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Nadal, Serena, Venus, Murray struggle but advance
On a difficult day for stars, top seeds Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, Britain's Andy Murray and Wimbledon champion Venus Williams advanced at the ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament here.
World number one Nadal, the Australian Open champion, was unhappy with his performance but reached the fourth round by defeating Portugal's Frederico Gil 7-5, 6-3. Nadal will next face Swiss 16th seed Stanislas Wawrinka.
"No opponent is easy, especially if you're not playing your best tennis. That's what was happening," Nadal said. "I didn't play very well. I had chances to lose the first set. I didn't feel very well on court.
"I always want to win. My motivation is full in every match. But you can't play well every day and today was one of those days."
Women's number one Serena Williams, the reigning US and Australian Open champion, was often unfocused but outlasted China's 17th-seeded Zheng Jie 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
"I don't think I played great," Williams said. "She played probably her best tennis yet. I started out great and then maybe lost my focus. Next thing I know, I was 5-all in the first set, which should have never been.
"Just happy to get through it because at one point I hit a ball in the bottom of the net and thought, 'Wow, I haven't done this since I was a junior.'"
Williams, who needs to reach the final to keep her top ranking, won the last three games to keep her quest alive.
"I just felt like if I didn't straighten up I was going to lose," Williams said. "At that point, I was ready to get the match over. I didn't want to lose and I knew I had to do what I needed to do to at least play a little better."
As far as the top ranking goes, Serena feels like she has staked her claim as the world's best by winning the past two Slams and losing to her sister in the finals last year at Wimbledon.
"It seems like I'll be remembered more for how many Grand Slams I'll win," she said. "But number one is also equally as important. If I make it, I make it. If not, oh well.
"Whether I end up number one at the end of this week or not, I think people obviously see me as number one. The respect is there. I've been working hard for several years now and being super consistent and I think it's paying off."
US fifth seed Venus Williams ousted Polish 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the final eight, but like her sister was not happy with her performance.
"Every now and then everybody has those kinds of matches," Williams said. "I was hitting really well in the practice. Came out and things weren't going to the way I imagined they would, but that's tennis.
"I just had a lot of errors. Errors, errors. It seemed like when I had the winner it became an error. On days like that, you just kind of have to let the errors go behind you and continue to play aggressively and not pull back."
One more win by Venus and Serena will book an all-Williams semi-final. Venus will face Czech Iveta Benesova while Serena must face her third Chinese foe in a row after Li Na ousted Russia's Ekaterina Makarova 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-2.
Fourth-ranked Murray advanced to the last 16 by defeating Chile's Nicolas Massu 6-4, 6-4. Next for the Scotsman will be 41st-ranked Serbian Viktor Troicki.
"The end and the start weren't particularly good, but the middle part was very good," Murray said. "I'm obviously happy I managed to close the match out in two sets. I lost my concentration towards the end. I just have to make sure that slip in concentration doesn't happen again."
Australian Samantha Stosur, ranked 42nd, continued her strong run into the quarter-finals by ousting French 20th seed Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-4.
Stosur, who eliminated Russian world number two Dinara Safina in the third round, will next meet 11th seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who defeated Hungarian 25th seed Agnes Szavay 6-2, 6-4.
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North Carolina returns to Final Four — as expected
North Carolina is right where it expected to be — back in the Final Four and playing like the favorite to win the national championship.
Getting there, however, was a little tougher than expected.
The Tar Heels lost key players to injury or suspension. They started 0-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference not long after some speculated the team could go unbeaten. And the pressure for a return trip to the Final Four for the title that got away only grew.
Now, two wins from that goal, it weighs as heavily as ever.
"I do think a lot of people did expect them to be undefeated and a lot of people said, 'It must be great to Carolina. It must be easy. You win all the time,'" said Villanova coach Jay Wright, whose team faces the Tar Heels in Saturday's national semifinals. "It's not. It's tough. Their players and coaches handle it extremely well. It amazes me how they handle it."
The Tar Heels (32-4) have handled expectations just fine in the NCAA tournament, winning four games by double figures each time. That includes a pair of convincing wins against Gonzaga and Oklahoma in last week's South Regional games, sending the Tar Heels to a record 18th Final Four.
Of course, anything less would have been a disappointment.
The Tar Heels won a school-record 36 games last year before an ugly loss to Kansas in San Antonio. National player of the year Tyler Hansbrough soon decided he'd return for his senior season, and underclassmen Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all flirted with the NBA before returning to school.
During a teleconference Monday, coach Roy Williams said the trio came back because they weren't guaranteed first-round draft picks, not to win a national championship.
"There's no question that it was a factor, but I keep trying to emphasize it was not the biggest factor," Williams said. "They had a great option, and that great option was trying to come back and win as many games as they could possibly win and have another chance. After the decision was made for those personal reasons, they did collectively embrace the idea that ... 'Let's see if we can do better this year.'"
Things got tougher when versatile senior Marcus Ginyard needed foot surgery in the preseason. His slow recovery limited the team's top defender to three ineffective games before he decided to redshirt. The Tar Heels also lost 7-foot freshman Tyler Zeller to a broken wrist two games into the year, an injury that sidelined him for 13 weeks before he decided to come back and burn a year of eligibility for the chance at a championship.
North Carolina also lost reserve guard Will Graves to a team suspension in February.
Still, the Tar Heels won the league by beating Duke in the regular-season finale. Then they rested Lawson and his injured toe during the ACC tournament, ready to sacrifice the conference tournament title in exchange for a healthy ACC player of the year at the NCAAs.
As the journey reaches its final weekend, North Carolina knows it can't squander this opportunity.
"We have a lot more work to do," Ellington said after Sunday's 72-60 win against the Sooners. "We're not satisfied at all. We got to this point last year, so we wanted to get back here."
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Sutter fumes after Devils' 3-0 loss to Rangers
Devils coach Brent Sutter was fuming mad, and Sean Avery had nothing to do with riling him up.
New Jersey lost 3-0 to the New York Rangers on Monday night, the Atlantic Division leaders' season-high fifth straight defeat. Avery did plenty to agitate several Devils, but it was their play that really sent the usually dour Sutter over the edge.
"I expect more from this group," Sutter said. "There are periods of time when everything is great and then they get into a comfort zone."
New Jersey has already clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs and leads Philadelphia by six points in the Atlantic. The Devils are one point behind Washington in the race for the No. 2 seed in back of Boston.
Just a few days earlier, New Jersey had its sights set on tracking down the Bruins, but the five-game skid (0-4-1) and a rut of six losses in seven games (1-5-1) have pretty much dashed those hopes.
The Rangers outshot the Devils 20-10 in the scoreless first period and then netted three goals on 12 shots in the decisive second frame.
"Don't you want to finish second in your conference?" Sutter asked rhetorically. "Don't you want home-ice advantage if you advance past the first round? Don't you want to play with pride and have your game at the top of your level? You can't turn a switch on. This group tried to turn a switch on last year. It didn't work. They can say they're a different group, but a lot of the personnel is still the same.
"You get to a point where you say, 'Where is our commitment? Where is our compete level? How can a team dominate you as badly as they did in the first period?"
The Devils lost in the first round of last year's playoffs to the Rangers, and Avery was a big reason why. He frustrated and annoyed Martin Brodeur, even getting a rule changed for face-guarding and waving his stick in front of the goalie to block his vision during Game 3 of the five-game series.
Avery matched up against Brodeur on Monday for the second time this season, but first since coming back to the Rangers after a failed stint with Dallas. The interaction between the two was minimal, though Brodeur did catch Avery in the face with his stick during one early play in front.
New Jersey targeted Avery for hits before and after the whistle, they just couldn't get him to lose his cool.
David Clarkson took a double roughing penalty and was given a misconduct in the third period after yanking Avery around like a rag doll and pulling him down to the ice when the Rangers forward refused to drop his gloves and fight.
"I was trying to spark the team," Clarkson said. "He had one hand cocked back. If he throws the punch and hits me, I'm the guy that loses. Then I'm the one who winds up getting kicked out. I'm sure they didn't want me going after him again so they kicked me out.
"I don't know if it's irritating. They won the game. He didn't want to fight. I'm not going to say anything bad about the guy. He obviously did his job."
Avery has had a few fights since rejoining the Rangers this month, he just didn't see a reason to take on Clarkson with the Rangers ahead 3-0 and not much time left.
"I don't think that there's anything to gain by doing anything at that point," Avery said. "It certainly takes discipline for sure. You fight for your team and for your teammates. At that point I didn't need to fight for either of them."
Brandon Dubinsky and defenseman Dan Girardi scored 2:04 apart during New York's three-goal second period. Ryan Callahan added his 21st goal for the Rangers, who bounced back from a disappointing 0-1-1 road trip and moved within a point of sixth-place Pittsburgh in the Eastern playoff race.
Henrik Lundqvist made 38 saves for his third shutout of the season and 20th in his four-year NHL career. He is 18-6-4 against Brodeur, who faced the Rangers for only the second time this season because of an elbow injury that forced him to miss 50 games.
"It gives you an extra good feeling to play against the best players in the league," Lundqvist said.
New York (40-28-9) also stretched its lead to four points over Florida, which is below the postseason cutoff. The Rangers reached 40 wins for the fourth straight season, the second time in franchise history they have done that (1970-71 to 1973-74).
"We're still fighting for our lives," coach John Tortorella said. "We are just trying to find a way to get points."
Sharks 2, Flames 1
At Calgary, Alberta, Jonathan Cheechoo scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves to lead San Jose.
Dan Boyle also scored and Joe Thornton had two assists as the Sharks reached 50 wins for the second time in franchise history and moved four points ahead of Detroit in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.
Jarome Iginla got Calgary even late in the first period with his 32nd goal.
Coyotes 6, Stars 5, OT
At Glendale, Ariz., Petr Prucha scored 53 seconds into overtime to lift Phoenix.
Prucha took a pass from Shane Doan at the top right corner of the crease and shoved the puck past goalie Tobias Stephan for a power-play goal just 16 seconds after Andrew Hutchinson was whistled for tripping.
Enver Lisin and Scottie Upshall scored two goals apiece, and Doan added his team-leading 29th goal for the Coyotes.
Brendan Morrison, Hutchinson, Darryl Sydor, Chris Conner and Loui Eriksson scored for the Stars, who have lost seven straight.
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Howard leads Magic past Heat, spoiling Zo's night
At halftime, the Miami Heat had a celebration. After the game, the Orlando Magic were the ones in a joyous mood.
Dwight Howard scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, passing Wilt Chamberlain as the youngest NBA player to reach the 5,000-board mark, and the Magic kept their grip on the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference by beating the Heat 101-95 on Monday — spoiling a night when Miami retired Alonzo Mourning's number.
Rashard Lewis scored 21 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:32 remaining for Orlando (55-18), which stayed five games behind Cleveland and percentage points ahead of defending champion Boston in the East race.
"It came down to whoever wanted it the most," Howard said. "I just kept telling my team, 'This is our game. They can't stop us.' We just had to keep playing."
Dwyane Wade scored 13 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter for the Heat (39-35), whose edge over Philadelphia for the East's No. 5 seed was trimmed to one game, despite the lift that came from seeing Mourning's jersey being retired in a 43-minute halftime ceremony.
"Still a great night for the franchise and Alonzo. That was a heck of a ceremony and no one deserved that more," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It was great to finally see one of ours from the Miami Heat family go up there."
Miami lost the game and a key reserve.
Backup point guard Luther Head broke his left hand during the game and will miss four to six weeks, meaning there likely will be no way he's available for Miami's first-round playoff series.
"It means other guys will have to step up more," Wade said. "I'm fine having the ball in my hands more. That's no problem at all."
The series has been one-sided, with Orlando having won 12 of the last 13 meetings between the clubs.
This game wasn't.
There were seven lead changes and four ties in the final 5:49. Three times in a span of 2 1/2 minutes, Wade either had a dunk or a layup that gave the Heat the lead, the last of those coming with 2:52 left and putting Miami up 92-91.
Howard rattled home the second of two free throws to tie it, Lewis got free for a 3-pointer from near the Heat bench, and Hedo Turkoglu found Howard under the basket for a layup that put the Magic up 97-92 with 50.5 seconds remaining.
"It wasn't the prettiest game," Lewis said, "but we were able to stick around and get the win at the end."
Howard reached the 5,000-rebound mark — he now has 5,006 — at the age of 23 years, 112 days. Chamberlain was 25 years, 128 days old when he got his 5,000th rebound.
"The one thing our team deserves credit for is they have a lot of resolve," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "There are nights we don't play very well. Tonight, I thought we made two good plays in the game and came out with the win."
Bucks 107, Nets 78
At East Rutherford, N.J., Richard Jefferson had 29 points and 10 rebounds against his former teammates and Milwaukee snapped a season-high five-game losing streak.
Charlie Villanueva added 20 points for the Bucks, who kept their slim hopes for a playoff berth alive by snapping a seven-game road losing streak and sending the Nets to their fifth straight loss, matching their season high.
The win was only the fifth in 19 games for Milwaukee, which is four games behind Chicago in the race for the final playoff berth in the East.
Chris Douglas-Roberts had 14 points for New Jersey, which suffered its second embarrassing loss in 24 hours.
Jazz 112, Knicks 104
At Salt Lake City, Deron Williams had 24 points and 13 assists and the Jazz rallied after blowing a huge lead at home for the second straight game.
The Jazz led by 24 early in the third quarter, but fell behind by a point in the fourth before regrouping and closing the game on a 20-11 run.
Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 11 rebounds and the Jazz won their 15th straight at home.
Al Harrington scored 24 to lead the Knicks before getting ejected with two technicals for arguing a foul call with 22 seconds left.
Grizzlies 114, Warriors 109
At Oakland, Calif., O.J. Mayo scored 24 points and had a career-high 10 assists, Rudy Gay added 21 points and Memphis rallied from nine points down in the fourth quarter.
Mayo struggled with his shot most of the night, but made a pair of free throws on technical fouls in the fourth quarter and added a driving layup with 2 minutes left to cap a 25-5 run for Memphis.
Mike Conley added 21 points and six rebounds for the Grizzlies, who won for just the fourth time in 22 games.
Monta Ellis had 29 points for Golden State, which suited up just eight players for the second straight game and lost its fifth in a row.
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Johjima has short span to get ready for M's opener
During most bullpen sessions this late in spring training, a non-roster invitee like Chris Jakubauskas would be throwing to some minor-league catcher up with the team to give the regulars a break.
But while starters Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard were firing fastballs to backups on a recent morning, it was Mariners' catcher Kenji Johjima squatting behind the dish to learn how Jakubauskas throws, just in case he makes Seattle's final roster.
This isn't just a crash course for Johjima in the final days of spring training. It's an all-out cram session worthy of any college student studying up during finals week. Johjima must learn new signs, get to know the needs and wishes of a new coaching staff, and catch as many different pitchers as possible before the season opener on April 6 — all without wearing himself out.
Simple, right?
"You could definitely say it's going to be a difficult thing," Johjima said through an interpreter.
It's a crash-course Johjima faces as the Mariners close out spring training this week. The balancing act between acclimation with pitchers and giving Johjima sufficient rest is a daily conversation in manager Don Wakamatsu's office.
If not for the World Baseball Classic, this would be a non-issue. Johjima would have been in camp since the middle of February. He'd have a good grasp on the staff he will be catching and adequate time to rest his body to prepare for the full season.
Instead, Johjima's been going basically nonstop since early February, when he made a trip from Japan to Arizona to meet with Wakamatsu and some of the Mariners new coaches, a simple meet-and-greet session. Then it was back to Japan for training with the Japanese WBC team, nine games played in the WBC and finally back to Arizona last Thursday for the remainder of spring training and a daily study session leading up to the opener in Minnesota.
"The starters I've known from last year, so right now what is important is to catch the middle relievers and get to know them," Johjima said. "Another thing I need to get done is to learn the signs from the skipper."
The late arrival to spring training brings a steep learning curve for Johjima, but nothing like the pressure he'll face back in Seattle to rebound from a sub-par performance last season. Johjima could have gone to free agency after last season, but instead signed a surprising $24 million, three-year contract extension last April, one that will keep him in Seattle through 2011.
He then went out and hit a career-worst .227 and played only 112 games, making the three-year deal seem even more baffling, and appearing to stunt the growth of young catching prospects Jeff Clement and Rob Johnson. Clement was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, leaving Johjima, veteran non-roster invitee Jamie Burke and Johnson as the only catchers in camp.
There were also some pitchers who didn't like how Johjima called games. For example, Jamie Burke mostly caught Bedard last season. That only heightens the importance of having Johjima catch frequently in the final few days in Arizona.
"He's been away from what we've done for the last month or so," Wakamatsu said. "Just being able to catch and the little nuances with every pitcher — some things we've changed from last year — all those things we have to expedite."
