I stand relates by their shows decision and will serve my four- race suspension " David Newton covers NASCAR for ESPN. Soon after, he found Wesley with a no- look pass on the break to tie the score at 49. Detroit began chipping away by going at the Lakers' two aging superstars, Wallace taking on Karl Malone and Billups going at Payton. AUBURN HILLS, Mich( AP- The Detroit Pistons are thrilled that few experts, if any, believe they' ll repeat as NBA champions. The question remains if risking Locker to additional pounding and injury at another position is worth the possible short- term gain for an 0- 4 Washington team needing a stunning turnaround to salvage its season and likely save the job of coach Tyrone Willingham.

But, for Locke, the most memorable moment was being able to watch practice " It was awesome to be able to go out there and watch their practice . The Warriors returned to Honolulu early Saturday and return to practice Monday . Denver regained the lead on a rim- shaking dunk by Nene, which was followed by baskets by Anthony and DerMarr Johnson . 9 rebounds, was to sit out his fourth straight game because of a sprained right ankle Parker, averaging 20 1 points and 6 . The study also found differences in everything from a decrease in scoring to a rise in turnovers depending on the officials' race " Player- performance appears to deteriorate at every margin when officiated by a larger fraction of opposite- race referees " Wolfers and Price wrote. He gave up Ben Broussard' s two- out double in the top of the 12th. Louis from Triple- A Memphis and will be used in long relief " He' s not going to be able to pitch Saturday, so it' s better to give him the two weeks " manager Tony La Russa said " We expect in two weeks he' ll be fine " Pineiro also was skipped in the rotation on Tuesday He' s 2- 3 with a 4 50 ERA in eight starts.

David Harrison started for Foster, his second start of the season . The 25- year- old Lillibridge appeared in 24 games with the White Sox, where he batted 162 with four stolen bases . 2 in the Bulls' season opener, a 109- 105 overtime victory against Charlotte . Though his name is on Nebraska' s athletic department headquarters, he has been mostly dissociated from the Cornhuskers' program since Callahan became coach in January 2004 . Graham, the 16th overall pick in the NBA draft, missed the previous three games with left knee tendinitis He started Friday and was 9- for- 14 from the field Morris Peterson had 21 points in a reserve role. Ward then nailed back- to- back 3s to give Houston its first lead since midway through the second quarter, sending the crowd into a frenzy " Their two main guys got it going and we couldn' t do anything to win " Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said " We just have to do something to get a win " Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki and San Antonio' s Tim Duncan each had 30 points against Sacramento in the Kings' first two games. He' ll be out at least one to two weeks, possibly longer " I was trying to persuade the doctor that I could keep playing with it " Camby said " He was like' No' I would risk further injury to myself and neither one of us would have wanted that It' s a frustrating time[ to miss.

After throwing for a league- high 25 touchdown passes last season, the Yellow Jackets have a conference- low two passing TDs this season . The search committee has been meeting with former players, students and others to gauge what type of coach they should pursue . The awarding of the black practice jerseys began in 1964 under coach Bob Devaney, who wanted to make it easier to identify his defensive players during practices . The NCAA ruling followed a report submitted this week by the university regarding its ongoing investigation into the case Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press . 96 ERA in 25 games before the Yankees designated him for assignment June 16 Opposing hitters were batting 235 against him; right- handed hitters had a 180 average. Updated: May 5, 2005, 9: 09 PM ET Okafor named Rookie of Year Email Print Share Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N. Posada threw to the bases on a back field before being the DH in the Yankees' 7- 4 loss to the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland " It' s the best I' ve seen so far " Girardi said " We' re still shooting for March 15 " Posada was to throw again on Friday Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.

Like the Red Sox designated hitter, the new American citizen is still proud of his heritage from across the border " I don' t denounce being Canadian at any point, but I' m definitely proud to be an American " Bay said Bay, who is batting . Updated: May 2, 2008, 9: 10 PM ET Hamlin wins qualifying at Lowry 400 Comment Email Print Share Associated Press RICHMOND, Va- Denny Hamlin didn' t realize how much he was feeling the pressure to perform in front of his hometown crowd until he was hurtling around the track in qualifying " I knew I was under pressure because my heart was beating out of my chest during my lap " Hamlin said after his fastest lap at 126 . This week, it' s definitely even more so " Fedora said he would be able to tell whether Reid had any lingering effects from the injury by having him read defenses in practice and then asking him about them . His athletic ability and versatility was not lost on Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis . If you miss two races you have to qualify[ into races] the whole season.

236 since June 17 and has scored 12 runs in five games since the All- Star break " We' ve been in the market for a player who can do some damage against right- handed pitching and help our depth at the corner infield " Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said in a conference call " This was a chance to get at a very reasonable acquisition cost a player that . Thomas started the second half with a 3- pointer and made two more before coming out just before the fourth quarter . Now, I' m not available to play " Soriano said " I' m going to do what the trainer wants me to do so I can come back quick " Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press . Jonathan Bender scored eight points in his first game back from a knee injury . Suzuki set the record with an infield single in the second inning of Sunday' s second game against the Texas Rangers. Updated: March 2, 2007, 8: 01 PM ET Ex- NC State star Speight, 76, dies after fighting cancer Comment Email Print Share.

