Red Bull

Chaleo Yoovidhya, the self-made Thai billionaire who introduced the world to "energy drinks" and cofounded the globally popular Red Bull brand, died Saturday in Bangkok. Forbes magazine ranked Mr. Chaleo, who was in his 80s, the 205th-richest man in the world this year with a net worth of $5 billion. Born in central Thailand's Pichit province to a Chinese father and a Thai mother who reportedly sold fruit and ducks to survive, Mr. Chaleo died the third-richest man in Thailand.

MONTREAL - Championship points leader Sebastian Vettel won another pole position on Saturday, outracing a pair of Ferraris and a looming rainstorm to record the top qualifying lap at the Canadian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver, who won five of the first six Formula One races this season, posted a fastest lap of 1 minute, 13.014 seconds after crashing in the first practice session. He was followed by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. "I just hope it doesn't become a habit to crash the car on Friday and win the pole on Saturday," Vettel said.

It's a white powder, it'll keep you wired all night, and it's called Blow. "Our product is not designed to be an illicit-drug alternative," says Logan Gola, the brains behind Blow. Still, it arrived at The Inquirer in a faux dusty box. Inside were vials of Blow, a toy credit card, and a mirror. (But no dollar bill.) The new mix is being peddled to a market that is hooked: Energy-drink sales increased by 50 percent between 2005 and 2006, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp.

What has Red Bull wrought? The popular energy drink and a host of liquid competitors, according to a food trends analyst, have led to this: People want a buzz from their food, too. If coffee's not your thing, get your caffeine in Morning Spark oatmeal, Sumseeds sunflower seeds, or Phoenix Fury potato chips. In Japan, where energy is in especially high demand, consumers can buy "Men's Soy Sauce Ramen Noodles," a dried pork soup spiked with caffeine. Marketers are also stretching "energy" to mean healthy, non-stimulant foods, such as berries or flaxseed, that supposedly give your body or brain a boost.

Through three games, Lou Williams' numbers are as impressive as his vertical leap. The 76ers' high-flying point guard is averaging 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals a game. He's shooting 63.6 percent from the field, 50 percent from the three-point line, and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line. But here are his most impressive numbers: In his first three games as a starting point guard in the NBA, Williams has 15 assists and only two turnovers. Tonight, the 2-1 Sixers play the 4-0 Boston Celtics at the Wachovia Center.

Upstart neutered punks Story of the Year are basically the same old Vans Warped Tour success story, just clad in different ironic T-shirts and sporting higher voltage finger-in-socket coifs. The St. Louis-bred quintet headlined a four-band bill at the Theatre of Living Arts on Tuesday and entertained the sold-out crowd of barely legal types with a boilerplate hybrid of spazzed-out hardcore and melodic modern rock that should guarantee a season's worth of radio and MTV success. Yet that grim but undeniable truth raises the question: Are they handing out record deals with specially marked cans of Red Bull?

Seize the drink The folks behind Red Bull have a handle on trendy beverages: This time it's Carpe Diem Kombucha, a "wellness" drink. Brewed in the Himalayas since 220 B.C., kombucha teas are fermented with active enzymes and probiotics, making them effervescent and rather pungent. Carpe Diem blends kombucha with herbal teas (plus a bit of fructose). Thus, the Chinese elixir of life and metabolic harmony is still active but better tuned to Western tastes. Mix, melt, monitor Finding the right temperature to temper chocolate for coatings and candies could easily raise a novice's temper - but not with a Connoisseur Chocolate Spatula Thermometer from Taylor.

WHEN I INTERVIEWED Brian Vickers recently at Pocono Raceway, I expected to write about his comeback from treatments for blood clots that sidelined him much of last season. I never thought I'd be including news of the withdrawal of his race team's sponsor. Earlier this week, the Associated Press reported that Red Bull will depart NASCAR at the end of this racing season. The energy-drink company sponsors Vickers' No. 83 team and Kasey Kahne's No. 4 team. Since entering NASCAR in 2007, Red Bull teams have not experienced much success.

Somewhere around the turn of the millennium, the vodka tonic died. As did the gin-and-tonic. And the modest wine spritzer. People could cry into their tumblers of scotch-and-water, but no one's ordering them. At least not in bars serving libations with double-digit price tags to patrons barely double-decade in age, the kind of swank pods that sprout overnight like some alcohol-infused version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Drinks got silly and fruity and pink. Like many changes in the culture, the cosmopolitan can be blamed on Sex and the City, but not entirely.

