Blackburn make bid for Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho

Venky's, the company that bought Rovers in November, says their Brazil office is in discussion with Ronaldinho's manager.

Venky's chair Anuradha Desai told BBC Radio Lancashire: "He is eager to play in the EPL [English Premier League] and I believe that goes in our favour."

Desai also admitted that Rovers had made attempts to sign David Beckham on advance from Los Angeles Galaxy.

She additional the club were "open whenever he is ready to come".

Beckham has been the subject of much transport speculation with quite a few Premier League clubs waiting to hear whether LA Galaxy will discharge the former England captain on a loan deal during the Major League Soccer off-season.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has already suggested that Beckham is keen to move to White Hart Lane even as Blackburn have joined Newcastle as interested parties.

Roddick returns for US

Roddick, whose record for America of 31-11 is bettered only by John McEnroe, will join up with the squad in the Chile for a first-round tie on the red clay of Santiago on March 4-6.

It will be Jim Courier's first match in the charge after he took over the captaincy from Patrick McEnroe.

"I'm very excited to be back," Roddick said. "Davis Cup is something you should commit to for the entire season and not when it's convenient.

"Trying to win the Davis Cup again is a top priority for me in the 2011.

"I look forward to working with Jim next season.

"It will be strange to be sitting next to someone other than Patrick on the bench, but I have a great deal of respect for Jim."

Courier added: "Having Andy commit to the 2011 campaign is huge for our team.

"Andy not only brings his outstanding Davis Cup record but also his experience and team leadership, which will be invaluable to our efforts."

Oscar itching for Haye-Klitschko

Oscar de la Hoya says a megafight between David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko HAS to be happen.

The head of the Golden Boy, who have tie-up with the WBA heavyweight champion, says he has what it takes to beat the giant Ukrainian - or his older brother Vitali.

Rumours that a deal is being thrashed out between Haye and Wladimir have been rife since the IBF and WBO boss pulled out of this Saturday's world-title defence with another Brit, Dereck Chisora, due to a back problem.

Chisora and his promoter Frank Warren say they will get the fight re-arranged and have dismissed the notion that they will accept step-aside money to make way for a unification fight.

Ravens lead Steelers 10-3 after 3rd quarter

Joe Flacco threw for 202 yards and a touchdown, Billy Cundiff kicked a 24-yard field goal and the Baltimore Ravens led the Pittsburgh Steelers 10-3 after three quarters Sunday night.

After being blanked in the first half for the first time this season, the Steelers got on the scoreboard with a 45-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham on the first drive of the second half.

Steelers tight end Heath Miller sustained a concussion with 2:24 left in the third period after he collided with the cornerback Chris Carr on a short pass and was ruled out for the game. Four plays later, offensive tackle Flozell Adams limped off the field with an ankle injury.

Both teams entered the game tied for first place in the AFC North with 8-3 records.

Anquan Boldin caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Flacco with 1:59 left in the opening period — the only scoring in a physical first half.

Flacco was 11 for 22, including a 61-yard pass to Boldin and a 67-yarder to Donte' Stallworth.

Pittsburgh punter Daniel Sepulveda injured his right knee, forcing the Steelers to use Suisham as a punter on a fourth-and-10 from the Baltimore 38 late in the first half.

McDowell upstages Woods in season finale

Tiger Wood delivered a vintage moment, dropping an 8-iron from the sky on the final hole Sunday inside 3 feet for what looked to be a sure victory.

Just not this year.

The clutch shots and happy endings belonged to U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell.

McDowell capped off his greatest season with the biggest comeback ever against the Woods. He rallied from a four-shot deficit in the Chevron World Challenge, then upstaged Woods at his own tournament.

McDowell holed a 20-foot birdie putt to force a playoff, then beat Woods on the first extra hole with another birdie from a little bit longer.

"They're the kind of putts that you make them, and you can't really believe it afterwards," McDowell said. "They were the stuff of dreams — 2010 has been the stuff of dreams. It's been that kind of year."

Woods might have known what to expect, considering how his year has gone.

Without a trophy for the first time since he can remember, Woods appeared ready to embark on a new chapter after a year of the personal turmoil and shocking scores. A four-shot lead turned into a two-shot deficit. He rallied to tie McDowell, then watched the U.S. Open champion deliver the winning shots.

It was the first time Woods has lost a tournament when leading by at least three shots going into the final round.

And it was the first time anyone could recall Woods feeling good after a loss.

Boxing: No more Mr Nice Burns

Burns is scheduled to fight against the Andreas Evensen at the Braehead Arena at the weekend and according to his trainer Billy Nelson, he keeps all his aggression for the ring.

