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Michael Jordan Talks Trash On Obama's Golf Game

REUTERS/Chris Keane Michael Jordan, one of the most prolific trash-talkers of all time, took a shot at President Barack Obama in an interview with the Back 9 Network's Ahmad Rashad.

When asked about who he would want to play golf with, Jordan mentioned Obama but said half-jokingly he would beat him because he's a "hack" and a "s----- golfer."

Here's the exchange:

Jordan: "I never played with Obama but I would. But no, it's OK I'd take him out. He's a hack. It'd be all day playing with him."

Rashad: "You really want to say that, the President of the United States is a hack?"

Jordan: "I never said he wasn't a great politician. I'm just saying he's a s----- golfer."

Rashad: "No he's not a bad golfer."

Jordan: "OK."

Jordan will talk trash to anything that moves. He spent the better part of his Hall of Fame speech going after the people who doubted him. One of the most competitive people ever, he is also an avid golfer. The president, apparently, is not safe from getting called out by M.J.Jordan is a 3-handicap, according to Golf Digest. Obama has never revealed his handicap, but ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. reported in 2012 that it was about 18. Based on that, Jordan would indeed take him out.

LeBron welcomed back on special night in Cleveland

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Carried onto the floor by an emotional ovation building for years, LeBron James is back where he began.

He's home.

Introduced to a deafening roar from Cleveland fans, James was welcomed back Thursday night by a city desperate to end a championship drought that's about to turn 50 years old. James came back to try and end it, and his journey is underway.

At 8:08 p.m. all was right in Cleveland again.

That when James, the last starter announced, walked onto the floor in a Cavs uniform for a regular season game for the first time in four years.

Nearly four months since proclaiming ''I'm coming home'' and shifting the NBA's balance of power, James is again playing in front of family, friends and the Cleveland fans who had their hearts broken when he left for Miami four years ago.

This is a homecoming like no other.

''None of us should take this moment for granted,'' a relaxed James said following Cleveland's morning shootaround at Quicken Loans Arena. ''This is probably one of the biggest sporting events ever. I don't feel it, but I know it is.''

Streb rallies for 1st PGA Tour victory

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Robert Streb hasn't seen many early indications of a happy ending throughout his career. 

That included his first PGA Tour victory.

He started the McGladrey Classic with a tee shot he hooked into a bush, leading to a double bogey, and spent the next two days worried only about making the cut. Five shots behind going into the final round Sunday, he drove into a bunker on the opening hole and made bogey. Even after he made five birdies to get back in the mix, he three-putted the 13th for bogey to fall four shots behind with five holes to play.

"And at that point I was like, 'Well, I'll just see how many birdies I can try to make on the way in,'" Streb said. "And I got on a pretty nice little run."

Streb ran off four straight birdies, closed with a 7-under 63, and then waited 90 minutes to see if it would hold up. He got into a three-way playoff at Sea Island with Brendon de Jonge and Will MacKenzie, and won on the second extra hole with the most significant shot of his young career.

He hit 8-iron at the par-3 17th that covered the flag and settled 4 feet behind the hole for his 10th birdie of the day.

Djokovic vies to hold off Federer for No. 1

PARIS (AP) -- Amid the joy of becoming a father, Novak Djokovic has to turn his attention back to tennis rather quickly as he tries to fend off Roger Federer for the year-end No. 1 ranking.

Djokovic is defending his title at the Paris Masters this week, his first tournament since the birth of his first child last week. He has left the boy, Stefan, at home with his wife Jelena, but said Monday he hopes to incorporate his family life into his tennis travels next year.

''I would like to be with him every single day and with my wife,'' Djokovic said, ''but sometimes that's not possible, like this week for example . because the baby is too young to travel yet.''

Djokovic leads Federer by 2,230 points in the world rankings. But the top-ranked Serb has 2,500 points to defend as he won the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals last year, while Federer can gain points as he lost in the semifinals of both events.

''Honestly, the way I feel right now, I feel like I'm already No. 1 with becoming a father last week. For me, this is the most important moment in my life,'' said Djokovic, who topped the rankings at the end of 2011 and 2012.''

But, he added: ''Of course it is, for both of us, the goal (is) to finish the year as No. 1 of the world. Of course it's a big objective.''

