Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy sitting in a tree

... K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Well, technically it wasn't in a tree, it on a tennis court in front of the Yale football team and thousands of fans who watched Wozniacki advance to the finals of the New Haven Open. That doesn't rhyme as well though.

Golf's reigning U.S. Open champion gave his new girlfriend a kiss on Friday night that must have had some good luck; the 21-year-old Dane went out the next day and won her first tournament since she and the Nothern Irish star began dating after Wimbledon.

That is the happiest I've ever seen a group of guys over a kiss involving other people. I've looked at wedding photos where the groomsmen have less of a smile than the Yale football players have plastered on their faces in this shot.

A lot of couples have to deal with differences in religion or race or finances or education or upbringing. I worry about the day when Caroline and Rory have their first adidas/Nike argument. Rory doesn't have a deal with the Oregon athletic giant yet though I'd imagine the site of him wearing a swoosh on that Yale jersey has some hearts in Beaverton aflutter.

Hilary Duff Is Pregnant With First Child!

Hilary Duff's first wedding anniversary is extra sweet: she and Mike Comrie announced they are expecting a baby!

"This weekend, Mike and I are celebrating our one year anniversary! In memory of the special day, we decided to post some of our favorite pictures from our wedding!" she wrote on her official website Sunday.

"I can't believe it has already been a year. Time really flies when you're having fun! We also want to share the exciting news that baby makes three! We are extremely happy and ready to start this new chapter of our lives. Thanks to everyone for the continued love and support throughout the years!"

Duff, 23, wed pro hockey player Comrie, 30, on August 14, 2010 in an intimate sunset ceremony at a $29 million estate near the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, Calif.

"We both love kids and we're really excited," Duff told Us Weekly Wednesday at the Kendra Scott jewelry event in L.A., just days before sharing her pregnancy news with the world. "It was a big deal for us because we had a year to be married."

Real Madrid signs 7-year-old Argentine named Leo

A lot is made about the professionalization of young athletes in America, but young U.S. phenoms have nothing on their Spanish and South American counterparts. If there were ever any doubts about that, they could safely be dispelled on Monday, when it was announced that Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid signed Argentine 7-year-old Leonel Angel Coira to a youth development contract.

"(My) dream is to meet Messi, play in the first division with Madrid and for Argentina in the World Cup," Coira told the Spanish newspaper ABC shortly after signing with his new club.

Of course, there are a number of reasons behind Real Madrid's rather surprising signing of Coira, who is pictured above. First, Real had learned of interest in the second-grader by crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid. That, in itself, is sometimes enough to push Real to make a premature move.

Then there's the 7-year-old's nickname: Leo. It goes without saying that the similarities with Barcelona superstar Leo Messi -- widely regarded as the current greatest player in the world -- don't stop there, either. Coira openly idolizes Messi, who also hails from Argentina but didn't leave the South American country until his teenage years.

Like Messi, Coira wears number 10. And like Messi, he dreams of starring for the Argentinian national team. They both already sport their own Facebook fan pages, too. They even look more than a little bit similar (if you imagine Messi as a 7-year-old, of course). Really, the only thing that does clearly separate Messi and Coira are the spelling of their first names -- Leo Messi is Lionel whereas Leo Coira is Leonel -- and Messi's well-stocked trophy case.

In short, if you think that Real Madrid officials weren't positively terrified by the thought of this young Argentine Leo eventually ending up at Barcelona's famed La Masia Academy, the breeding ground which groomed Messi's talent and helped transform it from potential to genius, you're kidding yourself.

Still, the Coira family insisted that the precocious youngster spent time at both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in brief tryouts and came away feeling much more comfortable with the youth program at Real Madrid. Coira's father, Miguel Coira, also insisted that the family will not receive any compensation for sending their younger son to Real Madrid, though he did acknowledge that the club would pay for transportation to and from Argentina.

To put the entire episode in American context, the Coira signing is essentially like the Red Sox signing an elementary school student from Kalamazoo, Mich., named Derek Jeter Jones (or any other last name), who happened to go by the nickname "Jeter." Needless to say, it just wouldn't happen.

Of course, no American professional franchise would sign a 7-year-old from another country to begin with, even for a designated youth development setup. That's precisely what makes this story all the more incredible, and head scratching when you try to make sense of it all.

Yet officials at Real Madrid insist that there is nothing puzzling about what sparked their interest in Coira. According to club spokesman Juan Tapiador, the 7-year-old is simply a unique talent.

"They only have to be a standout," Tapiador told the AP of Real Madrid's reason for signing Coira at his young age. "We look for something different, that quality or talent that makes them stand out from the rest."

The elder Coira is confident that his son will achieve great things with the Spanish giants, even if they don't come until his idol has finished his playing days with Real's biggest rivals, Barcelona.

"I trust the club a lot," Miguel Coira told ABC. "I know they will take good care of him."

The freefall continues: Tiger Woods drops out of the world top 20

We all knew this day was coming, we just didn't think it was coming so soon. Tiger Woods has dropped out of the world top 20, a moment which we've all anticipated in the last few months, but one which retains major historical significance.

You know the story. Woods hasn't been close to a world-beating golfer since his scandal broke in November 2009. This season, he's played exactly nine holes of competitive golf since Augusta, an ill-fated excursion to The Players Championship in May. And now, he's only ranked No. 21 in the world.

Indeed, perhaps the only surprise surrounding Woods' place in the rankings was the fact that he remained in the top 10 for so long. But the Official World Golf Rankings tally scores based on a rolling two-year average, and since Woods had a successful 2009 -- before Thanksgiving, at least -- he was cruising on past successes.

Which is why he'll be hitting terminal velocity in the rankings before long. We're coming up on the two-year anniversary of a remarkable run in which he posted two wins and a second-place finish in three straight tournaments -- the Buick Classic, the Bridgestone and the PGA Championship -- and once those no longer count in his favor, he'll have only the September 2009 BMW Championship and the November 2009 Australian Masters counting in his favor.

