Philadelphia Eagles Swamp St. Louis Rams 31-13 (VIDEO)

ST. LOUIS — The lockout didn't bother Michael Vick. It simply left him with fresh legs for the season opener.

The Eagles quarterback was in dazzling form and the other Philly game-breakers were hard to catch, too, as the team opened its self-proclaimed Super Bowl drive with a 31-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

"It felt great to know that I can go out and play lights out, not have to worry about anything," Vick said. "I feel better than I've ever felt before and I give a lot of credit with the situation with the CBA, giving us a lot time to get rest and to prepare ourselves.

"I feel like I can play another four quarters right now."

The Rams couldn't keep up, especially after losing stars Steven Jackson and Sam Bradford. Jackson will undergo an MRI for a right quadriceps injury Monday. X-rays were negative on Bradford's right index finger.

In a pre-game tribute to Sept. 11, players and coaches from both teams stepped forward, all touching a huge flag that covered much of the field. Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo began his postgame remarks by praising the remembrance as a "special tribute."

Vick rushed for 98 yards and passed for two scores, LeSean McCoy scored twice and DeSean Jackson topped 100 yards receiving against a defense that couldn't use injuries as an excuse.

"It was just a real disappointment the way we played," end Chris Long said. "We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes. They made us make a lot of mistakes."

The Eagles had 239 yards rushing, were 8 for 11 on third downs, and had 16 plays good for at least double digits. And yet, Vick felt it was far from perfect.

Argentina Beats Brazil In FIBA Hoops Championship

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina -- Luis Scola scored 32 points to help Argentina beat Brazil 80-75 on Sunday in the championship game of the Olympic basketball qualifying tournament for the Americas.

Carlos Delfino added 16 points for Argentina in the game that was mostly for pride after both teams earned spots in the London Olympics with their semifinal victories.

Marcus Vinicuis had 17 points for Brazil.

In the third-place game, Al Horford scored 23 for the Dominican Republic in a 103-89 victory over Puerto Rico The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela – by claiming spots three, four and five in the tournament – earned places in a qualifying tournament just before the Olympics.

The United States qualified for London by winning last year's world championship.

Serena Williams Upset By Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-3 In US Open Final

NEW YORK — Even before she began berating the chair umpire, things were not going well for Serena Williams in the U.S. Open final.

Her strokes were off-target. Her opponent, Sam Stosur, was playing better than ever. And Williams' deficit was growing more and more daunting.

So facing a break point at the start of the second set Sunday night, Williams ripped a forehand that she celebrated with her familiar yell of "Come on!" The problem, it turned out, was she screamed as Stosur was reaching for a backhand, so the point wasn't finished. The chair umpire awarded the point to Stosur, setting Williams off on a series of insults directed at the official, a scene far less ugly than – yet reminiscent of – the American's tirade at the same tournament two years ago.

In the end, Stosur's powerful shots and steadiness allowed her to beat Williams 6-2, 6-3 in a surprisingly lopsided upset for her first Grand Slam title. Stosur left the court as the U.S. Open champion; Williams' night ended with her facing possible disciplinary action.

A sampling of what Williams said to chair umpire Eva Asderaki:

_"You're out of control."

_"You're a hater, and you're just unattractive inside."

_"Really, don't even look at me."

Asked at her news conference whether she regretted any of her words, the 13-time Grand Slam champion rolled her eyes and replied: "I don't even remember what I said. It was just so intense out there. ... I guess I'll see it on YouTube."

She won't be the only one, for sure.

Stosur probably will prefer to watch footage of some of the points she dominated.

"I'm still kind of speechless. I can't actually believe I won this tournament," Stosur said later, the silver U.S. Open trophy sitting a few feet away. "I guess to go out there and play the way I did is obviously just an unbelievable feeling, and you always hope and you want to be able to do that, but to actually do it, is unbelievable."

The ninth-seeded Stosur became the first Australian woman to win a major championship since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980. Stosur received a text from the former player that read: "Twinkletoes, you finally have got what you deserved."

Only 2-9 in tournament finals before beating Williams, Stosur made the U.S. Open the third consecutive Grand Slam tournament with a first-time women's major champion, after Li Na at the French Open, and Petra Kvitova at Wimbledon.