Tony Stewart nearly pulls off win at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) -- Tony Stewart let his crew chief set the final strategy in the closing laps Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, where the decision not to take tires put him in contention for his first victory of the year. 

Stewart was fourth during a late caution period with teams frantically debating whether to pit before the race resumed for one final five-lap sprint to the finish. The first three cars in front of him darted onto pit road so crew chief Chad Johnston called for Stewart to stay out on old tires for track position.

It moved Stewart to the lead for the restart, but left him nervous about his chances for the win.

It moved Stewart to the lead for the restart, but left him nervous about his chances for the win.

''Please tell me some of them stayed,'' he asked Johnston over his radio.

''I'd be lying to you,'' Johnston replied.

''Nobody else stayed?'' he asked.

''Well, bud, we made our bed here,'' said Johnston.

''We've still got a shot at this,'' Stewart said.

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Tony Stewart (14) passes Matt Kenseth (20) during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Martinsv …

''Yes we do. We've got you driving it,'' the crew chief responded.

Kevin Durant Made People Freak Out With A 4-Word Tweet About Going Home

Durant is from Washington D.C. 

The speculation about him returning home began in earnest after LeBron James went home to Cleveland this summer. The Washington Wizards have a good young team and will have cap space in 2016, which makes Durant-to-D.C. at least plausible.  In addition, Durant sent Wizards fans into a tizzy in July when he gushed about his hometown and didn't rule out leaving OKC . 

For the next two years every single Durant quote and decision will be examined and reexamined for its implications on the theory that he'll return home.

Monday morning we got a perfect example of this. Durant set the NBA world ablaze with a four-wood tweet to an ESPN journalist who asked him about D.C. 

A fan tweeted they wanted him to come home like LeBron James and he responded" just wait on it".

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Former Raider lineman Mo Collins dead at 38

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The West Charlotte high school athletic director says former Oakland Raiders offensive lineman and the school's football coach Mo Collins died Sunday. He was 38.

The high school's athletic director Christopher Satterfield confirmed Collins had passed but the cause of death hasn't been released.

The West Charlotte athletic department said on Twitter: ''Thank you ALL so much for your tweets and condolences for (at)MoCollins79. He definitely had the boys moving in a positive direction.''

The Raiders drafted Collins in the first round in 1998. He spent six seasons in Oakland, playing in 71 games with 64 starts. He appeared in one Super Bowl.

The NFL team said on its website, ''The Oakland Raiders extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Mo Collins who passed away today.''

Collins returned to Charlotte to coach his high school alma mater after retiring from the NFL.

Cardinals stunned by death of young Oscar Taveras

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Monday he was stunned by the death of 22-year-old outfielder Oscar Taveras in a car accident and his players were struggling with deep anguish after losing a young teammate.''I was asked last night to give some words regarding the tragic death of Oscar Taveras, but I just simply couldn't,'' Matheny said. ''To say this is a horrible loss of a life ended too soon would be an understatement.''

Taveras died Sunday in his native Dominican Republic. He was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro at the time of the crash on a highway between the beaches of Sosua and Cabarete in Puerto Plata, about 215 miles north of the capital of Santo Domingo, said Col. Diego Pesqueira of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency.

''He wasn't carrying documents at the time of the accident, but his body was identified by family members,'' Pesqueira said.

Playoff selection committee a cause for concern?

On Monday, USA Today published an article in which reporter George Schroeder spent a day following Arkansas athletic director, and chairman of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, Jeff Long around.

It detailed how Long watches up to 25 hours a week of game footage, even running slow mo through specific plays. On that day, he tuned in to two early games at once, including Iowa at Maryland, even though neither has any chance at all of making the playoff. He said he takes notes from what gets said on the preview shows.

The entire thing seemed like some strange public relations show of force. Yet it is apparently real. Bless Jeff Long and the other members for attempting to consume that much football, data and opinion, but it is a horribly inefficient, exhausting and pointless exercise for a group whose sole job should be to pick four teams at the end.

At least, that’s the conclusion from this week’s Dan Wetzel College Football Podcast, which features the ever entertaining and occasionally insightful Chris Vernon of ESPN Radio Memphis as a guest.

