ESPN

Last seen in uniform, LeBron James was a solitary figure leaving the court in Orlando -- no handshakes but shaking his head as the Cavs' dream matchup with Kobe's Lakers disappeared courtesy of the Magic. Today, King James prepares to embrace his championship quest once again in the form of a larger-than-life bearhug from Shaq. It is all or nothing for the Cavs as the LeBron free agent sweepstakes looms in 2010 and management is banking that Shaq can repeat the success of his previous title tandems in Los Angeles and Miami one more time in Cleveland. Also, the Pistons made the first free agent splash of the offseason by agreeing to contracts with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Do these players put the Pistons back in contention in the Eastern Conference and how will these acquisitions affect the free agent landscape? Today on OTL, we discuss the pursuit of star power and the potential playoff payoff around the NBA.

Michael Vick, the man who brought the brutality of dog fighting to the public's attention, may now be the person partly responsible for its decreasing popularity. With his conviction came national exposure for this illegal and largely underground business. Since his case was first publicized, more dogfighting operations have been raided, more dogfighters have been convicted, and more dogs have been rescued. Now, the Humane Society of the United States has agreed to join forces with Vick to try to further educate young people about the cruelty of dogfighting. Although some are critical of this partnership, saying Vick is simply using such an associate to garner positive publicity, Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle insists his organization will benefit much more from engaging with him than they might be endlessly criticizing him. On Outside the Lines, Mark Schwarz reports how the man who became the face of dogfighting in America has impacted its future. Watch preview

After the release of the Mitchell Report in December of 2007, Major League Baseball has faced repeated news of steroid users. The innocence of the game has been clouded by the steroid era, and this generation of youngsters is faced with questions beyond, "Is Mantle better than Mays?" What happens when their personal hero, their idol, joins the list of alleged banned substance users? That is precisely what happened when Los Angeles Dodgers' star Manny Ramirez was suspended 50 games on May 7 for violating baseball's drug policy. For children in LA, an idol became a cheater, and a new aspect of the game was revealed to them. Julie Foudy follows two families in the aftermath of Ramirez' failed drug test and reports on the dialogue between the parents and their children as they sort through the steroid era. Watch preview