Although Smith assesses crossed the devises finish line first NASCAR awarded the victory to Stewart, saying Smith illegally improved his position below the line. Stringfellow also wanted the Red Sox to guarantee they won' t offer Wagner salary arbitration this offseason, thus making him more attractive to potential suitors on the open market, because those teams wouldn' t have to give up high draft picks as compensation for signing him# 8220; I don' t want to end my career as a setup man. 5 million after suing Thomas and the Garden, reported to Mills Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. Wang Instead of making a rehab start Friday night for Scranton/ Wilkes- Barre at Pawtucket, he returned to the Yankees to aid a bullpen depleted by extra work and the loss once again of setup man Brian Bruney. The rugged, powerful forward is also on the 50- player " watch " list for national player of the year this season Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. The award will be presented at a banquet in Oklahoma City on Feb 12. It' s the first time the Suns have been in last place in the Pacific Division after five or more games since March 1, 1997.

Under reasons for the motion, Noveck, who has represented Dykstra and his business corporations, wrote in court filings " Clients have failed to pay legal fees and costs . Artest has spent nearly 14 months with Sacramento since the Kings acquired him in a blockbuster trade for fan favorite Peja Stojakovic . His contract gives him the first crack at the head coaching job at Gonzaga should Few leave . Todd Helton doubled to start the 10th inning and Choate( 2- 4) intentionally walked Vinny Castilla . New Orleans, which led by 15 points in the third quarter, looked as if it would give the small- 7, 302- but enthusiastic crowd a victory, leading 78- 64 going into the final period. Just shared and celebrated " They all kept reminding him of his feat in the odd, weather- shortened series moved 1, 100 miles north to Milwaukee from Houston because of Hurricane Ike " I' m just shocked " he said " You know, it' s a great feeling " Said Johnson " It was Cubs versus Astros at Miller Park, it' ll always be something a little bit different. Although no Fighting Irish ball carrier could feel good about last Saturday' s performance, reserve James Aldridge had 19 rushing yards on six carries.

Bonaventure, and they proved to be no challenge for the high powered Lions . John David Booty had just thrown an interception that was returned for a touchdown, enabling Arizona State to tie heavily favored Southern California late in the third quarter . Updated: September 17, 2007, 9: 13 AM ET Bonds sprains toe; may miss a week Comment Email Print Share ESPN news services SAN FRANCISCO- Barry Bonds could miss a week, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, thanks to a sprain of his big toe, suffered Saturday night against San Diego . They combined to turn double plays in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, each of them quelling Cardinals rallies " I' ve seen David play " Drew said " I know the type of player he is I like that . Garcia The Tigers are expected to assign Garcia, who has not pitched in the majors since early in the 2007 season, to a minor league team at some point this month, so he can pitch and perhaps give himself a chance to reach the big leagues this year " He' s a proven big league pitcher at a time in which it' s hard to find pitching. The 23- year- old French will start Friday' s game in Minnesota French is 4- 4 with a 2 98 ERA in 13 starts for Toledo this season Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. years in the making of trying to create a persona that would mesh well with the corporate world " At the same time, she writes " the abandoned boy within Alex Rodriguez made him particularly gullible to the influence of successful, authoritative men, so it was easy for[ agent] Scott Boras to manipulate him like a sock puppet " Roberts said she remains hopeful for Rodriguez, who likely will rejoin the Yankees within a week following his recovery from hip surgery " I do think there' s a very good Alex in there " said Roberts, who spent six months reporting and writing the book " I think the good Alex has a very good shot at winning.

was making excuses for a dreadful season, but that is hard to say when Jeff Gordon is in his camp, writes David Newton . Detroit still has a six- game trip to Minnesota and Cleveland, then three games to end the year at Chicago " It' s fine if we play good at home " Leyland said " We haven' t played good at home . There will be four minutes between first- round selections, then one minute after that . The Trail Blazers will keep about$ 500, 000, said spokesman Art Sasse . When his condition worsened, he missed the entire 2002- 03 season and underwent a transplant in 2003. Local papers printed comments from Powe' s mother, filed in legal papers. Beside me, former Royals shortstop Kurt Stillwell was on the phone " He just turned on overdrive " he raved, while Strasburg caught the third batter looking with an 82 mph changeup.

