She shared one picture and wrote alongside the cover, Nicki simply wrote, “When retouching goes wrong.”

Nicki added: “I love my personal unretouched photos where my forehead doesn’t mysteriously grow in length.”

Looking at them they don’t look too retouched. It could be that the lens distorted the image a little.  Coming from experience, a wide angle lens often distorts images.

Just recently Ron Burgundy, the famous reporter from the hilarious comedy Anchorman went live on a real new station. He didn’t stop there.  Today he went on ESPN’s sports center and interviewed the Denver Bronco’s quarterback Peyton Manning.  It’s pretty funny to see him making these random appearances.  Here’s the video of Ron Burgundy and Peyton:

The ESPN Body Issue 2013 has been released to the public and while it is always an expectation that the bodies shown will be incredibly fit there were some surprises concerning the incredible bodies of some of the athletes featured.
One of the biggest surprises of the Body Issue was the presence of Courtney Force, the NHRA Funny Car Driver. She was always viewed as an attractive athlete, that has never been a surprise but that was mainly due to individuals only looking at her face. However, this woman is an incredibly fit athlete and many individuals were surprised at this fact. She is obviously a very focused athlete because her body is one that is all muscle. The muscles in her legs and her abdominals as displayed in her pictures indicate that she is an individual who spends an exorbitant amount of time preparing her body for the G-forces she has to deal with when racing her vehicle at its incredible speeds. Her pictures will go a long way to changing any stereotypes that might have intimated that NHRA drivers are not highly conditioned physical specimens who combine exceptional fitness with incredible courage.

Another surprise was the fitness of outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and pitcher Matt Harvey, two Major League Baseball players. The media has reported that some players in MLB over the years have reportedly engaged in the use of performance enhancing drugs to help become stronger. However, that does not account for the overall fitness of an outfielder or a pitcher and these two individuals looked very fit. They are not just lifting weights to achieve that level of fitness. They must be including a significant amount of cardio work as well. Baseball players sometimes are not given the respect they deserve as being well conditioned athletes but the pictures of these two players will definitely go a long way to eliminating those misconceptions.

The last huge surprise of the ESPN Body Issue 2013 was the physique of golfer Carly Booth, the 2012 Ladies Scottish Open winner. The muscles and fitness of this woman was very impressive. Anyone who has ever played eighteen holes of golf understands that it can be physically taxing but this woman’s physique is one that looked like it was carved out of marble. The best thing about her photo was that it makes people realize that some women professional golfers are exceptionally well-conditioned athletes.

The ESPN Body Issue 2013 is great because it not only provides a glimpse of the incredible bodies of athletes but it also helps defeat the stereotypes associated with the participants of some sports that one would not generally recognize as requiring incredible fitness.

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella has just announced his retirement from Chicago on Tuesday. This will bring to end a 22 year career as a baseball managing great, with 18 years managing in the majors.

ESPN – The 66-year-old Piniella said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family.

“I’ve grown to love the city and the fans but at my age it will be time to enter a new phase in my life,” Piniella said in a statement released by the team.

Announcing his retirement now, Piniella added, gives the team time to find a replacement.

“I’m proud of our accomplishments during my time here and this will be a perfect way for me to end my career,” he said. “But let me make one thing perfectly clear: our work is far from over. I want to keep the momentum going more than anything else and win as many games as we can to get back in this pennant race.”

The Cubs said Piniella will retire as the 14th-winningest manager in major league history.

Here’s the ESPN video clip announcing the Lou Piniella retirement announcment:

The final round of The Open Championship (The British Open) starts today and you can watch the entire thing online via ESPN3.com. Watching The British Open live online is a great way to have The Open playing online while you are surfing around the web doing other things.

ESPN3.com has become a great resource for watching live sporting events online. I really started getting into ESPN3 during the World Cup where they played all of the major games live online at ESPN3.

Here’s the link to watch The Open Championship (The British Open) live online:

Click Here To Watch The British Open Live Online

Let me know how you feel about ESPN3.com and watching these live sporting events online.

Hollywood comedians wasted no time whatsoever to take advantage of LeBron James’ The Decision. LeBron James went on ESPN last Saturday night with a 1 hour special program to announce his decision as to where he would call home next year in the NBA. LeBron donated all of sponsor revenue from the program to his Boys and Girls Club of America charity.

