Pacman's Troubled Journey

Suspended NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones was being sought by
police for questioning about a shooting early Monday involving members of his
entourage after a fight at an Atlanta strip club.
Jones, a cornerback for the Tennessee Titans on suspension following a melee
and shooting at a Las Vegas strip club, his group and three other people got
into a fight, apparently over a woman, at a club around 4 a.m., officer Ariel
Toledo said.

After everyone involved left the strip club - the three people in one car,
and Jones and his entourage in three other cars - someone in Jones' group shot
at the car, and the others returned fire, Toledo said.

Toledo said Jones was not present when the shots were fired.

"We believe he knows some of his entourage who were involved in the
shooting," Toledo said. "On himself, we do not have any charges on him. He
wasn't there when the shooting occurred."

One person who was outside the vehicles and not involved in the dispute was
injured by debris in the shooting and was treated by emergency medical
technicians, Toledo said.

Manny Arora, Jones' attorney, said he was trying to find out what had
happened from the police, but he understood Jones was sought only as a witness
to the incident.

Authorities have also been investigating what role Jones had in a February
shooting outside a Las Vegas club that left a bar employee paralyzed and two
other people wounded.
Attorney Robert Langford said no evidence tied Jones to the shooting, but an
aide to Clark County District Attorney David Roger said it could take several
days to decide if there is enough information to file charges against Jones and
two friends.

The Las Vegas allegations were among a series of arrests and encounters with
police that led NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Jones for one season.

Jones agreed last week not to appeal the suspension. The 23-year-old player
could be reinstated after 10 games for good behavior if he adheres to
conditions set by Goodell and is not arrested again. Missing the entire season
would cost him his salary of nearly $1.3 million.

Horrific Wreck, Historic Victory

Lewis Hamilton's learning curve just got shorter - a lot shorter.
The 22-year-old Englishman, the first black driver in Formula One history, added his first F1 victory to an already remarkable career start by winning the crash-filled Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.

And he made it look easy.

Hamilton started from the pole, also for the first time. Apart from losing the lead for three laps when he made his first of two pit stops, he led all the way and was never challenged.

The slim, soft-spoken youngster has six consecutive top-three finishes in six starts, something no other first-year F1 driver has accomplished.

"This is history," Hamilton said, grinning.

The only one to give the Mercedes McLaren driver any competition during the 70-lap race on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve's 2.71-mile road course was BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld. He chased Hamilton all day without catching him.

The only thing that kept the race close at all was accidents - four full-course caution flags that wiped out the leads Hamilton built with seeming ease. He kept winning the restarts though and beat Heidfeld to the finish by 4.3 seconds.

"It was a fairly simple race, apart from the restarts," Hamilton said. "On those, I was just trying to keep the tires warm and not make a mistake. The last few laps I was just counting down.

"I'm the type of guy that will usually push right to the end, but it's a tricky circuit, and if you make one mistake you go into the marbles and into the wall. So I quieted down towards the end and just enjoyed it."

Once he had the race in hand, the youngster scrambled out of his cockpit. He thrust his arms in the air and jumped up and down. He then bounced to the ground, trotted to a barrier and jumped across to dive into the midst of his crew, hugging everyone in sight.

"It's been a fantastic season already," he said. "We've had six podiums and I've been ready for quite some time for the win - it's just been a matter of when and where. The team gave me the best car and I had no problems during the race at all."

Heidfeld was almost as happy with his runner-up finish, matching his career best.

"I think I had a very good chance to finish second even in normal race conditions, without so many safety cars (on the track) and without Fernando (Alonso) being penalized," Heidfeld said.

Alonso, the two-time and reigning F1 champion, started alongside his McLaren teammate on the front row. He made a mistake on the start when he drove off the course in the first turn and allowed Heidfeld to dive past into second.

That was just the beginning of a very bad day for Alonso, who was hit with a penalty for pitting too soon during one of the full-course cautions. That set the Spaniard back to 14th, but he got back as high as sixth before two more off-course excursions slowed him. Alonso was passed two laps from the finish by Super Aguri'a Takuma Sato and finished seventh.

Hamilton, who came into the race tied with Alonso at the top of the standings, will take an eight-point lead into next Sunday's U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis.

"The next dream is to win the Formula One championship," he said. "But, bear in mind, I'm still a rookie and there's bound to be some bad times, too."

Robert Kubica, a 22-year-old driver from Poland and Heidfeld's teammate, was involved in a frightening crash just before the halfway point. Team officials first said he broke his right leg and later said the driver was sore but had no apparent injuries.

Considered one of the rising stars of F1, Kubica was racing with the Toyota of Jarno Trulli and the Ferrari of Felipe Massa when he suddenly veered off course into the grass as they drove toward the hairpin turn.

Kubica's car slammed into the inside concrete wall, then somersaulted across the track in a shower of debris. He then hit the outside wall and came to rest with what was left of the car on its side. The Ferraris of Massa and Kimi Raikkonen were expected to pose a threat for the McLarens, but both had problems.

Massa was running fourth when he was disqualified, along with Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella, who was eighth at the time. Officials said they both ran a red light at the end of pit road during a caution.

