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The Colorado Avalanche expect to have center Peter Forsberg and defenseman Scott Hannan back for Game 3 against the Detroit Red Wings, but forward Ryan Smyth is out with a foot injury. Forsberg didn't skate before Tuesday night's game, but "he skated well yesterday, so we think that everything could work out for him playing tonight," Colorado coach Joel Quenneville said. More Info...  

Fans will pay starry prices for this year's All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. Tickets will be priced at $150-$725 for the July 15 game, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday. That's up from $75-$285 for last year's game at San Francisco and $10-15 for box and reserved seats the last time the All-Stars were at Yankee Stadium, in 1977. More Info...  

Byron Scott has been voted NBA coach of the year after leading the New Orleans Hornets to their first playoff appearance in four years. Scott coached the Hornets to a 56-26 record, a franchise high for wins. New Orleans won the Southwest Division crown and leads Dallas 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs entering Game 5 Tuesday night.

Thousands cheered the Olympic torch through Vietnam's largest city Tuesday, ending to the international leg of the flame's relay after weeks of protests and disruptions by anti-China activists. The torch now will be taken to the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau and then the mainland, including restive Tibet and the summit of Mount Everest, and finally to the Games themselves in Beijing... More Info...  

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Michael Jordan will give his fellow North Carolina alum, Larry Brown, a chance to redeem himself. In turn, Brown will try to salvage Jordan's sinking reputation as an NBA executive. Two years after his ugly exit as coach of the New York Knicks, Brown reached an agreement on Monday to return to the NBA as coach of the Jordan-led Charlotte Bobcats, a person familiar with the decision told The...

The Denver Nuggets finally gave the Los Angeles Lakers a good fight. No surrender on this night. No frustration fouls filling up the fourth quarter of another blowout. No matter. The Lakers dispatched the tempestuous Nuggets anyway. Kobe Bryant scored 14 of his 31 points over the final 5 1/2 minutes Monday night, leading the Lakers to a 107-101 victory and a sweep of their first-round series.

Roger Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that began when she was a 15-year-old aspiring singer and the pitcher was a Boston Red Sox ace, the Daily News reported. "I cannot refute anything in the story," McCready told the newspaper in a story posted on its Web site Monday night.

The Boston Celtics were supposed to be resting up by now, getting ready for the next round of the playoffs. Instead, they're headed back to Beantown all tied up with the lowly Atlanta Hawks, who are starting to believe -- really believe -- they can shock the world. Joe Johnson scored 35 points, 20 in the fourth quarter, and Josh Smith added 28 points and seven blocks for Atlanta, which surprised...

Their record is barely above average, one of their superstars is still limping around and their everyday catcher is on the disabled list. The New York Yankees aren't themselves. But at least they're headed home. Mike Mussina earned his 253rd win, tying Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell on the career list, and the Yankees concluded an extended odyssey on the road by making the most of their five hits in a...

Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy saw something different about Dwight Howard heading into the playoffs. The 22-year-old All-Star, usually the team's biggest jokester, suddenly got serious. So did his already-impressive numbers. Howard had 21 points, 21 rebounds and three blocks -- his third 20-20 game in the series -- and the Magic advanced to second round for the first time in 12 years by beating...

Jannero Pargo's reaction to Jason Kidd's flagrant foul summed up the growth of the Hornets' confidence as they took a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series with the Dallas Mavericks. "We didn't want him to get suspended," Pargo said after practice Monday. "We want them to be at full strength and have their best team out there on the floor, so that way, if we get the win, it won't be tainted... More Info...  

For the Phoenix Suns, Tuesday's night Game 5 against San Antonio is a must-win. The Spurs, who get their second straight chance to finish off the Suns, are treating it that way, too. Even though the defending champions have a 3-1 series lead, they want to wrap it quickly and avoid a return trip to Phoenix. More Info...  

The Detroit Pistons see it and feel it. When the Pistons are down in the playoffs or hearing from their doubters, they're at their best. When a series is even or they're ahead and outsiders rave about them, they're at their worst. Can't the Pistons just trick themselves into creating a sense of urgency? More Info...  

Now that Marcus Camby is the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, he's looking ahead -- and behind. The Denver Nuggets' 33-year-old center said that while he cherishes winning the award for the first time in his 11-year pro career, he'd much rather be celebrating a championship in a couple of months. That's not an unusual refrain from winners of the NBA's individual awards. More Info...  

Mike Mussina is set to rejoin the New York Yankees' rotation Thursday in Texas. Sidelined since April 11 by a strained left hamstring, Mussina pitched a simulated game at Yankee Stadium on Friday before New York played the Boston Red Sox. Forced indoors by wet weather, he threw about 60 pitches and planned to work on fielding Saturday. More Info...  

Before he was allowed in the racetrack, NASCAR made sure Tony Stewart knew the rules. More Info...  

Saint Louis hired Rick Majerus on Friday, a move that signals the school's intentions of becoming a Top 50 national program. Father Lawrence Biondi, the school president, announced the hiring in a statement. Majerus, an analyst for ESPN the last three years, has a career record of 422-147 with 15 postseason appearances. More Info...  

Golden State's Stephen Jackson was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Friday for his conduct after being ejected late in the Warriors' Game 2 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. Jackson left the court in a contentious, roundabout manner after getting his second technical foul. Warriors star Baron Davis also was ejected from the game, apparently for sarcastically applauding the officials late... More Info...  

John Smoltz is likely to spend his entire major league career with the Atlanta Braves after agreeing to a contract extension Thursday. Smoltz, who turns 40 next month, will return for a 20th season in 2008 with a deal that will guarantee him about $14 million. The contract includes an option for 2009 that can become guaranteed and a club option for 2010. More Info...  

Charles Grant agreed to a seven-year contract extension Thursday worth up to $63 million with New Orleans, ending a simmering dispute over the Saints putting the franchise tag on the starting defensive end. Grant, who has been working out on his own in Florida rather than in New Orleans since the Saints' offseason program began earlier this month, said he planned to rejoin the team Monday. More Info...