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A twin win for Harvicks in Trucks Series finale

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:27:36 +0100

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Kevin and Delana Harvick were an extremely happy couple Friday night.

Kevin Harvick made a late pass to cap a dominating show to win the season-ending Trucks Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and wife Delana clinched the owners' championship when Ron Hornaday Jr. — who had already wrapped up his fourth Trucks title — finished eighth.

"That's the way to put an end to a year, right there!" Harvick shrieked into the radio as he crossed the line.

Kevin Harvick went into the pit after Ryan Sieg went into the wall and brought out a caution flag with seven laps left. Harvick took four tires, exited pit road first and lined up just behind Timothy Peters — who took a risk by staying out — for a green-white-checkered finish.

Harvick passed Peters in the very first turn after the restart and cruised to the win.

"I knew the 17 was a sitting duck there with four tires on our truck," Kevin Harvick said. "So, it was a lot of fun."

And then he and Hornaday went side-by-side after the checkered fell, sending thick plumes of white burnout smoke into the air.

The celebration was on.

"To close out the season like this, it's really what we wanted to do," said Harvick, also the winner last week in Phoenix.

For Hornaday, adding the owners' title for Kevin Harvick Inc. made his championship complete.

"To win the owners' title, you've got to do that," Hornaday said. "It's everything. You can't just win the drivers' title, because it takes a whole team."

Hornaday joined an elite list of drivers who have four national series championships, joining names like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. Jimmie Johnson could get there Sunday, if he wins his fourth straight Chase crown.

History, though, mattered little to Hornaday on Friday night. This one, he said, was for his owner.

"To come here and win them both ... good night all around for KHI," Hornaday said. "Pretty cool."

Matt Crafton finished second, polesitter Colin Braun took third and Peters finished fourth. It was Crafton's fifth runner-up finish of the season.

"We were the bridesmaids a lot this year," Crafton said.

And when it was over, Kyle Busch — who seemed in position to steal the show at times, plus looked poised to take the owner title for Billy Ballew — was steaming mad.

Busch qualified eighth, then had to start at the back of the 36-truck pack because of an engine change.

Ordinarily, that might be devastating. For Busch, who came in with 11 top-5 finishes in 14 Trucks Series starts this season, all the lost ground was made up in about 10 minutes.

Instead, his real trouble came later.

Busch passed 10 trucks on the first lap alone, 18 — half the field — in the first three laps and was 11th by the time the drivers crossed the finish line for the seventh time. By the 25-lap mark, he was fourth, and when the first caution flag came out 18 minutes into the race, Busch was in second place, trailing only Kevin Harvick.

Meanwhile, Hornaday's No. 33 settled in nicely, not far from the lead but well ahead of the pack, teetering around fifth for much of the early going.

At that point, the only drama left was the owners' race. Kevin Harvick Inc. came in with a 60-point lead over Ballew in the owner standings, but thanks to Busch's worst-to-first climb, they were even at the midpoint Friday night.

It didn't stay that way.

Running under green with about 50 laps to go, Busch pitted to repair a blown-out tire — and then got flagged for a rear-tire violation, forcing him to lose even more time by taking a pass-through penalty. It dropped him to 22nd, two laps down and at that point, an owners race that was even a few moments earlier saw KHI holding a 108-point advantage.

Still, there was one challenge left for Harvick, and that came from Peters at the end.

Even Peters didn't seem to mind the outcome too much.

"What a way to end a year," Peters said. "Just awesome to end the year on this note right here. We didn't have anything to lose."

McCabe's OT goal gives Panthers 2-1 win over Wings

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:25:00 +0100

DETROIT (AP) — Bryan McCabe's goal 40 seconds into overtime gave the Florida Panthers a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.

Stephen Weiss scored Florida's other goal and added an assist. Nathan Horton had two assists and Scott Clemmensen stopped 39 shots.

Pavel Datsyuk also scored for Detroit, which lost its second straight at home. Chris Osgood made 18 saves.

Smith's last-second shot gives Hawks another win

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:19:08 +0100

ATLANTA (AP) — Josh Smith soared through the lane to drop in a missed shot with 0.7 seconds remaining and the Atlanta Hawks won their seventh in a row, beating the Houston Rockets 105-103 Friday night to maintain the NBA's best record.

Marvin Williams scored a season-high 29 points, but it was Smith who came through at the end.

Carl Landry hit a pair of free throws with 5 seconds left to cap Houston's 11-1 run that tied the game at 103. The Hawks got the ball to Mike Bibby, whose jumper bounced off the rim. But Smith flew right down the middle of the lane and softly laid it in with both hands while the Rockets screamed for basket interference.

Replays showed the ball had cleared the rim before Smith touched it.

Friday's Sports Scoreboard

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:18:22 +0100

Rutgers defeats Drexel 58-56 on last-second layup

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:16:56 +0100

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Gregory Echenique scored the game-wining layup as the clock expired to lift Rutgers to a 58-56 win over Drexel on Friday night.

Drexel finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, Mike Rosario added 13 points and Mike Coburn had 11 for the Scarlet Knights (2-0).

After Drexel's Yannick Formbor scored on a putback with 12.3 seconds remaining, Rutgers brought the ball up court and called a timeout with 1.9 seconds remaining.

Echenique caught the inbounds pass from Coburn at the foul line and drove to his left side, banking in an off-balance, left-handed layup.

Rutgers held its biggest lead of the second half at 45-38, but missed 15 of 20 foul shots in the final 13 minutes to let the Dragons stay in the game.

Drexel (0-3) was led by Gerald Colds and Jamie Harris with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Rutgers led 29-28 after a first half that saw 13 combined turnovers.