This was only the 27-year-old Stosur's third title at any tour-level event, and what a way to do it. She took advantage of Williams' so-so serving and finished with 12 unforced errors to Williams' 25.

Most of all, Stosur avoided being distracted by the bizarre events that unfolded in the second set's opening game. Asderaki ruled that Williams hindered Stosur's ability to complete that point and awarded it to Stosur, putting her ahead 1-0.

Steelers, Ravens Fight In 3rd Quarter: Ref Goes Down (VIDEO)

A referee landed on his back after a fight broke out in the third quarter of Baltimore's 35-7 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Tempers flared immediately after the Steelers appeared to get a first down. There was some late pushing after the play and then it looked as if Ravens running back Ray Rice and Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu dragged each other down. The situation escalated quickly as more players jumped entered the fray. A referee, trying to separate a few of the players, got pushed and landed on his back.

The officials only penalized the Steelers, but as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk pointed out, plenty of fines will probably be handed down.

Ted Ginn Touchdowns: 49ers Player Scores On Kick & Punt Return In Win Over Seahawks (VIDEO)

On Sunday afternoon, the Seattle Seahawks pulled within two points of the San Francisco 49ers after Tavaris Jackson threw a long touchdown pass with a little less than four minutes left in the game. After struggling to produce any sort of offense throughout the game, it appeared that the Seahawks had finally found some rhythm against their division rivals.

Then Ted Ginn happened.

And then he happened again.

Ginn, who runs a blazing 4.28 in the 40-yard dash, notched both a San Francisco kick return TD and then a punt return TD in less than 60 seconds to secure a 33-17 victory for the 49ers.

The former top-10 pick, who is widely considered a bust because of his inability to find playing time as a wide receiver, proved that he could be a valuable weapon for the 49ers without being on the field during an offensive snap.

In total, Ginn had 268 return yards on the day, which is a greater output than any other team had on Sunday by more than 100 yards.

His fantastic performance will likely cause teams to implement a very strict special teams strategy when they play the 49ers this season: Kick it out of bounds.

Philip Petzschner Lie: U.S. Open Doubles Champion Lies About Ball Hitting Leg (VIDEO)

With Serena Williams dominating the headlines coming out of Flushing after blowing up at the chair official, along with all of the NFL games on Sunday, most sports fans across the country may not have seen the controversial play in the U.S. Open men's doubles final. And it seems that Philip Petzschner used that anonymity to pull a fast one on the umpire and his opponents.

In the second set, Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski lost a point due to some bad luck and a bad call by the chair umpire. Already down a set to Philip Petzschner and Jurgen Melzer, Matkowski hit a short volley that appeared to illegally bounce off Petzschner's leg and back over the net for a winner.

The umpire thought the ball had hit Petzschner's racquet and incorrectly awarded the point to Petzschner/Melzer. When Fyrstenberg/Matkowski pleaded their case, Petzschner lied and said the ball never hit his leg.

Melzer and Petzschner eventually won the match and Chris Chase of Busted Raquet pointed out that after the final point, Matkowski refused to shake hands with Petzschner.

The play reminds us of Derek Jeter's fake out last season against the Rays when the ball hit the end of the bat, but the Yankees star acted as if the ball hit his elbow. Jeter was awarded first base despite manager Joe Maddon's protest.

Cam Newton Breaks NFL Record In Panthers Loss To Cardinals (VIDEO)

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Cam Newton's NFL debut was as magnificent as they come, except for the outcome.

Instead, another rookie scored the game winner.

Patrick Peterson made amends for a long afternoon at cornerback with an 89-yard punt return for the go-ahead touchdown and the Arizona Cardinals escaped with a 28-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Newton, the No. 1 draft pick playing on the same field where he led Auburn to the BCS championship in January, completed 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, the first rookie to throw for more than 400 yards in his NFL opener.


The Cardinals, meanwhile, drove inside the Carolina 6 twice in the second quarter and came away with nothing.

On second-and-goal from the 4, Beanie Wells, who rushed for 90 yards on 18 carries including a 7-yard touchdown run, muffed a pitch from Kolb and Carolina's Thomas Davis recovered.

