Sports - Page 5

Top NFL prospects Calvin Johnson, Gaines Adams and Amobi Okoye reportedly admitted to marijuana use during interviews with teams in February. Pro Football Weekly, citing anonymous sources, reported the three players, all expected to go early in the April 28 draft, made the admissions at the NFL combine during routine interviews. More Info...  

Like most of the New Jersey Devils, John Madden sat in the players' lounge and watched the New York Yankees' comeback win over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday before coming out to talk about the Tampa Bay Lightning. The baseball game was mesmerizing. Down by four runs in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, the Yankees scored six times, winning on a three-run homer by Alex Rodriguez. More Info...  

Latest news and information from the world of sports. Alex Rodriguez kind of chuckled, and declared the best thing about his game-winning homer Thursday was trying to hit Yankees coach Larry Bowa in the head as he rounded third. Yes, Rodriguez is one happy superstar right now, and the Yankees are winning because of it. Rodriguez hit a three-run homer that capped a comeback from a four-run deficit with two outs in the ninth inning, giving the New York... More Info...  

There's money in those pinstripes. The New York Yankees' value increased 17 percent in the past year to $1.2 billion, Forbes magazine said Thursday in its annual estimates of franchise worth. The Florida Marlins, given the lowest value at $244 million, had the highest operating income at $43.3 million, according to the magazine. More Info...  

Alex Cora saved the Boston Red Sox with his glove, then won the game with his bat. Cora was upended on a double play, then tripled home the go-ahead run in the ninth inning as the Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-3 Thursday and headed home to Boston with a victory going into their first series of the year against the New York Yankees. More Info...  

Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez will likely miss two to three starts with a muscle strain inside his right elbow and forearm. Mariners medical director Dr. Ed Khalfayan said Thursday that the 21-year-old right-hander will not throw for five days, then will play catch. "I think 10 to 20 days is a reasonable estimate," Khalfayan said when asked when Hernandez might again pitch in a game. More Info...  

Ricky Williams, who has applied for reinstatement in the NFL after a one-year suspension for substance abuse, could find a home with the St. Louis Rams. Coach Scott Linehan, the offensive coordinator when Williams played for the Miami Dolphins in 2005, said Thursday he'd consider adding Williams to the roster as a backup. More Info...  

They wore bags on their heads and carried signs that read, "Fire McHale!" The Minnesota Timberwolves fans who want Kevin McHale out are becoming more and more vocal, and some turned out to express their displeasure at the season finale. But McHale isn't going anywhere. McHale said Thursday he will return as vice president of basketball operations next season and plans on bringing star Kevin Garnett... More Info...  

Daniel Alfredsson has seen a lot of goalies line up behind him during the Ottawa Senators' 10 consecutive playoff appearances. After watching the likes of Ron Tugnutt, Damian Rhodes, Tom Barasso and Patrick Lalime come and go, Alfredsson and the Senators seem to have finally found the playoff goaltending they've always sought in Ray Emery. More Info...  

A few bumps and bruises forced the Flames to get creative with their defensemen in Game 3 against Detroit -- and it worked out just fine for Calgary. The Flames are prepared to do whatever it takes again in Game 4 on Thursday night to get a second consecutive victory against the top-seeded Red Wings and even up their best-of-seven series. More Info...  

It's been a quick trip from staff ace to the bullpen for Brett Myers. In a surprising decision that manager Charlie Manuel hopes will bolster his relief corps, the Philadelphia Phillies moved Myers from the rotation to a setup role in the bullpen Wednesday and put Jon Lieber in the rotation. Myers, 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA in three starts this season, will mostly be used in the seventh or eighth... More Info...  

Bobby Cox signed on for another season in Atlanta. The longtime Braves manager agreed to a one-year contract extension that runs through 2008, a deal the team announced on Wednesday. It could be Cox's final contract. He said before the season he plans to manage only two more years, but on Wednesday he indicated that plan could change. More Info...  

Joanne P. McCallie was hired as Duke's women's basketball coach, leaving Michigan State and following the AP national coach of the year at one of the country's premier programs. She guided the Spartans to the 2005 national championship game and succeeds Gail Goestenkors, who left for Texas. McCallie informed Michigan State's players of her decision Wednesday and will be introduced at a news... More Info...  

It almost became a rite of spring for Curtis Strange and Hubert Green, two players with Hall of Fame credentials and blunt opinions who kept watching their peers get one of the highest honors in golf. "I never really thought much about the Hall of Fame until Hubert would call me every year about this time and say, 'Did you get the call?"' Strange said. More Info...  

Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was fined $100,000 by the NFL for wearing a cap during Super Bowl media day that promoted a sponsor not authorized by the league. NFL rules prohibit gear that advertises any product but a designated sponsor, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday. Urlacher was fined for drinking vitaminwater and wearing a vitaminwater hat during the media session in... More Info...  

Latest news and information from the world of sports. The Warriors and Clippers are taking it to the limit in pursuit of an NBA playoff berth. Going into the final night of the season, Golden State leads Los Angeles by one game in the Western Conference race. The Warriors beat Dallas 111-82 Tuesday night and heads to Portland for its finale. The Clippers won 103-99 at Phoenix and finish at home against New Orleans. More Info...  

The last time the New York Rangers opened the playoffs with a series sweep, they ended a lengthy Stanley Cup drought. Following the most lopsided playoff shutout win in franchise history, the Rangers will try to eliminate the Atlanta Thrashers in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. More Info...  

While some of the NBA's elite teams have earned the luxury of resting their stars ahead of the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets will complete their regular season Wednesday night trying to finalize postseason positioning. Chicago (49-32) has more at stake than New Jersey (40-41) heading into this game. More Info...  

Joey Crawford is done ejecting players and coaches this season. On Tuesday, he was the one getting tossed. The veteran NBA referee was suspended indefinitely by commissioner David Stern for his conduct toward Tim Duncan, who contends the official challenged him to a fight during a game in Dallas. Crawford has worked more postseason games than any active ref. More Info...  

Sammy Sosa's return to Chicago would have been more dramatic Tuesday night if he'd been playing on the North Side rather than the South Side of town. He did wear the White Sox uniform for parts of three seasons, but it was during 13 years with the Cubs at Wrigley Field that he became one of the most popular figures in the city's sports history and one of baseball's top home-run hitters. More Info...