Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets suffered a stress fracture located on his left ankle and his team said that there is no exact time for the return of the 7’6’’ center whose career in NBA maybe jeopardized due to his series of injuries.

Yao was off the game since November 10th when he first got a bone bruise located on the same ankle. On Thursday, a stress fracture was confirmed after an MRI was performed.

The seven-time All-Star player remained on bench during the previous season following a surgery to reconstruct his left broken foot. His team said his latest injury is linked to the previous one and was found during the course of his rehab.

Yao said that he was doing his best to get back on the game but the latest news disappoints him. He said that he needs some time to converse with his physicians to know his options moving forward.

Yao Ming was the overall top draft pick during 2002 while he began to have injury problems during the 2005-2006 season. He was a consistent player and considered as one of the most valuable and distinguished ambassadors in the NBA.

The player’s return for 2010-2011 season back in June was a big selling point for general manager Morey since he began courting big-name free agents.

In seven seasons, he has an average score of 19.1 points with 9.3 rebounds. He missed a minimum of 25 games during the straight three seasons from 2005 to 2008.

FIFA finally announced Russia and Qatar as the winners of the right to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup soccer finals following a vote by FIFA’s 22 executive members in Zurich.

These two emerging markets are given ultimate recognition by FIFA as both are new hosts of the prestigious World Cup soccer finals.

The contenders for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup are entitled to receive 12 votes for them to get an absolute majority, which will give them the right to host the World Cup.

After the first round of voting, Russia obtained an absolute majority against other competitors such as England, Netherlands/Belgium and Spain/Portugal for the 2018 World Cup. This is the first time that the World Cup will be staged by an Eastern European country after the past 10 seasons where it was held in the western part of  the continent.

Qatar, on the other hand, was never qualified for the World Cup finals. However, they will be staging the 2022 tournament, which is a first time for both the Middle East and an Arab country, after getting an absolute majority by the fourth voting round.

They won against other contenders such as Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, and USA. In addition, they are the smallest nation yet to ever host the World Cup.

The new hosts are both major energy producers and both had planned bigger and more expensive investment in infrastructure and new stadiums than all of their other rivals.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said after he announced the winners that they are going to new lands since FIFA World Cup has never been in Russia and Eastern Europe while the Middle East and Arabic World has long waited for this time.

NFL’s New Orleans won against the Dallas Cowboys when they scored a late touchdown and held onto a 30-27 score until the last minute of the game Thursday.

The Saints originally headed the first half of the game with two 17-point leads. However, they needed a touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Brees to wide receiver Lance Moore with only two minutes remaining to achieve their fourth straight win.

During the last three minutes of play, Dallas led the game with a 27-23 score and they looked certain of their victory until free safety Malcolm Jenkins forced the ball out from Dallas receiver Roy Williams as he hustled down the end zone.

The Cowboys head coach Jason Garret said that Roy Williams did a good job protecting the ball in the open field. However, he said that it is just one of the things that one does not want for a great play to turn into a disaster.

The turnover win proved valuable for the New Orleans Saints, with an 8-3 record, they marched 89 yards in about 68 seconds and five plays. This includes the 55-yard pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem that had set up their winning touchdown.

Saints head coach Sean Payton is proud with his team as they hang on all the way to get their victory.

In the second half, the Cowboys had their first lead of the game for the fourth quarter when they scored three rushing touchdowns. They looked poised to add more lead just when Williams lost the ball for the Orleans Saints at 11-yard line.

The Cowboys had the chance to tie the score but David Buehler’s attempt to score a field-goal from 59 yards failed during the final seconds.

Manny Pacquiao intends to improve his place in the boxing profession while Antonio Margarito gets a chance to redeem himself when both face each other this Saturday for the greatly anticipated WBC super welterweight match.

The Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao has already established his name as one of the finest offensive fighters of all time. With 38 knockouts, he is expected to beat his opponent, Margarito, at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Margarito, the Mexican boxer has a significant advantage over Pacquiao when it comes to his height and weight. However, the Asian boxer is much faster and holds the strong desire to get his eighth world title.

