Archive for the ‘Other sports news’ Category
December 31, 2008
OTTAWA 3, EDMONTON 2
EDMONTON, Alberta Rookie defenseman Brian Lee netted a power-play goal to snap a tie with 8:28 remaining in the third period as the Ottawa Senators avoided a fourth straight loss with a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Jason Spezza and captain Daniel Alfredsson both scored a goal and set up another and Martin Gerber made 20 saves for the Senators, who had lost eight of their previous 10 contests.
Captain Ethan Moreau and rookie Liam Reddox tallied and Shawn Horcoff had two assists for the Oilers, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.
It was Ottawas third straight stop in Western Canada after falling to the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks over the weekend. The Senators, who have not won away from ScotiaBank Place since October 30, are also halfway through an eight-game road trip.
MONTREAL 2, TAMPA BAY 1 (SO)
TAMPA, Florida Maxim Lapierre netted the decisive goal in the second round of a shootout to help the Montreal Canadiens edge the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1.
Alexei Kovalev also tallied in the shootout and Carey Price made 21 saves before denying Vaclav Prospal in the second round and Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier in final set of the bonus format to secure the win.
Guillaume Latendresse scored his fifth tally of the season 46 seconds into the third period and Lapierre and Tom Kostopoulos notched assists for the Canadiens.
Prospal registered a power-play goal in regulation for the Lightning, who saw their three-game win streak come to an end. Before the streak, they had dropped 17 of 19 contests.
TORONTO 4, ATLANTA 3 (OT)
TORONTO Pavel Kubina scored a power-play goal 33 seconds into overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.
Rookie Nikolai Kulemin, Lee Stempniak and Jason Blake scored for the Maple Leafs, who snapped their three-game losing streak.
Bryan Little and Jim Slater tallied for the Thrashers before Colby Armstrong netted a power-play goal to forge a 3-3 tie with 6:43 left in the third period.
PHILADELPHIA 3, VANCOUVER 2
VANCOUVER, British Columbia Jeff Carter recorded his league-leading 27th goal and added an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 3-2 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks.
Rookie Jon Kalinski netted his first career NHL goal and Scott Hartnell also tallied for Philadelphia, which has 10 wins and four ties since its last loss in Vancouver on January 17, 1989.
Martin Biron finished with 29 saves for the Flyers.
Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler scored for Vancouver, which is 1-3-0 in its last four games.
Curtis Sanford stopped seven of nine shots before he was replaced by Cory Schneider, who finished with 19 saves for the Canucks.
WASHINGTON 4, BUFFALO 2
BUFFALO, New York Nicklas Backstrom recorded a goal and an assist as the Washington Capitals posted a 4-2 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres.
Rookie Chris Bourque, who is the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, netted his first career NHL goal for Washington, which secured its fourth consecutive victory and improved to 9-1-0 in its last 10 games.
Brooks Laich and Boyd Gordon also tallied, Viktor Kozlov notched two assists and Jose Theodore finished with 31 saves for the Capitals.
Adam Mair and Clarke MacArthur scored and Ryan Miller turned aside 27 shots for Buffalo, which fell to 6-4-2 in its last 12 contests.
DETROIT 4, CHICAGO 0
DETROIT Ty Conklin made 36 saves to record his third shutout of the season and Johan Franzen scored two goals as the Detroit Red Wings snapped the Chicago Blackhawks nine-game winning streak with a 4-0 victory.
Pavel Datsyuk netted a goal and set up another while defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski each had two assists for Detroit, which visits Chicago on Thursday at Wrigley Field in the 2009 Winter Classic.
Tomas Kopecky also tallied for the Red Wings, who avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season.
The 32-year-old Conklin turned aside 16 shots in the first period, eight more in the next and 12 in the third to complete his seventh career shutout. He improved to 6-0-0 against the Blackhawks in his career.
