Weekly Ticket Searches

The following are the top 5 ticket searches on our site for the week of August 12 - 18.

1. Wicked Tickets
2. Boston Red Sox Tickets
3. Pageant of the Masters Tickets
4. US Open Tennis Tickets
5. Jersey Boys Tickets

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Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleads guilty to felony charges

By PAT MILTON, Associated Press WriterAugust 15, 2007
AP - Aug 15, 1:40 pm EDTNEW YORK (AP) -- Former referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to two felony charges Wednesday in an NBA betting scandal that rocked the league and raised questions about the integrity of games.
Donaghy faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced for conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting wagering information through interstate commerce. He was released on a $250,000 bond.
Speaking in code during telephone calls, Donaghy provided recommendations, called "picks," to co-conspirators about what team they should bet on, said U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon. If he was correct, they paid him $5,000.
The picks, the government said, included information about games that Donaghy officiated -- information that was not public. Donaghy had "unique access," including what crews would be officiating games, the interaction of different officials and players, and the physical condition of certain players.
Donaghy was fined $500,000 and must pay at least $30,000 in restitution to the government.
Commissioner David Stern said the NBA would "continue with our ongoing and thorough review of the league's officiating program to ensure that the best possible policies and procedures are in place to protect the integrity of our game."
Donaghy's lawyer, John Lauro, told The Associated Press: "Tim is relieved this part of the proceeding is over and we look forward to completely resolving this matter in the coming months.
"Tim deeply regrets his involvement in this matter and especially the pain it has caused his family, friends and co-workers."
Donaghy stood ramrod-straight, hands clasped in front of him, and spoke in nearly inaudible tones as he addressed the judge. He said he was seeing a psychiatrist for his gambling addiction and taking antidepressant and anxiety medication.
Prosecutors said Donaghy bet on games himself, but that was not a specific part of the verbal admission he made before the judge.
Two alleged co-conspirators, identified by prosecutors as James Battista, a professional gambler, and Thomas Martino, were in the custody of federal marshals and awaiting arraignment on conspiracy charges carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years.
The FBI first contacted the NBA on June 20 to talk about a referee alleged to be gambling on games, and the two sides met on June 21, Stern said last month. Donaghy resigned July 9 after 13 years as a referee. Stern said he would have fired him sooner but was told it might affect the investigation.
Stern called Donaghy a "rogue, isolated criminal" during his July press conference and said no other NBA officials or players were expected to be involved in the scandal. Stern called it the "most serious situation and worst situation that I have ever experienced either as a fan of the NBA, a lawyer for the NBA or a commissioner of the NBA."
Donaghy was rated in the top tier of officials, Stern said, and there was nothing suspicious about the frequency of his foul calls. He was assigned to work in the second round of the playoffs, with his last NBA game coming during the Phoenix-San Antonio Western Conference semifinal series.
"Tim Donaghy's former colleagues on the NBA's officiating staff are deeply saddened to learn that he pleaded guilty today to wagering on professional basketball games and providing others with non-public information on those games," referees association spokesman Lamell McMorris said. "This is a truly unfortunate case of wrongdoing by one of our own who has admitted to having a serious gambling problem.
"We recognize that a cloud has descended upon all referees, but we are committed to showing the public that this was an isolated event and that NBA officiating is conducted at the highest levels of honesty, integrity and fairness."
Donaghy will be sentenced Nov. 9, Lauro said.
He turned over his passport and must seek permission to travel anywhere other than Pennsylvania, Florida or New York.

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Wilson and Van Dyke Parks pick up where Smile left off

article by Andy Greene

Three years after resurrecting their 1967 magnum opus, Smile, Brian Wilson and lyricist Van Dyke Parks set out to prove they are still capable of creating beautiful music together. This gorgeous piano ballad-a track from their forthcoming three-part suite. Wilson's voice is nowhere near as sugary-sweet as it was in those days, which makes vulnerable lines like "All these people make me feel so alone" all the more poignant. If the rest of the album matches up, we could be looking at Brian's strongest new work in years.

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Weekly Ticket Searches

The following are the top 5 ticket searches on our site for the week of August 5 - 11.