Johjima was in the starting lineup for the fourth time in five games on Monday, preparing to catch a group that included possible starter Ryan Rowland-Smith and bullpen candidates Jesus Delgado and Shawn Kelley. The team has talked about using Johjima in later innings of games to catch more relievers or just having Johjima catch additional bullpen sessions as camp concludes.
"We've really kind of broken out lineups for the (final week) to make sure everyone is getting their work and is ready for Minnesota," Wakamatsu said. "So the challenge is catching everybody and not wearing him out."
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Tennis aces Nadal, Venus advance in Miami
World number one Rafael Nadal advanced to the fourth round of the ATP and WTA hardcourt tournament here on Monday with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Portugal's Frederico Gil.
In the round of 16, the Spanish star will face the winner of a later match between Swiss 16th seed Stanislas Wawrinka and Russian 20th seed Igor Andreev.
Nadal, who won the year's first Grand Slam event last January at the Australian Open, won 89 percent of his first serve points to just 57 percent for Gil.
Australian Samantha Stosur, ranked 42nd, continued her strong run into the quarter-finals by ousting French 20th seed Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-4.
Stosur, who eliminated Russian world number two Dinara Safina in the third round, will next meet 11th seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who defeated Hungarian 25th seed Agnes Szavay 6-2, 6-4.
US fifth seed Venus Williams ousted Polish 10th seed Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the final eight.
Danish 13th seed Caroline Wozniacki upset fourth seed Elena Dementieva 7-5, 6-4, to reach the women's quarter-finals. She next faces another Russian, eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat compatriot Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 6-1.
Others reaching the men's round of 16 included Argentina's sixth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro, who beat Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 6-4, 6-1, and Serbian Viktor Troicki, who ousted Germany's Bjorn Phau 6-4, 6-3.
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Posey gets ban for throwing ball at ref
New Orleans Hornets forward James Posey has been suspended for one game without pay for throwing a ball at a game official, the NBA said on Sunday.
The incident occurred in the fourth quarter of the New York Knicks 103-93 victory over the Hornets on Friday.
Posey will serve his suspension later on Sunday when the Hornets host the San Antonio Spurs at the New Orleans Arena.
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Tiger thrills at Bay Hill with winning putt on 18
Tiger Woods drove away from Bay Hill wearing the navy blue blazer traditionally awarded to the winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He is more interested in a jacket of a different color, but this was a good start.
Next stop, Augusta National.
Woods couldn't have written a better script Sunday, even if he's guilty of plagiarism. For the second straight year at Bay Hill, he made pivotal putts along the back nine and came to the 18th hole needing a birdie to win. From the middle of the fairway, he had 164 yards to the hole — eerily, the same distance as last year.
Sean O'Hair was in the final group, same as last year.
The putt was far easier this time — only about 12 feet up the hill with a slight left-to-right break — but the outcome was predictable to just about everyone except for the lone voice from the bleachers that blurted out, "Playoff."
Not a chance.
Woods holed the putt, and broke into a routine that also was similar to a year ago. He crouched and backpedaled as the ball rolled to the hole, but instead of slamming his cap to the ground, he punched the air with a roundhouse and hugged his caddie, Steve Williams, who lifted him slightly into the air.
"It feels good to be back in contention, to feel the rush," Woods said. "It's been a while, but God, it felt good."
The final birdie in fading sunlight gave Woods a 3-under 67 and a one-shot victory over O'Hair, who had a five-shot lead going into the final round. It matched Woods' largest comeback on the PGA Tour, and while it wasn't quite as stunning as his rally at Pebble Beach nine years ago, it was no less special.
Woods won for the first time since he returned from reconstructive knee surgery a week after his U.S. Open victory, which kept him out for eight months.
He had two indifferent performances at World Golf Championships — one match play, one stroke play — and there were questions whether he would be ready for the Masters.
Might the blue jacket help him win a green one?
"It does, a lot," Woods said. "This win definitely validates all the things I've been trying to do."
He hit the ball beautifully two weeks ago at Doral and couldn't make a putt. He scraped it around for the better part of three days at Bay Hill and was saved by his short game. Everything fell together in a final round Sunday that was delayed for two hours by rain.
The victory was helpful, but it was the manner in which he won that excited Woods.
For the first time since Torrey Pines, he felt his heart race and his adrenaline rush. After spending four hours trying to catch up to O'Hair, he spent the final hour trying to hang on.
It wasn't without some drama.
O'Hair, who made only one birdie in his round of 73, was clinging to a one-shot lead on the par-3 14th when Woods caught a plugged lie under the lip of the bunker. He blasted out to just over 12 feet, while O'Hair had a 15-footer for birdie.
"Sean looked like he made his putt, and if he makes and I miss, all of a sudden there's three shots," Woods said.
O'Hair missed. Woods made his par putt.
And on the next hole, Woods drained a 25-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead.
The sun began to dip behind the trees, lowering the temperatures, and O'Hair believes that might have cost him. He had a 7-iron from the 16th fairway that was going right of the flag when it fell short and tumbled into the water. Woods hacked out of the rough and hit a splendid wedge to 3 feet to save par, giving him a one-shot lead.
"I think what happened is when the sun was going down a little bit, I guess that kind of proved to me that the ball wasn't quite going as far," O'Hair said.
Woods could relate. He posed over a 4-iron that was headed right for the flag when it came down short and into another plugged lie under the lip of a bunker. This time, Woods made bogey and they were tied again.
It came down to the final hole, which is Woods' domain — especially at Bay Hill.
He won with a birdie on the 72nd hole for the third time at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. There was a 15-foot bending birdie to beat Phil Mickelson in 2001, and the 25-footer to beat Bart Bryant last year.
Woods, who finished at 5-under 275, won for the 66th time in his career. And while the finish was so similar to his Bay Hill victory last year, this was different.
"Last year ... there wasn't any big comeback or anything. I was out there just competing as usual," Woods said. "This time, it was a little bit different. I hadn't been in the mix since the U.S. Open, so it was neat to feel the heat on the back nine again."
And did that heat feel any different?
"No it didn't," he said. "It's like Stevie was saying out there, this feels like we hadn't left. You can understand sometimes when some of the older players haven't been in contention in a while and they come back, and then all of a sudden they put themselves in contention and then they win. You just remember how to do it.
"It hasn't been that long for me, but you just have that feel of what to do and it's a matter of getting it done."
Woods got it done, as always.
It was his sixth victory at Bay Hill, the fourth tournament he has won that often. And it kept Mickelson from having a chance to overtake him at No. 1 in the world rankings this week.
But that's of small importance to Woods. He is more interested in silver trophies and green jackets.
For now, navy blue will have to suffice.
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Poland drop keeper Boruc after Belfast horror show
Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc has been dropped from the side after a nightmare World Cup display against Northern Ireland on Saturday, coach Leo Beenhakker said Monday.
"Of course what happened last Saturday evening in Ireland affected the whole team, but especially in this way Artur Boruc," Beenhakker told reporters ahead of Wednesday's home clash with San Marino.
Besides letting in two Northern Ireland goals - the first of which Beenhakker called a "present" to the hosts - Glasgow Celtic's Boruc fumbled a back pass from a team-mate, allowing the hosts to stretch their lead to 3-1.
Beenhakker said the third goal "killed" Poland.
The visitors had pulled a goal back in stoppage time but it was too late to deny Northern Ireland the 3-2 win, keeping their campaign to reach the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa on track.
Dutchman Beenhakker said he had had words with Boruc after the game.
"In this conversation I informed him, openly and honestly, that I will not use him for the match on Wednesday versus San Marino," he said.
"You can imagine that Artur was very affected of course about what happened Saturday, especially his role during the match, and we both decided that the best decision was that he should leave the camp and go back to Glasgow," Beenhakker added.
Boruc was the target of persistent verbal abuse from Northern Ireland fans.
Nicknamed the "Holy Goalie" because he has often found himself in trouble for making provocative gestures towards supporters of Celtic's bitter city rivals Rangers, the bulk of whom are Protestants.
It was no surprise that in Belfast, with its strict sectarian divide, Boruc was singled out for abuse by Northern Ireland's mainly Protestant fan base.
But after Saturday's match Beenhakker had insisted that the taunts had not led to Boruc's errors, saying the keeper was very experienced and that the overall problem was the poor quality of the game.
Poland next play minnows San Marino on Wednesday in the southern town of Kielce with Beenhakker to choose between Arsenal's Lukasz Fabianski and Dundee United's Lukasz Zaluska for the goalkeeping slot.
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Tennis wild card Hewitt rallies for win in Miami
Australia's Lleyton Hewitt rallied from a first-set deficit to down Israeli lucky loser Dudi Sela 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the ATP Masters and WTA hardcourt tournament here.
Hewitt, a former world number one who has fallen to 98 in the world as he battles to come back from left hip surgery, dropped his serve five times but capitalized on six of his own 11 break chances to notch the win in just under two hours.
Hewitt said the swirling winds made for a difficult match for both players.
"He's played matches in qualies, he was probably more acclimatized than I was," Hewitt said. "He mixes it up, and it's not easy out there in the wind. One minute you think it's coming straight down court, and then you get a couple of gusts from the side. It's tough to dictate play and tough to serve well."
Hewitt, a two-time Grand Slam champion, reached three straight semi-finals at this event from 2000-2002. He next faces seventh-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon.
World number one Rafael Nadal of Spain is the top seed, and arrives seeking his second Masters 1000 title in as many weeks after his triumph in Indian Wells on Sunday.
Nadal, who beat world number four Andy Murray in straight sets in the California final, has never won the Miami title, losing to Nikolay Davydenko in last year's final.
Davydenko isn't defending his title because of a foot injury.
Roger Federer, a 13-time Grand Slam champion, is the second seed in a field that also includes world number three Novak Djokovic and sixth-ranked American Andy Roddick.
Serena Williams, the world number one and two-time defending champion, is the top women's seed.
Williams, who like her sister Venus skipped Indian Wells, captured her 10th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, and has reached the semi-finals in her three other starts in 2009.
The 27-year-old is seeking her sixth title overall in Miami, having won her five of the past seven years.
Russian Dinara Safina is the second seed. She missed out on a chance to overtake Williams atop the rankings in Indian Wells, where as the top seed she failed to reach the final.
The field also includes Serbians Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, Russian Elena Dementieva and three-time champion Venus Williams.
Russia's Vera Zvonareva, who beat French Open champion Ivanovic to win the Indian Wells trophy on Sunday, is seeded sixth.
Among unseeded players jockeying for position on Wednesday, former world number five Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia beat American Melanie Oudin 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 17-year-old who reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells, saved three match points en route to 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over French qualifier Aravane Rezai.
France?s Mathilde Johansson brought the curtain down on stadium court with a 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (10/8) victory over wild card Sania Mirza of India.
The match featured 19 service breaks and lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
Johansson booked a second-round match against Safina.
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Orlando down Boston to clinch NBA division crown
The Orlando Magic clinched their second consecutive Southeast Division title with an 84-82 victory over reigning National Basketball Association champions Boston.
Dwight Howard blocked a potential go-ahead layup by Paul Pierce with 3.8 seconds to play, finishing with 24 points and 21 rebounds.
Orlando improved to 53-18, percentage points ahead of Boston for second in the Eastern Conference behind Cleveland.
"We get another banner," said Howard, of the division title that was secured as divison rivals Atlanta also lost to San Antonio. "Hopefully we can get two
more."
"The politically correct answer in the NBA is to say that we don't care about winning division titles and we're on to bigger things," Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Hopefully, we are, but I do care. I'd rather it be us than anyone else. I think it's big."
Pierce's jump shot with 1:27 to play cut Orlando's lead to 83-82.
But the Celtics couldn't get over the hump without Kevin Garnett, who was limited to 16 minutes as he continues to regain fitness after missing 13 games with a strained right knee.
Pierce missed a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
The Magic forced 18 turnovers and held Boston to 37 percent shooting, despite being outrebounded 47-41.
"When we sit down and look at the film, we can see that we can get quality shots against very good defenses if we move the ball," Van Gundy said. "It shows you something when you have to gut out a win like that. It gives you more confidence... and yet people continue to question the toughness of our team."
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Feds: Michael Vick illegally spent pension funds
The U.S. Department of Labor filed complaints Wednesday accusing suspended NFL star Michael Vick of illegally spending about $1.3 million in pension plan funds for his own benefit, including paying restitution ordered in his dogfighting conspiracy case.
The department filed the complaints in federal district and bankruptcy courts the same day Vick left a federal lockup in Kansas, apparently bound for Virginia to appear at a bankruptcy hearing next week. Vick was at the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City late Wednesday afternoon.
Mark Lichtenstein, one of Vick's bankruptcy attorneys, declined to comment on both the Labor Department allegations and the details of Vick's apparent temporary move to Virginia for the April 2 hearing.
The Labor Department said Vick made a series of prohibited transfers from a pension plan sponsored by MV7, a celebrity marketing company owned by the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback. The department alleges that Vick violated his duties as trustee of a pension plan that covered nine current or former MV7 employees.
"This action sends a message that the Labor Department will not tolerate the misuse of plan money and will take whatever steps necessary to recover the assets owed to eligible workers," Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said in a prepared statement.
The department also accused two of Vick's former financial advisers, Mary R. Wong and David A. Talbot, of participating in some of the transfers.
The filing further complicates Vick's bankruptcy case, which has gradually moved along in Newport News while Vick serves a 23-month prison term in the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. The judge presiding over the bankruptcy case has ordered Vick to testify in person at next week's hearing on confirmation of his Chapter 11 plan.
U.S. Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Felicia Ponce said Wednesday that Vick was at the Oklahoma transfer facility but added that she could not disclose the inmate's ultimate destination until it he arrives. There was no indication of when Vick left Leavenworth or when he would arrive in Virginia.
Vick will likely be kept in a southeastern Virginia jail until the hearing, but it wasn't known which one. Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan said he had not been notified that Vick would be staying in the city jail, but it was possible Vick and federal marshals could show up unannounced.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro earlier this month rejected the idea of allowing testimony by video hookup, saying he needed Vick in the courtroom so he could assess his demeanor and credibility.
Vick's plan for paying his creditors is based largely on his intention to resume his NFL career. Vick was suspended indefinitely after his 2007 indictment, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he will review Vick's status after he is released.
The Falcons still hold the contract rights to Vick but have said they will try to trade him. Vick's bankruptcy plan would allow him to keep the first $750,000 of his annual pay. After that, a percentage would go to his creditors based on a sliding scale.
Vick is eligible to move into home confinement no earlier than May 21 and is scheduled to be released from custody July 20.
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Astros' Tejada due in federal court for sentencing
Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada (teh-HA-da) is due in court for sentencing after pleading guilty to misleading Congress about performance-enhancers in baseball.
Prosecutors have recommended the five-time All-Star and 2002 AL MVP get probation and avoid prison time.
Tejada pleaded guilty last month to one count of making misrepresentations to Congress, which carries a maximum sentence of a year imprisonment and a fine up to $100,000. Tejada says he withheld information about an ex-teammate's use of drugs.
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Cammalleri has goal, 2 assists in Flames' 5-3 win
Mike Cammalleri scored a goal and added two assists as the Calgary Flames took advantage of shaky goalie Chris Osgood and beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 on Monday night.
Osgood had been in net for each of Detroit's victories in a four-game winning streak. However, he made an early exit and starting a fifth straight game for the first time this season.
The only goal of the first period came at 10:57 when Dion Phaneuf scored his 11th goal on Calgary's second shot. Phaneuf's harmless-looking snap shot from just over the blue line beat Osgood on his glove side.
Jamie Lundmark, Curtis Glencross and Craig Conroy, into an empty net, also scored for Calgary.
Detroit rallied in the final 10 minutes behind goals from Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler to get within 4-3. Pavel Datsyuk added his 30th goal for the Red Wings.
Lundmark wristed a shot from deep in the corner toward the net that glanced off Osgood's pad and trickled underneath him to make it 2-0 at 2:21. The crowd immediately serenaded Osgood with derisive chants of "Os-good, Os-good."
About three minutes later, Cammalleri skated behind the net and banked in a puck off Osgood's pad for his 36th. Osgood was then replaced with Ty Conklin. Having surrendered three goals on 14 shots, Osgood went straight to the dressing room and didn't return for the remainder of the game.
The Flames opened up a five-point lead on the idle Vancouver Canucks atop the Northwest Division.
On a night that Osgood had no luck, Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff appeared to have plenty of it.
Mikael Samuelsson had a breakaway in the second period, and after getting around a sprawled Kiprusoff, his shot hit the post, hit Kiprusoff in the leg, hit the post again, and slid along the line before being cleared by Cory Sarich.
In the third period, a point shot from Niklas Kronwall smashed off the end boards and ricocheted off the back of Kiprusoff's outstretched pad before being covered.