The selection committee remains the most practical way to select the participants for a four-team playoff. There really is no good way to choose four from 128. A single computer formula would be best, but no one is going for that due to college football’s long-standing misunderstanding, or outright hatred, of math.

Champions League Matchday 3 - Bayern leads night of big blowouts

If you like attacking soccer, then Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League was for you.

The eight games combined for 40 goals, the most in Champions League history for an eight-match slate, as some of Europe's biggest clubs enjoyed lopsided victories.

Bayern Munich led 5-0 at halftime en route to a 7-1 demolition of Roma, Chelsea rolled to a 6-0 triumph over NK Maribor and Barcelona cruised to a 3-1 win over Ajax that featured Lionel Messi's 69th Champions League goal, just two away from Raul's all-time mark.

But the man of the matches was Luiz Adriano. The Brazilian striker became only the second player to score five goals in a Champions League game in leading Shakhtar Donetsk to a 7-0 pummeling of BATE Borisov.

Relive the record-setting Matchday 3 with the Scribble Live event below. Go to the Champions League scoreboard to get all of the match stats.

Earnhardt, Johnson, Kahne bounced from Chase in painful day for Hendrick Motorsports

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Off in the distance, Brad Keselowski was performing his victory burnout on the Talladega asphalt, American flag in hand. Drivers and teams were beginning the walk -- long for some, buoyant for others -- back toward their haulers and planes. And over in a far corner of the garage, three Hendrick teams loaded up their cars in silence, readying for a long, long drive back north.

For the first time in NASCAR history, curtains are dropping on drivers no matter their regular-season success. And in this, the second round of eliminations, three members of NASCAR's reigning-champion team, saw their championship hopes end on an early, disappointing note.

Jimmie Johnson, six-time champion: eliminated. Dale Earnhardt Jr., three-time winner, including the Daytona 500: eliminated. Kasey Kahne, one of the sport's most popular drivers: eliminated.

Johnson led the most laps on Sunday afternoon. Earnhardt spent time at the front and appeared to have a car capable of returning there before a late wreck destroyed his chances. Kahne had the most heartbreaking finish, being just inches from moving on ... though it would have been at the expense of Gordon:

Tiger Woods back hitting full golf shots in preparation for Dec. return

Tiger Woods is taking full swings again with the hope of returning to competition at his annual Hero World Challenge in December. Woods' doctors have given him the go-ahead to take full swings, making his way through the bag.

"The doctors said he could hit golf balls again, and he's listening to his doctors and to his body," Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, said to USA Today. "He will keep listening to his doctors and body."

Woods has been dealing with back issues since 2013. At The Barclays that August, Woods blamed pain on a soft hotel bed. The problem worsened, leading to microdiscectomy surgery on March 31.

For what Woods admitted were somewhat political reasons, he returned at his Quicken Loans National in June, missing the cut. He finished 69th at the Open Championship three weeks later.

Peyton Manning is sharp on historic night

One of the overlooked elements of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning’s game is how accurate he is.

Manning rarely misses. I’m not saying he never does because that’s not true, but it’s rare you watch him and say, ‘Wow, he’s missing guys in this game.’ You’re almost surprised when he throws an incompletion.

As Manning broke the NFL career touchdown record against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, he was spot on, especially on his two touchdown passes to Demaryius Thomas.

The record-tying score to Wes Welker wasn’t a high degree of difficulty because the design of the play was so good, and we’ll look at that one first. The Broncos faked a bubble screen to Thomas, and Manning pump faked it to him, which brought safety Eric Reid up. That allowed Welker to run by Reid on a fade route to the sideline. That’s pitch and catch for Manning.

2,014 reasons to watch the 2014 World Series

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Not that anyone needs excess motivation to watch the intriguing matchup between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants for baseball’s championship, but just in case, here are 2,014 reasons to watch the 2014 World Series.

1-29: For the 29 years since Kansas City’s last championship. Or playoff appearance. Or relevance. The Royals are a great story because of their spectacular run in October, sure, though seeing it through the lens of nearly three decades of ineptitude only heightens the stakes for a city ready to burst at the seams with excitement.

