SPORTS - Pinotti in pink as HTC win Giro team time-trial (AFP)

SPORTS - Pinotti in pink as HTC win Giro team time-trial (AFP)

AFP/File – Rafael Nadal has won five French Open titles in the last six years, seven Monte Carlo Masters titles …

by Barnaby Chesterman Barnaby Chesterman – Sat May 7, 10:17 pm ET

ROME (AFP) – Revenge is very likely to be on the cards when the Rome International begins on Sunday in the last big event ahead of the French Open later this month.

Ahead of the Madrid semi-finals on Saturday, world number one Rafael Nadal was comfortably the man of the moment.

He had won his last 36 matches on clay, five French Open titles in the last six years, seven Monte Carlo Masters titles in a row, six out of seven in Barcelona and five out of six at the Rome Masters.

He has won 31 titles on clay -- a record -- and is unbeaten on the surface for almost two years.

Nadal is the reigning champion in Rome where he has only lost once, to Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2008.

On top of that he is top of the ATP rankings and won three out of the four Grand Slam events last season.

And yet he has been overshadowed this year by the world number two, Serbia's Novak Djokovic.

It is Djokovic who claimed the opening Grand Slam of the year in Australia and he followed that up by defeating Nadal in the finals of both the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.

What's more, in both he came back from a set down to upset the world number one.

In fact, Djokovic has yet to taste the bitter pill of defeat this season, going 30 matches without loss.

That puts him third on the all-time list of unbeaten starts to a season behind John McEnroe (44) and Bjorn Borg (33).

Should Madrid continue to go to form then the top two seeds would meet in the final and one of them would lose his unbeaten record this season -- Nadal's on clay and Djokovic's overall.

And that would set things up nicely for Rome where either the Spaniard or the Serb would be looking for revenge.

However, there are two other factors that cannot be ignored.

The first is former world number one Roger Federer, now having to get used to life not just in Nadal's shadow but also Djokovic's.

Federer has only one title this year, in Doha in January, but as long as he continues playing, he will always be a danger.

Spaniard David Ferrer who won the claycourt title in Acapulco and reached the finals in Monte Carlo and Madrid where his old nemesis Nadal beat him.

He was also the runner-up to Nadal here last year. Ferrer has not beaten Nadal on clay since their first ever meeting in Stuttgart in 2004 although he did beat his compatriot at the Australian Open earlier this year.

The women's event, as ever, should be far more open with French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, the second seed, and world number one Caroline Wozniacki both suffering early defeats in Madrid.

read more...

SPORTS - Vidmar steps down as US chef de mission for 2012 (AP)

SPORTS - Vidmar steps down as US chef de mission for 2012 (AP)

read more...

SPORTS - Weaver: 6 innings, no Ks in 4-3 loss to Indians (AP)

SPORTS - Weaver: 6 innings, no Ks in 4-3 loss to Indians (AP)

AP – Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo hits the floor after being tripped during the first quarter of Game 3 of …

– Sat May 7, 10:19 pm ET

BOSTON – Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo dislocated his left elbow in Saturday night's playoff game after crashing to the court in a tangle with Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.

Rondo remained on the floor while the team doctor rushed out to attend to him. After a few minutes, Rondo was helped to his feet and walked off the court, with Dr. Brian McKeon immobilizing Rondo's left arm.

Rondo returned to the Celtics' bench at the end of the third quarter and got a standing ovation. The Celtics said his elbow was dislocated, but he returned for the start of the fourth quarter.

Wade was called for a foul.

The Heat entered the game with a 2-0 lead over Boston in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.

Rondo averaged 17 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds so far in the playoffs.

read more...

SPORTS - Chelsea to visit Man United for title-deciding clash (AFP)

SPORTS - Chelsea to visit Man United for title-deciding clash (AFP)

AFP/File – Manchester United winger Nani (pictured in April) has started the mind games ahead of Sunday's title-deciding …

by Darren Witcoop Darren Witcoop – 2 hrs 52 mins ago

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) – Manchester United winger Nani has started the mind games ahead of Sunday?s title-deciding visit of Chelsea by claiming his team-mates hold a psychological edge over their rivals.

Sir Alex Ferguson?s side held a 15-point advantage over Chelsea two months ago and were seemingly coasting to a record 19th domestic title.

But Chelsea have since eaten into United?s lead and arrive at Old Trafford just three points adrift with three games to play and with the Premier League title again in their sights following a run of five straight league wins.