BOSTON 5, PITTSBURGH 2
PITTSBURGH Marc Savard and defenseman Dennis Wideman recorded a goal and two assists apiece as the Boston Bruins posted their ninth straight win, a 5-2 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Phil Kessel netted his team-leading 23rd goal of the season and defenseman Zdeno Chara and Martin St. Pierre also tallied for Boston, which improved to 23-2-1 in its last 26 games.
P.J. Axelsson notched two assists and Tim Thomas turned aside 32 shots for the Bruins.
Petr Sykora and Pascal Dupuis scored and Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 35 saves for Pittsburgh, which fell to 1-3-0 in its last four games.
NEW JERSEY 4, ST. LOUIS 3
ST. LOUIS Zach Parise scored two goals and continued his torrid play as the New Jersey Devils won their second straight game with a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
Parise now has 41 points in his last 31 games, and has scored in 17 of those.
Brian Rolston and Jay Pandolfo also tallied and Scott Clemmensen made 28 saves to help the Devils improve to 14-4-1 in their past 19 games.
Brad Boyes and David Backes each recorded a first-period goal and Alex Steen added another with 28 seconds left in the contest, but the Blues were unable to avoid their fourth loss in five games.
December 31, 2008
Mats Sundin practiced for the first time with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday after signing as a free agent before Christmas.
The 37-year-old center said he delayed his return to the NHL until his desire to play had been restored. He played with Toronto during the 2007-08 season.
“Last year was frustrating,” he said. “We struggled. It was a mixed emotional season. When I look back at last year I really enjoyed playing. Hopefully I can pick up where I left off.”
Sundin wasn’t scheduled to be in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game against Philadelphia and wasn’t sure when he would debut with the Canucks.
“I feel the Canucks have a good enough team to be strong in the playoffs,” he said. “I hope I can contribute and bring my game back the way I played last season.”
The former Maple Leafs captain ended five months of speculation Dec. 18 when he agreed to spend the rest of the season with the Canucks. The Swede will earn about $5.6 million.
He is a nine-time All-Star who scored 32 goals last year with the Maple Leafs. He is Toronto’s all-time leading scorer with 987 points (420 goals, 567 assists) and was the team’s captain in 10 of his 13 seasons there.
Sundin, 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, brings size and a scoring touch to a Canucks team that already is sound defensively. Entering Tuesday night, the Canucks were second in the Northwest Division with a 20-14-3 record for 43 points.
December 31, 2008
MIAMI 104, CLEVELAND 95
MIAMI Dwyane Wade and LeBron James each lived up to their superstar billing. Fortunately for the Miami Heat, they also had rookie Mario Chalmers.
Wade had 21 points and 12 assists, setting up Chalmers on many of his seven 3-pointers as the Heat surged past James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, 104-95.
Shawn Marion collected 14 points and 11 rebounds and Udonis Haslem added 13 and 10 for Miami, which used a crucial 18-5 fourth-quarter run to seal the win.
Playing on his 24th birthday, James scored 24 of his 38 points in the second half for the Cavaliers, who had their six-game winning streak snapped.
Delonte West added 20 points for Cleveland, which trailed by 16 at halftime before eventually cutting its deficit to one in the fourth.
PORTLAND 91, BOSTON 86
PORTLAND, Oregon LaMarcus Aldridge scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half and Steve Blake added 21 as the shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers posted a 91-86 victory over the Boston Celtics.
Playing without All-Star guard Brandon Roy due to a right hamstring injury, Portland scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to take a 70-64 lead and never trailed over the rest of the final 12 minutes.
Paul Pierces three-point play pulled Boston within 87-86 with 23 seconds left, but Sergio Rodriguez made a pair from the line to push Portlands advantage to three with 18 seconds to play.
Eddie House air-balled a 3-pointer and rookie Rudy Fernandez connected on two more free throws to seal the victory.
Paul Pierce scored 28 points and Kevin Garnett added 17 and eight rebounds to pace the Celtics, who finished 1-3 on their road trip.
