Sports

Tour De France: Armstrong Ready To Ride
The Tour de France starts Saturday in Monaco and finishes July 26 in Paris. The race's image has been severely damaged by numerous doping scandals in recent years. Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong is back for this year's race. Armstrong has been fighting doping allegations for years.

Cyclist, Journalist: Thoughts On Tour De France
Jim Coon is a recreational cyclist in Portland, Oregon, who says he's bothered by reports of doping in the the Tour de France — but doesn't focus on the issue. Veteran cycling journalist Joe Lindsey says he has to focus on the charges of doping because of his job covering the race.

Nicaraguan Boxing Champ, Politician Arguello Dead
After winning world titles in three weight classes during his fighting career, 57-year-old Alexis Arguello was elected mayor of Managua last fall. Authorities said he was found dead Wednesday of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Is Chicago An Olympics Kind Of Town?
The International Olympic Committee will decide soon which city will host the 2016 games. The front-runners include Rio de Janeiro — a first for South America — and Chicago, which has never hosted the games.

Baseball Umpires Call Games 'As They See 'Em'
One call from an umpire can make or break a baseball game. Bruce Weber spent time learning how to call balls and strikes for his book, As They See 'Em. He also interviewed dozens of professional umpires about their craft.

NASCAR's Logano Calls Win 'Dream Come True'
Joey Logano, 19, became the youngest NASCAR driver to win a Sprint Cup race Sunday. Logano beat out NASCAR veteran Jeff Gordon to win the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He talks about the race.

Soccer And The Vuvuzelas
The remarkable run by the U.S. in the Confederations Cup has been accompanied by an unusual sound. It accompanies every game that's being played in the South African tournament. Fans are blowing stadium horns called vuvuzelas. But some players and coaches find the noise distracting.

On The Appalachian, Some Hike Off The Recession
Whether recently laid off or just without any job prospects, some people have traded their resumes and interview suits for sleeping bags and hiking boots. They're on the Appalachian Trail for the next four months — and they hope that by the time they're off, the economy will have recovered.

U.S. Upsets Spain in Soccer
Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis discusses the huge upset by the U.S. men's soccer teams over Spain in the Confederations Cup and provides a preview of the NBA Draft.

Iowa Town Mourns Slain Football Coach
Ed Thomas was a fixture at the high school in Parkersburg for more than 30 years and helped the town rebuild after a devastating tornado. Police say the man who shot the coach to death this week at the school gym was a 24-year-old former player.

Latino Baseball Players And The Hall Of Fame
This summer, the Baseball Hall of Fame will celebrate its 70th anniversary and display its first exhibit on Latin American baseball. In the Los Angeles Times, Zev Chafets points out that a disproportionate share of Latino players have tested positive for steroids.

Tennis, The Grunting Game?
The Wimbledon Championships began on Monday, and authorities are worried about safety — that is, the safety of the audience's ears subjected to the shrieks, screeches and grunts that tennis players release when playing hard and heavy on the court. ESPN analyst Luke Jensen, a 1993 French Open doubles champion, and USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan explain why some tennis officials say players' loud on-court grunts are a distraction to the sport.

High School Athletes Chase Sub-4-Minute Mile
In track and field, only four American high school athletes have run the mile in less than four minutes. Jim Ryun of Kansas did it first, 45 years ago this month.

It's Time For Tennis Players To Make Some Noise
A 16-year-old Portuguese player, Michelle Larcher de Brito, is distracting her opponents with her shrieks. Frank Deford wonders why golf and tennis players — and fans — can't make more noise.

Phil Jackson Wins 10th NBA Title As Coach
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson led his team to the 2009 NBA championship. That win earned Jackson a record 10th NBA title as coach, four with the Lakers. He also coached the Chicago Bulls to six championships.

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