ST. LOUIS (ESPN) — It’s Albert Pujols’ town. It was Albert Pujols’ night. And this is Albert Pujols’ personal All-Star extravaganza.

But it was NOT Albert Pujols’ Home Run Derby.

No, instead, the 24th Derby in All-Star long ball history was hijacked by a very large tofu-eater from Milwaukee named Prince Fielder.

He launched 10,087 feet worth of home runs into the Missouri ozone, 23 of those bombs altogether. And that was more than Pujols, more than runner-up Nelson Cruz, and nearly three times as many as the eight his father, Cecil, once hit in three Derbies COMBINED.

“It’s pretty cool to actually win one,” Fielder said afterward. “As a kid, you never think you’ll win one. You just want to be in one. So [winning the Derby is] kind of like a dream come true, I guess.”

OK, true confession: This was not the most mesmerizing Derby show ever. Just for perspective’s sake, we should announce right here that Fielder hit five fewer home runs in THREE rounds than Josh Hamilton hit last year in just ONE round — and Hamilton didn’t even win.

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Elsa/Getty ImagesPrince Fielder said he never hit a ball 500 feet before. Well, on Monday, he knocked one 503 in the Home Run Derby.

But there’s always one magic moment, one indelible swing of the bat, that leaves its imprint on every Home Run Derby. And let the record show that Prince’s signature moment came on his 32nd swing of the evening, late in the second round.

He already had whomped 16 homers at that point. So he was already on his way to the finals.

But who knew the next baseball he’d hit would find itself on its way to Mars?

His personal pitcher, Brewers minor league hitting coach Sandy Guerrero, laid in a vintage BP fastball. Apparently, it was Prince’s kind of pitch.

Fielder coiled, connected and almost toppled over, thanks to the sheer overpowering force of hitting a ball that looked for a moment as if it might clank off the Anheuser-Busch brewery.

It roared through the night, flew OVER the bleachers in deep right-center, found a wedge between those bleachers and the center-field upper deck, and then disappeared into the concourse behind the center-field seats.

It was estimated at 503 feet. Which is a whole lot of feet. But the man who threw the pitch that produced that shot didn’t need a yardstick or a computer grid to measure it.

No, said Sandy Guerrero. He measured this one with his ears.

“It sounded like a cannon,” Guerrero would say afterward. “Not as loud, but very crispy.”

Hmm, did he say crispy? What, like a tortilla chip?

“No, I’m telling you,” Guerrero went on, “that feeling, of seeing that ball come off the bat and hearing that sound, you just turn around and go, ‘Oh, my God.’ I couldn’t follow the ball. But just from the sound of the ball, I knew that one was hit harder than all the others.”

And how right he was. Which was saying something, too, because Fielder hit 11 home runs on this night that traveled 450 feet or farther. And there were some serious whoppers in that collection.

There was a 497-footer that landed six rows from the top of the center-field upper deck. There was a 488-footer that soared beyond the auxiliary scoreboard in right-center. There was a 480-footer that found the center-field upper deck, above the seemingly unreachable Holiday Inn sign. And there was a 466-footer that flew OVER the gigantic grassy knoll in dead center.

But when that 503-foot NASA launch left his bat, it made the rest of those shots look like pop-ups.

“That was amazing,” Guerrero said. “To hit a ball like that, everything has to be exactly perfect — the speed of the pitch, the speed of the bat. Mechanically, you’ve got to be perfect. I mean, he hit a ball 500 feet. We say he makes it look easy. But to stand on the field and see where that ball lands, it’s amazing that he could do that.”

Fielder didn’t do quite THAT much gushing over that majestic hack. But he did say: “I’ve never hit a ball 500 feet. So that was pretty cool.”

What was also pretty cool was that he took teammate Ryan Braun along for this ride — by stealing his bat. During the first round, Fielder ditched the Rickie Weeks model he’d started out using, picked up one of Braun’s bats and used it to do some ridiculous damage.

But afterward, Braun didn’t sound like a man who was real worried that Fielder was in any danger of wrecking either (A) that bat or (B) his swing with this eruption.

“No, his swing is MADE for this thing,” Braun said. “He was hitting line-drive home runs, too. They were just going 500 feet.”

People.com reports that the long time hollywood coupling of Cowboys QB Tony Romo and recording artist Jessica Simpson may have come to an end.

Here’s what people reports:

Tony Romo broke up with Jessica Simpson on Thursday, the night before her 29th birthday, a source close to the pop star tells PEOPLE.

“She is heartbroken,” says the source. “She loves Tony. But it’s been difficult lately. He’s busy with his career and she’s getting ready to shoot her show (The Price of Beauty). They decided to part ways.”

