Stephan Feck didn't win a medal at the Olympics, but he's receiving much more attention than your average 29th-place finisher.

Feck lit up the Internet with jokes after going reverse belly-flop into the pool on a dive off the 3M springboard on Monday. The 22-year-old German lost the grip on his leg while doing his flips and landed flat on his back during his second dive of the preliminary round. The youngster received a 0.0 score on the dive and finished last out of 29 competitors. About the only thing positive to say is that at least his score should impress Brother Bluto.

Feck finished with a score of 133.80 for his three dives and was 167.65 points behind the diver who finished second-to-last. He did not perform his final three dives after feeling sick, but we commend him just for giving it another effort with a third dive after that disaster. Russian Ilya Zakharov led all divers with a score of 507.65.

Olympians spend years perfecting their skills in hopes of impressing the judges and representing their country proudly. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. All it takes is one mistake and the next thing you know you're a household name across the world for all the wrong reasons. The Olympics can bring a lot of glory, but also plenty of embarrassment for athletes like Feck, or even this guy.

Late last night, minutes after NBC aired the much-anticipated cuticle-picker that was the Olympic women's all-around gymnastics finals—hours after the event actually took place, of course—the broadcast director cut from an on-floor interview with gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas to a broadcast booth somewhere nearby. In it sat longtime NBC commentator and sports journalism veteran Bob Costas, his prime-time-friendly, man-child hairdo in perfect position.

"You know, it's a happy measure of how far we've come that it doesn't seem all that remarkable, but still it's noteworthy, Gabby Douglas is, as it happens, the first African-American to win the women's all-around in gymnastics," Costas intoned, his besuited left elbow resting comfortably on the anchor desk. "The barriers have long since been down, but sometimes there can be an imaginary barrier, based on how one might see oneself."

In a political and cultural environment in which the patriotism—the very Americanness—of people of color (including the current president of the United States) is often called into question, Costas's scripted deep thought—his "little homily,” as one Twitterer called it—was at worst dishonest, at best naive. What leveled barriers, I wondered, was Mr. Costas referring to? Who, excepting the most Pollyanna-ish or cloistered of cultural observers—the type who assert the legitimacy of phrases like "post-racial"—would believe that Gabby Douglas' challenges were primarily psychic, a statement that can be contradicted by pretty much any news story or feature profile on the 16-year old gymnast, all of which make no secret of the undeniable whiteness of being that is high-level American gymnastics? "Bob Costas just re-affirmed that the success of a black person means we're not racist anymore. THANK GOD THAT'S OVER," wrote the political writer Ana Marie Cox. A few moments later she offered a revision of sorts: "Ok what he said was 'a barrier has fallen' or somesuch but one person over the wall does not a fallen barrier make. TAKES NOTHING FROM GABS."

Costas, of course, did have a point: Our ideas about ourselves, no matter our color, often prove as limiting and toxic as the external and institutional roadblocks put in our way. But you can't have one without the other. In this, Douglas' triumph seems extremely remarkable, both because of the commonality of her situation—the big dreams, the economic hardships, the one-parent household—and its unusualness: a minority in a historically "white" sport.

Army marksman Vijay Kumar gave India its second medal of the London Olympics, winning the silver in the men's 25 metre rapid fire pistol event after his compatriot and rifleman Jaydeep Karmakar narrowly missed a bronze, finishing fourth in the men's 50-metre prone event here Friday.
Leuris Pupo kept his cool to win Cuba's first gold of the Olympics. Pupo scored 34 to edge out India's Vijay Kumar, who took silver with 30.
China's Ding Feng won bronze after being edged out by Kumar by one point in the final elimination round at the Royal Artillery Barracks.
Russia's Alexei Klimov had set a new world record of 592 in qualifying, but struggled in the final after two low-scoring rounds early on, and eventually finished fourth after failing to make it into the final two medal rounds.
It was an exciting battle as the rapid fire pistol event was being held under new rules, where one of the six shooters was being eliminated after every round. German Christian Reitz was the first to be eliminated followed by Chinese Jian Zhang and Russian Alexei Klimov.
In the final round, all the six shooters had to start from scratch as their qualification scores are not counted unlike other shooting events.
Vijay, who was fourth in the qualification, was in his element right from the start in the final round. He shot a perfect five in the first series to take joint lead. Vijay followed it up with a series of 4, 4, 3, 4, 4 and 4 to stay in the medal contention. But going into the final round it was all over for Vijay and he managed just two, his worst, in the final series.

