The others determines are closer draws Trevor Hoffman and catcher Ramon Hernandez The Padres have offered Hoffman$ 10 million over two years. For a team to value me that highly, it' s certainly because of the players who have come over here[ from Japan] and succeeded " Kuroda said " I' m very thankful for that. ST LOUIS( AP- Roy Oswalt' s early wildness gave the St. 3 points over his last four games, bouncing back from a slump in which he averaged 9 7 during the previous 11. With no running game for quarterback Terry Bradshaw to lean on, the Raiders forced numerous mistakes that ended the Steelers' 10- game winning streak and their run at a third consecutive Super Bowl " Injuries always happen at a bad time " Tomlin said, repeating former coach Chuck Noll' s message at the time " They' re part of the game. ET) Sherrod Martin entered training camp as a candidate to snag the No 3 cornerback job with the Carolina Panthers. Updated: December 19, 2003, 7: 08 PM ET Orr' s call aids Foulke' s move to Boston Email Print Share Associated Press BOSTON- Keith Foulke had just returned home from his first visit to Boston and was still undecided about re- signing with the Oakland Athletics or joining the Red Sox.

Still hefty at around 263 pounds, Hernandez was in command from start to finish in his first win since last July . The move also meant linebacker Jo- Lonn Dunbar, signed off the practice squad last week, will remain on the active roster for now. Cabrera hit a two- out RBI single in the 10th inning after an earlier error led to a Kansas City run, leading the Los Angeles Angels over the Royals 3- 2 Luge - wikipedia . Lopez, who was activated from the disabled list before the game, had been out since April 19 with right elbow inflammation . Jason Michaels capped Cleveland' s five- run first inning with a three- run homer . Torre said he probably wouldn' t play until Friday in Oakland. I was just making light of it " Mariners manager John McLaren said.

The drug is banned by the World Anti- Doping Agency for use in males . I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit " Ryan Braun had a three- run homer among his four hits, but Milwaukee' s All- Star outfielder will most remember the battle of wills between his closer and the Dodgers' charismatic star " The fans got their money' s worth, that' s for sure " said Braun, who grew up over the hills in the San Fernando Valley Luge . He scored 11 of the Magic' s first 13 points in this game and had 16 after one quarter, showing off his thunderous dunks, high- arching floaters and even a bank shot . Hill' s style also might fit better into the system favored by new offensive coordinator Mike Martz . He is coming off his best season, leading all NFL defensive tackles with nine sacks " This is what I' ve been looking forward to, continuing my career where I left off last year " Dockett said after arriving in camp Wednesday evening " Missing training camp wasn' t a big part of my plans. Bradford has been on the disabled list since undergoing lower back surgery March 7, but is expected to be activated before the AL East leaders play the New York Yankees on Thursday night at Fenway Park Bradford went 18- 14 with six saves and a 3 34 ERA in 250 relief appearances for the A' s since 2000. Manager Tony La Russa said Ankiel looks like a player with a half- dozen years of major league hitting experience " I just like the way he goes about it " La Russa said " It' s remarkable how proficient he is with so few big league at- bats " Todd Wellemeyer( 1- 0) struck out six in five strong innings, Ryan Ludwick had three hits and three RBIs and Rico Washington drove in an insurance run with his first career hit after nearly 4, 000 minor league at- bats in a four- run eighth " I had to stay positive and keep going at it and hoping that this day would come true for me " Washington said " It finally happened and I' ve just got to thank the Cardinals and thank everybody that gave me this chance and believing in me that I can play here " It' s more beautiful when you win and you get the first hit, too " Brad Hawpe had a home run and RBI double for the defending NL champions Rockies, who were 2- 1 winners in the opener Tuesday.

Game notes Thomas' s RBI was the 1, 703rd of his career, moving him past Reggie Jackson into 20th place on the all- time list . He gave up a run and five hits without walking a batter, lowering his spring ERA to 3 27 . Associated PressSAN DIEGO- Jake Peavy had one goal in mind after Saturday night' s 16- inning game: Pitch a complete game . Hamilton is 6 for 10 in his career against Carmona and said he does feel comfortable against him " Every pitch he throws moves so much that you can' t try to pull him " Hamilton said " He threw a sinker away and I went with it " Against guys with nasty stuff, I keep my focus I look at it as a challenge . But Sacramento couldn' t keep that torrid pace up and went in a deep slump midway in the second quarter, going more than 7 minutes without a field goal and missing 11 consecutive shots that allowed Milwaukee to take a 47- 46 lead at the break. Instead of cruising toward the offseason, they responded by playing hard, making the extra pass and having no trouble beating the Milwaukee Bucks . In my mind and for all Rams fans, Torry will always be a Ram and we wish him and his family nothing but the best as they move forward " The releases of Holt and Pace cleared out$ 14 million of cap room for the Rams.

