Dog almost run over by cyclists during Stage 2 of Tour de France (VIDEO)

As if Saturday's near disaster at the finish line of the Tour de France wasn't enough — when a dopey bus driver got the rig stuck — wasn't enough, there was another close call on the road during Stage 2 of the cycling event. On Sunday a dog was narrowly missed by a pack of competitors as they rounded a village road a couple of kilometers from the finish.

The little white pup managed to escape the arms of its owner right before the peloton of bikes came around a bend.  The dog avoided taking down about two dozen cyclists by darting to the side of the road just before they peddled by.

The dog days of summer. Pardon. Les canicules de l'ete.

Royals fan makes amazing backwards catch

A Royals fan made what might be the best catch of the day — on or off the field — and didn't even lose his KC cap.

Surrounded by a sea of Twins fans at Target Field Sunday, this guy tumbles backwards over a row of seats and is still able to catch the foul ball before coming up none-for-the-worse.

Hats off to the amazing grab.

Golfer fires caddie during U.S. Open, swaps him for boyfriend

Women's golf ... welcome to reality TV.

In what has to be one of the most Kardashian moves ever seen in sports, golfer Jessica Korda fired her caddie during the middle of the third round of the U.S. Women's Open, and replaced him with her boyfriend, Johnny DelPrete.

DelPrete looks kind of skittish about screwing up her approach at first glance — given that a four-over stretch over her last four holes dropped her from the top five to two-over and may have prompted the switch from her first-string bag holder, Jason Gilroyed — but we understand.

"Johnny, grab the bag, let's go," Korda reportedly demanded during the caddie switch. Words Johnny has probably heard before — especially during shopping trips to the mall.

Korda, 20, said she never fired a caddie mid-round before — don't worry Jessica, you're never too old to be bratty— but they had some disagreements over the first nine, and claims she wasn't in the right mind play well.

"I care about Jason a lot," said  Korda after her round. "That's just how things happen in life."

It's fair to laugh a little, but the situation's got to be genuinely weird for Korda, whose entire family is at this U.S. Women's Open: Her 14-year-old sister, Nelly, made the cut, and their dad, 1998 Australian Open champion Petr Korda, is on her bag this week. 

Still, it sounds like someone just got gilroyed. 

Big crash, chaos after bus blocks finish line during Stage 1 of Tour de France

There were a couple of wild scenes during Stage 1 of the Tour de France after one racer went down and took out a few dozen more cyclists with him but not before a cycling team bus got stuck at the finish line —almost shortening the race by two miles.

Call it The Armstong Curse.

With the peloton going at more than 40mph, Omega Pharma-Quickstep's Tony Martin appeared to buckle suddenly, and as his bike jumped and skipped and then slipped from under him several riders were sent flying into the melee.




Right before the crash, the cycling team bus crashed into the banner overhanging the finish line of the first stage of the race in Porto Vecchio, Corsica on Saturday. With the bus briefly stuck and blocking the finish line, organizers reportedly considering cutting short the first stage of the race.

The Orica GreenEdge team bus didn't have enough clearance as it attempted to pass through the finish gate ahead of the cyclists and became lodged. According to USA Today Sports, officials deflated the tires in order to move the bus.

Tour de France officials were willing to shorten the opening stage by two miles if the bus would have remained stuck, per the Associated Press.

Because of the confusion, everyone was given the same finishing time as the winner, the German Marcel Kittel.

At both incidents, loud cursing can be heard in languages you've never heard before.

Nets looking to add openly-gay Collins to roster: Report

The Brooklyn Nets keep finding ways to keep their locker room interesting — and complicated. And the next potential Nets move might not be blockbusting but it would be trailblazing.

After announcing an NBA-rocking trade — to become official July 10 — that will bring seasoned veterans Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Barclays Center, a source confirmed Friday that the Nets' organization has discussed signing free-agent center Jason Collins, the first openly gay male basketball player.

