Get fanalytic baseball advice
BaseballHQ.com's Jock Thompson answers your questions from a fantasy and an analytic point of view -- Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET.
sports | 
Is a settlement close at hand between NFL, players union?
Holding it up?
Pair of players could be stalling deal.
Cowboys' Romo
Will QB turn stats into a Super Bowl?
Vick in D.C.
QB continues effort to end dogfighting.

By Doug Pensinger, Getty Images

By Nate Davis, USA TODAY

The NFL and its players seem very near to finding the combination to unlock the four-month old...more

Sports video

Photo galleries

Day in Sports
Chris Osgood
British Open
Women's World Cup
Andre Agassi
Tour de France
Yao Ming
MLB All-Star Game

Cast your ballot

Follow USA TODAY on Facebook

Columnists and communities

On air & online
Hiestand: NBA TV schedule isn't backloaded.
Chener & Weir
Women's soccer team got off light on criticism for loss.
The Press Box
Lopresti: Destiny's latest victim: U.S. women's soccer.
Keeping Score
Brennan: USA's loss still a victory for women's soccer.
On air & online
Hiestand: ESPN avoids flag-waving in World Cup final.
Keeping Score
Brennan: Foul weather can't slow Fowler's charge.
James Harrison appears in a Men's Journal story in which he blasts teammates and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
The Press Box
Lopresti: Tirade tells more about James Harrison.
Keeping Score
Brennan: Tom Watson's ageless excellence.
ESPN soccer play-by-play commentator Ian Darke.
On air & online
McCarthy: Darke Knight cometh on ESPN soccer.
The Press Box
Lopresti: Whose MLB bandwagon to jump on?

Only on USA TODAY

Trevor Bayne led for 58 laps during the New England 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. on Sunday. But he finished 13th and said, " hellip/ we let one get away."" width="98" height="98" border="0">
Bayne diary
Driver rubs elbows with stars, finishes 13th at N.H.
Fanalytic talk
BaseballHQ.com writer chats Wed. at 11 a.m. ET.
MLB rankings
Phillies hold No. 1 spot and Rangers are on the rise.
Tour notes
News and notes on the PGA Tour's top 20 golfers.
Transcript
See the advice Steve offered this week.
Sullivan Award
Biddle, Giovacchini win High School awards.
Georgia Gould competes in the women's cross-country mountain bike race at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Olympic Athlete of the Week
Georgia Gould won the USA Cycling mountain bike cross-country national championships.
Foyt diary
Meira, Team Foyt keep their cool in Toronto, finish fifth.
Poker rankings
Global Poker Index ranks the best live-tournament players.
Jeter Watch
See how the Yankee captain got to 3,000 hits.
NHL free agent tracker
Keep updated on all the offseason signings.

DJ3K

Order: Derek Jeter Special Edition

Top news

rockets |  | 
China's Yao Ming officially retires from basketball
Chinese basketball player and NBA superstar Yao Ming made his retirement official with a press conference in Shanghai.
sports |  | 
Unveiled: Bulls-Mavericks to meet in NBA opener
Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks would open at home Nov. 1 vs. the Chicago Bulls.
football |  | 
7-on-7 summer high school football raising concerns
Darren Ambush, 15, of Urbana (Md.) catches a touchdown pass during the Mel Kiper Jr. 7 on 7 U National Championship Series football tournament at Poplar Tree Park in Chantilly, Va.