Friday's College Basketball

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:15:16 +0100

EAST

Albany, N.Y. 71, Alcorn St. 55

Amherst 76, Maine-Farmington 51

College of N.J. 76, DeSales 71

Columbia 72, Longwood 61

Grove City 73, Penn St.-DuBois 63

Harvard 77, Bryant 51

Hofstra 87, Farmingdale 48

Marywood 83, Penn St.-Hazleton 56

Mercyhurst 74, Concordia, N.Y. 59

Misericordia 81, Baptist Bible 55

Mount St. Mary, N.Y. 74, W. New England 70

Niagara 82, Howard 77

Richard Stockton 88, W. Connecticut 86

Rutgers 58, Drexel 56

Seton Hall 89, Cornell 79

St. Bonaventure 66, Binghamton 40

St. John's 79, Brown 76

St. Michael's 81, Chestnut Hill 53

Vassar 77, Newbury 62

SOUTH

Alabama 84, Providence 75

Clemson 89, UNC Greensboro 67

Drake 65, Georgia St. 58

Elon 102, FDU-Florham 68

Fla. International 83, N.C. Central 73

Florida 80, Troy 58

Louisiana Tech 74, Miami (Ohio) 62

Maryland 82, New Hampshire 55

Memphis 92, Tennessee Tech 59

Mid-Continent 78, Cumberlands 74

Murray St. 71, James Madison 43

N. Carolina A&T 67, Davis & Elkins 53

N.C. State 66, Akron 45

Tenn.-Martin 79, Harris-Stowe 67

UCF 84, Auburn 74

Winston-Salem 94, Atlanta Christian 57

MIDWEST

Detroit 71, Robert Morris 59

Indiana St. 65, Colorado St. 60

Michigan 77, Houston Baptist 55

Michigan St. 75, Toledo 62

N. Illinois 85, Tennessee St. 57

South Dakota 99, Mayville St. 67

The Citadel 63, E. Michigan 56

Trevecca Nazarene 72, Point Park 62

SOUTHWEST

Texas A&M 68, Samford 49

FAR WEST

Arizona St. 104, San Francisco 65

Vanguard 83, Montana St.-Northern 67

TOURNAMENT

2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic

Championship

Syracuse 87, North Carolina 71

Third Place

Ohio St. 76, California 70

Albion Rotary Club Tournament

First Round

Albion 71, Edgewood 60

DePauw 50, Bluffton 45

Carolina Classic

Semifinals

Miami 67, UNC Wilmington 60

Consolation Bracket

La Salle 84, Davidson 70

Tulane 63, Penn St. 60

Gettysburg Tip-Off

First Round

Wittenberg 70, Catholic 45

Gettysburg Tip-Off Tournament

First Round

Messiah 59, Gettysburg 46

John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic

First Round

Christian Brothers 47, Tusculum 43

N. Kentucky 96, Lake Erie 73

Merchants Bank Tip-Off Classic

First Round

Cardinal Stritch 75, Palm Beach Atlantic 46

Winona St. 106, Clarke 60

O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-

Semifinals

Villanova 71, Dayton 65

Consolation Bracket

Boston U. 71, Indiana 67

Georgia Tech 70, George Mason 62

Reggie Minton Air Force Classic

First Round

N. Colorado 66, Texas Southern 62

Texan Classic

First Round

Angelo St. 71, SE Oklahoma 55

USVI Paradise Jam

First Round

DePaul 60, N. Iowa 52

Saint Joseph's 84, Boston College 80

Tennessee 105, East Carolina 66

Bergeron scores in OT as Bruins beat Sabres 2-1

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:10:24 +0100

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Patrice Bergeron scored with 47 seconds into overtime, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

Bergeron won a faceoff and then was in the slot to tip in a shot by Zdeno Chara.

Buffalo outshot Boston 15-6 in the third period and had several good chances to take a lead against goalie Tuukka Rask, who made his third straight start.

Rask stopped 25 shots, including a point-blank save on Thomas Vanek 3 minutes into the third and a blocker stop on Jochen Hecht's snap shot from the left circle with about 4 minutes remaining.

Buffalo's Ryan Miller made 24 saves, including 14 in the second period. Paul Gaustad scored for Buffalo, which has lost two straight.

Milan Lucic scored his first of the season for the Bruins, who won back-to-back games for the second time.

Bosh, Bargnani lead Raptors to 120-113 win over

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:00:11 +0100

TORONTO (AP) — Chris Bosh had 29 points and 12 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani had 24 points and 10 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat the Miami Heat 120-113 on Friday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

It's the second straight game that Bosh and Bargnani each had a double-double, after doing it in Wednesday's 104-91 loss at Utah. Hedo Turkoglu added 19 points for Toronto, with Jarrett Jack scoring 17 and Jose Calderon recording 10 assists.

Dwyane Wade shook off a recent slump to score 30 points for the Heat, who have lost three straight and four of five. Mario Chalmers added 30 points, Michael Beasley had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and former Raptors star Jermaine O'Neal finished with 17.

Trailing 89-83 to begin the fourth, Miami was twice able to cut the deficit to one but never managed to take the lead. O'Neal's two free throws made it 102-101 with 3:27 left, but Toronto responded with a 13-2 run.

Bargnani started it with a 3-pointer and, after Beasley hit a jumper, Turkoglu made two free throws and Jack followed a Miami shot clock violation with a 3-pointer. Bosh responded to a Wade miss with a turnaround jumper and Jack capped it with another 3, making it 115-103.

Wade was held to a season-low 15 in Wednesday's 105-90 defeat at Atlanta, ending a streak of 23 straight regular-season games with at least 20 points. He was better in this one, making 10 of 24 shots and finishing with five rebounds and eight assists.

Wade scored 12 points in the first quarter, making an acrobatic layup and a reverse slam dunk, but Bosh had nine points and the Raptors led 26-24.

Toronto rookie DeMar DeRozan had the basket of the quarter, rising over Jones to throw down an alley-oop pass from Calderon, then finishing the three-point play at the foul line.

Toronto pulled away with a 43-point second quarter, making 19 of 24 shots. Bargnani had nine and Bosh had eight, with Turkoglu adding a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the Raptors their biggest first half of the season and a 69-49 edge at intermission.

The Heat chipped away in the third, cutting it to 87-79 on back-to-back baskets by Beasley, then making it 89-83 on a jumper by Wade. Shavlik Randolph missed a shot as the quarter ended.

Miami played without Quentin Richardson, who left Wednesday's game with a sore back. Jones started in place of Udonis Haslem, who missed his second straight with a sore left shoulder.

"They both wanted to (play)," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game. "In fact, Udonis went through the walkthrough today but he's not 100 percent. There's still pain in his shoulder when it's up."

Both could return in Miami's next game, Sunday against New Orleans.

NOTES: Toronto's Antoine Wright (left ankle) sat for the third time in four games. ... Raptors F Reggie Evans (sprained left foot) has not played since the preseason. ... The Raptors host Orlando on Sunday.

LeBron's 40 leads Cavaliers past Pacers

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:56:21 +0100

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James scored a season-high 40 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the Indiana Pacers 105-95 on Friday night.

James also had nine rebounds and seven assists for Cleveland (9-4).

Danny Granger had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Dahntay Jones added 17 points for the Pacers (5-5), who lost their second in a row.

Cleveland center Shaquille O'Neal missed his fourth straight game with a strained right shoulder. He did not travel with the team, and Cleveland coach Mike Brown didn't give a timetable for his return.

Pacers coach Jim O'Brien was thrown out of the game with 5:20 left in the first quarter after drawing two technical fouls for walking out to near midcourt to argue with officials.

