Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun had some moments of fear, but never thought about retiring after being diagnosed for a second time with skin cancer. "All I thought was, 'How do we defeat this?"' Calhoun said Friday. The 66-year-old Hall of Fame coach said doctors determined last month that a lump in the upper right side of his neck near the jaw line was squamous cell cancer, a type of skin cancer.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno spent several hours at a hospital being treated for dehydration before returning home late Thursday. The 81-year-old coach had been working at home late in the morning when he began feeling nauseated and was taken by ambulance to Mount Nittany Medical Center, team spokesman Guido D'Elia said.
To shape their future, the Chicago Bulls could turn to the past. Doug Collins, who guided the Bulls and a young Michael Jordan from 1986-89 but couldn't get them past Detroit in the playoffs, has talked with the team about returning as coach. "I have spoken with Bulls management recently about their head coaching vacancy and will resume conversations after the conclusion of my work for TNT in the...
Tiger Woods entered the room with a slight limp and unwavering determination to play the U.S. Open. "The knee's doing better," said Woods, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 15. "The rehab is boring. It gets really old riding that bike, man. But everything's on schedule. Just been training and trying to get this thing organized for the Open, and it's right on schedule for that." Woods...
Lorena Ochoa withdrew from the Ginn Tribute, putting the top-ranked player's duel with tournament host Annika Sorenstam on hold. Ochoa left for Mexico on Tuesday night, saying in a statement that her uncle was ill. "I am very sorry to have to withdraw," Ochoa said. "I need to be with my uncle and my family right now." Ochoa has won six of 13 LPGA tournaments this season.
Pedro Martinez is likely to rejoin the New York Mets' rotation early next week in San Francisco. On the disabled list nearly all season with a strained left hamstring, Martinez is scheduled to make a minor league rehab start Wednesday night for Class-A St. Lucie. If all goes well, his next outing probably will come during New York's series June 2-4 against the Giants.
Roger Clemens added a new claim of "intentional infliction of emotional distress" on Tuesday to his defamation suit against Brian McNamee. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner said McNamee, his former personal trainer, was "malicious and grossly negligent" when McNamee told baseball investigator George Mitchell last year that Clemens had used steroids and human growth hormone.
Prosecutors in Miami say a fifth person has been charged in the slaying of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor. Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office spokesman Ed Griffith says Wednesday that 16-year-old Timothy Brown is charged with first-degree murder. He is also charged with armed burglary of an occupied dwelling.
Warming up before Game 4, Tim Duncan decided to have a little fun. He threw the ball behind his back and between his legs, then went up for the lay-in. Yep, it was going to be that easy. Duncan had his best game of the series against New Orleans -- 22 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks -- to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 100-80 victory over the Hornets on Sunday.
The trainer of Eight Belles is certain the filly was never on steroids, and has ordered tests to prove it. Larry Jones said Tuesday he wanted to dispel any suggestion the Kentucky Derby runner-up was on performance-enhancing drugs. Eight Belles was euthanized after breaking both front ankles Saturday, a quarter-mile after the finish at Churchill Downs.
Aaron Cook doesn't consider himself a stopper, but he's certainly pitching like one. Cook gave the Rockies the strong outing they needed, Matt Holliday had two hits and two RBIs and the Colorado Rockies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 on Sunday to end a four-game losing streak. It was the fifth time Cook (5-1) stopped a Rockies' losing streak, and for the third straight start he ended a four-game...
A Frenchman put Phoenix on the brink of elimination, another brought the Suns back to life. Boris Diaw fell two assists shy of a triple-double Sunday and the Suns avoided a first-round sweep at the hands of San Antonio with a 105-86 rout of the Spurs. Diaw, starting in place of injured Grant Hill, had 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in one of the best playoff performances of his career.
Suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones paid $20,000 to a Las Vegas casino Friday to settle a criminal bad check case. "We filed a criminal complaint. Within 24 hours, Mr. Jones found a way to make restitution," said Clark County District Attorney David Roger. "Case closed." Jones paid $20,000 to cover three casino markers he received Sept.