That might be a precursor to a lot of rule- book waving in this postseason . Francisco Rodriguez followed Brendan Donnelly and Scot Shields out of the bullpen and struck out all three batters in the ninth for his eighth save in nine attempts " The Angels' pitching staff is tremendous and their bullpen is tremendous " Tigers manager Jim Leyland said " I don' t think most people are going to wear this pitching staff out . Melvin Mora doubled off the left- field wall with one down and Markakis' RBI single up the middle put the Orioles ahead 1- 0 in the first. San Diego also put two runners on with two outs in the sixth, but Chase Headley flied out " He had command of his pitches " Pittsburgh manager John Russell said " It was a clean start for him . Luge tickets The past season was bad for me and I was really disappointed I' ve thought about it a lot and I came to a decision I want to leave Utah Jazz. 9 after Drew Bennett was sidelined with a broken foot in the opener and has played sparingly in two games, with no catches. Kazuhiro Sasaki said he hasn' t thought about signing with a Japanese team yet .

Marlins starter Gaby Hernandez allowed two solo home runs in the third inning, and three hits in three innings . The Cubs purchased the contracts of infielders Brian Dopirak and Scott Moore, outfielder Felix Pie, catcher Jose Reyes and pitchers Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall, Ricky Nolasco and Jae Kuk Ryu . Because Lamb' s drive was long enough to score Biggio even if Bay had caught the ball, the error became meaningless when Burke was thrown out . Adrian Gonzalez had a two- out, two- run single in the third to extend his hitting streak to 10 games He also had an RBI groundout in the seventh . Race to the Finish Need to know that magic number to clinch? Want to know how many games it' ll take to catch first place? We' ve got you covered. Cruz hit his first homer to left- center, and Texas then had four straight hits to build the lead Chris Davis scored on Andrus' infield single. Oswalt knocked down a comebacker in the fifth inning, the ball deflecting off those two fingers.

Hamels was MVP of the NL championship series and World Series last year, but struggled the first month mostly because of a series of freak injuries " I' m glad nothing came down and hit me " he said " It was almost abnormal, being out there in the sixth inning " Atlanta' s Casey Kotchman hit a three- run homer off Brad Lidge in the ninth, and Omar Infante also went deep . This time, defensive specialist Shane Battier was sidelined with a bruised left foot and ankle As usual, Houston' s role players picked up the slack . Y- The New York Jets and first- round draft pick Darrelle Revis were closing in on a deal Tuesday night that would end the touted cornerback' s lengthy training camp holdout " We' ve made major, substantial progress " Revis' agent, Neil Schwartz, told The Associated Press " We' re working on it right now " Schwartz was at the Jets' headquarters at Hofstra University late Tuesday night discussing a deal with general manager Mike Tannenbaum . 52 ERA, pitching the Cubs into the playoffs " Having Mark back is huge " manager Dusty Baker said " Not only psychologically, but it helps us physically, too . His home run total flashed on the scoreboard between innings Now, the 41- year- old Bonds will resume his chase for No 714 on the road Luge - youtube . Updated: November 9, 2006, 12: 49 AM ET Perry agrees to two- year deal to be Cubs hitting coach Email Print Share Associated Press CHICAGO- Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella completed his staff Wednesday when Gerald Perry agreed to a two- year deal to be the team' s hitting coach. Updated: February 13, 2008, 5: 49 PM ET Oakland' s Gaudin hopes to return to mound by early March Comment Email Print Share Associated Press PHOENIX- Chad Gaudin' s spring training preparation has been especially challenging this year .

He' s 1- for- 4 with three walks and three runs scored in two games Giants LHP Barry Zito is 7- 5 with a 2 . Ryan Vogelsong' s pitch hit Kearns just above the wrist in the first inning Monday night in Pittsburgh X- rays detected a break in a forearm bone . The 21- year- old center fielder has been on a tear since getting called up from Triple- A last week, hitting 577 with three homers and seven RBIs . But mostly it came down to the long ball, and even against high- scoring Philadelphia, the Marlins can hold their own . He got ahead early on most of Florida' s hitters and looked more comfortable as he steamed through the innings " He jumps at you with long strides " Melvin said " He hides the arm a little bit His changeup looks just like his fastball. The first came in the third when Roberts homered to give Baltimore a 3- 2 lead, only to see Cabrera( 7- 7) allow a lead off double to Betancourt He scored two batters later on Reed' s sacrifice fly. The A' s are off to their worst start in eight years " There' s not a lot of great things to talk about " Geren said " Any time you' re missing the zone and walking guys it' s not good.

The Heat trimmed the deficit to 68- 50 on a jumper by Wade midway through the third quarter, but spotty defense and bad shot selection by Miami- including an airball on a long 3- point attempt by Wade- allowed the Bucks to build back their lead " When you go on the road, you' ve got to be able to guard people " Bucks coach Scott Skiles said " You' ve got to be able to guard people to try to win Tonight we did . They collided, sending the 61- year- old Brinkman tumbling to his back on the infield dirt . From 1992 through this season, the Braves ranked first or second in the NL in ERA in every year but two . He replaced Rodriguez as the DH in the fifth, and was hitless in three at- bats Posada could resume catching on Monday . He even executed a sacrifice in the ninth inning before Rickie Weeks made it 4- 2 with a two- out RBI double off Bobby Parnell, his third hit of the game " That' s desire. He denied making side bets on the fights, but admitted to bankrolling them. The move paid off when Scutaro fought back after falling behind 0- 2 against Cain and connected for his third homer of the season to make it 1- 0 " It was a pitch we wanted and he beat us on it " Cain said " He caught it out front.

