Super Bowl XLVI
Video: Mike Florio talks with Giants reciever Victor Cruz about the Super Bowl, his fellow wideouts and what he should be paid.
Castrodale: The Yankees are introducing his and her fragrances? What's next?
PHT: NHL confirms that the University of Michigan will host Jan. 1, 2013 outdoor game between the Maple Leafs and Red Wings.
PBT: The coaches name the All-Star reserves, going the old names such as Joe Johnson over future stars like Rajon Rondo.
Arc: Here are our defined rules for Storming a College Basketball Court, a special act that needs order to preserve its sanctity.
CFT: To address safety concerns, the NCAA is proposing that kickoffs be moved from the 30 to 35-yard line and touchbacks moved out to the 25-yard line next season.
Tiger Woods shot 4-under 68 Thursday at Spyglass in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Jason Sobel tracked his hole-by-hole progress.
Rafa Nadal rips a "general campaign" in France to discredit Spanish athletes by implying their success is due to the use of illegal drugs.
Opinion: Chaging managers won't quickly cure the reasons why England has failed to win a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
SportsTalk: Michael Phelps talks about being able to "refind the love" as he prepares for the 2012 Games.
It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
AP
MELBOURNE, Australia - Serena Williams and Justine Henin won their semifinals over Chinese opponents to advance to Saturday’s final at the Australian Open.
Williams beat Li Na 7-6 (4), 7-6 (1) while Henin wasted little time beating Zheng Jie 6-1, 6-0.
Serena Williams recorded her 50th career win at Melbourne Park and advanced to her fifth Australian Open final. Henin is playing in her first Grand Slam tournament in two years since ending a 20-month retirement.
Li and Zheng were the first Chinese players to advance to the semifinals of the same Grand Slam.
“Every time I had match points, she came up with some big serves and great shots,” Williams said. “She just goes for broke.”
Serena Williams got some help from her sister for her semifinal win. After Venus Williams lost in the quarterfinals to Li, ending any chance of an all-Williams semifinal, she did all she could to ensure at least one family member would be there.
“She told me how to play her and what to do,” Serena said. “She had chances yesterday and she knew how to play her. It always helps when you have someone who can help you out.”
Williams and Henin stopped the numerous Chinese flags at Rod Laver Arena from being raised too often in jubilation.
“Good for both players,” Li said. “Also good for China tennis. I think if the children, they see this, maybe they will be more confident and think they can do it some day, too.”
Unfortunately for Zheng, it was the most lopsided women’s semifinal at the Australian Open since Chris Evert beat Andrea Jaeger by the same score in 1982.
“It was perfect,” said Henin, who had to beat Olympic gold medalist and No. 5-ranked Elena Dementieva just to get past the second round. “I had enough tennis in the past two weeks so it was good to have a pretty easy match.”
Serena Williams has won the title every time she’s played the final here since beating Venus here in 2003. The winning sequence has been every odd-numbered year so far.
The Williams sisters, the defending champions in doubles, later beat Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the semifinals and will meet No. 1-seeded Cara Black and Liezel Huber in Friday’s final.
Henin is unranked and two tournaments into her comeback, hoping to emulate fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters’ win at the U.S. Open last September.
Clijsters was only three tournaments into a comeback from two years off, and playing on a wild card entry, when she beat both Williams sisters en route to winning the title at New York.
Williams is hoping for better against a Belgian on the comeback this time. Her semifinal loss to Clijsters in New York cost her a record $82,500 fine for a tirade against a line judge who called her for a foot fault.
Serena Williams leads Henin 7-6 in career head-to-heads, although they’ve never met in a Grand Slam final. Williams won their last match, at Miami in 2008, just before Henin retired suddenly while holding the No. 1 ranking.
“It’s such an amazing chance that I have to play another final in Melbourne,” said Henin, who won the 2004 title in Melbourne and lost the 2006 final. “It’s a very special occasion.”
Rafa Nadal rips a "general campaign" in France to discredit Spanish athletes by implying their success is due to the use of illegal drugs.
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A commemorative license plate for the New York Giants was unveiled hours after their Super Bowl victory.
Ventre: The Lakers are 14-11 and tied for sixth place in the Western Conference. How much longer can Kobe Bryant keep quiet about his unhappiness with the team?
DeMarco's Mailbag: Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and Albert Pujols' new team the Los Angeles Angels head the list.
