88[ Earnhardt] updates was spells out the best team we had in the complex and they were the ones leading the charge " Then we kind of fell off toward about the Chase I can tell you we' ve looked at everything Dale Jr is working out He' s changed his eating habits. Reed Sorenson tells TV reporters in the garage that " it went straight into the wall " and that " the speeds are so high here " that even a scrape " really hurts the car " So he doesn' t know whether he' ll be able to return to the race. On Monday, he took part in an assembly to reward the children at Avon Heritage Elementary for their academic achievement. Rookie Sasha Vujacic made his first NBA start in Bryant' s place, scoring eight points Game notesLos Angeles made just six turnovers. Davenport reported what she saw to Sterling, and according to her testimony, he asked " Is she one of those black people that stink " When Davenport told Sterling that Jones wanted to be reimbursed for the water damage and compensated for her ruined property, he replied " I am not going to do that Just evict the bitch " Repairs never came. Dunleavy said the 19- year- old James is " light years " ahead of where he was last year at this time " He' s the most efficient guy in the league right now " Dunleavy said " You treat LeBron pretty much the way you would treat a Kobe Bryant.

The Pacers announced on March 6 that Dunleavy had successful surgery at the Steadman- Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo " I was forced to get the surgery to remove it[ the bone spur, which I guess you would call a last resort " Dunleavy said " They removed the spur and without doing any major damage to the tendon They were able to sew the tendon back up . As of Wednesday morning there was a new wrinkle: Choo, who came back last May from Tommy John surgery, has a sore triceps muscle, and the Indians' preference was to diagnose Choo and treat him in Goodyear, Ariz, the site of their new spring training complex . The Bulls had lost three of four before beating New Orleans on Saturday, 89- 84 . Toward the end of the preseason, D' Antoni revealed he was not planning on using Curry in his regular rotation . Updated: March 18, 2008, 8: 48 PM ET Bynum likely to return during first round of playoffs Comment Email Print Share Associated Press DALLAS- The Los Angeles Lakers have finally put a timetable on the return of Andrew Bynum: probably the first round of the playoffs Bynum Bynum has been out since Jan. O' Neal, who went scoreless in the first half, finished with 10 points on 4- of- 19 shooting " We just rode him because he' s capable of piling up those kinds of points in those kinds of stretches " Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said " We were struggling to score all night long, and he really lifted us up " Fred Jones scored 14, and Jeff Foster added 14 points and 17 rebounds for the Pacers " Reggie was feeling it tonight " said Portland' s Nick Van Excel, who finished with 16 points and four assists " Jermaine struggled and they needed a lift from somebody.

Updated: August 4, 2008, 8: 35 PM ET Yanks closer Rivera tests ailing back, says he' s ready to pitch Comment Email Print Share Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas- New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera said his ailing back was improved after playing catch and getting treatment, and was ready to pitch Monday night against the Texas Rangers . Shaquille O' Neal added 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat( 29- 11 . Boston coach Doc Rivers wanted a timeout in the waning moments but nobody called it " Even if we got it up court, we wouldn' t have gotten a good shot off " Rivers said " It' s a tough loss . He told USA Basketball chief Jerry Colangelo that he would play at this year' s world championships and the 2008 Olympics . 78 Chevrolet beginning with the season- opening Daytona 500. Updated: February 5, 2009, 1: 20 PM ET Johnson says finger healing well Comment Email Print Share Associated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla- Three- time reigning champion Jimmie Johnson said his cut finger is healing well, and he' ll test several braces on his left hand when Daytona International Speedway opens on Friday.

But this is what happens sometimes when you try to push it to the limits " Sam Hornish Jr, Stremme' s teammate at Penske, managed to qualify fourth in the No 77, turning a lap at 187 953 mph around the 2 66- mile Talladega Superspeedway oval Kurt Busch, who drives the No 2 at Penske, qualified 28th at 186 518 mph Terry Blount covers motorsports for ESPN . It is the latest in a three- year string of off- court problems that have engulfed the franchise, starting with a brawl with Detroit Pistons fans in 2004 . But Ganassi has sponsorship for his Nationwide car, and is giving Franchitti the option to drive that until they figure out a long- term plan . She and other members of her family also flew on a plane provided by Clemens, according to the Daily News and Hardin . It' s likely that any club with an interest in acquiring Bradley would want Chicago to pick up a significant portion of his salary. In nine NBA seasons, he scored 7, 039 points, averaging 15 4 Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press.

