Ernie Els Wins British Open

In a stunning finish at the Open Championship at Lyntham St. Annes, England, Ernie Els wins his fourth major, and second British Open after third round leader Adam Scott blows a four shot lead with four holes to play by finishing with four straight bogies.

Els, who last won the Open Championship ten years ago at Muirfield, started Sunday's final round six shots behind Scott. But, he played a flawless back nine, birdieing the 18th hole to move to -7 under before watching Scott collapse.

"I'm a little numb at the moment," said Els, who was on the practice green behind the clubhouse when he won. "First of all, I feel for Adam Scott. He's a great friend of mine. Obviously, we both wanted to win very badly. But you know, that's the nature of the beast."

Tiger Woods finished a distance third, shooting a 3-over 73 and could never recover after he triple bogeyed the sixth hole.

Federer Wins His 7th Wimbledon

For a while, it looked as if Britain's 76 year old drought would be over. But, after the first set went to the hometown hero, it was all vintage Federer.

30-year old Roger Federer won his seventh Wimbledon title, tied with Pete Sampras for the most all-time, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 over Andy Murray at the All-England Club today.

It had been three long years since Federer last won at the grass courts in England, in 2009, when he beat American Andy Roddick in a classic. But through hard work and determination, the man with the most majors in history (now with 17), is once again, the world #1, after beating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, and watching Rafael Nadal lose in the first round of the tournament.

"It's amazing. It equals me with Pete Sampras, who's my hero," said Federer, who lost in the quarterfinals at the All England Club in 2010 and '11. "It just feels amazing."

For Murray, his string of no-luck at Grand Slam finals continues, as he falls to 0-4 in championship matches. But the scoreline doesn't do his play justice, as he played his heart out in spite of all the pressure.

"I played better this time in the final, and that's the main thing," Murray said. "It's not an easy tournament for British players in many ways, but I think I dealt with all of the extra things away from the tournament pretty well, better than maybe I had done in the past."

NBA Free Agency Central

UPDATE: 12:29 PM 7/6/12
Nash to Lakers
In a sign and trade, Nash joins Kobe Bryant in the Lakers backcourt on a three year, $25 million deal. In exchange, the Suns gets two first round picks and two second round picks in return.
Nets Resign Deron
The Brooklyn Nets resign all-star PG Deron Williams to a reported five year, $100 million deal. This comes after the Nets had acquired SG Joe Johnson from the Hawks in exchange for Jordan Farmar, Johan Petro, Anthony Morrow, Deshawn Stevenson, and a future first round pick.
Suns Sign Gordon
Hornets restricted Free agent SG Eric Gordon has agreed to sign with the Suns on a four year, $58 million contract. New Orleans has until July 11 to match.
Raptors Acquire Lowry
My hometown Rockets start the rebuilding process, trading away all-star caliber PG Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors for forward Gary Forbes and a future first round pick.
Clippers Sign Crawford
LA signs veteran guard Jamal Crawford to a three year deal to replace Mo Williams, who was traded to Utah in the deal to acquire forward Lamar Odom.
Knicks Sign Kidd
In a shocker, PG Jason Kidd has agreed to sign with the New York Knicks, choosing to leave Dallas.
Roy Signs with Timberwolves
One year after retiring because of chronic knee problems, former All-Star guard Brandon Roy has decided to make a comeback, signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a two year, $10.4 million deal.

Happy Independence Day

HAPPY JULY FOURTH everyone. Today, our country is 236 years old. I hope everyone will enjoy the fireworks tonight and stay cool.

Earlier today, Joey Chestnut successful defended his title to win his sixth Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest, downing 68 hotdogs in 10 minutes.


Also, at Wimbledon, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic won their respective quarterfinal matches in straight sets and will face each other in what should be a great semifinal on Friday.

If you're in front of a TV tonight, check out an American League matchup between the West leading Texas Rangers and the Central leading Chicago White Sox at 7:10 PM ET on ESPN.

MLB All-Star Snubs

I finally understand why this All-Star Game is such a joke. Yes, the injustice that home-field advantage in the World Series is decided over an exhibition baseball game is bad. But, put that aside, the selection process is a joke.

The average baseball fan, no offense, is CLUELESS about selecting All-Star players. This isn't their fault, of course: there are just simply too many games, too many teams, too many players to keep track of every single statistic in every game over a season.

