Sports News

The Colorado Rockies must be tired of seeing Brandon Webb by now. That probably goes for the rest of the National League, too.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jim Thome hit a go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning, A.J. Pierzynski's RBI double capped a three-run second against former batterymate Jon Garland, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 Thursday night.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Scott Kazmir sparkled in his first start since agreeing to a $28.5 million contract extension, and the surprising Tampa Bay Rays dropped the New York Yankees into last place with a 5-2 victory Thursday.

CLEVELAND - An unearned run against Aaron Laffey caused by his own throwing error ended the scoreless streak by Cleveland Indians' starters at 44 1-3 innings but didn't interrupt their string of dominant outings.

PHOENIX - Backed by Stephen Drew's career-high four hits, Brandon Webb became the major leagues' first nine-game winner when the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Colorado Rockies 8-5 on Thursday night.

NEW YORK - Former New England assistant coach Brian Daboll told the NFL he doesn't remember speaking with Matt Walsh about the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough Walsh attended the day before the 2002 Super Bowl.

MIAMI (Reuters) - One of five defendants charged with the death of Washington Redskins NFL footballer Sean Taylor faces a 29-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to second degree murder and armed burglary.

BOSTON - The Boston Herald sports writer who reported the New England Patriots taped a pre-Super Bowl walkthrough by the St. Louis Rams in 2002 says he will regret the erroneous story for the rest of his life.

WASHINGTON - Hold on, NFL. Spygate isn't over. Not if an "incensed" senator from Pennsylvania has anything to do with it.

MIAMI - One of five suspects charged in the slaying of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor has pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and burglary.

SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Spurs' Big Three came through. Now they have to win one on the road to keep their title defense alive. Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Tony Parker added 15 points in the Spurs' 99-80 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in Game 6 on Thursday night.

SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Spurs just won't go away. Not that Chris Paul expected them to.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AFP) - Reigning National Basketball Association champions San Antonio kept their season alive Thursday with an emphatic 99-80 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The San Antonio Spurs crushed the New Orleans Hornets 99-80 on Thursday to force a deciding Game Seven in their Western Conference semi-final.

LAS VEGAS - 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."

LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped a potential bombshell on the club by telling Spanish television he could consider his future following the Champions League final on May 21.

LONDON (AFP) - Eleven Glasgow Rangers football fans were charged by British police Thursday after violence erupted following the UEFA Cup final, drawing condemnation from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

MANCHESTER (AFP) - Alex Ferguson has brushed off Avram Grant's claims that biased refereeing helped Manchester United clinch the Premier League title at Chelsea's expense.

MADRID (AFP) - Portuguese international midfielder Deco handed Spanish giants Barcelona another bombshell on Thursday by announcing he will not be with the club next season, Spanish media reported.

SAO PAULO (AFP) - Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho was again ignored by Brazil coach Dunga when the squad for the next round of 2010 World Cup qualifiers was announced on Thursday.

PHILADELPHIA - The Pittsburgh Penguins' road to the Stanley Cup finals along the Pennsylvania Turnpike took an unexpected detour.

PHILADELPHIA - Not only did the Philadelphia Flyers stay alive Thursday night, they got good news on the status of injured defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn.

DETROIT - NHL playoff goal-scoring leader Johan Franzen will miss his fourth straight game when the Red Wings face Dallas in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Saturday.

DALLAS - Detroit's goal with a guy barely in the crease, if at all, didn't count. Dallas' goal with a guy clearly in the crease did count. Apparently, that's what it takes to slow the mighty Red Wings. Loui Ericksson's goal about 12 minutes after Detroit's was waved off, then third-period goals from Mike Modano and Brenden Morrow sent the Stars past the Red Wings 3-1 on Wednesday night, preventing the Western Conference finals from ending in a sweep.

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia - Sami Lepisto's goal at 3:59 of overtime led Finland to a 3-2 victory over the United States on Wednesday night in the world hockey quarterfinals.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State coach Joe Paterno spent several hours at a hospital being treated for dehydration before returning home late Thursday.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana University has reached a settlement with former interim coach Dan Dakich, paying him the $185,000 he was scheduled to earn next school year.

HOUSTON - Saying the NCAA has "new information," president Myles Brand promised to investigate former Southern California basketball star O.J. Mayo, who allegedly received thousands of dollars in gifts from money given to an event promoter by a sports agency.

LOS ANGELES - 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.

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana University told the NCAA on Monday that its own self-imposed penalties should be enough to keep the organization from having to punish the school for improper phone calls made by Kelvin Sampson before he resigned as basketball coach.