The momentum has shifted in recent weeks to set up a meeting that will leave the winners at the head of the table and favourites to finish top.

But Nani disputes that Chelsea are in the ascendancy and says United are mentally in a better state of mind following their recent Champions League quarter-final win over their visitors.

United proved too strong for the west Londoners last month, winning both at home and away, and the Portuguese winger says memory of their 3-1 aggregate success will help end Chelsea?s hopes of retaining the title for good.

"The results against them in the Champions League were very good," Nani said. "We showed we can play against them and win both legs. I think that gives us the psychological advantage going into this critical game.

"We were not at our best in our defeat to Arsenal last week and we cannot be like that again in this one.

"We all realise we have to get back to our high tempo and confidence against Chelsea. We have to get back to our very best if we are going to do anything.

"It is always dangerous playing against Chelsea. They have some fantastic players. They are the team who every season are playing to win the league as well as us. They are always there challenging.

"We respect them but we have to be strong ourselves and just concentrate on what we do best and we can win it. It will be very difficult. But we are at home and we have had good experiences against them.

"If we win this one then it is a great advantage for us. It is nearly over then."

United have collected a staggering 49 points out of a possible 51 on home soil this season and Ferguson knows another home win would all but wrap up the championship.

The manager, who has confirmed striker Wayne Rooney is among those fit to return as he prepares to restore a host of regular first-teamers, added: "Everyone is aware of the magnitude of Sunday's game.

"If we win, we should win the league. It is a game we are looking forward to. Last Sunday's result (at Arsenal) has certainly brought us an awareness of how important this week's game is.

"It is one of the reasons why I picked the team I did against Schalke (in the Champions League) on Wednesday. I wanted to give us a real chance.

"We will have a fresh team and that makes a difference at this time of the season. It should be a fantastic game."

Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, admits this is a do-or-die contest for his side, who looked to have no chance of retaining the title two months ago.

"It's like a final for us," he said. "We wanted to play in the final of the Champions League but we have to be happy to play this kind of final. This is a different final but for us we can compare this game to a final."

And he added: "They (United) are favourites as they have three points more. If we are able to win, nothing is decided. If they win, they will win the title."

Right-back Jose Bosingwa is the only Chelsea absentee and Ancelotti is anxious his side maintain the recent momentum that has turned their season around.

"It's very exciting for us and we are very happy," he said. "There's a good atmosphere.

"In the past, when you've been told it's no good, then you get this opportunity, and it's a fantastic opportunity.

"This team is still alive and this means the players have very good character, very good personality and they are very professional."

read more...

SPORTS - Byrd is the word at Wells Fargo (AP)

SPORTS - Byrd is the word at Wells Fargo (AP)

AP – Kyle Busch raises his arms in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race, Friday, …

By PETE IACOBELLI, AP Sports Writer Pete Iacobelli, Ap Sports Writer – Fri May 6, 10:46 pm ET

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Kyle Busch finally broke through to win a Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway after near misses the past two years.

Busch moved past Elliott Sadler 23 laps from the end and stayed in front of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin to win the Royal Purple 200 on Friday night, his fifth Nationwide victory this season and 48th overall — one behind Mark Martin's series record.

But for all the success Busch has had in the series, he had been snakebit by "The Lady in Black."

He led for 143 laps in 2009 before cutting a tire and finishing 16th, then was edged out by Hamlin a year ago with what he thought was the faster car.

This time, Busch waited for his time as fellow Sprint Cup regulars Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards took their turns at the top before falling back.

"My car wasn't the best on the short run, but it seemed to really come to life on the long runs. It was really good," Busch said.

Sadler was third, series points leader Justin Allgaier fourth and Steve Wallace fifth.

Busch led 49 laps, taking the lead for the fourth and final time on lap 124. He was helped by his decision to take on four fresh tires late in the race that kept him ahead of Hamlin, last week's Nationwide winner at Richmond International Raceway.

"Talking about running with the 18 and beating the 18 are two different things," Sadler said. "We all know how good he is in a Nationwide car."

Soon, Busch — the Sprint Cup winner last week in Richmond — might be the best ever. He's won nearly a quarter of his starts — 48 of 211 — and the 26-year-old star is poised to pass Martin.

"We'll see when it happens, if it happens," Busch said about catching Martin. "Maybe some of you say it's inevitable, but we just keeping working our guts out and making sure we bring good cars to the racetrack."

