He rolled, boot-camp style, a protected ball, in the shelter of a baby grand, from which he eyed the dog with dread.

NEWYORKER: The Yellow

The Hawk-Eye system uses strategically-placed cameras to determine the exact flight of a ball and is already used in international cricket and at grand slam tennis tournaments.

CNN: Goal-line technology enters final testing

She was a revelation back then, a hard hitting, screeching, almost reckless ball-basher who did something unthinkable in her first Grand Slam final: She pummeled two-time defending Wimbledon champion Serena Williams.

WSJ: French Open 2012: Maria Sharapova's Time to Shine

"The whole city was crumbling, and then we elected Ed Koch, " Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Friday during a ceremony marking the centennial of Grand Central Terminal, a once-crumbling edifice Koch helped save from the wrecking ball.

WSJ: Legendary NYC mayor Koch dies; Monday funeral set

If Ireland can get quick ball to their backs and take the game to the French like they did in their Grand Slam winning year of 2009, the first Six Nations game at the Aviva Stadium could be one to saviour.

BBC: Ireland v France

In the grand scheme of things, though, why even worry about whether being a champion at banging a tiny ball around with a stick wipes the moral slate clean of prior sins?

FORBES: Winning Doesn't Take Care Of Everything For Tiger Woods--Or Anybody Else