliday hit a tying grand slam to spark a seven-run seventh inning and Jack Cust followed with another shot in a game featuring eight home runs. Holliday also had a two-run homer in the largest comeback in Oakland history. The franchise's most famous rally came when the Philadelphia A's trailed 8-0 in Game 4 of the 1929 World Series before scoring 10 runs in the seventh to beat the Cubs 10-8.
Justin Morneau hit his second grand slam this season and a three-run homer for a career-high seven RBIs, but the Twins couldn't hold a 12-2 lead and matched their biggest collapse ever. They also blew a 10-run lead on Sept. 28, 1984, at Cleveland.
Craig Breslow (3-4) got the win and Wuertz finished for his third save in four chances.
"After that out was made, I was thinking, 'What just happened?" Wuertz said. "I don't think you see many games as crazy as that one."
Cuddyer was thrown out by Suzuki trying to score from second. He appeared to be safe and Gardenhire stepped between him and plate umpire Mike Muchlinski as the outfielder argued the call. Cuddyer slammed his helmet down.
"Definitely Cuddy was safe, there's no doubt about it," Gardenhire said. "We just had a little bit of a bad call there. But we also shot ourselves in the foot enough out there pitching-wise, so it's hard to say he blew it because we did enough blowing it ourselves."
Holliday connected for his fourth career slam off Jose Mijares (0-2) and had his 12th career multihomer game.
Jason Kubel also had a three-run homer for the Twins, who allowed their most hits and runs of 2009.
The A's had twice before rallied from eight runs down to win — on Aug. 21, 2006, against Toronto and June 18, 1993, against Kansas City. The franchise record is also the major league record. That came on June 15, 1925, against Cleveland when the Philadelphia A's scored 13 runs in the bottom of the eighth to win 17-15, coming back from 12 runs down.
"Crazy game. I've never really been a part of a comeback like that," Cust said. "They got off to a big lead. We just didn't give up. All year we've been doing that."
Twins starter Nick Blackburn and Oakland's Gio Gonzalez combined to allow 23 hits and 18 earned runs with six homers. Oakland's 22 hits were a season high — and they didn't have a strikeout.
"When you give up 22 hits you're not supposed to win anyway," Gardenhire said. "We gave up 22 hits, 14 runs and the amazing thing was we still should have won the game."
Yankees 2, Orioles 1
At New York, Hideki Matsui homered in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Yankees won their fourth straight since the All-Star break.
Matsui's drive off Jim Johnson (3-4) was his second game-ending homer in the majors, the other coming on July 17, 2003, against Cleveland's David Riske.
New York (55-37) moved into a first-place tie with Boston in the AL East, moving 18 games over .500 for the first time since the end of 2007 season (94-68) with its third consecutive 2-1 win. The Yankees have won eight straight home games against the Orioles.
Rangers 6, Red Sox 3
At Arlington, Texas, Michael Young homered off John Smoltz leading off the sixth, and David Murphy and Jarrod Saltalamacchia connected later in the inning on consecutive pitches.
The Red Sox have lost three straight, getting outscored 15-6.
Kevin Millwood (9-7), Smoltz's teammate in Atlanta from 1997-02, allowed two runs and six hits in six innings, and C.J. Wilson got four outs for his eighth save.
The only other time Smoltz (1-3) gave up three homers in a game was June 8, 1997 at San Francisco.
White Sox 4, Rays 3
At Chicago, Paul Konerko hit a three-run homer in the third inning off David Price (3-4) to break a 1-1 tie.
Gavin Floyd (8-6) gave up three hits in seven innings, allowing homers to Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria and an inside-the-park home run by Carl Crawford.
Tampa Bay loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth before Bobby Jenks struck out Jason Bartlett for his 22nd save.
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Federal dogfighting sentence ending Michael Vick
After 20 months in federal custody for running a dogfighting operation, Michael Vick is gaining the freedom that will allow him to step up his efforts to resume his once-lucrative NFL career.
The federal Bureau of Prisons lists Vick's release date as Monday, which means the suspended NFL star can shed the electronic monitor he's been wearing on home confinement in Hampton for the last two months.
The next big development for Vick will be a face-to-face meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who has said he will review the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback's status after he completes his sentence. Goodell has said he will sit down with Vick, but it's unclear when that meeting will take place. Also uncertain is where Vick might play if he is reinstated. The Falcons released him in June.
"Michael did an egregious thing," Goodell told The Associated Press in April. "He has paid a very significant price for that."
He said people are forgiving when someone who has done wrong shows remorse and is prepared to live a different life.
"That's something he has to prove to myself and the general public," Goodell said.
Vick, 29, did not initially show enough remorse to satisfy U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson. Vick apologized in court in 2007, but Hudson denied him an "acceptance of responsibility" credit that could have reduced his sentence. He sentenced Vick to 23 months in prison — more than any of Vick's three co-defendants.
Under the federal truth-in-sentencing law, Vick had to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. He served the first 18 months in the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., before being transferred to home confinement in May.
While on home confinement, Vick — once the NFL's highest-paid player — worked a $10-an-hour construction job for a few weeks. He switched jobs last month, assisting in children's health and fitness programs at the Boys and Girls Clubs.
Vick will remain on probation for three years. He also is under a three-year suspended sentence for a state dogfighting conviction.
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Watson lets historic win slip away at British Open
As Tom Watson stood on the 18th green, where it had all slipped away not more than an hour earlier, he looked down wistfully at the trophy Stewart Cink was clutching.
Watson's name is engraved on the claret jug five times.
He must have wondered how good No. 6 would have felt.
And how much it hurt now.
A British Open that was improbable from beginning to end — anyone remember Tiger Woods missing the cut? — saved its biggest shocker for the end. A guy just a few years shy of Social Security and playing on a surgically replaced hip had a chance to win golf's oldest major.
Scratch that. Should have won.
"The old fogey almost did it," Watson said, unable to hide the sadness that he and just about everyone outside of Cink's immediate family was feeling in the fading light of a Sunday evening along the Scottish coast.
Just when everyone finally believed — "By God, can it really happen?" a BBC commentator screamed after Watson sank another clutch putt — it was snatched away in such gut-wrenching fashion that even the winner sounded a bit apologetic about taking possession of the Open's cherished prize.
"I have to be honest," Cink said. "Playing against Tom in the playoff, it's mixed feelings because I've watched him with such admiration all week. And of course it would come down to me against him in the playoff."
Give Cink his due. He capped a 1-under 69 in the final round of a major with the biggest putt of his career, a 12-foot birdie on the 72nd hole that had to go in if he was going to have any chance. When Watson opened the door, Cink busted it down with two birdies in the four-hole playoff, routing an opponent who suddenly looked his age by a whopping six strokes.
But, unfair as it may seem, the Open champion was a mere bit player in this drama.
This was all about a 59-year-old golfer who shot a 65 on the first day, led after the next two rounds and was up by a stroke heading to the 72nd hole.
The script was perfect. Watson was playing the same course where he bested Jack Nicklaus in the famous "Duel in the Sun" of 1977. Woods wasn't around to get in the way. The other contenders had largely faded away, leaving Watson to claim the lead all to himself at No. 17 with a tap-in birdie.
