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Donald Sterling Hires Private Investigators to Dig Up 'Dirt' on NBA, Other Owners - If banned owner Donald Sterling is going to go down, it seems like he’s going to try to take the NBA and other owners with him. According to an ESPN report, Sterling has hired four private investigation firms to dig up “dirt” on NBA commissioner Adam Silver, former commissioner David Stern and the league’s 29 other owners. "The gloves are off, as they say," a source told ESPN about Sterling’s motives. "Have them dig up all the dirt they can find." Sterling reportedly gave investigators a six-figure budget and 30 days to conduct their investigation. (Photo: Danny Moloshok/AP Photo, File)

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Spurs Flatten Heat in Game 4 - Who saw this coming? For the second straight game, the San Antonio Spurs jumped all over the Miami Heat and rolled to a dominating victory. After building a 19-point lead at the half, the Spurs cruised to a 107-86 rout of the Heat to take a commanding 3-1 NBA Finals lead. Again, the Heat didn’t have any answers for small forward Kawhi Leonard, who led the Spurs with 20 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. LeBron James had 28 points and eight rebounds in the loss. No team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. The Spurs can avenge last year’s Finals loss to the Heat and clinch their fifth NBA championship with a home victory in Game 5 on Sunday. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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Neymar Nets Two Goals, Brazil Wins World Cup Opener - Brazil’s World Cup-opening win over Croatia on Thursday came complete with a peculiar beginning, controversial middle and electric end. Brazilian superstar Neymar also established himself as a force in the tournament’s opening match by netting two goals in the home team's 3-1 victory. After the team inexplicably knocked in an own goal to fall behind 1-0 in the 11th minute, Brazil stormed back behind young superstar Neymar, who buried a shot through a defender’s legs and into the net at the 29th minute to tie the match at 1-1. Neymar would strike again in the second half on a controversial penalty kick to give Brazil a 2-1 edge. Croatian coach Niko Kovac would later call the penalty on Dejan Lovren “ridiculous” for barely putting a finger on Brazil's Fred and still being whistled. Brazil would tack on an insu...

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Kevin Love: Phil Jackson Makes Knicks "Very Intriguing" - It has been widely reported that Kevin Love wants to leave the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the All-Star power forward believes the New York Knicks are a “very intriguing” option. In an interview on ESPN’s “SportsNation,” Love made that clear, citing Knicks president Phil Jackson as a key reason. “I think anytime you have Phil Jackson involved with any organization, you’re going to definitely look at it,” Love said. “And you know, it’s very intriguing. The Knicks are a place where I think anybody would like to go.” Although this is Jackson’s first front office stab, he has collected 11 championship rings as an NBA coach for the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. On Wednesday, Jackson helped the Knicks introduce his former player Derek Fisher as the team’s new head coach. (Photos from Left: Doug Pensinger/Ge...

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Cavs Reach Out to Mark Jackson About Coaching Job - Sources tell ESPN that Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin called Mark Jackson several days ago to discuss the team’s head-coaching job, but that no formal interview has been scheduled. ESPN adds that the Cavs have also interviewed Alvin Gentry, Tyronn Lue, Lionel Hollins, Vinny Del Negro, Adrian Griffin and former Cleveland star Mark Price. (Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

Photo By Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

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Browns Say Hoyer Ahead of Manziel - It’s hard to understand whether the Cleveland Browns just want Johnny Manziel to earn his keep or if they’re being unnecessarily hard on the rookie quarterback. Whatever the case, Browns coach Mike Pettine let it be known Thursday that Brian Hoyer is “securely ahead” of Manziel for the team’s starting QB role entering training camp. "I don't think it's insurmountable," Pettine told ESPN on the final day of Browns minicamp of Manziel catching Hoyer. "I think that Brian is securely ahead of him right now, but we will compete and we will decide." (Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

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LeBron James Makes $30 Million on Apple's Purchase of Beats - LeBron James made a profit of more than $30 million in cash and stock stemming from Apple’s recent $3 billion purchase of Beats Electronics, ESPN is reporting. Reportedly, King James wisely received a small stake in Beats in 2008 in exchange for promoting its headphones. (Photos from Left: Noam Galai/Getty Images for Beats by Dr. Dre, Simon Burchell/Getty Images)