DALLAS 107, MINNESOTA 100
DALLAS By the time the middle of the fourth quarter rolled around, it practically seemed inevitable. Over the games final minutes, the Dallas Mavericks made sure not to disappoint.
After falling behind by as many as 29 points, the Mavericks stormed back for the biggest comeback in franchise history, coming away with a 107-100 triumph on the strength of a dominant second half.
Minnesota held a 70-41 lead early in the third quarter. But seemingly at that moment, a switch seemed to go off for the Mavs - perhaps the were-about-to-lose-at-home-to-a-six-win-team switch.
Whatever the cause, the Mavericks turned up the pressure and began piling on. Dirk Nowitzki knocked down back-to-back buckets to spark a 22-2 run that cut the deficit to single digits before the third quarter came to a close.
The Timberwolves answered back with a few big buckets to stay afloat, but the Mavericks quickly regained the momentum and took over in the final frame.
Or, more specifically, Jason Terry took over. The leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate engineered an 18-5 run practically by himself. He buried a pair of 3-pointers and knocked down a 19-footer to cut the deficit to just two at 91-89.
Jason Kidd finally tied things up with a long jumper with his toe on the 3-point line before Nowitzki gave Dallas its first lead since early in the first quarter with a dunk.
Al Jeffersons three-point play later in the quarter pulled Minnesota back even at 98-98, but Nowitzki answered again, attacking the basket and following his own miss with a go-ahead tip-in. After a shot-clock violation by the Timberwolves, Josh Howard connected from the arc and Nowitzki added another bucket to officially break Minnesotas collective back.
NEW YORK 93, CHARLOTTE 89
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina Wilson Chandler scored seven of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the New York Knicks snapped their six-game losing streak, escaping with a 93-89 triumph over the Charlotte Bobcats.
David Lee collected 13 points and 16 rebounds and Al Harrington added 16 points for the Knicks, who nearly surrendered a 10-point, fourth-quarter advantage.
New York led by as many as 17 points in the first half after shooting 71 percent from the floor en route to taking a 36-25 lead entering the second quarter.
However, the Knicks needed to hold off the Bobcats in the final two minutes, when they nailed all six of their free throws.
With the game tied at 87-87 after Boris Diaws third 3-pointer of the game with 1:46 left, Chandler and Chris Duhon nailed two foul shots apiece. Charlottes Raymond Felton then converted a layup before Nate Robinson sealed the win with two from the line with 17.5 ticks left.
Gerald Wallace scored 21 points and Diaw - a former player under Knicks coach Mike DAntoni - added 20 for the Bobcats, who have lost two straight.
Charlotte coach Larry Brown was coaching against his former team, for which he guided to one miserable 23-59 season that ended in a messy divorce.
NEW ORLEANS 97, WASHINGTON 85
NEW ORLEANS Nothing came easily for the New Orleans Hornets - not even Chris Pauls seventh career triple-double. But theyll take a victory any way they can get one.
Paul posted 15 points, 10 boards and 16 assists as the Hornets outlasted a pesky Washington Wizards squad for a 97-85 triumph.
The Wizards came into the game having won a season-high two in a row - including a surprising road win over Houston on Monday - and once again played tough in this one.
A markedly improved defensive effort kept the Hornets out of their rhythm for much of the night. With Paul struggling with his shot, he deferred to Rasual Butler, who scored a season-high 21 points and buried five 3-pointers. Whenever New Orleans needed a shot, it seemed it was Butler who provided it.
With the Wizards holding a one-point edge early in the third quarter, Butler connected from the arc to put the Hornets in front by a pair. A few minutes later, he buried another three as part of a 9-2 run that gave the team a 62-56 advantage.
Paul made just two of his first eight field-goal attempts but found his offensive stroke when he needed it. The All-Star point guard scored nine points over the last 3:48 and found Butler and Tyson Chandler for a pair of dunks to put the game out of reach.
