Sports

ATHENS, Greece — The mistakes were so minor, the kind of errors only judges see.

Carly Patterson’s foot grazed the lower of the uneven bars. Courtney Kupets’ twirl ended here instead of there. Mohini Bhardwaj had an itty-bitty wobble on the beam.

ATHENS, Greece — Tim Duncan had fouled out, Allen Iverson was playing with a broken thumb, and Greece had passed the ball inside with a chance to pull within two points with 18 seconds left.

Lamar Odom defended the play perfectly, holding his hand steady and high and getting a piece of Dimitris Pipanikoulaou’s layup attempt. Odom, playing despite severe dehydration, rebounded the miss, was fouled and made two free throws to lock up the U.S. team’s 77-71 victory Tuesday night in its second game of the Olympics.

Whenever Martin Rucker needs motivation for his dream to make the National Football League, he knows whom to call.

Rucker, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound redshirt freshman tight end at Missouri, is the brother of Mike Rucker, a star defensive end for the Carolina Panthers. Rucker said his older brother’s success benefits his work ethic and pursuit of the same goal.

For someone used to traveling at speeds about 160 mph, Carl Edwards never thought he would get so far so fast.

Edwards, a Columbia native, will make his Nextel Cup debut in the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on Sunday.

The seniors on the Missouri football team aren’t fooling around this preseason.

After Sunday’s practice, the seniors weren’t satisfied with the team’s effort. They met and decided it was up to them to create a better practice environment.

ATHENS, Greece — Blaine Wilson paced like an expectant father. Teammate Guard Young sat calmly, scribbling numbers on a piece of paper. Morgan Hamm bounced like a boxer during warm-ups.

Nervous? Naturally. After two decades and too many disappointments to count, the Americans were down to one routine on the high bar Monday to determine whether they would be in the medals ceremony . . . or watch it again.

Last spring was painful in many ways for fourth-year punter Brock Harvey.

Harvey, Missouri’s starting punter the past two seasons, had surgery on his right, kicking foot after last season that forced him to miss the spring training period.

Senior punter Brock Harvey has had to answer the same question a lot this summer: Why was the punting game inconsistent last season?

“It was a combination of things,” Harvey said. “If it was one thing, I probably could have fixed it. A lot of it was mental and mechanic-wise and just getting comfortable behind the line. I can’t pinpoint things.”

David McDonald might be known for his distance off the tee, but his short game won him his second straight Kiwanis Columbia Championship against nine-time winner Dee Sanders.

McDonald shot a 67 on Sunday to bring him to a 208 total and a five-stroke win against Sanders. Jim Starr was third at 217.

It took extra innings, but the Mid-Missouri Mavericks got their series sweep.

The Mavericks completed the four-game sweep of the Windy City ThunderBolts, winning 7-6 in 12 innings at Taylor Stadium on Sunday.

ATHENS, Greece — Michael Phelps wasn’t taking any chances.

The night before, he fired up by watching the movie “Miracle.” While on deck at the Olympic pool, he had Eminem’s “’Till I Collapse” blaring in his headphones. Before climbing atop the starting block, he stared down the 50-meter strip of water.

Lake of the Woods Golf Course is referred to as LOW, but the scores on Saturday were anything but.

Defending champion David McDonald shot a 2-under-par 69 to take a one-stroke lead at 141 in the second round of the Kiwanis Columbia Championship.

Greg Bracey can get where he wants to go in a hurry.

In the summer of 2001, Bracey, then at Vincent High in Milwaukee, Wis., won the 200 meters at the Junior Olympics in 21.59 seconds. When Bracey was a junior, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel named him the area track athlete of the year after he won the state 400 in 48.2. He also finished second in the 200 and 4x100 relay.

Thomari Story-Harden picked the best time to hit a grand slam.

The Mavericks overpowered the Windy City ThunderBolts, earning a 13-5 win at Taylor Stadium on Saturday. The Mavericks improved to 24-55, and the ThunderBolts dropped to 37-43.

Jared Wilmes has four years of his life tied up in preparing for the Olympics.

The assistant track and field coach at MU has been working closely with Derrick Peterson, a runner who will begin competing in the 800–meter event on Aug. 25.

During his two years as a star linebacker at Rock Bridge, Van Alexander seldom was unable to catch up to the play.

In setting a school record with 400 tackles, Alexander was usually making the play.

ST. LOUIS — Ernest Blackwell a standout on the Missouri football team in 1997, shot his stepdaughter and attacked neighbors, then died after struggling with police, authorities said Thursday.

Blackwell, 29, of St. Louis County, died Wednesday night. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday. Results were not yet known.

At first glance, the Kiwanis Columbia Championship is another local tournament. There are tee times, local courses and familiar players, but without an invitation, there is no hope to compete.

The tournament takes place on three courses, including Lake of the Woods and the Country Club of Missouri, beginning today and ending Sunday.

Putting the Missouri football team in full pads today for the first time this preseason might be more of a necessity than part of the regular practice plan.

Thursday’s two-hour practice at Memorial Field, with players in upper body pads and helmets, featured some hard hits by the offense and defense.

At 236 pounds, Zach Kauflin looks the part of a defensive lineman. His biceps bulge from underneath his gray shirt. His 6-foot-2-inch frame reflects his dedication to athletics.

Underneath this powerful exterior, bandages and IV tubing affixed to his chest tell another story.