Dungy said gleans Monday that informs Caldwell saw enough to propose a few changes already, though the new coach declined to elaborate on those thoughts Tuesday as Dungy watched from the back of the room Caldwell has already made one decision. Thompson is notoriously coy about the team' s plans, so it wasn' t immediately clear whether his comments indicated a sincere and significant level of interest " What is the answer that we give to questions like this? We' re always looking to improve our team " Thompson said " We look at all options at all times. A first- round pick by the New York Mets in 2000, Traber missed the 2004 season after having Tommy John surgery on his elbow and pitched in the minors for the Indians last year " The gratifying part was coming back last year because there was so much doubt " Traber said. Victor Martinez hit an RBI double, Casey Blake drove in a run with a groundout and Choo also doubled in a run Hafner' s solo homer with one out in the fifth made it 4- 0. Center fielder Willy Taveras overthrew the cutoff man and the ball bounced and skipped off third baseman Garrett Atkins for an error, allowing Aurilia to score and Bonds to take third He scored moments later on a wild pitch. CLEVELAND( AP- An April win with all the texture of one in October was quickly chilled for the New York Yankees. And now the Astros have suddenly re- emerged in the NL wild card picture " It gives us something to play for in September " Wolf said " I know that we still have a ton of ground and some miracles for this to happen, but it' s one of the reasons you don' t give up " The Cubs are stuck in their first five- game skid since dropping six in a row from May 27- June 2 last season.

Updated: September 11, 2005, 11: 44 AM ET O' Neal takes action after visit to Louisiana Email Print Share Associated Press MIAMI- Sweat dripping from his head as he worked in the midday South Florida sun, Shaquille O' Neal loaded the last item into a cavernous 18- wheel trailer and pointed to the generous stranger . Andre Iguodala had 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds to lead Philadelphia . The Bengals decided to sit him out for a game on doctors' advice, giving the elbow time to heal . Green Bay selected Jordy Nelson, wr, Kansas State and traded No 113 to the New York Jets 10 Baltimore traded its second- round( No 38) to Seattle for the Seahawks' second( No 55) and third- round( No 86) picks Seattle selected John Carlson, te, Notre Dame . There was a time only a few days ago when Washington Nationals fans had to wonder whether their team capable of sweeping a series. He cleanly fielded a comebacker from Chone Figgins on his third pitch and started an inning- ending double play " I was so friggin' pumped that Fruto got the double play " Meche said. He' s very reliable and durable and gives you a chance to win every time out It' s a ton of money, but that' s what they' re paying.

The signing of Broussard leaves the Rangers with two players eligible for arbitration: outfielder Marlon Byrd and catcher Gerald Laird . Manuel doesn' t think Castro( sore right ankle) will need a stint on the DL . It' s been big for my confidence giving the team a chance to win every time . Five days earlier, he threw a career- high 118 pitches in six innings against the Chicago White Sox " It wasn' t like we gave him a big cushion He pitched a terrific game He worked hard, had to throw a lot of pitches But he settled in and finished strong . The Ravens, who finished second in the league in 2006 with 60 sacks, currently have 15 quarterback takedowns After seven games in 2006, they had 21. 5M deal Email Print Share Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO- Right- handed reliever Matt Herges agreed Friday to a$ 2. Those battery charges were dropped when he agreed to counseling Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press.

Figgins then made a prophet out of Leyland by stealing his third base of the game . We' re getting ourselves out, we' re not putting ourselves in good situations and not swinging at good pitches " Duke( 2- 0, coming off a 5- 14 season, followed up a 7- 4 win at St . Baker took second on the play, but Torres fanned Koyie Hill to end the threat " A great defensive play, aggressive on their part and a bang- bang play at the plate " Pierzynski said " It took a perfect play and we executed it " I know Dewayne can really throw and when he let it go, I was just hoping it didn' t sink too much . Near the end of his career and after, she wanted him to preach about the things he' d been studying, about the Torah, and Hebrew, and what the words in the Bible really mean . Boston announced its$ 52 million, six- year agreement with pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka on Thursday- nearly one year after the Red Sox allowed their center fielder to switch to the New York Yankees for the exact same amount " That' s water under the bridge " Damon said during a telephone conference call " I got a great offer and a great contract from the Yankees and I' m happy You can' t always look back and say what could have been. Scott homered in the Astros' fifth after Lamb was hit by a pitch. Alex Rios had four hits and drove in the go- ahead run in the seventh inning, leading Brian Tallet and the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5- 3 victory over the slumping Red Sox on Saturday.