But seriously? Mike Napoli, who is hitting .238, is the STARTING all-star catcher for the American League? Give me a break. But instead of going all negative and saying, who is an All-Star and should not have been (other than the obvious, Napoli), let me list out those who are deserving and got snubbed.

1. Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays, DH, .289 AVG, 22 HR, 55 RBI, .936 OPS
He had a tough matchup at starting DH against fan-favorite Big Pappi, who is having a great year himself, but to leave him off the team completely is beyond me in favor of Adam Dunn is beyond me. I don't care how many homeruns you've hit, if your batting average is .210, you should not be an All-Star. He's been the best Blue Jay hitter this year by far (better than starting OF Jose Bautista) and those numbers speak for themselves.
2. Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians, 2B, .275 AVG, 11 HR, 46 RBI, 19 SB
Kipnis is one of the main reasons the Indians are in contention this year, albeit in a weak AL Central. But his team's record aside, Kipnis leads all AL-second basemen in RBI with 46 and steals.
3. A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox, C, .285 AVG, 14 HR, 45 RBI
Sure, Pierzynski is not well-liked, but can you deny the production this guy has put up? Put his numbers next to Napoli's (.238, 12 HR, 30 RBI) and it's not even close.

As far as the Final Vote candidates, I'll take Michael Bourn of the Atlanta Braves in the NL (.307, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 22 steals) and Jake Peavy of the Chicago White Sox (6-5, 2.96 ERA, 4 CG, 101 K).

Spain Wins Euro 2012

What a performance by the Spanish in the Euro 2012 Final today in Kiev, Ukraine, as they overwhelm Italy 4-0 to win their third straight major title (after 08 Euro and 2010 World Cup).

La Roja cement themselves as maybe the best team ever, as they used clinical finishing to take a 2-0 halftime lead, despite the Italians getting more possession of the ball. Other than a splendid header by David Silva in the 14th and Xavi slipping perfect ball through to Jordi Alba, the Azzuri actually dictated the tempo more often in the first half.

But in the second half, after Thiago Motta, who was Italy's final substitution, came up lame, forcing the Azzuri to 10-men, it was over, as substitutes Fernando Torres and Juan Mata put the game out of reach with waning moment goals.

2012 NBA Draft

FIRST ROUND
1. New Orleans Hornets: Anthony Davis (C) Kentucky
2. Charlotte Bobcats: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF) Kentucky
3. Washington Wizards: Bradley Beal (SG) Florida
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Dion Waiters (SG) Syracuse
5. Sacramento Kings: Thomas Robinson (PF) Kansas
6. Portland Trailblazers: Damian Lillard (PG) Weber St.
7. Golden State Warriors: Harrison Barnes (SF) North Carolina
8. Toronto Raptors: Terence Ross (SF) Washington
9. Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond (C) Connecticut
10.New Orleans Hornets: Austin Rivers (SG) Duke
11. Portland Trailblazers: Meyers Leonard (C) Illinois
12. Houston Rockets: Jeremy Lamb (SG) Connecticut
13. Phoenix Suns: Kendall Marshall (PG) North Carolina
14. Milwaukee Bucks: John Henson (PF) North Carolina
15. Philadelphia 76ers: Moe Harkless (SF) St. John's

16. Houston Rockets: Royce White (SF) Iowa State
17¹. Dallas Mavericks: Tyler Zeller (C) North Carolina
18. Houston Rockets: Terence Jones (PF) Kentucky
19. Orlando Magic: Andrew Nicholson (PF) St. Bonaventure
20. Denver Nuggets: Evan Fournier (SG) France

21. Boston Celtics: Jared Sullinger (PF) Ohio State
22. Boston Celtics: Fab Melo (C) Syracuse
23. Atlanta Hawks: John Jenkins (SG) Vanderbilt

24¹. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jared Cunningham (SG) Oregon St.

25. Memphis Grizzlies: Tony Wroten (PG) Washington
26. Indiana Pacers: Miles Plumlee (PF) Duke
27². Miami Heat: Arnett Moultrie (PF) Mississippi St. 
28. Oklahoma City Thunder: Perry Jones (PF) Baylor
29. Chicago Bulls: Marquis Teague (PG) Kentucky
30. Golden State Warriors: Festus Ezeli (C) Vanderbilt

¹traded to Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for picks 24, 33, 34
²Traded to Philadelphia 76ers for pick #45 and 1st round pick