The Pacers shot 63 percent in the first half, but 32 in the second. Indiana shot 24 percent in the second half of a loss to New York on Wednesday.

James made his first eight shots and didn't miss a field goal until the final three minutes of the second quarter. He finished the first half with 22 points and five assists as Cleveland led 66-61 at the break. The Pacers shot 63 percent in the first half, yet trailed because they were outscored 15-8 from the free throw line.

Indiana took its first lead, 70-68, when James was called for goaltending on a shot by Roy Hibbert with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter. It was part of a 17-2 run at the start of the second half that gave Indiana a 78-68 lead. Cleveland shot 3 for 18 from the field with seven turnovers in the quarter, and the Pacers led 82-77 at the end of the period.

Cleveland tied the game at 82 on a 3-pointer by Jamario Moon early in the fourth quarter, and the game was competitive until the final minutes. James sucked the life out of the Pacers and sent the crowd to the exits with a 3-pointer over Jones as the shot clock expired that gave the Cavaliers a 101-94 lead with 53 seconds left.

Cleveland's Anderson Varejao played after he missed two games with a bruised hip. He finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes.

Indiana's Troy Murphy played after missing six games with a bruised lower back. He finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes.

NOTES: The Pacers announced Friday that guard Travis Diener had surgery on the big toe on his left foot and is expected to miss at least four weeks. ... Both teams shot 68.2 percent in the first quarter, and the game was tied at 38-all at the end of the period. ... Former Pacer Haywoode Workman was one of the officials.

Canadiens withstand comeback, beat Capitals 3-2

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:56:20 +0100

WASHINGTON (AP) — Travis Moen and Tomas Plekanec scored in a three-minute span early in the second period, Michael Cammalleri added a goal in the third, and the Montreal Canadiens withstood a furious comeback to beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Friday night.

Montreal led 3-1, but Brendan Morrison scored with 2:32 remaining to pull Washington within a goal. Then Maxim Lapierre was whistled for hooking with 1:52 to play, giving the Capitals a power play through the end of regulation.

Washington pulled its goalie with a minute to play, one of the Canadiens players lost his stick, and the Capitals held siege in the offensive zone. But the closest they got to tying the game came when Mike Green's drive hit the right post with less than 25 seconds left.

Carey Price made 32 saves for the Canadiens, who won for only the third time in nine road games despite getting outshot 27-8 over the last two periods.

Eric Fehr scored in the first period for the Capitals, who couldn't complain about a lack of chances. The puck seemed to flutter in front of the Montreal net for much of the game, but Alex Ovechkin and his teammates weren't able to finish.

With veteran goalie Jose Theodore dealing with personal issues and youngster Semyon Varlamov getting a day off in the first half of a back-to-back, Michal Neuvirth made his season debut for Washington and finished with 19 saves.

The Capitals were also missing Alexander Semin, who has nine goals on the season. He sat out a second straight game because of an injured right wrist.

Washington took the early lead when Fehr beat Price glove-side through traffic from the left circle, but the Canadiens came back with a pair of goals not long after the first intermission.

Moen tied it when he redirected Roman Hamrlik's drive from the blue line, and Plekanec made it 2-1 with a close-range shot that appeared to hit Morrison's hand and then trickled through Neuvirth's legs. Montreal recorded only four shots in the second period, but two found the net.

The Canadiens also didn't have a power play in the first two periods — in fact, they have not drawn more than four power plays in their last 12 games — but they capitalized in the third after Brooks Laich went off for tripping. Cammalleri, who had scored one goal in his previous six games, netted his ninth of the season during the man advantage with 7:31 remaining to put Montreal ahead 3-1.

NOTES: D Ryan O'Byrne returned for the Canadiens after missing 19 games with a lower body injury, and RW Georges Laraque was back after sitting out 13 games with an upper body injury. ... Washington D John Carlson made his NHL debut. The 27th overall pick in the 2008 draft, the 19-year-old Carlson is the youngest Capitals player to make his debut since Semin in the 2003-04 season. ... Washington played without LW Quintin Laing (broken jaw) and D Shaone Morrisonn (upper body), both injured against the Rangers on Tuesday. Laing is out four to six weeks, and Morrisonn is day-to-day.

Grizzlies beat 76ers for third straight victory

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:46:25 +0100

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Rudy Gay tied his season high with 33 points, including a clutch jumper with 19 seconds remaining, Zach Randolph added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies registered their first road win of the season with a 102-97 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

Marc Gasol had 19 points and O.J. Mayo 12 for the Grizzlies (4-8), who have won three straight and improved to 1-6 on the road. It was their first three-game winning streak in November since 2005, and their first victory in Philadelphia since Feb. 9, 2005.

No member of the current Grizzlies team was on the roster for that last win.

Lou Williams scored a career-high 31 points, Elton Brand added 22 and Andre Iguodala had 15 for the Sixers (5-7).

With the Grizzlies leading 98-95, Gay connected on a 17-foot jumper from the right wing with a second remaining on the shot clock to seal the victory. Gay scored 12 points in the fourth quarter on 5-of-7 shooting and finished the game with 10 rebounds.

A number of Allen Iverson jerseys were visible throughout the arena as the crowd anticipated the return of the former Sixers All-Star guard. Though Iverson was waived by the Grizzlies on Tuesday, a larger-than-usual crowd of 14,269 still showed up at the Wachovia Center.

Without Iverson, the young Grizzlies raced past the Sixers en route to a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.

A jumper by Iguodala cut the lead to 92-86 before Marcus Williams hit a jumper and Gay followed with a fast-break layup for a 96-86 advantage with 4:08 remaining.

The Sixers scored five straight to get within 96-91 before Mike Conley hit a layup, his first field goal, for a 98-91 lead with 1:52 left.

Leading 72-71, the Grizzlies went on to score the final six points of the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Mayo, a free throw by Williams and a driving layup by Williams for a 78-71 advantage.

Williams scored 16 points for the Sixers as they held a 50-49 advantage at halftime.

NOTES: Sixers C Primoz Brezec was called on for the first time this season, playing four minutes in the first half. He was 0 for 3 with two rebounds. ... Memphis missed all four of its 3-pointers in the first half. ... The Sixers play seven of their next eight games on the road. ... Memphis outrebounded the Sixers 48-28.

Bowling Green holds off Akron 36-20

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:39:26 +0100

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Tyler Sheehan had a record-setting day, throwing for 338 yards and two touchdowns, to lead Bowling Green to a 36-20 victory over Akron on Friday night.

Trailing 10-9, Sheehan threw scoring passes of 4 and 15 yards to Freddie Barnes to put the Falcons (6-5, 5-2 Mid-American Conference) ahead for good with 4:28 left in the third quarter.