Martin collected his 49 wins in 22 seasons in Nationwide. Busch has won 37 series races since 2008.

Busch plans to run Nationwide events at Dover and Charlotte later this month, "so those are two really good places for me," he said.

The race was a quick one, lasting less than two hours and involving only five cautions.

The worst of the stoppages came on lap 95 with a multi-car accident that sent Brian Scott hard into the infield wall. The barrier had the SAFER walls to cushion Scott's hit, something Richmond International Raceway did not when Jeff Gordon hit an inside wall in last week's Sprint Cup race. Scott was not seriously hurt.

The wreck also collected up Sprint Cup regulars Edwards, Kahne, Clint Bowyer and Brad Keselowski. All but Bowyer began in the top 10 after qualifying was rained out earlier Friday. Bowyer was scheduled to start second but was sent to the back of the field after missing roll call at the pre-race drivers' meeting.

"I tried my hardest to miss that," said Edwards, who led 20 laps. "But there was nothing we could do. We got lucky it wasn't torn up worse."

Edwards, the Sprint Cup points leader, finished 20th.

Busch got away from the accident mostly unscathed and waited for his chance to pass Sadler.

Hamlin said his JGR teammate had the better car and fresher tires.

"We didn't have enough for him," Hamlin said.

Busch called on patience to pull him through. He was comfortable sitting behind Sadler, who was burning up worn tires trying to hold on. "I waited a little bit to see if I could Elliott to make a mistake," Busch said. "It'd be easier for me to get by him."

When Sadler mixed up with lapped traffic, Busch was able to clear him in the third and fourth turns and win by nearly 4 seconds.

James Hylton, 76, became the oldest driver to start a race in NASCAR's top three series when he rolled out Friday night. However, Hylton, whose first Sprint Cup event came in 1964, lasted only two laps before heading to the garage.

read more...

SPORTS - Detroit's Verlander throws second career no-hitter (AP)

SPORTS - Detroit's Verlander throws second career no-hitter (AP)

AP – Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, right, and catcher Alex Avila celebrate Verlander's no-hitter …

By IAN HARRISON, For The Associated Press Ian Harrison, For The Associated Press – Sat May 7, 9:25 pm ET

TORONTO – With one out to go, Justin Verlander cracked a smile on the mound.

He could afford to enjoy the moment, he'd seen this before. So had baseball fans — real recently, in fact.

Verlander threw his second career no-hitter and the second in the big leagues this week, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 9-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.

"I was a lot more calm today," Verlander said. "Obviously, there's some adrenaline — you can't help it — but having been through this situation before, I was definitely able to calm myself down a little bit easier than last time."

Minnesota's Francisco Liriano pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

Verlander barely missed a perfect game. The only runner he allowed came with one out in the eighth inning when J.P. Arencibia walked on a full count, with Verlander's 12th pitch to the rookie just an inch or two outside.

"It was as good as it gets," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He just missed by inches of being perfect. It really doesn't get any better than that. That's great stuff."

Verlander had no argument with the call by plate umpire Jerry Meals.

"Right out of my fingertips, I knew it was just a hair outside and it was," he said. "It was a ball and you've got to give Jerry a 'Good job.' He called it a ball and it was."

Verlander (3-3) struck out 12 in his first no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12, 2007. This time, he fanned Rajai Davis to end it for his fourth strikeout of the game. The overpowering right-hander threw 108 pitches, 74 for strikes, against a Blue Jays lineup missing ailing slugger Jose Bautista.

Mixing fastballs that sizzled over 100 mph with an effective changeup, Verlander became the 30th pitcher in major league history to throw multiple no-hitters, STATS LLC said.

"He was unbelievable today," Arencibia said. "Anytime on your 106th pitch when you're hitting 100, I'd say it's pretty ridiculous stuff."

Blue Jays rookie David Cooper popped to second on Verlander's first pitch of the ninth. John McDonald followed with a grounder to second, and Verlander flashed a grin. With the crowd of 23,453 standing and cheering, Davis ended it by striking out swinging on a 2-2 breaking ball from the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year.

Verlander calmly pumped his fist and smiled, then shared a hug with catcher Alex Avila before being mobbed by teammates near the mound. He was doused with a bucket of ice water by reliever Jose Valverde.

"That was cold," Verlander said. "That and the beer shower I got in here was cold, too."