The top of the rankings remain familiar: Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy and Steve Stricker. Phil Mickelson comes in at No. 6, and British Open winner Darren Clarke is No. 31. (Auburn also received votes, which seems a little strange.)

We don't need any more reminders of how far Woods has fallen. And although winning will solve many of his on-course ills, those days seem further away than ever before.

Team pays for rights to own nickname

(Reuters) - South Africa's Football Association (SAFA) will pay five million rand ($732,332.479) for the rights to the popular nickname of the country's soccer team, Bafana Bafana, ending a long running dispute with a licensing company who first registered it.

The sum will be paid over 12 months to Johannesburg-based licensing company Stanton Woodrush, who had registered the nickname almost 20 years ago, SAFA said Friday.

"We feel very happy about the acquisition of the Bafana Bafana name which allows us to exploit this great brand for the good of the game," SAFA president Kirtsen Nematandani told reporters.

It brings to a close a highly divisive issue which had pitted the association against the licensing company in court and also concludes months of post-World Cup negotiations.

Bafana Bafana was a moniker first attached to the team in 1992 by a newspaper reporter. Loosely translated from Zulu it means "our boys" and quickly became popular although was shunned at first by the football association.

After South Africa won the 1996 African Nations Cup, the nickname became firmly attached to the team and the association sought to embrace it but had already been beaten to the registration of the name as trademark by businessman Stan Smidt, who owned Stanton Woodrush.

SAFA lost a court case over the intellectual property rights nine years ago but later went into a partnership with Stanton Woodrush for apparel and licensing sales using the nickname, worth an estimated 50 million rand.

After last year's World Cup, SAFA made a renewed bid to gain sole rights to the nickname and held lengthy negotiations, at one time threatening to ditch Bafana Bafana and organize a public poll for a new nickname. ($1 = 6.827 South African Rand)

One major doesn’t make Rory Mcllroy a Tiger Woods

BETHESDA, Md. – By the time dusk settled over Congressional Country Club on Sunday evening it was clear that golf had found its challenge to Tiger Woods, even if it comes in the form of a man barely 22 years old with freckles on his face and the bushy hair of a teenager. For all the imposters and has-beens and never-really-coulds who were supposed to break the iron rule of the game’s most dominant player over the last 14 years, who would have imagined Rory McIlory?

Stalking the greens he fades into the scenery, a kid making a joke of grown men, he hardly seems tall enough to crush the drives he hits so precisely. And yet with one brilliant week here on the very course that hosts Tiger’s tournament, he leaped into that hazy ether owned only by Woods. McIlroy might only have won three professional tournaments in his brief career, but his 16-under par total in this U.S. Open was one of the most dominating performances in a major ever, obliterating Tiger’s previous Open record of 12 under set at the 2000 Open at Pebble Beach.

So here is the new face golf was desperate to find, the one whose life changed forever this weekend, the one that will now be pictured as the favorite at the next several major tournaments regardless of whether Woods returns from his injuries.

But Rory McIlroy is not Tiger Woods. He does not strut through golf tournaments with an icy indifference, breaking opponents just by the act of not even looking their way. He isn’t the kind to brush past a group of fans without at least a nod or the tiniest of waves.

On Saturday, after McIlroy nearly made the outcome of this tournament moot by shooting a 68, he walked into the clubhouse, spotted a small boy standing in the hallway and tossed him his glove. The boy beamed. The boy’s mother clapped. And Rory replied with a slight smile as he walked toward the locker room.

It’s the kind of thing Tiger would have never done lest he seem compassionate. Yet it is the frigid distance that helped Tiger win 14 major titles and become the most-feared man on the tour. He crushed his adversaries before he ever played them.

McIlroy is not a golf robot. Even as he scorched his way through Congressional doubts lingered about his will. He could have been the true challenge to Tiger two months ago in the green forest of Augusta, but his last-day lead at the Masters imploded somewhere off the side of the 10th fairway cementing a label as yet another talented young player too fragile to survive the pressure of a major tournament.

Most observers believe that Rory McIlroy will win many majors and eventually be ranked as the top player in the game.
(AP)

You do not go from being the player who blew the Masters and squandered a first-day lead at last summer’s British Open to being the most intimidating presence on the tour in a matter of weeks. You are not yet the game’s best player if thousands are lining the ropes on Sunday, craning their necks half expecting you to crumble.

Just Saturday evening Lee Westwood, who shares a business manager with McIlroy, wondered aloud if McIlory would hold what was then an eight-stroke lead. “You don’t know how he’s going to deal with the big lead,” Westwood said. “He had a big lead in a major and didn’t deal with it well before. There’s pressure on him with regards to that. We’ll see.”

Nobody said “we’ll see” when Tiger led by eight strokes on the next to last day of a major.

Maybe someday McIlroy gets a Tiger-like desire. Maybe winning this tournament and all the fame that comes with it will harden him, wiping the youthful smirk that dances on his lips and steeling him against the world the way Woods always did. Perhaps, as everyone seems to predict, he will win lots and lots of majors and approach the 14 major titles won by Tiger. But it’s hard to believe a kid who talks freely about his failings and admits that the thing he needed to add most to his game was arrogance could be Tiger.

Instead he will likely become something else, something more loveable: a really good player who knows how to treat people well, who will smile and sign autographs and play the game with joy and not as if he was on a corporate mission.

Sunday he took the victor’s walk down the 18th fairway, basking in the roar that reverberated through the trees, over the pond and against the giant clubhouse standing regal atop a hill. There are few strolls like this in sports and everybody expects there will be many more. But still it lay in contrast to the previous evening, when he leaned over to knock his final putt into the hole and from far across the water there came a voice piercing the silence.

“Just like the Masters!”

Nobody would have dared scream such a thing at Woods in the same situation.

Which is why Rory McIlroy is a really, really good golfer.

But he is not Tiger Woods. At least not yet.