ATLANTA 110, INDIANA 104
INDIANAPOLIS Joe Johnson and Josh Smith had been carrying the Atlanta Hawks all night. It only made sense, then, that the pair connected for the games biggest play.
Johnson buried a decisive 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter and combined with Smith for 51 points to lead the Hawks to their sixth victory in a row, 110-104, over the Indiana Pacers.
With 32 seconds remaining and the Hawks nursing a one-point lead, Smith drove the baseline and kicked out to an open Johnson on the right wing. The veteran guard was up to the task, calmly connecting from the arc with one second on the shot clock to extend the edge to four.
After Danny Granger misfired on the other end, Johnson iced the game with a pair of free throws as Atlanta closed December in style. Johnson and Smith combined to score the Hawks last 16 points, repeatedly coming through big even as the Pacers continued to push back.
The way the game ended was indicative of the entire night for Indiana, which repeatedly fell behind and clawed right back through the entire second half.
With about two minutes to play, point guard Jarrett Jack buried driving layups on consecutive possessions, drawing a foul on the second one and completing the three-point play. That cut the Pacers deficit to just one at 105-104, but Granger missed an 11-footer one possession later, setting the stage for Johnsons heroics in the process.
PHOENIX 101, MEMPHIS 89
MEMPHIS, Tennessee Leandro Barbosa scored 28 points and Shaquille ONeal added 24 to help the Phoenix Suns rally for a 101-89 road victory over the struggling Memphis Grizzlies.
Barbosa, starting in place of All-Star point guard Steve Nash, and ONeal combined to score 15 of the first 17 points in the fourth quarter for Phoenix, which erased a 78-70 deficit through three.
Barbosas 3-pointer with 6:18 left in the fourth quarter gave Phoenix an 85-84 advantage, the Suns first lead since the 7:16 mark of the first period.
Already without Nash (back spasms), Phoenix got even thinner with 3:52 left in the second quarter, when forward Amare Stoudemire was ejected for picking up a pair of technical fouls. Stoudemire was whistled twice for arguing a foul call by official Eric Lewis.
Phoenix, which trailed by as many as nine in the third quarter, hardly seemed to miss him, outscoring Memphis, 58-18, in the paint.
MILWAUKEE 100, SAN ANTONIO 98
SAN ANTONIO Michael Redd had 25 points and nine rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks held off a late comeback by the San Antonio Spurs to sweep the season series with a 100-98 win.
The Bucks led, 99-93, with 37 seconds left after a jumper by Richard Jefferson. But the Spurs rallied and had a chance to tie the game after Jefferson was whistled for five seconds while inbounding the ball under his own basket.
Tim Duncans driving layup rolled off the rim, and Milwaukee ran out the clock for its second win over San Antonio this year.
Andrew Bogut added 20 points and 14 rebounds while Luke Ridnour collected 21 and six assists for the Bucks.
Duncan scored 22 points and Tony Parker added 19 and 10 assists for the Spurs.
SACRAMENTO 92, LA CLIPPERS 90
SACRAMENTO, California Kevin Martin returned from an injury to score 20 points as the Sacramento Kings snapped a six-game losing streak with a 92-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Baron Davis made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 90-90 with 3:03 left, and the score remained the same until Brad Miller made two free throws to give Sacramento a 92-90 lead with 46 seconds remaining.
Paul Davis had a chance to tie the score but his open jumper from the top of the key in the games waning seconds was off the mark.
Rookie Eric Gordon scored 24 points and Marcus Camby added 15 and 24 rebounds to lead the Clippers.
December 31, 2008
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was ejected for arguing in the second quarter of Dallas’ game Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki was stripped by Brian Cardinal while driving for a layup. The Timberwolves converted the turnover into a fast-break dunk with 6:30 left in the second.
Carlisle protested the non-call and was given a quick technical by official Gary Zielinski. The first-year Mavericks coach persisted, yelling at Zielinski before he was given another technical.
It was Carlisle’s first ejection of the season. Assistant coach Dwane Casey took over for Carlisle.
