Some NBA expresses teams could unravels have training camps in Europe as soon as 2005 " I think there is a reasonable chance that we' ll see an NBA team or teams in Europe within a decade " Stern said. SAN DIEGO( AP- If this was Greg Maddux' s last start with the San Diego Padres, he went out with his hard- earned 351st career victory and some love from the fans. Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Edmonton and Anaheim aren' t represented. He' s really going to have to endear himself to Southern California fans. Twins 2, Blue Jays 1 MINNEAPOLIS( AP- In a game as well pitched as this one, even Jeff Cirillo thought it was a bit of a shame to win it the way he did. Chipper Jones got his 2, 000th hit for the Braves, losers of 10 of their last 15 " It' s a pretty cool number " Jones said " It' s one of the numbers you reach when you' ve been around a long time.

Carlos Marmol, subbing for closer Kerry Wood who was placed on the 15- day disabled before the game, got four outs for his fourth save but it wasn' t smooth . Riggleman hopes to have Bedard back before the end of the season but called a potential return " gravy if he does . But after Monday' s 4- 0 loss to Montreal, Giants manager Felipe Alou told reporters that " Barry will probably be back( Tuesday' Bonds missed the team' s entire four- game series in Montreal as San Francisco extended its season- high losing streak to six games . The Devil Rays starter, who hasn' t won since April 29, departed after throwing 96 pitches in five innings . Now, Williams' family has the baseball back after it surfaced last week in an online auction put on by a suburban Chicago company. Yet what of those high school hotshots who were exposed as boys failing at a man' s game within three years- the length of a rookie contract? It didn' t matter their bodies were on loan from heaven, with statistics that appeared to have fallen out of a Playstation. Fast Facts# 8226& nbsp; Deron Williams scored 10 of his 27 points in the first quarter, helping the Jazz win for the first time in their last six road games# 8226& nbsp; Utah shot 52.

Justin Bannan will continue to start in Gregg' s place " We' re going to miss Kelly " defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press . McLemore has been on a rehab assignment with Triple- A Sacramento while recovering from arthroscopic right knee surgery Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press . The right- hander gave up nine hits, three runs, walked two and struck out four . Since losing to Atlanta 11- 10 on opening day, Lowe has a 4- 2 record in his last 11 starts . They' ll be presented at the Diamond Awards Dinner, held Jan 25 to benefit the Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center. Game notes Wilkerson' s previous career highs were two homers and four RBIs.

Johnson, recovering from back surgery, is slated to throw a side session on Saturday " It went very good, everything was good " Gonzalez said " I am working on my new pitch, the cutter . It has been common practice for years for the league and the union to share such pertinent information, according to a spokesman for the NBPA . Houston shot 54 percent( 13- for- 24) in the first quarter, but led only 30- 25 . Manning played with Kenny Perry last week in the Zurich Classic pro- am at New Orleans . Carter scored the next two baskets on a jumper and a dunk to put New Jersey back in front, and the Nets held a 43- 40 lead at the half. It was still tied at 99 when Utah turned the ball over with 11 seconds left.

Hey, how much money do I need " Ramirez told the Herald that he was also willing to defer money to keep Nomar Garciaparra in a Red Sox uniform . District Court claims the overwhelming majority of pit bull terriers seized from a dogfighting operation bankrolled by Michael Vick need not be euthanized, animal welfare advocates are hoping for the best outcomes for the dogs . I would expect him to answer the question the same way about me if I had two fumbles and it was a situation where I wasn' t playing well and he answered the question the same way I wouldn' t look at him any different . He was running when Swisher singled to right on a 3- 2 pitch " I was lucky to get a head start " Thomas said " That was important, and I wanted to score for Swish " Swisher hit his 23rd homer in the eighth inning off Sean Green . It' s embarrassing that we score that many runs and can' t get a win " Mike Lincoln( 2- 5) got the win despite giving up a tying solo homer to Aaron Rowand in San Francisco' s three- run eighth inning. It seesawed after that until Marcus Camby' s slow- motion jumper from the top of the key with 37 seconds left gave Denver a 122- 120 lead. Specter told The Associated Press on Wednesday that if Walsh is under subpoena in a suit, it might solve the problem of protection " I think now that the lawsuits have been started, that I got the ball rolling, and the plaintiffs' lawyers are picking it up " Specter said Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.

Trevor Hoffman pitched a perfect ninth to get his 31st save in his 35th chance " We did a little bit of everything tonight, which was good for the whole team " Cameron said " When we' re playing good, that' s the way we play " Until Berkman' s homer, Peavy had the Astros baffled, striking out seven of 11 batters he faced between the second and fifth innings . That' s the guy everybody needs to look up to " First, Bonds would like to hit No 715 in his own ballpark . Atlanta, winner of 14 straight division titles, hasn' t been this far out of first place since Aug 11, 1993 The Braves seem a tad concerned but not exactly terrified . But the Cubs broke through for four extra- base hits in the fourth, including two- run homers by Ramirez and Pie, to take a 4- 1 lead . Hafner scored with two outs when Peralta singled on an 0- 2 pitch. 25 million with the Brewers, who went 83- 79 and were in the postseason race until the final week.