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NBA Execs Worried About Julius Randle's Injured Foot - Is Kentucky big man Julius Randle damaged goods? According to ESPN, several NBA executives are concerned that the 6-foot-9 forward’s broken right foot hasn’t healed properly and that he may require another surgery after the NBA Draft on June 26. "This is an issue," one executive told ESPN. "It didn't heal right." Randle averaged 15 points and 10.4 rebounds per game for the Wildcats in their 2013-14 season. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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Forbes Lists Cowboys Worth as $2.3 Billion - It makes sense that the highest-valued NFL team is “America’s Team.” On Thursday, Forbes estimated Jerry Jones's Dallas Cowboys' worth at $2.3 billion, $500 million more than the No. 2 highest-valued team, the New England Patriots ($1.8 billion). The Washington Redskins ($1.7 billion), New York Giants ($1.55 billion) and Houston Texans ($1.45 billion) round out the top five. (Photo: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

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Falcons Featured Team for HBO's Hard Knocks - Are you ready for another behind-the-scenes look at NFL football? On Thursday, the Atlanta Falcons announced that they will be featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks documentary series during their training camp. "We are excited about the opportunity to give our fans a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to prepare an NFL team for the rigors of a 16-game regular season and beyond," Falcons owner and chairman Arthur Blank told ESPN. "This marks the first time that our franchise will be featured on 'Hard Knocks' and we look forward to showcasing our great players and coaches to football fans all across America." (Photo: Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

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From Big Three to Big Four in Miami? - Will we see LeBron James team up with Carmelo Anthony to form a Big Four in Miami? Well, sources tell ESPN that even while the Heat are down 2-1 to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, the Miami organization is discussing creating enough financial flexibility to make a run at Anthony. Adding the New York Knicks' scorer would entail James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all opting out of their current contracts by the end of this month. Then all four stars would have to take further salary reductions to accommodate Anthony. (Photos from left: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images, Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

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McCants Stands by Allegations Against UNC, Roy Williams - Former NBA player and University of North Carolina star Rashad McCants is standing by his allegations of academic fraud at UNC. McCants alleges that his tutors wrote papers for him at UNC, he rarely went to class for about 50 percent of the time he was at the school, and he took sham classes that allowed him to remain academically eligible. "If you want to find the truth, the truth is there in the transcripts," McCants told ESPN on Wednesday. Speaking on the “disbelief” that Tar Heels coach Roy Williams expressed about McCants’s claims, McCants responded: "How are you getting paid millions of dollars to be a coach? How is that you're not accountable for what your athletes do off the floor?” McCants stood by his claim that he and Williams had a conversation in which Williams said he would swap out one of McCan...

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Klinsmann Reiterates U.S. World Cup Win 'Not Realistic' - It’s not that U.S. soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann doesn’t believe in his players. It’s just that he doesn’t think it’s “realistic” for the Americans to win the World Cup right now. He reiterated that belief to Brazilian reporters, according to ESPN. "You have to be realistic. Every year we are getting stronger," Klinsmann said. "We don't look at ourselves as underdogs. We are not. We are going to take the game to Ghana and they will take it to us and it will be an exciting game and then we go from there. For us now talking about winning a World Cup, it is just not realistic. If it is American or not, you can correct me.” Klinsmann had voiced the same opinion during an interview in December. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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Browns Frustrated With Looming Gordon Suspension - The Cleveland Browns are awaiting NFL word on a looming suspension of wide receiver Josh Gordon for failing a third drug test. Until the Browns do so, they kind of have their hands tied as far as preparation goes. "There's certainly a level of frustration because we've known the news for so long," Browns coach Mike Pettine told Cleveland’s 92.3 the Fan radio station, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It's just a holding pattern and I understand that the league has a process that they have to go through and there's other things that they're dealing with and we respect that. But at the same time it is difficult because it really will affect our preparation for the season." In the meanwhile, Gordon has been taking reps for the Browns. (Photo: David Dermer/Diamond Images/Getty Images)

Photo By David Dermer/Diamond Images/Getty Images

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Cam Newton on Kaepernick's Contract: 'Last Thing on My Mind' - Cam Newtown says he’s not concerned with Colin Kaepernick’s newly signed six-year, $126 million deal with $61 million guaranteed. The Carolina Panthers quarterback says he’s more concerned with fully recovering from the left ankle surgery he had in March. "For me, that's the last thing on my mind,'' Newton told ESPN, speaking of Kaepernick’s contract. "The first thing is trying to get little anky right. I'm not worried about no money. I'm not worried about things I can't control.'' Newton is likely to receive an extension of similar worth at the end of the 2014 season. (Photos from left: Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images,CSM /Landov

