ESPN

There will be no weather delays for the finals this weekend at Wimbledon. The Williams sisters raise the roof on Saturday, and Andy Roddick tries to rain on Roger Federer's march toward slam win No. 15 Sunday.

Women's final: SportsNation gives Venus slight edge
Men's final: Two-thirds of SportsNation favors Federer
Vote: Wimbledon Finals

Adi (Toronto)

Hi, Greg. 16 of last 17 slams, 21 consecutive slam semis, 20 total slam finals, what is left for Roger to conquer? How does he stay motivated? Do any of the Andys really have a chance?

Greg Garber

This is the question going forward, Adi. I think Fed's struggles last year, physically and mentally, actually motivated him to get better. That, and losing three Grand Slam finals to Rafael Nadal in a span of eight months. Pete Sampras admitted recently that he had a tough time getting up for the Cincinnatis of the world, but he was always fired up for the Slams. I think Roger will be like that, too.

Ray Gordon Reid (San Jose)

Who do you like tomorrow: Serena or Venus?

Greg Garber

Ray: The sisters are 10-all in their WTA career matches and have split their four previous Wimbledon matches. I'll take Venus in this one. She's going for three straight at All England and her sixth overall. Full transcript.

We've seen championship athletes come back with lackluster results in the past, but does anyone want to pick against Lance Armstrong?

In his favor: He won the Tour de France the last seven times he entered, seemingly shrugged off a crash and broken bone that interrupted training this spring, and is joking in commercials about the additional doping scrutiny he receives.

Against him: Teammate Alberto Contador is the favorite, the French have promised to closely watch Armstrong's doping tests, and more than half of SportsNation says it isn't interested in his return (we bet the fans change their minds if he's wearing yellow).

“

This Tour could be more like 1985 when LeMond was clearly the stronger rider, but was forced to help Hinault win his fifth. I don't see Lance riding really aggressive early. ... It would be really cool if Lance, Alberto and Levi were within 2 or 3 minutes of the lead going into Ventoux and it just became a shootout on top of that mountain.

” -- tarheel91ken

This patriotic photo landed in the ESPN profiles thanks to cliggs002. Enjoy the Fourth of July, whether you're working like some of us in Bristol or relaxing on a long weekend.

There's nothing tastier than food pulled fresh off the grill with a pair of tongs and served with potato salad and cold beverages on a hot day. We notice that there are some juicy bratwursts under the toasting buns to go with the saliva-inducing ribs on bigfansince59's grill.

A friendly reminder: Whether you're into the basic spread of hotdogs and burgers or you spend days mixing special sauces and marinating, it's not too early to start planning your menus and practicing your technique for fall football tailgates.

Summer's also a great time to hit the beach or pool. Ombak_Besar's gallery of waves and boarding pictures makes us want to skip out of the office early and head to the coast (although the Atlantic is pretty chilly even in July).

And we don't want to ignore other fun holiday options like slow pitch softball tournaments, the NASCAR race at Daytona, the Wimbledon finals, the multitude of baseball games, golf, fishing in the local lake, the start of the Tour de France, horseshoes and so much more.

These pictures were among our favorites uploaded this week to the ESPN profiles. If you saw a picture you liked or uploaded a picture you're proud of, drop a link the comments below and we'll take a look.

Just hours after the celebrated arrival of Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland (where the big man proclaimed he'd "win a ring for the King"), Ron Artest one-upped the Big Aristotle and announced he would be signing a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

If his word is golden, it means that Artest and Kobe Bryant will be amicably (we think) sharing the same court. What does this mean to SportsNation? Well, before today, you had LeShaq and the Cleveland Cavaliers as your favorite to win the 2010 NBA finals. But perhaps things have changed? Cast your vote below.

• Where did Ron Artest rank against the other 2009 free agents? Find out »


“

This is terrible. Ariza is a much better choice than Artest. Artest may be more skilled, but Ariza is a team player who can play well with Kobe (and not many can play well with Kobe). I really thought the Lakers had a chance to repeat, but with this move, I'm not sure at all anymore. Artest is actually a downgrade in many aspects.

” -- rfg56fd2



“

Brilliant move by the Lakers. I was hoping this would happen. Man, the Rockets have completely imploded.