After Glencross' one-timer at 5:31 of the third put Calgary ahead 4-1, Franzen started the Red Wings rally with his 31st goal at 10:22. Hudler made it 4-3 with 6:57 left.
Conroy clinched Calgary's win with 28 seconds remaining.
The Red Wings outshot Calgary 33-27 overall, 16-9 in the third period.
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Suns beat Nuggets 118-115 for fifth straight win
The Phoenix Suns improved their playoff chances with another hard-fought victory.
And it doesn't get any easier from here.
Grant Hill hit a 12-foot jumper in the lane to break a tie with 58.6 seconds remaining, then added a free throw with 6.2 seconds left to help Phoenix extend its season-high winning streak to five games with a 118-115 victory over Denver on Monday night.
"We can always play like that when we are focused and playing the right way," Shaquille O'Neal said.
The Suns (39-31) closed to within three games of idle Dallas for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth. They have gained three games on the Mavericks in 11 days and have one more game against Dallas on April 5. Phoenix plays Utah twice and Portland in the next three games over four days, beginning Wednesday.
"It's going to be tougher," O'Neal said. "We have to rely on the teams ahead of us to falter. We have to keep fighting and see what happens."
With Jared Dudley leading the way, the Suns' reserves had 36 points and 15 rebounds.
Denver's Chauncey Billups, fouled by Hill with 5.4 seconds remaining to prevent the Nuggets' from attempting a tying 3-pointer, made two free throws to cut the Suns' lead to 116-115.
The Nuggets fouled Steve Nash on the inbound play, and he made both foul shots with 3.9 seconds left.
Carmelo Anthony, who led the Nuggets with 29 points, missed a 3-pointer from the left wing in the final second. Billups had 20 points.
It's a tough one to lose, but we don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves," Anthony said. "We thought we should have had this one."
O'Neal, who played only 24 minutes because of foul trouble, had six of his 19 points in the final 5:04, when he made four of five free throws. He also blocked Kenyon Martin's 8-footer from the lane with 1:10 remaining.
Martin had 18 points for Denver (45-26), which remained tied for the best start in franchise history.
Hawks 109, Timberwolves 97
At Atlanta, Flip Murray scored a season-best 30 points, and Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson each added 20 as the Hawks won their season-high eighth straight home game.
It was Atlanta's eighth win in nine games and the Hawks are 28-7 at Philips Arena. It was the fifth straight loss for the Timberwolves.
The home streak is the longest for Atlanta since Nov. 12, 1996-Feb. 12, 1997, when the Hawks won 20 in row.
Randy Foye led Minnesota with 19 points.
Celtics 90, Clippers 77
At Boston, Ray Allen scored 20 points and the Celtics, sparked by an alley-oop dunk from Kevin Garnett, pulled away against the Clippers.
Rajon Rondo added 14 points and seven assists for Boston (54-18).
Garnett played 18 minutes, hitting all five of his shots while scoring 12 points. He added two rebounds and two assists in his third game back since missing 13 with a sprained right knee.
Zach Randolph led the Clippers with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Magic 106, Knicks 102
At New York, Dwight Howard had 29 points and 14 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu led a big fourth-quarter rally, and the Magic tuned up for a showdown with Boston.
Turkoglu scored 12 of his 16 points in the final period for the Magic, who lowered their magic number to one to clinch their second straight Southeast Division title. That could come Wednesday, when they host the Celtics in a game where second place in the Eastern Conference will be at stake.
Nate Robinson scored 19 for New York, which dropped its fifth straight.
Heat 94, Grizzlies 82
At Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 27 points to top his own team single-season record, and added eight assists for the Heat.
Wade now has 2,064 points this season, 24 more than his previous best, set in the 2005-06 championship season.
O.J. Mayo scored 21 for the Grizzlies, who started a four-game road trip by losing for the 17th time in 19 games.
Bulls 101, Wizards 99
At Washington, Ben Gordon scored seven of his 21 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes, and the Bulls nearly stumbled again in their mediocre march toward the playoffs.
The Bulls had an 11-point lead whittled to one over the final 6 minutes. Washington's Nick Young made it 100-99 with a 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds play, but Gordon made one of two free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining. After Gordon missed the second attempt, Antawn Jamison missed a desperation 40-foot shot at the buzzer.
Jamison finished with 34 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards, who have lost five straight.
76ers 104, Trail Blazers 103, OT
At Portland, Ore., Andre Miller had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala scored 25 points each, and the 76ers rallied in overtime.
The Sixers scored eight consecutive points in overtime, including a rebound basket by Miller with 1:55 left that gave Philadelphia a 104-103 lead.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers.
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Moratti can't imagine Inter without Ibrahimovic
Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti tried to dampen down speculation that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic might leave at season's end by saying he couldn't imagine the club without the Swedish star.
Ibrahimovic scored two goals in Inter's 3-0 win over Reggina on Sunday, taking his personal goals tally for the season to 19, as the Milan club moved seven points clear at the top of Serie A.
After his star performance, Ibrahimovic, who signed for Inter from Juventus in 2006, hinted that he may be considering a future away from the San Siro.
"I'm totally focused on winning the title but as for next season, we'll see," he said. "I'm very happy to be at Inter but next year we'll see."
But Moratti said Monday: "I can't imagine Inter without Ibrahimovic.
"But if that were to happen, it would not stop the club from carrying on."
According to the Italian press, Ibrahimovic could be targeting a club which has more success in Europe. Inter have been eliminated in the last-16 stage of the Champions League three times in the last three seasons.
"And if Ibrahimovic leaves, and we win the Champions League? In life, we change and then afterwards we regret it," said Moratti.
"He was only upset as I was after (elimination at the hands of) Manchester United (earlier this month). He has ambition but it's not as easy as that to pick a team that, in one fell blow, can win the Champions League.
"In any case, it's not a question of money or a problem of understanding with the team," Moratti added.
Inter coach Jose Mourinho added: "Like all of us, he's very disappointed about the Champions League elimination, but he has replied on the pitch, transforming his frustration into good performances.
"I'm not worried. (Being top of) the scorers list is an extra motivation for him and who knows if it will help him win the Silver Ball, seeing as the Golden one will go to Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi if they keep doing well in the Champions League."
Asked if convincing a player to stay had ever happened to him before, Mourinho said: "Yes, with Deco. He wanted to leave Porto after the UEFA Cup victory but he stayed and we won the Champions League the following season. So he left Porto with an even better CV."
Immediately after Ibrahimovic's comments on Sunday, Mourinho reacted by suggesting that the Milan club would survive without the Swede.
"Ibrahimovic is a great player but no player is bigger than a club. He has become very important to Inter but certain clubs are bigger than any player or coach," said the former Chelsea coach.
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Rooney escapes fresh FA action after red card
England striker Wayne Rooney will not face further disciplinary action following the red card he received against Fulham last weekend.
The Manchester United forward was sent-off for two bookable offences during the Premier League champions' shock 2-0 defeat.
Although he had words with Phil Dowd after being shown the red card, the official has confirmed he was not sworn at by Rooney, an offence which could have led to a longer ban.
However, the Football Association (FA) are to write to Rooney, whose temper has been a worry to some within the English game, about his conduct after the former Everton favourite punched a corner flag while leaving the pitch.
An FA spokesman said here on Monday: "We have clarified with Phil Dowd that there was no abuse from the player after he was dismissed.
"In relation to the incident when he punched the corner flag, the referee did not see that and we have written to Wayne Rooney reminding him of his responsibilities."
Rooney will now be suspended for one match, the Premier League fixture against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, United's home ground, on April 5.
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Schilling of Red Sox retires with 'zero regrets'
Curt Schilling retired from baseball Monday, ending a career in which he won World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks and was one of the game's most dominant pitchers and grittiest competitors.
The 42-year-old right-hander said on his blog he's leaving after 23 years with "zero regrets." Schilling missed all of last season with a shoulder injury after signing a one-year, $8 million contract.
"The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime," he wrote.
Schilling had surgery last June and had said he might come back in the middle of this season though he was not under contract. He made no reference to his injury on his blog.
He was co-MVP of the 2001 World Series with Randy Johnson while in Arizona. Schilling also won World Series titles with Boston in 2004 and 2007.
"Curt had a great career and made a profound impact on the Red Sox, helping to restore the Red Sox' status as a championship organization," general manager Theo Epstein said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "He was consistently dominant, and never more so than when it mattered most. Not only for what he did — but for when and how he did it — Curt deserves to be remembered with the all-time greats."
Schilling came to Boston for the 2004 season and helped the team win its first World Series in 86 years, pitching Game 2 of a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals after a surgical procedure to suture a loose tendon in his right ankle and with blood seeping through his sock. The sock is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
He was drafted by the Red Sox in the second round in 1986 but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles before playing for the big league club. He pitched for Baltimore, Houston, Philadelphia and Arizona before being wooed to the Red Sox by Epstein.
Schilling, one of the sport's hard throwers, finishes his career with 3,116 strikeouts, 14th most in baseball history, a 216-146 record and a 3.46 ERA.
He was even better in the postseason, with an 11-2 record, the best of any pitcher with at least 10 decisions, and 2.23 ERA in 19 career starts.
"The game always gave me far more than I ever gave it," Schilling wrote on his blog. "All of those things, every single one of those memories is enveloped with fan sights and sounds for me."
Schilling was 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA in 2007, when he spent seven weeks on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis.
In the final game of his career, he won Game 2 of Boston's 2007 World Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies, 2-1. Schilling allowed one run on four hits in 5 1-3 innings and was relieved by Hideki Okajima after walking Todd Helton on a full count.
Schilling's shoulder injury came to light early the following February when he disclosed on his blog that he and the team disagreed about the best way to treat it. He preferred surgery while the team wanted him to rehabilitate it in hopes of having him pitch in 2008.
He eventually had surgery on June 23 to repair his right biceps tendon and labrum. Dr. Craig Morgan, the surgeon, said the operation kept Schilling on target to pitch by the middle of this season if he decided to return.
Schilling was known for his outspokenness.
In March 2005, he testified at a congressional hearing concerning steroids. In July 2007, he said on HBO's "Costas Now" that the refusals of Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire to address speculation about steroids use were tantamount to admissions.
Last September, he criticized former teammate Manny Ramirez during a radio appearance.
"He was very kind, and well-mannered, but there were spurts and times when you didn't know who he was," Schilling said. "You know, he was always kind and nice for the most part, but he'd show up the next day and say, 'I'm through with this team, I want out now.'"
On Monday, Schilling announced he was out of baseball.
"The game was here long before I was, and will be here long after I am gone," he wrote. "The only thing I hope I did was never put in question my love for the game, or my passion to be counted on when it mattered most. I did everything I could to win every time I was handed the ball."
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Armstrong breaks collarbone in crash in Spain
Lance Armstrong fractured his collarbone Monday during a race in Spain, leaving in question his participation in the Tour de France in July. The seven-time Tour champion said he will fly to the United States and meet with medical experts to decide whether he needs surgery. "We'll go from there," he said. "I think for the Tour it's a very big problem."
In a statement released later Monday, the 37-year-old said he had "been lucky to avoid one of the most common cycling injuries" in his 17-year career.
"The crash has put my upcoming calendar in jeopardy, but the most important thing for me right now is to get back home and rest up and begin my rehab," Armstrong said.
Armstrong is scheduled to compete in the Giro d'Italia from May 9-May 31. The Tour runs July 4-26.
He was knocked off his bike during a pileup in the first stage of the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon race and was taken to a hospital by ambulance. The American, who crashed about 12.5 miles from the stage's finish, was grimacing and trying to hold his right arm as he entered the ambulance.
"The collarbone is broken, and I have a little bit of road-rash abrasions," Armstrong said as he left Valladolid University Hospital. "I've never had this happen before; it's pretty painful. I feel really miserable."
Astana team leader Johan Bruyneel said on his Twitter feed that there were no complications in the break, and suggested Armstrong could be back riding soon.
"Clean collarbone fracture," Bruyneel said. "Should be fast recovery."
After falling off his bike, Armstrong sat in the grass beside the road, his right shoulder slumped and his wrist resting on his right thigh. When help arrived, he motioned toward his right shoulder. Armstrong eventually walked to the ambulance and climbed into the back.
Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer described the pileup on his Twitter feed.
"Lance was involved in a huge crash as the road narrowed and became very rough," Leipheimer wrote. "He wasn't far from the front, as he was riding top 10 all day."
Armstrong said the crash was no one's fault.
"Toward the end of the race people started getting excited, a bit of wind, some hills and everybody wanting to be at the front," he said. "A couple of guys crashed in front of me, I crossed my wheel, then I hit them and over the top."
After first being taken to the Rio Carrion hospital in Palencia, Armstrong was taken to the hospital in Valladolid.
The 37-year-old is making a comeback to cycling and is riding with the Astana team as he prepares for another possible shot at a Tour de France title. The Vuelta of Castilla and Leon race was Armstrong's first stage race in Europe since winning the 2005 Tour.
Armstrong started his comeback at the Tour Down Under in Australia in January, where he finished 29th overall, 49 seconds behind winner Allan Davis of Australia. He then finished seventh in the Tour of California in February.
On Saturday, Armstrong raced in the Milan-San Remo cycling classic and finished 125th, 8 minutes, 19 seconds behind winner Mark Cavendish.
The mainly flat first stage of the Castilla and Leon covered 109 miles from Paredes de Nava to Baltanas. It was won by Joaquin Sobrino Martinez of Burgos Monumental in 4 hours, 31 minutes, 53 seconds after a sprint finish. He was followed by David Vitoria of Rock Racing and Jose Joaquin Rojas of Caisse d'Epargne.
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Goosen is golden on the brown greens of Innisbrook
During his two-year tumble down the world rankings, Retief Goosen has faced problems with eye surgery and lost some distance off the tee. But the main culprit was his putting, and he even tried a belly putter last month in desperation.
Innisbrook, which had the toughest greens this side of a major, proved to be the perfect tonic.
"When greens get so crusty and fast, I just tend to be able to control my stroke better on these quicker putts," Goosen said after his one-shot victory in the Transitions Championship. "I think if I putted on greens like this all year long, I'll enjoy it."
He had a blast Sunday on the tough Copperhead Course at Innisbrook.
They call them "greens," although they showed patches of brown all weekend. They were firm and crispy, making it difficult to hold shots and even tougher to make putts.
They reminded Goosen of Shinnecock Hills in 2004, when he won the U.S. Open by one-putting the last six greens.
This performance wasn't that good, but it was good enough.
Goosen closed with a 1-under 70, making him the only player to break par all four days. But it was the 18th hole, where Goosen needed only two putts from 25 feet for the victory, that proved the most difficult.
He ran the first putt 5 feet by the hole, steadied himself, then made it for par.
"It was great to see that putt go in," Goosen said. "The greens got scary. Down those last few holes, they were definitely getting like Shinnecock was. You just cannot hit them soft enough. It was really tough."
Charles Howell III (69) and Brett Quigley (68), who each finished one shot behind, had similar birdie putts in the groups before Goosen. Both ran them well past the cup and had to sweat for par.
"You're in the back of the tub trying to stop it short of the drain," Quigley said describing the putt they all had.
For a moment, Goosen must have had flashbacks to his other U.S. Open victory, in 2001 at Southern Hills. He had two putts from 12 feet for his first major, but three-putted to force a Monday playoff, which he won over Mark Brooks.
"It was disappointing to hit it that far past. I didn't want to have another U.S. Open there," Goosen said. "I felt good with my putting, and there wasn't too much indecision with the one coming back. It was nice to see it go in."
Howell, an Augusta, Ga., native who needs a victory to get into the Masters, was on the practice range in case of a playoff when he heard that Goosen had run his first putt 5 feet by the hole. That might have been good news had it been anyone else but Goosen.
"That guy, you're never going to bet against him to miss that," Howell said. "You don't win two U.S. Opens by missing those."
Those two majors seem like forever ago.
Goosen was among the "Big Three" in the world ranking just three years ago, a factor at every major and regarded among the elite. But he began to struggle with a few loose shots off the tee, and he lost confidence in his putting.
With his 40th birthday approaching — Goosen celebrated that in February by going to bed at 9 p.m. in San Diego — he decided it was time to get in better shape.
"Instead of getting totally out of shape and struggling, I thought I might as well be fit and struggling," he said. "I'd rather feel better about myself. I worked hard this December. I didn't have much of a holiday. My whole game started getting a little better."
He won in Asia and South Africa, but this was a breakthrough. Goosen last won on the PGA Tour in August 2005 at the now-defunct International in Colorado. Now, he believes he can get back to where he was.
"I keep reminding myself, Vijay (Singh) started playing his best golf when he turned 40," Goosen said. "I'm looking forward to the next five years."
