Boston 94, Charlotte 84
BOSTON - Paul Pierce knew what was on the line with every shot. The pressure was quite clear to Pierce and anyone else in the arena as he stood on the verge of passing Larry Bird for No. 2 on Boston's career scoring list. He needed only 10 points to overtake Bird when the Celtics hosted Charlotte last night and…
February 8, 2012
NFL
NEW YORK - Eli Manning hoisted the Lombardi Trophy from a glittering blue-and-white float, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg joked that New York City should now be nicknamed the "Big Blue Apple," as thousands of fans crowded lower Manhattan yesterday to celebrate the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory amid…
February 8, 2012
College football
The Big Ten, which helped squash the notion of a four-team playoff to crown a national champion in college football several years ago, is taking another look. BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock said last night that's good news. "Our process is working perfectly," Hancock said. "One of good things about our process is that there's no timetable so that a deliberate and thoughtful…
February 8, 2012
College football
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Prosecutors asked yesterday to have Jerry Sandusky kept indoors as part of his bail conditions, citing complaints that the former Penn State football assistant was seen outside and watching children in a schoolyard from the back porch of his home, where he remains under house arrest while awaiting trial on child molestation charges. The state attorney general's…
February 8, 2012
The visiting Portland Pirates scored three straight goals in the first period, two of them shorthanded, then hung on to beat the Manchester Monarchs, 4-2, last night. The Monarchs outshot the Pirates, 36-25, but couldn't overcome the early deficit despite scoring two goals in the second to trim the deficit to 3-2. Patrick Mullen struck first for Manchester with assists from Linden…
February 8, 2012
Minnesota / Missouri
A resurgent Rick Santorum won Minnesota's Republican caucuses with ease yesterday night, relegating front-runner Mitt Romney to a distant third-place finish that raised fresh questions about his ability to attract ardent conservatives at the core of the GOP political base. Santorum was victorious, as well, in a nonbinding Missouri primary that was worth bragging rights but no delegates.…
February 8, 2012
College Athletics
A person familiar with the talks said the Big East is in discussions with Memphis about the Tigers joining the league in all sports. The Tigers likely would join in 2013 when Houston, Central Florida and SMU from Conference USA already are set to join the Big East. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity yesterday because talks were ongoing between Memphis and the Big East.
February 8, 2012
Tennis
PARIS - French Open champion Li Na retired with a sore back against Tsvetana Pironkova in the second set of her opening match yesterday at the Open GDF Suez. Third-seeded Li took a medical timeout while trailing, 7-6 (5), 3-2, to have her lower back massaged and played a few more points before retiring. Fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic withdrew yesterday because of a left thigh strain…
February 8, 2012
Nfl
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard tore his left anterior cruciate ligament during the second half of Super Bowl, the team announced yesterday. An MRI discovered Ballard's injury, and with the help of crutches, he was able to participate in yesterday's parade and ceremonies in New York and New Jersey.
February 8, 2012
Nfl
DENVER - Denver prosecutors say Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno has been charged with drunken driving and careless driving after getting pulled over in south Denver. Denver district attorney's spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough said yesterday that Moreno is also charged with failure to have proof of insurance and is due back in court March 2 after police issued a summons. Denver…
February 8, 2012
Nfl
PITTSBURGH - The Steelers named Todd Haley their new offensive coordinator. Haley, 45, will replace Bruce Arians, now with the Indianapolis Colts, and will inherit an offense that scored 325 points last season en route to finishing 12-4. Haley was fired by Kansas City on Dec. 13, after going 19-26 in two-plus seasons with the Chiefs, leading them to the 2010 AFC West title.
February 8, 2012
Baseball
Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff says the team has agreed to extend the contracts of General Manager Billy Beane and team President Michael Crowley through the 2019 season. Wolff, confirming comments first made on Bloomberg Television, wrote in an email to the Associated Press yesterday that he is counting on Beane's leadership and innovation to lead the club in a new stadium…
February 8, 2012
Baseball
LOS ANGELES - NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided a salary arbitration hearing next week, agreeing to a $19 million, two-year contract. The agreement mirrors that of San Francisco's Tim Lincecum, who in his first time eligible for arbitration two years ago agreed to a $23 million, two-year deal. Kershaw was 21-5 with a 2.28 ERA and 248…
February 8, 2012
Baseball
NEW YORK - The Yankees agreed to a minor league contract with utilityman Bill Hall and invited him to big league spring training. Hall announced the deal on his Twitter account yesterday, and New York confirmed the agreement. If Hall is added to the Yankees' 40-man roster, he would get a $600,000, one-year contract and have the chance to earn an additional $600,000 in performance…
February 8, 2012