Steve Carell and Paul Rudd put together a hilarious parody of The Decision that you’ve just gotta watch if you want a good laugh. Steve Carell is a funny guy, and he brought that humor to his own version of The Decision.

Check out Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in The Decision parody:

The 2010 Home Run Derby is underway at the Los Angeles Angels stadium in LA. Below is the 2010 Home Run Derby leader board. Hanley Ramirez just finished with 9 homeruns in the first round.

Here’s the current 2010 Home Run Derby leaderboard:

The 2010 Home Run Derby takes place tonight and ESPN is making it possible for you to watch it live online.

Watch 2010 Home Run Derby Live Here

ESPN3.com has really evolved lately by providing live online sporting events.

The majority of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was broadcast live online via ESPN3, to include the World Cup final.

The 2010 Home Run Derby contestants are Milwaukee’s Corey Hart, Florida’s Hanley Ramirez, Arizona’s Chris Youngand St. Louis’ Matt Holliday for the National League, and Boston’s David Ortiz, Toronto’s Vernon Wells, the Yankees’ Nick Swisher, and Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera for the American.

How the 2010 Home Run Derby works:

There are three rounds. In each one, batters get 10 “outs” to hit as many homers as they can. An “out” is any swing that doesn’t produce a home run.

Rumors are spreading that the affair between LeBron James’ mom and Delonte West is one of the main reasons why LeBron James did not chose the New York Knicks.

ESPN host Colin Cowherd said on his radio show today that Gloria James has been involved in a potentially embarrassing situation; a situation that Cowherd claims the New York Post was set to report on before being ‘begged’ not to by representatives of LeBron.

Cowherd said that he was prohibited by his network, ESPN, from discussing the specifics of the situation. He said only that New York Post writers had staked out Gloria James’ house and presumably had embarrassing information concerning her. Cowherd’s take on it was that James realized that living life in the big city fishbowl that is New York City would have created too much of a risk of embarrassment for him and his mother, with whom he is very close. Cleveland media, on the other hand, is much more protective of its local athletes.

[source: Associated Content]

Although during Lebron’s 1 hour show last night, he made a great argument that the only reason he chose the Miami Heat as his home team is because he wants to win a championship.

His exact quote was, “the only reason we are in this business is to win championships.”

And above and beyond money, rumors, affairs, and anything else that people are talking about, I’m convinced that LeBron simply wants to win the coveted NBA Championship ring – multiple rings if possible. And right now, the Miami Heat gives him the best opportunity to make that happen.

The decision is final – LeBron James will be heading to South Beach to become a member of the Miami Heat. Lebron will join NBA all stars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in an effort to finally make it to the NBA finals and come away with a championship ring.

With Lebron joining the Miami Heat, he obviously had to turn down all the other teams that were pursuing him. The New York Knicks were ready to offer Lebron the most money; the Cleveland Cavaliers were also ready to give Lebron the max salary cap that the NBA will allow.

Obviously, LeBron is after an NBA championship and money is not the main driving force.

As LeBron said during his one hour show on ESPN, if he was interested in money he would have gone with some other team. Miami gives LeBron James the best chance to win a championship, so now Lebron heads to South Beach!

There are new rumors hitting the web that are stating that multiple sources are confirming that LeBron James will in fact be heading to Miami.  Fanhouse.com writer is reporting that these rumors are building, and that multiple sources are also confirming LeBron James is heading to Miami.

If LeBron James did go to Miami, then he would be joining forces with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. This would be the most concentrated force of NBA super stars that the NBA has seen in quite sometime.

We will find out tonight for sure during the 1 hour ESPN session that is being called “The Decision” – starts at 9pm EST tonight on ESPN.

We are now less than 24 hours away from LeBron James announcing where he will sign to play basketball. The ESPN special, held tomorrow night at 9pm EST, is going to be held in Greenwich, Connecticut at the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Greenwich, Conn. just so happens to the location of a training camp for the New York Knicks.

I can’t help but believe that this one factor is enough to solidify that LeBron James will be signing with the New York Knicks.

To hold a press conference in Greenwich, Connecticut and not sign with the Knicks would, in my opinion, be an insult to every other team in the NBA – most of all the Knicks themselves.