On to the 18th tee, where Watson pulled out the same iron he'd been using all week and hit one out to the far edge of the fairway. He decided on an 8-iron, merely needing to put it somewhere in the middle of the green, take two putts and revel in being the oldest major champion in golf history.
Julius Boros was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship. Watson was poised to shatter that age barrier by more than a decade — and, for good measure, join Harry Vardon as the winningest player in Open history with six apiece.
"It would have been a hell of a story, wouldn't it?" Watson said.
He swung that 8-iron and looked up quickly, admiring the flight of the ball. Turns out he should have gone with a 9-iron.
"I hit the shot I meant to," Watson said. "When it was in the air I said, 'I like it.' And then all of a sudden it goes over the green, and I just didn't get the ball down after that."
With the ball resting up against the first cut of rough, Watson went with his putter. He didn't want to leave it short and wound up whacking it 8 feet past. Then, with a chance to win, he struck a putt that never had a chance_ wide and nearly 12 inches shy of the cup.
Even as Watson tapped in a bogey that forced a playoff with Cink, both at 2-under 278, it already seemed over. All the excitement had been sucked out of the place. Everyone, Watson included, appeared to sense that a 59-year-old golfer gets only one chance to win the Open, not a do-over.
When Watson arrived at the fifth tee for the first playoff hole, he was overheard remarking to an official how cold it had gotten. That wasn't a good omen.
Cink knocked his approach shot in a pot bunker, but Watson did the same. Cink got up-and-down for par, Watson barely cleared the lip of the bunker, missed a long putt and took bogey.
It would have been better if they just stopped it there.
Still trailing by a shot, Watson yanked his tee shot into the tall grass left of the fairway of the par-5 17th, a hole that played easiest on the course and one he had birdied three of four times in regulation. He looked at his ball, buried deep, and remarked to caddie Neil Oxman, "I don't know if I can get it out of there, Ox, but I better try."
Watson swung. The ball barely moved. He took another whack and skipped it out into the fairway, finally got the ball to the green on his fourth shot, then three-putted for a double-bogey 7. Cink needed only two shots to reach the green, and two-putted for a birdie that wrapped things up.
But this isn't boxing, where the referee can step in, so on they went to the 18th. Watson hit his tee shot into the crowd, which at least gave him a chance to perk up a gallery that was cold and glum. "Y'all better get back," he said, lining up his shot. "The way I'm swinging, I may hit someone else."
Two more ugly shots followed before Watson finally chipped onto the green, tapped out for bogey and turned over the stage to Cink. But no one wanted to let Watson go.
"Tommy! Tommy! Tommy!" the fans chanted.
"The one memory?" Watson would be asked later. "Well, I think coming up the 18th hole again. Those memories are hard to forget. Coming up into the amphitheater of the crowd and have the crowd cheering you on like they do here for me.
"The feeling is mutual. And that warmth makes you feel human. It makes you feel so good."
But not even the loudest of cheers could ease the pain. This one will stick with Watson forever.
"Yes, it's a great disappointment," Watson said, his eyes misting over. "It tears at your gut, as (losing) has always torn at my gut. It's not easy to take."
Cink could sympathize.
But he's not turning over the claret jug.
"As long as the result is I get the girl, I'm OK with that," he said. "Whether Tom was 59 or 29, he was one of the field. I had to play against everybody in the field and on the course to come out on top. I don't think anything can be taken away. Somebody may disagree with that, but it's going to be hard to convince me."
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A different look for Day 2 of the British Open
Steve Marino can thank his dad for making sure he got to the British Open.
Marino, a 29-year-old American who scuffled to qualify for the PGA Tour, looked right at home at Turnberry with a 2-under 68 Friday — a most impressive score in windy conditions that put some bite in the ol' course.
He had the lead all to himself at 5 under, safely in the clubhouse while most everyone else surrendered ground with the breezes whipping off the Firth of Clyde.
Fifty-nine-year-old Tom Watson, the star of Day 1, followed a 65 with bogeys on four of the first six holes. Japan's Kenichi Kuboya had the lead for a while, but lost it — along with his ball — when an errant tee shot at No. 13 led to double bogey.
First-round leader Miguel Angel Jimenez struggled to a 73. The 2003 Open champion, Ben Curtis, took an even bigger hit, going from challenging for the lead (he opened with 65) to possibly missing the cut (he soared to an 80 in the second round).
Overwhelming favorite Tiger Woods started Friday's round with a couple of pars, desperately needing to make up ground after facing the largest 18-hole deficit of his Open career. Two-time defending champion Padraig Harrington plodded to a 74 and had a lot of work to do in his quest to keep the claret jug for a third straight year. He was at 3-over 143.
Marino got in as an alternate, though he was forced to scramble when it became apparent he might be able to play in golf's oldest major for the first time.
"I didn't have a passport," he said. "I had to fly my dad down to Florida so he could get my passport and FedEx it to me. ... I wasn't even expecting to play in this tournament."
His father dashed down to the sunshine state from his home in Virginia, sent along the passport to his son playing in the John Deere Classic and flew back — all in the same day. When Shingo Katayama withdrew from the Open last weekend because of an injury, Marino got the spot.
Though he had never played on a true links course, Marino felt his game was suited to a style of golf that requires imagination and keeping the ball low.
"I would consider myself a feel player," he said. "I kind of see shots before I hit them. I don't really hit the same shot every time. Over here, you kind of have to be that way a little bit and hit some low shots and some high shots and bounce them in there and use the slopes. I've really been enjoying the golf over here, for sure."
On a day when low numbers were hard to come by, Marino pulled off one improbable shot after another for a 135 through two rounds.
He holed out a sand wedge from 116 yards at No. 3, and did the same with a bunker shot at the sixth for another birdie. There also was a 30-footer for birdie at No. 5, not to mention a 20-footer for eagle at the 17th.
"It was probably one of the best scoring rounds I've ever had," Marino said. "There were points in the round where I felt I was one-putting every hole. I really don't think I could have shot one stroke less today, to be honest with you."
Hey, someone deserved to have a little good fortune.
The pristine conditions Thursday — partly sunny with barely a hint of breeze — gave way to thick, gray clouds, occasional sprinkles and strong gusts that are counted on to keep the players from taking target practice at the seaside course.
With the wind barely rippling the flags during the opening round, Jimenez shot a 64 — just one stroke off the major championship record — while Kuboya joined Curtis and Watson at 65. In all, 50 players broke par and another 17 were even.
That wasn't the case on Friday.
"We were hitting 3-woods into the wind from 210 yards," moaned Mike Weir, who went from 67 to 78.
Curtis' day started promisingly enough — a birdie at No. 1, a short par 4 with the wind at his back — but things quickly went south when he turned back into the teeth of the breeze. He bogeyed six of the next seven holes before a double bogey at No. 9 sent him around the turn with a 42. It didn't get much better from there, with two more bogeys and another double before he straggled home with an 80 — 15 strokes higher than the previous day.
"I just hit it bad," Curtis said. "I got lucky yesterday with the weather. That helped me keep it in play. Today was different."
But it looked as though the afternoon starters — Watson and Woods among them — could benefit from the luck of the draw. The sun began to peak through the clouds, and the breeze appeared to be easing up just a bit.
