Ambivalent Annika bids farewell to majors

Huddled under an umbrella in the pouring rain Sunday, Annika Sorenstam walked up to the 18th green in the final round of her final major to take the cheers from the fans. A sign on the scoreboard said: "Annika, you will be missed."

It was telling that the departing Swede, who dominated women's golf for a decade and won 10 majors and 72 LPGA titles, had been passed going the other way by a 20-year-old Korean. Ji-Yai Shin was on the first fairway and on her way to winning the Women's British Open.

But Sorenstam was undeterred, rolling in a 10-foot birdie for her final putt in a major to end with a 4-under 68.

The 37-year-old, who will quit tournament golf at the end of the year to get married, start a family and focus on her business and other golf interests, tied for 24th at 6-under 282.

"To finish with a birdie is just obviously extra," she said. "It didn't seem like there was any doubt it was going in.

"I wish I wanted it as much as I used to, but I don't."

* NO BULL -- As bullfighters go, Michel Lagravere Peniche has done pretty well.

He has fought 56 bulls, slicing off 106 ears and seven tails as trophies. He has fought in Mexico and in several South American countries, but over the weekend he was banned from fighting in France.

"It's like if someone asks a kid who plays football not to play," said a disappointed Peniche, better known as Michelito.

But French authorities bowed to anti-bullfighting protesters who argued that even taking part in a "becerrada," in which the young bulls are fought but not killed, would endanger his safety and, in any case, was against child labor laws.

Michelito is 10.

* EIGHT IS ENOUGH -- The Chinese consider eight to be a lucky number, which is perhaps one reason they opted to open the Beijing Olympics on the eighth day of the eighth month in 2008.

But the weather is not cooperating. The Beijing Meteorological Bureau has predicted torrential rain for Friday, which would put a sizable dampener on the opening ceremonies and turn the Bird's Nest Stadium as soggy as a bowl of noodles.

And no umbrellas are allowed.

* FISH STORY -- Welsh swimmer David Davies explained to BBC Sport why he refuses to swim in open water.

"If I saw a big fish, I'd be scared," he said. "They're not human. They don't walk around. They're different."

* THE NAKED TRUTH -- Craig Tornberg, general manager of Major League Soccer's New England Revolution, was one of the Revolution personnel who recently subdued a naked passenger on an American Airlines flight.

He told the Boston.com Web site the airline crew's initial reaction was unexpected.

"I go get a flight attendant," Tornberg said. "I tell him there's a naked fellow in the plane. He said, 'Omigod, can you show me?' Looking back, I'm thinking, 'There's not many naked people on this plane.' "

* POWER PLAY -- Noting that the trades of Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Ken Griffey Jr. to the Chicago White Sox represented more than 1,100 home runs switching teams, Greg Cote of The Miami Herald said: "America won't see another transfer of power that big until Nov. 4."

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