The Mule-led Detroit Red Wings are kicking the Colorado Avalanche when they're down. Johan Franzen scored three times to lift Detroit to a 5-1 victory Saturday over the banged-up Avs, giving the NHL's top-seeded team a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinal. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound center -- known as "Mule" -- redirected a shot in front of the net early in the game, scored on a wraparound in...
That new contract in the works for Brandon Webb might have grown a few digits. Webb became the first pitcher in three years to win his first eight starts, pitching his 13th career complete game to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 on Thursday. The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner struck out four and didn't walk a batter in his first complete game of the year.
Kevin Durant was so excited to learn he had just won the NBA Rookie of the Year award, he went back to sleep. That's what seven months and 82 games -- more than double the amount the lanky 19-year-old had played in any previous season -- can do to a teenager. Fatigue that wasn't apparent while Durant soared in Seattle this season finally caught up to the SuperSonics' star this week.
Sid and The Kids are off to the Stanley Cup finals, thanks to a dominating run by a younger-than-young Pittsburgh Penguins team that has taken only two seasons to transform itself from one of the NHL's worst to one of its best. Ryan Malone, the one Penguins player with firsthand memories of the team's two previous Stanley Cup appearances, scored twice and set up a third goal and Pittsburgh routed...
Disgraced basketball referee Tim Donaghy told investigators in the NBA betting probe that relationships among officials, coaches and players "affected the outcome of games," his attorney said. The league said the charges were unfounded. Donaghy's attorney made the assertions in a letter filed in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on Monday, in which he argued that his client should be sentenced to...
Mike Piazza is retiring from baseball following a 16-season career in which he became one of the top-hitting catchers in history. "After discussing my options with my wife, family and agent, I felt it was time to start a new chapter in my life," he said in a statement released Tuesday by his agent, Dan Lozano.
Peter Magowan, the owner who brought Barry Bonds to San Francisco, built a new ballpark and kept major league baseball in the city, is stepping down as managing partner of the Giants. The 66-year-old Magowan will retire from his duties at the end of the season on Oct. 1 but maintain an ownership stake, the team said Friday.
Andy Roddick withdrew from the French Open on Monday because of a right shoulder injury and hopes to be ready for Wimbledon. The sixth-ranked American, who lost in the first round at Roland Garros the last two years, retired from the semifinals of the Rome Masters on May 10. He skipped the Hamburg Masters last week, but had been expected to play this week at the World Team Cup in Duesseldorf.
Sunday at Sawgrass felt tougher on Sergio Garcia than what he faced last summer at the British Open, a playoff loss that seemed to define a career filled with more talent than trophies. He was tormented by a suspect putter. He heard questions whether he could win a big one. All that changed in the final hour of The Players Championship thanks to two clutch putts, a wedge that found safety on an...
Jimmy Rollins found his stroke in a hurry. Rollins came off the disabled list Friday and the NL MVP hit a two-run homer in his third at-bat for the Philadelphia Phillies in the series opener against the San Francisco Giants. Rollins, batting leadoff and starting at shortstop, grounded out in the first and third innings before connecting for his third homer of the year with two outs in the fifth.
Prosecutors said Monday they will not seek the death penalty against four people charged with murdering Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor because the accused shooter was a minor when the crime was committed. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that people cannot be executed for crimes committed when they're under 18, and it's a well established legal principle that others involved in the same case...
Ryan Braun grinned. He had just agreed to the largest contract in Milwaukee Brewers' history. "I really believe in the direction this franchise is headed," the NL Rookie of the Year said Thursday after his $45 million, eight-year deal was announced. "I'm extremely excited in our future." Braun's contract, which runs through 2015, replaces the $455,000, one-year renewal the Brewers gave him in spring...
The Detroit Pistons missed 64 percent of their shots and had a rookie filling in for an All-Star at point guard. It didn't matter. Detroit set an NBA playoff record with just three turnovers and made just enough shots and stops to advance to their sixth straight Eastern Conference final with a 91-86 win Tuesday night over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the second-round series.
