Rift Between Lakers' Stars Grows LOS ANGELES - The season-long feud between Los Angeles Lakers stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant took a new turn Monday night. Using a technology that was previously only available to the Vatican and the 700 Club, O'Neal's post-game mumblings after the Lakers' title-clinching victory over the Philadelphia 76ers were played back in reverse. The Lakers' gargantuan star center can clearly be heard muttering, "Kobe's trash...Shaq is God". Full Story » World's Strongest Men Hold a Meeting of the Muscles ATHENS, GREECE - Twenty of the world's strongest men gathered in Athens last week to determine who among them would become the PowerDyne CarbBoost World's Most Powerful Man. Full Story » 2001 NFC Preview Over the past two weeks, I have received numerous e-mails regarding my omission of the Jacksonville Jaguars from my 2001 AFC Preview article. This was not an oversight, but was a decision made by my editor because of my choice of wording. Apparently, I overused the word "pathetic". To appease the editor and as a service to Jaguar fans everywhere, I'm reprinting my statement but substituting the word "promising" for the word "pathetic". Full Story »

China Awarded 2008 Olympic Games BEIJING - Celebration erupted after IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch's announcement that the Chinese city of Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympic Games. Chinese President Jiang Zemin leapt down from his podium to join in the celebration as fireworks exploded over the city. The execution of several political prisoners added to the colorful display. Full Story » League Announces Changes as Jordan's Return Imminent NEW YORK - David Stern, the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, announced Tuesday that there would be some additional rule changes for the 2001-2002 basketball season. Some speculate that these rule changes are the result of Michael Jordan's expected announcement that he will return to basketball this season. Jordan, the 38-year old, 6-time NBA champion, has all but confirmed his return to the game, and the league would almost certainly benefit from his return, as television ratings for the NBA have been down since Jordan's "retirement". Full Story » Clean Sweep For American Curling League LUBBUCK, TX - For those of you that have eagerly awaited the final vote, the National Professional Sports Picking Association has unanimously voted to start the American Curling Leauge. Games will begin in the spring of 2003 and the season will last three years until the final championship match, the winner receiving the coveted "The Curling Rod" trophy. Full Story »

Getting A Kick Out Of Soccer? NATIONAL WIRE - Chances are if you see a minivan or SUV full of kids, they are rushing off to play the hottest sport in the country: soccer. Soccer has seen its popularity grow rapidly in the past decade, becoming this generation's sandlot baseball. Full Story » 2001 AFC Preview Normally, my NFL preview columns appear before the start of the NFL season, but due to the tragic events of September 11, I was unable to return to the United States from Greece, where I was covering the World's Strongest Man competition. And trying to get an Internet connection in Greece is almost as easy as figuring out Greek currency after a fifth of ouzo. But my problems are small when compared to the people whose lives were affected by the tragedy of September 11. To all of those people, you have my deepest sympathies. Full Story »