US a Winner and Brazil a Loser in World Cup Draw 
The United States received a favorable draw for the 2010 World Cup on Friday and will be expected to advance to the second round of the soccer world championship, which will begin June 11 in South Africa. Anything short will be considered a major disappointment.
The Americans drew a top seed in England, the 1966 World Cup champion, but avoided a second European power and a top African team, instead being placed in a group that includes Slovenia and Algeria.
“We feel this is a group that gives us a real fair chance to move on,” Bob Bradley, the United States coach, said in an interview with ESPN at the draw in Cape Town.
US to open against England at World Cup
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The United States will play England, Slovenia and Algeria in the first round of next year's World Cup in what appears to be a relatively easy group.
The U.S. opens against England in Rustenburg on June 12, their first World Cup matchup since the Americans' 1-0 upset victory at the 1950 tournament in Brazil.
The United States then plays Slovenia at Johannesburg's Ellis Park on June 18 and completes the first round on June 23 with its first-ever match against Algeria in Pretoria.
sec's reach extends beyond its title game
The winner of Saturday's matchup between No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama will be crowned the Southeastern Conference champion, but that is far from the most important plot line surrounding the contest. The SEC, widely accepted years ago as the nation's top college football conference, holds such overwhelming authority on the college football landscape that the basic purpose of its highest-profile game is a mere backdrop to other, more pressing issues.
Consider: Saturday will mark the final conference game in the storied collegiate career of Gators quarterback Tim Tebow; Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram and Tebow are two of the top contenders for this season's Heisman Trophy, an award that could be decided based on their performances Saturday; not only will the winner of Saturday's game advance to the Bowl Championship Series title game, but Florida and Alabama are so highly thought of that the loser may still get there, as well.
Only in the SEC, many observers feel, could so much additional weight be tied to one conference championship game.
Adviser: Pacquiao to fight Mayweather in March
MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao is likely to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13 after agreeing to a proposal from promoter Bob Arum on Friday.
Arum presented "what he thought was the best proposal he can bring" during a two-hour breakfast meeting with Pacquiao in Manila, said Michael Koncz, an adviser of the Philippine boxing idol.
"Manny has some additional requirements, requests, which Arum didn't think was a problem," Koncz said. "The requests of Manny were so realistic that Arum doesn't feel it's a problem and it's pretty much a done deal."
In Must-Win Game, Jets Bend but Don't Break
TORONTO — When the Jets drafted Mark Sanchez last April, a few hungry Jets fans dared compare him to Joe Namath. He had some of Namath’s talent, a touch of his flair and much of his self-confidence. Unfortunately, he may also have Namath’s famously brittle knees.
For the second time in five days, Sanchez injured one of his knees. This time it was his right knee, which buckled during the Jets’ 19-13 victory against the Buffalo Bills at the Rogers Centre, forcing Sanchez from the game.
He limped off the field with 8 minutes 15 seconds to play in the third quarter and never returned. His status for the game Dec. 13 against Tampa Bay is unclear, although he will have extra time to recover if the injury is not too serious.
Jesper Parnevik: Elin should have used driver on Tiger
Pro golfer and one-time matchmaker Jesper Parnevik isn't pleased with Tiger Woods following Woods' apology on Wednesday.
Tiger's wife, Elin Nordegren, worked as a family nanny for Parnevik before he introduced her to Woods. On Wednesday, Parnevik told reporters, essentially, he was sorry for setting up their relationship and that Nordegren should be a little tougher on her husband.
"I'm kind of filled with sorrow for Elin since me and my wife are at fault for hooking her up with him, and we probably thought he was a better guy than he is.
Woods the Human Hurts Woods the Brand
It seemed a tiny bit fitting that the day Tiger Woods officially fell from grace, the New Jersey Nets fell to new levels of futility, losing their record-setting 18th straight game to start the N.B.A. season in astonishingly incompetent fashion. Even though Woods did not set any records — he became roughly the zillionth athlete to be nabbed for dreaded “transgressions” —the depth of his plunge was astounding. He went from the richest athlete in the world to tabloid fodder in 3.8 GHz. The already pathetic Nets only fell from a four-inch curb.
The sporting world seemed to spend Wednesday measuring Woods’s freefall. It got so bad, the human train wreck John Daly was offering Woods advice (“come clean”) on how to deal with his scandal, which is like getting navigational tips from the captain of the Titanic. Christine Brennan of USA Today tried to take measure of what we learned about Woods since Thanksgiving and found that none of it was good. Robert Lusetich of Foxsports.com was flummoxed by how Woods could have felt he was so bulletproof.
While Michael Bamberger wrote on Golf.com that he did not believe Woods would end up suffering professionally (read: $$), Gary Van Sickle wrote on the same site that Woods’s “brand” has already taken a beating. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo.com points out that this is the bargain you get when you become more of a brand than a person: the culture that makes you ridiculously famous can crush you in a millisecond. Given that culture, Greg Couch of Fanhouse.com is sympathetic to Woods’s pleas for privacy, while knowing they are ludicrously unrealistic. And Jay Busbee writes on Yahoo’s Devil Ball Golf blog that Woods did not help himself with a series of wrong-headed responses, or lack thereof, since last Friday.
France's Mauresmo retires
PARIS (Reuters) - France's two-time grand slam winner and former world number one Amelie Mauresmo announced her retirement from tennis on Thursday.
"I came here to announce the end of my career. I made this decision after careful consideration," Mauresmo told a news conference before bursting into tears.
Mauresmo, 30, topped the WTA rankings in September 2004 and clinched her two grand slam titles in 2006 when she won the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Worst Start to a Season? Envelope Goes to the Nets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — On a night made for infamy, the Nets were not content to set a single dubious record. They went for a set.
They watched the Dallas Mavericks score on layups and dunks, lob plays and 3-point tries, until the basket was nearly scorched from the friction, until the Nets’ humiliating place in N.B.A. history was secured.
The Mavericks scored at will and showed little mercy in a 117-101 rout Wednesday night, sending the Nets to their record 18th straight defeat to open the season. The Miami Heat set the futility mark 20 years ago, losing their first 17 games as an expansion team. The Los Angeles Clippers, who often operate like an expansion team, matched the mark 10 years ago. Only seven N.B.A. teams have ever lost more than 18 games in a row. The Nets are five losses away from tying the longest single-season streak, held by the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets and the 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies.
Woods says he lets family down
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Tiger Woods said he let his family down with "transgressions" he regrets "with all of my heart," and that he will deal with his personal life behind closed doors.
His statement Wednesday follows a cover story in Us Weekly magazine that reports a Los Angeles cocktail waitress claims she had a 31-month affair with the world's No. 1 golfer.
"I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves," Woods said on his Web site. "I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone."