Charles Barkley acknowledged he owes a $400,000 gambling debt to a Las Vegas Strip casino and promised Thursday to repay it after a prosecutor said the retired NBA star faced criminal charges. "My mistake," Barkley said in an interview at a pro-am golf tournament in Hoover, Ala. "I'm not broke, and I'm going to take care of it." Barkley was responding to comments by Clark County District Attorney...
Annika Sorenstam ignored her notes and spoke from the heart. One of golf's greatest players was leaving the game, and she handled her retirement announcement the way she would a 10-foot birdie putt with a tournament on the line. With command and composure. Calling her decision one she'd "been thinking about for a while," Sorenstam said Tuesday she will retire after the season.
The determination that helped Justine Henin beat bigger, stronger opponents time and again was fading. "I decided," the 25-year-old Belgian said, "to stop fooling myself and accept it." Henin retired from tennis Wednesday, an abrupt ending to a career in which she won seven Grand Slam singles titles and spent more than 100 weeks ranked No.
Barry Bonds was charged in a new indictment Tuesday with 15 felony counts alleging he lied to a grand jury when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs and that he hampered the federal government's doping investigation. The career home run leader originally was indicted in November by a federal grand jury on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice.
Six straight wins. Eleven in a row at home. First place in the AL East. The Tampa Bay Rays realize it's only mid-May, but they're having a ball during the best start in franchise history. "I've been around a long time. It's early, but I love the way we're doing it by not giving in to anyone," veteran closer Troy Percival said Tuesday night after Gabe Gross singled with no outs in the 11th inning to...
With the latest technology and the oldest mind games, coach Ron Wilson led the San Jose Sharks to more victories than any NHL club over the past four seasons. Not enough of those victories came in the postseason to please general manager Doug Wilson, who's making big changes to a talented team that usually wins, but just can't win it all.
The head of the sports agency representing O.J. Mayo denied any illegal activity involving the Southern California star on Monday, a day after ESPN reported Bill Duffy Associates gave cash to an event promoter who provided gifts. "We are in contact with the NCAA and the Pac-10 and are working with both in a cooperative investigation to review these new allegations," USC said in a statement issued...
A former associate of USC freshman guard O.J. Mayo claims the basketball star received thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts from an event promoter over the past four years that would violate NCAA rules, ESPN reported Sunday. Louis Johnson told ESPN's "Outside the Lines," that Rodney Guillory, a Los Angeles-based event promoter, gave Mayo about $30,000 and other benefits while he attended...
Mike D'Antoni has agreed to coach the New York Knicks, bringing his entertaining offensive style from the Phoenix Suns to a team coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The Knicks released a statement Saturday night saying they had agreed in principle with D'Antoni and that a press conference would be held once the contract had been completed.
For nearly 60 minutes, the story was the Detroit Red Wings winning without their hottest player. The fracas in the final seconds that spilled into the postgame, though, will be what people are talking about and might lead to suspensions. Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg scored first-period goals to help make up for the loss of Johan Franzen and Detroit held on for a 2-1 win Saturday night over the...
The Colorado Avalanche want to play a faster, more attacking brand of hockey, similar to the style that brought them two Stanley Cup titles. Now, they're looking for a coach who fits that description. Joel Quenneville and the Avalanche mutually decided to end their relationship Friday, a week after Colorado was swept out of the playoffs by the Detroit Red Wings.
On the night of his last game as an NBA head coach, Pat Riley heard the final buzzer, looked straight ahead and briskly walked away. Deep down, he knew it was over. "I didn't have to look back," Riley said. "I know that's behind me." And now, after spending several days plotting the Miami Heat's next course, Riley's past becomes Erik Spoelstra's future.
James Loney homered and drove in six runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 12-7 on Saturday night to extend their winning streak to eight. Brad Hawpe went 3-for-5 with a homer and drove in four runs, and Matt Holliday also homered for the Rockies, who have lost three straight and 11th of their last 13 games.