Alex Martinez, the president of Inwood Little League, says Pedro' s power was already developing at a young age when he hit a homer, as an 11- year- old, estimated at 300 feet " The greatest thing you see from Pedro " Martinez says " is his discipline He' s one of our rising stars and we' re so happy for him He' s one of the success stories " Pedro Sr . Team spokesman Jay Horwitz said Wagner is moving his family back to Virginia from Florida, where his was doing his rehab . Information from The Associated Press was used in this report . Game notesOnly Dallas has scored more points through three quarters this season, putting up 105 against Indiana on Jan 8 . The union also argued the definitions of what constitutes " reasonable " punishment and " on- court behavior " The arbitrator also reviewed videotape of the entire 12- minute brawl, in which Artest sprinted into the stands and confronted a fan he believed had thrown a drink at him. Don' t expect Olsen to say much about his reform; he' s amused that his statistical improvement this year is cause for myriad " Scott Olsen reform " stories.

That' s what he did " Said the son " It was a driving force in me getting to the position I have today] EnlargeMitchell Layton/ Getty ImagesMike Rizzo was rewarded for his efforts in rebuilding the Nationals with the full- time GM position . Nationals Comment Email Print Share Associated Press NEW YORK- Carlos Beltran was held out of the New York Mets' lineup Thursday night because of a stiff neck . We played until somebody ran into a ligustrum hedge or got clotheslined by a real clothesline, and my father called for an end to the rough- and- tumble and sat me down next to him " Settle down now " he' d say " LSU' s on " In his mind, the football team represented the entire state of Louisiana, and the way the team performed gave the rest of the nation a snapshot of what kind of people we were . The Tigers beat the Volunteers 28- 24 on Saturday and the Razorbacks host Tennessee this week Unbeaten Boise State was No 14 and unbeaten Rutgers was 15th . But the league office confirmed to Yahoo! Sports the six preseason games Miles played for the Boston Celtics count toward the 10. And you don' t ever feel like you' re doing a good enough job " I don' t feel like that anymore I feel very comfortable I love the position I' m in I love working for this company. Fred Jones added 14 points off the bench, and point guard Jamaal Tinsley was especially ineffective after missing Wednesday night' s game in Boston with the flu Tinsley, still ailing, missed all six of his shots.

Cleveland Indians- Joseph Gardner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara 95 Arizona Diamondbacks- Keon Broxton, 3B, Santa Fe CC 96 . Qatato was struck while sitting with Tinsley in the Rolls- Royce . 7 points in 929 career games and appeared in 39 playoff games Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press . On Saturday, Bryant remained relatively quiet about playing against Artest " It' s fun " Bryant said " He' s obviously a great defensive player so I look forward to it " The Rockets talked about their late- game struggles against the Lakers " They really took it to us in the fourth quarter " coach Rick Adelman said " We were in every game at the end of three and the fourth quarter they dominated They really turned it up a notch Usually in all four games Kobe really got aggressive . The ex- pitchers are former members of the union' s executive board. Uehara left Saturday night' s game against the Nationals after three innings.

This is the third big- league stint for the 31- year- old Scales, who made his major- league debut this season . This week, it' s good enough to put North Carolina( 14- 1) atop the ESPN/ USA Today coaches poll . And TSU is 2- 0 this season& bull; Two- time MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Justin Durant picked up Defensive Player of the Week honors . On June 7, 2007- two weeks before Plancher was screened for the trait a second time- the condition was the focus of a warning by the National Athletic Trainers' Association( NATA, an organization consisting of 30, 000 certified athletic trainers and other support personnel . Wednesday was the one- year anniversary of the firing of former Magic coach Doc Rivers. Z was too much for us " Jeff McInnis had 11 points and nine rebounds and Drew Gooden had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks as the Cavs improved to 19- 5 at home.

