The Detroit probes Tigers' displays left- hander spent an hour signing autographs and chatting with fans before finally heading to the clubhouse Sunday after pitching two innings in a 7- 4 win over the Cleveland Indians " It' s a beautiful day, I' m content and having the most fun ever " said Rogers, preparing for his 19th major league seasoning off an All- Star year in which he went 17- 8, then pitched 23 scoreless innings in the postseason for the AL champions, Rogers gave up three hits and two runs over two innings in his first spring start " I' ve changed my spring approach to not being concerned about getting people out " Rogers said " I work on getting one pitch refined, then another, then another " As Rogers spoke, a fan reached over a 6- foot fence and yelled " Kenny, high- five, man. After he was caught stealing, Augie Ojeda walked, took third on a single by Orlando Hudson and scored on Conor Jackson' s sacrifice fly Florida regained the lead for good in the fourth. Shields walked Pierzynski with first base open, and Quentin drove a 2- 0 fastball to left- center for his AL- leading 10th home run " We know he' s a quality set- up man- and with the stuff he has, he' s almost considered like a closer " Quentin said " He has a very good slider, so I was definitely aware of that. It appears I' ve gone through that threshold and it may turn out OK, at least for a while " Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. The creditors committee consists of the Falcons, Royal Bank of Canada, Wachovia Bank, 1st Source Bank and Radtke Sports. Clark slid hard into second baseman Hector Luna and both stayed down for a minute Luna' s right ankle appeared to bend awkwardly on the play.

Smoltz surrendered seven hits, struck out seven and didn' t walk anyone . Colorado' s rape- shield law prohibits the use of evidence about the sexual history of an alleged sexual assault victim unless the evidence is proved to be relevant to the case . The last rubble of Shea Stadium was removed during the 10- game trip, giving the Mets a full parking lot surrounding Citi Field . 2 million for complaining to and about officials and pulling other stunts . 5 million to Wrighster' s base salary this year, which acts almost like a signing bonus Wrighster was a fourth- round draft pick in 2003 John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN. Critics have said the deal for publicly financed bonds is one of the most generous they have ever seen for major league baseball. And for the first time since he underwent back surgery in October, those three words were said of the 43- year- old lefty, who pitched his best game of the season, allowing one hit over six innings in the Arizona Diamondbacks' 3- 0 victory over the Colorado Rockies on a cold, overcast Tuesday night.

Renteria was an All- Star, but Braves manager Bobby Cox feels Escobar will soon be in that same category " He' s that good " Cox said . Pirates reliever Damaso Marte worked a perfect seventh and has retired 31 of his last 36 batters . Brian Wilson earned his 27th save in 31 opportunities when he pitched the ninth to complete the seven- hit shutout . If not, we' ll keep it internally " Jackson has experienced this kind of episode before with one of his players . So, I understand him being frustrated because he got fouled " Harrington led Atlanta with 18 points. Shaun Livingston then made a short runner and the Clippers, down by as many as 15 points in the second half, closed to 86- 84 " We had a good plan against a great player " Elton Brand said " We did a good job against him " But Nowitzki drove for a layup with 7: 03 left.

D' Antoni had said the fact that Ewing' s father is a Knicks legend could not be ignored, but it wouldn' t factor into the decision . They have won only three of the last 18 meetings overall and nine of 30 since joining the NBA in 1990 " I knew coming in today, it was going to be a tough game for us " Dwight Howard said after the Lakers held him to 17 points " Some nights, we have to get contributions from everybody on our team . Washington and Tampa Bay will pick up the wild- card berths The Giants continue to play extremely well I don' t see a late- season slump in their future The other divisions are clearly up for grabs . Russell Martin and Jeff Kent led off the sixth with back- to- back doubles to cut Colorado' s lead to 4- 2 . Peralta was charged with an error " When you can' t get that base hit, and just open up some breathing room, it' s like every little thing is magnified " Colorado manager Jim Tracy said " We drop that ball at first base and we don' t take care of opportunities when we have them " Pence added an RBI single in the eighth off Manny Corpas. The forward had started despite having strained his surgically repaired left knee against New Jersey on Friday. The Hawks also were without guards Salim Stoudamire, Tyronn Lue and Speedy Claxton " It was a collective effort " Smith said " We didn' t make any excuse.

