June 3
Josh Beckett flirted with a no-hitter as the Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 10-5 in the second game of a three-game series in Detroit. The first hit Beckett allowed came on a Curtis Granderson single with two outs in the seventh inning. JD Drew and Jason Varitek had 2 RBI apiece for Boston, which improved to 31-22 on the season with the win.
June 4
The NBA Finals opened with a very anticlimactic affair in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant scored 40 points as the Lakers blew out the Orlando Magic 100-75 in game one. Dwight Howard was held to just 12 points, making only one shot from the field and not having a single dunk for the first time during the entire playoffs. The Lakers used an explosive third quarter to extend a 10-point halftime lead to 24. Jameer Nelson returned from injury to play in his first game in four months for Orlando. He was effective in the second quarter, but did not score in the second half and may have disrupted the chemistry of the rest of the Magic's team.
June 6
The Red Wings crushed the Pittsburgh Penguins at home in Detroit to take a 3-2 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals. Detroit won 5-0, using four goals in the second period to pull away and end all hope for the Penguins. Henrik Zetterburg scored and assisted on one goal to lead the Red Wings.
In the women's French Open final, Svetlana Kuznetsova won in straight sets over top-seeded Dinara Safina, 6-4 6-2, to win her second grand slam title. The first came in 2004 at the US Open.
June 7
Robin Soderling's upset bid ended, and Roger Federer's long awaited bid for a French Open title came to fruition Sunday, as Federer won the final match in straight sets, 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 6-4. Federer completed the career grand slam, and his 14th grand slam win matches Pete Sampras for most all-time.
The Lakers avoided a last-second scare in regulation to defeat the Magic for a game two NBA Finals win in Los Angeles, 101-96. Pau Gasol's 24 points and 10 rebounds were enough to keep the Lakers in the game and eventually pull out the win, which came much tougher than the game one laugher. Rashard Lewis carried Orlando with 34 points and 11 rebounds. Orlando shot 41% from the field as a team and turned it over 20 times, to which head coach Stan Van Gundy said they must improve on if they want to come back and win the series.
June 8
Tennessee head football coach Lane Kiffin may have committed his sixth minor recruiting violation in six months at the helm of the Volunteers, according to ESPN. The Tennessee athletic department self-reported a violation of allowing ESPN to film Kiffing hosting recruits during a segment for the television channel's "Outside the Lines" show last month.
June 9
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady fell out of a boat in the Charles River, according to the Boston Herald. He was kayaking with his wife Gisele Bundchen, and had to be rescued, but did not sustain any injuries.
Dwight Howard went for 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Orlando had five players score double digit points to escape with a 108-104 victory in game three of the NBA Finals. The Magic shot 75% from the field in the first half, an NBA Finals record. Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with 31 points, but he missed five free throws, including several key ones late in the game. It was the first NBA Finals game victory in the history of the Magic's franchise, who were swept by the Rockets in their only other NBA Finals appearance in 1995. Game four is Thursday night in Orlando at 9:00 p.m.
In game six of the Stanley Cup Finals, Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy each notched a goal for the Penguins as they avoided elimination against the Red Wings and forced game seven Friday night. Pittsburgh goalie Marc Andre-Fleury had 25 saves, including key late stops to keep the Penguins ahead during a furious third-period attack from the Red Wings. Kris Draper added the only goal of the game for the Red Wings. Game seven will be in Detroit, where the Red Wings have not lost in this series.
The Washington Nationals selected Steven Strasburg, a pitcher from San Diego State, with the first pick in the MLB draft. Strasburg is touted as one of the best prospects in the history of the 45-year draft history. Washington may face trouble signing him, however, because Strasburg is represented by Scott Boras, an agent with a reputation for squeezing every last penny out of a team's wallet to sign his clients.