The Orlando Predators' offense scored on its first eight possessions and amassed 290 yards in last week's 55-27 victory against the Chicago Rush -- but it was the play of the defense that had heads turning and looking toward the playoffs. The defensive performance -- in which Orlando held the Rush to a season-low 27 points and allowed just one touchdown in the second half -- propelled the Predators from 18th to 13th in total defense

ANOTHER boat carrying Papuan asylum seekers is believed to have landed in Australia, a development certain to deepen the diplomatic crisis with Indonesia. The Catholic priest in the Papuan coastal town of Merauke, Father Yus Mawengkang, said the family of six reached an uninhabited island three days ago. A spokesman for the Immigration Minister, Amanda Vanstone, said last night: "I can confirm there are reports, [but] these are operational matters and I cannot comment further

SHORT on personnel but aided by several favourable umpiring decisions, Australia set about chasing a would-be ground record 292 to win the third and final Test on Monday with determined intent, advancing to 2-163 by tea on the fourth day. With Justin Langer (concussion) unavailable, Michael Kasprowicz (back) playing injured and reserve paceman Shaun Tait (back) headed home, Australia's squad was reduced to just 11 fit players for the closing stages of the South African tour

Hard dose of weather might not impact the Final Four, but it's affecting basketball fans. Fans at several downtown hotels were asked to leave their rooms and wait out a severe thunderstorm, accompanied by a tornado warning, late Sunday. The storm raced through Indianapolis about 9:30 p.m., about an hour after several thousand fans finished listening to a free outdoor concert featuring John Mellencamp

Forward Dwight Howard and point guard Jameer Nelson want to take the Orlando Magic places they haven't gone in a while, namely the playoffs. Now they'll have at least four years together to get the job done. Although it was a formality, the club exercised their option to add another year to their contracts, signing Howard and Nelson through the 2007-08 season. Howard will earn $6 million and Nelson $1.9 million

Money has always been plentiful for NFL owners. But the kind of money that was being talked about this month at an airport hotel outside Dallas had a lot of wealthy men (and two women) in sour moods. Behind the desk at his Alltel Stadium office last week, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver described those meetings as "very cordial.'' He had trouble keeping a straight face. "Well, OK, maybe not cordial," Weaver corrected, with a smile

Top seeds Connecticut and Villanova needed overtime last night to advance to the final eight of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball championship, while No. 11 seed George Mason University continued its run. Connecticut defeated Washington 98-92 and Villanova downed Boston College 60-59 as both teams rallied from double-digit deficits

San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Barry Bonds' lawyer says he'll ask a judge to order that the authors of a new book detailing the Giants' slugger's alleged use of steroids turn over any profits they make. Notice of the lawsuit came today in a letter from attorney Michael Rains' office to the agent for authors Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams. They are reporters for The Chronicle and authors of the book "Game of Shadows

2006 FIFA World Cup perfectly captures the emotion and passion of the world's fiercest national rivalries by giving users the opportunity to play with their heroes and the chance to win the FIFA World Cup. Play as your home nation and control your favorite players as you battle from qualification right through to a virtual re-creation of the final tournament in Germany

The team Renault won the Grand prix of Malaysia. The race was longest in all championship and the weather was hot. Not all the participants had sustained this test - for example, already on first third of distance have burned down engine at both Williams, and they were disappointed and in the end one of BMW was grayed also