When Mavs fans turn their heads into creepy basketballs

There really isn't much more I can add to this. Yardbarker found a picture of a Dallas Mavericks fan who had turned his head into a strangely deflated basketball. My editors and I agree that you should see this gentleman's head. I would also like to point out, with a heatwave sweeping much of North America, that you probably shouldn't do this to your, or anyone else's, head.

Unless you really, really like the Mavs. Because we already know that you don't like the Heat.

Yahoo!'s own Jason Sickles documented the fan's apparent first attempt at creating this rather unhealthy alter-ego in a column from last month:

"I shaved my head and eyebrows," he boasted.

Caked in orange and black paint, Perez's smooth noggin resembled a basketball ready for play.

"This is my first time to ever do something like this," the Keller resident said.

Apparently the fan, named Frank Perez, makes himself up as the ball in order to score free tickets to Mavericks playoff games, given away by team officials hoping to fill the stadium with all sorts of crazy. Mission accomplished, Frank! And we'll be on the lookout for His Orangeness in Thursday's Game 5.

Nowitzki says Wade, James ‘childish … ignorant’

MIAMI (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki(notes) said Saturday that Dwyane Wade(notes) and LeBron James(notes) were “a little childish, a little ignorant” in a video that appears to show them mocking the Mavericks star’s recent illness.

Wade said he really did cough and turned it into a generic joke because cameras were rolling. He and James blamed others for trying to make a big deal out of it.

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 11: Dirk Now…
Getty Images - Jun 11, 2:41 pm EDT

Dallas Mavericks ' Dirk No…
AP - Jun 11, 2:13 pm EDT

The video taken by the CBS affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth shows Wade walking alongside James following a shootaround the morning of Game 5 of the NBA finals. Wade coughs, then says, “Did you hear me cough? Think I’m sick.”

Nowitzki was coughing and sniffling throughout Game 4 because of a sinus infection that also left him with a 101-degree fever. He played anyway and led Dallas to a victory over the Miami Heat that evened the series at two games each. The Mavs also won Game 5, sending them into Game 6 on Sunday night with a chance to be crowned champions.

The video of Wade’s cough spread across the Internet on Friday, when both teams were traveling. So it became a popular topic at news conferences Saturday.

“First of all, it wasn’t fake coughing,” Wade said. “I actually did cough. And with the cameras being right there, we made a joke out of it because we knew you guys were going to blow it up. You did exactly what we knew. We never said Dirk’s name. I think he’s not the only one in the world who can get sick or have a cough. We just had fun with the cameras being right in our face about the blowup of the incident, and it held to be true. You blew it up.”

Said James: “If you guys want to feed into everything that not only myself or D-Wade or the Miami Heat do, I think that’s a non-issue. There’s bigger issues in this series than that.”

The video clip runs 26 seconds. After Wade coughs, he and James laugh and tug their collars over their nose and mouth, as Nowitzki did during his interview following Game 4.

Nowitzki clearly didn’t see anything humorous about it. He considered them implying he may not have been sick.

“I’ve been in this league for 13 years. I’ve never faked an injury or an illness before,” Nowitzki said. “But (the video) happened. It’s over to me. It’s not going to add anything extra to me. This is the NBA finals. If you need an extra motivation, you have a problem.”

Oops! French Open officials gave runner-up the winner’s trophy

There are two winner's trophies at the French Open, the large Coupe Suzanne Lenglen that you see female winners like Li Na hoist in the air and kiss after the match and the smaller replica version they take home. In an embarrassing mistake Saturday at Roland Garros, one of those trophies was accidentally awarded to runner-up Francesca Schiavone.

Schiavone was handed the small trophy by the gentleman on the left and posed for pictures with it alongside Li Na, the winner, and 1971 champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley. Notice how Schiavone's trophy is a mini version of the larger one Li Na is holding.

Evidently the large Coupe Suzanne Lenglen stays at Roland Garros and winners take home the smaller trophy. In the original picture, you can see the true runner-up trophy sitting on a table behind the players.

The mistake was eventually corrected and Schiavone was awarded the proper trophy.

Schiavone couldn't have minded giving the replica trophy back too much. After all, she won one last year.

Suns president Rick Welts tells The New York Times he’s gay

We've learned in recent weeks that the NBA still has a complicated relationship with anything other than the most heteronormative forms of sexuality. Kobe Bryant's unfortunate slur and his subsequent non-apology were not the league's best moments, and slang use of "pause" is a regularity on players' Twitter accounts.

Still, there are some signs that the NBA may be becoming more open-minded about this issue. Bryant recorded a nice PSA that was played at a few Lakers home games, and the Phoenix Suns' Grant Hill and Jared Dudley starred in a similar-themed spot that aired during Game 1 between the Bulls and Heat.

On Sunday, the NBA may have witnessed a watershed moment in its relationship with the LGBT community. In a piece by Dan Barry of The New York Times, Suns president Rick Welts told the world he's gay:

In these meetings and in interviews with The New York Times, Mr. Welts explained that he wants to pierce the silence that envelops the subject of homosexuality in men's team sports. He wants to be a mentor to gay people who harbor doubts about a sports career, whether on the court or in the front office. Most of all, he wants to feel whole, authentic.

"This is one of the last industries where the subject is off limits," said Mr. Welts, who stands now as a true rarity, a man prominently employed in professional men's team sports, willing to declare his homosexuality. "Nobody's comfortable in engaging in a conversation."

Dr. Richard Lapchick, the founder and director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, and the son of the basketball legend Joe Lapchick, agreed. "The fact that there's no other man who has done this before speaks directly to how hard it must be for Rick to do this now," he said.

The article is lengthy and absolutely worth reading in full. Barry notes how Welts came out to several high-profile friends including David Stern, Bill Russell and Steve Nash(notes). He also tells how Welts went from a Seattle ballboy as a teenager in the '70s to the No. 3 employee in the entire NBA by the late-'90s. He worked as public relations director for the Sonics during their championship season of 1979, created All-Star Weekend, and played a major role into turning the NBA into a global force. Despite that success, he was unable to discuss his personal life, including the death of his long-time partner -- not just in public, but with friends and colleagues, as well.