Tom Lehman turned 50 two weeks ago and was trying to become the seventh player in his 50s to win on the PGA Tour. He went into the final round with a one-shot lead, lost it with a bogey on the second hole and didn't make birdie until a 40-footer on the 17th. Lehman closed with a 75 and tied for eighth.
That led to a revolving door of challengers, and five players had at least a share of the lead at some point Sunday.
Instead of charging, most of them retreated.
Steve Stricker rallied from a four-shot deficit to tie for the lead, but he couldn't sustain it. After two solid par saves, he flew the green from a bunker on the par-3 17th for bogey, then missed the green from the middle of the 18th fairway and made another bogey. He closed with a 69 and tied for fourth.
It was the third time this year Stricker had the lead on the back nine and failed to win.
Charlie Wi chipped in twice on the front nine and made the turn with the outright lead, reaching 9 under until he was undone on the par 3s. He shot a 69 and tied for fourth with Stricker and Mathew Goggin (67).
And then there was Howell, tied for the lead at 9 under. He missed the green to the right on the 15th and had to scramble for bogey, then missed the 16th green and dropped another shot.
"You ride on such a thin line on a track like this, where you just know every bogey hurts more than most, because you know it's so much harder to make up," Howell said.
Goosen made six par putts from at least 5 feet.
Just like old times.
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Federer books semi-final clash with Murray
World number two Roger Federer battled past Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) on Thursday to book a semi-final meeting with Andy Murray at the Indian Wells hardcourt tennis tournament.
World number four Murray spoiled Ivan Ljubicic's 30th birthday celebrations with a 7-5, 7-6 (8/6) victory over the Croatian.
Federer, playing his first tournament since losing a five-set final to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, looked to be cruising when he took a 4-1 lead in the second set.
But the four break points he saved in the third game foreshadowed trouble to come.
Verdasco finally capitalized on his chances against Federer's serve, breaking him twice to take a 6-5 lead.
"I don't think I served great in those games, and I think he got some good hits in," Federer said. "I think he knew that was his last chance, that he had to play well and not make mistakes, and he was able to deliver."
But the 10th-seeded Spaniard failed to convert two set points in the 12th game as Federer broke him to force the tiebreaker.
Federer took a 6-2 lead in the decider, but still needed four match points to put Verdasco away.
"I don't think I deserved that second set," said Federer, who struggled with the rhythm of his backhand.
"I wasn't quite happy with the match today, but for a while there I actually was playing OK," he said.
Murray needed just over two hours to subdue Ljubicic, who had saved five match points in his win over Igor Andreev a day earlier.
Ljubicic said Murray's solidity on serve made the difference.
The Croatian led 5-4 in the second-set tiebreaker, but Murray won the next two points on his own serve, then claimed the victory on his second match point.
"He served on 5-4 for me, I was not able to put the ball in play," Ljubicic said. "That was probably the most important moment of the tiebreak. I felt like I had chances if the rally would begin.
"Again, great serve on 7-6 (for Murray). I managed to put the ball back, but he just controlled it all the way."
Murray broke Ljubicic for a 5-4 lead in the second set, in a game in which the Croatian was irked by an electronic replay call on break point.
"It's just human mistake," said Ljubicic, who said the Hawkeye replay operator selected the second bounce of the ball to review rather than the first, which was clearly wide.
Ljubicic was in position to play the ball, but let it go when he saw it land and the linesman called it out. Murray, who said he couldn't see well from his position on the other side of the net, challenged, and the overrule on review sparked an outburst from Ljubicic.
They played a let, but he remained rattled and dropped his serve, although he broke back to take the set to the tiebreaker.
"I got lucky on that point," admitted Murray, but added: "I don't know whether it had a huge bearing on the outcome."
Murray, 21, has won two titles this year, defending his title at Doha and defeating world number one Nadal in the final at Rotterdam.
But he has been troubled by an an ankle injury, and withdrew after reaching the quarter-finals in Dubai with a virus, which also kept him out of Davis Cup.
He admitted he was a bit surprised to find himself in the semis after his patchy preparation.
However, Murray boasts a 5-2 career record against Federer. Since falling to Federer in straight sets in the US Open final in September, Murray has beaten him three straight times - at Madrid, at the Masters Cup in Shanghai and in Doha.
"I'm aware that he has beaten me more than I've beaten him, but on big occasions, I think I came through," Federer said. "I have to build on that and make sure I play tough and play a good match against him."
In the remaining quarter-finals on Friday, Nadal will take on sixth-seeded Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro while defending champion and third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia clashes with seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick.
In women's semi-finals, defending champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia faces 17-year-old Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who upset seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 7-6 (10/8), 6-4.
Ivanovic, seeded fifth, advanced on a walkover when Austrian Sybille Bammer pulled out with a shoulder injury.
Fourth seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva will face eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus - her doubles partner - in the other semi-final.
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Cheechoo gets shootout winner for Sharks
Jonathan Cheechoo scored the winning shootout goal with a deft backhand, and Evgeni Nabokov made 24 saves in the San Jose Sharks' 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.
Rob Blake and Milan Michalek scored early goals for the Sharks, who moved one point behind NHL-leading Detroit with just their fourth victory in 10 games.
Joe Pavelski, whose giveaway resulted in Nashville's second goal, also beat rookie goalie Pekka Rinne before Cheechoo got San Jose's shootout winner in the second straight game at the Shark Tank. Cheechoo, who beat Los Angeles in the seventh round Saturday, hasn't scored a regulation goal in 13 games, but he has been outstanding in extra time as the stumbling Sharks chase the NHL's best record.
Joel Ward and Vernon Fiddler scored first-period goals for the Predators, who finished a key four-game West Coast trip with six points, solidifying their position in the playoff chase. Rinne made 36 saves in his second start in two days for Nashville, which lost in overtime at Anaheim one night earlier.
All four regulation goals were scored in the first period, and the goalies traded big stops in the final two frames, including Nabokov's excellent save on David Legwand's breakaway in the last few minutes of regulation.
San Jose clinched the Pacific Division title and a playoff spot during the past few days, but the Sharks' three weeks of lackluster play were thoroughly discussed during a 90-minute organizational meeting Wednesday. Players were reluctant to discuss the meeting's specifics, but the Sharks clearly left with a nervous edge.
Nashville went up 2-1 late in the first period when Pavelski's egregious turnover at the Nashville blue line gave a breakaway to Fiddler, who scored his 10th goal of the season. Michalek tied it with 3.1 seconds left in the period, banging home his 20th goal on a rebound after a sustained rally in front of Rinne's net.
The Predators kept playing well in their fifth straight game without captain Jason Arnott, who has an upper-body injury.
Before the game, the Sharks learned they'll be without left wing Ryane Clowe for at least a week after the bruising power forward underwent minor lower-body surgery. With 52 points in 69 games, Clowe is San Jose's fourth-leading scorer and the most important player yet to be affected by the injury crush that's hitting the Sharks.
Jeremy Roenick, Mike Grier, Tomas Plihal and Claude Lemieux all have been out for extended periods of time, while defenseman Kent Huskins still hasn't played since San Jose acquired him in a trade with Anaheim. At least defenseman Christian Ehrhoff returned after missing three games with a lower-body injury.
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United handed plum draw as Chelsea play Liverpool
Holders Manchester United were handed arguably the plum pick of the Champions League quarter-finals draw after being pitted against 2004 champions FC Porto here Friday.
For the second year in a row four English teams feature in the last eight with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also looking for a quick and comparatively easy passage to the semi-finals.
While 2006 finalists Arsenal were drawn to play Spanish side Villarreal, semi-finalists the same year, an all-English quarter-final will see Liverpool take on Chelsea at Anfield before travelling to Stamford Bridge a week later.
In the other quarter-final 2006 winners Barcelona welcome Bayern Munich to the Nou Camp before playing the second leg in Germany.
Sir Alex Ferguson's United went into the draw as the favourites to defend their title, although the bookies will be looking closely at the current form of Porto - and past statistics between the teams - before setting the odds.
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was coach of Porto in 2004 when the Portuguese giants sent United crashing out at the first knockout round before going on to win the title. Of the six matches the clubs have played in Europe they have each won two, lost two and drawn two.
Liverpool and Chelsea meanwhile must be wondering whether they are destined to never be apart in the competition.
Although they meet at an earlier stage this year, the Premier League rivals have met in the semi-finals in three of the past four campaigns with Liverpool claiming the bragging rights.
Chelsea won passage to last year's final, where they were defeated by United, after a 4-3 aggregate defeat of Liverpool after playing the first leg at Anfield.
In 2007 Liverpool prevailed 4-1 from a penalty shoot-out after the two-leg tie, in which Chelsea hosted Liverpool in the first leg, finished in a 1-1 draw.
Two years earlier Liverpool's 1-0 defeat of Chelsea at Anfield, after a scoreless draw in London, was enough to book passage to the 2005 final where they beat AC Milan after a penalty shoot-out.
Arsene Wenger will be happy at being able to focus his young team's energy on a non-English Premier League team, and the prospect of claiming an away goal in the first leg at Villarreal will have boosted his side's hopes of a making the semis.
The last time the sides met was at the semi-final stages in 2006, when Arsenal held on for a scoreless draw in Spain after claiming a 1-0 first leg win at the Emirates stadium.
Villarreal did well to make the semis that year and will be hoping to go one better. If the Gunners do dominate the tie, they face a possible meeting with United.
Quarter-finals draw:
Villarreal (ESP) v Arsenal (ENG)
Manchester United (ENG) v FC Porto (POR)
Liverpool (ENG) v Chelsea (ENG)
Barcelona (ESP) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Semi-finals
Manchester United (ENG) or FC Porto (POR) v Villarreal (ESP) or Arsenal (ENG)
Barcelona (ESP) or Bayern Munich (GER) v Liverpool (ENG) or Chelsea (ENG)
Quarter-final matches played on 7/8 and 14/15 April
Semi-finals - 28/29 April and 5/6 May
Final - Rome May 27
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Yao's 31 points lead Rockets past Pistons in 2 OTs
Yao Ming scored 31 points and Ron Artest added 26 to lead the Houston Rockets to a 106-101 double-overtime win over the undermanned Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
Aaron Brooks scored seven of his 14 points in the extra periods, helping the Rockets stay in third place in the Western Conference standings.
Arron Afflalo scored 24 points, Rodney Stuckey added 21 points with 10 assists and Antonio McDyess grabbed 20 rebounds for the Pistons, who played without Richard Hamilton (groin), Allen Iverson (back) and Rasheed Wallace (calf strain).
The Rockets have won 13 of their last 15 home games. The Pistons have lost three straight overall.
The Rockets opened the second overtime with a 10-0 run. Brooks started the spurt with a 3-pointer, Artest drove for two layups and Yao hit a mid-range turnaround.
Afflalo sank a 3-pointer to end Detroit's drought and Herrmann hit a free throw to pull the Pistons within six. After Artest missed a 3, Herrmann hit a 3 for Detroit with 28 seconds to go, cutting Houston's lead to 102-99.
Brooks went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line on the Rockets' next two possessions to finally secure the victory.
Yao scored on four straight possessions to give Houston an 82-79 lead with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Pistons grabbed two offensive rebounds on their next possession, and Stuckey hit a running shot in the lane to cut the Rockets' lead to one. Artest missed a long jumper, Stuckey's free throw with 56 seconds left tied the game at 82.
Scola lost the ball on a drive, and Walter Herrmann rimmed out a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime.
The Rockets built an 88-85 lead in the extra period before Stuckey sank two free throws with 1:29 left. Yao hit two free throws on Houston's next trip, but Stuckey's driving layup with 26 seconds left cut Houston's lead to 90-89.
Kyle Lowry made a free throw before Stuckey easily drove for another layup to tie it at 91. Artest missed an off-balance jumper as time expired in the first overtime.
The Rockets led 42-38 at halftime after shooting 50 percent (20 of 40) in the first half.
Detroit shot 31 percent (14 of 45) in the first half, but stayed close by going 9-for-12 from the free-throw line. The Rockets took only two free throws in the half and went 1-for-6 from 3-point range.
The Pistons rallied from five points down to take the lead in the third quarter. Afflalo sank a 3-pointer, McDyess scored twice inside and Detroit shot 58 percent in the quarter to take a 65-64 lead to the fourth.
Will Bynum drove past Kyle Lowry for two layups in the first minute to stretch Detroit's lead to five, its biggest of the game. Detroit led 79-75 in the fourth quarter before Yao took over inside.
Notes:@ The Rockets are 2-1 in overtime this season; Detroit dropped to 2-4. ... Detroit grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and its 26 second-chance points were a season high for a Houston opponent. ... Detroit coach Michael Curry said Iverson would have tests on his back on Thursday and Friday. Curry said Wallace was also likely to miss Friday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Proposal to change 'Hochuli rule' reviews
The NFL will look into changing instant replay rules in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the blown call by referee Ed Hochuli that helped cost San Diego a game last season.
The competition committee will propose at the league meetings next week that when the ball comes loose when a quarterback is throwing, replay can be used to determine if it is a fumble or an incomplete pass. Such a change would resemble the rules alteration made for down-by-contact plays two years ago.
In the final minute of a game at Denver in Week 2, Hochuli ruled a ball that slipped from Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler's grasp was an incomplete pass instead of a fumble. The ball was recovered by the Chargers and Hochuli later acknowledged his decision was wrong.
Under league rules, the play was not reviewable. The competition committee believes it is an area that should fall under instant replay reviews.
"We thought when we watched the plays happen, basically it happened the same as the down-by-contact, and it should be reviewable in the same context," Rich McKay, co-chairman of the committee, said Wednesday.
Hochuli's mistake could have cost the Chargers a playoff spot. The Broncos went on to win that September game with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion, and they built a three-game lead in the AFC West.
But San Diego rallied to win the division.
McKay said replay reviews for loose balls that are out of bounds when they are recovered also will be proposed.
The main rules emphasis will be on player safety at the meetings. The committee will suggest eliminating the bunch formation on onside kicks. During discussions with players and coaches, it became clear that bunching up players on such kicks "are creating matchups that we don't like," McKay admitted.
The committee also wants to eliminate the wedge of three men or more blocking on kick returns.
"Plenty of teams have done it with two-man wedges, some do it with no wedge at all," McKay said.
Any hits to the helmet of defenseless receivers also are being targeted for elimination. Previously, only helmet-to-helmet hits have been outlawed.
"One of things we really focused on this year was player safety rules to eliminate techniques such as helmet-to helmet hits," NFL vice president of operations Ray Anderson said. "What we certainly noticed toward the second half of the season in particular, our violations for helmet-to-helmet hits started to decline. Players were adapting their play..."
Helmet-to-helmet contact on blindside hits also would be eliminated or heavily penalized.
McKay said officials will be encouraged to continue making low hits on quarterbacks and horse-collar tackles points of emphasis.
Another proposal is to eliminate the re-kick of an onside kick when there is a violation by the kicking team, with the receiving team taking the ball where it was recovered.
A bylaw change to the order in which teams draft will be discussed by the 32 owners. The competition committee proposes the order remaining the same for non-playoff teams, based on record, with weakness of schedule serving as the tiebreaker. But for playoff teams, they would be seeded according to when they are knocked out in the postseason.
"A team can win a playoff game and yet get to pick (in the draft) before the team it beat," McKay said.
That situation will occur next month when the Colts, who lost to the Chargers in the playoffs, choose 27th, and San Diego goes 16th. Such a change would not apply to this year's draft.
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Nadal, Djokovic on course for semi-final clash
World number one Rafael Nadal and defending champion Novak Djokovic have stayed on course for a semi-final showdown with third-round triumphs in the Indian Wells Masters series.
Top-seeded Nadal triumphed 6-3, 6-3 in a tricky encounter with Russian Dmitry Tursunov, while third-seeded Serbian Djokovic beat German veteran Tommy Haas 6-2, 7-6 (7/1).
"It wasn't one of my best matches, true. It was tough to play against him," said Australian Open champion Nadal, who had to save a break point in the final game but won the next three points to secure the win.
"He didn't give me a lot of rhythm. He played good shots, but at the same time made mistakes. I had more mistakes than usual."
Nadal had little time to savor the victory, which earned him a fourth-round match on Wednesday night against Argentina's David Nalbandian, who hasn't dropped a set against Nadal in two career meetings, both in 2007 before the Spaniard's rise to number one.
"The first thing is to play well," Nadal said of what he'll have to do against Nalbandian, who beat Serbian Viktor Troicki 6-4, 6-2.
"Second, I have to play really aggressive, because if he has control of the point it is nearly impossible."
Djokovic, who beat Nadal in last year's semi-finals en route to the title, started strong but would have preferred to finish off Haas more quickly.
Overall, however, the 21-year-old was satisfied that he was moving in the right direction.