His closest brush came in the fifth when Edwin Encarnacion hit a line drive the glanced off Verlander's arm. Verlander scrambled toward third base to track down the ball and made a hurried throw that first baseman Miguel Cabrera scooped.

Left with a bruise on his forearm, Verlander kept the swelling down by having a trainer rub a can of Red Bull on the injury.

"I was kind of like a boxer, you know, you see them in between rounds where they put the cold stuff on. I was doing that with my forearm," Verlander said. "I've got a pretty decent lump there. Thankfully they did a great job, they got the swelling down and allowed me to continue going out there."

Verlander had another close call on the final out of the sixth when Cabrera had to leap to snare Corey Patterson's sharp liner.

For a while, it looked as if Verlander was dueling someone else: Milwaukee's Yovani Gallardo. Because at the same time Verlander was dominating at Rogers Centre, Gallardo was making his own no-hit bid for Milwaukee at Busch Stadium.

Gallardo's try ended when St. Louis' Daniel Descalso singled leading off the eighth inning. The hit came just a few minutes before Verlander's lone walk.

A season after Roy Halladay threw two no-hitters — a perfect game, then a gem in his postseason debut — and helped stamp 2010 as the Year of the Pitcher, there's evidence that 2011 could mean more of the same. Several pitchers have come close before missing this year, and Cliff Lee struck out 16 in a losing effort Friday night.

Verlander helped set things right for Detroit pitchers in the no-hitter department: Last June, Armando Galarraga of the Tigers was deprived of a perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce blew a call on what should've been the 27th and final out.

Prior to Verlander, the last Detroit pitcher to throw a no-hitter was Jack Morris, who did it at Comiskey Park against the Chicago White Sox on April 7, 1984.

"Just as good as the first," Verlander said.

It was the 17th time there have been two major league no-hitters within a five-day span and the first since Al Leiter for Florida against Colorado on May 11, 1996, and Dwight Gooden for the New York Yankees against Seattle on May 14, according to STATS LLC.

Verlander has pitched two of the seven no-hitters in Tigers history. Virgil Trucks also had two for Detroit, both in 1952.

"It wouldn't surprise me if (Verlander) gets another one at some point in his career," Leyland said. "That's how good his stuff can be."

It was the fourth time the Blue Jays have been no-hit since entering the AL in 1977. The last was by Texas' Nolan Ryan, who threw his record seventh no-hitter to beat Toronto on May 1, 1991.

Avila and Jhonny Peralta homered for the Tigers, who have won four of five.

Blue Jays left-hander Ricky Romero (2-4), who has lost four of his past five starts, allowed six runs and five hits in 3 1-3 innings. He walked two and struck out two.

Romero was scratched from his last start Thursday at Tampa Bay with soreness in his left side, and pushed back two days to face the Tigers.

Romero breezed through the first two innings but struggled in the third, giving up three runs. Scott Sizemore drew a bases-loaded walk, Brandon Inge scored on a wild pitch and Magglio Ordonez added an RBI grounder.

Detroit used the long ball to double its advantage in the fourth. Peralta made it 4-0 with a one-out drive to left, his second. Ryan Raburn doubled and Avila chased Romero with a two-run shot to right, his sixth.

Toronto first baseman Adam Lind left in the seventh with tightness in his lower back.

NOTES: Toronto activated 2B Aaron Hill (right hamstring) from the 15-day disabled list and optioned INF Mike McCoy to Triple-A Las Vegas. ... Bautista, who has missed the past four games with a stiff neck, took batting practice before the game and remains on track to return to the lineup Sunday. ... The Tigers have at least one extra-base hit in all 34 games this season. Detroit opened the 1986 season with extra-base hits in its first 51 games, the longest streak in team history. ... Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin attended the game.

read more...

SPORTS - Ward's 2 goals in 3rd help Predators stay alive (AP)

SPORTS - Ward's 2 goals in 3rd help Predators stay alive (AP)

AP – Jonathan Byrd hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during the third round of the Wells Fargo Championship …

By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson, Ap Golf Writer – 2 hrs 42 mins ago

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The crowd was so big and boisterous Saturday that it made Jonathan Byrd a little uncomfortable. Seeing his name atop the leaderboard? Byrd is getting used to that.

The guy who only last October was worried about keeping his PGA Tour card ran off a blistering stretch of birdies in the Wells Fargo Championship for a 5-under 67, giving him a one-shot lead as he goes for his third win in seven months.