The marksman became the first Indian pistol shooter to win an Olympic medal. He is also the second Indian after double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to win a silver medal. Rathore won the maiden individual Olympic silver for India at 2004 Athens.
Vijay's medal was second for India in the 2012 London Games after rifle shooter Gagan Narang had won bronze in the men's 10 metre air rifle event here Monday.
Narang, however, flopped Friday in the men's 50m rifle prone event where his teammate Karmakar excelled.
Karmakar finished a creditable fourth in the finals while Gagan Narang failed to qualify for the final round.
Karmakar shot an overall score of 699.1, including 595 in the qualification and 104.1 in the medal round. His score in the final was third highest among the eight shooters.

 Nathan Adrian of the United States won the men's 100-meter freestyle by the smallest of margins at the London Olympics on Wednesday.

Adrian clocked 47.52 seconds to win by 0.01 ahead of world champion James "The Missile" Magnussen of Australia.

Magnussen touched in 47.53 to take the silver medal and Brent Hayden of Canada finished in 47.80 for bronze.

Eight female badminton players were thrown out of the Olympics on Wednesday for trying to lose matches the day before, the Badminton World Federation announced after a disciplinary hearing.

"After a hearing this morning before the BWF’s Disciplinary Committee the following pairs were disqualified: Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang (China); Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari (Indonesia); Jung Kyung Eun and Kim Ha Na (Korea); and Ha Jung Eun and Kim Min Jung (Korea)," read a statement from the Badminton World Federation.

The players from China, South Korea and Indonesia were accused of playing to lose to face easier opponents in future matches.

The Indonesian and South Korean pairs appealed the decision, the BWF said, and a decision on their appeals is expected later on Wednesday.

The eight players concerned had all already qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament before the final matches of the group stage on Tuesday night.

But the results of the last group matches mean the Chinese pair, Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang - ranked No. 1 in the world - avoid potentially facing another top Chinese duo until the final on Saturday.

The two lackluster contests in London angered the watching crowds.

British sports fans going into the Olympic Park on Wednesday called it "shocking" after seeing parts of the matches on television.

"It's not in the spirit of the thing," said Kevin Button, from Ashford in Kent, just outside of London.

"And it's so disappointing for the people who came to see it," his wife Tina said. "It leaves a bit of a sour taste."

Glory be to Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings, who will maintain the old school by keeping the bikini look in the London Olympics.

The New York Post's Marc Berman reports May-Treanor and other USA Olympic Volleyball athletes will still don bikinis despite a London rule that maintains players can now wear shorts and a T-shirt.

This is hardly a matter of style or sexy undertakings from the part of the athletes. Simply, they wear what is comfortable and what got them to this stage in their respective careers.

Kerri Walsh Opens Up About Her Athlete Crush

Jen Kessy was one of the more vocal proponents of the bikini, and had this to say to The New York Post. She even goes so far as to cite the horrendous heat wave in London as one of the benefits.

    "We’re not uncomfortable in our bikinis. Growing up in southern California, that’s what you wear from when you’re a little kid to now in the summertime.

    "This is the most comfortable thing for us to wear...If it is cold, we will put clothes on. But we won’t be playing in shorts. For us, that’s not comfortable. You get sand everywhere in the pockets. But for others, it’s now their choice...If the weather stays like this, we’ll be in our bikinis all night."

The report states the biggest reason for the change in clothing is for athletes from other countries and various religions who may be precluded from playing because of the dress code.