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Kevin Love Just Wants to Win - Although it has been widely reported that Kevin Love wants out of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the All-Star power forward isn’t admitting that he’s determined to opt out of his contract in 2015. Instead, Love is just saying he wants to win. "My agent is handling everything at this point ... I'm hoping that everything works out for all parties involved," Love said during an appearance on ESPN's "SportsNation" on Wednesday. "No matter what the outcome is, I just want to end up in a great place where I can win. At the end of the day, I've played six years, haven't made the playoffs yet, that burns me and hurts my heart, so I really want to be playing."  (Photo:  CSM /Landov)

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UFC's Chael Sonnen Retires Following Positive Drug Test - In the wake of a failed drug test Tuesday that canceled his July 5 bout with Vitor Belfort, UFC fighter Chael Sonnen announced his retirement from competitive mixed martial arts Wednesday. Sonnen says he’s taking estrogen-blocking drugs for fertility reasons. "I want to stay within the rules," Sonnen told ESPN. "I have to put my health first and my family first. If I know what I know now, that (these substances) are going to work, get my wife pregnant, let me have a family, I will do the exact same thing 20 times. If it puts me out of compliance 20 more times, then let's stop. I will remove myself. There is going to be a day where I don't have the title of fighter. That was always going to happen. I never want there to be a day where I don't have the title of parent, father and husband. My health has got to c...

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'Money' Mayweather Is Still Sports' Cash King - The winner and still cash king of sports…Floyd “Money” Mayweather. That’s right, Mayweather Jr. ranks atop Forbes’s 2014 list of highest-paid athletes for the second time in three years. Forbes estimates that Mayweather earned $105 million over the past year, putting him above soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo ($80 million), LeBron James ($72.3 million), soccer star Lionel Messi ($64.7 million) and Kobe Bryant ($61.5 million), who round out the top five. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Spurs Rout Heat in Game 3 - The San Antonio Spurs shot an NBA Finals-record 75.8 percent in the first half and tallied 71 points through two quarters to roll to a 111-92 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night. Kawhi Leonard had a career-high 29 points to lead all scorers, while LeBron James  had 22 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and five steals in the loss. With the win, the Spurs own a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 tipping off Thursday night. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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Second Man Convicted in Sean Taylor Murder Trial - A Florida jury convicted a second man, 25-year-old Jason Mitchell, Tuesday in the murder trial of former NFL player Sean Taylor, according to ESPN. Taylor, a University of Miami star and Pro Bowl safety for the Washington Redskins, was murdered in a 2007 Miami-area botched burglary. (Photo: Getty Images)

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Derek Fisher, Phil Jackson Talk 'Melo Staying With Knicks - The New York Knicks' coach, Derek Fisher, and team president, Phil Jackson, didn't waste time talking about how they're going to get star Carmelo Anthony to re-sign with the squad this off-season. "I think I'll have Derek wear all five of his rings the first time he comes in and talks to Carmelo," Jackson said of the five championships Fisher won with the Los Angeles Lakers, as reported by ESPN. "And say, 'This is what we're working for, you know?'" Added Fisher: "We obviously firmly believe that here is that place for Carmelo." By all indication, Anthony is expected to become a free agent on July 1.(Photo: AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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Browns Coach 'Not Concerned' With Manziel's Antics - Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine isn't "concerned" about his rookie quarterback, Johnny Manziel, partying in Austin, Texas, floating on a swan nor spraying champagne as photos showed during a pool party last weekend. "I'm not concerned," Pettine told ESPN Tuesday after the team's mini-camp practice. "I would become concerned if it was something criminal, and I would be concerned if it affected his job. I think a lot of our guys, when they leave here if they were followed around, you'd get some very similar pictures. I don't know about an inflatable swan, but I think you'd get some pictures." (Photo: AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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Orioles Machado Suspended Five Games - His apology didn't help. Major League Baseball suspended Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado for five games and slapped him with an undisclosed fine Tuesday for intentionally throwing his bat against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. Machado's actions caused both teams' benches to clear. The third baseman apologized Monday, but still figured he was going to be suspended; he just didn't think it would be for five games. He has announced that he will appeal the suspension, according to ESPN. (Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

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President Obama Honors UConn's Hoop Teams at White House - What a magical 2013-14 NCAA season it was for UConn with both its men's and women's basketball teams winning the national championship. President Obama honored the programs Monday, inviting both the men's and women's squads, and joked that he didn't pick the underdog men's team, but that "neither did anybody else," as reported by the Associated Press. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Former MLB Pitcher Bob Welch Dies - Former Major League Baseball pitcher Bob Welch, who played 17 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics and won the 1990 AL Cy Young award, died Monday night. He was 57. Police found the former pitcher dead in the bathroom area of his Seal Beach, California, home. An autopsy was conducted and the cause of his death is pending. However, the Dodgers told ESPN that Welch suffered a heart attack in a statement released Tuesday. (Photo: AP Photo/Los Angeles Dodgers, File)