30-52: For the 23 days between the Royals’ last loss and Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday at 8:07 p.m. ET. It was a 5-4 defeat to the Chicago White Sox.

53-60: For the eight consecutive wins the Royals have posted this postseason, the most ever to start a playoff run. They haven’t lost a playoff game since Oct. 23, 1985.

Ronda Rousey: A man hitting a woman is never a good thing

It's rare for UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey to go through an entire interview without a few names coming up.
There's always going to be questions about her rivalry with Miesha Tate or the possibility of facing former Strikeforce champion Cris 'Cyborg' Justino.
The most disturbing trend of inquiry when it comes to Rousey is the inevitable question about how she would do against the best male fighters in the world.It doesn't help matters much that Rousey's boss UFC president Dana White will tell anyone who will listen how the most dominant women's fighter on the planet would dismantle boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. Rousey is guilty of perpetuating the stories as well, especially after her long-standing feud with Tate's boyfriend and fellow UFC fighter, Bryan Caraway.

Oscar Pistorius sentenced to five years in prison in killing of girlfriend

PRETORIA, South Africa   —  

Oscar Pistorius was taken away in a police van with barred windows Tuesday to start serving a five-year prison sentence for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Delivering her sentence, Judge Thokozile Masipa cited the "gross negligence" the double-amputee Olympic runner showed when he shot Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet cubicle door in his home.
Pistorius, who cried and retched during his murder trial, was unemotional as he stood to hear his sentence. His prison term begins immediately and he was led by police down a flight of stairs to holding cells before leaving the courthouse in the armored vehicle.

Williams up against youth in WTA finals

SINGAPORE (AP) -- Serena Williams will play two of the tour's young rising stars in the round-robin stage of this year's WTA finals in Singapore.

The draw Saturday placed top-seeded Williams in the Red Group with 23-year-old Simona Halep and 20-year-old Eugenie Bouchard as well as the more experienced Ana Ivanovic, who has beaten the American only once in eight matches.

The draw Saturday placed top-seeded Williams in the Red Group with 23-year-old Simona Halep and 20-year-old Eugenie Bouchard as well as the more experienced Ana Ivanovic, who has beaten the American only once in eight matches.

''I don't care who I play, to be perfectly honest with you. You can put me against anybody at this point, I'm ready,'' said the top-ranked Williams, whose appearance in Singapore was in doubt after she pulled out of the China Open tournament earlier this month with a knee injury. ''I really can't wait for my match. I wish I had a match tomorrow."

Giants fan who caught home run ball gives it back

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A lifelong San Francisco fan had a piece of team history in his hands Thursday night: the home run ball that sent the Giants to the World Series.

Then he gave it back.

Frank Burke, who owns a transmission repair business in Oakdale, said that he wanted the hitter, Travis Ishikawa, to have the ball.

''I believe in karma,'' he told The Associated Press. ''I didn't hit that ball ....if anybody's going to have that ball in their game room or trophy case, it's going to be the guy who hit it.''

Earnhardt Jr., Johnson not focused on hooking up at 'Dega

Almost as predictable as "The Big One" has been the tendency of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson to work together in the draft when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competes at Talladega Superspeedway.
In popular NASCAR lingo, the proper term for the Hendrick Motorsports teammates is "dancing partners," but it really all boils down to this: Historically, when it comes to late-race situations at Talladega, Junior has had Jimmie's back, and Jimmie has had Junior's.
The two have drafted together numerous times in recent years for the benefit of both, and it has occasionally paid major dividends — including most memorably in spring 2011 when Earnhardt Jr. pushed Johnson to the lead and the win while coming through the tri-oval on the last lap.

Penguins use power play to hand Islanders 1st loss of season

Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist scored power-play goals 55 seconds apart in the second period, and the Pittsburgh Penguins gave the New York Islanders their first loss of the season, 3-1 on Saturday night.
The Islanders (4-1) had been the NHL's last unbeaten team.
Hornqvist, who assisted on Malkin's goal, added an empty-net tally with 1:20 left to seal the Penguins' win. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby had two assists, including the 500th of his career.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves in the win.
Thomas Hickey staked the Islanders to a 1-0 lead in the first period, but New York failed to post its first 5-0 start. Jaroslav Halak stopped 35 shots.
The Penguins' much-maligned, penalty-killing unit, which ranked last in the league entering Saturday, went 6-for-6 and came up with two key third-period stops to protect a one-goal lead.

