Playoff football, Copa America futbol and a stray baseball game. Not much else. WNBA has the night off.

All times Eastern

Soccer: Copa America, United States vs. Paraguay, GolTV and TeleFutura, 6:30 p.m.; Argentina vs. Colombia, GolTV and TeleFutura, 8:45 p.m.

Baseball: Minnesota at N.Y. Yankees, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Arena football: Playoffs, Utah at Los Angeles, ESPN2, 10 p.m.

Catching up on various reads from a busy day, with one common theme running through the top few pieces: Ease up, people!

- From England, Kevin Mitchell all but gives up on prodigies Michelle Wie and Freddy Adu. (Observer)

- Gene Wojciechowski fires back to defend Wie, reminding us that anyone who had top-five finishes in four majors over a short stretch of time shouldn't be counted out at age 17. (ESPN)

- A blogger says Adu needs a shot with the national team or in Europe. (Rumors and Rants)

- Quincy Carter, rumored to be getting a shot at an NFL workout, throws a fit and gets a costly penalty in an af2 game. Michael David Smith wonders how Carter would deal with NFL pressure. Hey, at least he cares about the game. (FanHouse)

- Trash-talking in women's mixed martial arts. Erin Toughill vs. Tara LaRosa. (Bloody Elbow)

- Not content with having several individual martial arts in the Olympics, UFC president Dana White would like to see MMA in the Games. The misreadings of the Olympics at UFCMania made our heads hurt as if Rampage Jackson had taken us out in the first round. (Oregonian, via FanHouse)

- Washington Post blogger Dan Steinberg, on the advise of his boss, disposes of the Amanda Beard Playboy issue that showed up in his mailbox at work. If they're going to be all P.C., shouldn't they at least recycle it? (D.C. Sports Bog)

- Yi Jianlian scored 15 points against the U.S. 19-and-under hoops team. Meanwhile, Bucks owner Herb Kohl hopes the Chinese forward will answer his letter. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, ESPN)

Wie photo by Jonathan Ernst, Getty Images

Before the rain delay in this extraordinary match, Serena Williams gutted her way through a "spasm-induced calf strain" against Daniela Hantuchova.

For the first few points after the delay, Williams looked hopeless. But she warmed up and overpowered a stunned Hantuchova. You'll rarely see a more unlikely win.

Also: Rafael Nadal, he of the backlogged schedule, has resumed against Robin Soderling. Nadal was two sets up and two points away from the match when the rain hit. Soderling then won the third-set tiebreaker and the fourth set. Nadal broke Soderling early in the fifth, but then the rain came back again. That's probably it for the day. Reminder: This is Nadal's third-round match, while Roger Federer is cooling his heels waiting for his quarterfinal opponent.

Updates in reverse chronological order

Hantuchova 2-6 S. Williams: The anticipation rises when Williams gets to 15-30. Hantuchova wins the next two, but an error brings it to deuce. Williams drives Hantuchova out of position with a second-serve return, then smashes a winner.

Match point ... and Hantuchova hits into the net. Maybe 20 minutes ago, we thought Serena Williams had no business on the court and was just risking further injury. Now, she's through to meet Justine Henin in the quarterfinals.

Hantuchova 2-5 S. Williams: Is this tennis or judo? Or Rocky III? Hantuchova is patiently slugging it out with Williams, who hits a couple of errors to give Hantuchova a break point.

But Williams, even when not limping, has hot streaks that few players can handle. She fights back and closes out the game with an ace.

Soderling breaks Nadal -- this could turn into an interesting evening. Thank Christine Brennan for the reverse jinx -- just when she says it looks dull, we see a women's match for the ages and what might be a huge upset.

Hantuchova 2-4 S. Williams: In between games, Williams asked to go to the bathroom. The umpire said she must wait until after Hantuchova's service game. Another trip down memory lane -- Williams pleading to leave the court against Jennifer Capriati.

But then Williams battles to 30-30. After a brief interlude to allow a pigeon to cross the court, Hantuchova's first serve misses badly. But the Slovakian -- proving her own mental resilience here today -- patiently moves the ball around after her second serve and gets to 40-30.

The next second serve didn't go as well, with Williams ripping the return. Hantuchova hits long, and it's deuce. Hantuchova hits in the net in the next rally, and Williams has an improbable break point.

Williams converts as Hantuchova again plunges a shot into the net. And suddenly, Serena doesn't have to use the facilities, even after the umpire reminds her that she just asked to go.