Hi-res-91223450_crop_exact Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Even Kessy sounds off on the great benefit of the new rule. The fact is, the US women may be more comfortable with less, but that sentiment hardly extends around the world. She finds any preclusion because of clothes, "not OK."

This is a win-win across the board.

Women who would rather play in shorts and shirt are allowed, as they should be from the start. We want the best athletes playing at their most comfortable.

Uniform codes shouldn't deter anyone, because there is nothing Olympic about that.

As the Games of the 30th Olympiad take over this city steeped in so much history, London will be celebrating — while thumbing its nose at tradition.

    World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus practices at a decked out Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Historic Wimbledon will host Olympic tennis.

    By Clive Brunskill, Getty Images

    World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus practices at a decked out Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Historic Wimbledon will host Olympic tennis.

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By Clive Brunskill, Getty Images

World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus practices at a decked out Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Historic Wimbledon will host Olympic tennis.

Beach volleyball and bikinis will appear not far from No. 10 Downing St. Hot pink will crash all-white Wimbledon. Marathoners will huff past Westminster Palace, the Tower Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral. Equestrians will pass time at Greenwich Park on the meridian from which the world's time is set. Rowers will look to make history in the shadow of Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world.

Thanks to the city's iconic backdrop and a number of Olympic firsts, the London Games are poised to be unlike any other, providing fans across the world with real-time images and memories as indelible as the Games themselves.


The beach volleyball stadium — situated at the Horse Guards Parade on the prime minister's doorstep in central London — has its own unique soundtrack.

"We got ding-donged by Big Ben during practice," Czech beach volleyball player Petr Benes said this week. "That was fantastic."

To celebrate the start of the Games today, Big Ben will chime more than 40 times during a three-minute span. At the same moment, thousands of bells — school bells, church bells, bicycle bells and door bells — will ring across the country as Britons recognize that their grand moment on the world stage has arrived, welcoming athletes and fans from more than 200 countries.

Queen Elizabeth will ring in these Games at today's opening ceremony, with a royal entourage that will include Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Kate and Prince Harry. After the sterility of the 2008 Beijing Games, London is looking to achieve a different vibe, kicking off the evening with a three-hour extravaganza featuring Paul McCartney, David Beckham and a pastoral set at Olympic Stadium with scores of farm animals intended to paint for the world a picture of a quaint British countryside.

With the first presidential debate still a few months away, President Obama won’t have to meet his Republican challenger face-to-face for a while — but his wife may not have to wait.

Visiting London for the Olympic Games, Michelle Obama and Mitt Romney may cross paths across the pond on Friday, as the two are scheduled to wish Team USA luck and attend the opening ceremony.

Leading the presidential delegation, Mrs. Obama will start Friday with a breakfast of champions, where she will meet members of the Olympic team. Then she will head to a “Let’s Move!” event with American and British children, including about 1,000 from American military families.

Later, as part of the first lady’s third trip to England since Mr. Obama took office, she will attend the queen’s reception for heads of state at Buckingham Palace and then the opening ceremony.

The Romney campaign announced that Mr. Romney would also be meeting with American athletes and attending the opening ceremony as part of the first leg of his trip to England, Israel and Poland.

Far from being a stranger to the Olympics, Mr. Romney ran the 2002 games in Salt Lake City. But this year, his interest is especially personal: a horse co-owned by Mr. Romney’s wife, Ann, will be competing as part of the U.S. Olympic dressage team.

Dressed like the Dream Team, tested like its predecessor never was.

The U.S. Olympic men's basketball team held on for an 86-80 exhibition victory over Argentina on Sunday, insisting it didn't expect an easy game and not believing there's benefit to one, anyway.

"I love it. You hate to breeze through exhibition games and then you get into London, and then you start getting competitive," U.S. forward LeBron James said. "So we have a very good team. It doesn't matter about how many points you win by, you just want to play well and get better that night, and I feel like we got better tonight."

Kevin Durant scored 27 points for the Americans, who wore the throwback uniforms of the 1992 Dream Team for their return to Barcelona. They looked like the Hall of Fame squad during a superb opening 10 minutes, but their lead was down to four with 2:50 left after Manu Ginobili's three-point play.

