SPORTS BUZZ: As the 2008 Wimbledon tennis tournament begins, authorities are looking into claims that gamblers fixed eight of last year’s matches. The growing tennis fixing scandal, which made news headlines late last year, has focused mostly on the Russian mafia paying off lower-ranked players to throw matches, so Scotland Yard is stepping in this year to try and combat fixing. So there’s more to Wimbledon than just white tennis shorts!

The Best Links:

1. Professional Tennis Promises to Crack Down on Fixing
2. Blimey! They’re Fixin’ Matches!
3. The Scandal Breaks as Wimbledon Begins

SPORTS BUZZ: No, it doesn’t involve Lindsay Lohan. Two women were asked to stop kissing at a Mariners baseball game in Seattle last week after someone in the stands complained. An usher asked them to quit with the kissing, the story leaked to blogs and the local media, and now apparently the Mariners have apologized.

The Best Links:

1. Lesbian Couple Asked to Stop Kissing at Mariners Game
2. Your Typical “seat-host-says/lesbian-couple-says” Impasse
3. Watching Girls Kiss is Way Better Than Mariners Baseball
4. Sirbrina Guerrero is a Minor Star
5. “Siribrina Guerrero is out to convert the world to rampant lesbianism and must be stopped”
6. Seattle’s Gay Population Second Only to S.F.

SPORTS BUZZ: Kobe Bryant is reportedly having an affair with Vanessa Curry, a Lakers cheerleader. To make things worse, his wife Vanessa has cussed out an ESPN reporter who claimed Kobe was bonking the “hotter Vanessa.” If your name is Vanessa, you better watch your back! Kobe could be coming after you.

The Best Links:

1. Watch: Vanessa Curry Dancing at a Car Dealership
2. “Calling Dr. Phil! Kobe Bryant’s Wife Vanessa Cusses Out ESPN Mag Reporter in Front of Toddler Daughters!”
3. Kobe Back to Being His Regular, Adulterating Self
4. Is ESPN Keeping the Laura Lane- Kobe/Vanessa Cursing Story Alive?
5. Reporter Cussed Out by Vanessa Bryant
6. Photo of 18 Year Old Vanessa Curry
7. The Affair was Completely Covert
8. Gossip Site “The Dirty” Has Major Dirt on the Affair! Photos to Come
9. Kobe Bryant Wants to Sue Gossip Site theDirty.com

SPORTS BUZZ: The Boston Herald makes a formal apology to the Patriots for accusing them falsely. The day before the last Super Bowl, the Herald ran a story about how the Pats had videotaped the Rams before Super Bowl XXXVI, except oops that never happened. Now the paper is officially saying sorry and readers are incensed.

The Best Links:

1. “The Boston Herald regrets the damage done to the team.”
2. Readers Revolt!
3. ESPN, Circling Ever Closer
4. Pats May Very Well File Suit

SPORTS BUZZ: The single-season USC basketball player has allegedly been receiving gifts and cash from recruiters since high school. Mayo played one season at USC and will be heading into the NBA draft with a cloud hanging over his head. Louis Johnson, a former friend of Mayo’s, says the USC star has been receiving money and perks — like a flat-screen TV — from an L.A. promoter for several years.

The Best Links:

1. Mayo Denies Taking Gifts, Cash
2. The Mayo Probe
3. Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems for USC
4. Mayo Has Allegedly Been Getting Perks and Money Since Before He Entered Highschool
5. So This is How It Works
6. Here’s the Impact On O.J. Mayo’s Earning Potential
7. “Mayo Gets Bush-whacked by Friend”

SPORTS BUZZ: A video of the Mets pitcher presiding over a cockfight with Hall of Famer Juan Marichal makes its rounds online. It appeared briefly on YouTube, and is now inevitably resurfacing. The video takes place in the Dominican Republic, where cockfighting is legal, but Martinez is now facing a PR nightmare here in the U.S.

The Best Links:

1. Here’s the Entire Video
2. Yes, the Animal People Are Pissed About it
3. Martinez is Busted (But At Least His Bird Won)
4. Wow, PETA’s Involved? Didn’t See That Coming
5. “No word on whether they then fried the birds up and ate them”

SPORTS BUZZ: Martina Hingis is handed a two-year ban for cocaine use. Kate Moss is lucky she didn’t opt to become a professional tennis player.

The Best Links:

1. Hingis Retired As Soon As The Positive Test Came In
2. Hingis’s Wimbeldon Cocaine Use Catches Up With Her
3. Hingis: “no desire to spend the next several years of my life reduced to fighting against the doping officials”
4. Earlier Mixed Reactions Over Hingis’ Cocaine Bombshell

SPORTS BUZZ: A site devoted to exploiting Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo’s apparent inability to play well in front of his girlfriend, Jessica Simpson. It’s a pretty simple concept: Fans of opposing teams wear Simpson masks to future Cowboys games, ensuring victory for their side.

The Best Links:

1. Jessica Simpson: No-Show at Cowboys Game
2. Fans Ridicule Tony Romo with Jessica Simpson Masks
3. Ruin Romo!
4. “This Is Pure Internet Genius”
5. How To Show Romo Yer Lover
6. Jessica Simpson Presides Over Tony Romo’s Worst Game Ever
7. Flickr - How to Make a Mask
8. T.O. Says He Was Just Joking About Jessica Simpson

SPORTS BUZZ: Professional tennis is in the midst of a debacle over fixed matches. Now John McEnroe’s worried the mob has been behind the alleged rigging.

The Best Links:

1. Why Is Anyone Gambling On Tennis?
2. “That’s potentially pretty dark and scary.”
3. McEnroe: ‘Russian Mafia Could Be Involved’
4. Davydenko Fined For Acting Like He Was Throwing The Match
5. Actually, Johnny, Money Is A Pretty Good Motivating Factor

SPORTS BUZZ: Leave it to Barry Bonds to knock Pay-Rod from the top of the baseball headlines. Yes, it finally happened. Bonds has been indicted on five counts of perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from his 2003 grand jury testimony about illegal steroid use, and now faces up to 30 years in prison. Here’s the scoop on why it happened, and what’s likely to happen next.

The Best Links:

1. Bonds Indicted On Perjury, Obstruction of Justice Charges
2. Bonds in Pinstripes: Manager of Ossining Orioles Makes Pitch for Indicted Slugger
3. Expect Bonds To Fight Charges
4. Bonds Indictment: How Others See It
5. Barry Bonds Thought Process Flow-chart
6. So what does IT mean for Barry Bonds and for Major League Baseball? Plenty!
7. Barry Bonds Is a Ham Sandwich
8. Barry Bonds Facing 30 Years in Jail and a Rough Financial Future
9. Barry Bonds Indicted - What Next?
10. Tracking Barry Bonds legal issues - More Informative Links
11. Bonds Indicted: The Legalese
12. The Bonds Indictment — O.J. Simpson or Michael Vick? The CSI Effect
13. Barry Bonds and the Constitution
14. Views On the Bonds’ Indictment: Let’s Stick to the Facts
15. Barry Bonds: Legal Perspective (Must Read)
16. Barry Bonds Is a Lucky Man
17. Overzealous Prosecutors Indict Baseball Legend Barry Bonds On Perjury and Obstruction
18. The Actual Indictment (PDF)