During his court appearance Monday, Deputy District Attorney Sophia Roach sought to raise Hendricks' bail from$ 750, 000 to$ 2 million, arguing he was a dangerous person who has been involved two separate group attacks, including one at a party on New Year' s Eve . Finch has said prosecutors felt the attempted murder and assault counts were appropriate, but she did not elaborate . I' ll see the doctor[ Thursday " He had nine points and six rebounds in Cleveland' s 10th straight win Ilgauskas averaged 15 points and 7 7 rebounds entering Wednesday . That game, along with Notre Dame finishing 3- 9 last season, had many fans questioning whether Weis was the right coach for the Irish . 20 Virginia Tech last Saturday- had a hard cast cut off his throwing arm before Wednesday' s practice. He gave Joe Gibbs Racing its 17th victory in 30 Nationwide races, and clinched the series manufacturer' s championship for Toyota in just its second season competing in NASCAR' s top two series. Updated: January 24, 2006, 8: 08 AM ET Fan who confronted wife of Knicks' Davis won' t sue Email Print Share Associated Press CHICAGO- In the end, after all the harsh words and the threat of lawsuits, everyone agreed: It' s time to move on.

He will wear a protective sleeve over his thumb while batting and fielding, and said he may start holding batting gloves while running the bases to help protect his fingers from further injury Hairston, who is batting . Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh, who guided Japan to the championship three years ago, threw out the ceremonial first pitch . Velasquez was shot in the chin and was in critical condition . And now, a new coach, as GM Bob Gainey threw his old pal Guy Carbonneau under the bus earlier this week . He had been traveling back home in his native Caribbean and the voicemail of his agent, Lon Babby, said Babby was out of the country this week as well The Warriors did not provide any details on the buyout. Updated: December 29, 2006, 5: 17 PM ET Former Cal star, big leaguer Sam Chapman dead at 90 Email Print Share. We can' t come apart for long stretches and expect to win " The Bulls grabbed 20 offensive rebounds but couldn' t stop Bibby or Stojakovic, who expressed interest in playing in Chicago last summer while requesting a trade from Sacramento " I was just aggressive going to the ball and coming off screens " said Stojakovic, who' s 19- for- 36 in his last two games after starting the season with 37 percent shooting " The whole team had open looks, and Mike made some and I made some " Rookie Luol Deng had another impressive game for the Bulls, getting 22 points and nine rebounds while taking 19 shots in the final three quarters.

Sun Devil Stadium will be sold out for the second consecutive game, which hasn' t happened since the faithful 1996 campaign " I told them that I hoped that I could take them to places like this, where they would have this opportunity, and it' s here " Erickson said . But he made big shots " Game notesMinnesota played without point guard Sam Cassell, who missed his sixth straight game with a strained hamstring, and center Michael Olowokandi, who sat out the second game of his four- game suspension after a Jan 14 fight in Denver . If you' re into fancier analysis, you could point to the Gray Ink, Hall of Fame Standards and Hall of Fame Monitor tests, all of which show Mussina with more than enough credentials to surpass the average player already enshrined in Cooperstown . Sources said Stewart- Haas Racing had no interest in Keselowski and Earnhardt said JR Motorsports, for which Keselowski drives in the Nationwide Series, likely would not move up to Cup . The discovery came after Burket, the clinic manager, was sent home without pay because he' d brought two large snakes to the gym " I do not want any snakes at my store " said Kelley, sitting at a desk in his expansive office, an American flag over his right shoulder and a surveillance monitor over his left " We have people who are 350 pounds, 400 pounds, come up there that are teetering on a heart attack, anyway " Now Kelley is threatening to bring additional charges against Eckhardt and the Burkets. They talked about boosting corporate donations and Rodriguez serving the foundation' s primary mission- talking to kids about steroids. 9 win over Denver, also opened up things for his teammates, who combined to tie a season high with 15 3- pointers on 63- percent shooting.

Fuller, who had a four- game NBA stint with Atlanta in 2004, averaged 8 0 minutes, 4 0 points and 2 5 rebounds in two Revue games . In the Georgia Tech case, Judge Brogdon is saying is that no longer can be the determining factor . They punished them physically in piling up 279 rushing yards and running away with a 27- 10 win, the highest- ranked opponent Arkansas has beaten on the road since a 14- 13 win over No 1 Texas in the old Southwest Conference days in 1964 . Montoya, the former IndyCar champion and Formula One driver, is hoping to make it for the first time in his three- year NASCAR career . And if we' re not playing up to our potential, we' re going to see the old Riles " Although Van Gundy said he wanted to spend more time with his family and Riley said he tried to persuade Van Gundy to stay, there was speculation that O' Neal drove out the former coach. I' ll have some time to clear my head and be ready to go this weekend " Smith, known for his powerful dunks and blocked shots, is averaging 16 1 points and 8 6 rebounds He ranks second in the league with 2 91 blocked shots per game. 45 car this season in favor of rookie Chad McCumbee, agreed " All indications of anytime I' ve talked to Bobby or any meetings that I' ve been in with Bobby is yeah[ he' ll be back " he said " He' s committed He may walk out tomorrow But when he came to Petty Enterprises he committed to Petty Enterprises.