The 34-year-old Collins, who revealed his sexuality in a Sports Illustrated article last spring, is no stranger to the Nets' organization. He was teammates with Nets coach Jason Kidd for seven seasons in New Jersey, where they both played under current Brooklyn assistant Lawrence Frank.

Although the Nets may not need another big man, Collins' "name was brought up," said a well-connected source.

Collins, who advanced to two finals with the Nets, has bounced around the league as a backup since leaving New Jersey. He played last season with Garnett and Pierce in Boston, but was released before joining the Wizards.

Although the Nets have interest in Collins, there isn't much room on the roster for another physical presence in the paint. Not only did the Nets draft Duke center Mason Plumlee on Thursday, their blockbuster trade evolved Friday morning so that they are keeping bruising forward Reggie Evans and dealing swingman MarShon Brooks to the Celtics, a source said.

Collins has not played since announcing he was gay in April, so the next time he steps on the court will be a front-page event. And for the Nets, who have been making headlines lately by hiring Kidd and completing the trade for Garnett and Pierce, it's a chance to represent a different kind of Brooklyn — which is home to a large gay and lesbian community.

"It's certainly better than Utah or other communities that are not as cosmopolitan," said sports marketing expert Marc Ganis, adding that such a move could help the Nets win over Brooklyn residents who remain angry about the way the Barclays Center was imposed on the neighborhood.

"It is a demonstration that the Nets are a socially progressive organization. To people who opposed it (the Barclays Center) it could be a relevant factor."

J.R. Smith's Twitter tease to fans: 'Fun while it lasted'

J.R. Smith — with his New York Knicks status loosely in one hand and his iPhone tight in the other — caused a commotion among Knicks fans when he tweeted, "It was fun while it lasted," Friday afternoon.

Was the Knicks free-agent guard announcing his departure from the team less than 24 hours after the Knicks drafted Tim Hardaway Jr., a similar player? Or was Smith — who is well-known for  his outrageous tweets off the court— just teasing the Knicks faithful.

While only Smith knows for sure, the NBA's 2013 Sixth Man of the Year tweeted again soon after denying that the initial comment had anything to do with basketball.

“What y’all talking bout?” Smith wrote. “I’m talking bout the talk the cab driver an I just had!”

It was fun while it lasted...
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) June 28, 2013

What y'all talking bout? I'm talking bout the talk the cab driver an I just had! #FunnyDude
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) June 28, 2013

It wouldn't be the first time a tweet caused a commotion for Smith. Last year he was fined $25,000 by the NBA for posting a lewd naked photo of a woman and even pop star Rihanna, once a reported love interest, called him out on Instagram for partying too hard during the 2013 playoffs.

The Knicks, who have “early Bird rights” on Smith, only can offer him as much as $5.4 million per year. Teams under the cap — such as the Bucks, a rumored landing spot — can offer him more.

The 27-year-old Smith had a great regular season, averaging 18.1 points per game, but struggled mightily in the playoffs, averaging just 14.3 per contest on 33 percent shooting.

Swimming baby already looks like a future champion

This little baby looks like she's taken a liking to the water at a very early age and a video of the mini- Missy Franklin doing laps in a pool already has over 50,000 hits.

The 16-month old Elizabeth — with the encouraging "go go go" of her mother — paddles around the pool in her one-piece Pampers. Even after she says "I'm done," the water baby impressively swims across it again and later laps it with one breath.

The trusting little toddler's video may get some helicopter parents hotter than their lattes but the kid actually seems to enjoy the pool.

Although her diving needs a little work maybe we'll see little Elizabeth breaking breaststroke records in 2028.

Go go go.

Lance Armstrong: 'Impossible' to win Tour de France without doping

Lance Armstrong  came back on Friday to haunt the 100th edition of cycling’s showcase race the Tour de France, by telling the French newspaper Le Monde he would never have won without doping.