Durant and Chris Paul then hit big 3-pointers as the Americans won after being pushed for the second time in their four exhibition games. Kobe Bryant added 18 points and James had 15 for the U.S., which beat Brazil 80-69 in a similarly rugged game last week in Washington.

"It's tough. Argentina's a very good team, very tough-minded," Bryant said. "They continue to play hard and for us it was a big challenge to try to put the game away, we could just never do it."

Ginobili scored 23 points, Carlos Delfino had 15 and Luis Scola 14 for Argentina.

Back in Barcelona, where the Dream Team won gold 20 years earlier in historic and overwhelmingly easy fashion, the U.S. players wore that team's throwback uniforms. The white uniforms with red and blue along the side and USA in the middle also had the letters "CD" in gold on the left shoulder in honor of Chuck Daly, the Dream Team coach who died in 2009.

"Those uniforms was nice," said Carmelo Anthony, wearing the No. 15 of Magic Johnson. "In the locker room, everybody was taking pictures with the uniforms. It just brings back so many memories from back then in '92."

Otherwise, the Americans are more interested in building for London than reflecting too much on the past. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, a Dream Team assistant, made that clear Saturday at practice when he was asked about the old days.

"I'm not here to sight see ... this isn't me doing a reminisce tour in my retirement," he said.

The two games here should certainly help them get ready. The Americans play Spain on Tuesday, a rematch of their 118-107 win in the gold-medal game four years ago.

First was Argentina, which won the 2004 Olympic gold medal, beating the U.S. in the semifinals. The Americans returned the favor four years later in the same round before recapturing the gold.

They call soccer the "beautiful game," but an argument could be made that beach volleyball is the most beautiful game. Wives might object to their husbands sitting in front of the TV and watching tall bikini-clad women jumping and diving in the sand if it weren't for the fact that volleyball is a legitimate Olympic sport.

But there's a storm on the horizon (or, simply put, English weather), and it could cause volleyball players to bundle up in the equivalent of long underwear instead of bathing suits. The forecast calls for highs in the 60s early next week, with up to a 30 percent chance of rain. When you factor in night matches, that's not exactly bikini weather. Some beach volleyball players are ready to take precaution.

"We need it to keep our muscles warm," said Australian Tamsin Hinchley.

Nevertheless, beach volleyball is expected to draw crowds -- some half a million are predicted to come out for about 100 matches -- despite a relatively brief stint at the Olympics. It was introduced at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

It's not like it's "Baywatch-with-a-ball," but if the weather doesn't cooperate, NBC may want to trot out some reruns of Sydney circa 2000 to avoid a ratings hit.

The 100-meter hurdles and the Internet just got a little sexier thanks to a racy pre-race warmup routine by Australia's Michelle Jenneke.

If her goal was to get the blood pumping, it apparently worked (and for Jenneke, too), as the 19-year-old dominated the IAAF World Junior Championship in Barcelona last weekend. Along the way, she became a viral video sensation (videos such as the one you no doubt just played -- be honest -- are getting clicked as fast as, well, as fast as Michelle Jenneke runs the 100-meter hurdles).

According to Bleacher Report, sports blog With Leather posted raw, live-stream footage of Jenneke's prerace routine, then went back and edited it with an "overt celebration of Jenneke and her dancing and running presented in gratuitous slow motion, and with an awful song over it."

But then, that's just their opinion.

What seems clear is that this is one athlete who embraces the joy of running, and given some of the high-strung language accompanying track athletes these days, a little fun is a welcome thing.
In the 2010 Youth Games in Singapore, Jenneke took silver in the 100-meter hurdles. But after her gold in Barcelona, her star is on the rise.  She won't be competing in the London Games -- much to the chagrin of many Internet users -- but she might just be loosening up for a samba in Rio in 2016.

