Sports - Page 21

Another streak ended for Tiger Woods on Thursday, this one worth celebrating. He finally broke 70 at Bay Hill. Ending a peculiar drought at a tournament he won four straight times, Woods shot 6-under 64 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational for his first sub-70 round in three years to share the lead with Vaughn Taylor and Paul Casey. More Info...  

Acie Law usually is "Captain Clutch" for Texas A&M. On Thursday, teammate Joseph Jones was the one who had the biggest impact with the game on the line. Law, arguably the nation's best point guard, needed plenty of help from Jones and others to push the third-seeded Aggies past upset-minded Penn 68-52 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. More Info...  

Rick Pitino stood in front of the bench as the clock wound down, urging his players on, enjoying the moment. For one day at least, he was king at Rupp Arena once again. Playing the kind of relentless style that's become a Pitino trademark, Louisville crushed Stanford 78-58 Thursday in the opening round of the South Regional. More Info...  

Latest news and information from the world of sports. FORT MYERS, Fla. – Twins ace Johan Santana is arguably the best pitcher in the game. The scary part is that he believes he can improve. More Info...  

Jiri Hudler scored twice and the Detroit Red Wings beat Nashville 4-2 on Wednesday night, passing the Predators for first place in the NHL and Central Division. Hudler scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period after making it 2-all with 3:37 left in the second. The Red Wings beat Nashville on back-to-back nights, giving them one more point in the division and a league-high 99. More Info...  

Gilbert Arenas scored 28 of his 35 points in the second half as the Washington Wizards extended the Indiana Pacers' losing streak to 11 games with a 112-96 win on Wednesday night. Antawn Jamison added 27 points and eight rebounds for the Wizards, who had lost their previous three games by a combined six points. More Info...  

Milwaukee Bucks management was grading Terry Stotts on a curve because he had to handle so many key injuries this season. That still wasn't enough for him to keep his job. The Bucks fired Stotts on Wednesday after less than two full seasons with the team. Milwaukee is last in the Central Division at 23-41 and among the NBA's worst defensive teams. More Info...  

The condition of five-time world champion boxer Johnny Tapia was upgraded to fair Wednesday as he begins to recover from an apparent cocaine overdose. Teresa Tapia, the boxer's wife and manager, said her husband has been improving but he's "not out of the woods yet." He's being treated in the intensive care unit at Presbyterian Hospital. More Info...  

Kobe Bryant says he can handle just about any kind of criticism. Calling him a dirty player crosses the line. Bryant reacted angrily to such a concept Wednesday, and expressed gratitude for the support given him by Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "It's insulting," Bryant said before the slumping Lakers flew to Denver for Thursday night's game against the Nuggets. More Info...  

Pete Rose bet on the Cincinnati Reds "every night" when he managed them and, despite his lifetime ban because of gambling, would like another chance in a major league dugout. "I bet on my team every night. I didn't bet on my team four nights a week," Rose said Wednesday on "The Dan Patrick Show" on ESPN Radio. More Info...  

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning will be the grand marshal of the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade and wave the green flag to start the race on May 27. More Info...  

Brian Roberts agreed Wednesday to a $14.3 million, two-year contract extension with the Baltimore Orioles through 2009, and the second baseman trimmed what had been a mop top. "I don't want to make Mr. Angelos mad," he said when asked if the corporate cut was related to the deal, a reference to Orioles owner Peter Angelos. More Info...  

None of the other No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament had to wait until Tuesday night to find out who they'd play in the first round. Kansas coach Bill Self didn't sound too concerned. "The quick turnaround is no different than a Wednesday-Saturday-Monday, and we've done four of those this year," said Self, whose second-ranked Jayhawks (30-4) are the top seed in the West Regional. More Info...  

Latest news and information from the world of sports. FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Yankees are counting on Carl Pavano, who has something to prove to his teammates after two lackluster seasons. More Info...  

With some of the smoothest shooting of his career, Clif Brown exchanged Niagara's play-in dread for NCAA drama. The senior forward with the gentle touch scored 32 points and made a career-high six 3-pointers Tuesday night, leading the Purple Eagles to a 77-69 victory over Florida A&M in the NCAA tournament's play-in game. More Info...  

Maybe LeBron James should take a night off more often. Sasha Pavlovic scored a career-high 25 points and Larry Hughes added 25 to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a season-high sixth straight victory, 124-100 over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. James was a late scratch from the lineup because of back spasms. More Info...  

Defending champion Maria Sharapova was knocked out of the Pacific Life Open on Tuesday, a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 loss to Vera Zvonareva that will cost her the No. 1 ranking. Sharapova was beaten in the fourth round and needed to reach the Indian Wells semifinals to remain No. 1. She will be supplanted by Justine Henin when the rankings are released Monday. More Info...  

Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens was accused of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana after police stopped his car in downtown Scottsdale early Tuesday. A Scottsdale patrol officer noticed the car traveling erratically and made the stop about 2:15 a.m. Stevens, an unrestricted free agent after five seasons with Seattle, told the officer he had "four of five margaritas"... More Info...  

Manchester United turned David Beckham into an international star, and on Tuesday he bid an emotional farewell to Old Trafford before he leaves European soccer for the United States. Beckham joined United in 1989 at 14, debuted in 1992, and transferred in 2003 to Real Madrid. He will join Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy after his contract with the Spanish club expires June 30. More Info...  

LSU center Glen "Big Baby" Davis is leaning toward turning pro and likely will announce his decision by next Wednesday. Coach John Brady said Davis has been meeting with agents and plans to meet with him next Tuesday to discuss entering the NBA Draft. "He's investigating it, and if it doesn't turn out like he thinks, then he'll come back," Brady said. More Info...