So we have him recording the voice, and I think it was at his house and we sort of put a little reverb on it . And that' s going to add a little hype to the game " The Longhorns see the game in similar terms after a disappointing home loss " This game is very pivotal for us " Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo said " We both want to get back on that winning track again and we are both coming in with an awful loss . Callahan' s job status has come into question as Nebraska has struggled after reaching the Big 12 championship game last year . Spanoulis, 25, said in July that he wanted to play next season in his native Greece Spanoulis averaged 2 7 points and 0 9 assists in 31 games last season as a rookie Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press . The Air Force issued guidelines Monday that discourage public prayer at official functions and urge commanders to be sensitive about personal expressions of religious faith. Yeley' s failure came a week after a season- best, third- place finish in New Hampshire. But Crean felt he had no choice in this matter " Devan is one of ours and, like with all of our players, we want them to learn and understand what it takes to be successful " Crean said.

He wasn' t on the bench for the fourth- quarter rally this time, scoring eight points in the final period . Mensah- Bonsu said Wednesday in Dallas that he will sign with the Toronto Raptors, possibly as soon as Thursday, after getting what NBA front- office sources described as guaranteed offers for the rest of the season from Toronto and the Oklahoma City Thunder . Much of that has been missing- or, at least, inconsistently present- for going on two seasons . I' m one of the older guys now " Walton said he' s heard 15 versions of what happened regarding Bryant " We' ll let all this stuff be under the bridge and we' ll move on " he said " I' m 99 percent positive that by the end of camp, nobody on our team is going to be talking about it . Ask Huskies fans, who want evidence that their new coach knows what he' s doing on Saturdays, as Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White pointedly said Willingham did not when explaining the pink slip. Updated: June 13, 2009, 11: 17 PM ET Rays reliever put on DL with elbow pain Comment Email Print Share Associated Press ST. I can get to him at anytime, and he' s surrounded himself with people that I really respect and like " Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel said the team would give Sheffield time to get in shape to play the outfield, which he hasn' t done regularly since getting hurt in 2006 . Mayfield also has expressed an interest in selling his team because he lacks the money and sponsorship to get back on the track He has not raced since Mullen granted the injunction David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN He can be reached at dnewtonespnaol . Utah didn' t relinquish the lead, however, until the Bucks went on a 8- 0 run to grab a 63- 62 lead on two free throws from T J Ford . Updated: May 28, 2009, 12: 20 PM ET Gagne signs with Can- Am team Comment Email Print Share ESPN news services Former Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne has signed with the Quebec Capitales of the independent Can- Am League . Capel' s son, Jeff Capel III, is the head basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma. Liu Wei of Sacramento, a teammate of Yao' s on China' s national team, entered the game a minute and a half into the second quarter and got on the board three minutes later with a jump shot. Updated: June 17, 2009, 9: 04 PM ET Committee to look at testimony Comment Email Print Share ESPN news services WASHINGTON- A congressional committee will look into former baseball slugger Sammy Sosa' s denial that he used illegal performance- enhancing drugs in light of a report that he tested positive for a performance- enhancing drug in 2003.

I' ve learned to become patient over the last couple years being here " The Yankees have mapped out Chamberlain' s schedule for the rest of the season and Girardi lets him know when his next start will be after each outing, preventing him from looking ahead too much " I always want him to focus on that start " Girardi said before the Yankees' victory over Toronto on Wednesday . Marte has tightness in the left side of his chest, which he thinks stems from weightlifting . Penny needed to complete the deal by Monday to be eligible for the postseason with the Giants . I just don' t think it' s wise to keep pushing guys to the wall and putting them in situations when they' re struggling " Roberts, Hernandez and Markakis were expected to be back in the lineup Sunday Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press . 500 on Saturday night, hitting a drive off Baltimore Orioles right- hander Chad Bradford to become the 24th major leaguer to reach the milestone. Bryant spoke briefly before the opening tipoff, thanking fans for their support. Oeltjen, 26, was to make his major league debut Thursday batting seventh and in left field.