Armstrong’s interview with the publication was surprising on many levels, not least because of his long-antagonistic relationship with the respected French daily that first reported in 1999 that corticosteroids were found in the American’s urine as he was riding his way to the first of his seven Tour wins. In response, Armstrong complained he was being persecuted by “vulture journalism, desperate journalism.”

In Friday's interview — published in French — Armstrong claimed that it was “impossible” to win the Tour without doping when he was racing. Armstrong already told television talk show host Oprah Winfrey when he finally confessed this January that doping was just “part of the job” of being a pro cyclist.

Not one  to shy away from the limelight or minimize his cheating, Armstrong told Le Monde he still considers himself the record-holder for Tour victories, even though all seven of his titles were stripped from him last year for doping. He also said his life has been ruined by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency investigation that exposed as lies his years of denials that he and his teammates doped, according to The Associated Press.

The interview was the latest blast from cycling’s doping-tainted recent history to tarnish the 100-year-old race.

Previously, Armstrong’s former rival on French roads, 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, confessed to blood-doping for the first time with a Spanish doctor. French media also reported that a Senate investigation into the effectiveness of anti-doping controls pieced together evidence of drug use at the 1998 Tour by Laurent Jalabert, a former star of the race now turned broadcaster.

The banned hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, wasn’t detectable by cycling’s doping controls until 2001 and so was widely abused because it prompts the body to produce oxygen-carrying red blood cells, giving a big performance boost to endurance athletes.

Armstrong was clearly talking about his own era, rather than the Tour today. Le Monde reported that he was responding to the question: “When you raced, was it possible to perform without doping?”

“That depends on which races you wanted to win. The Tour de France? No. Impossible to win without doping. Because the Tour is a test of endurance where oxygen is decisive,” Le Monde quoted Armstrong as saying.

Some subsequent media reports about Le Monde’s interview concluded that Armstrong was saying doping is still necessary now, rather than when he was winning the Tour from 1999-2005. That suggestion provoked dismay from current riders, race organizers and the sport’s governing body, the International Cycling Union or UCI.

“If he’s saying things like he doesn’t think that it’s possible to win the Tour clean, then he should be quiet — because it is possible,” said American rider Tejay van Garderen of the BMC team.

Asked later by The Associated Press to clarify his comments, Armstrong said on Twitter that he was talking about the period from 1999-2005. He indicated that doping might not be necessary now.

On Friday, a number of Tour de France riders hit back at Armstrong dismissing the claims by the shamed American cyclist, saying his remarks hurt their credibility.

Nerlens Noel's vow to teams that passed on him: 'I'll make them pay'

Nerlens Noel had every reason to believe he would be the first pick of the 2013 NBA Draft but, after he was slowly passed over by a couple of teams, it was apparent the 6-11 big man would become the focus of the night for all the wrong reasons—and that includes being traded.

After five picks in Thursday nights' NBA draft — with a camera continually directed on the young man's perplexed face —  the Kentucky star finally heard his name when the New Orleans Pelicans selected him with the sixth pick.

When the snubbed Noel realized he'd be teaming up with last year's No. 1 pick, Anthony Davis, he found a reason to force a smile. "I'm just happy to be with the Pelicans," said the semi-enthusiastic Noel.

Before you could say Twin Towers, that consolation was over.

The Pelicans dealt Noel and a 2014 first-round draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jrue Holiday and this year's 42nd pick.

Which is why Noel will have one goal when takes the court next season.

"I'm going to make them pay," Noel said of the teams that passed on him.

The Sixers took a big chance on Thursday when they traded their best player to land Noel, but if he makes good on his promise, it will be well worth it. Noel has the potential to be one of the most athletic centers in the league. His combination of speed, size, and athleticism could make him a franchise changing player if he can return from his ACL injury to be the player he was at Kentucky.

Noel will have every chance to make good on his word. The Sixers traded their franchise player to get Noel, effectively handing the team to him. When he's healthy, he'll start, and he'll be the focal point of the team.