Sheehan, who was 23-for-32, became the Bowling Green leader in career pass completions with 914, passing Brian McClure (1982-85) with 900.

Barnes, who leads the nation in receptions per game (11.7), had 12 catches for 197 yards. Chris Bullock rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown.

The Zips (2-9, 1-6) pulled within 30-20 with 10:50 left when Patrick Nicely threw the second of his two touchdown passes, a 34-yarder to Andre Jones, but Keith Morgan returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards for a TD.

Nicely finished 22-for-32 for 259 yards.

Giants LB Pierce out indefinitely with neck injury

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:39:00 +0100

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce is out indefinitely after an MRI exam on Friday surprisingly revealed a bulging disk in his neck.

The Giants said their defensive captain underwent the test in New York and was examined by team physician Dr. Russell Warren and Dr. Frank Camissa, chief of the spinal surgical services at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

The 31-year-old Pierce originally sustained a burner when the Giants played Arizona on Oct. 25. He had very little discomfort until practice this week, when the club's medical staff scheduled the MRI exam.

"I'm shocked with what I heard from the doctors this afternoon," Pierce said in a statement released by the Giants. "I had no idea that what happened a few weeks ago could keep me off the field. I didn't think it was that serious.

"I'm going to do everything the doctors tell me to do so I can get back out on the field as soon as possible."

The Giants (5-4) will host Atlanta on Sunday. New York, coming off its bye week, has lost four straight games.

Pierce, in his ninth NFL year and fifth with the Giants, has 55 tackles one sack, and one forced fumble in nine games this season. He was looking forward to trying to help New York snap its losing streak on Sunday against the Falcons (5-4).

"This game means a lot to us," Pierce said earlier Friday. "For one, we need a win to get out of this four-game slump and, two, it will help us in the playoff hunt. We are tied for one of the wild card spots and you always want to win the head-to-head battles."

Pierce played in 15 games last season after appearing in all 16 contests each of the previous two seasons. He has led the Giants in tackles for the last three seasons and missed only four regular-season games since leaving the Washington Redskins to join the Giants.

He spent much of the past year in the spotlight after helping former teammate Plaxico Burress when the wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the thigh in a New York nightclub.

Pierce drove Burress to the hospital and then took the gun that Burress used back to his home in New Jersey, later arranging to get it back to the wounded receiver's home. Pierce testified before a grand jury, which declined to indict him for his role in the incident.

Ochoa, sin jugar, encabeza torneo de LPGA en Texas

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:53:18 +0100

RICHMOND, Texas, EE.UU. (AP) — Sophie Gustafson se acercó a dos golpes de la líder del torneo de Texas, la mexicana Lorena Ochoa, antes de que la ronda fuera postergada debido al mal tiempo.

La lluvia inundó el Club Campestre y de Golf Houstonian antes del amanecer y el comienzo de la segunda ronda fue postergado por seis horas. El torneo comenzó de nuevo a la una de la tarde, pero una ligera llovizna comenzó a precipitarse dos horas más tarde y la actividad fue suspendida a las 5:05 de la tarde, hora local (2305 GMT) al aproximarse la oscuridad.

Ochoa no jugó el viernes luego de terminar la jornada del jueves con 66 golpes, seis bajo par. Ella comenzará su segunda ronda al amanecer del sábado.

Gustafson tuvo 70 golpes en su primera ronda y luego recorrió otros 11 para colocarse con cuatro impactos debajo de par el viernes.

Helen Alfredsson, Juli Inkster y Wendy Ward terminaron con tres golpes debajo del par.

A las jugadoras se les permitió levantar la pelota, limpiarla y colocarla de nuevo en su lugar debido a las condiciones húmedas de los campos.

"Los greens estuvieron realmente húmedos", indicó Inkster, quien marcha con un golpe debajo del par después de 10 hoyos en su segunda ronda. "Pensé que nos dejaron en el campo por demasiado tiempo, pero esa es mi opinión. Jugué bien, pero normalmente lo hago en condiciones húmedas", agregó.

El pronóstico del clima para este fin de semana es mayormente soleado y las autoridades del torne buscan terminar este torneo que pone fin a la temporada de la LPGA para el domingo por la noche.

El vicepresidente de reglamentos y competencias de la Gira de la LPGA, Doug Brecht, señaló que se sintió afortunado por siquiera haber podido comenzar la segunda ronda, si se tomaba en consideración la manera como comenzó el día.

El campo logró evitar fuertes tormentas que azotaron a la costa de Texas durante todo el día.

Brecht dijo que los funcionarios del torneo necesitarán "de un poco de suerte" para completar 72 hoyos para la tarde del domingo.

Se espera que llueva nuevamente en la noche del viernes y parte del sábado por la mañana y si un gran número de competidoras supera el corte —Las primeras 70 y las que terminen empatadas— entonces se aplazarán las horas de salida para los grupos que salgan a jugar más tarde.

McGrady wants to play, Rockets say no

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:27:22 +0100

ATLANTA (AP) — Tracy McGrady is eager to play. The Houston Rockets say he'll have to wait.

The seven-time All-Star had microfracture surgery on his left knee in February, but insisted that he's fully recovered before Friday night's game against the streaking Atlanta Hawks.

"Right now, I could play," he said.

Not so fast. The Rockets believe McGrady needs more time and would risk hurting his knee again if he comes back too soon. The next step is an MRI on Monday.

"We have a difference of opinion," coach Rick Adelman said. "He wants to play. He's not ready to play. It's as simple as that."

Both sides denied a Yahoo! Sports report that the situation degenerated into a heated argument before the Rockets' previous game at Minnesota. The report quoted a person close to McGrady who was not identified.

"I don't know where that came from," McGrady said. "We talked but it was nothing that was reported like that. I mean, screaming and all."

Adelman shrugged off the report as "our world of the Internet."

"It seems like nowadays people want to dwell on one particular thing that may be newsworthy," he said. "Or maybe catch your eye when you look at it."

Whether the argument actually happened, it's clear that McGrady considers himself much further along in his recovery than the team's timetable.

"I don't know," he said. "It's all about what they want to do."

___

AP freelance writer Amy Jinkner-Lloyd contributed to this report.

NFL union pans reporting on teammates' concussions

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:27:14 +0100

The NFL Players Association opposes commissioner Roger Goodell's call for players to tell their teams' medical staffs if they think a teammate shows symptoms of a concussion, saying that is not an adequate solution.

"If every player were a medical doctor that could recognize symptoms of concussions, then that would be a great idea," NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah said in a telephone interview Friday.

