Heading into the 2006 World Cup with a team loaded to the gills with talent — Ronaldinho Gaucho, Kaka, Adriano, Ronaldo, Lucio, etc — coach Carlos Alberto Parreira went with the idea that the star power would come together and Brazil would once again hoist the World Cup trophy.

Parreira couldn’t have been more wrong as Brazil — which warmed up for the World’s largest tournament with weak friendlies, including one against an under-20 team — never seemed in sync and crashed out lamely against a determined French side.  Complete Article

As the doping scandal -- and it is a doping scandal -- of Floyd Landis enters the ludicrous stage, with Landis's lawyer now just randomly running excuses up the flagpole, it's time that we as sports fans admit defeat and accept the inevitable.

They're all doped up now. All of them. When the winner of the Tour de France takes drugs to win, he incriminates everyone. Because Floyd Landis doesn't have a "naturally high testosterone level," and dehydration didn't cause his testosterone level to scream "Cheater!".  Complete Article

In the last 5 years the growing popularity and use of illegal substances (steroids) in major league baseball has created a public outcry and led to indictments, arrests and congressional hearings. Some have even put major league baseball on par with professional wrestling as it is now a drugged or ‘juiced’ game and old, lasting records by the greats like Ruth and Hank Aaron can easily be broken by lesser athletes on steroids and have become meaningless. Just look at Barry Bonds for an example.  Complete Article

I would like to focus the jest of this article on the basis of the golf swing… the grip. With spring in the air and golf on our minds let’s get this year off to a good start by not overlooking the basics.

Unquestionably the biggest mistake I see in people’s golf swing isn’t in their golf swing itself. Nope. Not at all.

More often than not the mistakes happen before the swing even begins. The first mistake is made in how the golfer holds the golf club. After that the next mistake usually comes in with how they stand up to the ball. Poor posture. Then after having two strikes against them, they then finish the job of making it almost impossible to hit a good golf shot by improperly lining up to their intended target.  Complete Article

The Riggs Brothers defeated Chad Dick and Eddie Craven in one of last night’s OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) matches at the Davis Arena in Louisville.  This was the first match back in the OVW for the Riggs Brothers after being released from the WWE.  The crowd liked them, even though Chad is still doing his striptease show. 

The taped show will include Charles Evans beating Pat Buck with a bodyslam.  In a more competitive fight, Elijah Burke beat Shawn Osbourne.  Afterwards Burke celebrated his patriotism.  Cody Runnels beat KC James by DQ.  Marcus Murtado, of PW Insider, reported that Aaron Stevens interfered on behalf of James, which prompted Roadkill to clean house and make a challenge for a tag match at Six Flags.  But just the same, KC was great doing his old school Tommy Rich gimmick.  Complete Article

One of the oldest golf tournaments is set to begin its 135^th year at the 2006 British Open being hosted at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club for the 11^th time.  ABC-TV and TNT will cover this year’s golf tournament.

The first British Open was held back in 1897.  In 1930, Bobby Jones made history at the Royal Liverpool.  Tiger Woods will get his chance to win at this year’s British Open.  This will be the first time that Tiger has played at this golf course in Hoylake, England. Complete Article
 

Researchers at Stanford University Medical Center believe that Viagra improves cardiovascular and exercise performance measures of trained cyclists at high altitude.  Some of the participants had an improved performance of up to 45%, while others found no benefit and there was no benefit for anyone at sea level.

Ten cyclists who took sildenafil (Viagra) collectively improved their stroke volume (the volume of blood moved out of one ventricle of the heart per beat) and cardiac output (stroke volume times heart rate) compared to the placebo trial.  The researcher also found that the Viagra group minimized the decline of arterial oxygen saturation of the arteries when the cyclists were at simulated altitude of 12,700 feet. Viagra Helps Cyclists at High Altitudes - Bicycle Exercise Performance Benefit by As Much As 45% In Study Using Sildenafil

By exercising for at least 30 minutes in the morning when you first wake up and before you eat breakfast, you set your body up to burn more body fat.  The reason you burn fat better is because your body has been without food for several hours and you do not have carbohydrates available when you first wake up.  When you exercise your body need carbohydrates for energy but will instead substitute your body fat for energy instead which improves your fat burning ability. Burn Body Fat by Exercising in the Morning before Breakfast

Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, was fined $250,000 for "several acts of misconduct" after game five of the NBA finals between the Mavs and Miami Heat.  Cuban went on to the floor after the game and vented directly at official Joe DeRosa and then turning to the scorer’s box where David Stern was seated.

According to an AP report he said to Stern and other NBA officials, who were seated at the scorer's table and was overheard to shout venomously in the jubilant din, '[Bleep] you! [Bleep] you! Your league is rigged!'  Later Cuban said that none of the ranting was directed at Stern. Basketball - Mark Cuban Fined $250K Because of Outburst After Game 5 of NBA Finals - Miami Heat Dallas Mavericks Series at 3-2 Now

If you need to lose weight and have be struggling along with modifying your diet and not losing weight, one way you can help to increase your metabolism and burn more fat is by weight lifting exercises.

You don’t need to join a fitness club to get access to weights.  You can purchase a couple of sets of free weights and bench to accomplish the goals.  If you have a difficult time challenging your weight lifting routine you can hire a personal trainer.  If you don’t have a budget for a personal trainer you can invest in body sculpting DVD’s that will couch you as you go.  Weight Lift to Lose Body Fat – Ideas to get you started in Lifting Free Weights

Argentina beat the Ivory Coast 2-1 Saturday night in the first game of the World Cup.  This is Argentina’s fourth straight World Cup opener and they will play Serbia-Montenegro on Friday.