It's a fascinating story that helps illuminate how far behind most of the country the NBA is with regards to sexuality. Welts is 58 and has accomplished more than all except a handful of executives in league history, but he only now felt comfortable enough to make the most basic aspect of his personal life public. Some of that reluctance is probably owed to his own personality. On the other hand, his unwillingness to do so for so long likely has something to do with the culture of machismo that pervades the NBA. Still, that he chose to make this decision at all may help break down barriers around the league.

However, the boardroom isn't the locker room, and progress in one doesn't always lead to broadened horizons in another. David Stern accepting a gay friend does not mean that a group of 15 players would be totally cool with one openly gay teammate. That time will come, but it's not necessarily right around the corner.

Nevertheless, instances of improved social equality should be celebrated no matter how minor the advances may be. Welts has made history, and we should applaud him for it.

Serena Williams’ controversial Twitter picture: Was it over the line?

On the day the WTA announced its new "strong is beautiful" campaign, Serena Williams is under unnecessary fire for putting up, and quickly removing, a sexy Twitter avatar.

Williams put up the picture of herself standing in high heels and wearing nothing more than matching undergarments on Thursday afternoon. She took it down hours later, but not before the criticism began.

"Someone must have gotten to her and suggested something about common sense and hypocrisy," wrote Greg Couch of The Sporting News.

He's referring to the recent arrest of a Florida man accused of stalking the tennis star. The 40-year-old man was arrested last week on the grounds of Williams' Palm Beach estate. One month earlier, Williams took out an injunction against the man, who used her Twitter updates to stalk her in various locations, including in the dressing room of a television studio. Couch doesn't say so directly, but he's basically suggesting that Serena putting up a voyeuristic photo of herself in a bra and panties emboldens stalkers.

Couch isn't the only one who was skittish about the picture or instantly thought of the recent arrest.

I see it differently. I think the picture is strong and beautiful, just like those new commercials say. What's Serena supposed to do, let the creepy guys win? Dress like Mary Todd Lincoln for the rest of her life? She can't put on a sexy outfit anymore because of one crazed man? If that's going to be the case, she might as well stop tweeting since her accused stalker used that as a tool in his illegal activities. No more revealing outfits; think of how some people might respond! Hell, she might as well stop playing tennis because that's how the stalker found her in the first place.

There's no higher meaning to this picture and I don't want to assign any. Like everything Serena does, this was a calculated move to get people talking about her. It always works. The intentions behind the picture don't change its merit, though.

Like Erin Andrews before her, Serena is a victim of a crime. She's not an enabler. Let's not treat her as one.

Despite bomb, Queen visits Ireland on peace trip

AP – Irish Army Rangers take up positions at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Ireland, Tuesday May 17, 2011, …

By SHAWN POGATCHNIK and GREGORY KATZ, Associated Press Shawn Pogatchnik And Gregory Katz, Associated Press – 34 mins ago

DUBLIN – Undeterred by real and fake bombs, Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday began the first visit by a British monarch to the Republic of Ireland, a four-day trip to highlight strong Anglo-Irish relations and peace in neighboring Northern Ireland.

The 85-year-old queen, resplendent in an emerald suit and hat and accompanied by husband Prince Philip, was greeted Tuesday by an Irish Army honor guard at a military airstrip outside Dublin. An 8-year-old girl presented her with a floral bouquet.

The queen then boarded a bombproof, bulletproof Range Rover to have lunch with Irish President Mary McAleese, who had lobbied for 14 years for the queen to visit. A 33-motorcycle police escort led the way through the unusually empty streets of Dublin — cleared to ensure that no anti-British extremists could launch an attack.

Hours beforehand, Irish Republican Army dissidents opposed to compromise with Britain tried to undermine the visit with real and hoax bombs. Irish Army experts defused one pipe bomb on a Dublin-bound bus overnight. A second device abandoned near a light-rail station in west Dublin was deemed a hoax Tuesday morning.

No group claimed responsibility for either threat. But several small IRA splinter groups concentrated along the Irish border continue to plot gun and bomb attacks in the British territory of Northern Ireland in hopes of undermining the success of its 1998 peace accord, particularly its stable Catholic-Protestant government.

Irish and British officials were keen to stress that the queen's four-day visit to Dublin, Kildare, Tipperary and Cork would proceed as planned — accompanied by the biggest security operation in the Republic of Ireland's history.

"This is the start of an entirely new beginning for Ireland and Britain," said new Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. "I really do hope that the welcome she gets will be genuine and memorable for her and her party."

On her first day in Dublin, the queen was visiting Trinity College — founded in 1592 by her royal namesake, Queen Elizabeth I — and laying a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance, a central Dublin memorial that honors two centuries of Ireland's rebel dead.

The latter gesture was to symbolize Britain's reconciliation with Ireland 90 years after a brutal guerrilla war led to independence for the Catholic south of the island.

More than 8,000 police, two-thirds of the entire country's police force, shut down key roads in central Dublin and erected pedestrian barricades for several miles (kilometers). About 1,000 Irish troops were being kept in reserve as potential reinforcements.

Ireland received both the queen's specially armored Range Rover and two massive mobile water cannons from the Northern Ireland police.

For those opposed to the visit, police are making it extremely difficult even to protest within sight of any of the queen's engagements. Onlookers were given few vantage points to see the queen unless they had been included in carefully vetted guest lists. Roads surrounding events were closed even to pedestrians.

But Irish leaders said extreme security measures were necessary to ensure the success of an event that has long been envisaged as the symbolic conclusion to Northern Ireland's peace process.

McAleese said Britain and Ireland were both "determined to make the future a much, much better place."

The queen arrived a full century after her grandfather George V visited an Ireland that was still part of the British Empire.

The two countries spent decades in frosty opposition following Ireland's 1919-21 war of independence and the creation in 1922 of the Irish Free State. The predominantly Protestant territory of Northern Ireland remained in the United Kingdom.

