Reuters - A year after rocking the Los
Angeles Lakers with disgruntled talk of wanting to be traded,
Kobe Bryant led his team into the NBA championship finals with
an inspirational display on Thursday.
AP - After four months of celebrations, parades, dinners and a tour of the White House, the New York Giants got their final reward on Thursday night for winning the Super Bowl: the bling.
AP - David Wright hit two more home runs off Brad Penny and the newly inspired New York Mets dampened Joe Torre's return home, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 Thursday night.
AP - Randy Johnson fanned nine to tie Roger Clemens for second in career strikeouts Thursday night, but Arizona's bullpen blew a lead and Randy Winn's ninth-inning home run gave the San Francisco Giants a 4-3 victory.
AP - Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers dispatched the defending champions, and now they're headed to the NBA finals for the first time in four years.
AFP - Triple champion Rafael Nadal and the man whose ambitions he has thwarted each time in winning those titles, Roger Federer, both made smooth progress into the third round at the French Open on Thursday.
AP - Luc Bourdon, a promising rookie defenseman with the Vancouver Canucks, was killed Thursday in a motorcycle crash near his hometown. He was 21. -- read full article
AFP - Roberto Mancini was sacked as coach of Serie A champions Inter Milan on Thursday opening the way for Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho to replace him.
Reuters - Chicago Bulls basketball player Joakim
Noah, son of former French Open tennis champion Yannick Noah,
has agreed to serve six months probation and pay a $200 fine
after being charged with marijuana possession in Florida, the
State Attorney's office said on Thursday.
AP - Michelle Wie shot a 4-under 68 at the Ladies German Open with about half the field in the clubhouse, trailing leader Nina Reis of Sweden by four strokes.
