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Jessica Nye enjoys being a double threat for the Old Rochester Regional softball team.

EDINA, Minn. — Halfway across the country, this U.S. Women's Open must look familiar to Angela Park. She was in the lead after 36 holes of a tournament again delayed by storms, and Cristie Kerr was moving quickly up the leaderboard.

VIENNA, Austria — Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso doesn't agree with teammates who say Germany is the favorite heading into Sunday's European Championship final. Alonso likes what he sees from his squad.

WIMBLEDON, England — Bobby Reynolds' third-round loss left Wimbledon without an American in the men's singles draw.

WIMBLEDON, England — They're still counting casualties back home, and so when Zheng Jie completed the biggest victory of her career Friday at Wimbledon, she resisted any temptation to leap or squeal or pump her fist or collapse to the grass in glee.

CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said it's "ridiculous" to reward untested rookies with lucrative contracts, and wants the issue addressed in contract talks.

Today marks the second full day of racing outside Sippican Harbor for the 88 women competing in the 2008 J-24 International Women's Open championship.

HOUSTON — Daisuke Matsuzaka limited the Astros to two hits in five scoreless innings and the Boston Red Sox won their first-ever regular-season game in Houston, 6-1 on Friday night.

HOUSTON — Major League Baseball reduced Coco Crisp's suspension from seven days to five for his role in a bench-clearing brawl during Boston's game with Tampa Bay on June 5.

BOSTON — An athletic guard with a troubled past and a physical forward with a history of knee problems are the newest players the Boston Celtics hope will help them. The chances seem slim that J.R. Giddens or Bill Walker will do that as rookies on...

Under ominous skies and on a dusty playing field at Livesey Memorial Park, Fairhaven's Legion Post 166 took on visiting New Bedford Post 1 in what became a 4-0 shutout against the home team.

LOUDON, N.H. — Rookie Patrick Carpentier grabbed his first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The Wareham Gatemen broke out for seven runs in the first inning and used a strong effort from their bullpen to beat the Chatham A's 9-3 on Friday, ending a six-game losing streak in the Cape Cod League.

Chad Snow led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk-off home run to give Wareham Post 220 a 6-5 win over Kingston on Friday.

GRAND BLANC, Mich. — The PGA Tour's optimistic view of life without Tiger Woods is that it gives unheralded players a chance in the spotlight.

HOUSTON — Daisuke Matsuzaka limited the Astros to two hits in five scoreless innings and the Boston Red Sox won their first-ever regular-season game in Houston last night, 6-1.

BREWSTER — Brewster padded its Cape Cod Baseball League lead in home runs with two more and got a lights-out pitching performance from Buddy Baumann to beat Harwich 5-0 yesterday.

ABINGTON — Dennis Post 488's Murphy O'Brien pitched a complete-game four-hitter and Alex Xiarhos went 3-for-3 with a triple in a 3-0 American Legion baseball win over Abington yesterday.

BOSTON — An athletic guard with a troubled past and a physical forward with a history of knee problems are the newest players the Boston Celtics hope will help them. The chances seem slim that J.R.

By MIKE BOGEN

mbogen@repub.com

There is a very real possibility that the New England Mutiny will play the rest of their Women's Premier Soccer League season without the goalkeeper who last season led them into the circuit's championship game.

And because Stephanie Labbe might spend the rest of the summer loaning her considerable skills to the Canadian national team's cause, Mutiny coach Tony Horta has a decision to make about his team's goaltending.

The Mutiny on Saturday night play host to the Maine Tide at Agawam High School at 7. That game is being co-sponsored by Baystate Medical Center's Rays of Hope Foundation and billed as "Breast Cancer Awareness Night." The Mutiny will eschew their usual uniforms and wear pink jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game, with proceeds going to the foundation.

Sunday night, New England will travel to New York City to take on New York AC at 6.

The Mutiny will have the same problem for both games - two goaltenders and only one goal to be tended to.

In the National Football League, they call it a "quarterback controversy." Horta prefers to think of it no differently than any other competition for playing time. And the first thing he's going to do is make certain it's a fair competition, not only for the sake of players involved, but for the sake of his team, which needs one keeper to distinguish herself and claim the job.

To that end, Horta will use both keepers this weekend, going with former Yale and Quinnipiac goalie Chloe Beizer tonight and University of Massachusetts junior Lauren Luckey tomorrow night.

"I'm going to start Chloe because I need to see her so I can determine who is the better of the two. I need to see her in a game situation," he said. "That way we'll also know where we stand if anything happens to Luckey."

Each keeper has her strengths and weaknesses. Luckey lacks experience at this high a level - the Mutiny (6-1-0) are ranked 17th in the world by Soccer America - but has been playing and training consistently for years, while the more experienced Beizer hasn't played competitive soccer since 2007, her senior season.

Both goalies are facing high expectations from the coach.

"My standard is that we have to be able to go all the way," Horta said. "Last year we surprised people; this year we have to defend our position. My standard is to be able to get to the final and win the championship."