"I hope that that league — instead of asking players to police each other — would consider calling on team medical staffs and independent doctors to police the situation as closely," Atallah said.

During interviews of 160 NFL players conducted by The Associated Press from Nov. 2-15, 30 replied they have hidden or played down the effects of a concussion. Half said they've had at least one concussion playing football.

Told of those findings this week, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an e-mail to the AP that Goodell recently spoke to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith "about the importance of players reporting head injuries no matter how minor they believe they might be. The commissioner said that process needs to include players observing and reporting to the team medical staff when a teammate shows symptoms of a concussion."

Aiello said Friday the league is considering "a number of steps" related to player health and safety. Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy has been picked to lead a new NFL advisory forum that will meet with players about various issues, including concussions.

"It's not that player safety is not a priority of ours," Atallah said, "it's that (Goodell's) suggestion is not adequate."

Reaction was mixed among a handful of players asked about Goodell's idea.

Goodell, New England Patriots running back Kevin Faulk said, "is looking out for the safety of the players, and you can't knock that at all."

Washington Redskins fullback Mike Sellers' take: "We ain't no snitches over here! ... That is not happening."

Pro Football Hall of Fame member Gary Zimmerman said: "I don't like that idea at all. What if you're competing against somebody and you rat them out? ... It should be your personal responsibility and your decision."

Other current players, such as Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey and New York Jets offensive lineman Damien Woody, said players already keep an eye on teammates.

"It's your personal responsibility to look out for your teammates, just because there's life after football and you want to live a normal life," Bailey said. "It might help because guys don't want to be in that training room, guys don't want to sit out and miss games. Guys do push it as much as they can without realizing the damage they're causing to their brain. They might not realize they're impaired; they might just be in denial."

Green Bay linebacker Aaron Kampman said he's pointed out teammates' issues to Packers staff in the past.

"Guys are going to naturally look out for each other," he said. "I see that now. I see a guy come off, and he's woozy, I say, 'This guy here.'"

Kampman is expected to return to action Sunday against San Francisco after missing last weekend's victory over Dallas because of a concussion. He took a blow to the head on the fourth play of the Packers' loss at Tampa Bay on Nov. 8, but didn't come out of the game until the fourth quarter. Kampman put the onus on himself for not seeking medical attention sooner.

Dr. Joseph Maroon, Pittsburgh's team doctor and a member of an NFL committee on concussions, said members of the Steelers "not infrequently ... will say, 'You should look at him' or 'You should look at that.' That's being done now. They realize that an individual who's not processing information properly isn't going to benefit the team."

As a former player and head coach in the NFL, Herm Edwards has seen concussions up close. He likes Goodell's position.

"To me, that's not snitching," said Edwards, now an ESPN analyst. "That's protecting your teammate."

___

AP Sports Writers Chris Jenkins in Green Bay, Wis., Jon Krawczynski in Eden Prairie, Minn., Arnie Stapleton in Englewood, Colo., Dennis Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, N.J., Howard Ulman in Foxborough, Mass., Teresa Walker in Nashville, Tenn., and Joseph White in Ashburn, Va., contributed to this story.

Germany and Canada win WC skeleton races

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:29:49 +0100

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — The home-ice advantage for the U.S. skeleton team vanished for the second straight week in World Cup competition and Canada and Germany took advantage in the snowless Adirondack Mountains.

With the Winter Olympics in Canada less than three months away, Frank Rommel led a 1-2 German finish in the men's race on Friday at Mount Van Hoevenberg, only hours after Mellisa Hollingsworth had won gold for Canada in the women's event.

"It was a strong team performance," Rommel said after the Germans took three of the top six spots. "We have a good team."

"I think they're trying to send a message," U.S. slider Noelle Pikus-Pace, the top U.S. finisher in fifth behind Hollingsworth. "This season is really critical. Everybody is out for that gold medal and coming out strong. This is the most competitive season we've had since I've been a part of the sport. It's very, very tough competition."

The victory was sweet redemption for Rommel, who won four World Cup races last season before struggling to 13th place in the skeleton world championships here. He posted the fastest times on both runs to easily beat teammate Sandro Stielicke in the second race of the World Cup season.

Rommel finished in 1 minute, 50.88 seconds, nearly a half-second ahead of Stielicke.

"It's kind of revenge for last year's world championships here," Rommel said. "It wasn't my race then. This time I knew how to take care of myself. I'm quite happy to bring it all together today."

Stielicke finished in 1:51.36, followed by Martins Dukurs of Latvia, who won the World Cup opener a week ago at Park City, Utah. Dukurs took the bronze, just 0.01 seconds behind Stielicke, and Dukurs' brother Tomass was fourth in 1:51.50.

The top U.S. finisher was Eric Bernotas in fifth at 1:51.71, followed by Zach Lund in 10th at 1:52.14, and rookie John Daly 11th at 1:52.15 in just his second career World Cup race.

In two races, the top finish by the American men has been a fifth in each event. Blame it on Mother Nature.

The opener at Park City was plagued by heavy snow. On Friday, sliders faced a soft track because of a steady overnight rain and temperatures in the 40s. That left some water on the course and made the race much different from the fast conditions that prevailed during a week of training.

"The soft ice takes a little bit of the home-track advantage away," said Lund, who's been nursing a sore hamstring. "We've had a spate of bad luck at our home tracks with the weather for our sliding styles. When it's harder, you have more speed, and the more speed helps you make up time down the track. That's just racing."

Still, the 24-year old Daly was ecstatic. He posted the second- and third-best starts among the 23 competitors and even beat Canadian Jeff Pain, a former World Cup champion and the silver medalist at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

"It went good, two solid runs," Daly said. "That's the best job I can do today. I'm moving up. Some of these guys have been on the tour half of my lifetime. It's definitely intimidating. You make one mistake and they'll eat you up."

Hollingsworth led after a first-heat run of 57.54 seconds and finished the two-heat race in 1:54.85 to edge Shelley Rudman of Great Britain by 0.23 seconds. Rudman finished just 0.05 seconds ahead of world champion Marion Trott of Germany, who took the bronze in 1:55.13.

Hollingsworth's gold gave Canada its third medal in two races.

"We definitely have come out with a great start, having two podiums," said Hollingsworth, who was third a week ago, just behind silver-medal-winning teammate Amy Gough. "It's a great start to hopefully a great ending to the season."

Katie Uhlaender of the United States finished 12th in 1:56.15. Teammate Rebecca Sorensen was next in 1:56.20.

Anja Huber of Germany, who won the women's season-opener, was in Germany rehabbing an ankle she injured while walking the Lake Placid track on Sunday. Rommel said the team was hopeful Huber could race again at next week's race in Cesana, Italy.

