The 100 Best Sports Photos of 2009 - (Part 2 of 4) - Big Shots

The 100 Best Sports Photos of 2009 - (Part 2 of 4)

I'm happy to bring you Part 2 of my 100 favorite sports photographs of 2009. From the playoffs of the NBA to the cheese rolling championships of Stilton, England, any sport can produce incredible images if the right photographer is witness. This week's installment of 25 pictures covers the months of April, May, and June. Return Thursdays this month for the final two segments. ( 25 photos total)

A fan of the North Carolina Tar Heels supports his team against the Michigan State Spartans during the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field April 6 in Detroit. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

A South African fan waits for the start of a Confederations Cup soccer match between South Africa and Spain at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa June 20. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) #

The Atlanta Braves' Brian McCann pauses in the dugout during a MLB baseball game with the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington April 21. McCann visited an eye doctor and got a new contact lens to correct blurred vision in his left eye. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) #

Belmont Stakes hopeful Mine That Bird sticks out his tongue as he stands to be washed following a morning workout at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York June 5. (REUTERS/Mike Segar) #

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

A competitor climbs a dune during the 24th Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert April 1. Participants walk more than 200 km during 7 days in the Sahara in Morocco. (PIERRE VERDY/AFP/Getty Images) #

Paul Hawkins waits for swell on his stand-up paddleboard at Queenscliff Beach May 1 in Sydney. Modern stand-up paddleboarding originated in Hawaii in the 1960's as a way for surf instructors to monitor their classes on the water. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) #

Womens double scull pair Paula Twining (left) and Anna Reymer take a rest during the Rowing New Zealand elite squad training session at Lake Karapiro June 3 in Cambridge, New Zealand. (Phil Walter/Getty Images) #

Cyrille Oumedjkane splashes after diving off the 27.5 meter high platform during cliff diving event in La Rochelle, France May 8. (XAVIER LEOTY/AFP/Getty Images) #

Timo Klami dives during during the AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center May 7 in Fort Lauderdale. (Al Bello/Getty Images) #

Michael Phelps warms up in the practice pool during the XLII Santa Clara International Invitational Swim Meet June 12 at the Santa Clara Swim Club in Santa Clara. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) #

Children watch Andy Murray warm up before a tennis match at Queens Club in London June 8. (REUTERS/ Kieran Doherty) #

The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (left) and the Houston Rockets' Ron Artest exchange pleasantries during a second-round NBA basketball playoff series in Los Angeles May 6. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) #

Chelsea's Michael Ballack (right) screams at referee Tom Henning Ovrebo during a Champions League soccer match versus Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in London May 6. (REUTERS/Eddie Keogh) #

Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox scores as Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees fields a late throw at Fenway Park April 24 in Boston. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images) #

Competitors celebrate winning their heat during the 50th annual Stilton cheese rolling competition on Stilton High Street May 4 in Stilton, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) #

Competitors speed down a street during the second office chair racing championship in the village of Bad Koenig-Zell, Germany April 25. (REUTERS/Johannes Eisele) #

A girl enjoys water pouring down from a stadium's upper balcony during a rain delay before the start of a MLB baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays in Arlington, Texas June 10. (REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi) #

Fans of Ecuador's Deportivo Cuenca cheer for their team prior to a game with Argentina's Boca Juniors during a Copa Libertadores soccer match in Cuenca, Ecuador April 23. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) #

Competitors prepare to swim during the Travessia dos Fortes swimming competition in Rio de Janeiro April 5. (AP Photo/Ricardo Moraes) #

Westwood, Mass. high school lacrosse players rejoice after winning the South Sectional Final versus Wellesley High at Wellesley College June 4. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff) #

Teams contest the Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong May 28. The festival is a celebration of the life of Qu Yuan, the Chinese poet who opposed the corruption of the imperial court. (MIKE CLARKE/AFP/Getty Images) #

Team Canada 1 performs their short program during the Synchronized Skating World Championships in Zagreb April 3. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) #

Pakistani cricket fans watch the final of the Twenty20 World Cup, played in England between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, on a big TV screen in Karachi June 21. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil) #

Residents of Rustenburg, South Africa collect water near the Royal Bafokeng Stadium June 16 ahead of a Confederations Cup soccer match. (XAVIER MARIT/AFP/Getty Images) #