” -- bwpbruce

• Rank 'Em: Hot college football rivalries | Hot college basketball rivalries

There was a time when no football game mattered more than Yale squaring off against Harvard. It was a time when there wasn't any penicillin to cure the infections that came from having your facemask-less mug slammed into the turf.

Fast forward half a century and there was a time when the hottest ticket in Big Ten basketball was Nick Anderson's Illini battling Glen Rice's Wolverines. Now, well, let's just say Demetri McCamey and Manny Harris aren't fueling quite the same anticipatory fires.

The point is rivalries change. So rather than roll out Duke-North Carolina and Michigan-Ohio State and call it a summer, Pat Forde ranks the hottest rivalries in college football and college basketball at this moment (and talks to Ivan Maisel and Andy Katz, left). Plus, who doesn't like seeing Wolverines fans getting scarlet in the face with rage?

• Chat wrap: See what Pat Forde had to say to SportsNation about college rivalries.
• Fan groups: Southeastern Conference | HOOK EM !! | ACC Sports | Kentucky Basketball Fans | Crimson and Cream Machine | BIG TEN | Ohio State | BIG TWELVE 12 COUNTRY

“

Washington vs. Washington State over Penn State vs. Ohio State. Seriously? What a joke. A rivalry that is completely irrelevant can't be heated. Washington won, what, no games last year. Washington State won one. It's called a pillow fight, not a rivalry. The Penn State-Ohio State game should easily be in the top 10.

” -- jec332

“

For everyone complaining about which rivalries are not included, did you read the intro? He said which rivalries are most heated NOW. As in *right* now. As in today. If the Clemson and South Carolina fight had happened last season, I bet that rivalry would be included. And if Miami ever becomes more than an average team again and can give Florida a real challenge, I bet that one would be included too.

” -- omagus

“

This is stupid. Everyone knows that Duke/UNC is the biggest rivalry in basketball and probably top 5 in all of sports in general. Forde needs a serious reality check if he thinks otherwise. Exactly what has Kentucky done the last 5 years? Oh that's right, they were losing in the NIT. Other than Michigan State, what has any of the teams done in that span. Nothing!!!

” -- schave33

We are less than a week from the launch of the new "SportsNation" TV show, which will debut on ESPN2 on July 6 at 4 p.m. ET!

We just got out of our production meeting, and below we've listed the items we'd open with if the show were on today. Check 'em out, cast your votes and don't forget to circle July 6 on your calendar!

Manny Ramirez played in his final rehab start Monday night, according to the Dodgers and is expected to return to the bigs Friday.
Would you boo or cheer Manny Ramirez in his major league return?



While the action is on the field when a fan (clothed or not) jumps into play, the cameras turn to the booth and the TV announcers cover the lack of play.
Should MLB allow broadcasts that show fans running onto the field?



Tiger Woods has been called a lot of things, but underrated? Is it possible the greatest golfer on the planet isn't getting full credit for his prowess?
Is Tiger Woods actually an underrated golfer?



Mark Cuban still wants Jason Kidd enough to fly to New York while the guard was in town to talk to the Knicks and offer a deal worth a reported $25 million. Is Jason Kidd still an elite NBA point guard?



AND FOR OUR LAST QUESTION ... We've been reading the Sports Guy's tweets (@sportsguy33): "I'm throwing it out there: LeBron as a 2010-11 Clip? Only Griffin/Baron/Kaman/Gordon under contract next summer. Hmmm."

Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.

• LA TROUBLE: Running through most of the big names on the market in NBA free agency -- and running over Hedo Turkoglu for daring to opt out with the Magic.
• bigShotmike14: A detailed look at the offseason moves and season outlooks in the NFC North, including a prediction of 500 percent improvement for the Lions.
• Mr. Almighty: Forget waiting for LeBron James next summer; one blogger thinks the Knicks should go after Lamar Odom and Hedo Turkoglu and make a run now.
• Trab2U: It's Fourth of July weekend, a good time to get outside and do things that don't involve keyboards. Things like playing pick-up ball, which this blogger rediscovered after too many months away.
• brandon_wolf30: We're going to assume the abbreviation stands for "Why Take Flynn?" as one blogger takes Timberwolves GM David Kahn to task after a week to ruminate on the team's back-to-back point-guard picks.