Playoff Reset: Back to Kansas City for Game 3 of the ALCS

The Game: Baltimore Orioles vs. Kansas City Royals, American League Championship Series Game 3
The Time: 8:07 PM Eastern
The Place: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
The Channel: TBS
The Starters: Wei-Yin Chen vs. Jeremy Guthrie
The Upshot: Talk about getting hot at the right time. The Royals have won all six of their playoff games so far and look like an October juggernaut and now they get three games at home. If they even need all three games. Fun fact, at least if you’re not an Orioles fan: In the 29 years since the League Championship Series was switched to a best of seven, no team that has dropped the first two games at home has come back to win the series. That has happened 11 times in the past. Also going against Baltimore: their starter, Wei-Yin Chen didn’t fare well in his only playoff start this year, giving up five runs in three and two-thirds innings ten days ago against the Tigers. Meanwhile, Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie could have some rust, not having pitched since his final start of the regular season back on September 26, when he threw seven shutout innings against the White Sox.

Cardinals win and lose in NLCS Game 2

A fascinating and hard-fought Game 2 fell the Cardinals’ way Sunday, with Kolten Wong delivering a walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth. It was what happened three innings earlier, when Yadier Molina suffered a strained left oblique, that might decide the fate of the series.
To put it mildly, Tony Cruz had a rough time after replacing Molina behind the plate. He gave up a passed ball on his second batter of the game. In the ninth, he did a terrible job of helping out Trevor Rosenthal when it came to framing the strike zone, turning borderline calls into easy balls. And while Rosenthal deserves more blame than Cruz for the wild pitch that tied the game, Cruz’s attempt to block the ball, turning his head away and seemingly even closing his eyes, was embarrassing, and it led to him not being able to find it afterwards, allowing Matt Duffy to score from second on the play.

President Obama's 200th round of golf is a chance to defend the sport

Sunday was the 2,093rd day of Barack Obama's presidency. He marked the occasion with his 200th in-office round of golf at Fort Belvoir Golf Club in Alexandria, Va.

No doubt the president knew this milestone would bring about a slew of snark from critics. But maybe putting the presidential penchant for golf into perspective might help.

If each of the president's rounds take five hours, then Obama has spent 1,000 hours playing golf. Sounds like a lot of leisure time on the job, right? However, consider that the unique job of commander-in-chief is a 24-7 career choice, meaning President Obama has spent about 2 percent of his presidency on the golf course.

For Obama's critics, that's far too much time on the links not doing the work of the, more or less, half of the people who voted for him. (Wouldn't the half of the electorate that didn't vote for him want him to do nothing, lest he destroy the U.S. more?)

By extension, maybe the president should never sleep. In a 2012 "Vanity Fair" profile, writer Michael Lewis detailed how Obama aims to sleep some six hours each night. And he does that every day. 

Bae takes step toward Presidents Cup

NAPA, Calif. (AP) — Bae Sang-moon won the first tournament of the PGA Tour season and already is thinking about the last one.Bae all but disappeared after winning his first PGA Tour event at the Byron Nelson Championship in the spring of 2013. In his 36 starts since then, he had not registered even a top 10. But as he went into the new season, the 28-year-old from South Korea had one big goal on his mind.

Two NASCAR Drivers Duke it Out After a Rough Race

NASCAR races have often have their fair share of drama out on the track with drivers losing their cool, but what you don’t usually see is that drama spilling over after the race when the engines are off. Saturday night at the Charlotte Motor Speedway following the Bank of America 500, that’s exactly what happened with driver Matt Kenseth coming after Brad Keselowski after a series of issues between the two during the race.

It all started on a restart with 63 laps to go when Kenseth tried to pass, was squeezed into the wall, and bounced off it into Keselowski, damaging both cars. The disagreement continued with 6 laps to go with Kenseth damaging the nose of Keselowski’s car. The drama then turned to Keselowski and driver Denny Hamlin in lap 2 as Keselowski pushed Hamlin in Turn 1.

