>> right now on espnews, the latest from orlando. as the lakers try to take a 3-1 series lead. and the magic try to even it up at two games apiece. baseball, the red sox and yankees locking horns once again. david ortiz has gone yard. see if it will be enough for boston to get another victory over the yanks. phillies and mets in a rubber match. those two games going to take on the red sox and yankees in the weekend action. we've got all the baseball coverage, plus an emotional day for phil mickelson. but the golf was as good as you could expect it to be.

[closed captioning provided by espn, inc.] >> with that, we welcome you to another half hour of espnews. now available in high definition. and where we always try to bring you up to speed on everything going on in the world of sports. you know, jonathan coachman. >> yes. >> i'm merely steve bunin. we've got a whole lot coming at you in the next half hour. lot of baseball to talk about. also, lefty on the golf course. john daley makes his return. but of course we're going to start this half hour, did i mention? the nba finals, too? is. >> i think so. >> we'll update that as well. they're getting ready to tip off in orlando. right now, major league action going on as we speak. zach greinke on the mound for the royals. pitching like zach greinke should. highlights of all these games coming up as soon as they're final. yankees-red sox. david ortiz, a solo shot.

brad penny, c.c. sabathia. tremendous pitchers duel at fenway. and the mets up on the phillies, 3-2, top 7 as i mentioned. joining us to share some knowledge, big names for both teams. chien-ming wang and brad penny. what are the issues. >> verne:. >> bill: for the yankees, the questions after wang's disaster start, would they keep him in the rotation. in talking to people, he is going to stay in the yankees rotation. their feeling is he's an important member of our organization. a guy whoo won 19 games two yeas ago. we simply can't throw him aside after just a couple of really bad starts. so they're going to keep him in the rotation. continue to try to fix him. they feel like his stuff is really good. they feel like his arm speed is increased. his finger is working. here's the problem. his fastball command.

that is a major c issue that hes going to be working on going forward. now, as far as t abrad penny is concerned, there are he questions about whether or not this start tonight, which will be his 12th with the red sox will b be his last start with te team. because of course, john smoltz is due back from his rehab assignment next tuesday. one complication got thrown into it tonight. john't smoltz start with pawtuct was rained out. we don't know s how that's going to effect it. i think the red sox will trade brad penny. i don't think immediately. they want to waite to see how smoltz does. and at his age they can't assume he's going to come all the way back. he has a couple nice starts and the red sox go on the six man rotation at a couple of weeks. at that point is when they'llha look to trade brad penny. >> they've got a lot of good

pros t pecks. >> all of and sudden, a seven-ge win streak goingam into today's game, and this is one of the many afternoon games we've got for you. ian stewart off gallardo who has been pitching great. >> ian stewart has been on fire hitting .333. just absolutely raking it. the rockies have been waiting for years for stewart's talent to manifest itself. >> ryan brawn, waiting for the fastball, gets by him. though brawn though he homers ir the ninth. rocky gets the win. 5-4. w so they get another w. and it's still a long ways to go. they started out so poorly. >> longest winning streak for the rockies since september 2007. that was the month that propelled them into the postseason that year. >> aaron cook, you believe is a guy who could really help makeea or break a season? why? >> he's helping them now. i talked to him. he's hopeful about what he could accomplish this year.

got off to a terrible start. his era was 8 and a half. but after his start for the i don't think rockies on april 24, he went back and looked at videotape, and he realized his arm angle had changed. he raised his arm angle up. improved his sinker again. since then he's got an era of 2.5. he's a different pitcher. we saw last year, he's basically not aall-star caliber pitcher. -- an all-star caliber pitcher. way, the rockies will have that anchor for the rotation they need going forward. >> the american league, twins and a's in the afternoon. oakland hoping for a split of the four-game set. we'll talk joe mauer in a little bit. first, bottom of the eighth. adam kennedy. oh, boy. you talk about a guy that's helped out. right now at his current pace, he would finish, based on a 32 games with oakland. he would hit 25 homers and drive in 100 runs. that's how good he's been for oakland. wake up, america. adam kennedy tied the game at 3. bottom of the ninth. it's davis. a's win it, 4-3. only his third r.b.i. this entire season for davis. >> wow. so the odd thing in this game is the guy that you sigh with two

hits, you don't see hitting joe ueuer. he goes 1 for 4, and dropped to .410. it's way to early to talk about anybody making a push to hit .400. but based on computer simulations, which we like to do, mauer has a chance of doing .380 or better. what do scouts say about mauer's ating that allows him to be in the annual conversation of guys that could pull it off? >> well, let's face it. c i talked to him recently about his approach at the plate and what's changed this year. and he said he's become more cognizant as he's gotten older about taking advantage of hitters counts. 2-0, and 3-1. he's looking to drive the ball. he's been doing it more this year. the question of .400. yes, he's a left-handed hitter. on the down side he's a catcher. he's not very fast. at some point, yet he missed the first month of the season, that helped keep him fresh. lot of his teammates are joking that he's got fresh hands. but in the end, you wonder if the beating will really affect