Now Noel has to be true to his word and prove those teams wrong.

Hernandez wore cryptic t-shirt, posed with fan hours after alleged murder says prosecutor

Aaron Hernandez's expression and message on his t-shirt don't exactly fit the profile of a man who allegedly murdered someone only a few hours before this chilling photo was taken. But, according to prosecutors in the case, they say it does.

The photo of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was snapped at a Marshall's in Massachusetts on June 15th, the day after the shooting death of former semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd —whom Hernandez has been charged with murdering in cold blood, reports TMZ.

And speaking of cold blood, check out Hernandez' interesting choice of t-shirt for the leisurely trip to the store.  It reads "Hot Handed Cold Blooded."

Hernandez was seen shopping with his fiancee at the time of the photo. His 8-month-old daughter also came along.

As TMZ has reported, Hernandez' lawyer tried to paint the ex-NFL star as an upstanding citizen and family man while arguing that Hernandez deserved bail. 

The judge didn't buy it and ordered Hernandez to remain in custody while he awaits trial.

First-round draft pick Lucas 'Bebe' Nogueira's hair a big hit with fans

The Boston Celtics selected Brazilian big man Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira with the 16th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft Thursday night at Barclays Center.  The 20-year-old project with burgeoning offensive skills and giant NBA dreams also comes with something else pretty big —his hair.

While it sounds like the Celtics won't keep him — Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the pick will go from Boston to Dallas to Atlanta  — but there are many people who believe Nogueira has what it takes.

But that wasn't the big deal last night.  The real story was Nogueira's head of hair, and how he floated a Celtics hat on top of it when he met NBA commissioner David Stern at the podium. The carefully balanced cap resulted in a classic introduction to the NBA.

At least Andrew Bynum probably approves.

Mario Williams pokes fun at Aaron Hernandez on Instagram page

Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams had a little fun with with the sordid Aaron Hernandez murder saga by using the accused tight end's image in a mocked up Instagram for the violent video game Grand Theft Auto

In the digitally-altered image, Hernandez’s face is imposed on the body of a cartoon, tattooed thug sitting on the hood of a car and holding a gun. The logo in the top right reads “Grand Theft New England.”

Hernandez was charged with murder and five other charges Wednesday in the alleged execution-style slaying of Lloyd. The former New England Patriots tight end — he was cut by the team shortly after his arrest — was denied bail Thursday, because he could be a suspect in another murder case from last year.

Ironically, Williams has photos of himself on Instagram holding guns – and those are no parodies of his division rival Hernandez.

Williams was in the news earlier this NFL offseason for saying defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, formerly of the Jets, "always" told players to "kill" opponents. A few days later, he backed off those remarks and said Pettine didn’t use the phrase "kill them."

Earlier this year, Williams also sued an ex-fiancee to recover an $785,000 engagement ring setting off a Twitter war and slew of embarrassing text messages.

Wimbledon roof has its own Twitter account

Its seems like everyone has a Twitter account these days and that includes the Wimbledon Roof over Centre Court.

After three days of dry weather, showers caused the first rain delay at the championships on Thursday and organizers decided to shut the retractable roof over the fabled court, with last year's runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland leading Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1, 4-2.

While damp play continued on some other courts, the roof took to Twitter and boasted about the perfectly dry conditions inside.

Don't worry about the rain everyone, I've got it covered. Just sit back and enjoy the tennis... #protectiveroof
— Wimbledon Roof (@WimbledonRoof) June 27, 2013

The retractable roof was installed on Centre Court in 2009, to help alleviate the perennial rain delays that often plague the tournament.

But nobody likes a braggart.

Derek Jeter's rumored girlfriend shows off more than she says in magazine article

It sounds like Derek Jeter has gone from CAT scans to catwalks as he finishes rehabbing his left ankle and gets ready to return to the New York Yankees roster.