"It looks like it's clearing up," Weir said, glancing toward the sky behind the 18th hole. "It might be a nice break for those guys."
Jimenez, the ponytailed, cigar-smoking Spaniard, spent most of the day just hanging on. He kept spraying the ball into the tall grass lining the fairways and took three straight bogeys. He lost another stroke at No. 6 after driving up against the face of a greenside bunker.
When Jimenez tried to strike the ball with his left knee planted on the grass, he barely made contact and had to take another whack to get it out.
There were a few good scores on the board, however.
Australian Daniel Gaunt had the best score among the early finishers with a 67 — nine strokes better than his opening 76. England's Ross Fisher matched Marino with a 68.
"It suited me to have tough conditions," said Gaunt, a 30-year-old journeyman ranked 1,212th in the world but in position to make the cut with a 143. "I had nothing to lose after being 6 over yesterday. I'm delighted with that round."
Woods failed to take advantage of Thursday's conditions, struggling to a 71 that he knew should have been so much better. Heck, the world's No. 1 player had as many thrown clubs as birdies (three each) and headed straight to the practice range to work on his swing.
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Twins need 'Go-Go' Gomez to get going in 2nd half
Carlos Gomez had just reached fifth gear and was speeding around second base when his gapper bounced high off the Metrodome turf and into the stands for a ground-rule double.
That didn't stop the precocious Minnesota Twins center fielder. The 23-year-old, who has the energy and attention span of a toddler, kept right on running before third base coach Scott Ullger pointed him back to second.
"He just runs," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said with a bemused smile after the game.
It's been that kind of season for the young Dominican. Just when Gomez looks like he is really getting going, something gets in his way.
Gomez is hitting .235 with two home runs and 18 RBIs for the Twins this season. He has played in 77 of the team's 89 games while Gardenhire has shuffled a crowded outfield that also includes Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young and Jason Kubel, when he is not the DH.
The Twins open up the second half of the season on Friday at Texas, sitting four games behind Detroit in the AL Central.
It would help if the popular kid they call "Go-Go" would get going.
Gomez hopes to use some momentum gained from his final game before the All-Star break. On Sunday against Chicago, Gomez went 3 for 4 with a home run, that ground-rule double, and a career-high five RBIs to help the Twins to a 13-7 win over the White Sox.
"When you're getting those big hits from 7-8-9, it takes a lot of pressure off the guys in the middle," cleanup hitter Justin Morneau said. "He definitely has that potential and we see that once in a while it will come out. Hopefully we can see that a little more often."
That would make things a lot easier on Gardenhire. One of the manager's biggest challenges this season has been juggling the lineup to get all of his outfielders enough playing time so they feel comfortable and sharp.
After an injury-plagued 2008, Cuddyer has locked down right field with a quietly productive season at the plate — .273, 14 homers, 47 RBIs — and in the field.
Span is the only true leadoff hitter the team has, so he plays every day in left field or center field, and Kubel will fill in from time to time in the corners when he is not the designated hitter.
That means that Gomez and Young essentially are battling for one spot most days they arrive at the ballpark. Young is hitting .266 with three homers and 25 RBIs and has been a disappointment since coming over in a trade with Tampa Bay before last season.
"You've got so many outfielders that you can't play them all," Gardenhire said. "When you get in there and get your opportunity, take advantage of it. The one thing Carlos has never stopped doing is working his butt off. He's out there on the field, he's work, work, work, early BP, the whole package. As a manager you always appreciate that."
So far, Gomez has not gotten too down on himself when he is not in the lineup.
"It's not frustrating," he said. "It's part of the game. Baseball is back and forth."
The ideal scenario for the Twins would be for Gomez to grab hold of the everyday job in center field. That gives Gardenhire his best defensive outfield with Span in left, Gomez in center and Cuddyer in right. It also gives him more options offensively because Gomez has proven to be a very good bunter and his speed makes him a threat on the bases.
Like many young players, however, Gomez has struggled to find some consistency. His excitable nature and youthful enthusiasm endear him to teammates and coaches, but they also make him the most unpredictable player in the clubhouse.
On several occasions Gardenhire has spoken candidly about not knowing what is going to happen when Gomez goes to the plate, or where the ball is going to end up when his powerful arm lets one fly from center field.
As Gomez enters the second half of his second full season in Minnesota after coming over from the Mets in the Johan Santana trade, the Twins are hoping he can channel that seemingly boundless energy in a productive direction.
"He's learning. He's starting to know the pitchers a little better," Morneau said after Gomez's big day on Sunday. "If we can get him hot, he causes a lot of problems for the other team. There's so much speed on the base paths. To get those big hits like that, it will be a lot harder to pitch to him."
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London's Olympic stadium shell completed
London 2012 organizers say the external structure of the main Olympic stadium has been completed.
Construction of the outer shell, including roof sections, was finished Thursday, 14 months after work started and three years before the start of the games.
The 80,000-seat stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies and track and field competition.
The announcement came as the Olympic Delivery Authority published its annual report and accounts for 2008-9.
London's overall budget for venues, infrastructure and regeneration has been set at $15 billion.
ODA chairman John Armitt says the Olympics will be delivered within the budget despite the "external shocks" caused the recession.
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Turn back the clock: Watson leading Open with 65
Last year, Greg Norman. This time, Tom Watson. Thirty-two years after his epic "Duel in the Sun" with Jack Nicklaus, Watson took advantage of pristine conditions at the British Open to shoot a stunning 5-under 65 on Thursday.
"Not bad for an almost 60-year-old," said Watson, who turns that age in September. "Obviously I enjoyed it. I played very well, kept the ball in play, made a few putts. The course was defenseless today. As a result, you're seeing a lot of scores under par. I suspect by the end of the day, 65 will not be in the lead."
At least he didn't have to worry about Tiger Woods. On a day for going low, the world's No. 1 player struggled to a 71 at Turnberry, hitting one wayward shot after another — including a dunk in Wilson's Burn, which led to the last of his four bogeys at No. 16.
When the round ended, Woods headed back to the range to work on his swing, which looked downright ugly with his right hand flying off the club. His first signs of frustration emerged at No. 3, when he took an angry swipe and mumbled something under his breath. By the time the day was done, he had angrily tossed away his clubs several times.
Woods' score was especially disappointing given the conditions at Turnberry: partly sunny, no rain and barely the hint of a breeze off the Irish Sea.
"I certainly made a few mistakes out there," Woods said. "Realistically, I probably should have shot about 1- or 2-under par."
The Open keeps bringing out the best in the old-timers. Last year, Norman was 53 when he held the 54-hole lead at Birkdale, only to fade on the final day.
Watson still has three rounds to go, and the history of major championship golf is filled with opening-day leaders who fell out of contention by the weekend.
But those first 18 holes sure were fun — and not as surprising to Watson as they were to everyone else.
"I haven't reassessed (expectations) at all," he said. "I was playing well in the practice rounds, and I felt I would play very well this week."
Watson, a five-time Open champion, posted his lowest score in the tournament since a second-round 65 in 1994 — the last time it was held at Turnberry. A year ago, he shot 74-76 at Birkdale and missed the cut.