During one of his trainings, Pacquiao said that he doesn’t need to prove anything more in boxing. Pacquiao had already achieved what he wanted in boxing.

However, his main concern right now is to maintain his achievements and entertain people through his performance.

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao previously beat Ghanaian Joshua Clottey March of this year. After the match, he also won a seat in his mainland’s national congress elections.

Pacquiao informed that this is the fight that he has been waiting for. He believes he can give a good fight against Margarito, who is also known as an aggressive fighter and throws a lot of punches.

Primarily known for his quick hand speed and strong left punch, Pacman has been known as a two-fisted fighter. His trainer, Freddie Roach predicts Margarito’s knockout within the first three rounds.

Margarito is glad to be back in the ring since the last time he lost to Shane Mosley in a WBC welterweight title match in January 2009.

The Tennessee Titans claimed wide receiver Randy Moss off the waiver wire on Wednesday giving him the chance to help the team return to the playoffs.

Randy Moss is a seven-time pro-bowler who leads all the NFL players with a total of 153 career touchdown receptions. However, he was dropped to the waiver wire by the Minnesota Vikings earlier this week.

According to the Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, they had the chance to improve their offense and Randy makes a tremendous threat wherever he is playing. The Titans will be bringing him up to speed as fast as possible.

The Titans, with 5-3 score this season, are already half a game behind the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South. The team is entering their bye week this season and does not play until 14th of November at Miami.

Last season, the Titans missed the playoffs just one year after they had won the division. Since 2004, they were not able to win any playoff games.

The team has been looking for ways to improve their roster. As mentioned by the Titans general manager Mike Reindfeldt, since Randy is apparently a Hall of Fame player, he has the ability to make a difference in their offense.

Randy Moss was with the Vikings during his first seven seasons and had a two-season stint with Oakland. In 2007, he joined the Patriots and stayed with the team until he was exchanged to the Vikings last month for a third-round draft pick.

Francis ‘Fran’ Crippen, an American open water swimmer, died during the World Cup 10km Marathon Swimming event held in United Arab Emirates on Saturday.

Crippen, 26-years old, won the bronze medal for the 2009 world championship 10km event that took place in Rome. He also won the bronze medal for the 5km world open water championships held in Canada just this year.

According to the world governing body FINA, the cause of his death is still under investigation. However, along with entire aquatic community, they address their deepest and sincere condolences to the family, friends, as well as the U.S. Aquatic Sports and USA Swimming family of Francis Crippen.

Crippen had won two titles in the U.S for the 800m freestyle pool competition before he had switched to open water competitions in the year 2006. He died during the last leg of the World Cup event.

Before he died, he posted in his Facebook account on Thursday, saying that he was in Dubai for the final World Cup of the season. He was hoping to go to Italy after the World Cup event for a vacation.

Crippen came from a family that is famous in the swimming world. He was aspiring to be the first U.S medallist in the Olympic Games open water swimming competition in 2012.

In a statement given by the United States Olympic Committee, they were saddened to learn about Crippen’s death. However, they will keep the outstanding young athlete and his family in their thoughts and prayers.

NHL’s Colorado Avalanche tainted the Detroit Red Wings perfect winning record on their Tuesday match. The Red Wings had their first loss of the season when Colorado Avalanche chased their two-goal lead and Brandon Yip scored a shootout win in the sixth round.

The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1996 and 2001. The ice hockey team was founded in Quebec and they were previously called Quebec Nordiques until they moved to Colorado.

The team has a notable rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings since both had already met each other five times between the 1996 and 2002 Western Conference playoffs.

On this day’s game, Brandon Yip made a remarkable shootout win when he fired a wrist shot past the Red Wings goalie, Jimmy Howard. Yip was the only player to score in the shootout giving the Colorado a 5-4 win and a top spot in the Northwest division.

The Colorado originally had a three-goal deficit from the start of the game. The Colorado had to fight back against the 3-1 score when Detroit’s Johan Franzen made his second goal just 13 minutes in the second period.

