Great sports and (ahem) the Lingerie Football League

Somehow the sports world long survived without lingerie football, but now that women are tackling dummies in their underwear, will sports ever be the same? Thankfully, some dignified citizens are playing backgammon in Damascus, and pehalwans keep their traditional wrestling alive in Lahore. And this week's Big Shots takes in many other sports that restore the world to balance like the women's handball Champions League in Veszprem, Hungary, sprinting down the street with Usain Bolt in Manchester, England, and a good old-fashioned check into the boards at the NHL hockey playoffs. The Volvo Ocean Race leaves Boston headed for Galway, and baseball begins what I hope is a new tradition: the post-homer pie in the face. ( 35 photos total)

Lingerie Football League aspiring players take part in training drills during an open tryout session for the New York Majesty team in Freeport, N.Y. May 14. The LFL, a 10-team nationwide American football league, features women playing football in their underwear, and will start in September 2009 for a 20-week season. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Alan Martinez of Colombia crosses the finish line during the speed race of the 2009 Hangang High Wire World Championship in Seoul May 10, in which participants cross the Han River on a 1 km wire. (REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak) #

Vitor Camargo of Brazil competes on the rings during qualification for the Glasgow Gymnastics Grand Prix in Glasgow May 15. (REUTERS/Russell Cheyne) #

Air Force's Noah Palicia yells in celebration after clearing 16'2" and 3/4 inches in the pole vault during the decathlon portion of the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Laramie, Wy. May 14. (AP Photo/Laramie Boomerang/Ben Woloszyn) #

Villagers cheer as a runner takes part in the Great Wall Marathon of China on the outskirts of Beijing May 16. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) #

Pakistani wrestlers prepare the ground for a match at an Akhra, an institute of local wrestlers, in Lahore May 11. The wrestlers, known as "pehalwans", are among the few who still practice this ancient traditional sport in Lahore, where scores of wrestling arenas used to thrive in its old quarter. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images) #

Syrian men play backgammon in the old city of Damascus May 11. (REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah) #

Members of the Japanese cheerleading team Buffalos (third row from left) react as they win third place during an award ceremony at the Cheerleading Asia International Open Championships in Tokyo May 17. (REUTERS/Toru Hanai) #

Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness hopeful Mine That Bird is held by Double Eagle Ranch farm manager Kelly Dennington while he is washed after working out at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore May 13. (REUTERS/Molly Riley) #

Exercise rider Dominic Terry takes Preakness entrant Rachel Alexandra around the track at Pimlico Race Course May 15 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Rob Carr) #

Boats (from left) Telefonica Blue, Green Dragon, Ericsson 4,Delta Lloyd and Puma position themselves at the start of Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race in Boston May 16 en route to Galway, Ireland. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder) #

An athlete competes during the men's long jump event of the Adidas Track Classic in Carson, Calif. May 16. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images) #

Mike Skinner takes a wild ride during the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. May 15. (BRIAN STEWART - Special to the Charlotte Observer) #

Mark Gibbons speeds under the Seven Mile Bridge May 17 during the Marathon Offshore Grand Prix in Marathon, Fla. (AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Bob Care) #

Raymond Letteboer of Netherlands goes through the water obstacle during the Land Rover International Driving Grand Prix at the Royal Windsor Horse Show May 16 in Windsor, England. (Tom Shaw/Getty Images) #

Competitors speed down the Vrbas River near Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina as they practice their sprint run ahead of the World Rafting Championships May 17. 55 teams from 35 countries participate. (REUTERS/Damir Sagolj) #

The St. Louis Cardinals' Joe Thurston points as he sits in the dugout with teammate Brendan Ryan during a rain delay of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers May 15 in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) #

Andre Ward celebrates beating Edison Miranda to retain his NABO and NABF Super Middleweight Championship belts during their boxing match in Oakland, Calif. May 16. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) #

Jockey Tiago Jose Pereira atop Gloria De Campeao throws his goggles to the crowd as he celebrates after winning the Singapore Airlines International Cup horse race at the Singapore Turf Club May 17. (REUTERS/Vivek Prakash) #

China's Lin Dan celebrates beating Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei during the men's singles semi-final match at the Sudirman Cup world badminton championships at the Guangzhou Gymnasium in Guangzhou May 16. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images) #

HK Viborg's Katrine Haraldson celebrates her save during the womens handball Champions League final in Veszprem, Hungary May 16. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images) #

Former tennis champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf kiss as they prepare to play Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters in a mixed doubles tennis match during a test event on Wimbledon's Centre Court in London May 17. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) #

Michael Phelps prepares his goggles before the men's 200m freestyle during the Charlotte Ultra Swim at the Charlotte Aquatic Center May 15 in Charlotte, N.C. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) #

Northern Ireland's Martin Rogan looks dejected after his fight was stopped against Sam Sexton from England during the Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast May 15. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) #

Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt leads on his way to winning the final of the 150 meters sprint during the Manchester City Games in Manchester, England May 17. (REUTERS/Phil Noble) #

A vintage racing car passes St. Peter's Square as the historic Mille Miglia race arrives in Rome May 15. Begun in 1927, this parade of classic cars has earned the race the reputation of "the most beautiful road race in the world". (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images) #

Daniela Hantuchova serves the ball to Jelena Jankovic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid May 12. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza) #

Juan Martin del Potro argues with a referee during his semi-final match against Roger Federer at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid May 16. (REUTERS/Francisco Seco) #

Novak Djokovic lies on the ground after falling during his match against Oscar Hernandez at the Madrid Open tennis tournament May 13. (REUTERS/Susana Vera) #

Atalanta's goalkeeper Andrea Consigli eyes the ball between the legs of Juventus defender Paolo De Ceglie during their Serie A football match at Olympic Stadium in Turin May 17, ordered played behind closed doors as a punishment for fans' racist chants against Inter Milan player Mario Balotelli. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images) #

(Clockwise from left) Emotions spill out from soccer players Emilio Renteria of Venezuela's Caracas FC, Manchester United's Carlos Tevez, Atletico Madrid's Kun Aguero, and Barcelona's Dani Alves. (REUTERS/Alejandro Rustom) (AP Photo/Jon Super) (DIEGO TUSON/AFP/Getty Images) (DIEGO TUSON/AFP/Getty Images) #

Bob Casey (right) of London Irish wrestles with Ben Kay of Leicester Tigers during the Premiership rugby union final at Twickenham in London May 16. (REUTERS/Eddie Keogh) #

Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes (left) fights for position with Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins during game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs May 12 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images) #

China's Chen Jian (center) loses his balance while chasing the ball with South Korea's Hong Eun-seong (left) and Oh Dae-keun during their semi-final match of the Asia Cup hockey tournament in Kuantan, Malaysia May 14. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin) #

Big Shots hopes this is a Major League Baseball trend: a pie in the face after a walk-off home run. The Tampa Bay Rays' B.J. Upton gets one May 15 (left) and the New York Yankees' Johnny Damon gets one May 17. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) (REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine) #

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Great sports and (ahem) the Lingerie Football League