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Donald Sterling Backtracks, Will Sue NBA and Adam Silver - Donald Sterling is having another change of heart. Less than a week after the banned owner approved the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Clippers and said he wouldn’t pursue any further legal action against the NBA, Sterling has decided to sue the league after all. On Tuesday morning, ESPN reported that Sterling will pursue a $1 billion federal lawsuit against the NBA and its commissioner, Adam Silver, while also withdrawing support for the sale of the Clippers negotiated by his wife, Shelly Sterling. "I have decided that I must fight to protect my rights," Sterling said Monday in a letter obtained by ESPN.com. "While my position may not be popular, I believe that my rights to privacy and the preservation of my rights to due process should not be trampled." Sterling’s attorney Max Blecher confirmed to...

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Kentucky's Calipari Contemplated Cavs $80 Million - In re-signing with Kentucky via a new seven-year, $52.5 million contract last Thursday, John Calipari walked away from a huge NBA deal. ESPN is reporting that the Cleveland Cavaliers hit Calipari with a 10-year offer worth nearly $80 million to coach the squad and serve as team president. In the end, his love for Kentucky kept Calipari with the Wildcats. (Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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Orioles Machado Apologizes for Throwing Bat - Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado apologized for his involvement in a bench-clearing incident between his Orioles and the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. Machado ignited the scrum when his bat flew out of his hands and down the third-base line after taking an inside pitch during the eighth inning. "I want to apologize to all my teammates, my coaching staff, the entire Orioles organization, and Oakland and to my fans for the way I acted," he told the team-owned MASN network, as reported by ESPN. "That's not the way we play baseball around here." The MLB is expected to discipline Machado for the incident. (Photo: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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Dwyane Wade Fined $5,000 for Game 2 Flop - The NBA isn’t messing around when it comes to enforcing its flopping rule. On Monday, the league slapped Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade with a $5,000 flopping fine after a review determined that he over-exaggerated a foul against San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili during Game 2 of the NBA Finals. This marked the fifth flopping violation of this 2014 postseason. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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NCAA Reaches $20 Million Settlement in Video Game Claim - On Monday, the NCAA agreed to pay $20 million to former football and basketball players who had their images and likenesses used in video games. This comes a little over a week since EA Sports agreed to pay former players $40 million for using their images and likenesses in a video game. The NCAA hopes the settlement will keep amateurism rules intact in collegiate sports. The plaintiff’s attorney, Steve Berman, said it was unclear how much each player will get in the NCAA settlement, although he estimated it could be from $400 to a “couple of a thousand dollars” each.(Photo: Courtesy of NCAA)

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Jaguars to Sell Poolside Cabana Seating - Now that’s different. As part of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ $63 million renovation of Everbank Field, the team is offering several luxury poolside cabanas. The cabanas, which each hold 50 people and sell for $12,500 per game, will essentially allow fans to watch a live football game while sitting in a pool. The Jags better hope that their on-field play creates as big of a splash in the upcoming 2014 season. (Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

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Derek Fisher to Coach New York Knicks - Phil Jackson found his guy, the second time around. After being spurned by Steve Kerr, the New York Knicks have agreed to a five-year $25 million contract with Derek Fisher to be their new head coach, according to ESPN. Fisher, who won five championships with the Jackson-coached Los Angeles Lakers, will see his first action as an NBA coach. The team has scheduled a press conference for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.(Photos from left: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images, AP Photo/John Minchillo)

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King James Dominates in Miami's Win - No cramps in Game 2. After missing most of the fourth quarter due to severe cramping in Game 1, LeBron James turned in a dominating performance in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. King James shot a sizzling 14-of-22 for 35-point effort that led the Miami Heat to a 98-96 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Finals are now tied 1-1 with the series shifting to South Beach for Game 3 on Tuesday night.