Ang’s husband Neil is getting a third chance, as Ang allows him to move back into her house.  He hopes his wife will welcome him home with a delicious dinner.  Ang is too busy being stressed by the amount of boxes he’s unloading.  She and her ginormous breasts tell Neil that third time has to be the charm or he’s done for good.

At her sister’s request, Ang goes to the cardiologist.  She says a lot of stuff that I think warrants subtitles.  I may have picked up on the fact that she has to monitor her stool at home, and Ang is appalled about having to place her poop (my word, not hers…duh) in the mail.  I hope I’m wrong.  She chats with her doctor and reveals that she’s there because someone mentioned that she looked like a heart attack waiting to happen.  Her doctor explains that her check-up was fine, but she really needs to quit smoking.  Judging on her voice alone, he can tell that she’s a longtime smoker.  Ang gets a huge kick out of this revelation and rewards him with a raspy laugh.  He warns her that a heart attack or cancer will be the least of her concerns if she doesn’t quit.  I think he may want her to lay off the tanning as well until I remember it’s of the spray variety.

Ang’s sister Janine comes to her house and is mortified with all the junk that Neil is trying to move into her house.  Janine is overwhelmed by Ang’s fur collection.  I am too.&
; Ang tells Janine that she is thinking about purchasing a new house so she and Neil can actually fit in their space.  She’s found the perfect house, so she and Janine make plans to check out the potential new digs.

After her doctor’s appointment, Ang has implemented a self-imposed detox.  No smoking, no drinking, and she will work out every day.  She enlists her bartender Anthony to help her get in shape.  I think she’d do better off with the cast of Jersey Shore.  At least she’d get some laundry done.  She can’t GT, much less GTL.  Janine and Ang tour the home Ang hopes to buy.  It is so much bigger and nicer than the duplex she currently occupies.  The realtor is frightened when Ang jokes about putting a stripper pole in the living room.  She is over the moon to find the indoor jacuzzi.

Lil Jen and Ang go shopping in search of workout clothes that will make her more apt to exercise.  Lil Jen is all about yoga, but Ang thinks it’s a “crazy cult.”  I love yoga, but I may love Big Ang more.  Ang decides that she and her tatas look best in tennis attire, so that is the sport she intends to try.  I guess that’s not the worst reason to take up tennis.  That night at the Drunken Monkey, Ang is bartending her face off…if one can actually do that.  Her friend Linda arrives and wants to know how Ang is faring not drinking or smoking.  Ang is having a very difficult time refraining.  Linda isn’t very supportive of Ang’s detox, and she tries to derail her at every turn.  Ang stays strong, and now she’s two days being smoke and booze free.

Big Ang and Lil Jen are trying their hand at tennis.  Ang doesn’t want to look like a fool in front of her instructor Sergio, but she feels more comfortable when he compliments her on her attire.  I think it’s safe to say that Ang won’t be the next Venus Williams.  Jen is in shock at how graceful Ang looks on the court.  Are we watching the same person?  After the lesson, Jen jokingly suggests a menage a trois, and poor Sergio looks like he may drop dead on the spot.  Ang does what everyone does after a day on the courts…she goes in for a colonic treatment.  I really don’t need to see the size or lubrication on the speculum being inserted into Ang’s bum.  Once it becomes clear that the attendant won’t even be getting the child-sized instrument into Ang’s “exit only hole,” she calls it a day.  She wants a drink and a smoke stat. READ MORE

Dwight Howard isn't the only big man on the minds of the Los Angeles Lakers' front office staff these days.

One source familiar with the trade negotiations said Thursday that calls between the Houston Rockets and Lakers discussing a three-way trade have cooled, while the Atlanta Hawks appear to be gaining steam in their pursuit of Howard.


For more news and notes on the Lakers, check out the Land O' Lakers blog from the Kamenetzky brothers. Blog

With Howard's eventual destination still anybody's guess, the Lakers are turning their attention to adding a backup big man or two.