Baltimore ceased operating its academy following the 2006 season . The most difficult part was getting there " It was tough, up until this day " Shearn said, moments after a clubhouse attendant handed him a game ball as a keepsake " Makes it all worth it " The catcher who knows him best helped him capture the moment . Jack Hannahan played DH for the A' s, the second time he' s done so in his career along with one appearance at the spot in 2006 while with Detroit . Malone, who averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds with Philadelphia, will work primarily with the Sixers' big men He was a team consultant last season . They went more than 8 minutes before their first field goal and shot 3- for- 19( 16 percent) with six turnovers " I thought we could have a chance to go out and stay at it if we stayed active " Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said " We couldn' t stand their pressure that they put on us in the second quarter " New York led 46- 44 at halftime, walking off to a loud ovation after its spirited play in the quarter. Franzen opened the scoring 2: 54 into the third period, and Leino scored his third exhibition goal just 1: 52 later. But we are not discouraged " Peterson said Monday " We know where we' re going and what we' re going to do " Peterson said he was most disappointed for Hunt, who shares ownership with his sister and two brothers, none of whom has taken a leadership role in the franchise " Clark is as discouraged as any one of us.

Game notes Royals 2B Mark Grudzielanek, who has not played since March 10 because of a bad back, and C Miguel Olivo, who pulled a groin on March 14, are scheduled to appear in a minor league game Friday . The News cited a lawsuit in which a judge refused to withhold the identity of a woman who claimed rap singer Tupac Shakur had sexually assaulted her, saying " Fairness requires that she be prepared to stand behind her charges publicly " The newspaper' s legal filing does not necessarily mean it would publish the woman' s name but ensures that it would have the right to, Editor John Temple said . 8) as a rookie last season " This is a very significant signing for us and we are extremely excited to add Darius to our roster " Bulls vice president John Paxson said " He is the type of player and person we desire, and his level of skill will strengthen our already solid frontline " In his second season with the Sacramento Kings last year, Songaila averaged 7 5 points and 4 2 rebounds in 81 games He raised his play in 21 starts last season, averaging 10 5 points and 6 0 rebounds with five double- doubles . Randolph lingered on the court to give each of his teammates a high- five as they retreated from the floor The Rockets went just 11- of- 37( 29 . Guys like Rick Adelman and Rick Carlisle[ brought] that out of me. 7 field goal percentage is the lowest of any of the five Lakers who have taken at least 70 shots. He leads the majors in homers and RBIs " I think it' s great " Torre said Wednesday " We have put ourselves as men in a position where you' re supposed to be macho and never be afraid of anything " I think you open yourself up to having people look at you a different way, that even though you do have a super talent, there are some things you have to deal with.

Josh Rabe had a homer and three RBI and Nick Punto had four hits, four runs and three RBI to back Silva( 7- 9, who gave up one run and six hits and struck out four . That' s where the holdup is " Padres general manager Kevin Towers said Thursday that Sanders is a potential backup option for the club if some trade possibilities fail to materialize " We would rather have a younger, controllable player via a trade " Towers said Sanders, 40, is a . I had been going through some difficult things in life in' 93 and' 94 and I felt like' 95, so many people said I couldn' t, I couldn' t, you can' t, you can' t, you can' t . I' ll throw a guy a ball if I hear a good one " Lackey said " I' ve hooked up guys in New York who had good ones " Lackey' s real season debut for the Angels was about like the barbs of Seattle' s fans: not great . Backup center Darko Milicic sprained his right ankle fighting for a rebound in the second quarter and was walking on crutches and wearing a protective boot after the game. Wade swooped over Jackson to block the shot late in the third quarter, part of his big second- half effort that helped carry the Miami Heat to a 94- 82 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. He hunches over a tiny refrigerator in the corner and grabs a Coke Zero " Caffeine " he says.

He played a key role in the playoffs, going 2- 0 with three saves and a 1 . We thought it was hilarious " The card will be changed when Topps issues a complete set at midseason, Luraschi said . 304 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 45 games with the NL East champion Phillies, who acquired him from the Chicago White Sox to fill in at second while All- Star Chase Utley was injured Iguchi hit 267 overall with nine home runs and 43 RBIs . She said he repeatedly hreatened her and their two children in phone calls and text messages, including one that had a photo of a handgun In one voice mail message she played for the St . 65 ERA last season, said it was no fun pitching to Guerrero, adding he heard someone say that it looked as if Guerrero was jammed inside on the pitch he hit out of the park " He' s just so strong " Cain said " You can' t bounce it up there to him. The Mariners were scheduled to face Tampa Bay left- hander Scott Kazmir on Saturday night. But the left- hander was lifted for a pinch- hitter in the ninth as the Marlins added a couple insurance runs Wednesday for a 5- 2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Overlooking last month' s aborted hiring of Billy Donovan as their new coach, it' s the biggest free- agent splash from the Magic since the summer of 2000, when Orlando signed both Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady to matching$ 93 million contracts " Orlando made the playoffs last year and I see no reason why we shouldn' t just go up from there " Lewis told Florida Today " I could see anybody going to the Finals from the East because it' s so wide open . Pierce finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, making 10 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter to ice the game . A deal announced Friday makes the network the place to go for nightly updates from training camp, game night wrapup shows, a weekly Cowboys Insider player' s show, regular Cowboys updates from the team' s Valley Ranch headquarters and live coverage of coach Wade Phillips' Monday news conferences during the season . The videotaping came to light after a camera was confiscated from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella while he was on the New York Jets' sideline during New England' s 38- 14 win Sept 7, 2007 at Giants Stadium . ET) Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt liked what he saw from Matt Leinart in the Cardinals preseason opener in Pittsburgh. He may make his season debut against the Packers, for whom he played in 2006- 07. The catcher and the Chicago White Sox agreed Monday to a$ 15 million, three- year contract and avoided salary arbitration.