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DeSean Jackson Suing Drew Rosenhaus - DeSean Jackson is suing his former agent Drew Rosenhaus for allegedly bribing him to sign with the RSR agency back in 2009. Jackson says he was given cash and a Louis Vuitton bag as incentive. According to TMZ, the Washington Redskins wide receiver filed suit in an attempt to overturn an arbitrator’s ruling that he owes Rosenhaus more than $500,000 for failing to repay loans. Jackson fired Rosenhaus as his agent in June 2013. (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images For ESPN)

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NBA Commissioner on Sterling Situation: 'I Think It’s Over' - NBA commissioner Adam Silver isn’t worried about the $1 billion lawsuit that Donald Sterling levied against the league following his lifetime ban in late April. "I have absolute confidence it will be resolved because as part of the sale agreement with Shelly Sterling, she agreed to indemnify the league against a lawsuit by her husband," said Silver on Sunday, giving his first NBA Finals media address. "So in essence, Donald is suing himself and he knows that. While I understand he is frustrated, I think it's over. I think it's just a matter of time now, and then we will move on to better topics and back to the Finals." (Photo: Eric Gay/AP Photo)

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Flip Saunders on Kevin Love Leaving Minnesota - Flip Saunders doesn’t think Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love has the right to be frustrated. “I tell a story about — we were in the locker room when KG was in, like, his third year in the league, and Sam Mitchell was sitting in the locker room,” the Timberwolves head coach, president, and part-owner told NBC, relating Love’s situation to that of former Minnesota forward Kevin Garnett. “KG was in there, and we had lost a couple games, and we were all sitting there talking. KG started going, ‘Hey, you’ve got to start doing more.’ And he’s talking to some of the bench guys. ‘You’ve got to start doing more.’ And Sam said, ‘Hey, hold it, hold it. Let me tell you something. You’re making all the money. Hey, it’s your responsibility. You make the money, you’ve got to live up to that.’ So, that was the mentality, and...

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De La Hoya Inducted Into Boxing Hall of Fame - With 10 titles in six different weight divisions and having a long reign as the face of boxing, Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 knockouts) is officially a Hall of Famer. De La Hoya was inducted Sunday into the International Hall of Fame. "Today marks an incredible personal achievement," De La Hoya told ESPN. "But it is only the latest milestone that never would have been possible without my family, my friends and, most of all, my fans." (Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

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Athletics, Orioles Have Bench-Clearing Incident - Things got testy Sunday when the Baltimore Orioles’ Manny Machado was ejected in the eighth inning for throwing his bat down the third-base line following an inside pitch from Oakland Athletics lefty Fernando Abad. Both players exchanged words before both being ejected and the teams’ benches and bullpens emptied. "The bat slipped out of my hands,'' Machado told ESPN afterward. "Trying to make contact and the umpire thought it was intentional and he tossed me at that point. The umpire thought it was intentional, so I guess at that point you've got to toss the pitcher and the hitter at the same time.''  (Photo: Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

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Rafael Nadal Wins French Open - Rafael Nadal continues to state his case of best male tennis player ever. On Sunday, the No. 1-seeded Nadal scored a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 win over second-seeded Novak Djokovic to win his ninth French Open title. The victory marks Nadal’s 14th Grand Slam title, tying him with Pete Sampras for second most by a man, behind only Roger Federer’s 17. (Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

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Jerry Stackhouse Meets With Phil Jackson - Former NBA pro Jerry Stackhouse could be an assistant coach for the New York Knicks. Stackhouse admitted to NBC that he met with Knicks president Phil Jackson recently about joining the team’s coaching staff. “It’s a possibility,” Stackhouse said. “I think [Jackson] is still figuring it out. He doesn’t know who the head coach is going to be, but I think after that is settled, there could be some realistic possibilities.” Stackhouse played 18 seasons in the NBA. (Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images for Beats by Dr. Dre)

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Brazil, Qatar Continue to Cause FIFA Problems - FIFA has a conundrum at the worst possible time, days before the start of the 2014 World Cup. On one hand is the corruption allegations of Qatar being named the tournament’s 2022 host. On the other hand, FIFA continues to deal with news that Brazil’s $400 million stadium will barely be completed before the tournament’s 5 p.m. start on Thursday.(Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)

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Padres Select Johnny Manziel in MLB Draft - Johnny Baseball? In the 28th round of the Major League Baseball draft Saturday, the San Diego Padres selected none other than Johnny Manziel. The Cleveland Browns quarterback was listed as a shortstop for Texas A&M, although he only played football for the school. “Big thank you to the @Padres and @padresmikedee for selecting me in the MLB draft,” Manziel tweeted. “What a great day!” Mike Dee, the Padres’ president and CEO, tweeted back: “Best athlete on the board...#JohnnyBaseball.” Manziel will continue playing football, though, not baseball. (Photos from Left: MLB, Joe Robbins/Getty Images)