Raikkonen ran through the grass several times and struggled to a fifth-place finish, coming in behind the Williams of Alexander Wurz and the Renault of Heikki Kovalainen. Ralf Schumacher, driving a Toyota, took the eighth and final points position.

Source Aol Sports

Al-Qaida: Captured U.S. troops killed

CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida linked insurgents killed three American soldiers after capturing them last month in

Iraq, according to a militant video released Monday that claimed to show footage of the ambush. The video offered no proof for its claims.

The clip, which was made available to The Associated Press by the Washington-based SITE Institute, showed confused and jerky night battle scenes, and later offered close-ups of two identification cards. It did not show the soldiers.

"The Americans sent 4,000 soldiers looking for them," said an unidentified voice on the video, which featured the logo of the media production house of the Islamic State of Iraq. "They were alive and then dead."

The body of one of the soldiers was found in Iraq's Euphrates River, but the other two remain missing. Family friends of the missing men said the U.S. military briefed relatives about the video over the weekend.

The video offered no proof for its claims that the soldiers had been killed and buried. The voiceover blamed their deaths on "the American Army and their leaders, who do not care for the feelings of the soldiers' mothers."

"And as you refused to deliver the bodies of our killed people, we will not deliver the bodies of your dead, and their end will be beneath the ground, Allah willing," the voice said.

A body found May 23 in the Euphrates River was identified by the U.S. military as Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr., 20, of Torrance, Calif. The missing soldiers have been identified as Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Mass., and of Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich.

The three vanished after their combat team was ambushed May 12 about 20 miles outside Baghdad. Five others, including an Iraqi, were killed in the ambush, subsequently claimed by al-Qaida.

The attack triggered a massive search in the area south of Baghdad known as the "triangle of death" for the rampant insurgent activity there.

Gordon Dibler, Fouty's stepfather, said he was holding out hope for the soldiers' safe return: "We're praying, and so far, we don't know for certain that they aren't alive."

At the end of the 10-minute 41-second video, the identification cards of the two missing soldiers were shown, with the headline: "Bush is the reason of the loss of your POWs" written on the screen above the cards. SITE, an organization that monitors terrorist groups, did not say how it obtained the video. A card belonging to Anzack was not shown.

Along with the identification cards, the footage also showed credit cards, American and Iraqi money and other personal items that the militants called "booty."

There was no immediate word from U.S. officials about the Islamic State of Iraq claim.

The video also showed footage, apparently taken before the ambush, of three masked men standing around a stand displaying a sketch of the area, mapping out the attack plan. One of the three men, who were all dressed in black, talked to the camera and pointed to the sketch. Another stood by him carrying a gun.

"I have urged you to bring me American prisoners," said the man, whose name was not given but was identified as one of the militant group's leaders.

A Islamic Web site that commonly posts videos from militant groups including the Islamic State of Iraq said in a banner headline that it would show the video within hours, but the video has not yet appeared.

After the soldiers disappeared, the Islamic State of Iraq issued Web statements warning the Americans to call off the hunt "if you want their safety."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070604/ap_on_re_mi_ea/missing_soldiers_video;_ylt=Ap.Fw6VP0Wtj21yV7yRO0Bus0NUE

King James Leads Cavaliers to First NBA Finals

As his teammates danced and carried on while
wearing baseball caps and T-shirts proclaiming "Champions,"
LeBron James walked around in a daze with a smile etched across his
face. "This is like a dream," he said, shaking his head. "This
is probably the best feeling that I've ever had in my life." An
entire city felt the same.
For the first time in a long time, championship-starved
Cleveland has something to feel good about.

The Cavaliers , once the punch line to jokes and Michael Jordan 's
favorite foil, are Eastern Conference champions - and on their way
to the NBA finals.

Lugging an entire region's hopes with him on every trip to the
basket, James had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and unflappable rookie
Daniel Gibson added 31 points - 19 in the fourth quarter - to give
the Cavaliers a 98-82 victory in Game 6 against the Detroit
Pistons .

Cleveland, a city that hasn't celebrated a world championship
since the Browns won an NFL title in 1964, has the next closest
thing. And now the Cavs, who won only 17 games the year before
James arrived from just down the Interstate in Akron, will meet the
San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the finals on Thursday night.

James, who scored 48 points in Cleveland's double-overtime win
in Game 5, didn't have to carry the Cavs by himself.

Gibson gave him all the help he needed.

The slender second-round pick from Texas, who didn't become a
major contributor until March, outshined his superstar teammate.
Gibson made three 3-pointers in the first 2:16 of the fourth and
drilled another long-range jumper with 6:52 left, setting off a
massive celebration in Quicken Loans Arena.

"If I'm dreaming, please don't wake me up," Gibson said.
"This was perfect, to win it for Cleveland."

The Cavaliers are only third team to come back from an 0-2
deficit in a conference finals, joining the 1971 Baltimore Bullets
and 1993 Chicago Bulls .

The season couldn't have ended worse for the top-seeded Pistons,
making their fifth straight appearance in the conference finals.

