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THIRTEEN YEARS OF FUTILITY AND COUNTING FOR THE SENIOR CIRCUIT, which will try to break a 12-game (and one-tie) losing streak against the AL in the MLB All-Star Game tonight (8 p.m., WFXR). You compare the rosters — particularly the pitching — and you think this could be the year, but Vegas isn’t buying it. The AL is a 6-to-5 favorite. Your starting pitchers are Ubaldo Jimenez (15-1, 2.20) for the NL against the AL’s David Price (12-4, 2.42).

-David Ortiz wins the Home Run Derby, topping Hanley Ramirez in the finals.

THE NCAA IS CALLING ITS PLAY-IN MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMES THE “FIRST FOUR.” Under the new 68-team format, eight teams will play early in the first week. Two games will feature Read more »

SPAIN CLAIMS ITS FIRST WORLD CUP TITLE with a 1-0 victory over The Netherlands in extra time. So extends my run of 7,000th incorrect predictions, but what fun is taking the chalk? At least I got the extra time part right. Enjoyed the tournament throughout. Looking forward to Brazil 2014.

Funny column by Michael Rosenberg in today’s Detroit Free Press about how Americans warm up to soccer every four years. Give this a look if you’ve got some time today and don’t take a few light-hearted jabs at the sport too seriously:
“We don’t love it like we like baseball, football, basketball, cutting people off in traffic, giving people the finger when they cut us off in traffic, and texting while driving, talking on the phone, eating a sandwich and checking out the attractive person we just hit with our car.
But we do like soccer, at least when nations are playing it once every four years. Much like the Olympics, the World Cup appeals to our belief that anybody born in another country is our mortal enemy. You call it xenophobia; I say, “What are you, some kind of foreigner?”

LANCE ARMSTRONG’S TOUR DE FRANCE TITLE HOPES ARE OVER after he’s involved in another three crashes and falls to 39th place. “Obviously the Tour’s finished for me,” he said. As is Read more »

LEBRON JAMES CHOOSES MIAMI in an awkward, made-for-TV goodbye, which is what ESPN predicted would happen this week. Maybe the network’s reporters talked to our good friend Orrie, who correctly predicted the destination on this very blog site a week ago. Nice job, Orrie. If you and Paul the Prognosticating Octopus ever join forces, you could bring Vegas to its knees.

-The real fun’s going on in Cleveland. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert rips into the city’s “former hero,” calling LeBron “narcissistic” and “cowardly” and labels the move a “shameful display of selfishness and betrayal.” He also said LeBron “quit” during the playoffs. Tell us how you really feel, Danny. Meanwhile, Cavs fans take the loss in stride…by burning LeBron’s jersey and saying things like “I thought the whole thing was tasteless, despicable, true trash and historic garbage.” I like that: Historic garbage. Garbage has never felt so honored.

-So now the Heat has James, Dwyane Wade Read more »

THEY’RE DUBBING IT “THE DECISION,” WHICH MAKES IT SOUND LIKE WE’RE DEALING WITH ROE VS. WADE HERE. In reality, all we’ll find out at 9 p.m. today is where a basketball player will lace up his shoes next winter. LeBron James will announce his free agency choice on ESPN at that time. ESPN reports this morning that it looks like the Heat will be his destination. I’ll believe it when I see it. Put me in the “stays in Cleveland” camp. Hard to imagine a guy who opened a Twitter account calling himself King James — not to mention someone who would announce a free agency decision on an hourlong special — would want to share the spotlight with Dwyane Wade or anybody else.

GIVE IT UP FOR PAUL THE PROGNOSTICATING OCTOPUS. As we told you in yesterday’s Daily Sports Briefing, the wacky sea creature predicted Spain would beat Germany in the World Cup semifinals. Sure enough, Carlos Puyol scores a second-half header to give Spain a 1-0 victory, vaulting the nation into the title match for the first time. Spain is a slight favorite to beat The Netherlands in Sunday’s 2:30 p.m. championship.