Juan Pierre followed with a single, then stole second with one out and Jeff Kent batting . Realizing Everett faced a potentially paralyzing injury, doctors injected Everett with a cooled saline solution to bring down his body temperature . He entered Tuesday 6- 1 in eight starts against Seattle, including 4- 0 with a 1 . Updated: November 17, 2007, 12: 30 PM ET Rogers will be his own agent after axing Boras Comment Email Print Share Associated Press Kenny Rogers is representing himself as a free agent, the Detroit Tigers confirmed Saturday . 529 " I was thinking about giving Votto a day off Wednesday, but he' s too hot " manager Dusty Baker said " It was a full complement of guys having good nights " Each of Phillips' hits came after Votto walked " It makes you think when they walk a guy in front of you " Phillips said " I would have done the same thing, but you have to realize I' m a good hitter also. Andrews is wearing a walking boot on his injured right ankle, where a plate was surgically inserted after he broke his fibula in Week 1 of the 2004 season. Urlacher was hurt in a pile after making a tackle with just over a minute left in last week' s 31- 13 loss to Miami.

Most impressively, Aikman was able to lead the Cowboys to victory despite a rushing attack that was held to just 56 yards 28 . Mueller will speak with local reporters Thursday on a conference call He chose the Dodgers over the Pittsburgh Pirates . The backup catcher hit his first homer of the season, a three- run shot that sailed into the Milwaukee bullpen and lifted the Brewers over the Houston Astros 6- 3 on Wednesday " I knew for sure it was probably a double " he said " I guess I hit it better than I thought " The Brewers finished up an 8- 1 homestand, won for the 12th time in 14 games overall and improved the NL' s best record to 46- 32 . The 43- year- old slugger will probably play two out of three games this weekend at San Diego, then two more during a three- game set at Arizona early next week " Barry' s been playing a lot " manager Bruce Bochy said " Just watching, I think he needs a day " Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez( 1- 4) lasted only three- plus innings and threw 80 pitches before leaving with the bases loaded in the fourth . When the clubs met in Oakland last season, the Warriors scored just two points in the fourth quarter, tying the NBA record for fewest points in a period The teams were tied at 22- 22, 44- 44, 55- 55 and 88- 88. Tagliabue, commissioner during the NFL' s biggest period of prosperity, retired in 2006, replaced by Roger Goodell. The Angels turned their AL- leading 38th double play in the sixth.

After that- and a pep talk from Yost, who told him to trust himself- Eveland settled down " Sometimes, I feel like I need that- need somebody to get in my face " Eveland said Justin Lehr( 2- 1) earned the victory in relief . Updated: February 17, 2009, 8: 01 AM ET Man to avoid jail if he stays trouble- free Comment Email Print Share Associated Press FALMOUTH, Mass- A Falmouth man accused of assaulting a New York tourist with a baseball bat because he thought he was a Yankees fan will not serve jail time if he stays out of trouble . He gave up a one- out solo homer to Ethier and a single to Blake DeWitt in the fifth, but he got Chin- lung Hu to hit into an inning- ending double play " Cookie has been our best pitcher so far, and anytime your best pitcher is on the mound you feel pretty good about it " Holliday said . Baker then retired 15 straight before Bloomquist' s leadoff single in the seventh . Story# 8226; NFL Nation blog# 8226; Fantasy spin: Marshall loses# 8226; Draft spin: Shake up As a result, the Broncos decided to trade Cutler, whom they were convinced " no longer has any desire to play for the Denver Broncos " According to NFL senior analyst Chris Mortensen, however, Cutler replied " No " in a text message when asked whether Bowlen had directly tried to contact him. In 2001, he was arrested after a fight at his home involving his wife and one of her friends in Prineville, Ore. APChris Webber, right, says he and Jalen Rose, center, were perceived as' bad guys' because of their' bald heads' Rome: You mentioned that you came into the league at age 20 You have been under the microscope pretty much forever.

Their seven- game winning streak is the second- longest in team history; Tampa Bay won 12 in a row in June 2004 " Right now, we' re trying to put together a run and keep it going " Shields said . Both were traded for former Illinois standout Frank Williams, center Dikembe Mutombo, forward Othella Harrington and center Cezary Trybanski . The Indiana Pacers have the NBA record with a 7- for- 7 game in 1995 . Yao hit a turnaround at the other end, but Rasheed Wallace scored with 4: 04 to go and the Rockets got no closer . Updated: September 15, 2008, 7: 50 PM ET Hester on fence for home opener vs. Updated: January 9, 2009, 2: 04 PM ET Bush says he' ll be ready for workouts Comment Email Print Share ESPN news services The word " microfracture " may have alarmed New Orleans Saints fans. The extra work culminated in his first three- hit game since July 27 " It' s really nice to feel the way I do now " he said " Thank God for videotape.