By JEFF THOMAS

jthomas@repub.com

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind for Vinny Del Negro, but the Springfield native is reveling in it.
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Del Negro has been the head coach of the Chicago Bulls for a little more than two weeks, and it could not have happened at a busier time in the NBA offseason.

"It's been a little hectic, but it's all good," Del Negro said by phone today. "There's a lot of things going on, and on a daily basis things change."

Not the least of which was the NBA Draft on Thursday night. The Bulls had the first pick in the draft and selected 6-foot-3 point guard Derrick Rose of Memphis.

Del Negro said there was a lot of discussion within the Bulls camp on whether to pick Rose or power forward Michael Beasley out of Kansas State, but the guard won out.

"There was a lot of back and forth, but after all the discussion was done it was unanimous that Derrick was the best choice," he said.

Rose, who led the Tigers to the NCAA national championship game just two months ago, joins a Bulls team loaded with guards. He is the eighth guard on the team's roster.

Del Negro said there is a long way to go before the roster will be settled for the 2008-09 season. Kirk Hinrich has been the starting point guard and Ben Gordon the shooting guard. Gordon is a restricted free agent and it appears what happens with him will guide the team's way.

"It's going to be an ongoing process to figure things out," Del Negro said.

Rose played just one year of college basketball under John Calipari, so his youth will allow the Bulls to ease him into the rotation. Del Negro said he's not going to rush him.

"He's only going to get better; now it's my job to help him learn and play the position," Del Negro said. "He's a great kid and he's going to help a lot."

Going with the Chicago native as the first pick was easy. Selecting a center from Turkey was a little harder. The Bulls traded the rights to Sonny Weems at the 39th pick and added 7-footer Omer Asik with the 36th in a three-way deal with Denver and Portland.

"He's a really talented kid," Del Negro said. "He won't be able to play next year, but he will the following year. I think he'll surprise some people."

Del Negro still has a lot of work ahead of him. He said he still has to fill out his staff, find a place to live in the Chicago area and get ready for the NBA Summer League in Orlando in a couple of weeks.

After years of living in the Scottsdale, Ariz., area and San Antonio, Tex., before that, the Chicago weather will be a big change, but Del Negro said it is well worth it for a chance to coach the Bulls.

"It's a great organization with a tremendous tradition," he said. "It's a great responsibility but something I welcome."

Looking back on what was a terrific 2007-2008 High School Sports Year, The Varsity Voice counts down its Top-10 Games. We were at a ton of great --- and not so great --- games this past academic year. And here are our Top 10. The only rule was that we were actually present, so we may be leaving out a number of top games from the area. These are the best games we were at.

We started off with Games 6-10. Here are our Top Five.

Please enjoy:

5.) Turners Falls 2, Mt. Everett 1 (10 Innings) --- Division III WMass Softball Final:

Neither Erik or I were present at this game. So, let's look at Varsity Voice contributor Mike Cole's thoughts:

"Another year, another Western Mass championship for Turners Falls. This one was quite a game too. Dani Sullivan was her usual stellar self, going the distance and slamming the door on more than one occasion shutting down Mt. Everett rallies. The late-inning hero was Kayla Breor who knocked in the winning run with a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th inning giving the Indians the title."

More: Live Blog | Box Score | Photos | Video

4.) Longmeadow 55, Cathedral 51 --- Division I Boys Basketball WMass Semifinal:

Of the many games that made up Longmeadow's stunning 2008 Western Mass. Championship run, this was perhaps the toughest. And of the many big plays, Lancers senior Pat Donnelly made over the course of his high school career --- on the hardwood and on the gridiron --- his long range 3-pointer as the shotclock expired with just 12.7 seconds left on the game clock. He went nuts, the entire Longmeadow student section followed.

More: Live Blog | Box Score | Player Stats | Photos

3.) South Hadley Boys Basketball's WMass Semifinal and Final Wins:

Somewhere along the way, these South Hadley Tigers picked up a North Carolina State-circa 1983 feel. They just wouldn't lose. After backing into the Division II tournament with a less-than attractive 6-14 record, the Tigers were the underdog throughout the tournament. They seemed like a long shot to knock of No. 1 ranked Taconic, which had steamrolled through the competition.

But even after trailing for much of the game, South Hadley and its 6th Man cheering section came around in the second half to shock the Braves, taking Western Mass.

In the semifinal, the Tigers pulled off another riveting second half comeback as The 6th Man provides Ryan Garvey and Co. with an energy boost, not to mention a decided homecourt advantage.

South Hadley 55, Taconic 49: Live Blog | Box | Player Stats | Pics | Video
South Hadley 57, Drury 52: Live Blog | Box | Player Stats | Pics

2.) Westfield 45, Agawam 43 --- Bombers and Brownies Fight Until the End:

Had this been a postseason contest, this could have been the Game of the Year. Although, playoff and Super Bowl hopes were most certainly on the line. Here's how it went down.

In the highly competitive AA Conference, four teams were fighting for the final three playoff spots --- Central, Minnechaug, Westfield and Agawam.

It just so happened that Westfield was hosting Agawam. A Bombers' win got them in, although they could have lost and still made the playoffs. The Brownies simply needed to win.