Watson posted five birdies and made a couple of testy par saves, including a 6-footer at the final hole to ensure his name would be all alone atop the leaderboard, at least for a while.
With red numbers there for the taking, Americans Stewart Cink and Steve Stricker, Australians John Senden and Mathew Goggin, and Camilo Villegas of Colombia put up 66s. The 1989 Open champion, Mark Calcavecchia, went out in the first group of the day with his wife on the bag and shot 67. Also at 67 were 1998 Open champion Mark O'Meara, who now plays on the Champions Tour, and three-time major champion Vijay Singh.
Stricker, playing in the group just ahead of Watson, got a chance to keep up with the turn-back-the-clock round.
"That was very cool to watch," Stricker said. "It gives hope to everybody that you can continue to play well in your later years."
Senden didn't even know if he'd be playing this week. He got into the tournament Tuesday as an alternate when Jeev Milkha Singh withdrew with an injury. The Aussie stayed away from bogey and birdied four of the last six holes for a 66.
"I was lucky enough to be in the field, so that was a bonus," Senden said.
The conditions along the picturesque Scottish coast were ideal — the sun peeking in and out of the clouds, the Ailsa Craig easily visible offshore, the flags hanging limply above the grandstands, barely the hint of a breeze.
All week Watson has been reminded of his showdown with Nicklaus in 1977, when the Open first came to historic Turnberry. Watson held on to win by a stroke in what was essentially a match-play format over the final round.
Watson got a text from Nicklaus' wife, Barbara, wishing him luck on the eve of the tournament. He sent the couple back a note saying he wished they could be a Turnberry.
Nicklaus played his final British Open at St. Andrews in 2005.
"I don't live in the past," Watson said. "But certainly that has been at the forefront of a lot of conversations for me this week. A lot of people have been congratulating me for '77, and they remember it, too. It's also amazing there's a lot of kids in the tournament who were not even born in 1977."
That includes one of Watson's playing partners, 16-year-old Italian amateur Matteo Manassero, the youngest player in the field. Watson is the oldest.
Calcavecchia is no spring chicken himself. He recalled his 1989 performance at Troon, about 20 miles north of Turnberry, when he beat Wayne Grady and Norman in a playoff to win his only major championship.
"Yep, it was 20 years ago, right up the road," Calcavecchia said. "This has always been my favorite tournament of the year to come to."
But he almost passed up the chance to play this year. After playing 36 holes last Sunday at the rain-plagued John Deere Classic, the 49-year-old American had back spasms and considered staying home.
Now, he's glad he came — though the persnickety Scottish weather can change at any time. Just ask last year's runner-up, Ian Poulter, who teed off in the afternoon.
"Watching the golf this morning on TV," he wrote on Twitter before getting to the course. "It's flat, calm and no rain there. I'm staying 5 miles away and it's pouring down."
Norman failed to follow up his stirring performance last year, when he was 18 holes away from becoming the oldest major champion. He looked every bit his age, now 54, struggling to a 77 that left him unlikely to make the cut.
Padraig Harrington, who had a late tee time, hopes to become the first player since Peter Thomson in 1954-56 to win the Open three years in a row.
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LB Suggs signs with Ravens, loses franchise tag
Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs agreed to terms Wednesday on a six-year contract, a deal that provides a long-term solution to his unsettled status as the team's franchise player.
Suggs has been the Ravens' franchise player for the past two seasons. The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder had until 4 p.m. Wednesday to work out a deal or face being stuck with the franchise tag for another year.
Had Suggs not signed, he would have played the season for $10.17 million and become a free agent next season.
"Getting a deal done with Terrell is consistent with our history of retaining our best Pro Bowl players, like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Jonathan Ogden, Todd Heap and Jamal Lewis," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "Securing Terrell for six seasons gives us a premier pass-rusher whose ability to stop the run does not get enough credit."
During his six years with the Ravens, Suggs has 53 sacks and has not missed a game. He led Baltimore with eight sacks last season and added four more in the postseason, including two in the AFC championship game against Pittsburgh after missing an entire week of practice with a shoulder injury.
"This will be Suggs' seventh season, and he is still a young player," Newsome said. "Remember, he came to us as a 20-year old rookie after his junior year in college. This is a good day for the Ravens franchise."
The 26-year-old Suggs was selected by the Ravens out of Arizona State with the 10th overall pick in the 2003 draft. The three-time Pro Bowl selection is considered one of the best pass-rushers in the league, and has also returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
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Phillies sign 3-time Cy Young winner Martinez
Pedro Martinez is returning to the major leagues. Martinez agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Wednesday.
The team put the three-time Cy Young winner on the 15-day disabled list with a mild shoulder strain. It has not been determined when he will begin a rehab assignment.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed but the deal is reportedly worth $1 million for one year.
The 37-year-old Martinez went 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA for the New York Mets last year. The free agent pitched in the World Baseball Classic before this season.
The defending World Series champion Phillies have been hurt by injuries to their starting rotation. No. 2 starter Brett Myers had hip surgery in June. Antonio Bastardo, who replaced Myers, landed on the disabled list after making five starts. The NL East leaders already have used nine starters through 86 games. They used only seven starters last season.
Martinez is 214-99 with a 2.91 ERA in 17 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal, Boston and the Mets. He helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004.
Adding Martinez isn't expected to prevent the Phillies from pursuing All-Star Roy Halladay. The Toronto Blue Jays are actively seeking to deal the former AL Cy Young Award winner, and Philadelphia already has expressed strong interest.
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Nocentini defends lead in Tour's 10th stage
Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy set off in the yellow jersey Tuesday, with Tour de France organizers banning rider earpieces for this stage and forcing cyclists to devise tactics without radio instructions from team cars.
The flat, 121-mile course from Limoges and Issoudun favored sprinters, meaning the overall standings were not expected to change significantly.
Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong started the 10th stage in third place, trailing teammate and rival Alberto Contador of Spain by two seconds. Nocentini leads Contador by six seconds.
Armstrong is coming out of 3 1/2 years of retirement and chasing an eighth Tour title. Contador is aiming for a second crown after winning in 2007. The Spanish mountain specialist was unable to defend his title last year because Astana was barred from the race because of doping scandals.
The Tour hoped to inject drama into this race by eliminating earpieces in the 10th and 13th stages. Many riders, including Armstrong and Contador, saw the measure as dangerous.
"I can't hear anything, I don't know anything. ... I feel naked," Armstrong joked as he got off his Astana team bus and mounted his bike to go to the start line. "I think it's a lot to do about nothing."
Astana team director Johan Bruyneel had campaigned for the ban to be overturned. But it was upheld and is also scheduled for Friday, a tricky stage featuring one big climb and possibly many attacks. Teams are still pressuring organizers to overturn the ban.
"My impression is that we'll have the radio on Friday," Armstrong said.
With the backing of the cycling's governing body, Tour organizers decided last month that rider radios and TV sets in cars would be banned for stages 10 and 13. Earlier in the race, Bruyneel said the Tour was "not the place to have an experiment" of this kind.
Earpieces allow riders to be linked to their directors in the team cars. Popularized by Armstrong when he won his first Tour in 1999, some riders and former champions have recently criticized them for making the sport too clinical.