1. Boston Red Sox Tickets
2. Pageant of the Masters Tickets
3. Wicked Tickets
4. US Open Tennis Tickets
5. San Francisco Giants Tickets

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Van Halen singer back in band after 20 years

After more than 20 years of bitter feuding, the principal founding members of Van Halen hugged each other on Monday during a news conference to announce a rebirth of one of America's premier rock bands.
Flamboyant singer David Lee Roth, 52, has returned to the fold for a 25-date North American arena trek that will kick off on September 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina. International dates and a new album are also in the planning stages.
Roth quit the band in 1985 for a disappointing solo career, and he spent the subsequent years sniping at his old bandmates and their replacement singer Sammy Hagar.
But as excited reporters cheered them on, the garrulous "Diamond Dave" embraced his old antagonist, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, during the gathering at the Four Seasons Hotel.
"My new brother," said Van Halen, also 52, as his 54-year-old brother, drummer Alex Van Halen looked on.
It is indeed a family affair, with Eddie's 16-year-old son, Wolfgang, replacing Michael Anthony on bass, to the chagrin of some fans hoping for a reunion of the classic lineup famed for such hits as "Runnin' With the Devil," "And the Cradle Will Rock" and "Panama."
Asked about Anthony's absence, Roth said: "This is not a reunion. This is a new band. ... Usually when a band comes back like us it's rockers with walkers, and this is everything but. Meet us in the future, not the past."
NEW ALBUM
Roth said Van Halen was "plotting and planning" a new album, his first with the band since 1983's blockbuster "1984."
"Saving the world is (U2 singer) Bono's job. We just want to save a hundred cities," Roth said. "Then we want to save Europe, then we want to save Japan, Australia and ... Hong Kong. Then we make an album. Lots of big dreams here, lots of ambition."
Added Eddie Van Halen: "We are a band and we're gonna continue."
The band has been on the rocks since 1996, when Hagar acrimoniously left. That year, Roth reunited with his old bandmates to record two songs for a hits album, and to present an award at the MTV Video Music Awards. He had assumed this would lead to a full-blown reunion, but later claimed he had been duped by Eddie Van Halen.
The band, instead, cast its lot with a new singer, Gary Cherone, the former vocalist with soft-rock band Extreme. His one album with the band, 1998's "Van Halen III" was a flop, and he left the following year.
The Van Halen soap opera entered a bizarre phase in 2002, when Roth and Hagar launched a co-headlining tour, despite Roth's description of his replacement as a "mediocre talent." Also that year, Eddie van Halen underwent cancer treatment, and the band was dropped by its longtime label, Warner Bros.
In 2004, Hagar and his old bandmates embarked on an unhappy reunion tour, with Anthony and Hagar claiming that Eddie Van Halen had alcohol problems. The guitarist, a recovering alcoholic, entered rehab earlier this year.
Observers are hoping for better things this time around.
"The real question is whether Eddie and Dave can peacefully co-exist," said Matt Blackett, associate editor at Guitar Player magazine. "For the sake of their die-hard fans let's hope so, because it was that pairing that created the band's most groundbreaking music. Eddie never played better than when he was with Dave."
Reuters

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Bonds wastes no time clubbing No. 757

SAN FRANCISCO -- The record only lasted about 23 hours.
In his first at-bat since setting Major League Baseball's all-time homer mark Tuesday night, Giants slugger Barry Bonds one-upped himself Wednesday and began to create some distance from Hank Aaron.
Bonds hit his 757th homer, a two-run shot and 23rd of the season, into McCovey Cove. The 438-foot "Splash Hit" over the right-field fence wall off Nationals right-hander Tim Redding was his 35th to reach the cove since AT&T Park opened in 2000 and second of the season. The Giants have hit 45 to the water as a team.
Redding was the 447th pitcher to allow at least one homer to Bonds in his 22-year career, the last 15 with the Giants.
It was the first time Bonds has hit homers in successive at-bats since April 13 at Pittsburgh, during his first of two two-homer games this season. He now has three homers in his last four starts, dating back to Saturday night's record-tying shot in San Diego. Through the first inning Wednesday, he had pounded out four consecutive hits -- a double, single and the two homers -- over the course of the last two games.
Bonds eclipsed Aaron's 33-year record of 755 in the fifth inning Tuesday night with his 435-foot homer into the bleachers just right of dead center off Washington left-hander Mike Bacsik.
Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Barry Bonds hits No. 756 to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Barry Bonds hit No. 756 to the deepest part of the ballpark Tuesday night, and hammered home the point: Like him or not, legitimate or not, he is baseball's new home run king.
Bonds broke Hank Aaron's storied record in the fifth inning, hitting a 3-2 pitch from Washington's Mike Bacsik 435 feet to right-center field. Three days earlier, Bonds tied the Hammer with a shot to left-center in San Diego.