Mike Jacobs' single in the fifth scored Billy Butler, who had two hits and walked " We felt like we were right there " said Jacobs, who went 2- for- 2 and walked " We had a lot of guys on base but we didn' t seem to get the big hits like we needed to . Updated: June 18, 2008, 12: 35 AM ET Rondo key to clinching win after bad effort in Game 5 Comment Email Print Share Associated Press BOSTON- Young point guard Rajon Rondo played so poorly in Game 5 of the NBA Finals that Celtics coach Doc Rivers used him for just 14# 189; minutes That all changed in Game 6 . The Pistons, notorious for their inconsistent effort, proved the cushion wasn' t large enough " That' s Detroit " Iguodala said " They turn it on and turn it off " We just kept fighting the whole way " Game notes Bob Lanier and Ben Wallace also blocked seven shots in the playoffs for the Pistons . They have scored 31 runs their last three games, two more than they had in their previous seven " We' ve got a lot of experienced guys who don' t care about the highs and lows " Kent said " That' s what' s great about this game Sometime you get them, sometimes they get you . Melvin said the tests showed no structural problems and Jackson could return to the lineup in a few days The Diamondbacks started Dunn in left. I was mad it didn' t go in " James was afraid Bryant had hit a game- winner " It looked good when I turned around " he said Gibson made both free throws with 3. The Sixers only committed four turnovers in the second half, a vast improvement from Monday night, when they gave away 22 turnovers in a 101- 86 loss to New Orleans " First half[ on Wednesday] was pretty much the same thing " Miller said " But we only had like three or four in the second half, so that was a big part of the win " Iguodala slammed home a spectacular alley- oop dunk over the 7- foot- 6 Yao in the first quarter, giving the Sixers a 12- 9 lead.

said he doesn' t know when Gordon would begin throwing or be able to pitch competitively . He had 46 homers in 2005 " I was happy with my season last year . Cust hit his 30th home run of the season " It sounds better " he said " I' d be upset if it was only 29 Thirty is a good number . DiFazio said one of the insurance companies involved believed that Williams' injury was not career- ending . In the last 14 years, the contract has been extended numerous times before expiration. AFC East blog ESPN' s Tim Graham writes about all things AFC East in his division blog# 8226& nbsp; Blog network: NFL Nation The 38- year- old Jets quarterback twisted his left ankle Monday night in New York' s loss at San Diego. Reds 3B Rich Aurilia extended his hitting streak to eight games with a first- inning single.

Aybar, the Angels' shortstop, was back in the lineup after leaving Friday night' s loss when he was hit by a pitch in the left pinkie . While that would be much less than he was offered last year, it would allow Okafor to become an unrestricted free agent next summer . Team officials declined to address Harris' grievances with his contract and did not adjust it, and the veteran reported to training camp on time . Fox televised a clip of Vikings owner Zygi Wilf' s postgame locker- room speech after Sunday' s victory at Detroit, and Shiancoe was inadvertently shown naked in the background He was wearing a towel that did little to cover him . The quality of the players under suspicion raises the importance of assuring that baseball is clean, McHenry said on the program. They are a combined 2- for- 43 against Smoltz, including Bell' s pinch- hit, pop- out in the seventh inning Andruw Jones has 33 homers against the Phillies He' s only 7- for- 33 against Myers, but has four homers. Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, who became baseball' s first black manager in 1975 with Cleveland, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

In baseball, Grimsley' s nasty slider helped convince the Philadelphia Phillies to take him in the 10th round of the 1985 amateur draft] EnlargeMike Fish for ESPNYou have to look long and hard to find any evidence that Grimsley is affiliated with JOCO Baseball He was 17 when he left for pro ball It was an emotional summer . Game notes The Cardinals' Albert Pujols missed the game with a sore right elbow It was the first game he missed this season . The Big Unit also was on the losing end of the only no- hitter at Chase Field- by Jose Jimenez in a 1- 0 victory for St Louis in 1999 . He got a 3- 0 lead early when Dan Uggla, who came in hitting . I' m looking forward to keeping that streak he has going " Center Shaun O' Hara was back on the field with the team on Thursday. Andy Marte ruined McCarthy' s shutout bid with one out in the sixth by hitting his fourth homer, a 406- foot shot into the left- field seats " I hit a mistake " Marte said " He didn' t make many mistakes He was throwing very good, but it was a high pitch. While he leads the Broncos in receptions with seven so far, he' s yet to really develop a rhythm with new quarterback Kyle Orton, who came over from Chicago in the Jay Cutler trade " Brandon and I still have a ways to go " Orton said " We' re working on it and hopefully we find ways of getting him the ball " Although Marshall has yet to fully show off his separation skills on passing routes, he' s adamant that his hip is no longer a hindrance " Last year, I played the whole year with a tear in my hip " he said " This year it' s fixed I feel great My body is as lean as it' s ever been Last year I was probably 10 percent[ body fat This year I' m 6.