"Better than the first match," was his assessment. "I played really well in the opening set, and then could have done the job a bit earlier. I had some break chances and didn't make a couple returns, and gave him a chance to come back into the match."
Djokovic next plays Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, who saved two match points in the third-set tiebreaker to claim a 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10/8) victory over American Sam Querrey.
Sixth-seeded Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro advanced, beating Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7/2).
Seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick edged Germany's Nicolas Kiefer 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Roddick will face 12th-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer, who rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy while del Potro will face American wildcard John Isner, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over former world number one Marat Safin of Russia.
Meanwhile Safin's younger sister, top-seeded Dinara Safina, led the way into the women's quarter-finals with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over US veteran Jill Craybas.
Safina, who can seize the world number one ranking from the absent Serena Williams if she reaches the final, lined up a meeting with eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who downed Israeli Shahar Peer 7-5, 6-4.
Safina won all three of her meetings against Azarenka last year.
Defending champion Ana Ivanovic booked a quarter-final berth, the fifth-seeded Serbian downing Italian Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. She'll face Austrian Sybille Bammer, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova.
Rising Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 17, continued the run of success that saw her oust second-seeded Jelena Jankovic in the second round, advancing to the quarter-finals when opponent Nuria Llagostera Vives retired in the second round with a left hip strain.
Pavlyuchenkova, owner of three junior Grand Slam titles who has leapt to 42nd in the world, was leading 6-3, 3-0 when the Spaniard called it a day.
Pavlyuchenkova will face seventh-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Agnes Szavay 6-0, 5-7, 6-3.
Fourth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva also advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over China's Li Na. Zvonareva next faces ninth-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki, a 7-5, 6-3 winner over wildcard Urszula Radwanska - younger sister of Agnieszka.
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Moen, Nabokov lead Sharks past Ducks
San Jose forward Travis Moen knew the Anaheim Ducks planned to show highlights of his career on the scoreboard during his return to Anaheim.
He didn't know he would add a whole new highlight.
After receiving a video tribute from his former team and an enthusiastic ovation from the crowd, Moen scored a second-period goal to help the Sharks beat the Ducks 1-0 on Sunday night. Evgeni Nabokov made 34 saves for his sixth shutout of the season to help San Jose reach 100 points and clinch a playoff spot.
Moen positioned himself just outside the crease and deflected Jamie McGinn's backhander past goalie Jonas Hiller with 1:05 left in the second period.
"It's nice to win, coming back that was the main goal, get two points and have fun," Moen said.
He has two goals since he and defenseman Kent Huskins were traded from Anaheim to San Jose in a March 4 deal that brought two prospects and a 2011 conditional fourth-round draft pick to the Ducks.
Moen generally skated on the Ducks' top defensive line during his four seasons with the team. He was highly effective in that role during Anaheim's Stanley Cup championship run in 2007, scoring seven goals in 21 playoff games while defending against the opposition's top forwards.
"Looking back there were a lot of fun times," Moen said.
Nabokov made 12 saves in the third period to secure the win, his second in two days after missing seven games because of an upper-body injury.
"You are never fresh, you're always tired, but it's not different than any other game," said Nabokov, who has 46 career shutouts. "It's the end of the season, not the beginning. Everyone else is tired."
The Sharks needed the strong goaltending effort Sunday. They have meandered through a 4-5-1 stretch over their past 10 games, surrendering the top spot in Western Conference to Detroit in the process.
"The effort was there tonight. It's always good when the effort is there," Nabokov said. "We killed penalties pretty well. It wasn't an easy game but it was a road win."
The Ducks have gone just 2-4-1 in their past seven games, failing to find a formula that will get them back into a playoff spot. Anaheim squandered four power-play chances, two in the final period.
"I think we did everything right except we couldn't score any goals," Ducks forward Teemu Selanne said. "Those guys have one of the best records in the league and we had no problem playing against them, so that is a good sign. We just have to stay confident. Wednesday (against Nashville) is another chance. We just have to keep pushing like this and we're going to score a couple of goals."
Hiller made 29 saves in his third consecutive start for Anaheim. He was at his best sprawling to make several saves as the Ducks shut down three San Jose power-play opportunities in the first two periods.
"Right now, every loss is bad for us. We didn't deserve to lose today," Hiller said. "I thought we played pretty well. But if you don't score, it's tough to win. They had some chances, but I think defensively we played pretty solid and we had some chances in their end."
The game was the first meeting between the Pacific Division rivals since Dec. 11. They will play a home-and-home series April 4-5. The Sharks lead the season series 2-1.
Notes: Huskins, also a member of Anaheim's 2007 championship team, didn't make the trip with San Jose and will be honored by the Ducks in an April 5 contest between the teams. ... The Ducks assigned defenseman Brett Festerling to Iowa of the AHL.
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Title race is far from over, says Hiddink
Guus Hiddink insisted the Premier League title race is far from over after Chelsea narrowed the gap on leaders Manchester United to just four points.
Hiddink's side responded to United's shock 4-1 home defeat to Liverpool by beating Manchester City courtesy of Michael Essien's first half goal.
While the Chelsea manager acknowledged that the advantage still lies with Sir Alex Ferguson's side, who have played a game less, he claimed the weekend's results could have a major impact on the eventual destiny of this year's championship.
Hiddink believes the decisive factor will be how United react to the shock of being humbled at Old Trafford by one of their fiercest rivals.
Hiddink said: "If it was just four points it would be very close, but they have that game in hand. But it's clear that after yesterday's unexpected result that the tension has come back in the league.
"It's a boost. But if we want to track them, we have to keep on winning. That'll give tension at the end of the season, which is good for everyone.
"Every now and then you get a defeat you don't expect. Sometimes you don't expect it at home because you have a beautiful record at home, then all of a sudden it happens. But they're a very experienced team.
"Let's see how they react in the up-coming days. It's not the first time that it's happened, but the big teams always react.
"It depends on their calmness if it goes on. When you are in the driver's seat and someone else is coming, you can get a little bit nervous."
Essien's goal was the midfielder's second in two starts since he returned from the knee injury that has kept him out since March, underlining the belief that the Ghanaian will have a major role to play in the closing weeks of Chelsea's campaign.
"It was important for the team and the crowd that he came back after a long period of recovery," Hiddink added. "We played him at Juventus and he did a good job, not just by scoring... like today.
"But by being in the team gives him and us a lot of confidence, and that's good to see. I knew before he's very strong, and he gives a lot to the team as well. Plus, it gives me tactically some options to play differently with other players as well.
"When we go to the end of the season, being in three competitions, having him available is important."
But a successful afternoon's work was marred by a recurrence of Deco's thigh injury that could keep the Portugese midfielder out for the season although Hiddink was more optimistic about the knee injury that forced Didier Drogba off in the second half.
"I don't think Deco will be recovered very shortly," added Hiddink. "Drogba is not a big problem. He likes to be with the team, to play, to train, so I think he will be recovered very soon. He was in a collision, so we'll see. Tomorrow, the day after, it'll be okay."
City manager Mark Hughes was forced to confront another disappointing away display, particularly from Robinho who had been set to join Chelsea until a deadline-day swoop by Hughes lured the Brazilian to the City of Manchester Stadium.
"You can't just expect one player to carry the team," Hughes said. "We have other players who have to stand up to the plate and be counted. Today wasn't Robi's day.
"His general performances have been good. Goalscoring wise he's scored 11 league goals and had a real impact for us. It's been more difficult for us to get him in the right areas to score, but he's created a number of goals for us and is helping the team."
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Novak's 3 gives Clippers 107-105 win over Nets
Steve Novak made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer — his seventh of the game — to help the Los Angeles Clippers snap a seven-game losing streak with a 107-105 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Sunday night.
Vince Carter had a season-high 41 points along with seven rebounds and six assists for the Nets, whose postseason hopes may have been hurt when point guard and leading scorer Devin Harris left with 8:53 remaining in the third quarter because of a strained left shoulder.
The All-Star who was driving to the basket on an attempted layup when Marcus Camby swatted the ball and Harris' right arm simultaneously — sending Harris crashing to the floor.
Novak finished with 21 points, and Baron Davis and Al Thornton each scored 20 for Los Angeles.
The Nets are one of six teams separated by 2 1/2 games in the race for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference — with Milwaukee and Chicago tied for eighth and New Jersey 1 1/2 games behind at 28-38. The first seven teams all are over .500.
Returning to their home court for the first time since blowing a 19-point fourth-quarter lead in a 87-83 loss to Cleveland last Tuesday, the Clippers led New Jersey by 14 late in the second quarter. But they squandered that margin, too, as Carter scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and put the Nets ahead 105-102 on a 3-pointer with 12.7 seconds to play.
Davis made two free throws for the Clippers with 7.3 seconds left, but they had to foul — and Jarvis Hayes missed both free throws. The Clippers called time out after Thornton rebounded the second miss, and they threw four passes looking for the open man before Novak connected from in front of the New Jersey bench.
It was a frustrating ending for Hayes, who hit back-to-back 3-pointers to slice an 11-point deficit to 100-95 with 3:43 remaining.
After Harris' injury, Josh Boone shot the free throws in his place and made both of them to trim the Clippers' lead to 72-63. Trenton Hassell's 12-footer made it 72-69 with 6:34 left in the third quarter, but the Clippers restored their double-digit lead by the end of the period.
Nets forward Yi Jianlian, whose numbers have slipped over the past 13 games since his return from an injured finger on his right hand that sidelined him for more than five weeks, went to the bench with 3:36 left in the first quarter and remained there for the rest of the half after missing his first three shots and failing to get a rebound.
New Jersey was trailing by two points when the 7-foot forward — who had a season-high 27 points against the Clippers in a 112-95 win at East Rutherford on Nov. 22 — left the floor. The Clippers extended the margin to 65-54 by halftime with 16 points from Davis, but it would have been worse for the Nets had had it not been for Carter's 20 points in the half, and a 3-pointer by ex-Clipper Keyon Dooling that beat the halftime buzzer.
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Cutler, McDaniels finally meet face-to-face
Jay Cutler finally met face-to-face with Josh McDaniels over the weekend, but nothing was resolved, leading to doubt the quarterback will show up for the new coach's first team meeting Monday.
The Denver Broncos' coach and Pro Bowl quarterback, who are involved in a simmering feud over trade talks, met Saturday at the team's training facility, and both sides agreed to regroup and continue conversations, team spokesman Patrick Smyth told The Associated Press.
But ESPN reported early Monday morning that Cutler would not be at Monday's team meeting.
"I certainly went back there, expecting I'd be there (Monday), but not now," Cutler told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. "It's not mandatory. I'll attend every mandatory mini-camp and training camp, but that's it. Really, it's best for me to move on. As coach said, he needs every eye in the meeting room to be on him and not me."
On Saturday, Cutler and his agent, Bus Cook, met with McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders in what the Broncos described as mild-mannered conversations at Dove Valley.
Denver station KCNC-TV reported that the meeting didn't go well, however, and The Denver Post reported that words were exchanged between Cutler and McDaniels.
Cook didn't return phone messages left by The AP on Sunday.
McDaniels isn't scheduled to address the media until the annual owners meeting in Dana Point, Calif., March 22-25.
But the Broncos insist they're not going to trade Cutler, who just played in his first Pro Bowl.
Cutler has deepened the drama by putting his 7,516-square foot home in suburban Parker on the market for $2 million. And a smaller home owned by Cutler and his parents, Jack and Sandra Cutler, two miles away, is for sale for $835,000. Cutler, however, is keeping his downtown Denver penthouse — at least for now.
On Saturday night, Cutler was a no-show at a fundraiser at Invesco Field where he was on the guest list. The Broncos said Cutler didn't attend because he didn't want to be a distraction but that he made a donation to the cause, Dani's Foundation, which raises money for research and treatment for rare forms of cancer in children.
Team owner Pat Bowlen was in attendance, but he wouldn't answer any questions and waved off a reporter. Bowlen has yet to publicly address the rift between his new coach and his temperamental quarterback.
Cutler's name was brought up a lot at that event, a roast for longtime Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos. Former Denver offensive lineman Mark Cooper, who played in the 1980s, cracked: "Times have changed around here. Now players cry when they hear they're going to be traded."
Cutler has been unhappy since learning that McDaniels, who was New England's offensive coordinator the last three seasons, entertained the notion of trading him to Tampa Bay in a three-way swap that would have brought quarterback Matt Cassel from the Patriots to Denver.
New England instead traded Cassel to Kansas City.
Cutler believes McDaniels, who replaced Mike Shanahan in January, misled him about those trade talks, and he has said he believes he'll be traded by draft weekend if the Broncos find the right deal.
McDaniels has said all he did was listen to the trade proposals, as he would with any player, as he tries to rebuild a Broncos team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2005.
The Broncos have been the NFL's most active team in free agency, signing 15 players, including quarterback Chris Simms, a former starter in Tampa Bay who has thrown just two passes since having emergency surgery to remove his spleen after a game in 2006.
Simms signed for two years and $6 million, ostensibly to serve as Cutler's backup.
With his relationship with his starting quarterback strained, McDaniels wanted a face-to-face meeting once Cutler returned from his offseason home in Nashville, Tenn., so they could clear the air before the team's offseason training program kicks off Monday with his first team meeting.
If Cutler is a no-show, it will undermine McDaniels' authority and deepen the rift between the 25-year-old quarterback and the 32-year-old first-time head coach, perhaps irreparably.
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World Cup to 'change world's view of Africa'
Danny Jordaan, head of the South African 2010 World Cup organising committee, said on Friday he wanted to transform people's world view of Africa through the staging of a successful tournament.
Visiting Paris, Jordaan said the event would be an opportunity "to change people's perception of the African continent. We have to see Africa as a continent for investment in tourism and trade".
He added that the tournament, the first Africa will have staged, was a chance to put the whole continent in general on the map and "celebrate the best" it had to offer.
Jordaan said the event went far beyond sport in providing a chance to boost infrastructure, tourism and employment as well as further foster democracy.
He added that the match venues would be ready by October.
French 1998 world champion Lilian Thuram, who also addressed the gathering at the Paris town hall, echoed Jordaan's view that the hosting of the world's top sporting event in Africa was about more than sport.
"(Hosting in) Africa is a return to the source, to the origin of man," said Thuram.
"I hope that South Africa will be able to provide a new image of Africa and change the way people imagine it to be.
"It is Africa's World Cup not just of South Africa. There is talk of security problems but I hope that all goes off well and that people will be able to change their view of Africa.
"My dream final would pit South Africa or another African country against France. And of course I hope France win."
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Ferguson backs Rooney in Liverpool 'hate' row
Sir Alex Ferguson has sprung to the defence of Wayne Rooney in the row over the Manchester United striker's admission that he "hates" Liverpool.
Rooney, who was born in Liverpool and grew up as an Everton supporter, has spiced up Saturday's Old Trafford clash between United and Liverpool by claiming that he "grew up hating Liverpool and that hasn't changed."
Rooney has been a long-standing target of abuse from Liverpool supporters during encounters between the two clubs since his 30-million-pound move from Everton to Old Trafford in August 2004.
And United boss Ferguson admits that Rooney's Everton connections and subsequent transfer to United have coloured his feelings towards the Anfield outfit.
Ferguson said: "Wayne has had plenty of stick over the years when we has played against Liverpool, so it is understandable because he also had loyalties to Everton as a kid.
"As (Everton manager) David Moyes has pointed out, the rivalry between Everton and Liverpool is now ferocious.
"And now that Wayne has come to Manchester United, he obviously wants us to win, so I don't think it was anything out of the ordinary.
"The word wasn't used the right way. Everyone uses the word 'hatred' because it's easy to say. Nobody uses the word 'dislike.'
"Hate is an easy word to use, but it doesn't mean a lot really."
Rooney made his comments on Wednesday in the aftermath of United's Champions League win over Inter Milan.
They appeared on the club's website on Thursday but were quickly pulled down because of fears they could inflame the atmosphere surrounding Saturday's match. "The comments are open to wilful mis-reporting and neither the club, nor Wayne wanted that to happen," a club spokesman explained.
United can stretch their lead over Liverpool to ten points with a game in hand by beating Rafa Benitez's men in Saturday's lunchtime clash. But despite United's commanding lead at the top of the Premier League, Ferguson continues to insist that his team are unlikely to end the season with a clean sweep of trophies from the five competitions they entered.
He said: "We never talk about the quintuple here and I personally don't think that it can be done. All we are doing is taking each game as it comes and at least our form is encouraging.
"Our performance at Fulham last Saturday was as good as we have performed for a while, so we are looking strong. Liverpool is always our biggest game, though, and I won't be holding anybody back tomorrow, that's for sure.
"It will be fierce and competitive with a wonderful atmosphere and I expect it to be a good game."
United face Liverpool without any fresh injury concerns following Wednesday's Champions League win against Inter Milan at Old Trafford.