Sad day for Joba One of the more moving stories of last season was Joba Chamberlain's rise with the Yankees - a rise from an average-throwing high school pitcher to a smoke-throwing big-leaguer - and all the sacrifices made for that rise by Chamberlain's father, Harlan, who contracted polio when he was 9 months old. Harlan Chamberlain raised Joba by himself, lately using a motorized scooter. He is deaf in one ear and does not have full use of his left arm. On Sunday night, Chamberlain got a call from his sister informing him that their father had collapsed at his home in Lincoln, Neb., and was in critical condition at a local hospital.

IT WAS literally Lionard Pajoy's day in the sun. Against its most bitter rival, Red Bull New York, the Union finally got the memo that taking advantage of chances is the only way to stay in a match. No player took that to heart more than Pajoy, who scored two goals to lead the Union, but his day did not result in the shorthanded team acquiring three points for a victory. Instead, RBNY scored a pair of second-half goals - with the Union playing a man down - to take a 3-2 win Sunday at PPL Park.

It was literally Lionard Pajoy's day in the sun. Against their most bitter rival in the New York Red Bulls and playing a man down, the Union finally got the memo that taking advantage of chances is the only way stay in a match. No player took that to heart more than Pajoy, who scored two goals to lead the Union, but his day did not result in the shorthanded Union acquiring three points for a victory. Instead, the Red Bulls scored a pair of second-half goals - with the Union playing a man down - to take a 3-2 win Sunday at PPL Park in Chester.

SHOTS ON GOAL Upcoming game: New York Red Bull (6-3-1, 19 points) at Union (2-5-1, seven points) When: Sunday, 12:30 p.m. Where: PPL Park, Chester TV: ESPN2 On the web: Streaming online at MLSSoccer.com For kicks: New York comes in on short rest, but rides the wave of a three-game win streak after dispatching Houston, 1-0 Wednesday night. A string of injuries and suspensions aside, coach Hans Backe has utilized his bench to get positive results, even with the loss of goal-scoring guru Thierry Henry.

Major League Soccer's leading scorer, Thierry Henry, netted his ninth goal in the seventh minute, then went down with what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury in the 23d minute on Saturday. But the New York Red Bulls' defense made the 1-0 score stand up for a win over the New England Revolution in Harrison, N.J. Robin van Persie scored his 28th league goal to earn third-place Arsenal a 1-1 draw at Stoke City in the English Premier League. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard tipped a shot from fellow American Clint Dempsey over the bar to preserve a 4-0 shutout of visiting Fulham.

Chaleo Yoovidhya, the self-made Thai billionaire who introduced the world to "energy drinks" and cofounded the globally popular Red Bull brand, died Saturday in Bangkok. Forbes magazine ranked Mr. Chaleo, who was in his 80s, the 205th-richest man in the world this year with a net worth of $5 billion. Born in central Thailand's Pichit province to a Chinese father and a Thai mother who reportedly sold fruit and ducks to survive, Mr. Chaleo died the third-richest man in Thailand.

While his classmates were easing back into the college lifestyle after the holiday break, Jason Dolla spent Wednesday night leading the construction of the city's only ski resort. "This took quite a bit of planning," said Dolla, who hopes his hard work will help propel him into the job market this spring. "Talking to people in the [winter sports] industry has really helped me get my name out there. " Dolla, the president of the Temple University Snowboarding Club, organized the annual Bell Tower Rail Jam, held Thursday underneath the chimes it was named for. The competition drew 25 skiers and snowboarders to Temple's campus, some making the trek down from the Pocono Mountains.

HARRISON, N.J. - In this case, desperation won out. The New York Red Bulls, needing a win or draw to clinch a Major League Soccer playoff berth, defeated the Union, 1-0, on an own goal off keeper Faryd Mondragon in Thursday's regular-season finale for both teams in front of 25,044 at a sold-out Red Bull Arena. The Union (11-8-15, 48 points) secured a playoff berth in their last game, Saturday's 1-1 tie with visiting Toronto. However, a tie or win would have clinched one of the top three berths in the Eastern Conference for the Union and thus avoided a wild-card game.

HARRISON, N.J. - The Union better hope the adage "defense wins championships" holds weight, because its offense still has many holes to fill as its quest for the MLS Cup gets under way next week. In its final game of the regular season last night at Red Bull Arena, the Union lost, 1-0, and was flat-out exposed on prime-time television by a New York side hungry for one of the final playoff spots. The Union (11-8-15, 48 points), which already clinched a postseason berth, was playing for a shot at the top seed in the Eastern Conference.