The stage is supposedly set for LeBron James to hold his 1 hour ESPN show from Greenwich, Connecticut. ESPN Radio has confirmed that the network has booked the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, Connecticut from 7-10pm Thursday night.

Also, LeBron James is expected to fly to Greenwich, Conn. shortly for his sit down interview with ESPN, according to sources close to James.

Ironically, the New York Knicks training facility is located in Greenwich, Conn. So you put the pieces together, just off that info, and I think you can safely conclude that LeBron James will be playing for the Knicks.

Also, Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley sent out a tweet from his Twitter profile about 3 hours ago that reads:

“Breaking News!!! My sources tell me Lebron will announce that he will be goin to the NY KNICKS tomorrow on ESPN.. This is serious.. WOW!!!!

News is breaking from ESPN that LeBron James will air a 1 hour special exclusively on ESPN this coming Thursday @ 9pm EST at which time he will announce his decision as to what team he will be signing be.

The news broke as representatives from the LeBron James camp contacted ESPN requesting this 1 hour interview / special program, and have promised ESPN that LeBron James will make his announcement during this 1 hour program.

ESPN is also reporting that the sponsorship and proceeds from this 1 hour program will all go to the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Here’s the ESPN video announcing the breaking news:

The featured World Cup 2010 match between Spain and Paraguay is live right now on ABC TV. The Spain vs Paraguay match is now playing anywhere on the web today. Typically the World Cup matches are showing live on ESPN3.com. However, that’s not the case today.

So if you are wanting to watch the World Cup match between Spain and Paraguay, then tune in to ABC tv right now.

The 2010 World Cup is coming down to the final teams and the pressure is getting high for the teams to either win, or get eliminated.

The match between Germany and Argentina ended in Germany routing the Argentina team 4 – 0.

Serena Williams went on to win her fourth Wimbledon title today and her 13th Grand Slam title.

Serena has just moved ahead of Billie Jean King on the all-time career Grand Slam title list.

If you missed the women’s final at Wimbledon, and Serena Williams victory, then you can watch it online at ESPN3.com at midnight tonight.

Watch Wimbledon women’s final here at midnight

The 2010 World Cup is starting to get more interesting as each day passes. With finals now on the line, the competition is growing more intense with higher level of soccer being played.

Today on ABC and ESPN Radio at 9:30am EST, you can watch Argentina vs. Germany soccer match, then at 2pm EST you can watch Paraguay vs Spain.

According to the NYTimes:

Argentina won in 1986 in Mexico City with Maradona at the height of his powers, but the Germans spoiled the double in 1990 in a deeply negative match in Rome when too much of Maradona’s magic was already gone.

Despite his wizardry with the ball at his feet (and in one famous occasion against England, his hand), Maradona never scored in any match against West Germany. But the team he now coaches is brimming with attacking talent, led by the creative force Lionel Messi and striker Gonzalo Higuain, and neither Maradona nor Löw said they expected anything but more assaults on the goal Saturday.

“We are well aware that we have to keep playing our football,” Maradona said. “We know that our opponent tomorrow from a historical point of view has always played good matches against Argentina. But if we keep possession of the ball, they’ll have to run very hard for a long time without even touching it.”

Wow! What an exciting time in sports. Serena Williams just won the Wimbledon, the 2010 FIFA World Cup is starting to narrow down to the final, and starting today, July 3rd, we have the Tour de France kicking off.

Tour de France fans will get to see the riders embark on a 5.5-mile joy ride (officially called the prologue) in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The first official stage of the race  starts tomorrow with a 138.9-mile ride from Rotterdam to Brussels, Belgium. Then, the riders will complete 20 more stages to wind up in Paris, France on July 25.

One of the best ways to follow the Tour de France online is by visiting the official Tour de France.

Track the Tour de France live online here

Lance Armstrong has said this will officially be his last Tour de France race and obviously, he is out to win it. Yeah, I know… we’ve heard that before right?

Lance Armstrong has won 7 straight Tour de France titles from 1999-2005.

According to Zimbio, Armstrong, 38, said of the challenge ahead of him (via Philly.com): “With my age, and the explosiveness of the other guys, my own struggles with the time trials in the last couple of years . . . we’ll have to be smart, to be a bit lucky, to play the team card a little bit.”