Riders can be informed of developments and told when they need to attack or chase riders in a breakaway.
"There are arguments to both sides, to have them or not to have them. But on balance, I think it's better to have them," Armstrong said. "In cycling, we have other, more important, things to care about."
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Nats fire manager Manny Acta, acting GM confirms
Manny Acta is out as manager of the Washington Nationals.
Acting general manager Mike Rizzo confirmed the firing Monday morning.
The Nationals went into the All-Star break with the worst record in the majors at 26-61.
Acta told ESPNdeportes.com on Sunday that he'd been let go.
"I thank the Nationals for giving me this opportunity and I'm sorry that things didn't work out as expected. It's normal for the manager to pay the price when the team is not doing well," Acta said.
Acta is the third manager in the major leagues to be let go this season. Colorado's Clint Hurdle and Arizona's Bob Melvin were previously fired.
It was unclear who would replace Acta in Washington. Bench coach Jim Riggleman has managed the Padres, Cubs and Mariners.
Acta was 158-252 in 2 1/2 seasons, and the team's winning percentage dropped progressively from Year 1 until now.
From the outset of spring training in February, he called the current team the most talented he's had, but significant problems in the bullpen, an untested starting rotation and the worst defense in the majors were part of a series of miscues in 2009.
The Nationals started 0-7 and never came close to approaching .500. When the team was hitting well, the pitching was a mess, and the team kept shuffling its bullpen with little change. Once the pitching became serviceable, the hitters suddenly became less productive.
This was Acta's first major league managerial job, and he always preached patience and emphasized the importance of keeping an even keel — so much so that some wondered whether he needed to be a bit less willing to publicly abide his players' mistakes.
From the outset, working for a franchise he knew was undertaking a rebuilding process, Acta repeatedly said he would rather be an optimist than a realist, refusing to acknowledge that his team wasn't ready to be competitive.
In 2007, Acta's first season as Frank Robinson's replacement, Washington finished 73-89, fourth in the NL East but a two-win improvement over 2006 and better than was expected. Acta even received votes for NL Manager of the Year.
But the team took a step backward in 2008, going 59-102 for a .366 winning percentage, the worst record in the major leagues. And there was even more regression this season — not only are the Nationals still the worst team in baseball, but their .299 winning percentage is far lower than any other team.
A 5-0 loss at Houston on Sunday was Washington's seventh in 10 games. The Nationals rank last in the NL with a 5.21 ERA and they have committed the most errors in the majors (82).
When Acta was hired in November 2006, he was 37, and no manager in the majors was younger. He was coming off two seasons as the New York Mets' third-base coach, and before that, Acta held the same job under Robinson from 2002-04, when the Nationals were still the Montreal Expos.
Acta had managed eight seasons in the minors and five in the Dominican Winter League, and he led the Dominican Republic to the semifinals at the 2006 World Baseball Classic.
When the Nationals introduced Acta as their new manager, president Stan Kasten gushed, "I knew within 30 minutes that this could be the next manager, that he had the right stuff," and then-general manager Jim Bowden brought up Jim Leyland's name, saying Acta was "going to be very special."
Now, less than three full seasons later, Acta says he is gone.
As it is, his staff had undergone a complete overhaul already, with every coach other than pitching coach Randy St. Claire fired at the end of last season — and St. Claire was dismissed at the beginning of June.
Acta's firing is only the latest example of the constant upheaval and instability surrounding the Nationals since Kasten and local developer Ted Lerner took over the club — a sale that was supposed to finally bring a semblance of normalcy to the franchise.
Instead, there is now uncertainty on the bench to go along with an acting GM who took over day-to-day duties shortly after Bowden resigned during spring training. Rizzo still does not have the full title.
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Tiger Woods get in another practice ahead of British
Tiger Woods had another look at Turnberry as he prepares for the British Open, hopeful of taking possession of a major championship trophy again.
Woods teed off on the Ailsa Course early Monday morning and was finished as some players were just arriving. He had never seen Turnberry, which has not hosted golf's oldest championship since 1994.
"It's a lot more difficult than people are letting on," Woods said.
He had 15 clubs in the bag — one over the limit when the tournament starts Thursday — but was likely to take the 5-wood out and use his 2-iron to keep the ball flight down.
For the first time since 2004, Woods does not hold a major title.
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Goosen shoots 63 to take lead in Scottish Open
Retief Goosen came close to matching his course record at Loch Lomond, settling for an 8-under 63 Friday to build a two-shot lead over Adam Scott midway through the second round of the Scottish Open.
Goosen set the course record of 62 in 1997, although he would be far more interested in matching his performance from 2001, when he followed his first U.S. Open title with a victory at Loch Lomond.
He was at 11-under 131 as the late starters made their way along the shores of Loch Lomond on a spectacular summer day.
"The first nine holes, you felt like you could do something, but for six holes, I didn't do much," Goosen said.
He built momentum with birdies on the 16th and 18th, a pair of par 4s protected by water, then took off on the front nine, including an eagle on the par-5 third with a 4-iron into 20 feet.
Scott continued his resurgence, and even more pleasant than the weather was the sight of his name on a leaderboard. The 29-year-old Australian has been in miserable form this year until going off by himself to Queenwood Golf Club in London to sort out his game.
After opening with a 66, Scott didn't let a bad break that led to double bogey get in his way.
He was in the lead at 8 under until hitting into a bunker on the par-3 fifth, unaware that a small rock was behind his ball. The shot tumbled over the green and into deep rough, and he failed to get up-and-down.
Scott answered with three birdies over his final four holes for a 67.
"Two rounds in the 60s in a row, pretty good for me," Scott said. "It feels really good the way my game is at the moment. Coming back well after that fifth hole to finish strong was important in the scheme of the tournament. I'm very happy with the day."
Martin Kaymer (65) and Marcus Fraser (66) were at 8-under 134, followed by Nick Watney, one of several Americans who have come to Loch Lomond a week before the British Open at Turnberry. Watney had a 68.
"From what I hear, we have lucked out with the weather," said Watney, making his first trip to this course north of Glasgow.
Not so lucky was John Daly, who missed another cut in Europe. Daly opened with a 69 and was holding on until he took double bogey on both par 5s on the front nine, shot 75 and finished at 2-over 144.
Daly said the rib injury he suffered in France was not a big issue, and actually is feeling better.
"I play better when I'm hurt," he said.
What hurt him was landing in a divot on the third, and another on the 12th.
"Nothing is going right," he said. "I'm used to it."
Camilo Villegas had a bogey-free 67 and got within five shots of the lead, while Ernie Els didn't take full advantage of the pristine conditions, posting only a 69 that left him seven behind.
For all his birdies — and eagle — Goosen might not be in the lead without a few pars.
He topped his 3-wood so badly off the 10th tee when he began his round that he couldn't clear the creek and had a 7-iron for his third shot. Goosen saved par with a 25-foot putt, then missed his target on the par-3 11th by some 40 yards, hitting a beautiful pitch-and-run to 4 feet to escape with par again.
"A bit of a weird start," he said.
As always, he kept a quiet sense of humor about it.
Asked the last time he hit a tee shot that went only 180 yards, Goosen said, "When I hit a 6-iron off the tee."