After forcing a punt, Arizona drove to the Panthers 5, but a crackback block penalty against Andre Roberts drove the team back, and Jay Feely's 36-yard field goal try was wide left. Feely was 14-for-14 from inside the 40 a year ago.

The Panthers took over at their 36 with 1:03 to play in the half. Daryl Washington intercepted Newton's pass over the middle, but the play was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty against Peterson.

Moments later, Smith beat Peterson in the corner of the end zone and Newton lofted the ball perfectly in place to give Carolina the lead in front of the stunned crowd.

Arizona went 54 yards in six plays on its first possession, with Wells scoring on the 7-yard run.

After the subsequent kickoff, the Panthers had a third-and-7 from their 23 when new defensive coordinator Ray Horton called a blitz.

Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki Battle In U.S. Open Semifinals

Caroline Wozniacki [1] vs. Serena Williams [28]

Now that Caroline Wozniacki is playing tennis worthy of her No. 1 ranking again, her semifinal match-up with Serena Williams has become the highlight pre-final match of the women’s draw. Wozniacki has been No. 1 for almost a year now, but she has yet to win her first Grand Slam event (it’s not an enormous failing; she’s only 21). Serena, by contrast, is ranked a lowly No. 27, but she’s acclaimed as one of the greatest women players of all time and has bagged 13 major titles.

Wozniacki has a great talent for maneuvering her opponents out of position and wearing them down. And in the past few weeks, her forehand has become more of a weapon. By contrast, Serena likes to end points quickly—her serve can be devastating, and her groundstrokes so penetrating that they pin her opponents back in hopeless positions. This match will be decided by which woman manages to make the other adopt her game. If it becomes a slugfest, Serena wins. If Wozniacki can turn it into baseline duel, she has a great chance. —Peter Bodo

Peter Bodo's Pick: Wozniacki. Wozniacki’s back is up against the wall; she needs that first major title in a big way to back up her No. 1 ranking. After losing in one final and one semifinal here in the two previous years, it’s her time.

Steve Tignor's Pick: Williams. This is Williams’ event to lose, but if anyone can make her do that, it’s Wozniacki. These two once played to a third-set tiebreaker, and Wozniacki has been at her best in Flushing. Still, the match will be on Serena’s racquet.

Ed McGrogan's Pick: Williams. You could argue that this is Wozniacki’s final, and she should treat it as such. Her offense needs to be as sharp as her defense, and an off-night from Serena wouldn’t hurt. Even if all that happens, it still might not be enough.

Caroline Wozniacki Imitates Rafael Nadal’s Cramps Video

Rafael Nadal during a post-match press conference at the U.S. Open, landing him on the floor beneath the interview table and sending the tennis world into a brief tizzy, the world No. 1 women’s star pantomimed some pain of her own after surviving a thrilling three-set match.

Addressing the media following her thrilling comeback triumph over Svetlana Kuznetsova, Wozniacki imitated Nadal’s press conference cramping, sliding down her chair just like Nadal did. The only difference was that she had a big smile on her face.



After his win on Sunday, the Spaniard cramped up, grimaced and began moaning in pain in front of the cameras and dozens of reporters. He later brushed off the incident and said he was “just have cramping in my leg.”

As is often the case whenever an athlete makes an attempt at humor, some people thought it was inappropriate for her to poke fun at Nadal, while others thought it was simply a funny joke.

Novak Djokovic : No Problems For No. 1 At U.S. Open 2011

NEW YORK -- Top-ranked Novak Djokovic survived a marathon tiebreaker then cruised the rest of the way to beat Alexandr Dolgopolov in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.

The Serb won 7-6 (14), 6-4, 6-2 on Monday. He'll face countryman Janko Tipsarevic in the quarterfinals.
Djokovic fought off four set points in the tiebreaker against the 22nd-seeded Ukrainian. He finally clinched the set with a big serve.

Djokovic needed 76 minutes to win the first set and a combined 70 to take the last two.
Djokovic fell behind 0-4 in the tiebreaker but regained momentum when his shot ticked off the top of the net and over, and Dolgopolov's backhand crosscourt volley landed just wide.