The teen who pitched a perfect game in the Little League World Series but was later revealed to be over the age limit has found his first attempt at pro baseball to be a brief one. The independent Frontier League's Southern Illinois Miners released Danny Almonte over the weekend. He was 0-1 with a 5.28 ERA in six appearances.

(Via Deadspin)

The New York Post says Cynthia Rodriguez, A-Rod's wife, was wearing a "XXX shirt" to a Yankees game.

Gothamist's Jen Chung points out that PG-13 movies are allowed one swear word, which is what she had on the back of the shirt. That's a little more clever than what we're reading in the sports blogosphere about it.

Rodriguez wasn't removed -- nor was she asked to cover up the shirt. But if you show up at a ball game intending with a T-shirt protesting Barry Bonds, you may be asked to "turn those T-shirts inside out or remove them."

That's the word from San Francisco Chronicle reporters/Game of Shadows authors Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, who chronicled a few fans' run-ins with stadium security over signs, T-shirts, inflatable syringes, etc. (Via FanIQ)

Sports by Brooks suggests a few new policies, including "no selling of juices of any kind at any concession stand during Bonds appearances."

Photo by Tim Shaffer, Reuters

2:20 p.m. ET: The match is resuming -- we'll have updates in a new post.

You'll be seeing this on every sports show in the country -- Serena Williams essentially playing on one leg after suffering a crippling cramp in her left calf. She won her first service game with the injury. Venus Williams, in the stands after winning earlier today, is near tears at the sight of her sister's effort.

Just as that effort seemed likely to fall short in the second-set tiebreaker, forcing a third set that Williams surely could not have endured, rain intervened. Photo by Julian Finney, Getty Images

Updating in reverse chronological order:

Tiebreaker -- Hantuchova wins her service point, then goes up the "mini-break" when Williams hits in the net. Then it's 3-0 on a double fault. Then 4-0.

Williams stops the shutout on Hantuchova's serve as a return finds the net cord and drops in. Williams makes it 4-2, drilling Hantuchova's return.

At last, relief -- the long-threatened rain has finally arrived. Williams limps off the court, expressionless.

Hantuchova 6-6 2-6 Williams: Her left calf wrapped tightly, Williams gives a couple of serves while barely moving her leg. Incredibly, she gets to 30-15 as two Hantuchova returns go long. Hantuchova puts the next one in play but right to Williams, who slowly steps toward the net through the point and finally hits a soft one Hantuchova can't reach. Hantuchova wins the next point, but Williams closes out with an ace.

A rare feat in a women's tennis match -- a scream after the shot, either from leg pain or disbelief that she won that game. Tiebreaker now for the second set.

Hantuchova 6-5 2-6 Williams: Hantuchova just got the easiest ace of her career. Williams made no effort to move for the ball. It's 40-15. The next serve goes to Williams' racket, and she swings easily to hit it back into the net. Hantuchova leads 6-5 in the second ... can Williams recover during the break? Will it rain in time for Williams to get off the court?

Update: After a nervous double fault from Hantuchova, the Slovakian player regained composure and hit a winner.

Then Serena Williams crumpled to the grass. It's apparently a cramp -- a particularly painful one. Trainers are out on the court while Venus and the rest of the family looks on with concern.

It's Williams' left calf. The replay shows that she made it through the point OK, then suddenly dropped. She stands, then takes a tentative step.

Original post: Once again, we have rain on the way at Wimbledon as a Williams sister breaks back. This time, it's Serena Williams in the second set against Daniela Hantuchova. Williams won the first set 6-2 but was down 2-5 in the second. She held serve to take it to 3-5, then forcefully kept Hantuchova from serving out the set.

Williams held her next serve at love, and it's 5-5.

So they're on serve in the second and Williams has plenty of momentum, but another wave of rain is on the way. And Williams is asking for some help from the trainer.

If you're hoping to see some tennis on a lunch break or just bored with work today and looking for TV options, you might be in luck. The tarps are off the courts at Wimbledon, and they're expecting to restart in a few minutes.

We'll find an interesting match in the afternoon and give a few updates.

Tito Ortiz, talking up his UFC73 bout with Rashad Evans, used the same phrase that put Don Imus on indefinite career hiatus.

That hit the Edmonton Sun over the weekend and is picked up today at AOL's FanHouse.

So when did Ortiz say it? April 24. Take a look.