He told to Press Association Sport: "Ricky's confidence is sky high as it would be after winning the world title.

"But the one thing about Ricky Burns is that, unlike many other fighters,

he is a very level headed and respectful.

"Inside the ring is his place of work but it's great watching him sparring.

"I have seen Ricky absolutely punch lumps out of people in sparring and he gives them a big hug and cuddle after it.

"He goes out of the way to thank them for sparring with him - but that's just Ricky.

"His preparation for this fight has gone really well, the same as for the Martinez fight.

"We got some great sparring partners in and Ricky looked absolutely fantastic."

Evensen is the current WBO intercontinental featherweight champion and has won 13 of his 14 fights, the last four by knockout.

The 24-year-old believes he will create as big a shock by beating Burns as the Scotsman did when he took the belt with a points win over Martinez.

"Martinez is a banger, he is strong and he has knocked out many of his opponents so it was a good performance from Ricky to win the title," Evensen said.

Burns hot on first defence

The Scot makes the first defence of his WBO super-featherweight title against the Norwegian, who has never been beyond eight rounds.

And Burns, who has been revelling in the recent Arctic conditions, believes he will have too much firepower for his 24-year-old foe.

"We're used to a bit of cold up here, but I'm going to turn the heat up on Evensen on Saturday," he said.

"He's going to find himself in a blizzard of punches - and there is no way he'll be able to dig himself out.

"My trainer Billy Nelson asked me if I wanted the heaters on at the gym the other day. But I told him I'll quite happily work up a head of steam all by myself.

"I've been running in the snow, real Rocky stuff, but as the old saying goes, no pain, no gain.

"The mercury might be falling outside, but at the Braehead Arena on Saturday the battle will be white hot, and believe me, Evensen's in big trouble."

Easy win for Djokovic

The Serbian cruised to a 6-3 6-3 win, gaining a measure of revenge for his Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Berdych in the same city earlier this year.

The world number six has suffered from a poor form since that breakthrough victory, however, and produced another error-strewn display on Monday.

Djokovic got off to the best possible start as he secured a break of serve in the first game of the match.

He then had four more break-point opportunities in a marathon third game but Berdych edged it to get on the board.

New injury worry for Scots

The preparations to the match at the Pittodrie have been bordering on farcical after almost half of Scotland's squad pulled out, prompting the Scottish Football Association to announce six call-ups on Sunday.

St Johnstone midfielder Davidson and Paul Caddis were additional call-ups on Monday morning, but Levein has since revealed in his pre-match press conference that the former is suffering with an ankle injury.

Wigan midfielder James McArthur and Motherwell defender Steven Saunders have therefore been asked to travel up to Aberdeen in case Davidson cannot shake off his injury.

"Murray Davidson is here and has a slight ankle knock," said Levein. "We'll see how he trains tonight. He is the only one I've got any concerns about.

"We've asked James McArthur to join the squad just in case something happens to Murray and he can't be involved.

"James will join us this afternoon and if Murray does make it we will just have an extra young player in the squad."

Levein has also revealed there were another five players unable to accept a late call-up because of injury, but he has also insisted the match was not a waste to time.

Harrison faces BBBC probe

Harrison barely threw a punch before being stopped in three rounds, with the 39-year-old being criticised for his performance.

And the British Board of Boxing of Control have confirmed that they will now "have to consider" withholding some or all of Harrison's purse for the fight.

"It is a very difficult course to take to stop someone getting paid when they have just frozen," said BBBC secretary Robert Smith.

"But rescinding some of the Audley Harrison's purse is something which we will have to consider.

"You have to bear in mind it was such a letdown for the 22,000 at the MEN Arena and the thousands watching at home.

"The board have rescinded purses when we feel a fighter has not tried. He did nothing all night.

"I think it would be extremely harsh to withhold money from him. However, the board will look at it when all the reports come in. But I wouldn't have thought so."

David Haye three stone lighter

The WBA champion tipped the scales at the 15st ½lb, his lowest weight yet as a heavyweight at Friday's weigh-in at the Lowry Theatre in the Manchester.

Harrison, in contrast, was just two pounds lighter than his career heaviest, at a whopping 18st 1½lbs - a daunting 42½lbs heavier.

With Lennox Lewis in the attendance, the challenger was first on the scales and was booed by some sections of the 1,000-strong crowd.

David Haye came in second sporting a t-shirt with 'No You Can't' emblazoned across the front and literally hopped and off the scales. He kept that off for the rest of the weigh-in, while Harrison was quick to put his back on.