December 31, 2008
The Houston Rockets re-signed 42-year-old center Dikembe Mutombo for the remainder of the season on Tuesday, adding an emotional leader and a backup to Yao Ming.
Mutombo, who supplants 39-year-old Sam Cassell as the league’s oldest active player, appeared in 39 games for Houston last season, logging most of his minutes after Yao broke his left foot in February. Mutombo averaged five rebounds, three points and 1.2 blocks.
He became a free agent after last season and contemplated retirement before deciding to come back for an 18th season.
The Rockets dropped to 20-12 on Monday after an embarrassing 89-87 loss to Washington. Nearly every player on the Houston roster has missed games due to injury this season and Yao has sat out at least 25 games because of injuries over the past three seasons.
Mutombo started 25 games last season, mostly after Yao broke his foot, and averaged 16 minutes per game. The Rockets traded Steve Francis to Memphis on Christmas Eve, creating salary space to add Mutombo, the NBA’s second career shot blocker behind Hakeem Olajuwon.
The Rockets play Milwaukee on Wednesday and Mutombo is expected to join the team, though it’s not known when he’ll start playing again.
The 7-foot-2 Mutombo has played for six NBA teams - Denver, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and Houston. He was traded from the Knicks to the Rockets on Sept. 8, 2004, for Adrian Griffin, Eric Piatkowski and Mike Wilks and averaged four points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in the 2004-05 season.
Mutombo’s teams have made the playoffs in 13 of his 17 seasons in the league, including three of his previous four with the Rockets. He averaged 14 points and 14 rebounds to help the Sixers reach the NBA finals in 2001.
The Rockets have lost six straight playoff series and haven’t advanced to the second round since 1997.
December 31, 2008
Pitcher Mike Maroth, catcher Michael Barrett and two other players signed minor league contracts with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday and were invited to spring training.
Catcher Raul Chavez and infielder Randy Ruiz also joined the Blue Jays.
The 32-year-old Barrett hit .202 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 30 games with San Diego. He has played 11 seasons in the majors with Montreal, the Chicago Cubs and the Padres.
The 31-year-old Maroth is 50-67 with a 5.05 ERA in six seasons with Detroit and St. Louis. The left-hander pitched three games this year for Kansas City’s Triple-A Omaha team in an injury-shortened season.
Ruiz, 31, made his major league debut with Minnesota this year, hitting .274 with one homer and seven RBIs in 22 games. At Triple-A Rochester, he hit .320 with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs.
Chavez, 35, hit .259 with one homer and 10 RBIs for Pittsburgh and has spent parts of 10 seasons in the majors.
December 31, 2008
Looking to lock up another regular, the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a three-year contract with catcher Chris Snyder.
The deal is worth a reported $14.5 million and runs through 2011 with a club option for the 2012 season. It follows Arizona’s multiyear contracts with players such as center fielder Chris Young and pitcher Dan Haren, infielder Chad Tracy and outfielder Eric Byrnes.
“As we have with a few other guys, to lock in a core player, fix the prices but also buy out a year or two of free agency, that allows us to keep our core together,” general manager Josh Byrnes said in a conference call Tuesday.
Snyder, also speaking on a conference call, said he is happy to know he’ll be with the club for the long term. He could give up two free agency seasons if the option is picked up.
“It’s a young core,” the 27-year-old Snyder said. “If we stay together, definitely we’ll be contending in the National League West, if not further than that.”
As the Diamondbacks’ second-round pick in 2002, Snyder was tagged as the club’s catcher of the future. But questions about Snyder’s hitting dogged him after he leaped from Double-A El Paso to the Diamondbacks in 2004.
Snyder batted .202 in 2005, his first full season in the big leagues. He hit .277 in 2006, but his average has dipped to .252 and then to .237 a year ago.
His home runs and RBIs have increased over that span, and his on-base percentage has been steady, in the .340-.350 range.
“I’ve definitely gone through some ups and downs, especially early on in 2005, there were a lot more downs than ups,” Snyder said.