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback fueled breakup rumors when he showed up with about 14 friends at the Hollywood hotspot MyHouse on Friday night without the birthday girl, a source tells PEOPLE.

“He had quite a few girls stop by his dance floor table,” says an onlooker. “Romo was sipping Grey Goose and having a fun time with the boys.”

Simpson’s rep had no comment. Romo’s rep could not be reached for comment.

Simpson had planned to throw a Barbie and Ken-themed party for her birthday, but it fell through, according to a message she wrote on her Twitter page Saturday. “Barbie party didn’t happen, but I turned 29 and feel like I am on top of the world yelling I LOVE GETTING OLDER!” she wrote.

On Saturday night, Romo spoke to a group of well-heeled sports memorabilia collectors at the Los Angeles Sports Museum of Los Angeles. He “blushed” when a woman asked about his relationship with Jessica Simpson, according to the L.A. Daily News.

The source close to Simpson is sad that the longtime couple broke up. “They were good together for along time,” says the source. “But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

Although Simpson’s heart might be broken, she seems to remain hopeful about love. On Sunday, she Tweeted, “Everyone needs to know that hope floats … grab the strings and pull it back to you.” Three hours later, she wrote, “Falling asleep with my mom and the dogs. Please lord give all of my beautiful fans, friends, enemies, and family rest. Bring all of us peace.”

Wow and we actually were really starting to like these two as a couple…oh well.

UFC 100 had an action packed, rivalry filled match ups for our viewing entertainment, last night at the Mandalay Bay

The main event:

 Brock Lesner v. Frank Mir

Wrestler vs. Martial Artist

Brock Lesner, 31, 265 lbs. with an 81 inch reach, is the type of guy who can get u into a certain position on the ground and lay a punishment down. We’ve literally seen him beat someone like a drum. The former NCAA Div 1 All American wrestler, Lesner called his match up against Frank Mir, “The Revenge Fight…” This reigning Heavy Weight Champion of the world and Former WWE superstar had a score to settle.

After their last meeting, Lesner believed Mirs stole the match from him. In their first fight, Lesner was dominating, but the referee stopped the fight because of alleged inappropriate blows to the back of the head by Brock. Mirs, given the opportunity to recover, put Lesner in a knee bar, and Lesner ended up tapping out.

Now as reigning champ, Brock felt that in order to be a true UFC champion, he must beat the man who beat him.

Frank Mir, 30, 245 lbs. with a 79 inch reach, the interim champ wanted to solidify his status as a legitimate threat. A black belt in Ju-jitsu, most of Mir’s fights end in the first round. The self proclaimed underdog, said that he has more heart than Lesner, and is eager to establish himself as the true champion.

Most believed that Lesner would prevail over Mir.

Brockk came out early with his wrestling skills, and locked Mir in a neck crank and then began a series of hard blows, punishing the side of Mir’s face.

The second round was worse for Mir, as Brock pinned him down and began to bombard Mir with 15 right hooks against the fence. It was all over for Frank Mir.

Cocky to the end, both fighters continued to exchange words as Brock’s legacy was confirmed.

In the post-fight interview, Lesnar encouraged the booing fans to “keep going” before continuing to taunt Mir.

No one and nothing was spared. Lesnar even turned his attention to the UFC itself, which paid him an estimated $3 million for the fight, pointing at the giant Bud Light advertisement in the middle of the octagon.

“I’m drinking a cooler full of Coors Light, Coors Light because Bud Light won’t pay me anything.”

Anything for the children at home, big guy?

“Hell, I might even get on top of my wife tonight.”

Mir, humbled himself, and acknowledged his mistakes.

The Detroit Pistons have reached agreement with free-agent guard Ben Gordon(notes) and forward Charlie Villanueva (notes), a source with knowledge of the talks told Yahoo! Sports Wednesday evening.

Gordon will receive a five-year contract worth around $55 million while Villanueva’s five-year deal is expected to be worth about $35 million.

Gordon and Villanueva, who played together for a year at UConn, traveled to Detroit on Wednesday morning to meet with Detroit president Joe Dumars and other Pistons front-office officials. They took a tour of the practice facility in Auburn Hills, had lunch with management and both ultimately came to terms on an agreement. Gordon agreed first and Villanueva followed soon after.

The loss of Gordon is a blow to the Bulls, who tried to re-sign the shooting guard. Gordon turned down contract extensions for $54 million and $50 million in the past two offseasons as a restricted free agent. It is believed the Bulls were willing to go to $10 million a season for him, but were outbid by the Pistons.

No free agents can sign until the league-mandated moratorium ends on July 8.