"Even though we're competitors, we never wish any harm to come to any of the athletes," Pikus-Pace said. "She was in a really good position, so it's really sad to see her go. I think we'd all rather beat everybody when they're at their best. Hopefully, she'll be back and competing in no time."

Idle Ochoa leads LPGA Tour Championship

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:28:39 +0100

RICHMOND, Texas (AP) — Sophie Gustafson moved within two shots of leader Lorena Ochoa at the LPGA Tour Championship on Friday before second-round play was suspended because of bad weather.

Rain swamped the Houstonian Golf and Country Club before dawn and the start of the second round was pushed back six hours. The tournament resumed at 1 p.m., but light rain started falling about two hours later and play was halted for the day at 5:05 p.m. with darkness approaching.

Ochoa didn't play on Friday after shooting a 6-under 66 early Thursday. She will start her second round at daybreak Saturday.

Gustafson shot a 70 in the first round, then played 11 holes and moved to 4 under on Friday. Helen Alfredsson, Juli Inkster and Wendy Ward were 3 under.

The players were allowed to lift, clean and place because of the soggy conditions.

"The greens were really wet out there," said Inkster, 1 under through 10 holes in her second round. "I thought they left us out there too long, but that's just my opinion. I played good, but I usually do in wet conditions."

The weekend forecast is mostly clear and tournament officials are racing to finish the season-ending event by Sunday night.

LPGA Tour vice president of rules and competition Doug Brecht felt fortunate that the second round began at all, considering how the day began. The course managed to dodge powerful storms that moved up the Texas coast throughout the day.

"We're pretty lucky right now in that a big storm was heading our way and we didn't think we were going to get to play as long as we're playing," Brecht said. "Like most storms that have headed here, it broke up before it got to us and was not nearly as strong or severe."

But Brecht said tournament officials will still need "a little bit of luck" to finish 72 holes by late Sunday afternoon.

More rain is expected overnight and into Saturday morning, and if a high number of players make the cut — the top 70 and those tied will move on — that will push back the tee times for the last groups.

"We've got a couple of other issues, we'll see how they pan out," Brecht said.

The LPGA wants to avoid reducing the tournament to 54 holes at all costs, mainly because of the event's importance.

Ochoa is trying to win her fourth straight player of the year honor. She leads Jiyai Shin by four shots on the leaderboard and needs a victory to pass the 21-year-old South Korean in the points standings. Shin and Ochoa are also in a virtual dead-heat for the Vare Trophy, awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average.

Several players also need good performances to crack the top 80 on the money list and avoid going to qualifying school in two weeks.

"There are a ton of things riding on this tournament," Brecht said. "We are committed to playing 72 holes."

Brecht mapped out a tight schedule for the rest of the weekend that would get the tournament finished by 5 p.m. on Sunday. He was happy to see the players set a brisk pace on Friday to move things along.

"We are playing a lot faster than we did (Thursday), because there are less rulings and no wind," Brecht said. "So we're actually playing a little faster than the time schedule that I've laid out for us going forward from here."

Shin was one of the idle players who took advantage of breaks in the weather to practice.

"There isn't much you can do, but practice and get ready," Shin said. "I haven't really had much practice with waiting out rain delays."

Brecht said the course absorbed 0.64 inches of rain Friday. Though the course drained well, he expected that players would be allowed to use preferred lies for the rest of the tournament.

Pricey gift: MLB offers Series film set for $2,229

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:38:01 +0100

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has the perfect gift to bust a budget in a recession.

A 20-DVD set of World Series films can be bought for $2,299, and it contains authenticated autographs of 12 Hall of Famers, including Yogi Berra, Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson and Mike Schmidt.

A limited edition run of 100 sets was put together by Major League Baseball Productions, A&E Home Entertainment and Mounted Memories, the companies said Friday.

There are 65 films from 1943-08 that run for more than 50 hours. The package also has autographs from Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Bob Feller, Rollie Fingers, Carlton Fisk, Whitey Ford, Brooks Robinson and Bruce Sutter.

MLB spokesman Jeff Heckelman said the set is also available without the autographs for $179.99 on MLB.com and in stores with a suggested retail price of $229.

NBA Standings

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:06:19 +0100

___

New Orleans 110, Phoenix 103

Utah 90, San Antonio 83

L.A. Lakers 108, Chicago 93

Miami at Toronto, 7 p.m.

Cleveland at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Memphis at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Houston at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Orlando at Boston, 8 p.m.

Washington at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Charlotte at Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m.

Sacramento at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Denver at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Portland at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.

New York at New Jersey, 1 p.m.

Philadelphia at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.

Milwaukee at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Atlanta at New Orleans, 8 p.m.

Sacramento at Houston, 8:30 p.m.

Washington at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Chicago at Denver, 9 p.m.

Detroit at Utah, 9 p.m.

Minnesota at Portland, 10 p.m.

Orlando at Toronto, 12:30 p.m.

Boston at New York, 1 p.m.

Indiana at Charlotte, 5 p.m.

New Orleans at Miami, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Phoenix, 8 p.m.

Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.<

Female ski jumpers hear reasons for case dismissal

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:59:59 +0100

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Vancouver Olympic organizers didn't violate women ski jumpers' rights because they had no power to include their event in the 2010 Winters Games.

The British Columbia Appeal Court provided written reasons on Friday for its decision last week to dismiss an appeal filed by female jumpers seeking to overturn a lower court ruling that allowed organizers to hold a men's ski jumping competition but not a women's event. The women argued that violates Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The women had asked the courts to rule that the organizing committee, known as VANOC, must either include a women's ski jumping event in February's games or cancel the men's event.

The three-member appeals panel unanimously rejected their appeal last week, but only provided their reasons for doing so on Friday.

British Columbia's highest court concluded that while excluding the women's event was discriminatory, VANOC could not be held accountable because the decision rested solely with the International Olympic Committee.

"It is a case in which a non-governmental body (VANOC) is brought before the court as a result of policies which neither it nor any Canadian authority has the power to change," the justices wrote in the ruling.

"VANOC simply does not have the power to determine what events are included in the 2010 Olympic program."

The British Columbia Supreme Court ruled in July that the IOC was discriminating against the female ski jumpers, but Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon said the court did not have the power to order the sport be part of the program.

Both VANOC and the lawyer for the female jumpers declined to comment on Friday.

The women could seek an appeal before the Supreme Court of Canada, but that process could take months and the Vancouver 2010 opening ceremonies are less than three months away.

Ski jumping is the only Olympic sport without events for both men and women since the IOC voted earlier this year to include women's boxing in the Summer Olympics.

The IOC voted in 2006 to not include women's ski jumping at the games, saying the sport had not met the required technical criteria.

