In what figures to be a complete mismatch, the 22nd-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions host the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the season-opener for both programs at Beaver Stadium this weekend.

For a team that's in a dogfight to try to make the postseason, having to visit the club that owns the best record in baseball probably won't make things any easier. That's the challenge the Philadelphia Phillies will have to face, however, when the National League East contenders enter Wrigley Field tonight for the first of four straight games against the powerful Chicago Cubs.

As Gustav nears Louisiana, the LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints are monitoring the storm and the possible effects it may have on upcoming football games.

In one of the biggest upsets in tennis history, Ana Ivanovic loses to 188th-ranked Julie Coin 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 at the U.S. Open

Swimmer Michael Phelps, who won a record-breaking eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, will present an award at the 2008 Video Music Awards.

A pregnant woman is suing Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Dennis Northcutt for allegedly arranging for his cousin to beat her up at a Hollywood restaurant.

Boxer Oscar De La Hoya is wrapping up a deal to finish his boxing career Dec. 6 against Manny Pacquiao.

American Andy Roddick makes the second round of the U.S. Open in a simple three sets.

Carlos Delgado hit a pair of home runs and drove in three, as the New York Mets rallied to beat Philadelphia, 6-3, and leapfrog the Phillies to retake the lead in the NL East.

Linebacker Shawne Merriman told the San Diego Chargers on Wednesday that he has elected not to undergo surgery on his injured left knee.

Venus Williams kept favorites on the fast track at the U.S. Open, overwhelming Rossana de Los Rios in less than an hour Thursday to reach the third round.

He does comedy, writes books, and mixes it up with the hottest stars in music and Hollywood. Swimmer Michael Phelps, who took home a record-breaking eight gold medals from the Beijing Games, joins Miley Cyrus, Scarlett Johansson and Lindsay Lohan as presenters at the Sept. 7 VMAs telecast from Los Angeles.

Barack Obama's presidential campaign says Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson will lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.

Daniel Murphy hit a tiebreaking double after Carlos Delgado's second solo homer had tied the game in the eighth and the New York Mets beat Philadelphia 6-3 on Wednesday night to reclaim first place in the NL East.

Jelena Jankovic outlasted Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-5 Wednesday on yet another uncharacteristically mild August day in Flushing Meadows. She planned to take a 10-minute run on the treadmill but lasted only three when pain flared in the area of a knee injury sustained at Wimbledon.

Surgery will have to wait for Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, who decided Wednesday he'll play this season despite two torn ligaments in his left knee.

Patience paid off for the Colorado Avalanche, who signed Joe Sakic to a one-year, $6 million contract Wednesday after he decided to play a 20th season in the NHL rather than call it a career.

The NFL has kept a steady number of black head coaches, while slightly increasing the ranks of Asian and Latino players, earning a B+ in an annual diversity study Wednesday. However, the league didn't get a grade for gender diversity for the fourth year in a row. The last time the NFL shared its data, for the 2004 study, it received a D+ for gender hiring practices.

Center fielder Mark Kotsay was acquired by the Red Sox from the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, only one day after Boston put J.D. Drew on the 15-day disabled list because of a lower back strain.