The Phoenix Suns granted permission for coach Mike D'Antoni to talk to other teams, with the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks apparently the leading suitors. General manager Steve Kerr confirmed Monday that D'Antoni can speak with other NBA teams about coaching vacancies but indicated he still wants to persuade the coach to stay with the Suns.
The Arizona Diamondbacks figure they're going to win every time Brandon Webb pitches. They didn't expect Augie Ojeda to help make him the majors' first seven-game winner. Ojeda drove in a career-high six runs to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 10-4 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday. "Six RBIs -- that's incredible for anybody," said Webb (7-0), who matched Randy Johnson in 2000 for the...
The players' association has expressed concern to the baseball commissioner's office over the lack of offers to Barry Bonds, asking for additional information about the offseason's free-agent market. The union did not go as far as to file a collusion grievance on behalf of the 43-year-old outfielder, who remains unsigned since the San Francisco Giants decided not to make him an offer last year and...
The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles adamantly defended the way jockey Gabriel Saez handled the Kentucky Derby runner-up. In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Larry Jones said Saez applied the whip only to prevent Eight Belles from crashing into the rail. "This filly in every race has tried to drift toward the rail," Jones said.
Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson believes officers used excessive force against him and plans to fight charges he operated a boat while intoxicated and resisted arrest on a Texas lake over the weekend. "He denies that he was intoxicated," attorney Brian Carney said Monday. "He denies that he resisted arrest." Benson is scheduled to appear in Travis County Court on May 19 to face charges...
So much for the talk a team as young as the Pittsburgh Penguins couldn't advance this far in the playoffs. So much for the speculation Marian Hossa couldn't score big postseason goals. So much for the New York Rangers, too, whose decided edge in experience meant nothing in a five-game series in which the Penguins' superior talent repeatedly made the difference.
Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson was charged with failing a sobriety test while operating a 30-foot boat, then resisting arrest before being hit with pepper spray and dragged ashore by officers. Benson faces charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest after the incident Saturday night on Lake Travis, Travis County Sheriff's Department spokesman Roger Wade said Sunday.
The expectations were there for Kevin Durant the day he first arrived in Seattle: anything less than being the best rookie in the NBA would be a disappointment. The 19-year-old didn't disappoint. Durant, the Sonics' dynamic young star, has been chosen as the NBA Rookie of the Year, The Associated Press has learned from a person with knowledge of the vote.
Ryan Perrilloux seemed like a perfect fit for LSU. The Louisiana native had the rocket arm, mobility and versatility to make him a constant big-play threat and one of the most sought-after quarterback prospects in the country. He even had the French last name. In spurts as a backup or fill-in starter last season, the sophomore showed the potential to rise to stardom, winning MVP honors in the...
Buzzie Bavasi, who built Dodgers teams that won four World Series titles in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, died Thursday at his home in the La Jolla area of San Diego. He was 93. His death was announced by the Seattle Mariners, whose general manager is Bill Bavasi, a son of the former Dodgers GM. "Buzzie was one of the game's greatest front office executives during a period that spanned parts of six...
Colorado Rockies star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki tore a tendon in his left quadriceps and could be out until the All-Star break, if not longer. "Best case scenario is six weeks. The realistic one is a few months," agent Paul Cohen told The Associated Press on Thursday. "We're hoping it's a couple months, but we won't know until they do further medical tests." Cohen said team doctors will have a...
From the start, Avery Johnson was a perfect fit as coach of the Dallas Mavericks. At the end, it was pretty obvious he wasn't. Johnson lost his job Wednesday, a move the team referred to as "relieving him of his duties." The softer tone made sense considering that in three-plus seasons Johnson guided the Mavericks to the finals for the first time and to a club-record 67 wins the following season.
If the New York Rangers are going to pull off one of sport's biggest comebacks, they will have to do it without premier motor mouth Sean Avery. The agitating forward will spend the next few days in the hospital after lacerating his spleen during Tuesday night's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. News of Avery's hospitalization created quite a stir Wednesday, following a report that the 28-year-old...