Rashad Evans' April 27 response is still on the UFC site. UFCJunkie gives a possible reason -- Ortiz has a bit of a feud with UFC boss Dana White.

Why does it take so long for anyone outside the UFC community to pick up on Ortiz's comments? Different standards for athletes and radio hosts? Lack of mainstream attention for UFC? Different rules for pre-fight hype? Slow summer for news?

Good news for an NHRA driver: You've qualified. Bad news: Your car isn't in one piece. Or two. Or five.

As the headline on the ESPN video puts it: "Car explodes, still qualifies"

The driver, Del Worsham, has dealt with worse. He counts himself lucky that he can still count to five on his left hand.

He made it back for the elimination rounds Sunday, but top qualifier Robert Hight won their heat easily. Worsham is 12th in Funny Car points almost halfway through the season.

(Yes, Wikipedia has an entry explaining the term "Pyrrhic victory.")

We'll pick up the occasional match live today, and we'll start here. Venus Williams resumed her match with Akiko Morigami today up a set but with little momentum, as Morigami held a 4-1 lead in the second. The unseeded Japanese player went on to seal the second set. Morigami broke to go up 5-3 and serve for the match, but Williams dug in to break back. We'll pick it up there:

Morigami 5-5 Williams: Venus holds with little difficulty at 40-15, and Morigami seems flustered.

Morigami 5-6 Williams: A couple of blood-curdling screams and a couple of unforced errors as Williams falls behind 15-40. But she's overpowering on the next point and then outlasts Morigami on two straight baseline rallies to get break point. Morigami, who has been just missing her servce with a couple of lets, finally handcuffs Williams to get back to deuce. Then the point of the game -- Morigami gets Williams out of position, approaches the net and plays a drop shot, only to see Williams scramble across the court and tap a winner down the line. Morigami hits one wide in the next rally, and now it's Williams' turn to serve for the match.

Morigami 5-7 Williams: As rain starts to fall, Williams loses a bit of control. She falls behind 15-40 before recovering with a couple of powerful winners. A service winner brings up match point. She converts on the first try, as Morigami can't get her return over the net. Williams bounces around the court in excitement, while Morigami can't wait to get off the court.

Next up for Williams: Maria Sharapova. Next up at Wimbledon: A rain delay.

If you want to follow all the action live, check the roundup of Webcasts.

We're going to dive right into Wimbledon coverage, Christine Brennan's protests over the state of tennis notwithstanding. Venus Williams is in trouble -- Akiko Morigami is serving for the match.

Wimbledon to World Series (of Poker), all in one weekend ...

All times Eastern

Golf, U.S. Women's Open: Michelle Wie's odds of sticking around for the last two rounds, which will surely force another round of fretting from pundits who can't wait to tear down anyone more famous than Danny Bonaduce. That's right -- it's a conspiracy. We can keep silent no longer.

So we'll start building up Alexis Thompson, the 12-year-old who might make the cut. And maybe some of the golfers with a chance of winning this thing might get some attention.

NBC, 3 p.m. Saturday/Sunday

Tennis, Wimbledon: Looks like they'll manage to get enough matches complete to avoid playing Sunday. No sign yet of the Saturday schedule, but keep checking.

ESPN2, 8 a.m. Saturday; NBC, noon Saturday

Baseball, Mets-Phillies: Remember when the Phillies were the early-season punching bag in the NL East? They could move into a tie for the lead by sweeping the Mets.

Fox (regional), 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Sailing, America's Cup: It's currently Switzerland's Cup (with an American helmsman), and it'll stay that way if Alinghi can win twice this weekend. Or it could be one race away from being New Zealand's Cup.

Versus, 8:30 a.m. Saturday/Sunday

Football, Arena playoffs: The top four have byes, and so do Mike & Mike. The AFL site has the pairings and broadcasters. Who gets Mark Schlereth's frequent flyer miles? (Photo by Jim McIsaac, Getty Images)

Orlando at Philadelphia, ESPN, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Columbus at Tampa Bay, ESPN, noon Saturday
Colorado at Kansas City, ESPN, 3 p.m. Saturday
Utah at Los Angeles, ESPN2, 10 p.m. Monday

Auto racing, SunTrust Indy Challenge, Richmond, Va.: Here's our prediction of the week -- Danica Patrick wins her first IRL race, jumps out the car and yells "(Bleep, bleep), I'm going to NASCAR!!" People who feel threatened by powerful women will say the race was fixed, then flip to NFL Network for highlights of something a little less unsettling.