"Thank you very much. I got to thank all of you, all the fans here in San Francisco. It's been fantastic," he said shortly after crossing home plate, his godfather, Willie Mays, at his side.
Conspicuous by their absence were the commissioner and Aaron himself.
Though he was on hand for the tying homer, deciding to put baseball history ahead of the steroid allegations that have plagued the Giants slugger, Bud Selig wasn't there for the record-breaker.
Instead, he sent an emissary, Major League Baseball executive vice president Jimmie Lee Solomon.
As for Aaron, he said all along he had no interest in being there whenever and wherever his 33-year-old mark was broken. He was true to his word, but he did offer a taped message of congratulations that played on stadium's video board.
"It is a great accomplishment which required skill, longevity and determination," he said.
"Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years. I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historic achievement.
"My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams," he said.
Absent, too, were the fans who held up asterisk signs, sure that Bonds wasn't the real deal and that his power came from steroids.
Bonds didn't face such suspicions at AT&T Park, in front of a loyal, home crowd. Bonds has always denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.
Yet even with Bonds at the top of the chart, fans will surely keep debating which slugger they consider the true home run champion. Some will continue to cling to Aaron while other, older rooters will always say it's Babe Ruth.
"It's all about history. Pretty soon, someone will come along and pass him," Mays said before the game.
A seven-time NL MVP, the 43-year-old Bonds hit his 22nd home run of the year. Bonds broke Mark McGwire's single-season record by hitting 73 in 2001 and while he's no longer such a force, opposing pitchers remain wary.
Bonds and Giants management bickered in the offseason over contract issues. This big night was the main reason owner Peter Magowan brought back the star left fielder for a 15th season in San Francisco, signing him to a $15.8 million, one-year contract.
Bonds' once-rapid quest for the record had slowed in recent years as his age and balky knees diminished his pace. He hit 258 home runs from 2000-04, but has only 53 since then.
While steroids have tinged Bonds' pursuit, it was race that was the predominant issue when Aaron broke Ruth's mark in 1974. Aaron dealt with hate mail and death threats from racist fans who thought a black man was not worthy of breaking the record set by a white hero, the beloved Babe.
Former commissioner Bowie Kuhn watched Aaron tie the record but was not present for the record-breaker, a slight that bothered many fans of Aaron. Selig is a close friend of Aaron's and offered Bonds tepid congratulations when he tied the record.
"I think Hank is his own man," Mays said. "I think if he wanted to be here he would be here."
"When he hit 715, the commissioner wasn't there," he said. "You may not blame him because he wasn't represented the right way."
Bonds was destined for stardom at an early age. The son of All-Star outfielder Bobby Bonds and the godson of one of the game's greatest players, Bonds spent his childhood years roaming the clubhouse at Candlestick Park, getting tips from Mays and other Giants.
"I visualized him playing sports at a high level. He was 5 when he was in my locker all the time," Mays said.
In a matter of years, Bonds went from a wiry leadoff hitter with Pittsburgh in 1986 to a bulked-up slugger. That transformation is at the heart of his many doubters, who believe Bonds cheated to accomplish his feats and should not be considered the record-holder.
There are plenty of fans already hoping for the day that Bonds' total -- whatever it ends up -- is topped. Alex Rodriguez may have the best chance, with his 500 home runs at age 32 far ahead of Bonds' pace.

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Rested Bonds brings quest home