his run. >> did the twins make any noise about himming him -- moving him at some point in his career?in >> i think that question came up during spring training when he was having his physical problems. but in talking with rick anderson, minnesota pitching coach, when he was out he went to ron gardenhire and said i know he's a good hitter, but i miss him because of the way he handles the pitching staff. so until he starts to break down physically, i don't think they'll consider that because of what he does behind the plate. >> special player in the american league. maybe the best in both leagues. cubs and astros, rubber match there. people stopped talking about this, but the hill in houston had issues with michael born todayful.ha >> michael borne, that is cow's hill, the executive named it. that is one of the best catches. he catches the ball on his rear end. >> never thought about evening it out? never thought of leveling it out. >> it's a quirky little part of the park. >> somebody breaks their ankle. >> troy hawkins in for the save. that's dramatic. and there he goes. sre

derrek lee. >> good to see him hitting with power again since the firste month of the season. >> let's go to the 13th of the season. two men on. jeff, who? what is this, the world series? walkoff hit on wednesday. walkoff hit on thursday. that's a couple pretty good days for him. >> so the astros win again. cubs just a game above .500. >> think about this. since may 17, the cubs have averages 3.1 runs per game. before that, 5.1 runs per game. their offense is dropping. >> what is the difference? >> the bottom line is milton bradley and some other guys have not given them the type of production they'd hoped for. >> the cardinals just a game behind milwaukee, starting the day in the n.l. central. taking on the florida marlins. of another afternoon game. albert pujols up. top of the six, fastball from miller. >> time it. got the stop watch? 3, 1, 0.no 3 seconds.

the only reason they pitched to them, of course, is they had a two-run lead. >> with pujols. t k now it's 5-all in the eighth. and kobe, scores. cardinals win it, 6-5. >> expanded his winning streak. he's hitting .462 during that hitting streak. he's been impressive. and certainly from the cardinals, the last two games gives their offense some hope. they've really been struggling at the dish. >> and they let in two runs and he apologized after saying there was no excuse. you can't do that. buster olney, you've got to get back to the games. appreciate you joining us. see you on "baseball tonight," espn2, 1:30 eastern. >> very nicely done. we'll head back to toronto. for usain bolt. he was good. and also, lefty. back for the first time since his wife's.

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>> phil mickelson back for the first time since his wife's breast cancer diagnosis. phil started solid. on the back nine, par 4, 10th. he would birdie that. he'd also birdie the 11th. a 2 under 68. john daley back after a 6-month suspension. minus 60 pounds. and minus a good wardrobe. [ laughter ] on the par 3, 18th, he's usually very cool and collected.

>> apparently that doesn't excuse those. >> he's getting paid to wear them, no doubt. he says they're comfortable. >> so are pajamas. he would finish 2 over 72. but it's great to have him back. brian gay is your leader with a solid round of 64. jose malia ole thawbal has only played in three events. he's only two strokes back. there you see retief goosen. also, phil, two shy of a first round 16. let's hear it from lefty. >> got off to a great start. thought it was going to be a really good round. i made one really poor shot i drove in the water on 18 and made double. made a couple of birdies coming in. some good putts that gives me some momentum for tomorrow. it wasn't a great round, but it was a good start. i enjoyed playing. i had a great pairing. padraig harrington, and cameron

beckman are such nice guys, we had an enjoyable round and was able to hit a few good shots and kind of get away a little bit. and, you know, we're looking forward to it. i'm looking forward to our vacation just before we start our treatment, so that will be fun, too. >> yeah, it's hard to find, even if you're not a sports fan, you're rooting for the mickelsons and phil in this tournament. braves and pirates, and javier vazquez was on top of his game. but soriano who came in to relief him was not. the pirates in the ninth. andy laroche would put pittsburgh up 3-1. and some reversing in the ninth. out is the call. johnson doesn't believe it, and bobby cox is -- >> he's not as violent as he used to be. he just dropped the hat right there. let's get this over with. he tells the guys ahead of time.

>> the game below .500. >> san francisco giants looking for a sweep of the diamondbacks. on third, no score for justin upton! >> opposite field, number 12 on the year. diamondbacks win 2-1. 7 and 2/3 striking out six for the win. jonathan sanchez continues to struggle on the road. falling to 0-6 away from home. >> favre isn't actually there. he's still rehabbing his surgically repaired right shoulder. espn is standing by the story that the team did exactly that a. today, childress talked about favre, and seemed to leave the door wide open.