The Pistons also continue to negotiate with one of their own free agents, forward Antonio McDyess.

The signing of Gordon, 26, could make another former UConn player, Richard Hamilton, expendable in a trade. Hamilton, 31, could be used to bring back another low-post presence: perhaps Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, Los Angeles Clippers’ center Chris Kaman or New Orleans Hornets center Tyson Chandler. Gordon averaged 20.7 points a game last season for the Bulls and 18.5 in his five seasons in Chicago. He was the third pick in the 2004 NBA draft.

Dumars is remaking the Pistons, who are expected to lose Rasheed Wallace to free agency. Dumars fired coach Michael Curry on Wednesday, and ex-Pistons coach Doug Collins is considered the frontrunner for the job. Sources say Collins still has to sell his staying power and stability to Detroit management. Former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson will be considered, too.

(ESPN)-The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns have come to an agreement on a blockbuster trade that will send Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland to team with LeBron James, according to sources.

The deal has been agreed to in principle and is expected to be finalized Thursday, according to sources.

NBA Today: 6/25

Jason Smith breaks down the Shaq trade to the Cavs and Chad Ford discusses other potential deals. Plus, draft hopefuls Hansbrough, Jennings and Blair.

More Podcasts »

Cleveland will send Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix for the presumptive future Hall of Famer.

Sources said the Suns will also receive the 46th pick in Thursday’s NBA draft and $500,000.

The trade gives the Cavs a player they’ve coveted since February. With center Zydrunas Ilgauskas starting to break down, adding Shaq to the roster gives them a dominant force in the middle.

The Cavs obviously were unhappy with their ability to defend Dwight Howard in the playoffs against the Orlando Magic and bringing Shaq into the fold should help.

O’Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season and made his 15th All-Star Game.

THE BIG DIFFERENCE-MAKER

Shaquille O’Neal’s first full year with the Phoenix Suns, in which the team won nine fewer games than the previous season, was an abomination when looking at his history with new teams.

First season	Team	W-L	Win Diff.
2008-09	Suns	46-36	-9
2004-05	Heat	59-23	+17
1996-97	Lakers	56-26	+3
1992-93	Magic	41-41	+20

The Cavaliers also were in talks with New Orleans about obtaining Tyson Chandler. If they had not made the trade for O’Neal, they would have traded for Chandler, according to a source.

The Cavs believed O’Neal was the better option because he has just one year left on his contract, and will not eat up cap space that will enable them to pursue players such as Chris Bosh in next summer’s star-studded free-agent class.

Chandler, who had injury problems last postseason, has a player option for $12.7 million in 2010-2011 that he is likely to pick up.

The Cavaliers are not done making moves. They still want to re-sign power forward Anderson Varejao and they also would like to add a long, athletic wing player via free agency.

For the Suns, the O’Neal trade is a straight salary dump. Pavlovic’s $5 million contract next season is only partially guaranteed, for the amount of $1.5 million.

Factor in the disparities in the contracts among Wallace, Pavlovic and O’Neal, and the team will save $4.5 million next season.

However, factor in the savings the Suns will reap on the luxury tax, and it will be closer to $10 million in savings. That would be amplified if Wallace decides to retire and the Suns buy him out of his contract for less than the $14 million he’s owed next season.

Hollinger: Quick fix

You’ll rarely see a trade that’s partially an admission of error by both sides, but that’s what happened in Thursday morning’s trade that sends Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, the No. 46 pick in Thursday’s draft and $500,000 in cash. Story

The trade is essentially a strong admission by the Suns that the trade of Shawn Marion for O’Neal in February of 2008 was a mistake.

Marion was a free agent this summer and, had they let him walk, their savings would have been $21 million — not the $5.5 million they’re saving in this deal.

When the Suns made the trade, they had the best record in the Western Conference. This year, they finished in the lottery. With O’Neal gone, the question is: Are the Suns finally rebuilding?

Sources say that the team still would like to compete. They still have veterans Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson and Leandro Barbosa.

They also have the 14th pick in the draft this year, and second-year player Robin Lopez.

Chris Broussard is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. NBA reporter Chad Ford contributed to this report.

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP)—Talk about a full reversal of fortunes.

On the verge of elimination from the Confederations Cup a few days ago, the United States finds itself in the final of the World Cup test event thanks to a stunning 2-0 victory over top-ranked Spain.

Goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, and superb goalkeeping by Tim Howard on Wednesday lifted the Americans into their first FIFA tournament final since starting play in 1916.

The shocking turnaround from first-round losses to Italy and Brazil has the United States contemplating a championship game matchup with either the mighty Brazilians or host South Africa.

