Sports

The sports world is brimming with talk about Lopez Lomong, the American runner who set a 2012 world best in the men's 5,000-meter race in California Sunday. It was Lomong's first race at that distance (just over 3 miles), which he covered in 13 minutes and 11.63 seconds. But the race took a very unusual turn in its final laps.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana House has reversed course and agreed to extend an existing tax break given to the New Orleans Hornets that saves the team $3.7 million a year.

The extension proposed by Rep. Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, was backed in a 62-37 vote Monday. The measure only got 49 votes in support last week.

The NBA team gets a tax break through the state Quality Jobs Program. Henry proposes continuing that through the 2024 season.

Swimming star Alexander Dale Oen, one of Norway's top gold medal hopes in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in London, died Monday at his hotel near a training facility in Flagstaff, Ariz.

The 26-year-old world champion in the 100-meter breaststroke suffered an apparent heart attack, according to Norway's Olympic Committee.

Audie Cornish talks to ESPN commentator Kevin Blackistone about the NBA playoffs.

Update at 6:08 p.m. ET. Man City Wins 1-0:

A header from Vincent Kompany was all it took for Manchester City to come out today against Manchester United.

As the AP reports, this match has been billed as the "biggest Manchester derby ever," and Kompany scored the winning goal during first-half stoppage time.

Our Original Post Continues:

AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Jason Dufner beat Ernie Els with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff Sunday in the Zurich Classic to win for the first time in 164 starts on the PGA Tour. 

Teams in the NBA playoff have begun their quest to be the champion. The headline story of the weekend: Chicago superstar Derrick Rose is out with a torn knee ligament.

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And now, let's turn our attention to the world of sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE BALL GAME")

WYNONA CARR: (Singing) Life is a ball game being played each day. Life is a ball game...

GREENE: Life is a ball game, isn't it? Well, at least that's how Mike Pesca sees it. He is NPR's sports correspondent and also WEEKEND EDITION's guide to those intersections of sports and life. And he joins us now.

Hey, Mike.