It will be on the program for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, and the international body that governs ski jumping has said it will press for its inclusion for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Northug the man to beat as Olympic season starts

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:57:55 +0100

Petter Northug enters the Olympic season as the man to beat in cross-country skiing, and he isn't doing much to downplay expectations.

The 23-year-old Norwegian has an unrivaled sprinting ability that is matched by his confident swagger and unwavering belief that he is close to unbeatable in the final stages of a race.

It's an attitude that has helped make him the sport's biggest star going into the Vancouver Olympics, but also has a habit of rubbing some of his rivals the wrong way. Before this weekend's World Cup opener in Norway, some German reporters wanted to know whether Northug really is as arrogant as he seems.

The three-time world champion's retort was simple: It's not arrogance, he insisted, when you're the best.

"I just cross the finish line first," he said with a shrug. "That's it."

He'll get his first chance of the season to prove that in a 15-kilometer freestyle race in Beitostoelen, the first event of the World Cup calendar. A team relay is Sunday.

Northug already has his sights set on a bigger target, however.

After taking three golds at this year's world championships, Northug can cement his place as the next Norwegian skiing great with an equally dominant performance in Vancouver.

"You think about the Olympics pretty much every day, all the time," Northug said. "It's in the back of your head throughout."

Northug's explosiveness and speed gives him the potential to be the most dominant cross-country skier since Bjorn Dahlie, the Norwegian all-time great who won eight Olympic golds between 1992 and '98.

Northug represents a new breed of skier who excels in the increasingly common mass-start races — a format that is seen as more TV friendly than the traditional interval start competitions.

While interval starts force every skier to set his own pace throughout the race, a mass start becomes a more tactical event — similar to long-distance running — where the good sprinters can simply tag along behind those up front, biding their time before the frantic finish.

No one does that better than Northug. If his rivals can't shake him off before the final kilometer, he usually wins.

He showed that at this year's worlds in Liberec, Czech Republic, where Northug won the 30-kilometer skiathlon and 50K freestyle races — both mass-start events — and anchored Norway's winning relay team.

All three races finished in identical fashion: After letting others do the hard work up front, Northug blew by them shortly before the end, quickly building enough of a lead to start celebrating well before the finish line.

This year, he is determined to become more of a force in the interval starts and classical-style races after finishing second overall in last season's World Cup behind Dario Cologna.

Cologna has been hampered by a thigh injury this offseason, and the Swiss skier only decided this week that he is fit enough to compete in the World Cup opener.

"I'm pretty tired from the number of training hours over the last week," Cologna said. "I'm very anxious to see where I stand compared to the competition."

Northug's other main rivals include German duo Axel Teichmann and Tobias Angerer, along with Lukas Bauer of the Czech Republic.

On the women's side, Norway's Marit Bjorgen is showing signs of returning to the form that earned her two overall World Cup titles and four world championships titles this decade.

Bjorgen dominated both warmup races in Beitostoelen last weekend, a 5K and a 10K.

"I think and hope that my form is going to last," said Bjorgen, who struggled last season and is still looking for her first Olympic gold.

Northug also showed good form his last warmup event, winning last weekend's 15K race in Beitostoelen.

"I'm in better shape than I was at this time last year," Northug said. "I believe I'll take a step forward this year."

However, his preparations were distracted this week after Northug clashed with the Norwegian skiing federation over a private sponsorship deal with energy drink producer Red Bull.

The deal has rankled the other sponsors for Norway's ski team, and Northug was fined by the federation after wearing a hat with the company's logo during a TV interview without permission.

A Norwegian newspaper then reported that Northug was considering breaking away from the national team after this season, although both the skier and the federation have denied those intentions.

All the fuss is unlikely to affect Northug, who claims not to have read a single newspaper article about himself in years.

That should help him keep his mind focused on Vancouver, and making up for the disappointment of failing to make the Norwegian team for the 2006 Turin Games.

"If I leave the Olympics with a gold, I'll be happy. That's the goal," he said. "I've used what happened in 2006 as motivation. This is my first chance to come to an Olympics, so it's new and exciting for me."

St. Louis Cardinals announce season ticket pricing

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:32:53 +0100

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals season ticket prices are increasing an average of 3 percent next year.

The baseball club said Friday that nearly one-third of season ticket holders will have no price increase and about half will see an increase of $1 or less per ticket.

The Cardinals say most of the areas with price increases have been flat since 2006. About a quarter of Cardinals tickets are less than $20.

The Cardinals drew 3.3 million fans last season.

Principales informaciones deportivas de The Associated Press

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:12:14 +0100

Viernes 19 de noviembre del 2009. Los editores son Ricardo Zúñiga en Ciudad de México hasta las 2200 GMT y Alejandro González hasta las 0400 GMT

FIFA rechaza apelación de Irlanda para repetir partido contra Francia

UEFA dice que escándalo de arreglo de partidos es el peor en Europa

IAAF todavía no resuelve el caso Semenya

Recibimiento triunfal a Pacquiao en Filipinas

DEP-FUT MUNDIAL FIFA-IRLANDA

ZURICH — La FIFA descarta la posibilidad de repetir el partido entre Irlanda y Francia por la clasificación a la Copa del Mundo tras una solicitud de los irlandeses por la mano de Thierry Henry que produjo el gol decisivo en el tiempo extra. Con fotos. ENVIADO.

-DEP-FUT MUNDIAL HENRY-MANO: Henry dice que se debe repetir partido Francia-Irlanda. ENVIADO.

DEP-FUT ALEMANIA-ESCANDALO

FRANCFORT — Unos 200 partidos de fútbol en Europa, incluyendo algunos por la Liga de Campeones, están involucrados en lo que la UEFA calificó como el mayor escándalo de arreglo de encuentros en Europa y por el que fueron arrestadas 17 personas en Alemania y Suiza. Por Nesha Starcevic. Con fotos. ENVIADO.

-DEP-FUT FIFA-RANKING: España recupera el primer lugar del rankinga de la FIFA. ENVIADO.

-DEP-FUT FIFA-IRAK: FIFA suspende a Irak por interferencia política. ENVIADO.

-DEP-FUT BARCELONA-GRIPE PORCINA: Gripe porcina entra al vestuario del Barcelona. ENVIADO.

-DEP-FUT FRANCIA-LIGA: Heinze anota gol en triunfo del Marsella

-DEP-FUT ARGENTINA-APERTURA: Independiente juega última carta ante líder Newell's. ENVIADO.

-DEP-FUT COLOMBIA-CLAUSURA: Medellín y Santa Fe favoritos en la semifinal. ENVIADO.