Updated: October 28, 2008, 1: 28 AM ET Chiefs' Johnson charged for spitting in woman' s face, won' t play for now Comment Email Print Share ESPN news services KANSAS CITY, Mo- Kansas City running back Larry Johnson, already facing possible suspension by the NFL, was charged Monday with simple assault for spitting his drink in a woman' s face . I never have met the people who are involved in this issue- his trainer, whatever Barry' s a tremendous player . is trying to cool down rumors that trade talks about the center fielder between the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds are heating up " I' m not going to Chicago " Griffey told The Dayton Daily News on Saturday night " I' m in Pittsburgh with the Cincinnati Reds, and that' s where I' m staying " Radio and television reports in Chicago said that trade talks between the two teams are simmering . Committee members and witnesses bemoaned the " Internet myths " regarding HGH and discussed the need for a better means to unmask the substance, which currently is not detectable through a urine test . John Grabow followed Duke with a perfect eighth and Matt Capps retired the Mets in order in the ninth for his 12th save and third in the past four days. Boykins, the second- shortest player in NBA history at 5- foot- 5, first filled in as starting point guard after the trade to Milwaukee, which has suffered significant injuries to four of five starters and still doesn' t have guard Michael Redd( left knee sprain. We' re still hopeful there will be a resolution that we' re both pleased with " The league has not yet set a date for the grievance hearing and, barring a settlement, the matter could take months to resolve.

m, the report said the group ran into trouble: Their anchor was stuck . This was the first major league trade between the clubs since the A' s dealt Mark McGwire to St Louis on July 31, 1997, for T J . Maine got Ryan Zimmerman to fly out, but with Johnson up next, Mets manager Willie Randolph came out to remove his starter " He has some things he needs to refine, but I' m not going to nitpick too much with what he' s doing " Randolph said " He' s in a nice little rhythm right now and I just want to keep him right there " Lefty Pedro Feliciano( 5- 2) entered and threw two changeups, the second of which Johnson lined to center for an RBI single, tying the game at 4 . He had gone 0- 4- all in relief- since his last win June 6, when he pitched two shutout innings in a 4- 3 victory over playoff- bound Detroit " I' m not sure if it shows, but I feel more comfortable( starting " McCarthy said " I have a better idea what I' m doing in terms of getting ready and preparing for when I get out there " I don' t know if this was a tryout I didn' t look at it that way . Giants RHP Merkin Valdez was scheduled for a two- inning outing at extended spring in Arizona as part of his recovering from a strained elbow. Jackson' s fourth- quarter rotations and Payton' s unhappiness have provided the latest plot twist to the Lakers' soap opera season " If he wasn' t a little disappointed, I would think less of him So that' s definitely to be expected " Karl Malone said. I won the game and gave the team a chance " Washington' s nine straight defeats matches the team' s longest losing streak since it arrived from Montreal before the 2005 season.

Associated PressEAST RUTHERFORD, N . If the Hornets and Bulls go ahead with the proposed deal, Shinn will absorb the remaining five years and$ 54 million on Chandler' s six- year$ 63 million contract signed last summer . Sacramento is 4- 5 in the uniforms this season, including two losses to Memphis Martin has scored in double figures in the last 10 games Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press . Arenas' s 25 free- throw attempts also matched a franchise mark he set on April 5, 2005, against Boston . Smith said the 29- year- old Jackson, who also spent last season on injured reserve, has a lingering left foot injury " He had struggled all training camp " Smith said " We tried to treat it and just last week, we realized it was a little worse off than what we thought- The Associated PressCOLTS CUT 3, PUT 2 ON INJURED RESERVE( 5: 36 p m ET) The Indianapolis Colts placed kick returner T J. Bowen was selected by Buffalo in the fifth round of the 2008, but missed his entire rookie season after hurting his knee in training camp Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. Sports and Entertainment Commission outlined its plans Tuesday night in a meeting with city government officials.

Bonderman( 7- 4) struck out 12 over seven innings to give the Tigers their fifth straight win . Smoltz, 38, has been bothered by the shoulder for a few starts . 24 in Philadelphia when Maddux was the winner and Moyer the loser in San Diego' s 14- 3 win . A shaggy man in a " Gino " T- shirt danced on the scoreboard, and Pierce stood up on the bench to frolic " We said' This is the reason we came here . Starting safety Omar Stoutmire and tight end Mark Campbell, who both left last weekend' s game in Dallas with minor knee injuries, also were out. Updated: August 16, 2005, 8: 36 PM ET Beltran likely to try some protective device Email Print Share Associated Press NEW YORK- Carlos Beltran decided Tuesday he would not have surgery to repair a minimally displaced facial fracture he got last week in a violent outfield collision with New York Mets teammate Mike Cameron. He fills the Pirates' need for an experienced third baseman who can take advantage of PNC Park' s spacious left- center gap to hit for extra bases.

Boston left- hander Hideki Okajima was added to the AL All- Star roster as the winner of the Internet voting . Mets RHP John Maine( shoulder weakness) was scheduled to pitch for Class- A St Lucie in his first rehab game . Orlando equaled its hottest shooting performance of the season on Monday night, hitting 62 . Patriots rushing leader Sammy Morris was placed on injured reserve Friday, ending his first season with the team Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press . Updated: July 16, 2005, 5: 24 PM ET Yankees boss addresses health, fear issues Email Print Share ESPN news services George Steinbrenner has named a successor, and he' s even gotten a little unhinged by some of the foibles of his New York Yankees this season But he is still in charge. I think it changed the momentum " I was lucky " Norton said " I' m being serious My swing has been horrible I couldn' t hit a fastball away to save my life. We believe he could help alleviate some of the concerns that Japanese players would very understandably have " Taylor said he did not expect a deal with Yabuta to be finalized this week " We' re still in negotiation.