For Andy Roddick, coming close to beating Roger Federer can feel like an accomplishment. Roddick was 1-12 against Federer, the world’s top-ranked player, entering their semifinal match at the 2006 Australian Open.

For Roddick, and perhaps an entire generation of players who would like to add their name to the tennis honour roll, Federer has become the source of intense frustration. Not only can they not beat the Swiss maestro, they can’t even hate him.

The only way I can see the other top men’s players beating the Federer is if they gang up on him three-against-one, but I don’t think the rules allow for that kind of competition.

But that doesn’t mean the other players and Roddick can give up on trying to beat Federer.

The only way to get to Federer is to be aggressive and attack, but that’s not easy because that’s just not the way players are thinking these days. Roddick has to try and crowd him and make him try and pass.

There’s always the hope that Federer has an off day, but that’s a tough strategy to bank for the other men trying to win majors.

No matter what progress the American makes, however, barring injury or an unlikely loss of form, Federer, one year the older of the two, will always be there to block him at his two favourite tournaments, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Roddick though feels that inch by inch he is getting closer to working out how to match the sport’s supreme talent.

The authorities have detained Mikhail Prokhorov.

Mikhail Prokhorov, a billionaire often dubbed “Russia’s most eligible bachelor,” was detained during an investigation into a suspected international prostitution ring at an upscale ski resort.

Prokhorov is Russia’s richest miner and owner of European basketball league powerhouse CSKA, with wealth attributable from his controlling stakes in Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest nickel and palladium producer, and Polyus Gold, Russia’s largest goldminer.

Prokhorov’s French affair may not compare in stock market impact with the other forces driving down global commodity prices, and mining company shares.

Prokhorov is frequently photographed next to some of the most glamorous women in Russia and is known for hosting wild parties fuelled by endless streams of champagne.

Ohhh, French police. Seems like the only basis for the arrest is that the French women have been offended that Prokhorov preferred to spend his money on importing Russian girls, instead of local ones.

A crackdown on alleged trafficking in women is rare in France, unheard of in Russia.

Other Russian businessmen have been targeted by the French police before, but for business, not for personal reasons.

If this is the case now, how about the case of…

Cycling and horse racing have much in common.

Both are plagued by the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Both are being spoiled by public cynicism; fans suspect that any brilliant or extraordinary achievement might be the result of cheating.

Whenever horses start improving dramatically for a particular trainer, bettors say, “He’s got the juice.” But while cycling unions are making a serious effort to confront illegal drug use and punish cheaters, horse racing tends to sweep its problems under the rug.

All too often, suspending a horse trainer is like taking a snow shovel away from a Floridian.

Suspend Trainer A, and he merely enters the horses under the name of his assistant Trainer B. So what if Trainer B was a groom last week? Now he’s got his license, and he’s the trainer of record.

Or if a trainer gets a suspension, he can merely appeal it and go about his business. What if he gets another suspension? Appeal that one, too. The lawyers get rich, and the trainer gets to stay in business.

Clean horse trainers realize how unfair it seems and how downright stupid it appears when Hall-of-Fame and award-winning trainers received race bans left and right for using banned drugs to their horses but just walk away with meaningless suspensions.

There is only one way that horse racing can prove that it is serious about…

Last year, nearly $2 billion was bet on sports in Nevada.

Atlantic City wants to follow but lawmakers need to overcome several hurdles before wagers can be placed on games.

Some New Jersey lawmakers believe the increased revenue from sports betting would boost state coffers and make Atlantic City more attractive as a tourist destination. Casinos worry that increased competition from nearby states, including those that offer slot machines at racetracks, will cut revenues.

Federal law bans sports wagering in most states. However, lawmakers here are pushing sports betting as a way to stave off a budget deficit and to help Atlantic City casinos fight competition.

Federal law allows sports betting in Nevada, Oregon, Delaware and Montana, but only the first two states offer it. Nevada has full-service sports books, while Oregon has a state-run pro football pool during the season.

The federal government gave New Jersey the opportunity to legalize sports betting in 1994, but proponents could not gather enough support and the issue never made it to the ballot for voter approval.

Legalizing sports betting seems to be a longshot but supporters say the state could overturn the federal law and they are urging the attorney general to contest the issue.

However, State Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew wants to give sports betting a shot. “The prize is worth the extra effort” according to him and Agent Neo…

Only at Bodog Sportsbook can you bet on what you think the sex of Tiger Woods’ first baby will be!

The world’s no. 1 golfer turned 31 on Saturday and surprised friends and family by sharing some pretty big news: his wife, Elin Nordegren, is expecting their first child this summer.

“Obviously, we couldn’t be happier and our families are thrilled,” Woods said on his Web site. “I have always wanted to be a dad. I just wish my father could be around to share the experience.”

Woods and Nordegren of Sweden married in October 2004, and although he did not say when in the summer the baby is due, simple math tells us it will likely happen sometime between the US Open and British Open.

Will Tiger Woods & Elin Nordegren deliver their baby closer to the US Open or the British Open? Get your Tiger Woods baby bets at Bodog!