ESPN, 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Special events:

- Beach volleyball, FIVB Stavanger (Norway), WCSN
- Soccer, Copa America, GolTV, Fox Sports en Espanol, TeleFutura/Univision/Galavision
- Soccer, Under-20 World Cup, ESPNU and ESPN360 (feel free to send updates to those of us with neither)
- Poker, World Series of Poker, live updates
- Volleyball, World League group stage finale, live updates

Not enough? Check out the listings after the jump ...

For the first time since 2000, volleyball's World League final round will have a bunch of Americans. The U.S. beat Italy 25-18, 23-25, 25-16, 31-29 to raise their record to 9-2 and clinch first place in their pool.

With apologies to Weird Al: "I sued Nellie 'cause he knew Dirk Nowitzki might miss a shot closely guarded"

Don Nelson's attorney tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the Golden State coach is being sued by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for violating a non-compete clause by coaching the Warriors, who happened to upset the Mavs in the playoffs (in case you forgot the first round of the NBA postseason). Cuban doesn't exactly deny it. (Via AOL's FanHouse)

From the Star-Telegram:

This new twist is an extension of an ongoing feud about compensation between the two men, who together resurrected the Mavs' franchise. Nelson sued Cuban last winter, claiming he is due $6.5 million in deferred payments dating to the Ross Perot Jr. ownership group.

Cuban contends Nelson forfeited the money when he accepted the Golden State job because it breached a "non-compete" clause in his Mavs contract, a $200,000-a-year consulting position that ran through 2011.

The San Francisco Chronicle cites an anonymous source in backing up the story:

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, Cuban filed a counterclaim against Nelson last month, contending that the former Mavs coach violated his non-compete clause by using insider information against Dallas during the playoffs.

The source also said that Cuban is seeking an injunction against Nelson working for Golden State, though the litigation has no bearing on Nelson's pending decision on coaching again or retiring.

Update, 8:26 p.m. ET: Phil Mushnick of the New York Post takes WWE chairman Vince McMahon to task in his Friday column.

"It didn't take one death, or even 20, for the media to finally wake up. Hell, pro wrestlers have been steadily dying young since the early 1980s, when McMahon began to rule the industry. ... Imagine if there were a long-running, scripted TV series in which recurring characters kept dropping dead, for real, in their 20s, 30s and 40s. That would be the most scandalous story in TV history. But it has been happening in pro wrestling.," Mushnick wrote. ...

Bruce Hart, the man who helped Benoit get started in pro wrestling, called Benoit a "delusional juice freak" and said "I didn't know all the details, but I knew it wasn't good. I was not at all shocked (by what happened)." ...

Chris Benoit's Wikipedia entry was altered to mention his wife's death before police knew of the murder-suicide at his house.

Wikinews has traced the edits and offers more details.

An anonymous user has confessed to changing the page, saying it was a "terrible coincidence." Wikinews: "The IP Address of the individual making the apology was identical to that of the one who posted the Nancy Benoit rumor, a strong confirmation of the admission's authenticity."

In other Benoit follow-ups today: ESPN's Jemele Hill looks at some of wrestling's more sordid events and wonders when the government should step in and call Vince McMahon to Capitol Hill. The Miami Herald's Jim Varsallone counters, arguing that WWE doesn't get credit for its many charitable acts, but sees a role for WWE to bring aboard a counselor to help wrestlers cope with the stresses of the business. (Via AOL's FanHouse)

WWE handout photo via AP

Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic has knocked out fifth seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, taking the fifth set 8-6 at Wimbledon.

Another Serbian player, Jelena Jankovic, was almost on the other end of an upset, dropping the first set and going to a tiebreaker in the second before rallying past 25th-seeded Lucie Safarova.

The other upsets so far: Michaella Krajicek (31st) over Anna Chakvetadze (eighth) in three sets, Paul Henri Mathieu over 15th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic.

James Blake and Juan Carlos Ferrero are even through two sets and should split ESPN2's broadcast for the next couple of hours with Serena Williams' third-rounder against unseeded Milagros Sequera.

Something about cheese doodles, a sock puppet and Stephen A. Smith.

There might be something funny in that combination, but is this it?

We mention this only to tease fellow bloggers who are agitated by the loosening definition of "sports" these days: The New York Times weighs in on the Kobayashi story.

Next stop: Foreign Affairs