Knicks Stifle Celtics;Zurich Classic Golf

The New York Knicks notched their first road Playoffs win since 2001 as they dominated the Boston Celtics 90-76 Friday night in Boston.The win brings the Knicks to 3-0 in the NBA Playoffs.No team has ever recovered from being down 3-0 in the Playoffs.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 26 points and 1 rebound,and Raymond Felton added 15 points,2 rebounds and 10 assists.For the Celtics,Jeff Green contributed 21 points,9 rebounds and 4 assists,while Paul Pierce scored 17 points,4 rebounds and 5 assists.
Anthony said it wasn't easy.We took our time,executed.We stayed composed.This is a total team effort.We're working on it.It's not over yet.
A crowd of 18,624 fans,including a contingent who came up from New York to support the Knicks,watched the game at TD Garden.
The Celtics have won 17 NBA championships,with an amazing eight consecutive crowns from 1959-66.The Knicks won their two championships in 1970 and 1973,in the days of Walt Frazier and Willis Reed.
At the Zurich Classic of New Orleans,American Lucas Glover topped the leader board with his 12 under par 67.Glover,33,is a Clemson University graduate and finished fourth at the Honda Classic this year,as well as 49th at The Masters.He is 102nd on the money list.
Others on the leader board include:
Boo Weekley(USA) -11
D.A. Points(USA) -10
Morgan Hoffman(USA) -9
Ernie Els(SA) -8
Brian Davis(ENG) -7
Jerry Kelly(USA) -7
Justin Rose(ENG) -7
Jeff Maggert(USA) -7
Robert Gates(USA) -7
In Major League Baseball,the Baltimore Orioles blanked the Oakland Athletics 2-0 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum,California.Both teams are in second place-the Orioles in the American League East,and the A's in the AL West.A crowd of 16,944 attended the San Francisco Bay Area game.The winning pitcher was Wei Yin Chen(2-2),and Tommy Milone(3-2) was the loser.

Frosty Starlit Night;Yankees Pitcher Dominates Orioles

Clear skies made for excellent stargazing and the promise of frost in nearly the entire Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions Friday night.Looking into the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy in which we live was eminently possible in the conditions.The Milky Way looks like a faint cloud extending across the sky and encompassing many individual stars.
It will be the first frost of the season in many areas,and record lows may be occurring with temperatures dipping as far as the upper twenties F.Those wishing to preserve sensitive plants such as houseplants on their decks covered them or brought them in for the night.
The New York Yankees extended their season Friday night by capturing the American League East crown as they overpowered the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.Yankees star pitcher CC Sabathia calmly went the whole nine innings of the game-a rarity in these times-and centerfielder Curtis Granderson hit an impressive seventh inning home run into the second deck to solidify the New Yorkers' victory over the younger Baltimore team.
The Yankees move on to meet the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series.The San Francisco Giants will play the St.Louis Cardinals for the National League Crown.

US Tops Ryder Cup Opener;Yankees Sustain Success

The 39th Ryder Cup began on Friday at Medinah Country Club near Chicago.The first day went to the US team 5-3.Phil Mickelson,who had been criticized for his previous lackluster performances at the Cup,fired off some of his best shots in years,winning both of his matches,as did his partner the young Keegan Bradley.
American Webb Simpson thanked his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his success,while his partner Bubba Watson noted that this was his first Ryder Cup since his father died of cancer in October 2010,making it an incredible experience for him.
Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium was outstanding for the Europeans,scoring an eagle and eight birdies.
The Cup takes place every two years and is known for the boisterous nationalism of tens of thousands of fans.It gives the golfers a chance to experience their sport from a team perspective.Europe won the 2010 Cup.
In baseball Friday night,the New York Yankees dominated the Toronto Blue Jays 11-4 at Rogers Centre in Toronto.Catcher Russell Martint smashed a three-run homer for the Yanks,securing their one game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.Baltimore creamed the Boston Red Sox 9-1 at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Haunted By Hanta;Vijay Leads at Crooked Stick