Ireland stayed neutral in World War II and offered condolences to Germany over Adolf Hitler's death. It broke all symbolic ties with Britain by declaring itself a republic in 1949 and offered sympathy and a relatively safe haven when the modern IRA in 1970 began shooting and bombing in Northern Ireland.

But after Britain and Ireland joined the European Union in 1973, and as the bloodshed in Northern Ireland spilled over into the Catholic south, the governments in London and Dublin gradually found common cause.

Their cooperation provided the essential bedrock for Belfast's Good Friday peace accord in 1998. IRA disarmament and a coalition government of the British Protestant majority and Irish Catholic minority eventually followed.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who will arrive Wednesday in Dublin, said the success of Northern Ireland peacemaking has allowed "the natural friendship, comradeship, shared experiences and warmth that we have for each other (to) really come out." He said the queen's tour of Ireland would "be a huge step forward for that process."

While the Irish remain proud of their independence, many concede they share much with their larger neighbor. Today's Ireland is home to 4.5 million residents who watch British television and newspapers daily, and shop in the British chain stores that dominate every Irish city.

Many follow English and Scottish soccer with passion, traveling by the tens of thousands each weekend by plane and ferry. The English, in turn, have made the Emerald Isle a favored tourist destination.

Ireland's struggle to prevent a national bankruptcy — the Irish have spent three years raising taxes and cutting spending, and six months ago received a potential euro67.5 billion ($95 billion) credit line from international lenders — has found its greatest champion in Britain.

Cameron's government offered a particularly low-interest loan, declared that Ireland's revival was a strategic British interest, and has pressed other EU members to cut the Irish more slack for managing their staggering debts.

Was Harmon Killebrew the inspiration for the MLB logo?

As Harmon Killebrew ends his cancer treatments and enters hospice care, the baseball world is left to remember his many contributions to the sport.

We're also left to again wonder if a long-time rumor is actually true. The iconic Minnesota Twins legend and Hall of Famer is said to be the inspiration for the silhouette in MLB's iconic logo, which was designed in 1968.

There are some noticeable similarities that quickly lend credence to the theory: A hard nose drawn with sharp lines. Strong wrists positioned parallel to the shoulders. A round helmet pushed over a determined brow. A right-handed stance, though the logo's design allows it also to be viewed as left-handed, depending on how you look at it. (Note: Despite this being the cause of a "bar fight," I just learned this Monday. My mind is officially blown.)

So is it Killebrew that we're seeing any time MLB wants to put its official stamp on something? Paul Lukas of ESPN's Uni Watch Blog did some extensive research on the rumor back in 2008 and found out that it cannot yet be confirmed. Read his article here.

Killebrew himself believes that he's in the middle of the logo and has told people of the Jerry West/NBA logo-type link for years. Meanwhile, Jerry Dior — the graphic designer generally credited for the logo's creation — claims that it is a composite he made from looking at a few different players.

Dior's claim should end the speculation right there, right? Well, here's the catch: Dior says he can't remember the specific player photographs he used to research the design and Killebrew says his claim is based on first-hand experience with something he saw.

So we're saying there's a chance ... here's what Killebrew told Lukas back in 2008:

"I was in the commissioner's office one day in the late 1960s ... and there was a man sitting at a table. He had a photograph of me in a hitting position, and he had one of those grease pencils that you see at a newspaper, and he was marking that thing up. I said, 'What are you doing with that?' and he said they were going to make a new Major League Baseball logo. I never thought any more about it. And then the logo came out and it did look like me. The only change was the angle of the bat — they changed that to kind of make it fit more into the design."

As Lukas and his detail-obsessed readers point out, there are a few players from the '60s who could have fit the description and it doesn't take too much to imagine another player serving as the model. So because Killebrew's stance wasn't as completely unique as, say, Julio Franco's, we're probably never going to reach the universal conclusion that it's him in that logo. Especially with that change in the angle of the bat.

Still, it's interesting to note that Killbrew's outstanding career, with its 573 home runs, was so iconic that such a claim could be repeated and accepted as fact for years without anyone questioning the tie further. Even if one of Killebrew's photos never passed over Dior's design desk, it's easy to see why so many people wanted to make the connection.

In a way, that's an even greater tribute to Killebrew than an outright acknowledgement he's the mystery man in the middle of Major League Baseball's official mark.

Not-So-Humble Athlete Abodes

Athletes are bigger, better, faster and/or stronger than the rest of us, and some of them almost achieve the superpower of flying. The pros perform on a larger-than-life scale, and many live that way as well. In the interest of gawking at eye candy, we've gathered more than a dozen of those athlete mansions and houses, including more than a few in the Miami area. These homes' square footage ranges from a relatively modest 6,000 to a positively palatial 28,000.

That 28,000 square foot complex belongs to Michael Jordan. Costing between $12 million and $20 million to build, the Jupiter, Fla., it's located in the 55-estate luxury community developed by eminent golfer Jack Nicklaus, the Bears Club. The community is already very private, but Jordan's grounds have a two-story guardhouse. Naturally, the sprawling estate also features an athletic wing with a basketball court and gym, a guest house, and a pool house.

Slideshow: Coolest athlete homes

Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen has a 10,630 square foot mansion in the Blakely Woods neighborhood of Carnation, Wash. Allen once upon a time played for the now-decamped and renamed Seattle SuperSonics. Located on nearly 4.5 acres, the estate features a grand vaulted entryway, six fireplaces, three family rooms, two laundry rooms, wood-paneled office and gourmet kitchen, a full-size basketball and tennis court, pool with kitchen cabana including all stainless steel appliances, a putting green, Jacuzzi and a children's play house.

Former L.A. Dodgers and current Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre put his dazzling Bradbury, Calif., Mediterranean-style mansion (16,600 square feet) on 4.16 acres on the market last year. The entryway has a 35-foot custom-painted ceiling, inlaid marble floors, a crystal chandelier and dual staircases. As for sporting features, there's a rec room with batting cage, an infinity pool, golf greens, and tennis and basketball courts.