The Tour de France will be covered live on TV as well. Check ESPN listings and programming for more coverage details.

LeBron James Update – VP Biden Says “Lebron James Will Stay in Cleveland”

(From NY Times) – Vice President Biden told a Cleveland audience Wednesday that NBA superstar LeBron James would remain with the hometown Cavaliers. The comment came at a fundraiser the vice president attended on behalf of Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who is running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Ohio.

“LeBron James is coming back, and Lee is going to Washington,” he said, according to a pool report from the event.

James, a native of nearby Akron, Ohio, is testing the free-agent waters this off-season and fielding offers from several teams, including the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks and President Obama’s favored Chicago Bulls. But even the president, perhaps with an eye on the Buckeye State’s critical electoral votes, said in an interview that he’d like to see James remain with the Cavs.

“He’s from Ohio. That’s a town that has had some tough times. For him to say, I’m going to make a commitment to this city, you know, I think would be a wonderful thing,” he told Larry King.

(From ESPN) – Sometime in the next few days, Los Angeles Clippers general manager Neil Olshey will make a convincing pitch to LeBron James.

He’ll tell LeBron to look at all the Clippers’ young, talented players. He’ll tell LeBron thatBlake Griffin projects to be better than anyone he’s ever played with. He’ll tell LeBron that he can become a global icon under the bright lights of Los Angeles.

(From NYTimes Blog) –

Halstead Makes Its Own Pitch to LeBron James

If it isn’t enough that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is on a screen in Times Square beseeching the N.B.A. All-Star LeBron James to forsake his Ohio roots for the Big Apple, Halstead Property has now joined the campaign to lure Mr. James to New York.

In a video posted on a Web site Halstead created that is called EveryKingNeedsACastle.com, Halstead says it will help Mr. James — known as King James to his fans — find a home in New York and offers to donate Halstead’s commission to his favorite charity. Mr. James, who has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers since graduating from high school in Akron, Ohio, becomes a free agent on Thursday. Hence, the big sell. The New York Knicks, after all, haven’t reached the playoffs since 2004.

USA v Ghana 2010 World Cup – Watch Live Online USA vs Ghana

This is a day that few people thought we’d see this year in the 2010 World Cup. The United States soccer team has made it to the final 16, and has literally silenced every critic throughout the world that never thought the US would make it this far.

Watch USA vs Ghana live – 2 prime online locations for live streaming

I’ve been able to find 2 free online sites where I believe you’ll be able to watch the live streaming of the USA vs Ghana World Cup match.

ESPN3.com

BBC.com

Click either of the links above to view the USA vs Ghana live online soccer match.

The match between USA and Ghana will take place today, Saturday at 11:30 AM PDT / 2:30 PM EDT.

The United States won its World Cup group for the first time in 80 years. Ghana jumped out to a quick start South Africa, knocking off Serbia 1-0 in their opener. They followed that up with a 1-1 tie against Australia. Ghana are only the second African team to reach the knockout stages [source: ContinentDaily.com].

With the USA soccer team making it this far, and overcoming the critics who thought the US would already be out of the running for the 2010 World Cup, I believe that as far as the US soccer team is concerned, anything can happen – including the US winning the 2010 World Cup!

We’ll see…

Right now on ESPN3.com you can watch the New York Yankees playing the Philadelphia Phillies live online. The game right now is in the bottom of the 8th inning and the Phillies are up 6 – 2. However, the Yankees just got a man on base.

The game is being played at the new New York Yankees stadium.

This is a rematch of last year’s World Series between the Yankees and Phillies and of course, since it’s the Yankees playing, the stands are relatively full.

Here’s a recap of the live blog by the NYDailyNews:

9:26: So let me get this straight… Burnett can’t get anyone out, but Logan/Gaudin have retired 14 of 15, with one intentional walk?

9:18: A-Rod walks to give the Yankees their first baserunner of the night. Moyer has not looked at first base once all game.

9:05: Here’s Chad Gaudin to try to keep the deficit at four runs.

8:55: Logan showing Yankees fans they may have been wrong about him. Nine batters, eight outs and one intentional walk.

8:50: Back from the radio booth and I just realized something: We’re five innings in and the Yankees haven’t had a runner on base yet. Two hits, two home runs.