“Three games ago I think it would have been impossible to think about a night like tonight,” Howard said. “We’ve had our fair share of critics, but we stood up and took it on the chin and kept going.”

And after grabbing the 2-0 lead, they held on in the face of European champion Spain’s surge. The American team most everyone counted out before a win over Egypt and an edge in tiebreakers got it into the semifinals just might come home with a prestigious trophy.

“This win is huge for American soccer,” Dempsey said. “This one is much sweeter because we were down and out, came back fighting.”

Altidore scored in the 27th minute and Dempsey added a goal in the 74th as the Americans became the first team to defeat Spain since Romania in November 2006.

“It goes to show what hard work and commitment to each other can bring,” said Howard, who made eight saves as he frustrated David Villa and Fernando Torres. “Sometimes football is a funny thing.”

While the Spaniards could find nothing comical or comforting about their performance, the 14th-ranked Americans showed they can outplay and even outthink the world’s best.

“We had a real confidence that we could try to make it harder for them than some of the other teams they have played against,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said, “and we had the weapons that could cause them some trouble.”

Spain had set an international record with 15 straight victories and tied Brazil’s record unbeaten streak of 35 games from December 1993 to January 1996. Meanwhile, the United States had been 1-7-1 against No. 1 teams, beating Brazil in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup and tying Argentina last summer in an exhibition at Giants Stadium.

The numbers hardly mattered.

“I think it just shows that we can compete with the best. Now we need to do it on a consistent basis,” U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said.

Midfielder Michael Bradley, son of the U.S. coach, will miss the final. He received a red card for a late challenge in the 87th minute, the third American ejection of the tournament.

Still, American players had much to celebrate.

Altidore got the first goal when he outmuscled Joan Capdevila, his teammate on Spain’s Villarreal, to send an 18-yard shot in off the hand of goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Capdevila thought he was fouled by Altidore, who had engaged in some trash texting a few days ago.

“I told him, ‘Be careful of the USA.’ And he tried to say I didn’t understand Spanish, so it was just all fun and games,” Altidore said. “We’re teammates and we were just messing around with each other a little bit, but in the end we had the last laugh.”

That wasn’t secured until Dempsey’s goal from 6 yards when he pounced on Landon Donovan’s cross, which had bounced off Gerard Pique and the foot of Sergio Ramos.

* RECROPPED VERSION ** USA’…
AP – Jun 24, 6:07 pm EDT

“There will be ups and downs in any cycle,” U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said. “I think this tournament makes that point very clearly. Tonight was a very big up.”

But not such a big downer for Spain, according to its coach.

“This is an accident, a little step backward. We have to look forward with optimism,” Vicente del Bosque said.

“A streak is over, and we have to start from zero,” Capdevilla added. “This sobers us up.”

Optimism hardly was a buzzword for the U.S. team when it opened the tournament with a 3-1 loss to world champion Italy, then was outclassed by South American champ Brazil in a 3-0 defeat. The Americans advanced over the Italians on the second tiebreaker—total goals—by beating Egypt 3-0 on Sunday as Brazil defeated the Azzurri by the same score.

The United States had lost its three previous matches against Spain, including 1-0 in an exhibition on June 4 last year.

And now, it is a finalist.

“We just beat the best team in the world,” Donovan said. “Emotionally we’re on a bit of a high. We might be a little tired physically but we’ll be ready for it. We don’t play in a lot of finals.”

While the U.S. women have won two world championships, the men have long been outsiders and didn’t even qualify for the showcase event between 1950 and ’90. This ranked alongside the upset of Brazil as one of their top wins, just below World Cup victories over England in 1950, Portugal and Mexico in 2002 and Colombia in 1994.

“I think it’s always important to look and see all the different victories along the way that have helped elevate U.S. Soccer,” Bob Bradley said. “It began with the famous one against England, but there’s been many since. I think we are fortunate tonight that we can add it to the list.”

DETROIT – Sidney Crosby lifted the Stanley Cup, injured knee and all, with a smile of satisfaction as wide as a goal crease. A few handoffs later, the silver trophy was passed to Mario Lemieux, and how fitting. Two stars, two generations, two captains joined together by one Stanley Cup that took some bad teams and the good drafts that followed them, a tremendous comeback and one unlikely Game 7 goal scorer to accomplish.

The Penguins overcame the NHL’s 38-year-old Game 7 road jinx, Crosby’s mid-game injury and a furious third-period surge to beat Detroit 2-1 on Friday night, win the Stanley Cup and prevent the Red Wings from winning their fifth league championship in 12 seasons.

As he kissed the cup not once but twice, Lemieux’s grin was nearly as big as Sid the Kid’s, and why not?

