Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard hit his 200th homer Thursday to help his world championship squad stretch their winning streak to six games with a 4-0 victory over the Florida Marlins. It was the 23rd homer of the season for the 29-year-old Howard, making him the fastest player in history to reach the 200-homer milestone. He did so in his 658th game. Before him, Ralph Kiner was the fastest player to reach 200 home runs, doing so in 706 games.  ”It’s a nice feat,” Howard said. ”It’s a nice record to have. I’ll take it and run with it.” The Phillies enjoy the longest current winning streak in the majors, and they’ve won 10 of their past 11 games. Resuming play after the All-Star break, they increased their lead over second-place Florida to five games in the NL East to start a four-game series.

A Jamaican sprinter makes Olympic history in Beijing

Winning by a full four body-lengths over American defending champ Shawn Crawford, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt made Olympic history Wednesday. Bolt became the first-ever sprinter to break world records and win gold medals in both the 100- and 200-meter races during one Olympics. “I blew my mind and I blew the world’s mind,” Bolt says. His 19.30 seconds in the 200 made him the first man since Carl Lewis to sweep gold medals from both sprints. Lewis did so in 1984. Bolt also beat Michael Johnson’s 12-year-old record of 19.32 seconds. Not even Olympics legend Jesse Owens completed a 100, 200 sweep. Get the latest on how the Americans did and more at BET.com/Olympics ‘08.

Usain Bolt wins 200-meter semi-final in Beijing Olympics.
Sprinter could take first double since Carl Lewis. World-record-setting 100-meter runner Usain Bolt can become the first to win a double in the 100 and 200 sprints since 1984. Bolt beat out the USA’s Shawn Crawford in Tuesday’s 200-meter semi-final with some observers saying he actually slowed down toward the end. It was enough to beat Crawford, the defending 200 champ, by .03 seconds. Legendary USA Olympian Carl Lewis was the last sprinter to win both the 100 and 200 over 20 years ago. Bolt is favored to repeat Lewis’ feat.

U.S. favorites fall in 400-meter and 100-meter hurdles. United States track and field stars Sanya Richards and Lolo Jones struggled in their respective events and failed to capture medals. Which American athlete benefited from Jones’ mishap? Find out more at BET.com’s Olympics ‘08.

Cleveland’s Edwards still sidelined after sock sprint. NFL wide receiver Braylon Edwards could miss a second pre-season game as he continues recovering from a gash in his foot that he suffered while running in his socks. Edwards hasn’t returned to the Browns line-up since he took stitches for the injury he suffered while racing teammate Donté Stallworth after a recent practice. Stallworth accidentally stepped on Edwards’ foot with his cleats, causing Edwards to spend a night in the hospital. He’ll likely be fully recovered in time for the regular season, says Cleveland’s management.