When MC Gary Logan read out Haye's weight there was an audible gasp, but the champion insists his lightness does not mean he is going to hit and run as he did with Nikolai Valuev.

"Adam (Booth) said before we started training that if I hit all of my targets in the gym, if I did all the training that he wanted me to do and I didn't get any injuries that I would come in at around 15 stone," he said.

Lewis Hamilton fastest in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice

Lewis Hamilton laid down a marker for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by producing the fastest lap in the Friday practice.

The McLaren driver, who has a slim chance of winning the title in the Sunday's season-ending race, went round in one minute, 40.888 seconds at Yas Marina.

Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, third in the standings, was second quickest with a 1:41.145 while Ferrari's championship leader Fernando Alonso was third.

Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber was 0.427 seconds off the pace in the fourth.

With teams not obliged to reveal the exact fuel loads their cars are carrying during practice, it is difficult to read too much into the results.

But it does appear that McLaren may have the pace to match Red Bull and Ferrari come race day and that is essential if Hamilton is to have any hope of lifting his second Formula 1 crown.

The Englishman sits fourth in the drivers' championship, 24 points adrift of Alonso with 25 awarded for a win.

So he must triumph on Sunday and pray that Alonso finishes out of the scoring, or his dreams are over for another year.

For Alonso, who has won three of the last five races, the situation is far more desirable. Finish first or second and the title is his. He is bidding for a third drivers' championship and his first for Ferrari.

If, however, Alonso finishes third or worse, victory for Webber would see the 34-year-old Australian clinch his maiden title. Webber is currently second in the standings, eight points behind Alonso.

Vettel won in Brazil last time out to keep himself in with a shout but, in trailing Alonso by 15 points, he needs to win and hope the Spaniard finishes fifth or worse.

Drogba looking forward

The Ivory Coast international started on Sunday's 2-0 loss at Liverpool on the bench following concerns over his fitness, but he is expected to be named in the starting XI for his side's meeting with the Fulham on Wednesday.

Drogba is relieved to finally have his illness resolved and is now itching to return to scoring ways in the league, having not netted since 3rd October versus Arsenal

He told the club's official website: "When you don't know exactly what it is and it's not treated it can come and go, and you have some weeks when the fever can be high, so that's what I had, but now it will be better.

"Unfortunately we only found out [on Monday] it was malaria, but it was for a month now. Now we know exactly what it is so we can go forward."

He added: "Obviously I want to score every game, but when you can't, when you're not 100 per cent, it's better to try a way to help your team-mates, maybe creating assists, maybe defending a little bit more, it's not a problem for me.

"I think I'll get better and start to score again, and if that's what people want I think I can do that!"

Meanwhile, Blues winger Florent Malouda is eager for a rapid response by his side following their setback against Liverpool.

Murray battles back in Paris masters

Andy Murray fought back from a set down to beat the David Nalbandian and move into the third round of the Paris Masters.

The Scot was caught cold at the start of the match as his opponent dominated proceedings both from the back of the court and up at the net.

Opting to change his tactics after losing a one-sided first set, Murray played his way back into the match as he looked to dictate from the net whenever possible.

It paid dividends as he pinched a tight second set and he finished it strongly in the decider to triumph 2-6 6-4 6-3.

"Yeah, it was very difficult," he told afterwards. "I had to change my game completely.

"I had to serve and volley pretty much the whole of the second set because I couldn't win a point from the back of the court - he was moving me around everywhere.

"Maybe it's something I need to look to do more often.

Lakers can win 73

If you’ve followed the NBA long enough, you know there’s a talent requirement that the past champions have had on their way to glory.

The number is 2.5.

With the exception of the 2004 Pistons, you can make the case that whatever team was left standing at the end had two legitimate stars, plus one major contributor on the roster. As Nate McMillan attested Sunday, the Lakers clearly have the number covered and then some.

Following the thrashing of his Trail Blazers by the league’s racing-fuel-octane-level offense, the Blazers’ coach offered up a statement that left no room for interpretation.

"Lamar Odom, right now, he’s an All-Star," said McMillan.

Throw in Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and a new-and-improved Shannon Brown to the already-solid rotation and it looks as though the Lakers have a serious shot at a league-record 73 wins.

Lakers have the fewest set of the back-to-backs (15) and don't truly face a test until Miami brings its show to town on Christmas Day.

So if the Lakers can stay healthy and continue clicking on all cylinders, who's really going to stop them?

