Determined mom helps get semi-pro son NFL tryout (VIDEO)

One Wisconsin semi-pro football player is getting the chance of a lifetime — an opportunity to try out for an NFL team — all thanks to his biggest fan, his mother.

Nicole Carter believed so much that her twenty-one-year-old son Zac has what it takes to make it as a quarterback in the NFL, she mailed a demo-tape to every team in the league before a front office finally said they would fly him in for a tryout.

Carter, who only played one season of high school football at De Pere high school, didn't play in college, but he's done well enough in semi-pro football with teams in Green Bay and now in Two Rivers, to catch the eye of an NFL scout, finding out recently the team wants to give him a shot.

"I have never had this happen before," he said. "Honestly, I cried, just to get this opportunity."

Can you say Invincible?

Mom did all of the behind the scenes legwork to make it happen — all without the help of a well-connected agent.

"I taped all of his games, went on the computer, made a demo," she said. "Sent it to every single team out there."

The persistence paid off.  Zac is getting his NFL tryout, but that might not be the biggest benefit of her being a sort of maternal fifteen-percenter.

"I've been fighting cancer," said mom.  "And this has made my focus and my strength to get better even that much higher."

Carter is trying out for an AFC team in late June, though he doesn't want to say exactly which team publicly.  He doesn't want to jinx it or risk upsetting the team's front office.

"Everybody's looking for the next Kurt Warner, said Marco Alfaro, the Manitowoc Co. Mariners head coach. "You know, Kurt Warner was stocking shelves at one point."

Mom has a simpler philosophy.

"Make it or don't make it, at least you made it this far," she said.  "I don't know anyone else that can honestly say, I got to try out for an NFL team.  In my books, he's already made it.  He's a winner either way."

Man charged with assault and hate crime on V. Stiviano: Report (PHOTOS)

Photographs which V. Stiviano claims are proof she was assaulted in New York City over the weekend have been released on the same day a New York man was charged with attacking the tape-recording lady-friend of disgraced LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

The graphic images obtained by MailOnline from her attorney, Mac Nehoray, show the extensive bruising and swelling across the right side of Stiviano's usually visor-covered face that she suffered during the reported attack.

In one photograph, taken after Sunday's alleged assault outside the Gansevoort Hotel, a stunned looking Stiviano has what appears to be a huge reddish mark going from her eye down to her chin.

In the other, which was presumably taken the day after, Stiviano's face seems to be painfully swollen, especially around her cheek.

Even though she is wearing make-up in the photograph, the effects of the alleged attack appear to be visible.

Nehoray said Stiviano had been examined by a doctor after the incident, and found her to be "banged up but OK."

These images were released on the same day that 40-year-old Dominick Diorio was arrested at his home on Long Island, and charged with assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and harassment for punching Stiviano in the face outside the hotel on Sunday.

He and another man allegedly hurled racist comments at Stiviano during the attack, including the N-word, after she left a restaurant with friends in the trendy neighborhood. The second man has not been arrested.

They apparently recognized Stiviano from her role in the recent NBA race scandal, which caused Sterling to sell the Clippers after she recorded him making racist comments about black people.

New York Police Department Detective Brian Sessa told reporters that the investigation is still ongoing.

Jon Singleton hits first home run, flips first bat in first MLB game (VIDEO)

Astros first baseman Jon Singleton made his much-anticipated MLB debut on Tuesday night at home — and did it with a flourish.

The highly-touted 22-year-old tallied his first career hit — a home run to right-center field — and capped it off with a nifty little bat flip.

The Astros went on to beat to beat the Angels in front of a thrilled Minute Maid Park crowd. 

And why not? The team is one game over .500 with an exciting young player who looks like the real deal.

Scoreboard operator takes nap during middle of Mets-Cubs game (VIDEO)

The New York Mets' broadcasters have a lot of fun teasing an operator caught sleeping on the job inside Wrigley Field's hand-turned scoreboard Tuesday night. And the fifth inning snooze was all caught on camera.

The dozing number turner — who might have the easiest job outside of Vanna White — might find himself with a lot of free time to rest after his bosses see the video of him cutting ZZZs during the game.