To Lemieux, the first Hall of Famer to win the Stanley Cup as a player and then as a primary owner, Crosby is like family, a player who might be as good as any in the NHL but one who is so grounded he still lives in Lemieux’s guest house.

For all of Conn Smythe Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin‘s Lemieux-like moves and can-score-at-any-moment skills, Crosby is the Penguins player who best emulates Lemieux, who saved a twice-bankrupt Penguins franchise as a player and again as an owner.

So when the 21-year-old Crosby got the assist on the hand-off to Lemieux, the icon-turned-owner beamed like a proud father as he talked about the youngest captain to take a Penguins team to the Stanley Cup.

Lemieux had that distinction himself at age 24 in 1991, but this is Sid’s team now. Sid’s championship team, although it took many, many hands to do it.

“It means everything to him,” Lemieux said. “This kid, all he thinks about is winning championships. His whole life is training and practicing and playing hockey. He’s a great kid, a perfect hockey player, that’s all he does, think about hockey every day. It’s amazing. I wish I would have had that discipline back then.”

The Penguins survived numerous scares in becoming the first team since the 1971 Montreal Canadiens and only the third in 15 attempts in NHL history to win a finals Game 7 on the road. The first since those Ken Dryden-led Canadiens, too, to win two Game 7s on the road in the same playoffs, partly because Malkin’s 36 points were the most since Wayne Gretzky had 40 in 1993.

It seems inconceivable the Penguins could rally from series deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to win the third Stanley Cup in franchise history without Crosby or Malkin scoring a goal in the last three games, yet they did. Or with Crosby playing one shift in the final half of Game 7 after he injured a knee during a mid-ice collision with Johan Franzen.

Or that the Penguins would win their first finals Game 7 in their history by getting the game’s first two goals from Max Talbot, the one-time fourth-line center and eighth-round draft pick who has played nearly every role on the team except goaltender.

“It might be something out of a storybook, but I don’t care,” said Talbot, who also scored two goals in Game 4. “We won the Cup.”

“The Taking of Pelham 123,” starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, is slated to hit theatres nationwide Friday, but we have some amazing still shots from the action packed film. These new images from Tony Scott’s upcoming remake, show  Denzel Washington as a regular, behind the desk NYC dispatcher who must attempt to thwart John Travolta’s hostage-taking gang in the subway. It’s a tough job, but who better than Walter Gabe (Denzel Washington) to do it.

Here’s a trailer for the move:

Images in this article are not the property of Excess Magazine. Please be aware
that copyright may exist for these images and should not be sold or wrongfully used to imply
that it is ones work if it does not truly belong to you. Excess Magazine bears no right nor liability.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Rashard Lewis stood at the free-throw line with less than one second left as several workers hurriedly broomed off confetti that had fallen prematurely onto the Amway Arena floor.

This was the sweep Orlando had waited to see for 14 years.

On their seventh try, the Magic, swept in four straight games by Houston on their previous visit in 1995, got their first win in the NBA finals.

Shooting a finals record 63 percent from the field and clamping down on Kobe Bryant(notes), the Magic closes within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with a 108-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

After two straight cold performances in L.A., the Magic were more accurate than any team in NBA finals history.

“They pretty much made all their shots,” Lakers forward Trevor Ariza

Pretty much.

The Magic shot a blistering 75 percent (24 of 32) in the first half and cooled off in the second half when they were only 16 of 32.

The basket looked big, and Orlando hardly missed it. With a loss, the Magic would have fallen into an 0-3 crevasse—a hole no team has ever crawled from. Now, they have a chance to become the fourth team in finals history to come back from an 0-2 deficit and win it all.

“Why not?” Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu said. “We believe in each other and as long as we’re playing our game, our system and fighting for 48 minutes— why not?”

In the series opener, the Magic couldn’t throw it in the Pacific Ocean. They made only 29.9 percent and were blown out by 25 points. In Game 2, they were only slightly better, shooting 42 percent in an overtime loss. But back on their home court, they shot themselves back into this series.

As Shaquille O’Neal, still a presence long after leaving both franchises, posted on his Twitter page following the game: “By george I think we have a series.”

Game 4 is Thursday night, and Game 5—now necessary—will be at Amway Arena on Sunday.

PARIS (ESPN)– Roger Federer beat Robin Soderling, tied Pete Sampras and won the French Open at last.

Undeterred by an on-court intruder, Federer beat surprise finalist Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 to complete a career Grand Slam and win his 14th major title, matching Sampras’ record.

On his fourth try at Roland Garros, Federer became the sixth man to win all four Grand Slam championships.