Last year, he hit a career-high 16 home runs, a single-season record for a Diamondbacks catcher, and drove in 64 runs, another career high.
But Snyder’s greatest value is his glove and his deft handling of pitchers.
Behind the plate, Snyder did not commit an error in 847 total chances. He has one error in 1,629 chances in the last two seasons for a .999 fielding percentage.
He’s also had a hand in the maturation of pitchers such as Brandon Webb, another product of the Diamondbacks’ farm system.
“He handles the defensive side and the intangible side of the position very well,” Byrnes said. “It’s sort of immeasurable what he does as far as preparing for an opponent, working with the pitchers, the toughness that he brings.”
December 31, 2008
Right-handed reliever Joe Nelson signed a $1,3 million, one-year contract with the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Nelson, who agreed to terms last week, was 3-1 with one save in 59 appearances for the Florida Marlins last season. His 2.00 ERA was third-best among NL relievers behind Hong-Chih Kuo’s 1.69 and Brad Lidge’s 1.95.
“We feel like Joe can really help our bullpen,” Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “He had a tremendous season in 2008 and has been very effective against both left-handed and right-handed hitters.”
The 34-year-old Nelson allowed 42 hits while striking out 60 in 54 innings for the Marlins last season.
December 23, 2008
The NFL wants an appeals court to reconsider a federal judge’s order that blocked the suspensions of five players for violating the league’s anti-doping policy, according to court documents filed Monday in US District Court in Minnesota.
Attorneys for the NFL filed notice they were asking the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to take up the issue after U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson in St. Paul, Minn., earlier this month cleared the way for Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings, and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints to continue playing.
Magnuson had said he needed more time to consider the dispute between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
Monday was the deadline for the parties to propose a schedule for further proceedings in the case.
The NFL also asked Monday that discovery proceedings before Magnuson be put off until the 8th Circuit Court makes a decision on the league’s appeal.
The players were suspended four games each after testing positive for a banned diuretic - bumetanide - in the dietary supplement StarCaps.
Bumetanide can be used as a masking agent for steroids. Diuretics are also used to quickly shed weight. The StarCaps label didn’t list the diuretic as an ingredient, and the players’ union had argued the NFL didn’t properly inform players about what it knew about StarCaps.
The NFL’s attorneys have argued that claim, and others, had been considered and rejected in a process set out by the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Magnuson’s initial ruling Dec. 5, and another ruling Dec. 11, allowed the players to rejoin their teams for the rest of the season. Barring a quick reversal by the appeals court, it’s likely at least Kevin Williams would play for the Vikings if the team makes the playoffs. Pat Williams is out with a broken bone in his right shoulder. He missed Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons and will also sit out when the Vikings play the New York Giants this Sunday.
Pat Williams has said he hopes to return to his team for the first potential playoff game in January.
The Saints have been eliminated from the playoffs.
In other court filings Monday, the union proposed a schedule for proceedings in the case that would delay a decision on the suspensions for more than three months - well after the Feb. 1 Super Bowl.
December 23, 2008
CHICAGO 20, GREEN BAY 17 (OT)
CHICAGO - Robbie Gould kicked a 38-yard field goal with 11:28 left in overtime to lift the Chicago Bears to a 20-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
The Bears (9-6) were down 14-3 at the half but got a touchdown pass by Kyle Orton in the third quarter and a short TD run by Matt Forte with just over three minutes left in the fourth to tie the game, 17-17.
The Packers (5-10) had a chance to win in regulation but a 38-yard field-goal attempt by Mason Crosby with 25 seconds to play was blocked by Alex Brown.
Chicago won the toss in overtime and drove 47 yards in seven plays to set up Goulds winning kick.
The Bears are tied for the NFC North Division lead with Minnesota. Chicago needs to win at Houston and have the Vikings lose against the New York Giants to win the division. The Bears can earn a wild-card berth with a win and losses by Dallas and Tampa Bay.