The Lakers remain in negotiations with Jordan Hill, who averaged 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in seven regular-season games with L.A. after being acquired from the Houston Rockets at the trade deadline in March. Hill's agent, Bill Duffy, told ESPNLosAngeles.com on Wednesday that there was still some distance between the two sides, but he planned to circle back with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak before Hill made his final decision. The Lakers hold partial Bird rights to Hill and can offer him a maximum of $3,632,450 per season for up to five years.

Aside from Hill, appearing on the Lakers' "short list" of names they are hoping to add to the roster for the veteran's minimum are Antawn Jamison, Elton Brand and Jermaine O'Neal, according to a source familiar with the team's thinking.

The Lakers also have the "mini" mid-level exception available to them, beginning at $3 million a season, but prefer to hold off on using that in case a Howard deal goes down involving multiple players and they are left needing to fill a glaring void.

Not only is adding a backup big man a priority because signing Hill might not work out, but because Josh McRoberts and his expiring $3.1 million contract have drawn interest from other teams in potential Howard trade scenarios.

Jamison, 36, averaged 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds last year for Cleveland in his 14th season in the league, but shot a career-low 40.3 percent from the field.

He was acquired by the Cavaliers via trade in 2009-10, the last season Lakers coach Mike Brown was at the helm for the Cavs. The Lakers are in competition with several other teams for Jamison's services, including Brooklyn, Golden State and Charlotte, and a source close to Jamison said on Thursday the Nets appeared to be his preferred destination at the moment.

The final one-year, $18 million remaining on Brand's contract was amnestied by Philadelphia on Thursday. Brand, 32, averaged 11.0 points and 7.2 rebounds for the 76ers last season. Brand will be first made available to teams under the salary cap through the waiver process, with under-the-cap teams able to bid on him. Dallas is under the cap and has interest in Brand, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

A first-time kayaker had a close encounter with a great white shark off the coast of Massachusetts over the weekend.


Sunbathers first spotted the shark following two kayakers on Saturday afternoon off Nauset Beach, the Cape Cod Times reported, and yelled to the men offshore.

One of the kayakers saw the shark and quickly paddled in, while it took the other one, Walter Szulc Jr., of Manchester, N.H., a little while longer to notice the dorsal fin just feet away from him.

“There were hundreds of people on the beach, and they were all at the edge, yelling paddle paddle, paddle!” Dave Alexander told the NBC News affiliate in Boston, WHDH.com.

Szulc said when he looked behind him, the shark "was pretty much right there."

"It was good-sized, it had a fin sticking out, so I just turned and paddled," he told WHDH.com. It was the first time Szulc had kayaked.

Since June 30, three sharks have been seen plying the waters off Cape Cod for food, the Cape Cod Times reported. The large number of seals in the area is believed to be drawing the sharks.

Orleans Harbormaster Dawson Farber said he and his team went out in a boat to confirm the sighting – he noted the shark was an estimated 12 to 14 feet long -- and they had all bathers get out of the water. The beach was also closed.

James Harden will join Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in representing USA Basketball at this summer's London Olympics.

James Harden was among the final players to make Team USA's 12-man roster. (Getty Images)Harden made the final cut for Team USA. Joining the Thunder's trio of stars will be LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kevin Love and Andre Iguodala.


With a handful of players, including Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, withdrawing from consideration because of injuries, 10 of the roster slots appeared to be locked up heading into Friday's start of training camp, leaving five players – Harden, Iguodala, Anthony Davis, Rudy Gay and Eric Gordon – to compete for the final two openings. The absence of Howard, Bosh and LaMarcus Aldridge has left Team USA with a shortage of big men. Davis, the top overall pick for the New Orleans Hornets in last week's NBA draft, was a candidate, but sprained his ankle during a workout a week ago.

Team USA will play an exhibition against the Dominican Republic on July 12 in Las Vegas. The U.S. also will play exhibitions in Washington, D.C.; Manchester, England; and Barcelona, Spain; before arriving in London.

Olympics soccer star Megan Rapinoe hopes her decision to state publicly that she is homosexual will pave the way for more gay athletes to make their sexuality known.