Adam Dunn struck out twice, raising his NL- leading total to 171- the second- highest of his career Dunn fanned a major league- record 195 times in 2004 . Carlos Ruiz followed with a grounder to first baseman Prince Fielder, but Utley beat the throw home to score the tying run . Sowers wasn' t shaken by New York' s aura or powerful lineup and picked up his first career victory, pitching seven strong innings to lead the Indians to a 5- 2 win over the Yankees on Monday night . This time, even reliever Byung- Hyun Kim enjoyed pitching against the Yankees Kim, who has a 14 . Marco Scutaro walked leading off the first, Hill blooped a single and the runners moved up on Lee' s wild pitch, a ball that could have been blocked by Shoppach. I tried to play as much as I could through the pain in the playoffs.

In his previous three appearances against the Angels during the regular season, Hoffman gave up four ninth- inning runs after coming in with a 4- 1 lead; threw a wild pitch that allowed the winning run to score in the 11th inning, and forced home the winning run with a ninth- inning walk his last time out against them in 2001 " I think that' s the good thing about having short- term memory " Hoffman said with a grin " Going back a few years, I' m having a hard time remembering, so that' s good It should have been in the back of my mind . It was good night for a lot of Rockies, but the biggest surprise was seeing Carroll trotting around the bases " The only other guy he' s hit a home run off of in a long time is me " Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said " We were surprised We told him' you hit' em and we' ll count' em . There' s no better place for me to be " Bonds said " This is my history . He was letting guys hit the ball and getting double- play balls, getting ground balls . J- Safety Kenny Phillips' season with the New York Giants ended just days after the best game of his career. White, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, dislocated the shoulder Aug 14 when he attempted a diving catch in Kansas City He was placed on the 15- day disabled list a day later.

The NL champion Rockies began the day five games behind NL West- leading Arizona " You would have liked to go out there and put a sweep on those guys, but Zito has a lot of pride " Rockies manager Clint Hurdle saidZito( 9- 16, who lost his first nine decisions this year, allowed two runs and four hits in eight innings, throwing a season- high 123 pitches " I was in a good rhythm " he said " I wanted to capitalize and keep going " Zito felt strong after eight innings but wasn' t disappointed he didn' t pitch the ninth " A complete game would have been great, but I did what I wanted to do out there and we had a big lead " he saidPablo Sandoval hit his second home run of the year for the Giants, who had lost five straight and seven of eight " We needed that one " Bochy said " It' s been a rough trip . Toronto came back with two runs in the bottom half against Jeff Karstens on Scott Campbell' s single, Aaron Hill' s RBI double, Adam Lind' s single and Kevin Millar' s sacrifice fly . Marlins LHP Andrew Miller( oblique strain) made a rehabilitation start Wednesday for Single- A Jupiter and allowed one run in four innings while throwing 60 pitches . The Grizzlies pulled to 86- 82 on Miller' s three- point play with 24 . Instead, a Wizards spokesman said, Arenas will address the media Saturday, when the team opens training camp in Richmond, Va. Fast Facts# 8226& nbsp; The Nuggets have won three straight games and are 12- 3 since Chauncey Billups entered the lineup# 8226& nbsp; The Nuggets had season highs in points( 132) and assists( 37# 8226& nbsp; Toronto has lost two straight games by a total of 53 points- ESPN research After a slow start, Anthony finished with 23 points after scoring just one bucket in 14 agonizing minutes against Houston on Sunday night, which snapped his NBA- best double- digit streak at 222 games " It was still hurting out there tonight " Anthony said " I just wanted to try to fight through the pain " Chauncey Billups had 24 points, 14 assists and only one turnover for Denver( 13- 6, which tied the franchise mark for the best 19- game start.

They selected C Paul Hoover from Triple- A Albuquerque and transferred RHP Carlos Martinez to the 60- day DL . Young retired the first two Giants batters in the seventh, then loaded the bases on singles by Eliezer Alfonzo and Morris, and Randy Winn walked after an 11- pitch at- bat . Griffey was adored by Seattle fans on Friday night, playing his first game at Safeco Field since the end of the 1999 season . Upton turned a game of missed opportunities into a victory for Tampa Bay . Hawks coach Mike Woodson picked up a technical with 1: 46 remaining after he complained about a foul on Solomon Jones for a pick at the offensive end The Hawks had six players in double figures. Then Phoenix " It' s going to be a tough road trip either way " said Duncan, who also had five assists and blocked four shots " We would have loved to close the one out a little earlier than we did tonight, but you never complain about victories " The Spurs are getting used to eking out wins. Updated: January 19, 2009, 12: 34 PM ET Steelers open as favorites Comment Email Print Share Learn More# 187; Report a bug# 187; Feedback# 187; Cardinals Land Super Bowl BerthCardinals Land Super Bowl BerthBreaking down the Cardinals win over the EaglesTags: NFL, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles LAS VEGAS- Las Vegas oddsmakers aren' t buying into the Arizona Cardinals, no matter how many times they win as underdogs this postseason.