Playing in cool, windy weather and occasional rain Sunday, Federer raced to a quick lead, sweeping the first four games. Soderling appeared nervous at the start of his first Grand Slam final, and Federer kept him scrambling with penetrating groundstrokes to both corners and an occasional drop shot.

Federer’s progress to the title was briefly delayed in the second set. The match was between points when a spectator waving a flag climbed through the photographer’s pit and onto Federer’s side of the court.

Federer backed away toward the backstop, but the fan caught up with him and tried to put a hat on Federer’s head. Security personnel seemed slow to react before chasing the man to the other side of the court, and he was tackled, then carried out.

There was silence from the stunned crowd, then a chant of “Ro-ger! Ro-ger!” when the episode ended. Federer adjusted his headband, Soderling gave him a thumbs-up sign and play resumed.

Soderling’s strokes steadied, and he pushed the second set to 6-all. But Federer played a brilliant tiebreaker, hitting aces on all four of his service points, and Soderling could only smile ruefully.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

(ESPN)-LeBron James can score with anybody. He can leap to the rafters, shift the basket stanchion with his strength, move with the grace of a dancer.

But what separates him from the other greats of this generation — Kobe, D-Wade, Melo — and any generation, is his court vision. His ability to facilitate like the finest point guards in the game and still put up 35, 40 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers forgot that early in their Eastern Conference final with the Orlando Magic. It’s hard to blame them now that LeBron’s jumper is as pure as Sunday School. Mesmerized by the one-on-one clinics he’s been putting on, they’ve too often stood around and watched him go to work. But even when LeBron’s hitting shot after shot after shot, the Cavaliers are better when the ball is moving, everybody’s getting involved, and he’s getting his points within the flow of the offense, rather than on dribble-dribble-dribble isolation plays. In win-or-, as LeBron put it afterwards, go-home-and- “chill-at-the-house” mode, the Cavaliers took pains to get back to the team concept Thursday in Game 5. The result was an impressive 112-102 victory, their first double-digit win over the exasperating Magic in more than three years (February 21, 2006). LeBron, who entered the game averaging 42.3 points and just 7.3 assists, turned in perhaps the most outstanding performance of his otherworldly postseason, recording his first triple-double of the series with 37 points, 12 assists and 14 rebounds. More importantly, especially through the first three quarters, he didn’t dominate the ball, and his teammates finally found their groove. “That was huge,” James said of the Cavs’ equal-opportunity offense. “Getting the ball moving against this team is key.”

Michael Jordan no longer has the most famous buzzer-beater in Cleveland sports history.

The Shot has been topped.

LeBron James made one better.

James dropped a 3-pointer from the top of the key over Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu as the final horn sounded Friday night to give the Cavaliers, their season a heartbeat from major trouble, a 96-95 victory over the Magic that evened the Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece.

From 23 feet—matching his jersey number and Jordan’s—James hit a shot that will go down as one of the defining moments in a career that’s just hitting its stride.

“That guy is not in the league any more,” James said of Jordan. “The other 23 is on the good side now.”

Taking the inbounds pass from Mo Williams, James only had time to turn his shoulders toward the rim and fire. As the high-arcing shot dropped through, James sprinted into the arms of his delirious teammates as 20,562 stunned fans hugged in disbelief.

“You couldn’t hear anything but a roar,” James said. “Those fans deserved it. That was the biggest shot I’ve made in my career. A second is a long time for me, for others it’s very short. As a kid you practice those moments.”

In the past, this was the kind of shot that happened against the Cavs. Jordan’s jumper in 1989 over Craig Ehlo eliminated Cleveland from the playoffs— a punch-in-the-stomach moment burned into the psyche of every Cleveland fan.

As Vick is preparing to be released from prison to enter home confinement, ESPN highlights what’s next for Vick

The agent for Michael Vick said Tuesday that the quarterback “will place football on the back burner” during his immediate home confinement and that there are no meetings scheduled with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss reinstatement for the 2009 season.

“Michael’s looking forward to reacquainting himself with his family, his fiancée, Kiafa, his children and his mom,” Joel Segal, Vick’s agent, said. “When he gets home, that’s his priority, along with reinserting himself into society and being a positive influence in his community. This is going to be a special time for him, just being around family.”

Segal said Vick has not formally hired a trainer but added, “At the appropriate time, he will hire one. Football will happen. But right now, it’s not his priority. It’s one day at a time.”

Segal confirmed he has had talks with the league office during Vick’s incarceration, but that it was more “about keeping open the line of communication. There’s nothing set with the commissioner and, as I said, Michael’s focus right now is on family.”

Vick, who is serving an indefinite suspension imposed by Goodell, clearly wants an opportunity to play this season, Segal confirmed.