SAN DIEGO -- Now that the chase is over, the real countdown begins.
With the Giants home for seven games at A&T Park, beginning Monday night against the Nationals, Barry Bonds has a week of chances to hit homer No. 756 and break Hank Aaron's all-time Major League record.
Commissioner Bud Selig's schedule will preclude him from being there until later in the week. In his stead, Jimmie Lee Solomon, a Major League Baseball executive vice president, is slated to be in attendance Monday and Tuesday, and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, an MLB advisor, is slated to replace him Wednesday and Thursday.
"There's no pressure on me now [that 755 is out of the way]," said Bonds, who rested during Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Padres after tying Aaron with homer No. 755 off right-hander Clay Hensley on Saturday night at PETCO Park. "Mechanically, I've made some corrections [in my swing]. If I keep my mechanics right, you guys won't be around for long."
Bonds shrugged when told that the Commissioner probably won't be in attendance the next few days. Bonds never heard from Selig directly after the game, although the Commissioner released a congratulatory statement. But Bonds said he did speak to Ken Griffey Jr. and had voice messages from his godfather, Willie Mays, and Alex Rodriguez, who earlier Saturday hit his 500th homer at Yankee Stadium.
There was no message from Aaron, either, Bonds said.
"I haven't spoken to [Selig] at all," Bonds added. "But I welcome him here any time he wants to come."
Asked if he had any messages for Aaron, Bonds said: "I'm too young to have any message for Hank Aaron. I have to respect my elders like my aunt [standing] over there always told me."
The question about how many games it will be before Bonds breaks the record may be dictated by the patterns of the recent past.
It took Bonds eight days between homers No. 754 and the record-trying No. 755 that came to lead off the second inning Saturday night against Hensley, who was sent down to the Minors on Sunday. Last year, it also took him eight days from the game in Oakland when he homered to catch Babe Ruth for second on the all-time list until smacking No. 715 to pass the Babe in San Francisco on May 28, 2006.
Though Bonds has hit 21 homers this season, since ending April with eight of them, he's been on a one-homer-a-week pace. But for Bonds, home is where the heart is and where he's hit most of his milestone homers.
"Just tell all my fans and family I'm coming home," Bonds said. "I'm coming home."
At the nearly eight-year-old park in China Basin, Bonds has hit Nos. 71-73 in 2001 to set the single-season record; No. 500; No. 600; Nos. 660 and 661 to pass Mays into third on the all-time list; No. 700; and No. 715 to outpace the Bambino.
Asked Sunday how it felt coming home with a week's worth of chances before the Giants hit the road again on Aug. 13, Bonds said: "It feels pretty good right now. Nice, very nice."
The Nationals present special problems for Bonds, because they are using starters during the next four games -- John Lannan, Mike Bacsik, Tim Redding and Joel Hanrahan -- whom the left-handed slugger has had little experience facing.
He's 1-for-7 with no homers against Bacsik and Redding, but has never faced Lannan or Hanrahan.
Bonds said he may take a look at some video of the hurlers before each game, but he is making no solid plans to brush up on Washington's staff.
"I don't look at film as much as used to," Bonds said. "I watch what they've done before. I've been in the Major Leagues for 22 years so I know [what pitchers do]. You make your adjustments and they make theirs here and there, but basically it's all the same. Some guys are younger and they make mistakes. A guy like [Greg] Maddux is never going to change. You're going to get him or he's going to get you."
The Nationals, fresh off a three-game home sweep of the defending World Series champion Cardinals, won't change their approach when they face Bonds.
"We are not going to do anything differently. We are going to pitch to him like we pitch to any of the great hitters in the game," manager Manny Acta said Sunday.
"Every at-bat is going to be different," Lannan said. "We have a game plan -- go out there and throw strikes. If Barry comes up, if I have a chance to pitch to him, I will. If the opportunity calls to pitch around him, I will. We are just going to see what happens."
And the rest of the baseball world certainly will be watching.
Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Bonds Ties Aaron