"Twelve months ago, I would never have thought that could happen," he said. "But now, the way my game is, why couldn't it happen? I'm playing well. I feel like I have all the tools to play well. I'm just going to play, and then when it's all over, I'll enjoy whatever I've done."

Byrd was at 15-under 201, a score he didn't imagine until his hot streak.

He was in the mix with a half-dozen other players who were trying to keep in range of Pat Perez when Byrd ran off five birdies in six holes to start the back nine. The one hole he didn't birdie might have been his best putt — a 7-footer that broke sharply to the right.

"You won't believe how much this putt breaks," Phil Mickelson said, standing to the back of the green after his own remarkable par. Byrd poured it into the heart, birdied the next two holes and was on his way.

Perez had a hard-fought 70, missing fairways early in the round and rarely converting birdie chances throughout the back nine until a slight mistake turned into his best-looking shot. Taking a little off a 7-iron, he pulled it slightly on the 17th and saw it sail right at the flag and stop some 5 feet behind the pin for a birdie.

"It was kind of scrappy all the way around," Perez said. "I played pretty good to shoot 70, I guess."

Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover (69) and former British Open champion Stewart Cink (68), who have not won since capturing their majors in the summer of 2009, were three shots back.

The top eight players were separated by five shots, which isn't much on a Quail Hollow course where last year Rory McIlroy closed with a 62 for his only PGA Tour victory.

It starts with Byrd and Perez, who players whose contrast starts with their pace of play. Byrd is on the deliberate side, while Perez wastes no time. On the sixth hole, with Byrd in the group ahead, the caddies were no more than 10 feet off the green when Perez had hit his tee shot into the par 3.

Perez isn't the least bit worried.

"I wait every single shot, every single day on the PGA Tour, so I've gotten really used to doing that," Perez said.

Missing from the mix is Mickelson.

The three-time Masters champion was in range and was poised to make a move with a brilliant par save on the 12th, a mini-flop from a downhill lie to a green that ran away and broke sharply to the left. It stopped inches away.

But he hit flubbed a bunker shot on the 14th to lose an easy chance at birdie, then hit tee shots into the water on the par-5 15th (bogey) and the par-3 17th (double bogey) on his way to a 74. Mickelson has hit five balls in the water this week.

J.B. Holmes had an amazing stretch on the back nine — five shots to play two holes when he holed a 5-iron on the 15th for an albatross, the rarest score in golf, and followed that with a birdie on the 16th. That led to a 65, although he was six shots behind, along with Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III, who had a 68.

The excitement was almost too much for Byrd.

He was playing with Mickelson, the biggest draw at Quail Hollow, and while it wasn't the first time, he could feel the energy. The gallery caved in around him going from green-to-tee on just about every hole, with young fans holding out hands to be tapped.

Mickelson gets that all the time — Byrd, not so much.

"I've never high-fived so much in my life," Byrd said.

That only concerned him because he doesn't play with a glove, and part of him wondered if fans had just put on sunscreen.

"Phil is used to that," he said. "He just flashes that smile. I want to keep my head down."

The buzz in the crowd contributed to a slow start, a bogey on the opening hole and failing to birdie the par-5 fifth. But he hit a nifty chip from the side of the seventh for a tap-in birdie, nearly drove the short eighth hole and made birdie, then took off on the back nine.

His longest birdie putt was a 10-footer on the 13th. The rest was about taking advantage of the par 5s and the short par-4 14th. In the middle of that stretch was the 7-foot par on the 12th, which Byrd called his toughest putt on the back nine.

Watching Mickelson hit his chip allowed him to see the degree of break, and he poured it in the center cut. Then came two more birdies, and Byrd was surprised to hear after his round he had made seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch.

He needed them all to get the 54-hole lead. No one is sure how many he'll need Sunday to collect another win.

"Somebody is going to have to get off to a good start," Glover said. "Jonathan is a great front-runner. He's playing so well. I played with him Tuesday and saw him at home the last couple weeks. He's playing great. It's going to take a good start and a low round because he's playing well enough to where he could shoot in the 60s again tomorrow and blow everybody away. But we'll see."

Players wore black ribbons in honor of Seve Ballesteros, who died early Saturday in Spain. PGA Tour officials said play will stop at 3:08 p.m. on Sunday for one minute in memory of the Spanish great.

read more...