“It’s just not appropriate for that to be the first priority in his life and he has told me that himself,” Segal said. “However, he’s paid his debt to society and like every American who has made mistakes, even criminal mistakes, he deserves a second chance. He realizes the severity of his mistakes.”

At the NFL owners meetings Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Goodell said he will not make any decision on Vick until his full sentence runs its course.

Goodell has said that he wants Vick to demonstrate remorse for his actions in order to be reinstated. Asked what Vick must do to demonstrate remorse, he said: “I think that’s going to be up to Michael. Michael is going to have to demonstrate to the public and the fans … what he’s learned [during his imprisonment].”

Segal declined to comment on whether Vick would speak publicly once he reaches his home, but sources have said it is likely the quarterback — whose rights are still held by the Atlanta Falcons — will have something to say, possibly by Friday.

“One thing Michael has told me is that he knows action speaks louder than words right now,” Segal said. “He knows that no matter what he says, he just can’t talk the talk. He’s got to walk to walk and first and foremost, he wants to do that with family, then the community. He is going to focus on those priorities and do the right thing.”

Segal declined to reveal the exact time of Vick’s release from federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan. He is expected to be released within 24 hours to home confinement through July 20, when he will no longer be under federal custody.

ESPN has learned federal marshals have confirmed to a former federal Vick prosecutor that Vick is still on track to return to Hampton, Va., on Wednesday.

Vick is funding a portion of his plane flight home. He will then be required to report to probation within 72 hours of his return and will be supervised out of the Norfolk, Va., probation office.

Goodell said he has yet to speak with former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy about Dungy’s recent visit with Vick, saying they have traded phone calls but have yet to reach each other directly.

“I’ve never been shy about input from others if it can help,” Goodell added when asked whether character references for Vick would inform his decision. “If someone’s got information, I welcome it.”

Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL analyst for ESPN. ESPN.com senior NFL writer Len Pasquarelli contributed to this report.

The Los Angeles Clippers are the winners of this years NBA Draft Lottery defying the odds and claiming the top spot. It is expected that they will select Blake Griffin, the former OU standout, with the #1 pick. Here is a look at how this years 1st round selections will go.

2009 First Round Draft Order

	1. Los Angeles Clippers	Draft history
	2. Memphis Grizzlies	Draft history
	3. OKC Thunder	Draft history
	4. Sacramento Kings	Draft history
	5. Washington Wizards	Draft history
	6. Minnesota Timberwolves	Draft history
	7. Golden State Warriors	Draft history
	8. New York Knicks	Draft history
	9. Toronto Raptors	Draft history
	10. Milwaukee Bucks	Draft history
	11. New Jersey Nets	Draft history
	12. Charlotte Bobcats	Draft history
	13. Indiana Pacers	Draft history
	14. Phoenix Suns	Draft history
	15. Detroit Pistons	Draft history
	16. Chicago Bulls	Draft history
	17. Philadelphia Sixers	Draft history
	18. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Miami)	Draft history
	19. Atlanta Hawks	Draft history
	20. Utah Jazz	Draft history
	21. New Orleans Hornets	Draft history
	22. Dallas Mavericks	Draft history
	23. Sacramento Kings (via Houston)	Draft history
	24. Portland Trail Blazers	Draft history
	25. OKC Thunder (via San Antonio)	Draft history
	26. Chicago Bulls (via Denver)	Draft history
	27. Memphis Grizzlies (via Orlando)	Draft history
	28. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Boston)	Draft history
	29. Los Angeles Lakers	Draft history
	30. Cleveland Cavaliers	Draft history

Kobe Bryant soars to the rim for a dunk. Bryant scored 40 points in the Lakers' Game 1 win on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant proved a steadying presence for his wildly inconsistent teammates, taking over in the fourth quarter and delivering a come-from-behind victory.

Bryant scored 40 points, including six free throws in the final 30 seconds, to lift Los Angeles to a 105-103 win over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals opener on Tuesday night after the Lakers trailed most of the game.

“Once I sensed we didn’t have the energy, I had to take it upon myself to lead by example,” he said. “It’s just part of my responsibilities to this team.”

On Thursday when the Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers are scheduled to meet the President of the United States, a gesture of congratulations usually shown to all of the major sports winners, they will do so without star linebacker James Harrison. It’s not because he’s hurt or that he had a prior obligation. No not at all. Harrison’s reasoning…”I don’t feel the need to actually go,” he said of the visit with President Obama. “I don’t feel like it’s that big a deal to me. If you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don’t win the Super Bowl,” he told Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV. “So as far as I’m concerned he would have invited Arizona if they had won.”

