Condom comedy intrudes on family

I've never been the type of mother who was squeamish abouttelling kids the facts of life.

When mine were still in diapers, I decided to follow the adviceof child-rearing experts who said that youngsters will show a naturalcuriosity about their bodies. Rather than volunteer more informationthan a child is ready for, the pros advised simply answering thechildren's question honestly. So I did.

When the kids wanted to know where babies came from, I didn'thide behind the stork. We looked at picture books that showed howbabies grew inside their mother's bodies until they were ready to beborn. I told them stories about their own births, and how happytheir dad and I …

Indians Roll Past Red Sox 7-3

CLEVELAND - Led by a throwback pitcher who looks as if he stepped out of their 1948 team photo, the Cleveland Indians moved one win from another crack at winning an elusive World Series title.

Pumping his arms with an old-school windup from yesteryear, Paul Byrd blanked Boston long enough and the Indians used a seven-run rampage in the fifth inning to beat the Red Sox 7-3 Tuesday night for a 3-1 lead in the AL championship series.

The Indians, who knocked out the New York Yankees and their monstrous payroll in the first round of the playoffs, now have the free-spending Red Sox on the ropes. Even three straight homers couldn't rally Boston.

A victory in Game 5 on …

Manny brings his baggage to Albuquerque

J.J. Gutierrez, a 15-year-old baseball fan, didn't mince words when asked about Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez.

"He's a cheater," Gutierrez said. "But I still want to see him play."

Gutierrez and his father, Julian, were among a steady stream of fans who lined up four- and five-deep at the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes' box office Monday to buy tickets for this week's series against Nashville.

Ramirez is preparing to return from a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug rules. He is eligible to be reinstated on July 3, when the Dodgers are in San Diego and agreed to a stint in the minors to ease back into …

Tigers Trump Sox' 2 Pairs // Franco-Ventura Homer Tandem Not Enough

The White Sox proved Sunday that their deep hitting arsenal,quality pitching staff and never-say-die attitude won't be enough towin every game.

But it will be good enough to win most.

"You don't expect to win every game," shortstop Ozzie Guillensaid after two Sox comebacks weren't enough in a 7-6 loss to theDetroit Tigers. "But you expect to win every series - and that'swhat we've been doing. If we can do that, we'll be exciting."

The game Sunday, which was played before a Comiskey Park crowdof 41,149, was certainly exciting, with two pairs of back-to-backhome runs from Julio Franco and Robin Ventura in the sixth and eighthinnings putting the Sox in …

Seoul Train

MASS TRANSIT

SOUTH KOREA'S Online Electric Vehicle looks a bit like a kiddie ride, and its first public demonstration took place at an amusement park near the capital, Seoul. But don't underestimate the OLEV: It's powerful enough to tow three city buses. Moreover, according to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), it may revolutionize electric-vehicle transportation. Sucking power magnetically from grid-powered electric strips buried 12 inches below the roadbed, the train collects and distributes the power to either its motor or a battery. The system requires smaller batteries, recharges rapidly, and …

FINA-Grand Prix Diving Results

Results Thursday at the FINA United States Grand Prix diving event:

Men

3-Meter Synchronized

Final

1. Luo Yutong and Xinhua Zhang, China, 441.39 points.

2. Christopher Colwill and Jevon Tarantino, United States, 416.37.

3. Anton Zakharov and Dmytro Lysenko, Ukraine, 409.62.

4. Scott Robertson and Robert Newbery, Australia, 397.74.

5. Reuben Ross and Eric Sehn, Canada, 396.39.

6. Nicola Marconi and Tommaso Marconi, Italy, 387.27.

7. David Boudia and Thomas Finchum, United States, 381.75.

8. Tobias Schellenberg and Andreas Wels, Germany, 379.38.

9. …

Devine urged to look into inmates' beating allegations

Groups ranging from Amnesty International to the Chicago Councilof Lawyers urged State's Attorney Dick Devine Thursday to investigateclaims that seven Cook County Jail inmates were beaten whilehandcuffed last month by as many as 50 jail guards, some armed withpool cues.

But the Cook County sheriff's office dismissed the allegations,saying the inmates were trying to cash in on recent publicity aboutbrutality by jail guards. The office added that it expects theinmates will be charged in connection with the July 27 incident.

"What do you expect from them?" said jail spokeswoman Sally Daly."Every one of them is charged with murder or sexual assault. Theseguys are among …