Megan Rapinoe is dating Australia's Sarah Walsh. (Yahoo! Sports)

Rapinoe, one of the most recognizable and popular players on the United States women's team, came out this week in an interview with Out.com and revealed that she has dated Australian soccer player Sarah Walsh for more than a year.

"I feel like sports in general are still homophobic, in the sense that not a lot of people are out," Rapinoe said. "I feel like everyone is really craving people to come out. People want – they need – to see that there are people like me playing soccer for the good old U.S. of A."

Rapinoe was outstanding during the USA's run to the final of the Women's World Cup last year, providing a brilliant cross for Abby Wambach's dramatic last equalizer in the team's heart-stopping quarterfinal victory over Brazil.

She is expected to again play a major role as the side seeks to retain the Olympic crown it won with an extra-time victory, also against Brazil, in Beijing four years ago.


As might have been expected, Rapinoe's comments have attracted criticism from some. However, her decision – and her call for more gay athletes to come out – must be applauded.

Lamentably, homophobia has long been prevalent in soccer, and positive role models such as Rapinoe proudly opening up can only be a plus.

Even since joining the national team, Rapinoe has not kept her sexuality, or more recently her relationship with Walsh, a secret. She said the only reason the news did not enter the wider public domain until now, despite being known in soccer circles, was that she had never been asked.

"I think [people] were trying to be respectful and that it's my job to say 'I'm gay" she said. "Which I am. For the record: I am gay."

Virender Sehwag, whose differences with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came to fore during last year's Australian tour, appeared to take a jibe at the skipper when he said the World Cup was won because India had a strong team.

"Dhoni got a very strong team. When you get a strong team, it is easier to perform well just like Australia did at one point of time. Australia won three World Cups because they had a strong team and not just because of the captain. We believe we have a very strong team and that's why we won World Cup, backed by Dhoni's captaincy," Sehwag said.

He was reacting to questions on Dhoni's strengths that enabled him lead the side to two World Cup victories -- 2007 Twenty20 and 50-over in 2011.

Dhoni and Sehwag's relationship has been a subject intense speculation in the media, particularly after the series in Australia, where there utterances in press conferences made their rift public.

Jeremy Lin has verbally agreed to sign a four-year offer sheet with the Houston Rockets on July 11, according to a source close to the talks.


The four-year deal is worth $10.2 million over the first two seasons and $9.3 million in each of the last two years. The fourth season is a team option.

The Knicks would have three days to match the offer after Lin, a restricted free agent, signs it July 11.

A report in the New York Post on Wednesday, citing a league source, said the Rockets were planning to offer Lin a backloaded deal worth roughly $30 million. According to the same source, the deal would pay Lin $5 million in the first season and $5.2 million in the second, and then would increase to as much as $10 million per year in the third and fourth seasons.

"Jeremy Lin's an excellent player," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told the Post. "We got to know him firsthand when he was with the Rockets early this season. We think he'd make a fantastic addition to our team."

NBA NBA free agency is under way and ESPN.com has you covered with all the latest deals, trades and potential moves.

The Knicks can offer Lin, a restricted free agent, a four-year deal worth $24.5 million.

In 35 games with the Knicks this past season, Lin averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists per game.

While both Lin and the Knicks are hoping for a reunion, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard this past weekend that if a club offers Lin a backloaded contract that pays him an eight-figure salary in the third and fourth years, as Houston has done, the Knicks could be given pause about matching the offer.

With the new collective bargaining agreement employing a more punitive luxury tax, beginning in the 2013-14 season, the Knicks are extremely concerned about the financial ramifications of such a deal, sources said.

Mark Todd and Andrew Nicholson will compete at their seventh Olympics after being placed on New Zealand's five-member equestrian team for the London Games on Wednesday.

Todd won gold medals in the three-day event at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics. He has twice won world championships in the three-day team event and is a four-time winner of the Badminton Horse Trials and a five-time winner at Burghley.

Nicholson won a silver medal in the three-day team event at the 1992 Barcelona Games and a bronze in the same event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He is also a former world champion in the team event.