Colorado’s Ryan O’Reilly scored late in the second period while Daniel Winnik made a goal early in the third period. This led the team to the tie score at 3-3. However, the Red Wings had raced back ahead when Patrick Eaves scored a short-handed goal.

But then, with as little as eight minutes left in regulation, the Avalanche evened the score with the help of David Jones backhand shot from its location.

The Steelers placed quarterback Dennis Dixon on injured reserve Saturday after suffering from a knee injury while Ben Roethlisberger is expected to go back on the team after ending his four-game suspension.

Dennis Dixon had injured his knee  during the Pittsburgh Steelers match against the Tennessee Titans on their second week. Steelers’ had won with 19-11 score, but they had to end Dixon’s season.

Dixon led Pittsburgh’s victory during the past two seasons. In one of his games, he made 22-of-32 for the 254 yard with only one interception. Last week, he underwent knee surgery to repair the tear on his left knee’s cartilage. He is expected to miss about 6-weeks to recuperate.

On the other hand, Ben Roethlisberger began the season with a four-game suspension after being accused of sexual assault. He is scheduled to return to game, after Steelers’ Sunday game against Baltimore.

This is Roethlisberger’s 7th season with the Steelers. He was chosen by his team as the 11th overall in the NFL 2004 Draft. He helped the Steelers win the Super Bowl XL with a 21-10 score against the Seattle Seahawks.

While Roethlisberger is yet to return on Monday, the Steelers with a 3-0 win for the season, are missing a quarterback for this Sunday’s match. The Steelers have been undefeated with several Super Bowl titles and AFC Championship games. Their most recent championship was the Super Bowl XLII last February 1, 2009.

Los Angeles Lakers center, Andrew Bynum informed the public through LakersTV that he might be missing NBA’s first month of the season due to his undergoing rehabilitation for his right arthroscopic surgery.

Bynum had primarily hoped for his full recovery by the commencement of the NBA 2010-2011 season on October 26, 2010. However, his doctors advised him to give more time for his knee’s rehabilitation.

In the middle of the 2007-2008 season, this seven-foot center had suffered from a left kneecap injury where he then missed the rest of the NBA season and playoffs. He was able to come back at the start of 2008-2009 season, but on January 2009 he had incurred another injury on his right knee.

Andrew Bynum had his surgery last July 28th to repair the injury on his right knee. He had a tear on his right lateral meniscus, a band of fibrous cartilage that is connected to the bone. His doctors say that he will need another four weeks for complete recovery and he will be back to train again.

The Los Angeles Lakers had won the NBA championship last season against the Boston Celtics, and this was Bynum’s second championship as part of the team.

Bynum hopes that he will be back on the court by the end of November. That will give him two months for rehabilitation, which is just enough according to the player.

Several fans are looking forward to Bynum’s comeback at NBA together with his team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tiger Woods wished to play in the first FedEx Cup playoff event with the hopes that it won’t be his last.

Woods officially entered The Barclays last Thursday that will start on Aug. 26. It would be the first of four playoff events that will conclude the Tour Championship and a $10 million prize to the winner of the yearlong FedEx Cup competition.

Woods is No. 108 in the standings and is eager to go further down the list. Of course, that would depend on the outcome this week at the Wyndham Championship. Only the top 125 players are included for The Barclays which will be held at Ridgewood Country Club.

Woods didn’t play in Ridgewood’s last 2008  tournament. He missed the FedEx tourney due to his knee surgery. It’s the only time that he did not claim the $10 million prize since the game began in 2007.

Now, his goal is just to get to as many playoff events as he can.

Right after The Barclays, the top 100 will precede the second round, the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston, which will end on Labor Day. That will be the final event before U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin will pick his four wild-card picks.

Woods will play, and Pavin said that Woods is on top of the list.

Players are divided at The Barcleys based on their standing in FedEx Cup. Pavin is currently on No. 107. However, he’s not sure whether to play Ridgewood due to a summer schedule of four majors in a five-week stretch.