Floyd Mayweather wins $600,000 on late Broncos touchdown

One person who benefitted from Broncos safety Aqib Talib returning an interception 22 yards for a touchdown with 15 seconds remaining in Sunday's game against the Jets was Floyd Mayweather.
The boxer had bet $815,000 to win $600,000 on Denver minus-7.5 against New York.
In fact, 95 percent of the bets taken in Vegas on that game were on the Broncos.
With Denver up 24-17, the Jets had a third-and-14 from their 5-yard line. Quarterback Geno Smith passed to the right side, but was picked off by Talib, who opted to run toward the end zone instead of taking a knee to end the game."I kicked a hole in the wall. I'll leave it as a reminder of my feelings toward Geno Smith," MGM vice president of race and sports, Jay Rood told ESPN.com.

Giants, Cardinals remind us once again that it's October

The last time neither the St. Louis Cardinals nor the San Francisco Giants were in a World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies were still good.

Think about that.

It’s easy to say in retrospect, and in some ways it demeans the very talented players who make up their rosters, so this is meant as a compliment: One heartbeat is better than 25.From management down.(In an Uber world, nobody talks about 25 cabs anymore.)

This isn’t going to be about the Los Angeles Dodgers, except that the Dodgers were supposed to be here, because they had all the money, the superstars and the assumptions. But it was never quite right.

Westwood disappointed U.S. aired Ryder Cup 'dirty laundry'

Lee Westwood hasn't been on the losing end of too many Ryder Cup teams. In nine appearances, he's been on the winning team seven times. So maybe he isn't the best guy to talk about how to handle defeat in the biennial matches.However, Westwood was asked Wednesday to weigh in on the resulting fallout from the Americans' latest Ryder Cup defeat. He obliged, and the Englishman did not approve.

"From my point of view, I think it's a little bit disappointing to see the dirty laundry being out in public first and foremost," said Westwood.

The former world No. 1 believes there's plenty of blame to go around the American side. Pinning it all on captain Tom Watson, in Westwood's view, would be a mistake.

Chris Bosh Explains Why It's Hard To Play On A LeBron James Super-Team

Chris Bosh has the reputation of being one of the smartest, most thoughtful players in the NBA.

This is a guy who's known for reading books about nanotechnology before games and writing an essay for Wired about the importance of learning to code.

On Thursday Bosh sat down with Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick in Brazil, where the Heat (LeBron's old super-team) will play the Cavs (LeBron's new one) in an exhibition game on Saturday.

It's a great interview.  Bosh talks about the hard parts of being the third option on a LeBron James-led team of stars. No one sacrificed more than Bosh when the Heat formed the Big 3. He went from taking 16 shots per game in his final year in Toronto to 12 shots per game in his final year with the Heat.

In the interview, he explains what it's really like to have to sacrifice for the good of the team when you're playing with LeBron.

The main takeaway is that proven NBA players who join super-teams don't realize how difficult it is to voluntarily take on a lesser role — both from a basketball perspective and a psychological perspective. And it never gets easier.

Familiar foursome set for PGA Grand Slam of Golf

By T.J. Auclair PGA.com When the PGA Grand Slam of Golf tees off at the breathtaking Port RoyalFor just the second time in tournament history, dating back to 1979, all four 2014 participants have previously teed it up in the event reserved for major champions. Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda, Oct. 14, there will be a unique distinction.Bubba Watson, Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy and Jim Furyk join the 2000 field from Poipu Bay Golf Course in Kauai, Hawaii -- Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Paul Azinger and Tom Lehman -- as a foursome filled with repeat contestants.

Nadal to play in Shanghai despite appendicitis

SHANGHAI (AP) -- Rafael Nadal is counting on antibiotics to control his appendicitis so he can get through the Shanghai Masters this week.

The second-ranked Nadal began feeling pain in his abdomen late Saturday, and the next day went to the hospital where he learned he had the early stages of appendicitis.

Nadal said on Tuesday he chose to try treatment with antibiotics rather than undergo surgery right away. He felt well enough to begin hitting again, he said.

The 14-time major winner said the risk of his condition getting worse after three days of steady improvement ''is always very, very low.''