8:25: Logan pitches out of a bases-loaded jam. The Yankees will have to start hitting Moyer soon if they want to get back in the game. For the record, the Yanks have not won a game this season when they’ve trailed by four or more runs.

8:19: Burnett fails to cover first, ending his night on a real sour note. Fans here just booed him off the mound.

8:09: Moyer looks great. Has retired nine of 10, his only mistake coming on Cano’s home run.

8:00: Two monster solo shots by Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth make it a 6-1 Phillies lead. Boone Logan warming up in the bullpen.

7:46: Robinson Cano drills an 81 mph “fastball” from Moyer into the right-field seats. It’s 4-1 Phillies.

7:39: That one’s gonna hurt. Shane Victorino hits a bases-clearing triple, giving the Phils a 4-0 lead.

7:35: Burnett gives up three hits and a walk, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead and bases loaded with one out.

7:25: Quick first inning for Moyer. Honestly, could there be two more opposite pitchers than Moyer and Burnett?

7:17: Good first inning for Burnett, who hits Chase Utley and throws a wild pitch but escapes without any damage. Here comes 47-year-old Jamie Moyer. Usually, a sentence like that would be sarcastic, but the guy is actually 47!

7:08: And we’re underway. Game-time temperature 72 degrees.

Spain vs Switzerland Watch Live Online, 2010 FIFA World Cup

There are a couple of ways for you to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup match right now between Spain and Switzerland. The match is being covered live on ESPN (TV Channel). This is probably going to give you the highest quality viewing of the soccer match.

Watch Spain vs Switzerland live online

You can also watch the match at ESPN3.com. This is the same broadcast that is occurring at the TV channel ESPN so it is actually a pretty good quality. Plus, you can get the added benefit of watching the soccer match streaming on the web.

It is a great night for a soccer match in South Africa. The air is cool, and the conditions are perfect.

ESPN3.com has made it possible to watch the majority of the 2010 World Cup games online streaming. This type of broadcasting can very well set a trend for future sports broadcasts in all kinds of sports and at all levels. And if ESPN continues to develop this type of content delivery, they can very easily become the dominant online sports source globally.

It is being reported on ESPN.com that LeBron James would “100% endorse” Tom Izzo as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As the debate continues around where LeBron James will end up playing, he is not the only controversy brewing in Cleveland. The search for a new head coach continues for the Cleveland Cavaliers. And no one seems to be more of an interest to the Cavs as the ever so popular head coach at Michigan State – Tom Izzo.

But Tom Izzo is a college basketball coach, not a coach in the NBA. And to some people, this became a sticking point of debate over whether or not LeBron James would be willing to play for a coach who has zero NBA experience.

According to ESPN, “there was a pertinent development Sunday night in the Izzo saga, when the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported on its website that LeBron James would not oppose Izzo’s hiring after it was previously reported that James prefers to play for a coach who has played in the NBA. The Plain Dealer, quoting what it termed a “high-level source,” said James would “100 percent” endorse Izzo’s hiring.”

So is LeBron James’ endorsement of Tom Izzo as the head coach of Cleveland imply that LeBron might just stay at Cleveland and renew his contract?

What do you think?

2010 World Cup Continues

This morning at 7am EST, the 2010 World Cup continues with the first game of our day here in the United States anyway featuring the Netherlands vs Denmark.

You can watch Netherlands vs Denmark World Cup soccer match live online via the ESPN3.com live streaming channel.

Watch the Netherlands vs Denmark live online here

ESPN, and specifically ESPN3.com, has become the primary channel for watching the 2010 World Cup soccer matches on the web. The site features live coverage of the matches that are not shown on national TV here in the United States, allowing viewers to watch more soccer from the 2010 World Cup.

The 2010 World Cup is being held in the host country of South Africa and in the city of Johannesburg.

Over the weekend, the United States soccer team played in their first match (opening match) against the highly favored England team. The United States pulled off an upset in their match against England by ending the game in a 1 – 1 tie – something that no one in the soccer world expected to happen.

What is now the 3rd day of the 2010 World Cup and right now the game to watch is Germany vs Australia. Germany is leading the match in the 82nd minute by a lead of 4 – 0 over Australia.