So, that means the world’s No. 1 player will skip the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship next week on Maui.

“I’m going to stick close to home for the next few weeks,” he said. Woods will start his 2007 season playing in…

It was the headbutt that was heard around the world, and now it has become the inspiration for Italy’s latest fashion trends.

Italian fashion designer Alessandro Ferrrari has come up with a new range of leisure wear that is inspired by the notorious soccer incident that happened during last summer’s World Cup when Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi in the chest during the final match between France and Italy.

The new line of leisure wear includes the motif of a man headbutting another man to items of clothing such as fleeces and t-shirts.

The motif is coupled with a multi-colored symbol that reflects the French and Italian national flags, which is to signify unification and understanding between the nations.

According to the Mpdclick Web site, Ferrari told Italian news agency Fidest: “The idea came to me on a wave of emotion after Italy won the World Cup”

“After Zidane’s headbutt on Materazzi I thought of turning that unsavory act into a positive social message aimed at the youngsters, and at the same time offering a trendy product of high quality.”

Zidane was sent off in the second period of extra time in the July 9 World Cup final for head-butting Materazzi, who had insulted the French midfielder.

Zidane retired from football after the World Cup, which France lost to…

Welcome to Boston, Daisuke Matsuzaka. Just don’t screw up.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein at a press conference just described the Japanese sensation as both a power pitcher and an artist and a craftsman on the mound. It’s difficult not to get carried away by the hype.

Daisuke’s worth a try-out - who isn’t - but I wouldn’t expect much. And I hope to God we don’t go to spring training thinking he’s in the mix for closer. I know most of you think that this will translate into more dollars in Japan. Not really for the Red Sox. Any MLB apparel sold is split by every 30 teams. It will help baseball, not really the Red Sox.

According to reports, the deal is for $52M over 6 years, with escalators that can boost the deal to a total of $60M. Total cost to the Sox is $111M over 6 years for a dominant Japanese pitcher (whom we hope translates well) and a foothold in Japan’s markets.

Daisuke was then handed a jersey with the No. 18 - the one last worn by Johnny Damon. In fact, Sox fans will be happy to find new use for their old Johnny Damon shirts.

Welcome to Boston, Dice-K! You’re going to love…

Sorry Wolverine fanatics.

Your team had their best shot but No. 2 Florida Gators, not Michigan, should be facing the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes for the BCS Title in Glendale, Arizona on Jan. 8, 2007.

Florida suffered its one loss in Week 7 against then No. 11 Auburn, but proceeded to win its last six in a row (four of those being conference wins). The Gators closed out their successful season with a 38-28 win over No. 8 Arkansas.

The win gave them the SEC championship in arguably the toughest conference in college football.

In the end, when all the stats and votes are added up, the BCS system will always equal controversy. But there have been instances – albeit very few - where the BCS has been accurate in choosing the teams deserving of 1 and 2. This appears to be one of them.

The world wants to see the Southeast Conference champion against a Big Ten champion. Because there’s not a playoff, I think a conference champion ought to carry more weight than a conference runner-up at the BCS conference level.

Florida and Ohio State have never played in…

And here comes another one.

Injured New York Giants Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan joined the ranks of Jeremy Shockey and Tiki Barber in mouthing off in what is quickly becoming a season of frustration for the team.

Strahan tried to intimidate an ESPN reporter who attempted to question him about comments he made on the radio Monday about receiver Plaxico Burress quitting on plays. Strahan yelled at ESPN reporter Kelly Naqi as she stood behind about three dozen members of the media trying to question him.

Just why did this thing happened?

Because the star players can’t keep their mouths shut. That’s why.

Strahan spent most of this three-minute lecture telling the media how to do their jobs, which is the ironic part of this episode, of course. Strahan conveniently forgets that he is part of the media this time, paid by WFAN to provide analysis on a weekly basis.

Don’t want the headache? Then don’t use the word “quit” to describe the behavior of a teammate. But don’t blame the media — your “colleagues” — for asking about…

Enough with the talk about a Michigan-Ohio State rematch.

No non-partisan viewer of Saturday’s clash of the two top-ranked teams in the country could have believed the Wolverines were ever a threat to win.

If it weren’t for two bad snaps by the Buckeyes’ injured center, the game wouldn’t have been as close as the 42-39 final.

Not that the Buckeyes were overly impressive. The No. 1-rated defense in the NCAA was carved up by Mike Hart (142 rushing yards, three touchdowns) and an undermanned Wolverines’ receiving corps. Troy Smith, the sure-thing Heisman Trophy winner, dropped into a sullen pout after every mistake he made – not the demeanor you want in a leader.

It’s fine to be competitive, but a quarterback who can’t stay positive through the difficult spots of a game will instill worry in his teammates.

So if neither Big Ten team is awesome, who is? Well, Pete Carroll’s team may be the best unit out there. The USC Trojans will play for the national title, again, if they run the table. USC-Ohio State will be a more competitive contest than any other possible matchup and if the Buckeyes are heavily favored, then the underdog will walk away with the national championship for the second straight year.

The only hope to make things right rests with Southern Cal. The Trojans just need…