FBI docs say Steinbrenner was an international man of mystery

Well, sorta.

Though the plotline would have even seemed outlandish on the set of "Seinfeld," recently declassified documents reveal that George Steinbrenner aided and cooperated with the FBI on cases involving national security.

But a James Bond or Jason Bourne, the late New York Yankees owner was not.

Though his exact role remains unclear, Steinbrenner initially agreed to things like allowing an organized crime sting at old Yankee Stadium because he was trying to clear his own name.

From the New York Times:

His help to the F.B.I. in the 1970s and '80s helped lead to his receiving a pardon from President Reagan in 1989 for a conviction for illegal contributions to Richard M. Nixon's 1972 presidential re-election campaign. [...]

There are no details of what assistance Steinbrenner provided, or the role he played, in his pardon petition or in an F.B.I. memorandum. Both were heavily redacted before release.

In addition to the gambling syndicate sting in the Bronx, it was revealed that Steinbrenner also helped "without hesitation" on a three-year undercover case that his lawyer claimed to have involved a "terrorist matter."

It is not surprising that Steinbrenner helped the F.B.I., to help his case for a pardon but perhaps also to demonstrate his avowed patriotism. But clearly, he wanted a pardon.

Seeking pardon or not, this is still a pretty fascinating and fun story, and one that will have us lamenting the lost opportunities that "Seinfeld" may have been able to mine.

The Boss talking into his shoe ... grappling up the frieze at Yankee Stadium ... steering a powerboat down the Hudson River before thwarting a madman's plot at the Statue of Liberty ... wooing Ursula Andress from behind his desk ... Yeah, the possibilities would have been endless.

Team becomes highest-earner in history

For the sixth consecutive year, Real Madrid tops the Deloitte Football Money League, and in doing so, became the highest-earning sports team ever, reports Business Insider. Despite not winning any trophies, the club's earnings jumped from $541 million for the 2008/09 season to $592 million for the 2009/10 season, enabling it to continue funding Cristiano Ronaldo's most extravagant purchases. Like exclusive yet unenforcable baby rights.

Barcelona came in right behind Real for the second straight year (even though the standings were the other way around in La Liga) and for the first time ever, the combined earnings of Deloitte's 20-club Money League topped $5.4 billion.

By comparison, the top earning NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys, made $420 million according to Forbes and the top earning MLB team, the New York Yankees, made $441 million. That would only put them fifth and fourth, respectively, in Deloitte's list of football clubs.

The biggest chunk of Real Madrid's revenue came from its ongoing $1.4 billion TV rights deal, but it also makes nearly as much from numerous sponsorships and matchday earnings. And if there's one thing Real likes more than making money, it's spending it. Over the last decade, it's spent more than $1 billion on player transfers as it keeps breaking its own transfer records for individual players to fill out club president Florentino Perez's live-action fantasy team.

Here's the full Football Money League Top 20...

1. Real Madrid -- $592 million
2. Barcelona -- $537 million
3. Manchester United -- $472 million
4. Bayern Munich -- $436 million
5. Arsenal -- $370 million
6. Chelsea -- $345 million
7. AC Milan -- $318 million
8. Liverpool -- $308 million
9. Inter Milan -- $303 million
10. Juventus -- $277 million
11. Manchester City -- $206 million
12. Tottenham Hotspur -- $198 million
13. Hamburger SV -- $197 million
14. Lyon -- $197 million
15. Marseille -- $190 million
16. Schalke 04 -- $189 million
17. Atletico Madrid -- $168 million
18. Roma -- $166 million
19. Stuttgart -- $155 million
20. Aston Villa -- $148 million

Fun, right? Well, it's not so much when you look at how quickly those earnings disappear. As the Andersred Blog points out, just one of the seven English clubs on Deloitte's list turned a profit (Arsenal). Barcelona had to take out a loan to pay player wages last summer and Real's debt is in the hundreds of millions. So keep that in mind when imagining club executives diving into warehouse-sized safes full of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck.

Rich, famous, and in foreclosure

How does Nicolas Cage get behind on his mortgage payments? The same way other rich and famous people do.

"They've stretched themselves higher than they probably should have," says John Anderson, owner of Twin Oaks Realty in Minneapolis and a National Association of Realtors expert in foreclosures. Some couldn't keep up when the rates on their adjustable rate mortgages shot up, Anderson says. Price drops at the high end of the market were so steep that a sale wouldn't cover the debt. In other words, high-end homeowners face the same problems that plague the not-so-rich-and-famous.

Here are five of the biggest names on the of list homeowners falling to foreclosure. We've included a bit of info about the current markets where these stars once lived. You know, in case you'd like to hunt for a foreclosure deal in one of those tony neighborhoods.

Nicolas Cage

The star: He's an Academy Award-winning actor (for "Leaving Las Vegas"), nephew of multiple-Oscar-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and the former son-in-law of Elvis.

The house: Make that "houses." In November 2009, Cage lost two New Orleans homes -- one in the French Quarter, the other in the Garden District -- worth a combined $6.8 million, according to a CNNMoney.com report. Cage was behind $5.5 million in mortgage payments and he owed $151,730 in property taxes to the city of New Orleans. Regions Banks paid $4.5 million for the properties.

The market: One in 720 homes in Orleans Parish had foreclosure filings in November 2010, according to RealtyTrac. The average foreclosure sales price in the city was close to $110,000.

Erin Moran

The star: She's best known as Richie Cunningham's freckle-faced little sister Joanie on the 1970s sitcom "Happy Days" and co-star of the spinoff "Joanie Loves Chachi."

The house: Los Angeles County court records posted on the entertainment website TMZ.com show that Moran, also known by her married name Erin Fleishmann, owed $315,930 on the Palmdale, Calif., home. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company bought the house at auction for $291,150 in July 2010. According to TMZ, Moran stayed in the home after losing it to the bank and had to be evicted.