He hit his 3-wood again on his next full tee shot, the par-4 12th, and hit this one clean. Turning to Geoff Ogilvy and Oliver Wilson, he explained why he that one so well.
"That was a better lie I had on the tee," he said.
Among the late starters were Rory McIlroy, the 20-year-old from Northern Ireland who opened with a 68; and Lee Westwood, who said it was "stupid" to play on Thursday with such a severe chest infection. He must have recovered nicely, because he opened with three straight birdies.
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Aussie Klein tennis ban for racial slur
Former junior Australian Open champion Brydan Klein said on Friday he accepted a six-month ban and will undergo a racial sensitivity course after making a racial slur against another player.
Klein, 19, was handed the ban by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and fined 10,000 US dollars for calling black South African Raven Klaasen a "kaffir" during the Eastbourne International in England last month.
"I sincerely regret my error in judgment in using the language I did and I am deeply sorry for the offence caused," Klein said in a statement.
"I am accepting of the ATP's ruling and am now looking to put the whole incident behind me.
The 186th-ranked Australian has been suspended from the ATP World Tour and Challenger events for six months from July 20, although two months of that will be probationary should he successfully complete the racial sensitivity course.
"I will undergo a racial sensitivity course and am determined to learn from this mistake," Klein said.
"I plan to do everything I can to grow as a person and later as a tennis player by improving myself both off and on the court over the next four months.
"My aim is now to return to tournament play at the end of 2009 and focus on a strong Australian summer on the court."
Klein has had a chequered past because of his temperamental behaviour and was previously suspended from the Australian Institute of Sport after repeated on-court misbehaviour.
Tennis West (Australia) president Dean Williams said tennis authorities were "fed up" with Klein's history of poor behaviour.
"Tennis Australia is fed up. They are pouring a lot of money into these kids, hundreds of thousands of dollars," Williams told the West Australian newspaper.
"People around Australia are also fed up with this sort of behaviour and Tennis Australia has now thrown the book at him to show young kids (that) it's not acceptable."
Tennis Australia director of tennis Craig Tiley said Klein's behaviour was "unacceptable".
"Tennis Australia completely supports the sanction and is heartened by the fact that Brydan will undergo the racial sensitivity course," Tiley said late Friday.
"We hope that at the very least he can learn something from this."
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Browns WR Stallworth released from Miami jail
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth has been released from a Miami jail after serving 24 days for DUI manslaughter.
His attorney, Christopher Lyons, says Stallworth was released from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center early Friday.
The 28-year-old Stallworth served 24 days of the 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter. Stallworth struck and killed a pedestrian in an early morning crash March 14. Police said he had spent the night drinking at a swank Miami Beach nightclub.
Stallworth has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. He signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns before last season but was injured much of the year, finishing with 17 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown.
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Paula Creamer wants another shot at Women's Open
Paula Creamer has taken two anti-inflammatory injections in her ailing left thumb. Now, she wants another shot — at a U.S. Women's Open title.
One year after stumbling at the start of the final round of the women's national championship and finishing sixth, Creamer is back on course to chase her first Open title.
But Creamer's been through a tough couple of weeks after pulling out of an LPGA event in Pittsford, N.Y., two weeks ago because of a thumb injury. Last week, she withdrew from a tournament in Ohio when her thumb swelled up after she hit balls on the range before the first round.
She doesn't claim to be pain free, just feeling better.
"I've played a lot of golf the last couple days ... A lot of ice and Advil are my two favorite things right now," the eight-time LPGA Tour winner said Wednesday on the eve of the first round.
Creamer will be paired with top-ranked Lorena Ochoa and South Korea's In-Kyung Kim in the opening round at Saucon Valley Country Club in a Women's Open that threatens to be overshadowed by a lingering dispute among a faction of key LPGA players who are calling for the resignation of tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens.
Golfweek Magazine first reported Monday that a group of key players sent a letter to the LPGA board saying the tour's woes can't be blamed on a poor economy and that the LPGA needs a new leader to rebuild relationships with sponsors.
The tour has lost seven tournaments since 2007.
Most players are declining to talk about the issue, but Ochoa participated in the players' meeting that spawned the letter and addressed the controversy Wednesday.
Ochoa said the players are looking for a more active role in moving the LPGA Tour ahead.
"We as players, we want to be more involved in what is happening and we want to see the tour going in a better direction," said Ochoa, whose best finish in a Women's Open was a tie for second in 2007.
"There's not much we can do. I believe they will do the best for us, and hopefully things will start, you know, moving in a good direction, because we are worried that we're losing tournaments and we want to get back on a good track."
Creamer sidestepped the issue, saying she's concerned only about tour events. She refused to comment further, saying it is "out of my control."
Control is something Creamer struggled with in the final round last year but hopes to maintain at Saucon Valley.
Last year, she entered the last round in second place but had two double bogeys in a front-nine 41. She went on to shoot 78 and finished five places back of eventual winner Inbee Park.
Saucon Valley will be a tough test with its narrow fairways and undulating greens, playing more than 6,700 yards to a par 71.
Creamer is gaining confidence with every ball she strikes.
"Obviously, I wish I was a little bit more prepared to come into the U.S. Open, but it's what I've been given," she said. "I feel Monday and Tuesday I was a little rusty; I hit some shots that I haven't really hit before.
"But I feel good now. I've hit some balls and got that out of my system."
She's also feeling very comfortable with the pristine Lehigh Valley layout.
"When I think of U.S. Open, definitely this course defines that," she said. "It's tight; there's not many birdie opportunities that you can make out there."
Creamer expects to feel some nervousness and will lean on the lessons she learned last year from her first top-10 finish in a major.
"I've learned a lot from that round," she said. "It's going to be difficult, I've learned that. ... Hopefully I can take what happened at the Open last year into this one.
The Women's Open field includes 28 amateurs and players from 22 countries. The youngest player is 13-year-old Yueer-Cindy-Feng of Orlando, and reigning U.S. Girls Junior champ Alexis Thompson, 14, who in 2007 was the youngest Women's Open qualifier in history, is back for her third open.
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French tennis player died of 'natural causes'
French tennis player Mathieu Montcourt, found dead outside his apartment in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt early Tuesday, died of natural causes, police said Wednesday, citing early autopsy findings.
"First indications lead us to conclude this was a natural death. But one must await the result of toxicological analyses, which should be forthcoming next week, in order to be completely certain," a police source told AFP following the autopsy at the Paris Medico-Legal Institute (IML).
The body of the 24-year-old sportsman, currently 119th in the ATP rankings, was found by his girlfriend outside their ground floor apartment. She alerted police, who said there were no indications that Montcourt had been attacked.
A tennis professional since 2002, Montcourt reached a career best world ranking of 104th in June after qualifying for the main draw at the French Open and reaching the second round where he lost in four sets to Radek Stepanek.
His last tournament was in the Croatian town of Rijeka late June where he reached the semi-final of a Challenger Tour event.
His career was badly hit in August last year when he was banned for eight weeks and fined 12,000 dollars for betting on the Internet on the outcome of tennis matches.