Germany is apparently just having their way with Australia as it appears that Australia is putting up virtually no contest against the much stronger Germany soccer team.

Live Blogging of Germany vs Australia here

The Wall Street Journal online is providing minute by minute live blogging of the Germany vs Australia soccer match.

I checked ESPN3.com to see if the Germany vs Australia game was streaming live there – as most games from the World Cup do – but I couldn’t find it.

So the next best thing is perhaps live blogging – which guest blogger David Goldenberg is offering right now.

Here’s more from the Journal on the live blogging of the World Cup soccer match between Germany and Australia:

The Journal provides minute-by-minute analysis of today’s World Cup Group D match between Germany and Australia. Guest blogger David Goldenberg offers commentary on the match and the ABC telecast, with other contributions from around the world.

From the looks of the upcoming schedule on ESPN3.com, the next matches that are going to be streaming live from the World Cup will start tomorrow morning (Monday) at 7am with Netherlands vs. Denmark.

Want to watch the 2010 World Cup live online, real time streaming on the web? Then the best place to do that – at least from what I’ve seen – is at none other than ESPN3.com. At ESPN3.com, it looks like each and every game of the 2010 World Cup is going to be streaming live online.

I’ve gone to the ESPN3.com site and right now Uruguay and France are playing in their debut game. The score right now is 0 – 0.

ESPN3.com is definitely going to be a great resource to watch the 2010 World Cup Games online – that way, no matter where you are in the world, or what you are doing, you can tune into the latest game being played in the World Cup.

There are other ways to watch live, online web streaming of the 2010 World Cup games, and that is through MobileTV.

AT&T MobileTV:

Right now, the only way I know of to get the best quality mobile TV is through AT&T,

Visit AT&T’s MobileTV page for more information.

With AT&T’s MobileTV – you can literally be anywhere where there’s a WiFi or 3G data connection and you can watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer games.

I can imagine for iPad owners, the MobileTV deal would be pretty cool to watch the games.

AT&T’s MobileTV is only $9.99 per month and you can watch the following channels right from your MobileTV compatible device:

CBS Mobile, CNBC, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile, FOX News, MSNBC, MTV, NBC2Go, Nickelodeon, CNN Mobile, ABC Mobile, Disney Mobile, Crackle.

The 2010 World Cup has begun and already we have 1 soccer match under our belts. Earlier today South Africa played Mexico in the opening soccer match that ultimately ended up in a tie score of 1 – 1.

The 2010 World Cup brackets have been nicely laid out on the ESPN SoccerNet website. The brackets for the 2010 World Cup are easy to follow and take you from day 1 (today) to the final match.

Here’s a screen shot of the 2010 World Cup Bracket on ESPN’s SoccerNet website – visit the website for a full comprehensive view of the bracket:

2010 World Cup Schedule & Scores

And once again, ESPN has put together the most comprehensive, easy to read and follow diagram that lays out the entire 2010 World Cup games, the schedule, and the scores as they happen. Again, visit the ESPN website to get the best experience from their graph:

As you can see on the 2010 World Cup schedule and scores above, you are also given the times and channels to watch the games. The majority of the soccer matches are available on ESPN3.com and MobileTV.

The best way to watch the 2010 World Cup online live is at ESPN3.com – live coverage of all of the World Cup games can be viewed there.

Coming up first in the 2010 World Cup is Mexico vs South Africa. This showdown is already getting a lot of attention and conversation on the web, especially with the host company being on the field during for the opening game. South Africa has quickly become the center of attention throughout the world, and all eyes will be on this country for the next month or so.

For complete coverage of the 2010 World Cup, the best source to stay plugged into is ESPN.

Here’s an excerpt from the ESPN Media Zone site:

ESPN will present comprehensive coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup June 11, through July 11, from 10 stadiums in nine cities across South Africa.  All 64 matches will be aired live and in high definition on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, and extensive coverage on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV.  In addition, 2010 FIFA World Cup studio programs, including prematch, halftime and postmatch segments, will be presented in high definition.

ESPN will air 44 FIFA World Cup matches from South Africa – the most ever for the network in one tournament.  ESPN2 will feature 10 matches.  ABC will broadcast 10, beginning with the U.S. Men’s National Team’s tournament opener vs. England on Saturday, June 12, at 2 p.m. ET in Rustenburg.  The tournament will conclude on ABC with the title match Sunday, July 11, at 1:30 p.m. ET from the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.