SAN DIEGO – Barry Bonds reached Hank Aaron in the second inning Saturday night with a hard, opposite-field blast at Petco Park, his 755th career home run bringing a sellout crowd to its feet to cheer and to boo, the conflicting reaction matching a national ambivalence to the feat.
He is one home run from owning the record outright, a mark many consider the most sacred in sports, one that Aaron held alone since surpassing Babe Ruth in 1974.
Bonds approached it amid controversy, and matched it in the same environment, where his presence alone inspired polite applause along with symbols that accused him of serial steroid use late in his career.
Left in the on-deck circle in the first inning, several hours after taking early batting practice for the first time in recent memory, Bonds strolled to left field. As he did, fans along the third-base line stood, cupped their hands to their mouths and booed.
In the left-field bleachers, hundreds of them held white pieces of paper with black asterisks on them.
A handful hung over a stair railing in the left-field corner, shouting and balling their fists. Commissioner Bud Selig was in attendance; Aaron was not.
Bonds led off the second inning, and Padres right-hander Clay Hensley threw a 2-and-1 fastball that he drove 382 feet off a façade in the left-field bleachers, ending a 2-for-18 skid since he hit 754 eight days ago.
When Bonds arrived at home plate, his son, Nikolai, leapt into his arms, and father and son remained embraced for several steps. He then accepted handshakes and hugs from his teammates and coaches, who lined up from the dugout to home plate. Bonds arrived at Aaron's side 21 years and two months after his first home run, struck in Atlanta on June 4, 1986, against Craig McMurtry. Hensley became the 445th pitcher to be victimized by a Bonds blast.
In between, he gathered and carried the expectations that came with his diamond lineage and five superb baseball tools.
He wasn't always a wonderful guy, but he was a great player, in almost all ways.
When his body was narrow and lithe, he stole most of his 514 bases and hit for power and average. In 1996, he had 40 steals and 42 home runs, a 40-40 club that counts only Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano and Bonds as members. When he thickened, he began to cover the final 300 or so home runs that would take him past his godfather, Willie Mays, then Babe Ruth and Aaron.
He was the National League MVP seven times, a Gold Glove winner in the outfield eight times, a batting champion twice, and a home-run champion twice, once, in 2001, when he hit 73, breaking Mark McGwire's single-season record from three years before.
Those are the numbers, the feats that represent the savage arc and consequences of his swing, along with a discerning eye, the combination of which also made him the all-time walks leader.
On statistical abundance alone – he's also nearing 3,000 hits – Bonds' career is unique, and arguably the finest in baseball history.
Bruce Bochy, the Giants' first-year manager, said that watching Bonds in the batters' box, even in his early 40's, has left him with a single conclusion.
"You realize how much better he is than the rest of us," he said. "You're seeing what could be the greatest player to ever play the game."
And yet the final decade of Bonds' career will have been sullied by evidence he spiked his body with performance-enhancing drugs, and his numbers with them, leaving his home-run records open to interpretation, along with, perhaps, his Hall of Fame merit.
As Commissioner Bud Selig said upon arriving in San Francisco to witness Bonds' final push to Aaron, "Everybody has to make their own judgments."
Bonds apparently has not tested positive for steroids, though baseball only initiated its current program of testing and discipline in 2004. According to "Game of Shadows," the book written by two San Francisco Chronicle investigative reporters, Bonds was driven to illegal performance-enhancing drugs late in 1998, following the season Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa surpassed Roger Maris' record 61 home runs. McGwire hit 70, Sosa hit 66, and Bonds hit 37.
Convinced McGwire and Sosa were on steroids and incited by envy, according to the book, Bonds reconnected with childhood friend and bodybuilder Greg Anderson, beginning a chain of events that would lead to a relationship with BALCO owner Victor Conte, a federal investigation, a grand-jury indictment and testimony that he'd done steroids unknowingly, if at all. A second grand jury currently is investigating Bonds for perjuring himself in that testimony and for tax evasion, and Anderson is in prison for refusing to cooperate with it.
After injuries cost him much of the 1999 season, Bonds hit a career-high 49 home runs in 2000, then 73 in 2001, a season in which he turned 37.
In December, it will be four years since Bonds' testimony. More than 200 major- and minor-league players have tested for steroids. Current and former major leaguers Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Benito Santiago and others also were implicated in the BALCO investigation. McGwire and Sosa, the power hitters Bonds once chased, have fallen under suspicion. But it is Bonds who bears the weight of an era that splashed up on the entire sport.
"My impression?" teammate Dave Roberts said. "From the outside, I had a certain opinion. Now that I'm closer to it, I think he's getting a raw deal, plain and simple. … He's taken shots from everybody. After a while, you clam up. People take him as a bad guy because of it.
"He's never tested positive. The people that know him best – teammates or guys who play against him – those are the people I listen to. And I love having him as a teammate. I don't know how he's dealt with it his whole career. Some of it might be warranted, but it goes both ways."
Tim Brown is a national baseball writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Tim a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Bonds hits 755th HR, ties Aaron's record