The market: Palmdale, just north of Los Angeles, posted foreclosure filings in November 2010 on one in 80 housing units. The average foreclosure sales price was around $154,000.

Lisa Wu-Hartwell

The star: Viewers of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Atlanta," may remember Wu-Hartwell from the first season as one of the network's touted "six fabulous women from Atlanta's social elite." Hubby Edgerton Hartwell, the former Oakland Raiders linebacker, made frequent appearances.

The house: According to court records posted on TMZ.com, the couple borrowed $2.9 million to buy their suburban mansion in June 2007. Just more than two years later, Bank of America paid $1.9 million for the house at a foreclosure sale at the Forsyth County, Ga., courthouse, after the Hartwells defaulted on their adjustable-rate mortgage from the bank.

The market: RealtyTrac reports there were foreclosure filings on one in 248 housing units in Forsyth County in November 2010. The average foreclosure sales price was around $210,000.

Lenny Dykstra

The star: Nicknamed "Nails," the former Major League Baseball pro was an outfielder for the Mets and the Phillies during the late 1980s and early 1990s. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, Dykstra, in a move many found ironic, started an online financial advisory firm in 2010 called Nails Investments.

The house: Dykstra bought the 6.5-acre property in Thousand Oaks, Calif., from hockey pro Wayne Gretzky for $18.5 million in 2007, according to the Los Angeles Times. He lost the house in a Ventura County foreclosure sale in November 2010 to a winning bid of $760,712, the newspaper reported. Dykstra owed about $12 million to JPMorgan Chase.

The market: One in 201 homes in Ventura County received a foreclosure filing in November 2010, according to RealtyTrac. The average foreclosure sales price was in the neighborhood of $382,000.

Veronica Hearst

The star: The name is Hearst's claim to fame. She's the widow of newspaper heir Randolph Hearst and stepmother of Patricia Hearst, who was kidnapped by left-wing guerrillas in 1974.

The house: Located Manalapan, Fla., near Palm Beach, the Villa Venezia was originally built for the great-grandson of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. According to The Palm Beach Post, the 52-room, 28,000-square-foot mansion sold to New Stream Capital for $22 million at a Palm Beach County auction in February 2008.

The market: One in 211 housing units in Palm Beach County received a foreclosure filing in November 2010, reports RealtyTrac. The average foreclosure sales price was about $137,000.

Rihanna Genuinely Happier With Matt Kemp

Rihanna is the poster girl for bouncing back. It's been 20 months since her heated verbal exchange with former beau Chris Brown turned violent, and she is already preparing the release of her second post-incident album, "Loud." Romantically, she is blissfully happy in a relationship with her Los Angeles Dodgers boyfriend Matt Kemp.

Rihanna is genuinely giddy this time around, she reveals in a cover story in the December 2010 issue of Marie Claire UK. Access Hollywood reported that she told the magazine, "I feel like I smile for real this time. The smiles come from inside, and it exudes in everything I do. People feel my energy is different. When I smile they can tell that it's pure bliss and not just a cover up."

The "Only Girl (In The World)" singer said she knew when her tumultuous relationship with Brown had come to an end.

"One day, I remember I was in New York at the Trump Hotel and I woke up and I just knew I was over it," she said.

But Rihanna believes the altercation happened for a reason. "God has a crazy way of working, and sometimes when stuff happens you feel like, 'What did I do to deserve this? Why was it backfiring on me?'" she said, according to an Us magazine report. "But, I needed that wake-up call in my life. I needed a turning point, and that's what God was giving to me. All [of] this terrible stuff they say to you, it breaks you down."

Brown, on the other hand, has also experienced his own turning point. Since the felony assault, his career has plummeted until recently. His introspective ballad "Deuces" reached No. 1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and was recently remixed with guest vocals from hip-hop elite Kanye West, T.I., Andre 3000, and Drake.

Brown is feeling better these days, he told Access Hollywood. "Everything [is] good, I'm definitely - me personally and mentally - I'm a great guy now," he said. "Definitely just a person who's promoting positivity all the time, so that's just me," he said.

Brown added that he is also working on recording music. "The new album is called ‘F.A.M.E.': Forgiving All My Enemies. Basically, just being able to witness my success, failure and success again," he said. "Being able to see me going from my best times to my worst times and being able to overcome it and growing [in]to a man, as I was doing it."

Last Saturday, Celine Dion gave birth to twin boys, but fans were saddened to learn that Dion actually lost a third child during her pregnancy with multiples. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon shared their good news, that they were expecting a baby this spring. And Billy Ray Cyrus and wife Tish filed for divorce.

There's been so much baby and couple news over the last few weeks. Let's cross our fingers that next week will yield a good-old fashioned rock star feud. See you then.

The Stig's ID is 'Top Gear' secret no more

AP – This photo combo shows an undated file photo of the driver for the BBC motoring programme Top Gear 'The …

By JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer Jennifer Quinn, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 1, 12:01 pm ET

LONDON – The opaque visor of one of Britain's most famous helmets has been lifted.

The identity of The Stig, the always-anonymous test driver on the popular television show "Top Gear," has long been a closely guarded secret. On Wednesday, lawyers said the BBC had been refused an injunction blocking publication of a book revealing the identity of the character.

Shortly after, publishers HarperCollins said in a statement that a 33-year-old racing driver named Ben Collins "has a great story to tell about his seven years as The Stig, which will appeal to a wide audience beyond just motoring enthusiasts."

Calling it a "victory for freedom of speech," HarperCollins said the book will be published in Britain on Sept. 16.

The white-suited Stig is the second in the role; the first Stig, who wore a black suit and helmet, was Perry McCarthy. He left the show in 2003 after his identity was revealed.

The show has a long-standing policy of not commenting on The Stig's identity. A "Top Gear" spokeswoman said no decision has been made on whether the character will be back when the show returns.

"Top Gear" is one of the BBC's most successful programs, and is seen in more than 100 countries around the world. Alongside the show's three garrulous hosts, The Stig is an always-silent presence, fearlessly navigating the show's test track in glamorous cars.

