Sports News

The Minnesota Twins are just a game back in the AL Central, thanks in no small part to rookie outfielder Denard Span.

PHILADELPHIA - Daniel Murphy hit a tiebreaking double after Carlos Delgado's second solo homer had tied the game in the eighth and the New York Mets beat Philadelphia 6-3 on Wednesday night to reclaim first place in the NL East.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Emil Brown homered and drove in three runs, Rajai Davis had a career-high four hits and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 on Wednesday night.

RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks finally have some good injury news. Lofa Tatupu has a bone bruise in his right knee, and coach Mike Holmgren said Wednesday the Pro Bowl linebacker will be fine for the season opener Sept. 7 at Buffalo.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The Baltimore Ravens traded for Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Marques Douglas on Wednesday, reacting quickly to defensive lineman Dwan Edwards' season-ending back injury.

SAN DIEGO - The surgeon's knife can wait. Shawne Merriman is going to play football, two torn knee ligaments and all. A day after visiting a fourth doctor, the San Diego Chargers' star outside linebacker decided Wednesday to play this season rather than have surgery on his damaged left knee.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Golden State guard Monta Ellis will be sidelined for at least three months after severely spraining his ankle during an offseason workout, forcing the Warriors to start the season without the player expected to lead their revamped roster this fall.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City's new NBA franchise has finally set a date to announce its name and team colors. The team said Wednesday that it would unveil the name and colors simultaneously on its Web site and at a downtown event Sept. 3.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon officials say an autopsy shows former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth died when his enlarged heart failed. Duckworth died Monday at 44 on the Oregon coast, where he was on a goodwill tour for the team.

LONDON (AFP) - Arsene Wenger believes the return of Cesc Fabregas in Arsenal's 4-0 Champions League rout of FC Twente signals the real start of his side's season.

LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Dirk Kuyt's goal three minutes from the end of extra-time ensured Liverpool progressed to the group stages of the Champions League at the expense of an unfortunate Standard Liege.

MANCHESTER, England (AFP) - Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves wants to use Friday's European Super Cup clash against Zenit St Petersburg to kick-start his season.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic agreed to a four-year contract extension with the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, keeping one of the club's best young players with the Sharks through the 2012-13 season.

DENVER - Patience paid off for the Colorado Avalanche, who signed Joe Sakic to a one-year, $6 million contract Wednesday after he decided to play a 20th season in the NHL rather than call it a career.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Scott Gordon faced a probing question in the time between accepting the job as head coach of the New York Islanders and his introductory news conference.

CINCINNATI - Quarterback Ben Mauk lost his latest appeal to the NCAA for another year of eligibility on Wednesday, leaving him with one final chance to play for Cincinnati.

DURHAM, N.C. - Mike Krzyzewski always maintained that leading the U.S. Olympic basketball team would make him a changed coach. Sure enough, Coach K was there on the sideline in Beijing and he stopped himself from saying something he otherwise might have.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana defensive end Greg Middleton, who led the nation with 16 sacks last season, and three other players have been suspended for one game for undisclosed disciplinary reasons.

NEW YORK (AFP) - Serbian stars Novak Djokovic and Jelena Jankovic hobbled to victory on centre court while the Russian assault continued on day four of the 20.6 million dollar US Open.

NEW YORK (AFP) - An ATP drama which has stretched for more than a year is wearing down Nikolay Davydenko, who still managed to produce a rare easy win to reach the second round of the US Open on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (AFP) - European sophisticate Roger Federer can feel the love even more from the US Open public now that he stands as second seed at a major for the first time since early 2004.

NORTON, Mass. - Padraig Harrington has won the last two majors and is considered the favorite to be voted player of the year on the PGA Tour. But if he doesn't play well the next two weeks, he might not even make it to the Tour Championship.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The LPGA Tour boasts players from all over the world, and it wants all of them to be able to speak English.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Tiger Woods said he is not sure whether he will be ready to defend his title at the Dubai Desert Classic early next year.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR placed Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards on probation Wednesday for the next six Sprint Cup Series races, the result of their on-track incident last weekend at the end of the race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Reed Sorenson isn't waiting for Chip Ganassi Racing to figure out the Car of Tomorrow. The 22-year-old driver signed a multiyear contract to join Gillett Evernham Motorsports next season, where he'll join Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. - Joe Gibbs Racing has selected 18-year-old Joe Logano to replace Tony Stewart in the No. 20 Sprint Cup Toyota next season. Logano was introduced Monday at the team's race shop, less than two months after he made his debut in the Nationwide Series.

BEIJING - China on Monday deported a British woman and a German man who took part in a protest during the Olympic Games, officials said, hours after eight American activists were sent home during the closing ceremony.

BEIJING - Order is restored in international basketball. The United States is back on top, but not by that much anymore. Culminating a three-year mission to end years of embarrassment, the U.S. Olympic team survived a huge challenge from Spain, winning 118-107 Sunday in the gold-medal game.

BEIJING - With help from British star power, China concluded its debut as Olympic host Sunday after 16 days of near-flawless logistics and superlative athletic achievement — coexisting awkwardly with the government's wariness of dissent and free speech.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player — too good, it turns out. The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - NASCAR placed Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards on probation Wednesday for the next six Sprint Cup Series races, the result of their on-track incident last weekend at the end of the race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

LINCOLN CITY, Ore. - Former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth, a "gentle giant" with a feathery touch from the paint, has died. He was 44.