SAN DIEGO (AP) - With a short swing and a strong shot for all the doubters, Barry Bonds caught Hank Aaron and tied the career home run record Saturday night.
It was a long time coming.
Also...
VIDEO: Watch historic homer
PHOTOS: Bonds hits No. 755
No. 755 was an opposite-field drive of 382 feet to left-center, moving Bonds within one swing of having baseball's pinnacle of power all to himself.
Commissioner Bud Selig decided to overlook the steroid allegations that have dogged Bonds and instead chose to witness history. When it happened, on a 2-1, 91 mph fastball, he stood up and watched, hands shoved in his pockets, while Bonds' family hugged and high-fived.
After Bonds crossed the plate, he lifted his batboy son, Nikolai, and carried him several steps in an embrace.
Bonds drew a mixed reaction from the crowd at Petco Park after he homered off Clay Hensley in the second inning. Several fans held up asterisk signs and the San Francisco slugger was booed as he headed to left field at the end of the inning.
It had been eight days and 28 plate appearances since Bonds hit his 754th home run, and he came out for early batting practice Saturday, hoping to break his slump. He did it quickly, homering to lead off the second.
Bonds walked his next three times up, then left the game in the eighth for a pinch-runner. He raised his helmet with his left hand, then his right, and draw a standing ovation from Giants fans who chanted his name.
He's not expected to start Sunday, which would give him a chance to break the record at home starting Monday night.
Bonds hit the tying homer, in fact, off a former Giants draft pick who was suspended in 2005 for violating baseball's minor league steroids policy.
Earlier in the day, Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th home run. Like Bonds, he took advantage of his first opportunity of the game, connecting at Yankee Stadium.
Bonds' milestone shot clunked off an advertising sign on the facade and fell into the navy blue bleachers below - right below the main scoreboard featuring a giant photo of the smiling slugger.
A fan sitting in that area threw back a ball onto the field, but that was not the historic one. Instead, the prized souvenir wound up in the hands of 33-year-old Adam Hughes of La Jolla, and he was whisked to a secure area so the specially marked ball could be authenticated.
Bonds walked a half-dozen steps after connecting, clapped his hands and rounded the bases with no hint of a smile.
After Bonds crossed the plate, teammate Ryan Klesko hugged him. Bonds slowly walked through a greeting line of other Giants. Moments later, he walked over to the field-level seats and kissed 8-year-old daughter Aisha and wife, Liz, through the screen.
Bonds then lifted his cap before going to the far end of the dugout and hugging Sue Burns, the wife of late Giants ownership partner Harmon Burns.
The godson of Willie Mays and the son of an All-Star outfielder, Bonds seemed destined for greatness from the start. Funny thing, his speed drew a lot more attention than his strength when he broke into the majors as a lanky leadoff hitter.
Even when Bonds became a threat to Aaron's record, many fans thought age would slow him down. Instead, his power numbers surged - as did speculation about steroid use.
Bonds steadfastly denied that he knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs and let the allegations bounce off him, the same way fastballs deflected off his bulky body armor.
Choking up an inch or so on his favorite maple bats, No. 25 became the No. 1 target for boobirds outside the Bay Area. Bonds was constantly shadowed by doubts rather than showered in affection the way Mark McGwire was nearly a decade ago.
The whole baseball world - the whole country, really - joined the celebration when McGwire broke Roger Maris' season home run record in 1998. After Big Mac launched No. 62, he pointed to heaven, hoisted his son and hugged Sammy Sosa.
Yet that story did not have a happy ending. Disgraced by a poor performance in front of a congressional panel looking into steroids, McGwire basically became a recluse and never came close in his first bid to make the Hall of Fame.
Bonds broke McGwire's mark of 70, hitting 73 homers in 2001. Ever since, he's been on a path toward Aaron, a journey that hasn't been full of joy. Bonds has been hobbled by bad knees and bickered with Giants management, and his chase was hardly backed by Selig.
A lot of fans, in fact, are already rooting for the day when Bonds' record falls. While Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas are next up among active players, Rodriguez is considered the most likely successor. The Yankees star just turned 32 and is well ahead of Bonds' pace at the same age.
That said, Bonds' quest was the main reason Giants owner Peter Magowan brought Bonds back for a 15th season in San Francisco, signing the slugger to a $15.8 million, one-year contract right before spring training.

Even with Bonds at 755, there is bound to be a split among many fans over who is the real home run champ.
There will be some who always consider Babe Ruth as the best - those old films of him wearing a crown will last forever. Others will give that honor to Aaron, as much for his slugging as his quiet dignity in breaking Ruth's record in 1974.
While steroids tinged Bonds' chase, race was the predominant issue when Aaron took aim at Ruth's mark of 714.
Aaron dealt with hate mail and death threats from racist fans who thought a black man was not worthy of breaking the record set by a white hero, the beloved Babe. Bonds, too, has said he deals with racial issues and that threats have been made on his life at times.