But with his team having just two-and-half days to prepare for the game, Ferguson admits that he is preparing to rotate his squad against Rafael Benitez's men.
Ferguson said: "It's a big game for us, but the difficult thing for me is to pick the right team.
"Liverpool have had an extra day of rest having played Real Madrid on Tuesday night, so I have to bear that in mind.
"I will freshen up where I need to, but so far this season, we have handled that well."
Changes are most likely to come in midfield, where Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs all performed below their best in the midweek win over Inter Milan. Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung are standing by to come in and Carlos Tevez.
Dimitar Berbatov also had a poor game against the Italians but Ferguson has tended to stick by the Bulgarian striker for United's biggest games, to the frustration of Carlos Tevez.
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Lakers beat Spurs to clinch NBA playoff berth
Kobe Bryant scored 23 points as the Los Angeles Lakers clinched a playoff spot with a 102-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
The Lakers also wrapped up the Pacific Division in the final rematch this season of the 2008 Western Conference finals.
Tony Parker and Michael Finley led San Antonio with 25 points apiece.
Drew Gooden made his Spurs debut after being signed a week ago, but played just 3 1/2 minutes, scoring two points and grabbing four rebounds.
Lamar Odom had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles in his return from a one-game suspension for leaving the bench during an altercation in Monday's loss to Portland.
One day after ending Houston's 12-game home winning streak, the Lakers wrapped up their road trip by bringing San Antonio's three-game winning string to an end.
The loss cut San Antonio's lead over the Rockets in the Southwest Division to two games, with the Spurs heading to Houston on Saturday. The Rockets play at Charlotte on Friday.
Tim Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs.
Trevor Ariza, who joined the Lakers' starting lineup this week, scored 10 points. Derek Fisher also added 10.
The Spurs trailed by as much as 18 points before mounting a furious fourth-quarter comeback.
Parker hit a three-pointer with 2:19 left to cut the score to 95-93, but Bryant answered right back with his three-pointer in the face of rookie George Hill.
Hill said nothing Bryant does surprises him.
"I thought it was pretty good defence," Hill said. "But it's Kobe, and he makes great plays. I did the best I could to challenge him and try to push him back out. He's deadly."
The close finished belied what looked like a Lakers blowout from the beginning.
Forcing the usually careful Spurs into 10 first-half turnovers, the Lakers rolled to a 35-17 lead - the most points allowed by the Spurs in the first quarter all season.
"It's difficult to spot the best team in the league 18 points and then go play," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It was a really tough first quarter. They played great and didn't miss many shots. They made shots and we played badly."
Bryant had 14 at the half against defenders ranging from 37-year-old Bruce Bowen to the rookie Hill. Finley kept the Spurs as close as he could, hitting a trio of three-pointers and scoring 17 in the first half.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he was glad to end a three-game road trip with back-to-back wins that started Wednesday in Houston.
"It salvaged a road trip," Jackson said.
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Hawks end Utah's 12-game winning streak
Joe Johnson scored 31 points and Josh Smith had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help the Atlanta Hawks end Utah's 12-game winning streak with a 100-93 victory over the Jazz on Wednesday night.
After Mehmet Okur's 20-footer gave Utah an 87-85 lead with 5:02 remaining, the Jazz failed to score field goal.
The Hawks, who ended Cleveland's 11-game winning streak on Dec. 13, led until Okur's straightaway 3-pointer put Utah up 62-60 at the 4:44 mark of the third quarter. Atlanta has won three straight.
Flip Murray scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Hawks. Smith ended the scoring with a pair of free throws with 24.3 seconds remaining.
Deron Williams, who was instrumental in holding Mike Bibby to two points on a 1-for-6 performance from the field, led the Jazz with 20 points and nine assists.
Paul Millsap had 16 points and nine rebounds in a reserve role for Utah, which was outscored 32-14 in fast-break points.
With a 12-point victory at the Pacers on Tuesday, the Jazz had their longest winning streak since 1996-97. They also had taken 12 straight and 18 of 21 games from Atlanta.
After Millsap's jumper with 5:02 left, Utah suffered through two turnovers, Carlos Boozer's offensive foul, two blocked shots by Smith and another by Al Horford.
Johnson, who finished with 30 points as Atlanta snapped New Orleans' seven-game winning streak on Monday night, had 21 in the first half.
The Hawks were outscored 33-18 in the third quarter, going just 5-for-18 from the field.
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Djokovic in awe of Nadal as Spain advance
Novak Djokovic is just two places behind Rafael Nadal in the world rankings, but on Sunday it felt like a chasm.
World number three Djokovic slumped to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Nadal as defending champions Spain romped into the Davis Cup quarter-finals with a 4-1 first round win over Serbia.
Djokovic admitted he was in awe of the Spaniard who showed no ill-effects from the knee injury which had kept him off the circuit for a month before the Benidorm claycourt tie.
"He showed why he?s the best in the world and so dominant on this surface," said Djokovic after his 11th defeat to the world number one in 15 career meetings.
"It?s hard to play against someone like Nadal who makes the transition from defence to offence so fast. It was very hard to overcome Spain in Spain."
Nadal had been even more impressive Saturday when he lost just three games in swatting aside Janko Tipsarevic, a win built on putting together a run of 11 successive games.
"This was a very important win for me and Spain against a very big opponent," said Nadal after his victory over Djokovic.
"I wasn't thinking about the 11 games I won in a row against Tipsarevic. I just focus on the match and not worry about how good people might think I am."
Spain, who won the Davis Cup in 2008 despite Nadal missing the final against Argentina because of injury, next tackle Germany at home in the quarter-finals in July in the week after Wimbledon.
It will be a repeat of last year's last eight tie in Bremen where Spain came out on top 4-1.
"We played them last year at home and lost," said Nicolas Kiefer, whose eighth career win in eight meetings with Jurgen Melzer helped Germany to a 3-2 win over Austria.
"If we go to Spain and play them on clay, it's 99.9 percent that they will win. But our objective was to reach the quarter-finals."
The United States, 32-time champions, eased past a Switzerland team missing the injured Roger Federer and will travel to face 2005 champions Croatia.
Andy Roddick, who won both his singles to take his career tally to 31 in the tournament, second only to John McEnroe, is not sure that the Croatians would select a clay surface, given the country's supply of big hitters.
"I'm not convinced that it will be on clay at all, we'll have to see."
Israel defied violent demonstrations as well as a virtually empty stadium in Malmo to come from behind and beat Sweden 3-2 and reach the quarter-finals for only the second time.
Harel Levy sealed the crucial point by beating Andreas Vinciguerra 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 8-6 after Israel had started the final day 2-1 down. Israel will welcome Russia in July in what will be their first quarter-final since 1987.
The match had been played behind closed doors as protestors, demonstrating against Israel's bloody December Gaza offensive, clashed with police outside.
Israel captain Eyal Ran tried to forget the furore over the protests.
"I think tennis was the winner this weekend," said Ran.
This year's remaining quarter-final will be between the Czech Republic, who put out France, and last year's runners-up Argentina who whitewashed Holland.
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Kevin Martin had 26 points, seven rebounds and eight assists Sunday night for the Sacramento Kings, who never trailed in defeating the slumping Denver Nuggets 114-106.
It was a rare evening of excitement at Arco Arena, where the Kings have lost repeatedly and own the third-worst home record in the NBA. Sacramento ran off eight straight points to start the game, led by 12 at the half and never trailed in winning its 10th home game.
Martin connected on five 3-pointers for the Kings, who tied a season high, making 14 3-pointers. Andres Nocioni had 23 points, Spencer Hawes contributed 20 points and eight rebounds, and Francisco Garcia had 19 points.
Carmelo Anthony had 32 points and seven rebounds for Denver. Chauncey Billups had 22 points and eight assists, J.R. Smith scored 19 and Nene added 14 points and nine rebounds.
Denver has dropped two straight and lost six consecutive road games since a win in Philadelphia on Feb. 18.
The Nuggets pulled to 106-100 on Anthony's twisting layup in traffic with 1:54 remaining. Two free throws by Martin, a jumper by Garcia and a basket in the lane by Bobby Jackson built the Sacramento lead to nine points and clinched the victory.
Entering the game tied with Utah and clinging to a half-game lead over Portland in the Northwest Division, the Nuggets were in desperate need of a road win. It has been a bad couple of weeks overall for Denver, which dropped six of nine games to fall behind the Jazz, who won at Toronto earlier in the day.
The Nuggets are searching for momentum going into a favorable stretch in the schedule that starts with four straight home games in the next eight days. Four of their next six games come against some of the NBA's worst teams: Oklahoma City, the Clippers, Memphis and Washington.
After the Nuggets scored seven straight points early in the third quarter, reducing the margin to seven, the Kings responded with a 13-3 run highlighted by Martin's two 3-pointers that built the lead to 17 midway through the period.
Martin scored nine points and Hawes had seven in the third quarter, when the Kings kept the lead in double digits, leading 85-75 heading into the fourth period.
Nocioni had 16 points in 14 minutes and Hawes contributed 13 points, helping the Kings go into the half with a 61-49 advantage. Shooting mostly from the perimeter, Anthony scored 17 points for the sluggish Nuggets.
Nocioni started his first game as a King and made interim coach Kenny Natt's decision look good, scoring nine points in the game's opening 5 minutes.
Hawes hit his first three 3-point shots and scored 11 points, while Nocioni had nine as the Kings uncharacteristically led 35-25 after one quarter. Billups had nine points for Denver, which fell behind 11-2 and never led despite a 27-19 rebounding edge in the first half.
Notes:@ The Kings continue without starting point guard Beno Udrih, who has a sprained right foot. ... The Kings tied a season low for a half with just two turnovers in the opening two quarters. ... A lower back strain prevented Denver's Kenyon Martin from playing his third straight game.
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AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani denied on Friday that a deal had been agreed with Los Angeles Galaxy to sign David Beckham but said he was feeling 'optimistic'.
Earlier in the day a Milan press spokesman told AFP that no comment would be made from the club until an announcement is posted on Milan's official website.
But speaking outside a Football League meeting the Milan number two said a deal was close to being agreed.
"There's no news but I'm a little more optimistic because we're making progress and with with a little correction here and there to the documents things are going forwards between us and Galaxy," he said.
"It has to. It's not official yet but we're on the right path. There are no storms brewing."
Galliani more or less confirmed a deal would be done although he said he couldn't be sure when exactly.
"The decisive day could be today (Friday), tomorrow or Monday but the most important thing is that David is here and is playing in the Milan jersey," he said.
Earlier in the day English press reports claimed a deal had been struck to keep the former England captain at the San Siro until the end of the season.
Under a unique 'timeshare' agreement the England midfielder would then return to Galaxy from July to October before returning to Milan in November for the rest of next season.
Beckham's determination to stay at Milan is so great that he will allegedly fund part of the deal himself.
A spokesman for Beckham declined to comment.
The deal follows weeks of negotiations between the two clubs during which Milan baulked at the size of transfer fee demanded by Galaxy -- thought to be around 12 million euros.
Milan reportedly were only willing to pay three million dollars.
Beckham initially joined Milan on loan in January until this weekend and was due to head back to the United States on Monday, following Milan's home clash with Atalanta on Sunday.
However, the 33-year-old, who arranged the loan deal in order to keep active during the long Major League Soccer off season so he could remain in England manager Fabio Capello's World Cup plans, quickly made it clear he didn't want to go back to Los Angeles.
Milan too were keen to keep hold of the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star who immediately became a first-team fixture.
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Wenger right on Ronaldo's arrogance: Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson has taken the rare step of agreeing with Arsene Wenger by admitting that the Arsenal manager is right to highlight the 'arrogance' of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Manchester United star Ronaldo has been forced to accept belligerent treatment from opposing defenders in recent games, as well as being mistakenly booked for diving during last Sunday's League Cup final win against Spurs at Wembley.
But Wenger's suggestion that Ronaldo's arrogance and class proves 'provocative' to defenders has been backed up by Ferguson.
And the United boss admits that the Portuguese winger's self-belief and bravery are the crucial elements in his game that make him one of the world's leading players.
Ferguson said: "What Arsene said is that it sometimes appears as though there is an arrogance (with Ronaldo) and I can understand what he is saying.
"When a player is expressing himself in such an entertaining way, then defenders don't enjoy it. It was the same when George Best was a player -- exactly the same.
"But what people don't understand is that it's not about what people are prepared to do, it's about having the courage to do it.
"That's the great asset that Ronaldo holds. He has wonderful courage and always wants to entertain and do something good with the ball. So that's it as far as I'm concerned."
Wenger has called for players guilty of reckless tackles to be banned for up to ten matches to act as a deterrent against lunges against players of Ronaldo's creative ability.
"Sometimes I feel Manchester United get too much protection and sometimes they don't get enough and Ronaldo is a specific example of that," Wenger said.
"Sometimes his arrogance is provocative - and his class as well.
"But when a player is not protected it's not right."
United can edge closer to a remarkable haul of five trophies by claiming an FA Cup semi-final spot at the expense of Fulham on Saturday,
But with Inter Milan due at Old Trafford in a Champions League second-leg on Wednesday, Ferguson admits that Roy Hodgson's team could benefit from their focus being fixed firmly on the Cup.
He said: "Fulham have an opportunity to get to the semi-final, they are at home and their record at Craven Cottage is good.
"I'm trying to juggle a couple of balls, though, so hopefully I will come up with the right ones.
"We have an important game on Wednesday against Inter Milan and that's a different scenario altogether.
"We are looking at the bigger picture, but Fulham? When was the last time they had a chance to get a semi-final?
"We will make some changes to help with freshness obviously, but everybody is fit apart from Gary Neville, Wes Brown and Rafael da Silva."
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A-Rod hopes to play season with injured right hip
Alex Rodriguez will attempt to play this season with an injured right hip, hoping to avoid surgery and a four-month rehabilitation period. A cyst in the hip was drained Wednesday, and the New York Yankees third baseman will skip playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. Still, he has a torn labrum that might need an operation.
"There's two courses of action concerning what he has," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday. "There is treat it conservatively, which would imply rest, exercise and treatment. Or you can treat it aggressively, which is by surgery. At this point at in time, we are going to go the conservative route."
The diagnosis by Dr. Marc Philippon, in Vail, Colo., was yet another jolt to Rodriguez during a tumult-filled one-month span in which the three-time AL MVP admitted using banned drugs from 2001-03 while with Texas.
"He's been through a lot, and you probably can go through the last year that he's been through a lot," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He's been pretty good in staying focused in what he has to do. The thing about Alex, we all know how hard he works. He's able to do a lot of things because of his work ethic, and you hope that carries him though this year as well."
Girardi is concerned Rodriguez could start the regular season and then have to be shut down.
"It's not something you necessarily want to think about," Girardi said. "You watch him closely to make sure there is nothing wrong, and I know Alex will be honest with his body. He'll do everything possible to get on the field, but it's worrisome."
Earlier Thursday, ESPNdeportes.com reported that Rodriguez's brother, Joe Dunand, said the slugger was going to have surgery, with a projected 10-week recovery time.
"If at some point it's not working and it's a problem, then the other one becomes more of a choice," Cashman said. "Right now, the route we're going is conservative."
Cashman said Rodriguez's preference was to try rest and treatment first, but that offseason surgery might be an option.
"We're collectively trying to figure out what is best to do for everybody involved," Cashman said. "We don't want to rush into it. We want to digest it."
Cashman said the team hopes the cyst was the cause of stiffness that had bothered the 12-time All-Star and caused him to see Philippon. Rodriguez was to undergo additional tests in Colorado on Friday.
"Now that it's drained, we're going to see how he responds," Cashman said. "Get a gauge of how much improvement, if at all, there is."
Dr. Struan Coleman of the Hospital for Special Surgery, which treats the New York Mets, said Rodriguez probably could avoid an operation by having heat and cold treatment, but might need an injection to control pain and/or inflammation. Coleman said it is unlikely the injury is related to past steroid use.
"It's quite common in athletes who do a lot of rotational movement in their sport," Coleman said. "This a slowly progressive process. This has been going on a number of years."
Dominican Republic general manager Stan Javier spoke with Rodriguez Thursday.
"The only concern I have right now is I hope he's OK," Javier said. "It's too bad it has happened, but that's baseball and that's life. He told me he might have surgery Sunday or Monday. He said he's going to meet us in Miami to be with the team."
David Ortiz said Rodriguez's on-field presence will be missed by the Dominican players.
"It's a guy we need," Ortiz said. "He's not going to be able to be here. It's crazy. I hope he gets better and comes back in the regular season to do his thing."
The injury potentially leaves a huge hole in the lineup for the Yankees, trying to rebound after missing the playoffs last season following 13 consecutive appearances.
"This will challenge for him, for sure," Hall of Famer Cal Ripken said.