Jeter's rumored new lady, Hannah Davis, is heating up the latest issue of Ocean Drive Magazine.

The "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model has been spotted getting cozy with the Yankee captain and she is now making a splash in the magazine's summer issue. But when asked about her relationship with the ballplayer, the stunning 23-year-old remains coy. "I would rather go to a Yankees game than a Mets game," she said. "That's my final answer."

Davis might be enough to keep even old Jeets down in Florida this summer.

Prosecutors looking at piece of blue bubble gum as evidence Hernandez murdered Odin Lloyd

A piece of chewed bubblegum be an important piece of evidence linking New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez to the murder of Odin Lloyd in an abandoned industrial park, prosecutors claimed Wednesday.

Hernandez was charged yesterday with shooting Lloyd five times in what was described as an "orchestrated execution" at the unused park just minutes from his mansion in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Yesterday at a hearing in Attleboro District Court prosecutors said that on the night of the murder, Hernandez stopped at a gas station and bought gas, cigarettes and crucially a packet of blue cotton candy-flavored Bubblicious bubble gum.

Assistant District Attorney William McCauley told the court that the following morning, Hernandez returned the rental car to the hire company and exchanged it for a new vehicle.

The returned car was subsequently cleaned at the rental company where police went through the dumpster and discovered a bullet shell casing next to which was a chewed piece of blue cotton candy Bubblicious bubble gum.

The casing, for a .45 caliber handgun, is understood to match those found at the scene of the crime.

McCauley said that surveillance video from Hernandez's own home security cameras show two friends arriving at his $1.3 million mansion with the three of them leaving at approximately 1:12 a.m., with Hernandez at the wheel.

After stopping at the gas station, Hernandez is said to have driven to nearby Dorchester where he picked up Lloyd.

Apparently, Lloyd had misgivings about the meeting and sent text messages to his family. 

"Did you see who I am with?" he asked. Then he responded, cryptically, "NFL," the prosecutor said.

Mobile phone records show that the last time Lloyd used his phone was to text his sister at around 3:23am.

He added the foreboding line, "Just so you know."

At the moment the text was sent, Hernandez's car was caught on camera going down a gravel road to the industrial area where Lloyd's body was found before returning four minutes later, at 3:27 a.m.

Aaron Rodgers doesn't take kindly to being confused for murder suspect Aaron Hernandez

Aaron Rodgers took to his Twitter account after he was confused for accused murderer Aaron Hernandez during a live segment on ESPN Wednesday. Reporter Jeremy Schaap referred to Aaron Hernandez as Aaron Rodgers during a breaking newscast.

Rodgers' dismayed tweet:

Not funny ESPN
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) June 27, 2013

Reportedly, it was Rodgers' first tweet in five days. So it doesn't seem like Rodgers saw Schaap's mistake happen live, though. The slip up happened around 4:15 p.m. ET and Rodgers didn't tweet about it until over five hours later.

As soon as Rodgers did tweet about it, though, Schaap was quick to respond about his mental lapse:

@AaronRodgers12 funny, no. But I did correct myself, right then, which of course the clip does not include.
— Jeremy Schaap (@JeremySchaap) June 27, 2013

You'll be glad to know everything is all well and fine in the NFL once again

Trending 'Hernandezing' craze becomes the new Tebowing

Aaron Hernandez's arrest at his home by police Wednesday has already launched a disturbing new meme called "Hernandezing."

The New England Patriots tight end was led out of his house in handcuffs — with his hands awkwardly handcuffed under under a white T-shirt — and the odd armless look has spawned another Internet craze.  The trend might be in poor taste considering that Hernandez was picked up on the charge of murdering 27-year-old Odin Lloyd.

There is even a new site called Hernandezing.com which is posting photos of various people mimicking the pose in white tees and dour expressions.

Who ever thought one day we'd happily be saying Bring back Tebowing.