>> i think we're anxious to see favre throw the ball. is that where you stand to see him throw before you make any concrete decision on that? >> no. i'm not that anxious. no, i'm not. but, you know you always want to see that. >> is the plan for you to see him throw at some point? does that leave the door open for you? >> i don't know. that's down the road stuff. the guy's retired right now. we have to talk to him about that. is it something that can extend to the week before training camp? into july? is that something you need clarity on? >> that i need clarity on? you know, again, it's hard to speculate. hard.

like i said the other day, deadlines, you know. >> >> hmm? when you compare what favre did with the jets, and all the quarterbacks of the vikings roster, that is sage rosenfels, john david booty and taveras jackson. it's no surprise favre comes out with the better numbers. you don't sound that excited read being this. >> just another day in paradise. >> well, the ncaa has placed alabama's football program and 1550 of the school's athletic teams on three years probation for major violations due to free use of textbooks. the football team had 201 student-athletes in the 16 sports who were involved in the infraction.

>> i think the university of alabama did a great job demonstrating institution al integrity in the way this was handled internally. and i'll be happy for the players we have in the program. the future vision of the program that this is not going to affect their future there, nor the players that we're recruiting. those are probably the three things that i feel, you know, right now. >> >> the ncaa used words like impermissible benefits to explain the situation. it should be point out that the athletes who received the free textbooks themselves did not acquire other textbooks in order to make a profit. the ncaa also found alabama guilty of failing to monitor the situation. >> nascar is suspending brian barry, the crew chief for driver brendan gong indefinitely for a

rule violation in saturday's nationwide series race in nashville. the associated press is quoting an unnamed official saying that barry used a racial slur about mark davis, a 19-year-old driver who is black. barry was angry with davis who apparently collided with gong at pit road as he was trying to pit. the unnamed official told the ap that at least two people heard the slur. the car is owned by rusty wallace, who is also an analyst at espn. >> brian abarry, my crew chief went up to the window net of mark davis and confronted him. i don't think mark heard anything he said whatsoever, because he had his helmet on. but it was alleged that bryan used a racial slur. i've talked to bryan about this. he denies that. he does not deny that he was cursing pretty heavy. he was very upset and very mad and it happened. but i apologized to the mark davis family of even having to go through this. mark's a cool kid. i like him a whole lot.

i really think he's going to be successful in the nationwide series. >> ahead, why the 131 million dollars transfer offer for the world's best soccer player is even more crazy than you think. this is kate. last year, kate went on the bud light port paradise cruise. i had a very nice time. kate "had a very nice time." for four days and three nights. she left the work world behind. way, way behind. for obvious reasons, we're protecting kate's identity. i told my boss i was having a root canal. i'm going to beat you! ( laughing ) ( sighs ) bud light port paradise. it's the most fun you might never want to talk about.

>> back on espnews. jonathan coachman, i'm steve bunin, and that is cristiano ronaldo, the best soccer player in the world. and manchester united decided for 131 million dollars, real madrid, you can talk to him. they just signed kaka, the 2007 best player in the world. so man u plays $131 million just to negotiate with cristiano ronaldo. you have heard of ronaldo. that's the guy from brazil. this is cristiano ronaldo. led the devils to 25 goals last year. two years ago they won the premier ship, and the championships title. tommy smith, is he worth $131 large? >> real madrid to pay $131 million for the right to sign

ronaldo. keep that in mind. he now has to agree on personal terms. which is probably going to cost another 10 to $15 million a ye year. this deal was supposed to happen last year, real madrid said no. is he worth it? i don't think any player is worth that kind of money. certainly he can change a game for you. he's a very talented player. he's going to be fitting in on a very talented side. no question real madrid will be better with him, but $131 million? i don't think so. >> the two best players in the world will be lining up next to each other. ronaldo and kaka, they both speak portuguese. >> you do, too, right? >> little bit. whenever we have ronaldo and kaka on the show, you can do the interview. >> i would be a decent bet for that one. though no one else would understand it.

>> that's all right. it would be cool. >> how about the reds and nets. cincinnati just a game out of first place in the al central. i've been trying to tell people, don't sleep on the reds, and they're not. >> reds up 2-0 ; but, 2-1 in the eighth. ryan zimmerman did walk twice. doesn't get all of this. but phillips, and the nats get two runs out of it, and win the game 3-2. look at that! your washington nationals. and people are dancing in the nation's capitol. >> washington now 15 wins on the season. no other baseball team has less than 25. they're in tampa tomorrow. the reds are in kansas city. >> let's update you on the games that are currently in progress. >> yankees-red sox. that's 1-0 on.

zach greinke pitching a gem for the royals. they're up 2-1 in the eighth in cleveland. and the mets and phillies now all tied up at 3. >> you saw it earlier on espnews. usain bolt, running in his first race of 2009. starts off, and says, kid, i'm the fastest one out here. standing room only. went for $25, no problem. bolt wins in 10 flat. let's look at the world record that usain bolt currently holds he had a field day at the beijing olympics last summer. setting the record in the individual races. and ran the third leg in the 4 by 100 meter relay for jamaica, where another world record was

broken. >> >> all right, still to come. they're under way in o-town. we'll update magic and lakers in their pivotal game 4 match-up. >> and we will update things from fenway right now the red sox nursing a 1-0 lead. penny and sabathia. we'll let you know what's going on. also, a thriller in houston. astros cubs and that right there, part of the highlig

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