The long and the short of semifinal Thursday for the women at Wimbledon is another final between Serena and Venus Williams, their second in a row and fourth overall.

More specifically, the short was Venus' 51-minute demolition job against No. 1 Dinara Safina. The long was the epic clash between Serena and Elena Dementieva. The Russian had a match point and momentum proved constantly fickle, but Serena got the breaks.

Greg Garber was on hand in London, savoring the action and trying not to catch the Andy Murray bug that's infecting the nation.

Zach (Harrisonburg, Virginia)

Judging from Serena's escape I don't see Venus having any problems handling her in the final...did Dementieva just play spectacular today or was Serena a little off? I'm not that surprised by a third set but at the same time the fact that it was so close as opposed to lopsided surprised me.

Greg Garber

Dementieva played the best match I've ever seen her play. Her groundstrokes were more solid than Serena's and her serve held up pretty well. Key to the match was two points, both break points that would have put Dementieva in better position to win. Both points were replayed -- one a Serena shot that was IN by a millimeter and the second a ball from Dementieva that was OUT by a millimeter. Crazy, crazy close match. Dementieva will get a lot of credit, even in losing.

Ben (Cincinnati)

This might have been asked already but if Murray was to win this, just how big of a celebration would that set off in London and throughout the UK? I imagine it wouldn't be as big as England winning the World Cup but I'd like to think that it would be a big party. No?

Greg Garber

Ben: See the story we posted today. The local writers say it would be Britain's biggest sporting victory since 1966 -- when England won its only World Cup, against Germany. That's pretty huge. The TV rankings are going through the roof and one Internet site s offering finals tickets for 20,000 pounds! Full transcript.

How would you feel if you lined up against your brother or sister on the athletic field with thousands looking on from the stands and millions more watching on television?

Would natural sibling rivalry make it easier to go all out? Would you want to take it easy on a family member? Or for however long the event lasted, would the other person cease to be anyone but an opponent?

As it turns out, SportsNation is almost evenly divided on the question.

Playing each other on the biggest of stages is nothing new for Serena and Venus Williams, and they will add another chapter when they meet in the women's final at Wimbledon for the fourth time (Serena's semifinal against Elena Dementieva re-airs on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET).

• Voters are similarly divided on which sister to root for in the final.
• Serena and Venus are ahead of most, but the Mannings are the best siblings.
• Serena was SportsNation's overwhelming pick at the outset of Wimbledon.
• Vote: Who will win the women's title at Wimbledon? | Men's semifinals?

“

I'm not a huge fan of the women's game, but I gotta say the Serena/Dementieva match was some high-class stuff. When the matches are this good, what they lack in shot variety, they make up in drama.

” -- wmarcello

“

You have to have crafted your skill along with the mental toughness ala (Tiger Woods). That is why if Serena plays the way she did today on Saturday, she will lose to her sister Venus. ... Venus has mastered her craft on grass a little better than Serena. I am going with Venus winning her 3 straight Wimbeldon. But if Serena comes with that game not making as many mistakes like she did againts Azeranka, then she might win.

” -- bondsbay

Two things we know for sure about Albert Pujols. First, Calvin Borel will play no part in the pursuit of this Triple Crown. Second, SportsNation considers him the greatest hitter in Cardinals history (although it's worth noting Missouri gives Stan Musial a little more love than most states).

But as good as Pujols has been since his first season in the majors, leading one SportsNation blogger to say he's the kind of player to tell your kids about in 25 years, he's on the verge of exploring new statistical territory. Not only is Pujols on pace to hit at least 61 home runs, a mark a majority of SportsNation still considers the single-season record, but he could become the first player since Carl Yastrzemski to win a Triple Crown.

Check where Pujols stands: Average | Home Runs | RBI

• 80 percent: Winning the Triple Crown would be more impressive than 62 home runs.
• 63 percent: Which is all well and good, but Pujols won't win the Triple Crown.
• 52 percent: Hitting 62 home runs would be better than Joe Mauer hitting .400.
• Groups: St. Louis Cardinals Nation. | Saint Louis Sports! | National league
• Chat: Don't have Pujols? Get fantasy answers in chat at 3 p.m. ET