Here’s the ESPN 2010 World Cup Schedule:

2^nd Stage – Round of 16

2^nd Stage — Quarterfinals

2^nd Stage — Semifinals

Third Place Match

2010 FIFA World Cup Title Match

The only thing that’s unfortunate about ESPN’s MMA Live UFC 114 Weigh-In Show on YouTube is that the embed code has been disabled.  This doesn’t make any sense to me because ESPN would be able to get so much more exposure and distribution if they would enable their embed code from YouTube.

Anyway, like I said this is only complaint I have about ESPN’s MMA Live coverage show. The rest of the show is awesome.

ESPN does a phenomenal job covering the UFC 114 Weigh Ins and pre fight coverage.

WATCH ESPN’S MMA 114 UFC WEIGH IN SHOW HERE

One of the commenter’s from the ESPN MMA UFC 114 Weigh In show said that “looking forward to when it says “500,000 views” i really want this show to become more popular. ppl r missing out.”

From BleacherReport.com:

Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans

This crowd is freaking out for the main event weigh ins.

Evans gets both cheered and booed. He weighs in at 206 lbs.

Rampage gets a huge ovation. And he’s in shape too.

Looking very ready for his fight with Rashad. He could be in for a long night. He weighs in at 205 lbs.

Very intense stare-down between the fighters. This main event is going to be sweet. Apparently Rampage is going to make Evans dead. Figuratively, of course…

(Associated Content) – The 2010 NBA Draft Lottery is tonight on ESPN. The NBA Draft Lottery will determine the final order to the 2010 NBA draft, and could provide a bit of excitement for franchises that didn’t make the NBA Playoffs.

The New Jersey Nets are certainly hoping that they can win the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, coming with it a possible elite player from this draft class. They certainly have the best chance at winning the 2010 NBA DraftLottery, but if history has anything to say about this lottery, the worst team doesn’t always get the first pick through the lottery drawing.

Could we be in for a shocking team getting that No. 1 pick?

The excitement could create drama all the way up until the NBA Draft finally takes place.

The NBA Draft Lottery odds are determined based on the record of each team this past season. From there each team that didn’t make the NBA Playoffs is assigned a certain number of ping pong balls that will go into the lottery.

There are 1,000 ping pong balls in total, and as the worst team in the NBA, the New Jersey Nets will gets 250 (25%) of the balls. At the end of the article we listed the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery odds, and it shows that quite a few teams could walk away with one of the top picks.

One potential steal could be if the Utah Jazzended up getting the No. 1 overall pick, because they own the rights to the New York Knicks 2010 NBA Draft pick.

Coverage of the NBA Draft Lottery will take place live on ESPN this evening, with a pre-show taking place at 4:30 p.m. PST (7:30 p.m. EST), and the official draft lottery playing out at 5 p.m. PST (8 p.m. EST).

This will all lead into Game 2 of the Boston vs. Orlando series, and could provide a lot of excitement for the NBA tonight. Will there be a surprise in the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery? Or are we looking at something that will just go through the motions to determine who will be selecting in the top three choices at the 2010 NBA Draft this summer.

The first three picks are the lottery choices, as the draft will fall into order of worst to best record after that point. It means that New Jersey will at worst have the fourth pick in the draft. Tune in to ESPN tonight (Tuesday, May 18th) to be one of the first time find out how this is going to go.

The 2010 NBA Draft Lottery Odds and Chances

1. New Jersey Nets – 25.0% (250)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves – 19.9% (199)
3. Sacramento Kings – 15.6% (156)
4. Golden State Warriors – 10.4% (104)
5. Washington Wizards – 10.3% (103)
6. Philadelphia 76ers – 5.3% (53)
7. Detroit Pistons – 5.3% (53)
8. Los Angeles Clippers – 2.3% (23)
9. Utah Jazz (from NY Knicks) – 2.2% (22)
10. Indiana Pacers – 1.1% (11)
11. New Orleans Hornets – 0.8% (8)
12. Memphis Grizzlies – 0.7% (7)
13. Toronto Raptors – 0.6% (6)
14. Houston Rockets 0.5% (5)

Source:  Associated Content