The 22-year-old Dolgopolov reached the quarterfinals at this year's Australian Open.

VIDEO: Americans hope to end U.S. Open rut.

Justin Bieber Crosses Over Steve Nash On Basketball Court (VIDEO)

As far as many basketball fans are concerned, Steve Nash's defense couldn't possibly get any worse. To those folks I say, never say never.

Playing in a pick-up game that was the most important Canadian hoops action in years, the two-time NBA MVP was crossed up and beaten baseline by teen pop idol Justin Bieber.

It's one thing to struggle keeping world class point guards like Chris Paul or Tony Parker in front of you. But, it's another thing for Bieber to make him look like a turnstile. Perhaps preoccupied with someone setting a pick to his left, Nash froze as Bieber flashed a nifty crossover move en route to the rack for a reverse layup.

It's possible, and perhaps even likely, that the 37-year-old Nash wasn't trying to show up the 17-year-old, but this won't stop Nash's critics from connecting the dots between his lackluster one-one-one defensive skills and this clip. Thankfully, Nash has plenty of fans who will rush to defend him, notably the commentariat at The Basketball Jones who are fairly certain that Bieber should have been whistled for a carry on this play.

Coming in a casual game, odds are that Nash didn't think much of the play at the time. Big mistake. Once Bieber shared this video clip with his more than 12 million followers on Twitter, it was everywhere.
At the end of the brief clip, the camera pans beneath the basket where Bieber's girlfriend, Selena Gomez, is looking on. The 19-year-old actress squeaks with delight as her boyfriend gets his shot to drop.

That Bieber has game couldn't have come as a complete surprise to Nash as the teen heartthrob was named MVP during the NBA's celebrity game during the 2011 All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Maria Sharapova Loses To Flavia Pennetta At U.S. Open 2011

NEW YORK -- Maria Sharapova is out of the U.S. Open, upset in the third round by Flavia Pennetta.

The 2006 champion lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to the 26th-seeded Italian on Friday. Sharapova had been 12-0 in three-set matches this year, including her first-round win.

Pennetta broke serve to clinch the victory in a match full of breaks, with the third-seeded Russian struggling with her serve.

Sharapova had reached her first Grand Slam final since 2008 shoulder surgery when she was the runner-up at Wimbledon.

Pennetta will next face 13th-seeded Peng Shuai of China, who beat 19th-seeded Julia Goerges 6-4, 7-6 (1).

Alex Schooley, Louisville High School Football Player, Penalized For Tribute To Dead Friend (VIDEO)

A high school football player's tribute to a deceased friend in last Friday's season opener may have cost his team the game. After Louisville High School receiver Alex Schooley scored the go-ahead touchdown to put his team up 26-24 with 1:15 left in the game against Walsh Jesuit in Ohio, he pointed to the sky as a tribute to a close friend who died in a car accident last week.

The referee, however, threw a flag after in the middle of the gesture and penalized Schooley for excessive celebration, giving Walsh Jesuit excellent field position. They drove down the field and scored a 29-yard field goal to win the game.

According to Cleveland’s WJW-TV, many in Louisville thought the call was inappropriate. But Assistant Ohio High School Athletic Association Commissioner Henry Zaborniak said the correct call was made because "any prolonged gesture that draws attention to himself is a foul."

He made "a simple gesture to heaven," a grandparent of a Louisville player told the Associated Press.

In the NFL, players have also been fined or prevented from paying tribute to friends and loved ones who they have lost.

In 2008, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark etched the number 21 in his eye black as a tribute to the late Sean Taylor, his former teammate when Clark was a Washington Redskin. The league fined him $5,000.

After Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry passed away, then-teammate Chad Ochocinco planned on wearing his jersey as a tribute. But the league rules prohibit it and wouldn't let the NFL Players Association reimburse him for any fine that he would have received.

Sam Bradford Makes Girl Cry After Rams Preseason Game (VIDEO)

Step aside Mark Sanchez, it looks there's another young heartthrob NFL quarterback and his name is Sam Bradford.