England v Brazil (Fri 1 June)

Brazil are set to field some unfamiliar names for Friday's friendly against England at the new Wembley Stadium.

Stars such as Milan's Champions League winner Kaka, Barcelona's Ronaldinho, and Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva are well known and expected to play.

But the side could include the likes of Heerenveen striker Afonso Alves, who is top scorer in the Dutch league.

CSKA Moscow duo Vagner Love and Jo, Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Elano and Porto goalkeeper Helton may also play.

However, attacking midfielder Anderson, who has just signed a deal to join Manchester United, is not in the squad to take on England but is in the squad for the Copa America next month.

Brazil coach Dunga is using the England game as preparation for the defence of the Copa America.

Kaka and Ronaldinho have already said they will not be taking part in the competition because of tiredness.

"As far as winning the cup again, Brazil never goes to a tournament without the idea we are going to win," said Dunga.

"As far as the team, there is still 20 days to go. Many things can happen, someone can get injured, someone can get better or not, there is still a lot to go."

When Dunga announced his squad for the England game, many reporters in Brazil were surprised at the number of players he included from overseas.

So here BBC Sport looks at some of the players to watch at Wembley on Friday evening.

VAGNER LOVE - STRIKER

The former Corinthians forward has had an impressive year for CSKA Moscow, scoring six goals in 12 games. The 22-year-old made his Brazil debut in 2003 and has been linked with a move to Chelsea.

JO - STRIKER

Another former Corinthians player, Jo has been an instant hit since joining CSKA Moscow last year - scoring 29 goals in 45 appearances. The-20-year-old claimed both goals in the 2-0 victory over Zenit St Petersburg last weekend.

AFONSO ALVES - STRIKER

A relative unknown in Brazil, the 25-year-old Heerenveen forward has been making headlines in Europe. Alves, yet to earn his first cap for Brazil, fired 34 goals to top the Dutch League scoring list, setting a new club record in the process.

GILBERTO - MIDFIELDER

The 31-year-old, who can also play in defence, joined Hertha Berlin in 2004 and scored for Brazil against Japan in last year's World Cup. Gilberto has become a key member of Hertha's line-up and scored five goals for the Bundesliga outfit this season.

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Brazil squad:
Doni (Roma), Helton (Porto), Daniel Alves (Sevilla), Maicon (Inter Milan), Gilberto (Hertha Berlin), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Juan (Bayer Leverkeusen), Alex (PSV), Alex Silva (Sao Paulo), Naldo (Werder Bremen), Gilberto Silva (Arsenal), Edmilson (Barcelona), Josue (Sao Paulo), Mineiro (Hertha Berlin), Elano (Shaktar Donetsk), Diego (Werder Bremen), Kaka (AC Milan), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Robinho (Real Madrid), Vagner Love (CSKA Moscow), Jo (CSKA Moscow), Afonso Alves (Heerenveen).

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Full England squad to face Brazil and Estonia:

Goalkeepers: Robinson (Tottenham), Carson (Liverpool), Green (West Ham).

Defenders: P Neville (Everton), Terry (Chelsea), Bridge (Chelsea), Brown (Man Utd), Carragher (Liverpool), King (Tottenham), Shorey (Reading).

Midfielders: Beckham (Real Madrid), Gerrard (Liverpool), Jenas (Tottenham), J Cole (Chelsea), Bentley (Blackburn), Carrick (Man Utd), Lampard (Chelsea), Downing (Middlesbrough), Dyer (Newcastle).

Forwards: Crouch (Liverpool), Owen (Newcastle), Smith (Man Utd), Defoe (Tottenham).

Why are Brazil so good?

Brazil. That single word has come to sum up the very best of football.

It stands for artistry, inspiration and genius, for the combination of sublime individual skill and collective fluidity to create a whole that is both beautiful to watch and devastatingly effective.

The country has produced 50 years' worth of great players - Garrincha, Pele, Jairzinho, Tostao, Socrates and Zico to name but a few.

They had a disappointing World Cup in 2006. But with outstanding individual talents such as Ronaldinho and Kaka orchestrating the team, expectations that they will produce more moments to live on in football legend remain as high as ever.

But how does Brazil produce so many great teams and wonderful players?

As the world's most exciting team prepare for their friendly with England on Friday, BBC Sport asks some of the biggest names in Brazil's football history what makes them so good.

The story of Brazil's domination of world football starts with the sport's uniquely important position in national life.

"The national football team," says its former coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, "is the symbol of national identity, the only time the nation gets together."

Football is the most important thing in Brazilian national life

"Football in Brazil is like a religion," adds Carlos Alberto Torres, captain of the side that won the 1970 World Cup.

"Everybody talks about it all the time - not only when we are close to the World Cup.

"This is the difference between Europe and Brazil. After the World Cup, people in Europe start to think about life, business. Here in Brazil, we breathe football 24 hours a day."

According to Parreira, no-one is quite sure why.

"Sociologists, psychologists have tried to explain, but nobody can find one reason," he says.

"Maybe because we didn't have to fight for independence, we don't have earthquakes or things like that. We didn't go to war." Read Article in Full