The Chicago Bulls didn’t win the big prize in this summer’s free agent sweepstakes, with LeBron James opting to sign with the Miami Heat. They’ve made some nice acquisitions despite that, however, and appear to be on the verge of signing well traveled shooting guard Tracy McGrady. McGrady is very receptive to joining the much improved Bulls, though there are a couple of contingencies that need to be worked out before a deal is finalized. ‘T-Mac’ has also met with the LA Clippers and Miami Heat, but a move to Chicago would likely be the best fit for all concerned.

First year USC coach Lane Kiffin infuriated most of the college football fans in the state of Tennessee after he walked away from the Vols program to take over at his alma mater. Now he’s apparently raised the ire of the state’s NFL team as well. In response to the hiring away of Titans’ assistant Kennedy Pola to take over as the Trojans’ offensive coordinator, coach Jeff Fisher blasted Lane Kiffin questioning his professionalism and tact.

Alberto Contador held off a hard charging Andy Sheck and took advantage of his rival’s unfortunate chain malfunction to win his third straight Tour De France. Contador’s margin of victory was 39 seconds and provided considerable drama to the 20th and final stage of the race. Denis Menchov of Russia was third overall. American cycling icon Lance Armstrong raced in his final Tour De France and finished in 23rd place over thirty minutes behind his longtime rival and teammate Contador.

Considered by many to be the best running back and wide receiver to ever play in the league, Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice were inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Canton, Ohio. Smith and Rice headlined a group of seven inductees that also included John Randle, Dick LeBeau, Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm and Floyd Little.

The New England Patriots opened up a 17-7 halftime lead but needed a Stephen Gostkowski field goal in the final minute to beat the New Orleans Saints 27-24 in the first preseason game for both teams. The Super Bowl Champions looked listless and their starting offense sputtered, but got back in the game behind their reserves in the late 3rd and early 4th quarters. New Orleans would tie the game on a Garrett Hartley field goal which would set up Gostokwski’s game winning strike with :53 seconds remaining.

Kentucky Derby pace setter Sidney’s Candy has already demonstrated that he can run on dirt and synthetic tracks, but he may be his best on grass. On Saturday at Del Mar set a turf course record as he dominated the rest of the field in the 1 1/16 mile Grade 2 La Jolla Handicap. It was his first career race on turf, and his sizzling performance which produced a 102 Beyer Speed Figure suggests that his immediate future will be on grass. The previous turf course record course record was set by Mea Domina on September 2, 2006

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback rotation is in fairly good shape, but their preseason preparation has become a mess due to the suspension facing starter Ben Roethlisberger. ‘Big Ben’ will miss up to six games of the regular season, though he’s allowed to practice with the team and play in preseason action. Roethlisberger didn’t see any playing time in Pittsburgh’s 23-7 win over Detroit this past weekend but is expected to see action in the Steelers’ next game on Saturday against the New York Giants.

Despite a late race flat tire that necessitated an unplanned pit stop, Denny Hamlin raced like a madman down the stretch and took the checkered flag at Monday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 NASCAR race at West Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway. The race had been originally scheduled for Sunday, but was moved to Monday due to torrential rains. It was Hamlin’s third career victory on the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit.

Landon Donovan raised his international stock with a spirited performance for the USA national team at the recently concluded World Cup. That doesn’t mean he’ll be shipping off to the Premier League or Serie A. On Thursday, Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber emphasized that the United States’ top professional league wouldn’t be accepting transfer offers for Donovan. Garber said that he’d be receptive to loan offers during the MLS off-season, but that his league plans to build around Donovan’s higher profile in his native country.

South America will host the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was awarded the honor on Friday. Rio beat out the US choice of Chicago, Illinois along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain to earn the right to host the games. Despite a high pressure effort from the American power elite–including President Barack Obama and TV gabfest queen Oprah Winfrey–Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. Tokyo was the next to go, before Rio got the nod over Madrid in the final round of balloting.