After Friday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, some of the Rams staff members were able to make a female fan very, very happy. The girl gave an employee her sign that read, "Marry Me Bradford" and gave it to the 23-year-old to sign. Bradford gladly autographed the sign and when the girl got it back, she became overwhelmed with tears. Well done, Sam.

Sometimes athletes just have that kind of influence over a fan. Just last month, Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett gave a kid a ball before the game and made him so happy that he started hysterically crying.

WATCH Rugby Match Explodes Into Huge Brawl Video

Anyone who plays rugby will tell you that it's a gentleman's game. Players will beat the hell out of each other for roughly 80 minutes and then grab a beer and laugh about it afterward. But there's nothing gentlemanly about this fight between Melbourne and Manly (really, that's their name) in the National Rugby League.

Any sports fight is generally entertaining, but the ferocity of this fight in conjunction with the announcers play-by-play simply makes this brawl top notch.

The video begins with a few punches thrown between the teams during a break in the action. But things quickly escalate after the fight is broken up and Glenn Stewart begins jawing with Adam Blair near midfield. The players quickly begin exchanging punches (to the tremendous delight of one fan, who can be heard cackling at the :35 mark of the video), and then, as the announcer says, "Here come the reinforcements!"

From there, for lack of the better term, a scrum breaks out.

Interestingly, Blair is sent off even though he didn't throw the first punch in his confrontation with Stewart. Or as it's expertly described, "What's [Adam Blair] done? Head butted the fist of an opponent?"

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the fight: Just minutes before it began, members of the Melbourne squad showed great sportsmanship in supporting a Manly player who suffered a neck injury until medical help could arrive.

Manly ended up winning the match 18-4, and we're going to guess that the teams decided to skip out on that friendly beer after the game.

Robert Andino Barehanded Catch: Orioles Player Makes Amazing Grab (VIDEO)

They may not score a whole bunch of runs, but you have to admire the Orioles for scoring some style points during this play.

In the bottom of the 6th inning of Wednesday's game against the Twins, Orioles shortstop Robert Andino gave chase to a foul ball. After getting underneath the pop up, Andino appeared to readjust his body and make an unbelievable barehanded catch.

After a couple of glances, it appears that Andino may have been unnecessarily showboating on the play -- if he had dropped the ball we're sure the announcers would have commented on the fact that he probably could have used his club--but the Orioles are currently sitting 27.5 games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East, maybe they should start trying to put on a show for the fans.

Baltimore held on to win the game, and the play made SportsCenter's top 10 plays.

Baby Throws Foul Ball On Field During Giants Game (Video)

It's a bad sign when baseball fans don't even want foul balls. And after losing 14 of their 21 games played in August, the San Francisco Giants should probably be keeping on eye on any such signs of fan unrest.

In this case, though, a fan threw back a foul ball back onto the field not out of fiery indignity but out of a lack of fine motor skills.

During a game between San Diego and San Francisco yesterday, a pint-sized Giants surprised his family and those sitting around him when he tossed a foul ball back onto the field. In the top of the 8th inning, the toddler was handed a ball by his mother, at which point he promptly threw it back on the field.

No doubt, fans of all ages who have never been able to get their hands on a foul ball will cringe at the sight of this video. Let this serve as a teachable moment to parents. If a kid doesn't have the ability to speak yet, odds are he or she doesn't understand the rarity of receiving a foul ball at a baseball game -- so hold onto that thing until he's out of diapers.

Ben Revere Makes Stunning Catch But Twins Lose To Orioles (VIDEO)

MINNEAPOLIS — When center fielder Ben Revere hit the ground after making a catch against the wall Monday night, he had to peek inside his glove to make sure he really did have the ball.

He did. And the result was a spectacular catch that was the talk of the Minnesota clubhouse on a night when the punchless Twins lost 4-1 to the Baltimore Orioles.

It was a catch that drew comparisons from Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire to plays made inside the Metrodome by former Twins stars Torii Hunter and Kirby Puckett.

With two outs in the seventh, Baltimore's Vladimir Guerrero hit a ball to the deepest part of Target Field that looked to be at least an extra-base hit. Revere sprinted toward the center-field wall unsure of whether he would even have a chance to make a play on the ball.