Riderless horse 'wins' sixth-race at Belmont (VIDEO)

A determined mare bucked her jockey at the starting gate Wednesday and still managed to win the race without the burden of the tiny man and his forceful hand on her back.

Six-year-old Downtown Hottie broke free of her whip-holding rider during the sixth race at Belmont Park and the liberated lady still managed to gallop to victory.

The racetrack's "official results," listed her as having not finished the race and a filly named "Wholelottashakin" won with a final time of 1:35 but we all know who the real winner in this video is.

A-Rod planning to return and retire to collect full salary before MLB suspension hits: Report

If you think Brian Cashman erupted after hearing Alex Rodriguez's tweet about getting the "green light to play games again!" on Tuesday, wait until the New York Yankees general manager finds out why A-Rod might be so eager to return.

According to The New York Daily News, sources close to the ongoing drama surrounding the scandalized Yankee third baseman, Rodriguez and his advisers are so concerned that Major League Baseball’s drug enforcers are so close to suspending him that they have sped up the timetable for A-Rod to return to game action.

Once he’s back playing in rehab games, the sources say, he could then claim he is physically unable to perform because of the serious hip injury he is recovering from, “retire” from the game, and still collect the full amount of his salary — $114 million over the next five years.

The Daily News quoted sources about the alleged plan for Rodriguez to cash out:

“It’s all about him getting his money and not losing it to suspension,” one source close to the situation told the Daily News. “He knows he’s never going to the Hall of Fame. All that’s left for him is to make sure he gets his money — all of it.”

One way to do that is for Rodriguez to return to game action, find he can no longer perform up to his standards, then retire before he’s hit with a suspension without pay. A player who retires because he is physically unable to perform, even if he’s later suspended, would still get the full amount of his contract.

Albert Belle suffered a similar hip injury that ended his career in 2001, and he was forced to go on a series of 60-day disabled lists in order to collect the remainder of his contract.

Now, a player who is deemed physically unable to perform is allowed by baseball to retire and still collect his money.

Sources told the Daily News they believe MLB will try to suspend Rodriguez, no matter his status. If he is given a lifetime ban, he would not be able to re-enter the game in any capacity.

 “It’s not going to have any effect on what or when MLB does something,” said a baseball source.

The Yankees, who are currently paying Rodriguez’s $28 million 2013 salary, could conceivably then try to collect insurance on the remainder of the contract, as the Orioles did with Belle.

After it was reported on Sunday that Rodriguez had been given medical clearance to begin playing in rehab games on July 1 as long as the Yankees felt he was ready to do so. Cashman began disputing that claim, saying only that the Yankees and their team of doctors, trainers and ultimately, Cashman, can clear Rodriguez for game action.

Then on Tuesday night, after A-Rod made the infamous tweet that Dr. Bryan Kelly, who performed hip surgery on A-Rod in January “gave me the best news — the green light to play games again!” and posting a weekend photo of himself with Kelly.

When the news reached Cashman, he blew up in an interview, saying, “You know what? When the Yankees want to announce something, we will. Alex should just shut the f--- up. That’s it. I’m going to call Alex now.”

Can't wait to hear what choice words he has for A-Rod when he finds out R&R suddenly means Return and Retire — with full pay.

Cleveland Browns rookie charged with attempted murder

Ausar Walcott, a former New Jersey high school football star and recent Cleveland Browns signee, was charged Tuesday with attempted murder for allegedly punching a man outside a bar in Passaic, N.J.,  reported North Jersey.com.

The victim, Derrick Jones, 24, of New York City, remained hospitalized Tuesday in critical condition at Harlem Hospital Center in Manhattan, Passaic Police Detective Andrew White said.

The Browns issued a brief statement Tuesday saying the team was "aware of the situation."

While at the University of Virginia, Walcott was briefly suspended from the football team after he was arrested and charged with assault after a fight near James Madison University,the Washington Post reported. The charges were dropped.

The 23-year-old Walcott was a standout player at Hackensack High School.