A Mets-Cubs matchup might not be the most thrilling spectacle in sports ... but come on.

We all know the real score here: Robotic automation 1 Human workforce 0.

Argentinian gangs planning ambush on England's hooligans during World Cup: Report

You might want to file this under the What Goes Around Comes Around or the You Asked For It sports category. 

Police are warning English soccer hooligans headed to the World Cup in Brazil that Argentinian thugs are planning to ambush and attack them after they arrive. 

More than 650 violent "ultras" are believed to be travelling to the tournament in Brazil from nearby Argentina to face off with the notorious English ruffians.

Hundreds of the reported instigators are heading to Belo Horizonte, where Argentina will be based and where both sides play group games just days apart later this month, according to the Daily Mail.

Police in the city suggested that members of the notorious Argentinian Barra Brava groups have made alliances with equally violent Brazilian ultras —  and are preparing attacks on rival England fans.

One Brazilian ultra group, Mafia Azul, have reportedly rented a ranch on the outskirts of the city in southeast Brazil to accommodate dozens of Barras Bravas linked to Argentinian club San Lorenzo.

The Mafia Azul group, linked to Belo Horizonte side and current league leaders Cruzeiro, were banned from stadiums in Brazil earlier this year after violent confrontations with rival fans which left several people dead.

Military police chief Col Divino Brito told Brazil's Estado de Minas newspaper he believes the Argentinian and Brazilian soccer gangs are preparing to team up to attack English fans while they are in town.

"Our worry is that in the interval between one match and another, when we are going to have thousands of fans from Argentina and then from England, there are going to be clashes," he said. "We will deal forcefully with any foreigner who comes here wanting to commit violence and vandalism."

But Col Alberto Luiz Alves admitted: 'We can normally monitor groups with a history of violence.

"But we would only know of dangerous fans if they enter by air," claims Col Alberto Alves. "And in the case of the Argentinian Barra Bravas most will be arriving by land. It will be very difficult to keep track of them."

At least 11,000 Argentinian fans have bought tickets to see their side play Iran on June 21 in Belo Horizonte.

This sort of threat usually goes unheeded, but let's hope no innocent fans find themselves in a mix.

Derek Jeter's mental lapse contributes to Mariners win (VIDEO)

Derek Jeter's reputation for giving foul balls to little kids in the stands is pretty well documented, but this charitable intention gave the Mariners a triple and helped contribute to a Yankees loss Monday night.

Jeter's rare mental lapse was scored as a "triple to shallow left," but that's really understating what happened after he was ready to give what he thought was a foul ball to a little fan.

Kyle Seager of the Mariners hit a pop up down the left-field line. Jeter, who was playing near third base in a shift, and left fielder Brett Gardner gave chase, with Gardner attempting a sliding catch. The ball popped out of his glove and bounced into Jeter's hands, who almost caught it. When the ball hit the ground, Jeter nonchalantly jogged after it, his back to the rest of the field.

Then Jeter spotted the young fan in the stands and almost handed him the baseball.

"It's a good thing I didn't," the brain-frozen Jeter said.

The Jeter gaffe was a big reason David Phelps allowed a leadoff triple in the fourth inning of Monday's 10-2 loss to the Mariners at Yankee Stadium.

"It never even crossed my mind it was fair," Jeter said.

Phelps said later he thought he might get in trouble for yelling "Throw the ball!" at Jeter from near the pitcher's mound.

But Jeets said he wished the entire stadium was screaming at him.

"I wish the fans would have yelled," Jeter said. "But they wanted the ball."

Phelps — who now has the rare distinction of telling the Yankees Captain what to do — said he didn't fault Jeter.

"I was just hoping he didn't toss the ball into the stands," the pitcher said later. "It looked like a foul ball."

Mets' Matt den Dekker robs home run, throws out runner and eats in outfield (VIDEO)

Mets outfielder Matt den Dekker robbed Ryan Howard of a homer in the second inning then, one inning later, threw out Reid Brignac at the plate all before refueling with a mouthful of snacks at CenturyLink Field Monday night.

The long-haired Mets player — with probably the best Twitter handle in baseball — @UpperDekker — made the two memorable defensive and single digestive plays during his first start of the season against the Phillies.

What can't he do.