DEP-FUT MEXICO-APERTURA

MEXICO — Cruz Azul y América buscarán sacar buenos réditos de sus visitas a Puebla y Monterrey, respectivamente, el sábado cuando arranquen los cuartos de final del torneo Apertura mexicano. Por Carlos Rodríguez. ENVIADO.

-DEP-FUT MEXICO-CRUZ AZUL: México: Cruz Azul no saldrá a especular, dice Riveros. ENVIADO.

DEP-ATL IAAF-SEMENYA

MONACO — La federación internacional de atletismo (IAAF, por sus siglas en inglés) sigue trabajando tras bastidores con Caster Semenya y el gobierno sudafricano para resolver algunos asuntos sobre el género de la corredora de 18 años y su futuro en el deporte. Por Graham Dunbar. Con fotos. ENVIADO.

DEP-TEN COPA MASTERS

LONDRES — Todo el descanso por lesiones que tuvo esta temporada le dio a Rafael Nadal una buena sensación para la Copa Masters. Por Mattias Karen. Con fotos. ENVIADO.

-DEP-TEN ATP-AGASSI: ATP dice que no abrirá expediente a Agassi. ENVIADO.

DEP-BOX PACQUIAO-MAYWEATHER

LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao demostró que puede ser un éxito taquillero por su cuenta. Ahora hay que ver lo que puede hacer con Floyd Mayweather Jr. Por Tim Dahlberg. Con fotos. ENVIADO.

-DEP-BOX PACQUIAO: Recibimiento triunfal a Pacquiao en Filipinas. ENVIADO.

-DEP-AUT F1 WILLIAMS-VENTA: Williams vende acciones a grupo austríaco. ENVIADO.

-DEP-GLF DUBAI: Villegas a 2 golpes del líder en Dubai. ENVIADO.

-DEP-GLF LPGA: Segunda ronda del torneo de la LPGA en Richmond, Texas

Memphis en Filadelfia, 7 p.m.

Cleveland en Indiana, 7 p.m.

Miami en Toronto, 7 p.m.

Houston en Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Washington en Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Orlando en Boston, 8 p.m.

Sacramento en Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Charlotte en Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m.

Portland en Golden State, 10:30 p.m.

Denver en L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

DEP-NFL PANORAMA-SEMANA 11

NUEVA YORK — Los Jets podrían pagar los platos rotos contra los Patriots, que buscan afianzar su posición en el Este de la AFC y borrar el recuerdo del revés contra Indianápolis. Por Barry Wilner. Con fotos. ENVIADO.

___

Si tienen alguna pregunta sobre los despachos enviados o pedidos de cobertura de alguna noticia, pueden llamarnos al (5255) 3300-7624 en Ciudad de México o al (212) 621-1645 en Nueva York. También escribirnos a rzuniga@ap.org o enunez@ap.org. Para consultas sobre fotografías favor comunicarse al teléfono (5255) 3300-7640 o alw correo electrónico latamphotodesk@ap.org.

Ohio State-Michigan series has slipped in stature

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:07:08 +0100

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The Game has lost a lot of luster.

Ohio State has beaten Michigan five straight times, its best winning streak and the longest in the series since the 1920s.

The ninth-ranked Buckeyes (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) have already clinched at least a share of their fifth straight conference title and a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Michigan (5-6, 1-6) is mired in another miserable year — coming off a school-record nine-loss season — and is nearly a two-touchdown underdog to lose Saturday at home to guarantee consecutive losing records for the first time since 1962-63.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, though, insisted those factors haven't diminished the rivalry.

"That would never occur to the participants," Tressel said. "Perhaps to someone from the outside, someone from Utah or something, might not maybe jump on it because neither team is being talked about every day in the national scheme of things."

Michigan has stayed in the news lately for unwanted reasons.

An internal audit was released Monday in untimely fashion with details about the football program failing to file the school's forms that track how much players work out and practice. The forms are used as a tool to help comply with NCAA rules.

The office of university audits sent Rodriguez a memo on July 24 stating that forms from the 2008 regular season had not been submitted.

The Detroit Free Press, citing anonymous players, reported a month later that Michigan exceeded NCAA limits regarding practices and workouts. That triggered a school investigation and later an NCAA letter of inquiry that has the school, program and fans bracing for bad news for the once-proud program.

Rodriguez said Wednesday the process of filing forms was corrected as soon as he learned it wasn't happening, but said the investigation prevented him from further comment.

An upset against Ohio State would take some heat off Rodriguez for his on-the-field woes and would give a lot of young players some much-needed practices and upperclassmen who were recruited by Lloyd Carr a chance to experience the postseason again.

But Rodriguez said all will not be lost if Michigan loses to Ohio State — again.

"It's not like we're going to say we're doomed without a bowl game this year," Rodriguez said in an interview with The Associated Press in his office. "But I really want it for our seniors."

While speculation swirls about Rodriguez's future, he is confident the school will stay committed to him.

"The administration has been very supportive," Rodriguez said. "I've heard from many alumni and former players and they've all been very supportive."

One former player was anything but supportive when he left Ann Arbor.

Justin Boren played for Carr for two years, then did the unthinkable and transferred to Ohio State after Rodriguez arrived because he said "family values have eroded" in a parting shot.

"That was just like a slap in the face," Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham said.

Tressel wouldn't let Boren speak with reporters this week, but his teammates said he'll be fired up to play in the Big House in scarlet and gray.

"This is his week," Ohio State offensive tackle Jim Cordle said. "I remember when he first came here and all the talk and everything like that, and all the messages he was showing me, and then he went off to the media and said some things about Michigan.

"That's probably why he's not out here (talking to reporters) right now. But he's pumped up for this one and I know those guys are going to be going after him."

The Wolverines will be going after Terrelle Pryor, too, if their struggling defenders can catch him.

Pryor considered attending Michigan when Rodriguez left West Virginia to coach college football's winningest team, but chose to be a Buckeye.

Rodriguez acknowledged it would be difficult to prepare his defense for Pryor.

"You find a guy 6-6 that runs a 4.3," Rodriguez said. "If I had him, he probably wouldn't be on the scout team."

Ohio State seems set up to roll to another easy victory in the rivalry, perhaps like its 42-7 win against Michigan last season.

The Buckeyes have won two straight — against Iowa and Penn State — while the Wolverines' only win since September was against Delaware State.

Michigan's defense has been bad enough to give up at least 35 points in the last four games. Its offense will be without one of its best players, running back Brandon Minor, because of an injured shoulder.

But Tressel knows the rivalry well enough to realize the best team doesn't always win The Game.

"You have to be a little bit careful," Tressel said. "Very seldom do you go into this game and study the statistics sheet. That's just not the way it works."