Serena goes nude for ESPN, may not be allowed to play Australian Open

MELBOURNE - World number one tennis champ Serena Williams could be stripped of her right to play in the Australian Open in 2010 for baring all for the sports magazine ESPN and for her extraordinary outburst in the U.S. Open semi-finals.

FA should banish Fergie for good, says referee union official

LONDON - The union for referees has demanded that the Football Association get tough with the Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson for accusing referee Alan Wiley of being unfit and banish him permanently.

Formula One rival warns Button of maximum attack

LONDON - Formula One title rival and German Sebastian Vettel has warned favourite Jenson Button that he can expect maximum attack and has vowed to win the final two races in a late bid to destroy Button’s championship dream.

Casilla’s single in 12th lifts Twins to thrilling 6-5 win over Tigers in AL Central tiebreaker

Twins Tigers Game End Up 6-5

Yankees pick to start AL playoffs Wednesday, will host Tigers-Twins winner

Yankees choose to start AL playoffs Wednesday

Pakistan cricket team accused of losing to keep India out

KARACHI - Pakistan’s parliamentary committee on sports has accused the cricket team of throwing away its Pool A match against Australia to knock old rivals India out of the eight-nation event.

Rio officials hit back at Tokyo governor’s comments about IOC selection process for 2016 games

Rio officials criticize Tokyo governor’s comments

Prosecutors drop assault charges against Terps basketball player Jordan Williams, 4 others

Officials drop charges against Terps’ Williams

LITCHFIELD, Conn. — Connecticut prosecutors have dropped assault and breach of peace charges against Maryland basketball player Jordan Williams and four other teenagers.

WAGs on tour don’t affect players’ performances: Sven Goran Eriksson

LONDON - Former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson has blasted players who have blamed the presence of WAGs for their team’s World Cup failure in 2005.

Serena Williams reclaims No. 1 ranking with second-round win at China Open

Serena wins at China Open to reclaim No. 1 ranking

Erin Andrews’ stalker made naked videos of other women

NEW YORK - The man accused of stalking the ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews and posting her nude videos on the Internet also spied on other women, according to prosecutors.

Ponting ‘ecstatic’ after winning second successive Champions Trophy

JOHANNESBURG - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has said that he is “ecstatic” at winning a second successive Champions Trophy title after beating New Zealand by six wickets in the final.

Packers returner Blackmon helped off field with leg injury against Minnesota Vikings

Packers lose 30-23 to Minnesota Vikings

Favre Bowl I: Favre on fire against Packers; Vikings lead 28-14 after 3 quarters

Vikings lead Packers 28-14 after 3 quarters

Armaan hoping for a strong finish

CHENNAI - Armaan Ebrahim, India’s best hope for a Formula One seat, is all set to finish his debut season in the inaugural Formula-2 series on a high as he flies off to Barcelona, Spain, for the final round of the championship.

Chelsea sink Liverpool to go top; Arsenal score six

LONDON - Chelsea battled to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Liverpool Sunday to go above champions Manchester United at the top of the English Premier League table.

I will ask Tendulkar to campaign for me: Kambli

NEW DELHI - Cricketer-turned-politician Vinod Kambli, who is contesting the Maharashtra assembly elections from Vikhroli in Mumbai will ask his childhood friend and Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar to campaign for him.

England Vs Ukraine World Cup qualifier to be Screened on Internet

LONDON - England’s World Cup qualifier in Ukraine on Saturday will be the country’s first ever competitive match to be screened exclusively live on the internet.

Venus Williams again upset by Russian teen, Djokovic moves into second round at China Open

Venus again loses to Russian teen Pavlyuchenkova

Jay Haas shoots 64 to overcome struggling Tom Watson and win Senior Players Championship

Hass shoots 64 to win Senior Players Championship

Ponting says ICC Champions Trophy title won’t make up for Ashes loss

JOHANNESBURG - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has said that winning the Champions Trophy title tonight will not make up for losing the Ashes to England earlier this year.

Lee targetting 400 Test and 400 ODI wickets, ready to secure Test recall

JOHANNESBURG - Australia’s unprecedented workload could actually help him get back in the Test team, feels fast bowler Brett Lee.

Johnson stunned to be named ICC Cricketer of the Year award

miJOHANNESBURG - Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, who has been announced as the ICC Cricketer of the Year, was stunned with the feat that he has achieved, as he upstaged England captain Andrew Strauss and Indians Gautam Gambhir and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to grab the award.

Rooney to miss Man U’s trip to Moscow for birth of his child

LONDON - Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has said that he will miss the club’s Champions League trip to Moscow as he wants to be present for to the birth of his first child.

AL Central-leading Tigers have work to do after splitting series with Twins

Minnesota Twins leave AL Central undecided

Former No. 1s Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic set up final matchup at Pan Pacific Open

Sharapova, Jankovic to meet in Pan Pacific final

Watson shoots 70, joins Haas in second place behind Nielsen at Senior Players Championship

Watson 1 shot back at Senior Players Championship

‘I’d never cheat to win a title,’ says Button

LONDON - Brawn Grand Prix ace Jenson Button has vowed that he will never cheat to win a title.

Report: Oregon coach may reinstate RB LaGarrette Blount, who punched opposing player in opener

Oregon may reinstate RB LaGarrette Blount

Obama under fire for taking Olympic bid trip for Chicago

WASHINGTON - Democrats and Republicans have both criticized President Barack Obama over his high-risk decision to fly to Copenhagen to support the Olympic bid of his home town, Chicago.

Catchings flirts with triple-double, Fever beats Mercury to tie WNBA finals 1-1

Catchings flirts with triple-double, Fever wins

Rangers seek success with Tortorella and Gaborik entering New York mix

Gaborik newest key cog in Rangers offense

Basketball player born without a left hand readies for college debut with Manhattan

World Series champion Phillies beat Astros 10-3 to clinch their third straight NL East

Phillies clinch their third straight NL East title

BCB pours water on PCB’s dreams of hosting 2014 T20 World Cup

ISLAMABAD - The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has objected to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to bid for the 2014 ICC T20 World Championship.