Brandon Roy, Portland’s All-Star guard who was harassed by Ron Artest into a miserable 1-of-6 shooting night on Sunday, was clearly frustrated at his performance after the Blazers' 129-96 meltdown in L.A.

Fernando Alonso has F1 title in his own hands

Fernando Alonso has the championship lead on his side as he aims to clinch the Formula One (F1) world title in a historic finale Sunday in the Abu Dhabi.

But in a season of the roller-coaster rides for all the stars, Red Bull drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton are also in the frame.

It is the first time in the F1 history that four drivers are in the title race ahead of the season-ender.

A simple engine failure in Alonso's Ferrari could for instance open the door for the others, he may be shunted off the track by another driver, make a mistake himself or have yet another negative experience with the safety car as has happened already three times this season.

However, Alonso has a third career title in his own hands as the championship leader. He has amassed 246 points from 18 of 19 races, with Webber on 238, Vettel on 231 and Hamilton on 222.

Under the current system, the top 10 drivers get points in a 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 format.

Alonso has done his maths and says 'I just need to finish second. It does not matter who wins in Abu Dhabi if I finish second'.

The Spaniard can also afford third place if Webber does not win, and fourth or fifth if Webber and Vettel do not win.

Webber will secure the trophy if he wins and Alonso comes no better than third. A team order of sorts may be used if Vettel leads from Webber and Alonso in the final lap, as Ferrari also ordered Felipe Massa to let Alonso pass for victory at the German GP.

NFL Giants smash Seahawks

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Valentino Rossi third in Valencia MotoGP

Valentino Rossi ended his Yamaha career on the podium in the Valencia yesterday, but the Italian was unable to clinch a fairytale farewell as he was overshadowed by bitter rival and with Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

Rossi was in contention for an emotional final victory and the 47th of his Yamaha career when he suddenly started to fade with the Lorenzo and Aussie Casey Stoner dicing for the lead.

The 31-year-old though blamed a lack of fitness for his failure to sustain his challenge as his training regime has been badly affected by the damaged right shoulder he suffered in a motocross training accident in the April.

Rossi, who will ride for Ducati in 2011 and is due to make his debut tomorrow (Tuesday) in Valencia, said: “It was a great race for me because we suffered too much during the practice and I think it is one of the best races of my career at the Valencia.

"I lost time at the start but I had a good grip from the beginning so I could push. I did some good passes and when I arrived in third place I was able to come back on Casey and Dani (Pedrosa). I made some great lap times and at that moment I think maybe it is possible to win the race. But Jorge rode ride very well.

"I was behind him and we were behind Casey, but unfortunately for the last laps I’m not at the maximum. I’m not fit, so I start to lose power to the right hand and then to the left and then to the leg. So I need more distance to stop the bike and I started to make some mistakes behind Jorge.

"I was running wide and I have to slow down. If you are not 100 per cent with this level it is impossible to win. But the podium is great and I kept third position in the championship.”

Rossi will test for Ducati this week before he goes for surgery on the shoulder that troubled him throughout the entire season.

He said: “Next Monday or Tuesday I will do the surgery. It will be quite a long time to recover and hard work but I hope to be quite fit for the first test in Sepang and if I will not be at 100 per cent I hope to be at the maximum for the first race of the next season.”

Giants Give City by the Bay Its Long-Awaited Title

Buster Posey caught the final strike, started to rush the mound, then stopped and turned toward the dugout.

The rookie catcher wasn't quite sure what to do or where to go. Hard to blame him, either. It's not as if the San Francisco Giants win the World Series every day.

More than a half-century after moving West, the Giants are taking the trophy to the city by the Bay for the first time. Tim Lincecum was wicked on the mound, Edgar Renteria broke a scoreless duel with a three-run homer in the seventh inning and San Francisco beat the Texas Rangers 3-1 in a tense Game 5 Monday night.

The prize that eluded Willie and Barry for so long finally belongs to San Francisco, thanks to a band of self-described castoffs and misfits and their shaggy-haired ace.

"World Series champs, 2010. Can you believe this?" October ace Matt Cain said.

Lampard to face Reds

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti expects Frank Lampard to be available for their weekend clash with the Liverpool.

The influential 32-year-old England international has missed the club's last 11 matches with a groin injury.

The Blues have maintained their fine form even without Lampard, but they have now received a shot in the arm ahead of the Sunday's mouth-watering trip to the Anfield.

Ancelotti is ruling Lampard out of featuring in the Wednesday's UEFA Champions League clash with Spartak Moscow as the fixture is too soon.

The Italian is relishing having the creative midfielder back among his ranks, stating he is likely to come straight into his starting XI.