2007 Arthur Ashe Kids' Day Lineup Announced (US OPEN TENNIS)

Chart-Toppers Kat Deluna, Lil Mama & the Jonas Brothers Join Special Guest Tony Hawk and Tennis Superstars Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, James Blake & Serena Williams for Arthur Ashe Kids' Day Presented by Hess
TV Personalities Daisy Fuentes and Quddus to Host 12th Annual Music and Tennis Spectacular Set for Saturday, August 25th, at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York
2007 Arthur Ashe Kid's Day Presented by Hess
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The USTA today announced that chart-topping singer/songwriters Kat Deluna, Lil Mama & The Jonas Brothers will join special guest action sports legend Tony Hawk and tennis superstars Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Serena Williams and others for the annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day presented by Hess. The full-day tennis and music festival for children and families – including interactive games, musical entertainment, and free clinics – will be hosted by Daisy Fuentes and Quddus. The festivities are set for Saturday, August 25, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Lil Mama
Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster (1-866-OPEN-TIX), usopen.org and at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center box office. American Express is the official card of Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. General admission promenade tickets cost $10 and loge tickets are $20. Admission is free for the Grounds Festival, open from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center grounds. The Arthur Ashe Kids' Day stadium show starts at 2:00 p.m. and is broadcast by CBS on Sunday, August 26, from 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Kids 12-and-under with stadium show tickets will receive a free Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day hat from the USTA and Hess on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day is a great start to the US Open. It gives players involved a chance to have fun on the courts and interact with the young fans in the audience before we begin to compete for the biggest prize in tennis,“ said Andy Roddick, 2007 Arthur Ashe Institute for Health “Humanitarian Leadership Award” Winner. “The day provides us the opportunity to look back on the life and legacy of Arthur Ashe, and properly recognize and honor all that he has meant to the game of tennis.” “Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day presented by Hess is the perfect kick off to the US Open, combining the sport’s top stars and today’s hottest musical acts,” said Pierce O’Neil, Chief Business Officer, USTA. “The day provides fun and entertainment for the whole family and honors the legacy of Arthur Ashe, a true humanitarian and one of our sport’s great ambassadors.“
Over the years, Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day has featured many of music’s biggest acts including Rihanna Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Ne-Yo, Cheyenne, The Cheetah Girls, Mario, 98 Degrees, Jesse McCartney, Bow Wow and Vanessa Carlton.
Kat DeLuna (GMB Music/Epic Records) was born in the Bronx and raised in the Dominican Republic, where by age four, friends and family had already recognized her talent. Her sound is a blend of Hip Hop, R&B, Meringue, Pop, Latin Jazz, and Electronica and Dance. At 19, Kat has some of music’s biggest names in entertainment singing her praise; with supporters ranging from R&B superstar R.Kelly, who has called her a “prodigy” to the famous Salvadorian singer Alvaro Torres, referring to her as “the new Selena”.
Lil Mama (Zamba Records) – Growing up between Brooklyn’s rough East New York section and Harlem, Lil Mama was forced to overcome both personal and financial struggles at an early age. When she was just 10-years-old, Lil Mama decided to try and put a rhythm behind her poems, and by the time Lil Mama started attending Brooklyn’s Edward R. Murrow high school she was creating all original material. Now with seventeen years behind her, Lil Mama is determined to fill her future with greatness. Her debut album, Voice of the Young People, features a wide range of musical and topical issues.
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers (Hollywood Records) – After spending much of 2006 supporting their debut on the road with tween-scene heavyweights such as Jesse McCartney, the Veronicas and Aly & AJ, the brothers found themselves reaching a new audience earlier this year when the Disney Channel put the band’s “Year 3000” video into heavy rotation. Since then the band’s profile has continued to rise thanks to appearances on Radio Disney and Disney Channel’s exposure of their latest single “Hold On” from the Johnny Kapahala movie.
Tony Hawk fans are not sure if he is more gymnast, acrobat or magician. The only thing certain about Tony Hawk is that he’s action sports’ and skateboarding’s primary icon. Tony’s talents have brought skateboarding unprecedented mainstream attention and respect, which has helped legitimize all action sports. In fall of 2006 Tony Hawk launched his first animated movie, direct to DVD, called Tony Hawk in Boom Boom Sabotage. In November of ’06, Tony launched his latest video games, Tony Hawk’s Project 8 and Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam. Now 39, Tony is best known for his “900” (two and a half spins above a 12-foot-high halfpipe), which existed only in theory until he landed it at the 1999 X-Games.
Daisy Fuentes has gone from MTV to Revlon model to actress, and is now a household name with viewers across the world. Fuentes was the first VJ to appear on both the Spanish language MTV Latino and the original MTV, and has since been a mainstay on television, hosting and having numerous roles on a variety of shows including America’s Funniest Home Videos and multiple Miss Universe Pageants. Currently, Daisy is designing a very successful women’s sportswear line exclusively for Kohl’s Dept. Stores.
Quddus began his career at MTV’s “Summer in the Keys,” and co-hosting “TRL.” From the cover of TV Guide to one of People's “Sexiest Men Alive,” Quddus has been involved with the MTV Video Music Awards, “Fashionably Loud,” MTV’s New Year’s Eve and “MTV Hits.”
Presented by Hess and produced by the USTA, Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day honors tennis legend Arthur Ashe and continues his mission of using tennis as a means to instill in kids the values of humanitarianism, leadership and academic excellence. A portion of the proceeds from Arthur Ashe Kids' Day benefits the USTA NJTL (National Junior Tennis League). Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell, and Sheridan Snyder founded the NJTL in 1969. Ashe envisioned NJTL "as a way to gain and hold the attention of young people in the inner cities and their poor environments so that we can teach them about matters more important than tennis." Since then, NJTL has grown to over 500 chapters serving over 200,000 youth each year, making it one of the USTA's largest community-based offerings.
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Hess Corporation, headquartered in New York, is a global integrated energy company engaged in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, as well as in refining and in marketing refined petroleum products, natural gas, and electricity. The company markets through approximately 1350 Hess and Hess Express branded gasoline / convenience retail locations on the U.S. East Coast.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. It owns and operates the US Open, the largest annually attended sporting event in the world and, in 2004, launched the US Open Series which links 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 94 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grassroots to the professional levels.