Last year, Rodriguez was sidelined from April 28 to May 20 because of a strained right quadriceps — his fifth career trip to the disabled list. An MRI exam at that time showed what Cashman called an "irregularity" in the right hip.
Rodriguez's hip was fine until experiencing stiffness during spring training this year. He was examined by team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad and underwent an MRI last Saturday
"The MRI we did showed some changes in that hip area," Cashman said. "What he's dealing with now is obviously something more significant. There is no pain, which is a good thing."
Rodriguez's 138 games last season were his fewest since 1999, when he tore the medial meniscus in his left knee during a spring training agility drill on March 30. He played in the first two games of that season with Seattle, then was put on the disabled list April 7 and missed 32 games until he returned May 14.
If Rodriguez is sidelined, New York would have to replace its third baseman and cleanup hitter, behind new first baseman Mark Teixeira.
"That's going to hurt not only this team, but the Yankees," said Robinson Cano, Rodriguez's teammate on both his club and national team. "He's a guy we're going to miss."
The leading internal candidate to take over at third would be Cody Ransom, a 33-year-old who has a .251 average and 24 RBIs in 183 at-bats over six major league seasons.
"I think the team will try and pick up the slack until he's ready," Ransom said. "Hopefully it's not too long. You can't really replace what he does."
Since joining the Yankees before the 2004 season, Rodriguez has averaged 42 homers and 123 RBIs to go along with a .303 batting average.
"He's very important for us," catcher Jorge Posada said. "You lose a guy like him — we've got a good lineup — but he's the guy that puts it all together."
Rodriguez's hip is the latest injury concern for a team worried whether Posada (shoulder), Mariano Rivera (shoulder) and Hideki Matsui (knee) will bounce back from operations.
Posada is hopeful he'll be able to play behind the plate around March 15.
"We just need to stay healthy," Posada said. "Whatever is going to be best for Alex, we understand. We'll go from there. You try to play through the injury, but then also, you don't want to hurt the team."
Rivera threw off a bullpen mound for the first time Thursday, while Matsui made his spring training debut as the designated hitter in the Yankees' 6-0 loss to Canada.
When Rodriguez is able to resume spring training workouts, there will be restrictions.
"I think there's plenty of things that we can do, DHing, and maybe not playing the whole game at any point," Girardi said. "Maybe not asking him to play too many days in a row. Just monitoring his condition everyday. I think you be able to tell."
Easily baseball's highest-paid player with a $32 million salary this season, Rodriguez had been looking forward to the April 16 opener at the $1.5 billion new Yankee Stadium.
"It's worrisome thinking about your club without Alex," Girardi said. "Alex hasn't had any pain. Shocked. I think that's a pretty good way to describe it."
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Lalime makes 38 saves to lead Sabres past Habs 5-1
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was afraid that the changes Buffalo made at the NHL trade deadline might be a distraction.
He didn't need to worry, because Patrick Lalime never lost his focus.
Lalime stopped the first 36 shots he faced and finished with 38 saves in Buffalo's 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.
Lalime's near-perfect outing — he had his shutout bid foiled with 1:06 left — overshadowed a busy day of transactions.
Intent on getting back into the playoff race, the Sabres tinkered with their lineup by acquiring center Dominic Moore and backup goalie Mikael Tellqvist; trading away Ales Kotalik; re-signing center Tim Connolly to a two-year contract; and welcoming back Thomas Vanek after he missed nine games because of a broken jaw.
"I was very impressed," Ruff said. "It was a little bit of a slow start. But once we got our legs and our heads going, we put together the type of effort that gives you a chance to win every night."
Lalime earned much of the credit. Making his fourth straight start in place of injured Ryan Miller, Lalime was finally rewarded with a win in helping Buffalo snap an 0-2-1 skid and move into a tie with Carolina for ninth place in the tightly contested Eastern Conference standings.
"It's awesome," Ruff said. "We knew we had a good goalie and he's really stepped up for us in Ryan's absence. That's not easy. There's a lot of pressure there."
Derek Roy and Paul Gaustad scored two goals apiece, and defenseman Jaroslav Spacek had a goal and an assist. The Sabres scored only three goals in their last three outings combined before breaking out against the Canadiens.
Thomas Plekanec scored for the Canadiens, who had a four-game winning streak snapped and continued to struggle on the road, falling to 2-10-1 in their past 13 games away from home. Montreal is 14-17-3 on the road after going 25-12-4 last season.
"If we can't adjust to play on the road, then we don't deserve to be in the playoffs," coach Guy Carbonneau said, lamenting how his team couldn't sustain the momentum it generated in the first period. "Either they're tired or not in shape. We'll go back to the drawing board and see what we can do to get better."
Lalime was the difference in a game the Sabres were outshot 18-3 through the first 15 minutes. The best save came when he got his blocker out to stop Alex Kovalev, who got off a hard shot from the right circle following a Sabres turnover.
Roy opened the scoring with 2:07 left in the first by taking advantage of a fortunate bounce. Spacek's shot from the right circle caromed off a defender and bounced in front, where Roy backhanded a shot in the open left side. Roy scored again 3 minutes into the second period, and Spacek made it 3-0 by blasting in a shot from the left circle six minutes later.
Roy expressed relief once the trade deadline passed, allowing the Sabres to focus on their playoff objective.
"The rumors, everything, all the doubts in the players' minds has gone out the door," Roy said. "You have your team in front of you. It's a relaxed environment and everybody was anxious to get out on the ice and work hard for the team."
Canadiens goalie Carey Price made his first start in five games, filling in while Jaroslav Halak recovers from the flu. Price is 0-5-1 in his past six games, allowing 28 goals.
"It's just the way it's going right now," Price said. "I didn't feel that great to be honest. I felt a little rusty. I have to play better."
Red Wings 3, Avalanche 2
At Denver, Ty Conklin made 25 saves, and Valtteri Filppula, Johan Franzen and Kris Draper scored to help Detroit take over the NHL points lead.
The Red Wings played without goal leader Marian Hossa, sidelined by a sore neck and knee. Hossa was injured Wednesday night in St. Louis when he slammed into the end boards and had to be carried off the ice on a gurney.
The Stanley Cup champions won for the fourth time in five games to reach 94 points, one more than San Jose and Eastern Conference-leading Boston.
John-Michael Liles and Milan Hejduk scored for Colorado. The Avalanche have lost six straight, matching the longest skid since the team moved to Denver in 1995-96.
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Ronaldo not amused but United happy to keep winning
Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in an angry confrontation in the tunnel after helping Manchester United restore their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points.
The Portuguese international exchanged heated words with Steven Taylor after being caught by the defender's flailing elbow during United?s 2-1 victory at Newcastle.
It was the champions' 11th consecutive win in the league and, with the added advantage of a game in hand over Chelsea and Liverpool, they look increasingly sure of a third straight title.
Newcastle's caretaker boss Chris Hughton defended Taylor for the robust elbow-first challenge that left Ronaldo clutching his face shortly before the interval, earning the defender a caution.
Angry United skipper Rio Ferdinand had to be held back from remonstrating with the England Under-21 international as emotions ran high.
But Hughton defended Taylor. "Ronaldo?s gone past Steven and Steven was probably a little bit head-strong and in his endeavours to pull him back, he catches him on the shoulder and that's all it was," he said.
"Anybody who watches the incident again would see that?s what happened. Steven's a player of high energy and enthusiasm and that?s how we expect him to play."
Alex Ferguson preferred to pay tribute to Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney after the strike duo combined to inspire United?s come-from behind win -- their sixth in seven unbeaten visits to St James Park.
Rooney scored on the turn from the edge of the box to cancel out Peter Lovenkrands? early opener after an uncharacteristic mistake by Edwin Van der Sar saw the keeper?s 14-game run without conceding a goal finally come to an end.
Berbatov struck the winner, his 13th goal of the season to put him two behind Rooney in the scoring charts, shortly after half-time following a mistake by Newcastle?s Ryan Taylor.
United remain on course for a haul of five trophies and Ferguson, who now turns his attention to Saturday?s FA Cup sixth round trip to Fulham, said: "We got a break for our second goal after Berbatov finished well. Wayne Rooney has a great record against Newcastle so if anyone was going to score against them, it was him."
Ferguson admits the leaders rode their luck a little in the wake of Lovenkrands's goal, and the Scot added: "Newcastle were pumped up for it because it was a massive game for them. We expected that so coming back from a goal down to win is a good result.
"I must say we've played better football and we were careless in our passing at times but we've got to be pleased with the result.
"Newcastle might have been a bit lucky with the goal because Edwin made a mess of it and we could have gone two down when Obafemi Martins went close shortly afterwards, it was a hairy spell for us.
"Edwin would rather not something like that happen but it was going to happen sometime and it?s out of the way now."
Newcastle are in serious relegation trouble after just one victory in 10 league games. They've failed to win at home for more than two months which leaves them one point above the drop zone in 16th.
Hughton admitted: "It's a very disappointed changing room because we felt we could get something. In the form Manchester United were in we took the game to them and took the lead and came very close to a second.
"We put on a spirited performance but it leaves us in a fight at the wrong end of the table and it?s going to be a fight that takes us through to the last few weeks of the season.
"We?re at the stage of the season where we need to be putting points on the board and I feel we deserved to get something from the game. If we play like that for the remaining 10 games I think we can stay up."
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Dodgers get their Manny with $45M, 2-year deal
The Dodgers got their Manny, and all it took after weeks of wrangling was an early morning get-together bringing both sides to owner Frank McCourt's house.
Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers officially agreed Wednesday on a $45 million, two-year contract that keeps him with the NL West champions. The slugger can void the second season of the deal and again become a free agent.
The stalemate ended during a 6 a.m. meeting Wednesday at McCourt's Malibu home. The session came after weeks of protracted negotiations that included starts, stops, offers and subsequent rejections.
At times, McCourt's frustration with Scott Boras surfaced, with the owner describing Ramirez's agent as "challenging to work with."
But all that was forgotten when the parties met face-to-face, with general manager Ned Colletti and manager Joe Torre calling the gathering "comfortable."
"We got a great meeting," Ramirez told KCAL-TV as he emerged from a mandatory physical in suburban Inglewood. "I'm happy to be here. We got some unfinished business, and that's why I'm here."
The Dodgers confirmed the deal shortly after Ramirez passed the physical. He is set to meet with the media Thursday morning in Phoenix.
Ramirez gets $10 million this year, and $15 million in deferred money with no interest, payable in $5 million installments each Jan. 15 from 2010 through 2012. If it winds up as a two-year deal, he gets $10 million each season, with three payments of $8,333,333 each Jan. 15 from 2011-13.
Ramirez has until November to decide whether to void the second season.
Los Angeles' original offer was for $45 million in guaranteed money, including a $4 million buyout of a 2011 option, and gave the Dodgers the ability to maintain control of Ramirez over three years. It also did not include the no-trade provision.
Ramirez will make a $1 million commitment to the Dodgers Dream Foundation as part of the deal.
"We are thrilled that Manny wants to be a Dodger and that he has made such a tremendous commitment to the Los Angeles community," McCourt said in a statement. "We witnessed something very special last year in the way that our fans connected with him and the manner in which the team came together."
The left fielder was believed to be seeking a four- or five-year deal that would take him through the end of his career. He turns 37 in May.
But Ramirez found it tough going in a recession-plagued free agent market, with the Dodgers the only team to acknowledge pursuing the 12-time All-Star.
Ramirez helped Los Angeles win the division by hitting .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he batted .520 with four homers, 10 RBIs, nine runs and 11 walks in eight games.
"We all wanted the same thing and that's what was apparent to me," said Torre, who left spring training in Arizona with Colletti to travel to Malibu.
"After last year and the time he spent with us, we knew we wanted him back. It was just a matter of finding that common ground," Torre said. "As Ned said, you talk on the phone and to different people, you need to get face-to-face. It was a real good meeting. There was a lot of comfortable conversation."
Torre, Colletti and McCourt joined Boras and the agent's assistant at the session that took about three hours for the deal to fall into place.
"There was not one uncomfortable moment," Colletti said. "It was more designed to put the personality back into the picture instead of just the negotiations. Manny seemed very happy and excited about the possibility, and I thought it was very good."
Torre described Ramirez as "chomping at the bit" to rejoin the Dodgers.
Los Angeles announced last week that Ramirez declined its latest offer, a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010. That deal would have included deferred payments of $10 million each in 2011 and 2012 and $5 million in 2013.
Boras countered with a proposal that included no deferred money, leaving the sides about $3 million apart in present-day value.
At the time the Dodgers acquired him from Boston, Ramirez's contract was amended to eliminate the $20 million team options it included for 2009 and 2010. The new agreement leaves him with a small increase but likely fell short of what Ramirez hoped to gain on the free-agent market.
Colletti initially tried to re-sign Ramirez, offering a two-year, $45 million deal with a buyout or a club option that was ignored by Boras and later withdrawn by the team.
The Dodgers' second attempt involved salary arbitration in December, but Ramirez said no to that, too.
Ramirez was MVP of the 2004 World Series — Boston's first championship since 1918 — and helped the Red Sox to another title in 2007. But he often failed to run hard to first base on grounders and repeatedly said he didn't want to play for Boston, which lured him from Cleveland after the 2000 season with a $160 million, eight-year contract.
But it was a different story after Ramirez arrived in what quickly became known as Mannywood.
Besides his hitting, he made a huge impact on the Dodgers' bottom line, with a big boost in attendance and souvenir sales, including No. 99 jerseys and fake dreadlocks.
Ramirez's teammates in Phoenix were eager to welcome him back.
"A guy like Manny, you learn a lot of stuff from him," shortstop Rafael Furcal said. "He's the best hitter in the game. Everyone is happy."
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Report: Cowboys to cut Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens' days in Dallas are done, according to ESPN.
ESPN cited anonymous sources Wednesday night in saying that the Cowboys have decided to cut the receiver, ridding them of a big locker-room distraction but also absorbing a big hit on their salary cap.
The team did not immediately have a comment. A spokesman for Owens said he hadn't heard the news, and that Owens was traveling and could not immediately be reached. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, also did not immediately return a call.
Just a few weeks ago, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated that T.O. was staying when he said, "You and I both know that the one that you're asking about all the time, if I gave you the answer that you want to hear, then you would've already had it. So the fact you don't have it ought to tell you something. It really should."
Jones seemed to enjoy the publicity Owens stirred up as much as the touchdowns he scored. However, there were several in-house issues involving Owens that may have ultimately prompted Jones to decide the receiver wasn't worth the trouble he caused.
Owens will count about $9 million against the cap. His absence means one less high-profile player to open the Cowboys' new, $1.1 billion stadium, and fewer No. 81 jerseys to sell.
While Tony Romo also will be without the recipient of most his touchdown passes, he also will no longer have to make sure T.O. has enough passes his way to make him happy. Whether that was perception or reality will no longer matter either.
The Cowboys went 31-17 in Owens' three seasons, but 0-2 in the playoffs.
Jones essentially forced Owens on then-coach Bill Parcells, a relationship underscored by Parcells referring to Owens as "the player." Owens drew attention to himself during training camp by dressing up as a pro cyclist while riding a stationary bike, then had an accidental overdose early that season.
Yet when Parcells turned to unproven Romo midway through that season, Owens sparkled. They kept it up the next season, leading the Cowboys to all sorts of club records on their way to a 13-3 season and a division title. The Cowboys lost their first playoff game, days after Romo and others went on a trip to Mexico, and Owens tearfully defended Romo, saying, "That's my quarterback."
Owens got a new contract last summer, a four-year, $34 million deal that included a $12 million bonus.
The best news for Owens would be if the cameras were rolling for the new reality TV show he has in the works when he got the news from the Cowboys.
Where might he end up next? That's sure to be the next drama, and perhaps more great fodder for his TV show.
He's not likely to return to San Francisco or Philadelphia, the other places he wore out his welcome. Then again, it seemed unlikely he would come to Dallas after having offended Cowboys fans by celebrating on the team's star logo while playing for the 49ers.
Don't expect him in Miami, not as long as Parcells is in charge. And perhaps also count out Kansas City because new coach Todd Haley and Owens hardly got along when Haley was Dallas' offensive coordinator.
The Cowboys should still have a potent passing game, at least if receiver Roy Williams can live up to his big contract and the two draft picks Dallas gave up to get him from Detroit. Romo also still has his favorite target, tight end Jason Witten.
Over three years with the Cowboys, Owens caught 235 passes for 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns in 47 games. He led the NFL with 13 TDs receiving in 2006, his first season in Dallas.
Over his 13-year career, he's a five-time All-Pro and ranks second in career touchdowns, fifth in career yards receiving and sixth in career receptions. He turned 35 in December, but remains a physical specimen.