Americans are worried about their outdoor activities because of two viruses popping up this late summer.The hantavirus,which is transmitted by inhaling or direct contact with the droppings and urine of deer mice,is troubling visitors to Yosemite National Park,California.The virus has killed three so far and sickened five others.About one in three infected by the virus die.Although there is no cure,those who seek early treatment have the best chance of survival.Early symptoms are flu-like.
It is believed that deer mice got inside of tent cabin walls and campers inhaled the virus that they deposited there.The National Park Service has warned 29,000 recent visitors from around the world about early symptoms from hantavirus.
The other viral threat is much more widespread.West Nile virus has appeared in all lower 48 states.The mosquito-transmitted illness has sickened 1993 people and killed 87,the highest death toll in years.There is no cure for this virus,either.Those in good health usually recover from flu-like West Nile within a few weeks.
Vijay Singh,49,is feeling well atop the BMW Championship leader board at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel,Indiana.The Fiji citizen shot a 13 under par 66 in the second round,while world number one Rory McIlroy was secondafter his 12 under par 68,joined by Tiger Woods with a 12 under par 67.
Phil Mickelson was tied for 13th place with several others,firing off an 8 under par 67.The course has been wet the first two rounds,resulting in a lot of precise shots and the many low scores.
The New York Yankees pulverized the Baltimore Orioles with six homers in Baltimore Friday night,retaking first place in the American League East from them.All of the Yankees' runs were from their home runs.

Lee Leaves Off;Market Craters

The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee have left off torturing the Mid-Atlantic region after nearly a week,the sun and then the moon making a belated appearance,saving the sanity of the region's harried residents.At least 12 deaths resulted from T.S. Lee's effects,with the Susquehanna basin being seriously shaken by flooding.The storm was blocked from exiting the area for some time by Hurricane Katia,which is moving northward well off the east coast.
There were still some flash flood advisories from thunderstorms in Pennsylvania until 3am,however.
The stock market was not so fortunate on Friday,with Euro debt anxiety still in the forefront of traders' thinking,as well as concern that the Federal Reserve may not be offering supportive measures anytime soon.For the week,the Dow and S&P slid 2.7%,while the NASDAQ retreated 0.5%.The CBOE VIX volatility index rose 4.20 to 38.52.
Next week will see the release of inflation data,as well as the Empire State and Philly Fed manufacturing surveys,plus industrial production and retail sales figures.
The S&P futures fell a further 27.70 Friday evening,and bond index futures continued to strengthen.Oil was down 1.81 to 87.24 a barrel,while gold rose 1.90 to 1857.10 an ounce.
The Baltimore Orioles downed the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 at Rogers Centre in Toronto Friday night.It was the first of the three final games of the season between the divisional rivals and bird-themed ballclubs of the American League East.

Wall Street Marks Losses,Blue Jays Win

Wall Street began June with its fifth straight week of losses,which is not surprising in that,historically,June has been a poor month for the stock market.Remarkably,all three major averages were down 2.3 on the week,as though giving a unanimous thumbs down to working at vacation time.
A gravely disappointing employment report got Friday off to a miserable start,with only 54,000 jobs being created in May,steeply down from April's 231,000.Labor Secretary Hilda Solis admitted that it does keep her up at night,because she knows that they have to do a better job at creating jobs.
Earlier in the week,the Institute for Supply Management issued its manufacturing survey,which also indicated a serious slowdown from April's readings.Manufacturing activity tumbled from 60.4 to 53.5 in May,and new orders followed suit,dropping from 61.7 to 51.0.Readings above 50 in the highly regarded report signify expansion.
Residents of Massachusetts waged their own struggle as they regrouped following a fatal tornado on Wednesday.The half-mile wide storm ripped through the communities of Springfield and Monson,killing four and sending a debris ball up to a height of 6,000 feet.At high elevations in the Rockies,winter weather advisories are posted for the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges,where late spring snow could total up to 7 inches.
The Toronto Blue Jays did not have to struggle as they clipped the Baltimore Orioles 8-4 Friday night in Baltimore.The win put the Jays above .500 again.The teams smacked 10 hits each,but the Orioles were also charged with an error.The Blue Jays' J.P. Arencibia hit a grand slam homer in the fifth inning and starting pitcher Carlos Villanueva climbed to a 3-0 record after having been promoted from the bullpen.
A relatively light data week is ahead for Wall Street,with the Federal Reserve's anecdotal Beige Book report slated for release,as is the World Bank's World Economic Outlook.The S&P futures lost 16.10 Friday evening,while bond index futures rose.