Arian Foster rips Thursday night games as dangerous, hypocritical

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster on Monday called the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" games hypocritical during a time when the league supposedly is promoting player safety.
"They emphasize concussions when they start getting hit with lawsuits and they care about the players' safety, but 'Thursday Night Football' is putting every player on the football field in danger," Foster said, via The Houston Chronicle.
The Texans, who play the Colts in three days, are coming off a 20-17 overtime loss against the Cowboys.
Despite five lopsided games so far this season on Thursday nights, CBS and the league-owned network's broadcast delivered increases in ratings and viewers from last year. The popularity of such games isn't sitting well with the players, according to Foster.
"I don't know a player that likes it," Foster said. "I really don't know a fan that likes it, either. I think it's just the league's way of trying to generate more revenue."

Slumping Puig benched by Dodgers for NLDS Game 4

ST. LOUIS (AP) Slumping All-Star Yasiel Puig was benched by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday for Game 4 of their NL Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
''What can I do? I wasn't in the lineup,'' Puig said through an interpreter. ''That was a decision they made. Whether it was the manager's decision or anyone, they made that decision.
''Now it's my responsibility to be supportive from the dugout.''
Manager Don Mattingly said he thought Andre Ethier was a better option. Eithier often has been the odd-man out in a crowded outfield.
''He just had a tough game,'' closer Kenley Jansen said. ''But Yasiel, he's learned a lot, I feel like. He's been doing much better in the postseason, even though the numbers don't show, probably.''
Cardinals pitchers handled him last year in the NL Championship Series, too, holding the rookie to a .227 average with 10 strikeouts in 22 at-bats.

Ex-NFL RB Johnson arrested, charged with battery at Florida nightclub

MIAMI -- Former NFL running back Larry Johnson has been arrested on aggravated battery charges after an altercation at a South Beach nightclub.
Miami-Dade County jail records show that Johnson was booked at 7:33 a.m. Tuesday. He was being held on $7,500 bail.
A Miami Beach police report says that Johnson cut another man with a broken bottle at a club in the Delano Hotel. Jail records did not list an attorney for him.
The 34-year-old Johnson played in the NFL from 2003 to 2011 after starring at Penn State. His best years were with the Kansas City Chiefs, when he rushed for more than 1,700 yards in both 2005 and 2006.
He ended his career with the Miami Dolphins and also played for the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals.

Dodgers to go with Kershaw on short rest in Game 4

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Don Mattingly decided not to postpone the intrigue over Clayton Kershaw.The Los Angeles Dodgers manager said Monday he'll go with Kershaw on three days' rest in Game 4 of their NL Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals

Survive and advance: Harvick taking week-to-week approach to Chase

One week at a time.
Survive and advance.
That's how Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick is approaching the new format for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, a format that features three elimination rounds of three races each and a winner-take-all battle among four title contenders at next month's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"It's just week-to-week at this point," Harvick said Monday afternoon during an exclusive interview with FOXSports.com. "You just never know what's going to happen. We've got to keep grinding it out. That's really what it's all about. It's really just about surviving at this point and trying to get yourself to Homestead and then go from there."

UFC's Piotr Hallmann tests positive for steroids, suspended nine months

Another week, another positive drug test.
Piotr Hallmann, who co-headlined UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski last month in Brazil, was popped by the Brazilian MMA athletic commission for drostanolone after his bout with Gleison Tibau, according to MMAjunkie.com's Steven Marrocco.
Hallmann, who lost the fight by split decision, will be suspended for nine months by the CABMMA. All fighters on the Sept. 13 card were subject to standard fight-night tests and four were selected at random for HGH and EPO testing.
Hallmann and Tibau each won $50,000 for their Fight of the Night performance. Hallmann's bonus will likely be forfeited.

Michael Phelps suspended by USA Swimming for 6 months, dropped from 2015 Worlds team

Michael Phelps' comeback took a major hit on Monday, with USA Swimming suspending the 18-time Olympic champion for six months and forcing him to withdraw from next year's world championships.
Phelps also lost six months of funding from the sport's national governing body as a result of his second DUI arrest. The 29-year-old swimmer is banned from participating in USA Swimming-sanctioned meets through April 6, 2015.Phelps can still train with his North Baltimore club, but he had already qualified for the world championships in Russia next August, which is the biggest international meet leading up to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.