Both Hernan Crespo and Javier Saviola scored in the first half.  The Ivory Coast defense was a little shaky.  This was Ivories first time to qualify, after getting past African power Cameroon.  Ivory Coast got their goal in the 82^nd minute just missing a header, and then converting from in front after the ball was played back in.  World Cup Opener Highlights - England Argentina German Win and Sweden and Trinidad Tie

The World Cup 2006 is about to begin today, but watch out for the new soccer ball being used for the first time for the World Cup.  The new ball has only 14 panels with fewer seams compared to the traditional soccer ball that has either 26 or 32 panels in a hexagon pattern.

Scientists say that this change is going to “bamboozle goalkeepers” during the game this year.  The reason they believe that the new soccer ball will cause problems is that its design resembles the aerodynamics of a baseball.  The new soccer ball when hit with a slow spin will make it more likely to give an unpredictable trajectory when kicked in the air. The World Cup 2006 - Watch out for the New Soccer Ball

From college football to Major League Baseball, rivalries between teams have always added excitement to fan experience.  Many teams are old rivals, while others have developed a competitive intensity more recently. What teams have been fighting it out for some time? Rivalries are at the center of many fan’s lives. Here’s a quick look at some classic ones.

College football has some of the most talked about rivalries in all of sports.  To begin with, you have the heated battles between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners.  Being in neighboring states, they compete for regional bragging rights and often the same recruits.  Over the years, there have been many classic match-ups between the two teams.  The Biggest Rivalries in Sports

NASCAR is big business, with a huge fan base.  Corporate sponsors spend on average between $15-20 million annually to paint their logo on the race cars.  The problem with this is that the cars zip around the speedway at 200 mph and may be difficult for their logos to be seen, especially on television.

Paul Ostasiewski, a marketing professor at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV said, “A 200 mph billboard seems like a contradiction, yet that’s an important part of what NASCAR sells. A car’s paint scheme has to be designed so a major sponsor’s name can be easily read, particularly on television where it’s usually seen for a few seconds before cameras cut away to show another car. Television is where the greatest exposure is. It’s also where the biggest problems are.”  NASCAR – Corporate Sponsors spend Millions for Logo on Race Cars

When you think about baseball, you think about a game that has been surrounded by myth, mystification and legends that have a tendency to get embellished over the years and re-embellished. There were many reported bizarre and unusual incidents and events in baseball featuring various baseball characters that seemed to be acting in an epic saga that combined comedy, mystery, and fantasy. Some of these incidents may be embellished, or they may not be apocryphal. Some though, are so unusual and bizarre, that I believe no one could make them up. Some of the events are well documented and there's no question that they actually happened.  The Unusual to Bizarre in Early Professional Baseball

Canadian researchers have discovered a small protein that works in muscles to increase metabolism and is also able to suppress the appetite.  The protein is called ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF).  This study was first reported in the Nature Medicine journal.

Other research has focused on the leptin hormone for decreasing appetite. This research study was led by Dr. Greg Steinberg - a Target Obesity fellow funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Canadian Diabetes Association and found that CNTF could be a possible treatment for obesity. Muscle Building and Weight Loss – Researchers find Protein that Increases Metabolism and Suppressing Appetite by Weightlifting

Let’s get this party started; the Engines are ready to rev it up!  NASCAR is in full swing now, which means it’s time to get the grills out and the campers ready. Why is this year going to offer more than last season? What’s in store for NASCAR fans?  This year should be a memorable one for enthusiasts across the nation as drivers compete for the Nextel Cup. 

This is the second year NASCAR is using a new point system, which allows drivers to position themselves for a final push down the stretch.  Last year, due to the new point system many of NASCAR’s top drivers were left out of the point chase, but with a year under their belts, more drivers will know what it takes to win the Cup.  Considering that only the top-ten drivers have a chance at the Nextel Cup, there’s not much room for error.  Drivers have to make sure each race counts in order to ensure they are not left in the infield at the end of the season.  Let’s get the NASCAR party Started: The Engines are ready to Rev it up!

Although Smooth Fitness has been selling elliptical trainers for a number of years, it is only recently that they manufactured their own models. In the past they private labeled machines from several companies.

They recently introduced three new models, the CE 2.1, CE 3.2 and CE 7.4, which are built at the same Taiwanese plant as their popular treadmills. The Smooth treadmills have a solid reputation, and received a “Best Buy” from Treadmill Doctor.

The Smooth CE elliptical can attribute its popularity to being a solid and reliable machine. It has a very good service record. It is build with a 40 lb. flywheel and an eddy brake system. Both contribute to a fluid and smooth motion, which is what you want in an elliptical trainer. The new Smooth ellipticals utilize the best qualities of the CE elliptical. In addition, they have improved on several important features. Review of the New 2006 Smooth Elliptical Trainers

We all want to save money and buy at a discount. When it comes to treadmills getting the best value is particularly important when you consider the price.

A treadmill can cost a small fortune. And if you are not sure it won't end up as an expensive clothes hanger, you want to be cautious on how much you spend.

Whether you buy online or in a retail store, you'll find just about any treadmill is marked down significantly from its list price. List prices have no basis in reality of the true value of the treadmill.

It is no different than other products like cars, jewelry, furniture, etc. The problem becomes, what is the real value, and how does that compare to the discount price. Having worked in the treadmill business for a number of years I know how companies manipulate the prices to give the illusion of value. Discount Treadmills ­ Are They Really a Deal?