MICHAEL VICK
-Never thought I’d say this, but today’s headlines aren’t being entirely fair to Michael Vick. Check out Read more »

ACCORDING TO ESPN, LEBRON JAMES WILL ANNOUNCE HIS DESTINATION THURSDAY NIGHT on TV. You might think this would be a quick, two-minute announcement where he names the team, gives his reasons and signs off. But oh, no. It’ll be an hourlong special at 9 p.m. on ESPN. We might set a new record for absurdity here, folks. The one nice thing is that, according to the network, LeBron’s camp wants to sell sponsorships for the telecast and donate the money to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. No indication has been given about where he’s heading.

THE NETHERLANDS FILLS THE FIRST SPOT IN THE WORLD CUP FINALS, beating Uruguay 3-2 on Tuesday. It’s the first title-game appearance for the Dutch since 1978. They’ll meet the winner of today’s other semifinal between Germany and Spain (2:30 p.m., ESPN).

-According to Paul the prognosticating octopus — which has correctly picked the result of the past five Germany matches — Spain is going to win. This did not go over too well Read more »

Sorry for the late start this morning. Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend…

THE FIRST MAJOR DOMINO FALLS IN NBA FREE AGENCY, as Amare Staudemire signs with the Knicks. New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica likes the move but says the team still needs to get Dwyane Wade or LeBron James. Meanwhile, James stays tightlipped about his future during his visit to an Akron skills camp.

YOUR MAJOR LEAGUE ALL-STAR ROSTERS ARE ALMOST SET. The starters and all but two reserves were unveiled over the weekend, with Joe Mauer the top vote-getter. Fans can Read more »

THE VHSL PUTS THE HAMMER DOWN ON PULASKI COUNTY for violating the out-of-season practice rule, banning the program from 2010 postseason play. The organization also levied a $1,000 fine, outlawed preseason scrimmages and jamborees and reduced allowed practice dates from 20 to 15. VHSL executive director Ken Tilley says “This was no minor infraction.” Read the whole story here. I’ll have plenty of thoughts on this in my Saturday column. If you’ve got comments on the penalties, by all means, post them here.

MICHAEL VICK SPEAKS — THROUGH A WRITTEN STATEMENT — SAYING THAT HE HAD NO INVOLVEMENT in the June 25 shooting in Virginia Beach. “I want to assure everyone that I had nothing to do with that incident,” he said. “I left the restaurant Read more »

POLICE IN VIRGINIA BEACH ARE TAKING A NEW LOOK AT MICHAEL VICK after surveillance video appears to contradict the quarterback’s statement of how much time elapsed from the moment he left a nightclub and the moment a shooting occurred a block away. Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Phil Sheridan writes that if Vick lied, the Eagles have no choice but to cut him. Stay tuned.

REMEMBER WHEN JULY 2010 SEEMED SO FAR AWAY? I remember thinking that over the past few years when somebody on sports talk radio would broach the subject of LeBron James becoming a free agent. “Come on,” I’d think. “That’s not until July 2010. Give it a rest.” Well, it’s July 2010, and there’s no rest for national NBA writers Read more »

WITH JULY COMES FREE-AGENCY SEASON IN THE NBA, which will mean rapid-fire signings in the coming weeks. LeBron James is the main target, of course, but there are other game-changers out there: Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson, etc. SI’s Ian Thompson has a good primer for what to look for here. I’ll keep you posted on the major moves on the DSB.

WORLD CUP
-The quarterfinals are set after Spain beat Portugal 1-0 and Paraguay topped Japan on penalty kicks Tuesday. No more games until Friday, when The Netherlands Read more »

MEMO TO THE NATIONALS: STEPHEN STRASBURG CANNOT WIN GAMES ON HIS OWN. Last night’s game in Atlanta drew 42,889, Turner Field’s second-largest crowd of the season, as the Braves beat punchless Washington 5-0. Strasburg went 6 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and four runs (three earned), while striking out seven. Braves third baseman Chipper Jones tells The Washington Post:

“He’s special. You’ve seen 100 mile per hour fastballs. You’ve seen dominant curveballs, unbelievable change-ups. What’s amazing is the fact he throws 100 and still has the feel to throw two other pitches for strikes any time he wants, any time in the count. This is the complete package.”

WORLD CUP
-Monday’s (mis)matches saw The Netherlands and Brazil advance Read more »