Montcourt appealed against the ban and the Lausanne-based Court of Arbritation for Sports reduced the sanction by two weeks citing the small sums of money involved - 192 dollars on 36 games - and the fact that he did not bet on games in which he was playing.
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Federer: 'I don't know if I can ever top this'
Roger Federer certainly is not ready to stop at a record 15 Grand Slam titles.
Still, he figures his recent run of success is about as good as it gets: a first French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam and tie Pete Sampras with 14 major championships, followed immediately by a sixth Wimbledon trophy for No. 15 overall.
"I don't know if I've had a more happy period in my tennis life. I don't know if I can ever top this," Federer said Monday at the All England Club, less than 24 hours after beating Andy Roddick 16-14 in the longest fifth set in major final history.
"These last months, with all the records on the line, and coming through both times," said Federer, who also returned to No. 1 in the rankings. "Knowing what it means to me, it's quite amazing."
After attending the Wimbledon Champions Dinner on Sunday night, Federer managed to squeeze in two hours of sleep — 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. — before rising Monday.
"Sleep is so overrated," he said with a smile. "Then you wake up, and you're like, 'Man, you did it again.'"
This one did not come easily: Federer was not able to break Roddick's serve until the 77th and last game.
It was a welcome change for Federer, who lost a 9-7 fifth set to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final.
Nadal didn't defend his title at the All England Club, citing sore knees. That came after a loss in the fourth round at the French Open, where Nadal won the previous four titles.
Federer was asked whether it mattered that Nadal wasn't around this year at Wimbledon.
"No. Not at all. Sure, people might see it this way, and I wish I could have played him again," Federer said.
"Rafa was part of the French Open — I didn't play him there in the final, and it didn't take anything away, in my opinion. Some people are always going to say, 'You should have beaten him to do that.' I disagree," Federer continued. "(Bjorn) Borg walked away from tennis at 27 — does that take anything away from John McEnroe or the legacy he had? No. You only have to beat who's across the net, and that's what it takes, and you can't always play the other biggest rivals. But I'm sad for him that he didn't even get a chance to defend Wimbledon."
Sampras attended Sunday's final, sitting in the front row of the Royal Box near Borg and Rod Laver, who each won 11 majors.
After the match, Sampras repeated what he's said before: He thinks Federer could wind up with 18 major titles or more.
"It definitely seems possible, you know," said Federer, who turns 28 next month. "I've reached, what is it, 16 out of 17 Grand Slam finals in a row now? So you'd figure I'd definitely have a shot in the next few years. I'm still young, in tennis terms, I think. It's only after 30 the clock starts ticking."
He discussed how back pain that sidelined him for about six weeks this season took a toll, mentally and physically, particularly limiting him when it came to chasing down opponents' shots.
It is part of why Federer entered May without a title in 2009.
"I had to play too offensive. Because the offense, you can control. The defense you cannot control. So I would play way too offensive, and against the top guys that was too risky. And that's why I would lose," he said. "Yeah, it's only since, I think, before Rome (in late April) that I felt like the old guy again."
That "old guy" sure went on a roll: Federer beat Nadal in the final at Madrid, then became only the third man since 1970 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.
Federer was asked Monday how winning No. 15 compared to winning No. 14 a month earlier.
"The 14th for me was really special, and obviously, with the combination of Paris being the first, it was so fitting. And it was even more fitting breaking the record here at Wimbledon. I couldn't have hoped for another place for that to happen," he said. "I just thought being on the same level with majors as Pete, that was kind of important to me, and not really breaking his record. I almost feel a little bit bad, to be quite honest."
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Ronaldo passes medical, set for hero's welcome at Real
Cristiano Ronaldo has passed his medical test at Real Madrid and is set to be introduced as the club's latest signing, completing a deal that makes him the most expensive player in the world.
The 2008 FIFA world player, who spent the past six years at England's Manchester United, arrived in Madrid on Monday on a private flight from his native Portugal where he was on holiday, sparking a media frenzy.
In a statement, the head of Real's medical services, Carlos Diez, said the 24-year-old striker was "in perfect condition and looking forward to the beginning of the season."
Ronaldo will don Real's jersey for the first time at a ceremony at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium which is scheduled to get underway at 9 pm (1900 GMT).
Real acquired the player from Manchester United last month on a six-year deal worth 94 million euros (131 million dollars) and Spanish media reports that he will be paid 13 million euros each season.
He will team up with Kaka, the 2007 FIFA world player, who signed with Real from AC Milan for 65 million euros from AC Milan in early June.
Kaka was officially unveiled on June 30 at the Bernabeu stadium before 55,000 fans, according to club figures, and Real predicts as many as 80,000 people may attend Ronaldo's presentation.
That would make it the most attended presentation of a footballer since 75,000 fans cheered the arrival of Argentina's Diego Maradona at Naples from FC Barcelona in July 1984. Fans had to pay to enter the stadium in that event.
By noon hundreds of fans, equipped with food and drinks for a lengthy wait, were already at the stadium waiting for the free event to get underway.
"I am here because he is handsome and I am from Madrid," one young female supporter told private televion TVE as she sat surrounded by friends outside the stadium waiting for the unveiling to get underway.
Sports daily AS reported over the weekend that Ronaldo will wear the Number 9 shirt once sported by club legend Alfredo di Stefano.
The Argentine striker, Real's honorary president, is expected to present Ronaldo with his jersey at the player's official unveiling.
Kaka was the first big name who construction magnate Florentino Perez signed since he returned in June for a second stint as president of Real.
Perez, who brought Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane to Real during his first term as the club's president between 2000 and 2006, is seeking to rebuild a squad which trailed arch rival FC Barcelona last season by reviving his policy of signing football superstars.
Among Real's other signings is French striker Karim Benzema from Lyon and defender Raul Albiol, who joined from financially troubled Spanish side Valencia.
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Roddick out of Croatia Davis Cup tie
Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick has withdrawn from the Davis Cup quarter-final tie opposing the United States and Croatia in Porec this week because of a hip injury, the official Davis Cup website said.
The world No. 6 lost for the third time to Roger Federer in an epic Wimbledon final on Sunday, the Swiss star winning 16-14 in the longest fifth set in Grand Slam history.
It is the first time in 18 ties that Roddick will miss a Davis Cup round. He will be replaced by world No. 23 Mardy Fish, who joins James Blake and doubles specialists for the tie.
The Americans are bidding to defeat Croatia for the first time, having lost to them in the first round in 2003 and 2005.
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Michael Owen set for shock Man Utd move
Premier League champions Manchester United are set to sign out-of-favour England striker Michael Owen on a surprise free transfer deal, according to press reports on Friday.
The move could be tied up later in the day if Owen passes a medical.
Owen's contract with Newcastle, relegated from the top-flight last season, lapsed on July 1.
It seemed the only clubs interested in signing the 29-year-old former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker were Stoke and Hull -- both Premier League sides but teams for whom staying up was an achievement in itself.
However, they now appear to have been joined by United, who have seen forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez both leave Old Trafford since the end of last season.
United manager Alex Ferguson is reportedly planning to sign Owen, whose time at Newcastle was blighted by a succession of injury problems, on a pay-as-you-play deal.