PARIS (AFP) - Thailand tennis twins Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana have been hailed as heroes for helping guests escape a terrifying hotel blaze.

ROME (AFP) - New world number one Maria Sharapova was made to battle all the way before reaching the Rome International quarter-finals with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki on Thursday.

HAMBURG, Germany (AFP) - Claycourt king Rafael Nadal booked his place in the quarter-finals of the Hamburg Masters on Thursday to spoil British number one Andy Murray's 21st birthday celebrations.

HAMBURG, Germany (AFP) - Both defending champion Roger Federer and third seed Novak Djokovic are safely into the quarter-finals of the Hamburg Masters Series after their third round matches on Thursday.

ROME (AFP) - Russian Maria Sharapova will be the new women's world number one when the WTA rankings are released on Monday, the WTA said in a statement Thursday.

DULUTH, Ga. - Kenny Perry sloshed through the water-logged fairways, ducking under an umbrella every chance he got. He also hit plenty of good shots on a miserable day at the TPC Sugarloaf.

CLIFTON, N.J. - The Annika Sorenstam goodbye tour got off to a great start. Two days after announcing this would be her final season on the LPGA Tour, Sorenstam shot a 5-under 67 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead in the Sybase Classic. Two-time defending champion Lorena Ochoa was a stroke back.

CLIFTON, N.J. - 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.

ST. LOUIS - Tiger Woods is chipping and putting again, and he hopes to play in the Memorial in two weeks. But even if he can't compete until the U.S. Open, he doesn't expect the same result as his last layoff during a season.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. - Don't look for Michelle Wie at this year's Ginn Tribute hosted by Annika Sorenstam. Wie did not seek an exemption into the event she played a year ago, the tournament said.

CARSON, Calif. - Oscar De La Hoya showed he could still beat a contender. Next up is cashing in again like a champion. In what was little more than a tuneup for a much bigger fight, De La Hoya kicked off his retirement tour Saturday night before an appreciative crowd by pitching a near shutout over a game but overmatched Steve Forbes.

INDIANAPOLIS - A group of antsy drivers got their wish Thursday, with a dry track allowing them to finally get some work done at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

INDIANAPOLIS - Charles Buckman, a crewman for Dale Coyne Racing, has been released from Methodist Hospital four days after being struck by Danica Patrick's race car during practice for the Indianapolis 500.

INDIANAPOLIS - Qualifying and practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have been canceled for the day due to rain. Qualifying for positions 12-22 for drivers at the May 25 Indianapolis 500 was to be decided Sunday. Now those slots will be added to next Saturday's scheduled qualifying. It was the fourth day this month that speedway events were canceled or limited because of rain.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Felipe Massa held off Lewis Hamilton to win his third straight Turkish Grand Prix on Sunday and earn Ferrari's fourth consecutive Formula One victory.

DARLINGTON, S.C. - The crowd booed him. He called his car pathetic. His crew missed a lug nut, and he couldn't stay off Darlington Raceway's wall. Despite it all, Kyle Busch found Victory Lane once again.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - The row of gleaming bicycles being assembled on the factory floor of Giant Manufacturing, one of the world's biggest bicycle-makers, will soon hit streets from Seattle to Sydney, Amsterdam and even Beijing.

LAS VEGAS - 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."

LIMELETTE, Belgium - The determination that helped Justine Henin beat bigger, stronger opponents time and again was fading.

WASHINGTON - Hold on, NFL. Spygate isn't over. Not if an "incensed" senator from Pennsylvania has anything to do with it.

ROME - Maria Sharapova will assume the No. 1 ranking in tennis because of Justine Henin's retirement.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Olympic Committee's aggressive plan to start its own cable network is moving forward, though officials are giving no indications that the network will be on the air before the Beijing Olympics, as the federation had once hoped.

Forget the pool. The bitter battle over Olympic swimsuits is now in the courts, less than three months before the Beijing Games.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - There will be nothing resembling Spygate to distract the U.S. Olympic Committee. In fact, the USOC actually encourages — gasp! — sharing its secrets with the competition.

BEIJING - The Olympic torch relay will be simplified, downscaled and open with a minute of silence Wednesday when a leg starts in the southeastern city of Ruijin, a symbolic gesture to thousands who died in a massive earthquake in central China.

MIAMI - The Cuban national judo team prepared to return home Monday without one of its stars, whose weekend disappearance fueled speculation she is defecting.