StubHub Signs Exclusive MLB Ticket Deal

Major League Baseball doesn't oppose all Web 2.0 technology as much as it opposes Sling Media. StubHub can attest to that. StubHub announced a five-year agreement with the league on Thursday making it the official online provider of secondary tickets.
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This means that each team's Web site will have a StubHub-branded place for fans to go and buy previously purchased tickets. Currently, individual teams place their own secondhand, ticket resale services on the team's site, managed by the team's front office; the San Francisco Giants, for example, call this Double Play. When the agreement goes into effect, all services like Double Play will close and StubHub will become the relief pitcher as of the 2008 season.
StubHub ensures that tickets reach their rightful owner by holding the payment in escrow until a delivery confirmation is received. Once the tickets reach their new home, the money is released to the seller. This system will now be standard for all MLB resale transactions.
"We believe this agreement reflects our commitment to providing dynamic platforms for fans to purchase tickets in authorized locations in the digital arena," said Bob Bowman, president and chief executive officer for MLB Advanced Media, in a statement on Thursday. "Secure, simple and fan-friendly. Those are the hallmarks of this national destination for all of our fans."
Of course, users can still use Craigslist. But fans who want the stamp of MLB authenticity will feel just a bit safer with StubHub.
By Natali T. Del Conte

Bets on Davydenko Tennis Match Voided After `Irregular' Pattern

By Sam Sheringham
Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- The U.K.'s biggest online betting house voided all wagers for the first time on a tennis match involving fourth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko because of what it said were irregular gambling patterns.
Betfair said it took more than $7 million in wagers on yesterday's second-round match between Davydenko and 87th-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello at the Poland Open. Davydenko, a Russian, won the first set 6-2 and lost the second 6-3 before quitting the match with an injury trailing 2-1 in the third set.
``It's a lot more than what is normally bet on these matches and the way the markets responded before and during the game, clearly there was something awry,'' Betfair spokesman Robin Marks said in a telephone interview.
In a statement, the company said it was acting in the ``interests of maintaining integrity and fairness.''
The ATP Tour, which runs the men's tennis circuit, said it was investigating.
It's the first time in Betfair's seven-year history that the company has declared a market void, meaning all money will be refunded to customers.
The Florida-based ATP, formerly known as the Association of Tennis Professionals, said in a statement that it ``takes issues surrounding gambling extremely seriously.''
``We are committed to ensuring our sport remains corruption free and have strict rules in place governing this area,'' it said. ``In addition, we have memorandums of understanding with U.K. and European betting companies that ensures information pertaining to any ATP Tour match that may look suspicious, based upon gambling patterns, is shared with us immediately.''
ATP Statement
The tennis organization, in its statement, declined to specifically discuss the Davydenko match ``until such time as the process has been completed.''
Unlike traditional bookmakers, London-based Betfair matches bettors who take opposing views on the outcome of an event, with supply and demand determining the odds on an Internet-based platform.
During yesterday's match, the odds on a Davydenko victory began to lengthen even after he won the first set, prompting Betfair to realize something was ``not right,'' Marks said.
Davydenko reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, the semifinals of the French Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon, the season's first three Grand Slam tournaments. Since being eliminated by Marcos Baghdatis at Wimbledon last month, his only win in four tournaments has been a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Andrei Pavel in the first round of the Poland Open.
Arguello Loses
Arguello, an Argentine who never has won a tournament on the ATP Tour, lost today in the quarterfinals to Albert Montanes of Spain, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
The Associated Press quoted Davydenko as saying after his match with Arquello that he had a problem with the toes on his left foot.
``Normally I try to fight to the end but it was very painful and I may have done even more damage by trying to finish the match,'' AP quoted the player as saying.
Davydenko was traveling and on his way to see a medical professional, the ATP said. He is scheduled to play in Montreal next week.
To contact the reporter on this story: Sam Sheringham in London on at ssheringham@bloomberg.net Last Updated: August 3, 2007 13:49 EDT