Michigan State was in a dogfight with Kansas, but made its free throws down the strech to eliminate the defending national champs . Updated: May 30, 2008, 8: 37 PM ET Light- headedness forces Bradley from Rangers' lineup vs . Updated: May 27, 2007, 4: 08 PM ET Williams gets medicine for stomach flu and sent home Comment Email Print Share Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY- Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams sat out practice Sunday because of a stomach illness and is considered probable to play Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night . Hunterdon County Assistant Prosecutor Bennett Barlyn has asked Coleman to set a sentencing hearing, citing Williams' behavior " Defendant' s escalating acts of unlawful and aberrant behavior must incur consequences that he has thus far evaded as the clear result of never having been sentenced on his convictions " Barlyn wrote in his motion asking for the sentencing " I thought he should have been sentenced from the day we got the verdict from the jury " said Christofi' s sister, Andrea Adams, speaking by telephone from a restaurant she owns in Somerville, not far from the courthouse where the trial was held " If it were anyone else, he would have already been sentenced " she added " I guess when you have money, that' s what happens " According to witnesses, 55- year- old Costas Christofi was killed when Williams took a loaded 12- gauge shotgun from a cabinet in his bedroom in front of several people and cracked it open, then snapped it closed The gun fired once, hitting Christofi in the chest . Wearing helmets during fights can increase hand or finger injuries as well. Soliai, a senior, started all 12 games during the regular season with 35 tackles, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a blocked PAT in the regular- season finale against BYU. New Jersey used up the entire shot clock before taking its next attempt, and Nenad Krstic was called for basket interference for tipping Carter' s shot as it was still bouncing on the rim That gave the Knicks 5 1 seconds to go for the tie or the win.

He' s one of the best in the game at making plays and getting his shots off It' s coming We' re not where we want to be . Foye was injured in the fourth quarter against the Wizards when he landed awkwardly after trying to catch a lob pass from Mike Miller . Indiana took an early lead, but two quick fouls on Jermaine O' Neal and four straight free throws by Bosh brought the Raptors within one point before Foster entered the game midway through the first quarter . Investigators believe Antonio Nararainsami lost his balance while sitting on the escalator railing on the mezzanine level after Tuesday night' s game and fell four stories, the newspaper reported . Davis jumped up angrily and teammate Al Harrington grabbed the waistband of his pants, stretching it to pull him back in hopes of calming him down He ended up going over to the bench, smiling and clapping. The third is that the school will not take action against Sampson yet and might extend its ongoing investigation past the stated one- week period That is a long shot, the source said. Chicago will be the sixth seed in the East with a win tonight over Toronto at home, or a Philadelphia loss at Cleveland.

Consecutive offensive pass interference calls against Sweed, who set an illegal pick, and tight end Jermichael Finley, who pushed off, pushed the Longhorns back to a second- and- 40 at the 43 . Blog In trading for CC Sabathia, the Brewers might just be getting the ace of the league, Keith Law writes . The top four teams from the 10- nation event qualify for next year' s FIBA World Championship in Japan Argentina already has qualified as Olympic champion . In reinstating Mayfield, Mullen found the harm to the driver outweighed the harm to NASCAR . Unfortunately for the Chicago White Sox, this series against their division rival had to happen, and it had to happen here. TORONTO- Not many people can claim that they heard their son' s skull fracture from 2, 000 miles away. The Sanctions# 8226; Public reprimand and censure# 8226; Three years of probation( Nov 25, 2008, to Nov.

The one thing he wanted to do was play every game, but he understands the circumstances . Today, the Panthers are 2- 4 overall, 1- 1 in the Big East and with victories only against Division I- AA Youngstown State and freshman- laden Cincinnati . Headed to his fifth All- Star game, Allen took the blame for the loss " I was trying to find a way to get back into it, but I couldn' t get back into it " he said . We made it a lot harder on ourselves than it should have been For some reason, we just can' t finish teams off . The lanky, sure- handed wide receiver capped his impressive three years at USC by making 11 receptions for 205 yards and two TDs in a 32- 18 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Jan 1. Updated: May 31, 2009, 8: 17 PM ET James frustrated after Game 6 loss Comment Email Print Share Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla- LeBron James walked off the court, head down, brushing off a few pieces of confetti. Prince spent much of his team' s bye week trying to figure out a way to cut down on penalties.

Denver faces Sacramento, the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota this week, then plays seven of its next eight games on the road . Carter made his first five shots on his way to 30 points and the New Jersey Nets defeated the Utah Jazz 99- 82 on Saturday night . LOS ANGELES( AP- Vladimir Radmanovic has been sick for about a week . Ultimately, I' m in charge of my basketball career " When asked whether he would prefer to go into next season with an extension, Skiles said " maybe " after a lengthy pause " What if it' s$ 5 a year for four years " he wondered, after being asked to elaborate . The Chicago Bulls have had no luck in their efforts to move Tim Thomas and his expiring contract of nearly$ 14 million. Wingo and McMurray worked together for three seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates before McMurray moved to Roush Fenway Racing in 2006. Gary Sheffield has been bothered by a torn tendon in his finger and Cabrera by a sore quadriceps muscle Detroit is off to a 2- 9 start.