WHAT! Is this guy insane?  It doesn’t matter if you voted for him or not (not that we know who he voted for), but this is a neutral gesture honoring a tremendous Super bowl victory by the Pittsburgh Steelers and for him to act as if meeting the President is something he should take for granted, make me question whether he is really serious? He must really think very highly of himself if he thinks he gains by skipping out on the President.

MY OPINION: I wouldn’t care if George Bush was still President, if the Commander-In-Chief extends you an invitation to the White House to honor your achievement….YOU GO! No if ands or buts about it. But I guess Mr. Harrison feels the same way the officials at Arizona State felt when deciding not to honor Obama with a degree for speaking that their commencement…that the President of the United States and leader of the free world has an insufficient body of work.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—After dominating a Game 7 few people thought would need to be played, the Los Angeles Lakers poked a little fun at their maddening inconsistency against the Houston Rockets.

Asked what the Lakers learned from the Western Conference semifinals, which the Lakers clinched with an 89-70 win Sunday, Kobe Bryant(notes) cracked: “That we’re bipolar.”

Now that all is well again in La-La Land, Bryant and his teammate can begin focusing on what they need to do against the Denver Nuggets in the conference finals. Game 1 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

“Our effort could be much better, you know, in Game 4 and Game 6,” Bryant said. “But still, Houston played extremely well. In a series, it’s about making adjustments. That’s what we were able to. We made our adjustments. We came out and were ready to go. You can’t take anything away from this Houston team. But we definitely could have played a lot harder.”

BOSTON (AP)—Dwight Howard(notes) remembers the reaction when he first talked about bringing an NBA championship to Orlando.

“Everybody laughed,” the Magic center said after helping Orlando beat the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics 101-82 on Sunday night and advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

“I believe we can win a championship. We’re not going to stop going after one until we get it. We have the right team. We have the talent. We have the coaches. It’s just on us to go out there and play hard. I have a long way to go, but I’m still hungry.”

Howard scored 12 points with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Hedo Turkoglu(notes) had 25 points with 12 assists for Orlando, which trailed for just 36 seconds after the opening basket and held on to earn the right to play LeBron James(notes) and the Cavaliers for a spot in the NBA finals.

Game 1 is Wednesday in Cleveland.

Aspiring Lingerie Football League (LFL) players participated in an open tryout session on Thursday to join the New York Majesty team.

The LFL has ten teams nationwide and will start its new season in September. About two dozen young women participated.

HOUSTON (AP)—The Houston Rockets came up with one more stunning victory to set up a final showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Aaron Brooks(notes) scored 26 points, Luis Scola(notes) added 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the scrappy, undermanned Rockets pushed the top-seeded Lakers to the brink in their Western Conference semifinal series with a 95-80 win in Game 6 on Thursday night.

Reserve Carl Landry(notes) scored 15 as the Rockets built another huge lead in the first half, then fought off a Lakers rally to force Game 7 on Sunday at the Staples Center.

ORLANDO-Dwight Howard(notes) demanded the ball, and delivered when the Orlando Magic gave it to him.

Now he needs to back it up, one more time.

Howard had 23 points and 22 rebounds after challenging Stan Van Gundy’s coaching strategy, and the Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-75 on Thursday night to force a decisive Game 7.

“I just tried to be me,” Howard said. “I just have to go out there and play and not worry about nothing.”

And what did he learn from his comments?

“Biggest lesson?” Howard said. “Keep my mouth shut.”

WASHINGTON (AP)—For a guy who supposedly shies from the limelight, Sidney Crosby(notes) was as good as could be in the first Game 7 of his career.

The rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins were pretty close to perfect, too.

Crosby scored twice to raise his NHL-leading playoff goal total to 12, his teammates shut down his big rival, Alex Ovechkin, most of the night, and the Penguins beat the Washington Capitals 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive season.

Crosby “won’t say he likes front and center, the big stage, or anything like that,” Penguins forward Bill Guerin(notes) said. “But he really knows how to perform in it.”

That’s for sure.

Still, Crosby took no outward pleasure in coming out ahead in the second-round series otherwise known as Sid the Kid vs. Alexander the Great.

“It feels good, just because of the way the series went,” Crosby said, “not particularly because it was me and him.”

Everyone chipped in for the Penguins, from the stars to the second thoughts, from regular-season scoring leader Evgeni Malkin’s(notes) two assists, to fourth-line forward Craig Adams’(notes) first goal in 42 career postseason games. Second-year defenseman Kris Letang(notes), 38-year-old Guerin and Jordan Staal(notes) scored, too. Marc-Andre Fleury(notes) made 19 saves and didn’t allow a goal until his team led 5-0.