More news

TOP STORIES
sports | 
By Patrick Semansky, AP
NCAA sanctions LSU for major violations
By Erick Smith, USA TODAY
The NCAA has wrapped up its two-year investigation into rules violations involving LSU's football program.
baseball |  | 
Pittsburgh Pirates starterJames McDonald helped the Pirates hold onto the NL Central lead, earning a win Tuesday.
By Gene J. Puskar, AP
McDonald, Pirates shut out lifeless Reds
James McDonald and three relievers combined on a six-hitter to help the Pirates shut out the Reds for the second consecutive night.
nhl |  | 
Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos scored 96 over the past two seasons.
By Elise Amendola, AP
Lightning's Stamkos signs five-year, $37.5M deal
By Mike Brehm, USA TODAY
The Tampa Bay Lightning resolved their biggest offseason priority Tuesday when they re-signed center Steven Stamkos to a five-year deal.
baseball |  | 
Texas starter Alexi Ogando threw eight scoreless innings to extend the Rangers winning streak to 12 games.
By Jae C. Hong, AP
Ogando pitches Rangers to 12th consecutive win
Alexi Ogando extended an extraordinary run by Texas' pitching staff with eight innings of four-hit ball.
heat |  | 
Fresh out of retirement, Shaquille O'Neal stirred up controversy on his first day as an NBA analyst, leaving Chris Bosh out of Miami's 'Big 2.'
By John Raoux, AP
Shaq spurns Bosh with comment on Miami 'Big 2'
Shaquille O'Neal's debut as a full-fledged NBA analyst had him raving about LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but not Chris Bosh.
ONLY ON USA TODAY
football |  | 
Florida coach Will Muschamp will face friends in Florida State's Jimbo Fisher and Tennessee's Derek Dooley during the 2011 season.
By Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images
Florida's Muschamp must whip friends to win title
By David Jones, Florida Today
This fall will be different for reasons beyond being a rookie coach. Florida's Will Muschamp must beat some friends to have a big year.
sports | 
Yankees' Granderson: Where are all the black fans?
By Seth Livingstone, USA TODAY
New York Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson isn't telling Major League Baseball anything it doesn't already know. The sport lacks appeal...
hiestand-tv |  | 
LeBron James' Miami Heat are scheduled to play Carmelo Anthony's New York Knicks as part of ESPN's Nov. 3 opening doubleheader.
By Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images
Despite lockout, NBA TV schedule isn't backloaded
By Michael Hiestand, USA TODAY
Rather than backloading its schedule with TV draws in case games are lost to the lockout, the NBA schedule looks like business-as-usual.
olympics |  | 
Michael Phelps starts the men's 4x200 freestyle relay at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships on Aug. 19, 2010, in Irvine, Calif. Team USA won the event.
By Mark J. Terrill, AP
Suit ban may bring lower times in swimming
By Vicki Michaelis, USA TODAY
Rubberized swimsuits, which swimmers wore to set 43 world records at the last world championships, are now out of fashion.
wnba |  | 
WNBA All-Star Game rosters set as reserves are announced
By Ellen J. Horrow, USA TODAY
The fans in San Antonio will have two players to root for at the 2011 All-Star Game after reserves were announced Tuesday.
columnist |  | 
Abby Wambach talks to reporters in New York's Times Square on Monday, after the team's return to the USA following its loss to Japan on Sunday in the Women's World Cup final.
By Craig Ruttle, AP
Game On! Women's soccer team got off light
By Tom Weir and Reid Cherner
Game On! bloggers Tom Weir and Reid Cherner have no plans to have this column end in a shootout.
baseball |  | 
Former All-Star Cal Ripken Jr. will get to see his son as an All-American playing in the Under Armour High School Game.
By David J. Phillip, AP
All-American Game roster includes Ripken's son
By Jim Halley, USA TODAY
Cal Ripken will watch his son Ryan at the Under Armour All-American Game
wings |  | 
Chris Osgood stops a shot on Dec. 27, 2010, when he picked up his 400th career win.
By Barry Gutierrez, AP
Red Wings' Osgood announces his retirement
By Mike Brehm, USA TODAY
Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood is leaving after a career that includes three Stanley Cup titles and 400-plus wins.
MORE NEWS
baseball |  | 
A congested Carlos Beltran had three hits, two walks and a run in his return from a fever that knocked him out of the lineup for three days.
By Frank Franklin II, AP
Reyes, Beltran spark Mets beat Cardinals
Jose Reyes made a huge impact in his return from injury, as the Mets welcomed back their two All-Stars with a 4-2 win over Cardinals.
football |  | 
Former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach signs copies of his book, 'Swing Your Sword,' on Tuesday in Lubbock, Texas. Leach said he started writing the book before he got fired.
By Miranda Grubbs, AP
Mike Leach returns to Texas for book signing
Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach says his book is more about his career than his firing because he began writing it before he was let go.
baseball |  | 
Blue Jays' Rajai Davis stole second and third in the 14th inning to set up the game winning sacrifice fly.
By Abelimages, Getty Images
Mariners drop 10th in a row, lose to Blue Jays in 14
Rajai Davis stole two bases before scoring on John McDonald's sacrifice fly in the 14th inning, giving Toronto the win.
worldcup |  | 
Abby Wambach controls the ball during the group C match between Sweden and the United States at the Women's World Cup in Wolfsburg, Germany, on July 6.
By Jens Meyer, AP
Full house expected for Wambach's game
A crowd of about 15,000 could pack the stadium in Rochester when Abby Wambach's magicJack plays the Western New York Flash.
sports | 
Georgia Tech's Johnson angry at NCAA penalties
By Erick Smith, USA TODAY
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson is angry about the NCAA's punishment handed down on the school last week.
sports | 
Cowboys: Will Romo turn stats into a Super Bowl?
By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY
The NFL lockout has dampened the usual offseason analysis of each team's comings and goings. But, lockout or not, the league will still be...
sports | 
Pair of players may be stalling NFL lockout deal
By Robert Klemko, USA TODAY
The Patriots' Logan Mankins and the Chargers' Vincent Jackson are asking to be granted unrestricted free agent status or compensated $10...

Fantasy corner

gardner |  | 
Joe Nathan, left, didn't pitch last season and had issues upon returning early this year. But since a disabled list stint, he has earned back his role as the Twins closer.
By Hannah Foslien, Getty Images
Deadline deals can cause commotion in leagues
By Steve Gardner, USA TODAY
Fantasy leagues often get testy when major league teams reshape their rosters for the stretch run.
shandler |  | 
San Diego Padres relief pitcher Mike Adams would get a huge fantasy boost if closer Heath Bell is traded.
By Christopher Hanewinckel, US Presswire
Overlooked middle relievers can pay dividends
By Ron Shandler, BaseballHQ.com
In fantasy leagues, rotation anchors and closers are the foundation of pitching staffs. But setup men also can provide a boost.

Notes provided by Rotoworld.com
Fantasy Sports

Pro Football
Baseball
Pro Basketball
Hockey
Free Sports Alerts
Scores and stats sent to you in a text message.
4INFO
Modify or Cancel Alerts
Msg&Data Rates May Apply. To Opt-out text STOP to 4INFO (44636).
For more information text HELP to 4INFO (44636) or email support@4info.net. Privacy policy		 Powered by