Owen's weekly wage at Newcastle, for whom he scored 10 goals last season, was believed to be around 120,000 pounds but reports said he would take a substantial paycut to sign for a leading Premier League club.
The forward, who has scored 40 goals in 89 England appearances, has yet to persuade England coach Fabio Capello he has a future at international level.
But Owen's career could be rejuvenated by playing alongside the likes of striker Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford.
United have yet to make a public comment about the proposed deal.
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Santa Cruz ready for Man City striker battle
Roque Santa Cruz has said he would relish the opportunity of battling Samuel Eto'o and Carlos Tevez for a place in the Manchester City side next season.
Paraguay international striker Santa Cruz is City's biggest signing of the close season so far having cost 18 million pounds from City's Premier League rivals Blackburn Rovers.
But City manager Mark Hughes is hoping to invest a total of 50 million pounds to secure the services of Barcelona's Eto'o and Argentina's Tevez, who is available for 25 million pounds after his two-year loan at neighbours Manchester United expired.
Yet instead of worrying about the possible arrival of Eto'o and Tevez and the extra competition for places that they would bring, Santa Cruz said that he would thrive on the added pressure of securing a place in the side.
"I don't know who is coming and who is not," said Santa Cruz, who has signed a four-year contract with City.
"But whoever can come to join the club and make us stronger, that's very welcome. When you are at a big club there's always going to be challenges and competition for places.
"That will only make players stronger. It makes players deliver better performances because they want to show how good they are."
Hughes brought the 27-year-old Santa Cruz to England two years ago from Bayern Munich when he was in charge of Blackburn. The player scored 23 goals in 43 games in his debut season at Ewood Park.
Former Manchester United striker Hughes had failed with several bids to sign Santa Cruz in the past year since he left Blackburn to coach City.
Santa Cruz is City's second close season signing after England midfielder Gareth Barry joined from Aston Villa earlier this month.
City's wealthy owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, has pledged to spend to turn the Premier League underachievers into a title-winning side.
Hughes, who is relishing working with Santa Cruz again, said he expected to remain busy in the transfer market right up until the window closes at the end of August.
"If we can get the players that we hope and anticipate, then we'll have more tools to do the job," added Hughes.
"We feel we are getting close to where we need to be able to challenge.
"We might not be able to get all the players that we need in this transfer window," the Welshman said.
"But going into the new season I fully expect us to be in better shape and better prepared than we were last season.
"I'm delighted to be working with Roque again.
"There were a number of occasions last season when we needed the qualities that Roque brings to the table.
"I know exactly what I'm getting with him.
"He is a young man with huge ambition and a great mentality to his work on a daily basis."
City finished 10th in the 20-team Premier League last season.
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Williams sisters in action today in Wimbledon semis
The Williams sisters are in action in Wimbledon's women's semifinals today. Scheduled first up on Centre Court is second-seeded Serena vs. No. 4 Elena Dementieva. Five-time champion and third-seeded Venus is paired in the second match against top-ranked Dinara Safina. The sisters have met in three previous Wimbledon finals, with Serena winning the first two and Venus coming out on top last year.
Most of the talk at Wimbledon has been about the likelihood of a final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. It turns out another Andy is also making a strong title run. Andy Roddick overcame former champion Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-7 (10), 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-4 Wednesday to set up a semifinal matchup against Murray. Five-time champion Federer will meet German veteran Tommy Haas in the other semifinal on Friday.
This is Roddick's best showing at Wimbledon since 2005, when he lost in the final to Federer for the second year in a row. He lost in the third round in 2006, the quarterfinals in 2007 and second round last year.
Roddick served 43 aces against Hewitt in a 3-hour, 50-minute match that swung back and forth until the American got the decisive break for a 5-4 lead in the fifth set, converting his second chance with an easy forehand into the open court.
"It certainly wasn't short on drama," Roddick said. "It was tough from a mental standpoint because Lleyton wasn't going away and there were a lot of ebbs and flows to the match. I'm just happy to be on the good side of it."
When it was all over, Roddick let out a sigh and raised a fist, then threw his racket down, sat in his changeover chair and covered his face with his hands.
"It's a mixture of happiness, of relief," Roddick said. "In your mind, you're kind of trying to stay the course for four hours, constantly figuring out what you're going to do. Your mind is just racing for four hours. So then it's relief, happiness and almost kind of an instant shutdown mode."
Roddick and the other men get a day's rest Thursday, which is set aside for the women's semifinals featuring the Williams sisters against two Russian opponents.
Roddick knows he will be battling more than just Murray in his next match. Murray, who swept Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first Wimbledon semifinal, is bidding to become the first British player to win the men's title since Fred Perry in 1936.
"I'm looking forward to it," Roddick said. "We might be able to count the people for me on this (one) hand. But I think it will be something to remember. I think the crowd's going to be electric. I think it's going to be a great atmosphere, one that I can certainly appreciate, even if it's not for me.
"I'm just going to pretend when they say, 'Come on, Andy' that they mean me."
Murray holds a 6-2 edge against Roddick, including a straight-set win at Wimbledon in 2006.
"Andy has been playing great," Roddick said. "He's certainly come into his own as a player. He's certainly capable of hitting all the shots. He doesn't really have a lot of weaknesses."
Murray, meanwhile, said he is trying to ignore the media hoopla and just focus on his tennis.
"I realize that if I don't bring my best game then I'm going to lose to guys like Hewitt or Roddick," he said. "I feel confident because I've won a lot of matches on the grass. But every day when I get up to play the matches, I know that I'm going to have to perform very well, and that gets the nerves and the adrenaline going and makes me better."
Federer reached his 21st consecutive Grand Slam semifinal by taming 6-foot-10 Croatian Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (3). Federer, who has won 17 straight matches, is closing in on his sixth Wimbledon title and record 15th Grand Slam championship.
"It would be writing in the history books of tennis," Federer said. "It's not there yet. Still far away. Many points, many serves, many forehands. We'll see."
Haas upset fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic 7-5, 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3 to advance to his first Wimbledon semifinal. The 31-year-old German was the oldest player in the quarters, while the 22-year-old Djokovic was the youngest.
Haas led Federer two sets to love in the fourth round of the French Open a month ago, only to lose in five.
"This is the best results, the best tennis I've played here, the best I've been feeling," Haas said. "Unfortunately, my next opponent is a really tough hurdle to go by. We had a good battle at the French, but I'm realistic of who my opponent is."
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Manchester United confirm Ronaldo transfer deal completed
Manchester United on Wednesday confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo's world-record 93 million euros transfer to Real Madrid has been completed.
An "unconditional 80million pounds" fee was agreed between the clubs last month and then last Friday the Spanish giants announced that the signing of the world player of the year was official.
A statement on the Manchester United club website on Wednesday confirmed that the transfer fee had been paid.
Manager Alex Ferguson used the occasion to pay tribute to the Portuguese winger despite friction between him and the player last season as the Real transfer loomed.
"Cristiano has been a marvellous player for Manchester United. His six years at Old Trafford have seen him develop into the best footballer in the world," he said.
"His contribution has been a major factor in the club's success in that time and his talent, his ability to entertain and his infectious personality have enthralled fans the world over.
"Everyone here wishes him well in his future career."
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