Westfield looked to be in control for most of the game --- right up until the fourth quarter. That's when Agawam quarterback Brendan McNeish took over. Early in the fourth quarter, Westfield led 37-21 and seemed to be well in charge. But McNeish and the Brownies would not give up.

In the end, McNeish gave Agawam a chance to tie the score with a touchdown as time expired. He scurried right, turned around and bolted for the left corner of the endzone, breaking a number of tackles and beating the Bombers to the goal line.

With no time left on the clock, the Brownies needed the two-point conversion to send the game into overtime. But Westfield senior Alex Frazier intercepted McNeish's pass and the Bombers were in the playoffs.

It was a huge game from McNeish, going 18-for-27 for 176 yards and 2 TD, plus the bone-crunching touchdown run as time expired. For Westfield, Ryan Veillette was an absolute beast, with 303 yards and 5 TDs on 29 carries. Everything you want in a game. -Erik Gallant

More: Live Blog | Box Score | Player Stats | Photos

1.) West Springfield 67, Central 65 --- Division I Boys Basketball WMass Semifinal:

If the overall feedback from this game and its highlight video weren't enough, ask anyone that follows high school sports here in the Pioneer Valley. This was the game to be at.

Everyone thought going in that it was David vs. Goliath. The No. 5 seeded West Springfield Terriers vs. No. 1 seeded Central, the consensus top team in the area. Everyone thought Central was simply completing its journey through Western Mass. and on its way to the state championship game.

Joe Ragland and West Side had other intentions. It was sometime during the third quarter that everyone in the arena found out just what Ragland was about. While West Side played extremely well as a team against the much bigger Central squad, this game was truly the culmination of Ragland's junior and senior seasons --- two very dominant years. He finished the night with 30 points and the Terriers were on their way to the Western Mass. Championship game.

More: Live Blog | Box Score | Player Stats | Video | Photos

Looking back on what was a terrific 2007-2008 High School Sports Year, The Varsity Voice counts down its Top-10 Games. We were at a ton of great --- and not so great --- games this past academic year. And here are our Top 10. The only rule was that we were actually present, so we may be leaving out a number of top games from the area. These are the best games we were at.

We'll start off with Games 6-10. Make sure you come on back to The Varsity Voice for the best five.

For now, enjoy:

10.) Cathedral 66, Northampton 56 (OT) --- Division I Boys Basketball First Round:

With the depth of the Division I tournament here in Western Mass. the quality of this game came as no surprise to fans. No. 7 Cathedral knocked off the second-seeded Blue Devils behind the efforts of unsung Panther heroes John Hickson and Tyrell Evans, who combine for 32 points to hold off a big second half comeback by Northampton.

More: Live Blog | Box | Player Stats | Pics

9.) Palmer 53, Monument 45 --- Division II Girls Basketball WMass Final:

A young Panthers teams shows resiliency down the stretch, as they win the WMass Division II girls title game despite trailing for all but two minutes of the game. At one point, Palmer trailed by as much as 13 points. Sophomore Katrina Caulfield's 27 points lead the way as Palmer extends a memorable season.

More: Live Blog | Video | Box Score | Player Stats | Photos

8.) Frontier Boys Basketball's State Semifinal and State Final Victories:

I know, I know. We may be cheating here. But any time a team wins two extremely competitive games to win a state championship, they both deserve to be on our list. In the state semifinal, Frontier came all the way back from a 16-point deficit to knock off CMass champion Bromfield. Just a few days later, the Red Hawks took down a rather large Scituate squad for the Division III State Championship. Both games were equally impressive.

Frontier 79, Scituate 65: Live blog | Box Score | Player Stats | Photos
Frontier 61, Bromfield 45: Live blog | Box Score | Player Stats | Photos | Video

7.) Central 49, Norwich Free 47 --- Felicia Barron sinks buzzer-beater at Hoophall

Normally, we try to feature two local teams when picking top games of the year. But you can't look the other way with an overtime buzzer beater --- especially when it was made by one of our region's best players.

On the first day of the Hoophall Classic, Central's Felicia Barron buried a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to knock off Connecticut's Norwich Free Academy. The Golden Eagles had a set play, coming out of a timeout late in the first overtime. When that play was broken up, Barron ended up with the ball and she made the most of her possession, hoisting a high arching three that hit nothing but net and spelled the end for Norwich Free Academy.

More: Live blog | Box Score | Player Stats

6.) Westfield 4, Cathedral 3 --- Division I Baseball WMass Semifinal:

In their two regular season meetings, longtime rivals Westfield and Cathedral traded beatdowns. They each took care of each other on their own turf, with the home team coming out on top. With this Western Mass. semifinal game being played at a neutral site (Agawam High School), we should have expected a tight game.

Westfield ace Brendan Swistak --- as he was all year and throughout the tournament --- was lights out early on. Cathedral starter Matt O'Herron was equally impressive. When it came down to a battle of bullpens, however, the Bomber showed their depth, escaping numerous Cathedral threats and making good on their best one. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Westfield's Brian Moran ripped a two-out, bases-loaded single to the right side, scoring pinch runner Tim Lorenz.

More: Live blog | Box Score | Video Highlights | Interviews