7, but the specific reason for the suspension wasn' t given . A day after Boston and Toronto combined for five homers, they took the field with a strong wind blowing out to center . Jose Lopez singled with one out and Kenji Johjima doubled before Gutierrez' s tying three- run homer into the Rangers bullpen in left . Without any timeouts left, Cleveland was forced to inbound from the backcourt and Hughes' halfcourt shot at the buzzer was well short " I knew I could hit every single one of them " said Felton, who scored 15 points and hit 11 of 14 from the line " I was trying to get the ball . Regarding Bynum, Bryant said " The more you play, the better you get He' s going to continue to progress It' s great for him. Jones injured his left foot late in Sunday' s 30- 20 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and had tests on Monday, but it is unclear what they revealed.

I just wanted the chance to compete " Smith, whose honeymoon in the Maldives delayed negotiations on his new deal, still believes he can live up to the promise that compelled the 49ers to choose him at the top of the notoriously flimsy 2005 draft ahead of Aaron Rodgers, Braylon Edwards, DeMarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman . With one out, the Nationals loaded the bases on a walk to Zimmerman, Young' s single and a walk to Kearns . The San Diego Padres retained pitcher Greg Maddux, agreeing to a$ 10 million, one- year contract with the four- time Cy Young Award winner, a person familiar with the talks said . Padres 11, Rockies 9SAN DIEGO( AP- This game was more suited for Denver' s Coors Field than pitcher- friendly Petco Park . He' s been sharp his past few starts " Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon said Kazmir simplified his mechanics on the mound " He' s just pumping strikes with his fastball " Maddon said " It' s kind of like what I saw last year It' s a little bit more simple. New York Jets CB Darrelle Revis The Jets have done a nice job of slowly building a young secondary that enhances the defense' s ability to match up outside on the perimeter.

Asked if Hudler would work the television booth Friday when the Angels host Kansas City, Mead said he couldn' t comment . In fact, the Red Sox haven' t lost a game at home in which Lester has started since April 23, against- you guessed it- the Los Angeles Angels . 99 price tag, and orders for James' autographed Upper Deck memorabilia are brisk despite high price points Some of the items, in fact, already have sold out . And when they came back for a day- night deal Tuesday, the Blue Jays beat them both games " I hate to play a doubleheader " Guillen said " The thing about it, every time you play a doubleheader there is too much pressure on the players to be here all day . 500 with the major league' s best record( 32- 15 " Offensively, we' re continuing to live up to our billing " Ausmus said " When we lost Manny, a lot of the naysayers thought we would have trouble scoring runs but apparently, that isn' t true " Aaron Cook( 3- 2, who threw his second career shutout in his last outing, allowed five runs in six innings in taking the loss, which dropped the Rockies( 18- 27) to a season- low nine games under 500 for the third time this season The Dodgers went up 4- 0 in the fifth inning. It' s San Diego' s longest winning streak since April- May 2006# 8226& nbsp; The Cubs have lost seven straight following a five- game winning streak. The NBA, for example, discusses gambling at rookie orientation, even bringing in former mobster Michael Franceze to speak.

I felt that the game could have been controlled a little better, but that stuff happens in competition " Davis had 22 points and eight assists before fouling out for the Warriors, whose winning streak was snapped after three straight victories over probable playoff teams . District Court Judge Marsha Pechman this week, the city agreed that mediation should start as soon as possible- but only if the Sonics' ownership group, the Professional Basketball Club, is prepared to discuss keeping the team in Seattle instead of following through on plans to move it to Oklahoma City . The Warriors' leader went 6- for- 16, including 2- of- 8 on 3- pointers " I just didn' t find it " Davis said " It' s all on me It' s not on my teammates It starts on me and ends on me I have to assume the responsibility for this . Gandy is out for the rest of the season after having reconstructive surgery Right tackle Todd Weiner might not return for five weeks . He' s been slowly increasing his throwing for the last couple of weeks, testing the elbow to see how it feels. The deadline for teams to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets was Friday at 11: 59 p m. The agreement is expected to be formally announced Thursday.