Westerhaus said the Rooney Rule is in practice, if not rule " The vast majority of institutions interviewed coaches of color " she said " It think it' s 90 percent We' re doing some of the things the Rooney Rule calls for . Grant also met with Alabama officials Sunday in Virginia, a person familiar with the meeting said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks were ongoing . The three- time Defensive Player of the Year finished with two points, seven rebounds, two blocks- and five stitches " He should be OK, but we felt he' ll take enough hits on Thursday " said Saunders, referring to his matchup with Shaquille O' Neal " He could have played if we needed him " Toronto reserves Charlie Villanueva( 16, Jalen Rose( 13) and Jose Calderon( 10) scored in double figures, and Morris Peterson had 13 points . Selig and Fehr failed to disclose this in their testimony, which did reveal the number of failed drug tests processed in 2003 was about 100 but was reduced to about 12 the next year " In 2004, each player was tested on an unannounced, identified basis for the unlawful use of steroids " Fehr said in written testimony to the committee, according to The Times " No player knew when he was going to be tested " The information from 2003- 04 came to light in former Sen . He said that' s the same approach he has taken into every recent offseason " Every year it' s the same. Right- hander Steven Register was optioned back to Triple- A Colorado Springs.

502, tops among point guards " When you talk about MVP, you have to evaluate not just one end of the floor, but both ends, offense and defense " Heat guard Damon Jones said " Steve Nash has done a wonderful job, but does he really affect the game on the defensive end? Offensively, he' s superb . But he will make one: There won' t be any excuses from him or anyone associated with the LSU program " At the end of the year, there will be a ledger " Miles said " The ledger will read: wins and losses There' s no asterisks . Webber had three first- half fouls and picked up a fourth early in the third quarter He stayed out of the game until the final period Denver never got going offensively . Seattle forward Danny Fortson served the second night of a two- game suspension for throwing a chair as he left the floor in Thursday' s home win over Sacramento . The commissioner' s office said Pineda tested positive for Stanozolol The suspension took effect immediately Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. Calhoun enters Saturday' s first- place showdown at Penn State as the offensive force that' s lifted Wisconsin into a flat- footed tie with the Nittany Lions' atop the Big Ten at 5- 1 in the league and 8- 1 overall.

Fuller, charged with one count of selling cocaine, and Sullivan, charged with two counts of selling marijuana, remain free on$ 10, 000 bail . So despite an offseason roster overhaul, a season- ending injury to Richard Jefferson and a blockbuster trade, New Jersey is on the cusp of getting to the postseason for the fourth consecutive year " All I know is that coach said we won, and two teams we needed to lose lost " Carter said . The front office had also misfired on a number of trades, dealing away veteran stars too early( Curt Schilling, shipping out top young talent before it ripened( Brad Penny) and acquiring past- their- prime former stars who were nearing the end of the road( Shawn Green . The three- time Cy Young Award winner hasn' t pitched since leaving his July 12 start with a sore shoulder and tightness in his groin Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press . He sued the social networking site and the unidentified impostors who made light of drunken driving and the death of two Cardinals pitchers. Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics have been talking about a possible swap of All- Star outfielder Matt Holliday and top prospect Brett Wallace, according to sources, and one person familiar with the talks places the odds of a deal at 50- 50. Updated: December 25, 2006, 12: 30 PM ET Kobe receives unwelcome Christmas present: Flu Email Print Share ESPN news services Kobe Bryant won' t just be battling the Miami Heat on Christmas Day.

SAN ANTONIO( AP- When he arrived at the SBC Center on Tuesday, Manu Ginobili didn' t know if he would be sitting out yet another game . It was his late- season broken leg that raised some possible future concerns . He returned to lead the Bulldogs in rushing last season with 798 yards and six touchdowns, but sustained another setback in this year' s opener against Oklahoma State . In the meantime, the Cotton Bowl will move to the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium in 2010, giving BCS officials a chance to observe the bowl operate in a state- of- the- art facility before the next deal is negotiated . Rios Hill Toronto announced the agreements before its home opener against the Boston Red Sox General manager J P. Derek Jeter will be represented, too, with a bat that he used during the final homestand and the spikes he wore when he passed Lou Gehrig on the Yankee Stadium career hit list. He watched hitters " When you combined that improved mentality with his natural ability, you started to see: Basically, the guy was unhittable " Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Insider.