Speculation over his identity is a favorite pastime for fans of the show, and the "Top Gear" website sells T-shirtsSpeculation over his identity is a favorite pastime for fans of the show, and the "Top Gear" website sells T-shirts proclaiming "I am The Stig," "I am not The Stig," and "I am The Stig's fat cousin," among others.

"The whole point of The Stig is the mystique — the bizarre characteristics he has, the wonderment created about what he might think, feel, do or look like," producer Andy Wilman said in a post on the show's website. "Kids adore the conceit, and I believe adults, although they know it's a man in a suit (or is it?) gladly buy into the whole conceit because they find it entertaining."

The Stig's Facebook page — which more than 2.5 million people "like" — says he was recently attacked by a goose, that his ears "are not where you would expect them to be," and that he thinks the movie "Star Wars" is a documentary.

The BBC said it sought the injunction — the hearing was held in private — because viewers like the mystery surrounding the driver's identity and it's "vital to protect the character of The Stig."

The broadcaster said that the judgment does not prevent them from taking the issue further in the courts.

'The BBC will not be deterred from protecting such information from attack no matter when or by whom it should arise," the broadcaster said in a statement.

Collins' website says he has raced on the Formula Three and NASCAR circuits, and drove James Bond's Aston Martin in the 2008 film "Quantum of Solace."

Tubby Toney cashes unearned check

Boxer James Toney (above) lost to Randy Couture in the first round of Saturday's UFC 118 bout in Boston.
(Josh Hedges/Getty Images)

BOSTON – The only proof that boxer James Toney trained with any reasonable effort for his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut is anecdotal – supposedly he dropped 40 pounds just to enter the Octagon at a bloated, bubbly 237.

The deck is stacked against any boxer trying to compete in mixed martial arts – just as it would be for an MMA fighter in a boxing match. It’s why almost no one even tries.

But Toney agreed to match up with UFC legend Randy Couture anyway, then he embarrassed himself and his sport by hardly looking like he prepared for a fight that was billed as boxing vs. MMA, even if it was never going to prove anything.

Instead of some definitive statement we got a ridiculous result – Couture earning an easy victory by arm triangle submission at 3:31 of the first round. Toney is nicknamed “Lights Out.” On this night, he never bothered to turn them on.

“Toney lasted longer than I thought he would,” UFC president Dana White said, which isn’t saying much.

Toney is the current IBA heavyweight boxing champion, one of 11 belts he’s held in five weight classes in his impressive career. He had only one route to victory on Saturday night: Landing a perfectly timed punch. Couture, a former All-American wrestler, shot in for a takedown. Toney, who didn’t show up for the postfight news conference, never really threw – let alone land – a significant punch. He fought in what appeared to be a boxing stance, leaving himself completely prone to a wrestling takedown, suggesting he had no idea how to defend himself.

Less than 30 seconds into the fight, Couture employed a primitive single-leg takedown, shooting in low and grabbing Toney’s ankle. The boxer fell backward in a clumsy pile, too slow and top-heavy to do anything.

“It’s pretty easy to counter,” Couture said of the single leg, noting that’s why you rarely see it in MMA. “A good grappler or a good wrestler is going to step out of that.”

Toney is neither. Once on his back, he was finished. Couture delivered some punches and elbows and eventually squeezed his neck until Toney quit rather than lose consciousness. Toney threw perhaps just one punch, a harmless, from-his-back effort.

“I didn’t feel like he demonstrated any real solid skills once he hit his back and butt,” Couture said. “He had no idea.”

Indeed he didn’t, which is why this boxing vs. MMA exhibition was mostly a farce. A young, athletic boxer who actually showed up in great condition would likely lose. Toney literally had no chance with his strategy and preparation.

Couture deemed the experiment “silly,” although he noted it would be the same if he tried to box. “James would probably knock me out in the first round.”

Probably, but it’s also likely a professional such as Couture would at least show up in shape. Toney’s body lacked definition and his stomach hung over his shorts. In MMA, where speed is a must, low body fat is imperative. Toney claimed he trained for eight months for the fight, but it barely showed.

“I’m sure he was prepared as he could’ve been,” White said. “Anyone who knows James Toney the last few years, James isn’t the most physically fit boxer.

“From the day we signed the fight in my office, he lost a lot of weight.”

That’s nice if you’re filming an episode of “The Biggest Loser.” As fights go, it was a joke. Boxing promoter Gary Shaw, a longtime rival of White’s, said Toney looked “like a very old man, slurred his words, and was non-competitive.”

“James Toney had less than a zero percent chance unless Randy had a heart attack from hearing the bell ring,” Shaw said Saturday night.

Shaw went on to call the pay-per-view a “sham,” which isn’t really true. This fight may have been, but White went to great lengths to build a fairly stacked card around it (not all the fights delivered, but on paper they looked good). Toney-Couture wasn’t the main event of the five-fight pay-per-view; Frankie Edgar defended his lightweight title against B.J. Penn in the headliner.

“I didn’t try to sell this as, ‘Tune in, you’ll see the most spectacular war,’ ” White said. “Anything can happen in a fight. … We’re not after boxing.”

And while such a sideshow didn’t speak well for MMA, what does it say for the state of boxing, that a 42-year-old James Toney is someone’s heavyweight champion?

Arguing boxing vs. mixed martial arts is a waste of time anyway. The UFC was founded, in part, to solve the age-old debate of which fighting discipline was best. UFC 1 featured a tournament won by Royce Gracie, a master of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. That was 1993. By 2010, a fighter with a command of just one discipline – no matter what it is – rarely lasts. It’s about being well-rounded and dangerous against a number of styles.

“Ninety-nine times out of 100 or 100 out of a 100, the MMA guy is going to win,” White said.

It’s why fights like these never need to be made, a problem compounded when the boxer shows up out of shape, unprepared and with no discernable strategy to do anything other than pray for a miracle punch to land.

James Toney collected a check Saturday night. Would’ve been nice if he’d made an attempt to earn it