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Man Utd aim to consolidate clean-sweep bid
Manchester United can take another step towards an unprecedented clean sweep of five trophies in one season with a victory in Wednesday's Premier League clash at Newcastle.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side have already won the Club World Cup and lifted the League Cup against Tottenham at Wembley on Sunday, making the dream of winning every competition they have entered an increasingly distinct possibility.
While Ferguson continues to play down United's chances of sweeping the board, the Scot will know only too well that the next seven days could put his team in an even stronger position.
A victory at St James' Park could open up a 10-point lead if Chelsea, in second place, and Liverpool, in third, come unstuck in their matches on Tuesday against Portsmouth and Sunderland respectively.
After their trip to Newcastle, United face Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, then host Inter Milan in the Champions League last 16 second leg next week.
United, who are on a 15-match unbeaten run, have won five of their last six visits to St James' Park, scoring 20 goals in the process.
Ferguson is likely to bring back Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov and Nemanja Vidic after all three were left out of Sunday's starting line-up, while Wayne Rooney could recover from a virus.
Rio Ferdinand, who captained United at Wembley, warned his team-mates they still have room for improvement despite their remarkable winning run.
"The momentum is with us but there are still loads of improvements to make," he said.
"We did well in parts against Tottenham but they managed to get through to our back line too easily on occasion so we need to cut that out.
"It is down to us really. If we win the rest of our games, obviously we will be champions and the way the results have panned out has been quite good.
"But it is not over. We still know Chelsea and Liverpool can go on unbeaten runs until the end of the season. We have to make sure we do as well as them."
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Aston Villa will attempt to consolidate their place in the top four at inconsistent Manchester City.
Villa have stumbled in recent weeks and were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Stoke on Sunday after blowing a two-goal lead in the final minutes.
But Norway striker John Carew expects Villa to bounce back and register their eight successive away league win this season at Eastlands.
"We have a great chance as there is still a gap between ourselves and Arsenal," he said.
"We were sad for an hour after the Stoke game but then you look forward to the next challenge - and be confident that you can be successful.
"This team has done great things away from home this season and there is no reason why we cannot do it again."
Tottenham must recover quickly from the agony of losing the League Cup final shoot-out as they host fellow strugglers Middlesbrough.
Harry Redknapp's team are only two points ahead of Middlesbrough, who currently fill the final relegation position, and midfielder Jermaine Jenas said: "We can take a lot out of the final, there was a lot of courage and effort, and if we put that in from now until the end of the season then we'll climb the league.
"We haven't got time to think about it. We have a very important game on Wednesday that we have to focus on and make sure we are ready."
Wednesday
Blackburn v Everton (2000GMT)
Fulham v Hull (2000GMT)
Man City v Aston Villa
Newcastle v Man Utd
Stoke v Bolton
Tottenham v Middlesbrough (2000GMT)
Wigan v West Ham
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Surging Shaq in Miami for 1st time since trade
His arrival in Miami was dramatic. So was his departure.
Now Shaq is back, at least for one night.
Shaquille O'Neal returns to Miami on Wednesday for the first time since being traded 13 months ago to the Phoenix Suns, a move that came after the Heat's relationship with the sometimes-charismatic, sometimes-enigmatic center disintegrated beyond repair.
He was often hurt, complained about not getting the ball, said some Heat teammates weren't good enough to compete. In other words, a bad breakup — so the homecoming will be interesting.
"Just another game for me," O'Neal said.
No one knows how he'll be received by Miami fans.
But Dwyane Wade, the star Heat guard whom O'Neal dubbed 'Flash' soon after arriving in Miami, will welcome him with open arms.
"When we see each other, it's like nothing has happened," Wade said. "We fall right back in place. We shared something here in Miami that will last a lifetime and every time we see each other, it's that way."
O'Neal was larger than life with the Heat, and reminders remain everywhere.
Start with the wall outside of Miami's locker room. O'Neal's face is there, a picture blown up so enormously that the pores of his skin look like craters on the moon. Past the double doors, there's collages of memories from the 2006 championship run, and O'Neal is in two dozen of those photos. Off to the right, there's O'Neal and Wade, posing with the NBA hardware in Dallas.
"I was a vital part," O'Neal said. "Hopefully it stays around."
But even while the Heat honor their past, the franchise has clearly moved in a different direction.
Only Wade, Udonis Haslem and Dorell Wright remain from the championship season. Miami now has the second-youngest rotation in the NBA. And one of those youngsters, rookie point guard Mario Chalmers, wasn't even aware he had O'Neal's former locker.
"Those pictures just shows what that team accomplished and now we've got to have the same goal," Chalmers said. "He won a championship here, so anytime he comes back it's got to be a special thing."
O'Neal may have left the Heat on sour terms, yet says he still cherishes the special moments in Miami, from the day he arrived on an 18-wheeler with great fanfare following a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers to the championship parade.
"He made us matter again when we first got him from the Lakers," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We became relevant again."
He's fired his share of verbal salvos over his career, with Penny Hardaway, Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant primary targets for his sharpest comments. O'Neal now says all that was about marketing — but he never really lashed out publicly at Wade or his former coach in Miami, Pat Riley.
O'Neal and Riley had their battles, for certain. But O'Neal says there's still a respect factor there, and some Heat players still speak very well of the Big Fella, too.
"He kind of help raised some of us from boys to men," said Heat captain Udonis Haslem, adding that Shaq is "still like a brother to me."
O'Neal often called the Heat president "the great Pat Riley" when he was in Miami, and was asked last week if he still felt that way.
"Of course," O'Neal said. "Great guy, who is a legend. He just got into the Hall of Fame. I had some up and down experiences with him but they are experiences that both of us will never forget and I'm happy that I made the move to go there."
The Suns, especially lately, have to be thrilled Miami made the move to send him to Phoenix, too.
He scored 45 points last week on 20-for-25 shooting against Toronto, his highest-scoring game in nearly six years, and followed that with a 33-point effort against the Lakers on Sunday.
He turns 37 this weekend, and is turning back the clock.
"If I was voting for the most improved player," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said, "I think I would vote for him."
Wednesday completes an odd reunion tour for O'Neal — there was the L.A. game Sunday, then a trip to his first NBA stop, Orlando, on Tuesday, capped by the trip to Miami.
"I think he's motivated. And when a guy like that, with the talent he has, is motivated, it's tough," Wade said. "He's showing his greatness."
But when it comes to his looming reception in Miami, even O'Neal doesn't know what to expect.
He knows some fans still remember him fondly; his No. 32 jersey can still easily be spotted by those in the stands in Miami.
He's also aware some believe he's the biggest reason why Miami plummeted from a title-contender to NBA bottom-feeder last year.
"That's what I do. I get in and get under people's skin and all that stuff," O'Neal said. "But you will remember me — and that's all that matters."
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Serena beats Venus to capture inaugural King Cup event
Reigning US and Australian Open champion Serena Williams defeated elder sister Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3 in the final of the made-for-television Billie Jean King Cup one-day tennis event.
Serena Williams won 5-of-14 break point chances over the reigning Wimbledon champion to capture the 400,000-dollar top prize in the four-woman event at Madison Square Garden.
"It was really intense," Serena Williams said. "She never gives up. That's what's so hard about playing her. She hits so hard and she runs down everything. That is what's so frustrating about her."
Venus Williams, coming off WTA titles in Dubai and Acapulco, opened by defeating 2008 year-end number one Jelena Jankovic 6-4 in one no-ad scoring semi-final. Serena beat 2008 French Open winner Ana Ivanovic 6-3 in the other.
That set the stage for a sister act showdown in the best-of-three set final.
Serena surged ahead 5-1 before Venus rallied, but Serena opened a 5-2 lead in the second set and broke Venus in the last game, claiming the trophy on her second match point.
Venus opened the door with her fifth double fault and Serena followed with a pair of forehand winners to secure the triumph.
"I tried but she was too good," Venus Williams said. "She just didn't miss and I needed a little more luck."
Each of the Serbian stars received 250,000 dollars while Venus settled for a runner-up prize of 300,000 dollars in the 1.2 million-dollar event.
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Beckham deal could delay Milan departure until July
English midfielder David Beckham would complete the Italian season with AC Milan and return to the Los Angeles Galaxy in mid-July under a deal in the works, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Terms of the loan extension were not reported, but the deal was said to be worth millions of dollars to Major League Soccer and the Galaxy, which would lose star ticket seller Beckham for 17 of 30 regular-season games this year.
Beckham has reportedly agreed to the deal, which would allow him to stay with AC Milan until the end of the Serie A campaign, and the plan was expected to be finalized by the end of the week.
Beckham, 33, has been so successful while on loan to AC Milan - scoring two goals - that the club wants him to stay at the San Siro through the end of the season. His loan is set to expire in one week.
Instead, the proposed agreement would have Beckham stay through the May 31 Italian season finale, then wait until the MLS international transfer window opens July 15 to rejoin the Galaxy.
Beckham's first possible game for the Galaxy would be July 18 at New York.
Under terms of Beckham's five-year contract, the England captain could opt out after the end of the year, but Beckham would be free once the MLS season ends in November, earlier if the Galaxy fail to make the playoffs.
The Times reported Beckham would likely have to wait until the next international transfer window in January to join AC Milan rather than leap back once the MLS campaign ends.
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Top seed Fish rallies to win Delray Beach event
American Mardy Fish rallied to beat Evgeny Korolev 7-5, 6-3 Sunday, becoming the first top seed to win the ATP Delray Beach International Championship in the 17-year history of the event.
Fish also became the first American to win it since 2003, when journeyman Jan-Michael Gambill beat Fish in the final.
Fish had not won a title since claiming the Houston tournament in April of 2006 on clay.
"Conditions were tough," Fish said. "Today kind of reminded me almost of a first-round match at an event that you'd like to do well at. You literally just want to get off the court with the 'W' - you couldn't care less how it looks.
"Obviously it didn't feel like a first-round match, but it felt like the latter part. I don't care what the score is. I don't care how it looks. I need to get off this court with the win."
Fish got off to a shaky start in his 13th career appearance in an ATP final, dropping a pair of early breaks before going back up a break to win the first set, which was delayed nearly two hours due to rain.
Fish finished the 92-minute match with six aces and four breaks.
Korolev, a Russian qualifier and the cousin of retired tennis pin-up Anna Kournikova, was seeking his first ATP title. Korolev had no qualms about the result.
"I played the whole week well from the qualies on," he said.
"I'm happy. I will keep on going, keep on working, and hopefully I can make some more finals."
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LeBron's free throw lifts Cavs past Hawks 88-87
LeBron James scored 26 points, including the winning free throw with 1.6 seconds left, and the Cleveland Cavaliers won for the seventh time in eight games, 88-87 over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night.
The Hawks, after rallying from a 13-point deficit, squandered a five-point lead in the final 1:42. Delonte West hit a jumper, Mo Williams sank a 3-pointer and James won it for the Cavaliers on their final possession. He drove from the top of the key and was fouled by Al Horford with 1.6 seconds remaining.
James missed the first free throw but swished the second. The Hawks had a last chance, but Joe Johnson's jumper over James clanked off the rim as the horn sounded.
Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points.
The teams met on a day that should have made Cleveland feel right at home — a freak March storm left downtown Atlanta with a light blanket of snow.
As always, the celebrities turned out for King James. Bill Murray, in Georgia filming a movie, sat courtside along with director Spike Lee, who was trying to sell Murray on another project while they both took in the game.
Triple-teamed at times, James made eight of 20 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, and dished out 11 assists.
The Cavaliers led 62-49 about 5 minutes into the third, but the Hawks closed the quarter on a 21-7 run. Johnson, Zaza Pachulia and Flip Murray scored five points to lead the spurt.
On its final possession of the quarter, Murray gave the home team its first lead since 2-0. Isolated with Daniel Gibson, the Hawks guard drove into the lane and hit the jumper while drawing a foul. Even though he missed the free throw, failing to complete the three-point play, the Hawks went to the final period up 68-67.
James' best move came in the first half. He stepped back on Johnson, then suddenly blew by him to the right and made the shot despite being fouled by Josh Smith.
Smith dazzled the crowd, too. He blocked Mo Williams shot at one end, took off down the court and dunked off a miss by Joe Johnson.
Williams had 20 points for the Cleveland, while Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks had five players in double figures, including Murray and Marvin Williams with 14 apiece.
Atlanta looked to be in good shape when Joe Johnson missed a dunk, but the ball went straight to Williams in the corner. He stepped behind the line and sank the 3 to make it 87-82. But the Hawks missed their final three shots.
Notes:@ The Cavaliers improved to 2-1 in the season series with the Hawks, becoming the first to win on the road. The teams meet for the final time in the regular season at Cleveland on March 21. ... Both teams struggled at the foul line. The Hawks made 22 of 31 (71 percent), while the Cavaliers were even worse at 16 of 24 (67 percent). ... Even though Atlantans are usually reluctant to travel in the least bit of winter weather, the crowd of 19,639 was the largest of the season and the eighth sellout at Philips Arena. There appeared to be few no-shows.
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Dodgers: Ramirez talks must now start from scratch
The Los Angeles Dodgers have pulled their $45 million, two-year offer to Manny Ramirez, and owner Frank McCourt said Sunday that negotiations will have to start again from scratch.
The Dodgers announced last week that Ramirez had declined the team's latest offer, a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010. McCourt said no talks with Ramirez's representatives were scheduled for Sunday.
"We're in what I call a transition phase," McCourt said before the Dodgers lost 3-2 to the Chicago White Sox in their first game at their new spring training facility at Camelback Ranch. "We had an almost four-month negotiation which terminated on Thursday. Now we're in a quiet period. At some point we'll pick up negotiations, but with a fresh start."
The issue separating the two sides appears to be how much the contract is worth in present-day dollars.
General manager Ned Colletti and the Dodgers wanted to defer payment of $10 million until 2011, $10 million more to 2012 and $5 million to 2013.
Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, said Sunday in an e-mail to reporters that his most recent offer Saturday was for two years with "some deferred compensation" for a "net present value" of $43.5 million, a compromise that Ramirez requested.
"We have continued to work with Ned and the Dodgers to do away with the artificial barriers and attempt (to) get a deal completed," Boras said. "There is no issue with deferral money being part of any contract; just want to make sure the value is stated accurately and appropriately."
According to Boras, the team's last offer had a net present value of $42 million. Boras' previous proposal was for $45 million without any deferred money. So he said he met the Dodgers at the midpoint of those offers because that's what Ramirez directed him to do.
"However, we have yet to hear from them on our last three offers," Boras said.
Also in the e-mail was a quote from Ramirez saying that he's been included throughout the process.
"I would not allow negotiations to take place without being involved and talk to Scott nearly every day," Ramirez was quoted as saying. "I have given Scott offers that he has given to the Dodgers and he has given me all offers from the team."
McCourt said Boras' proposal of $45 million for two years with no deferred payments only came after Boras responded to the team's $45 million offer with a proposal of $55 million for two years. He said the Dodgers rejected that proposal.
"You can't get a no and then when the other side says, 'OK, we're going to start fresh,' you say, 'I meant yes,'" McCourt said. "That's not how it works. It's too little, too late. It wasn't multiple choice."
The owner also said Boras had encouraged deferred money to be part of the offers from the beginning.
Despite the sometimes acrimonious exchanges between the two camps, McCourt said he expects negotiations to resume soon.
"We want to see Manny a Dodger this year," he said.
Los Angeles carried a 2-0 lead into the ninth inning against Chicago but Gordon Beckham led off with a long home run off Victor Garate. The White Sox then loaded the bases, and Brandon Allen and Michael Restovich each drove in a run with a fielder's choice.
Hiroki Kuroda, Eric Milton and Claudio Vargas threw two scoreless innings apiece for Los Angeles. Mark Loretta and Blake DeWitt had RBI singles.
Mark Buehrle worked two scoreless innings for the White Sox. He struck out two, walked one and allowed one hit.
Notes:@ Dodgers manager Joe Torre said there was nothing physically wrong with reliever Ramon Trancoso "unless he's hiding something from us." Toncosco, who has a 13.50 ERA this spring, walked two of the three batters he faced Sunday.
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All-Star closers Nathan, Ryan back out of Classic
Team USA is minus two closers.
Joe Nathan of the Minnesota Twins and B.J. Ryan of the Toronto Blue Jays are skipping the World Baseball Classic, leaving the United States without a pair of first-rate relievers.
A three-time All-Star, Nathan bowed out Sunday after experiencing soreness in his pitching shoulder the previous five days.
"I think we backed off it early enough to where it won't be an issue," said Nathan, who aggravated the AC joint, which connects the collarbone and clavicle at the top of the shoulder.
Ryan, a two-time All-Star, decided to stay in spring training with Toronto and tune up for the regular season.
"This was an especially tough decision because of the honor of playing for my country, but I feel it is (in) the best interest of Team USA and the Toronto Blue Jays organization to not participate," the left-hander said in a statement released by USA Baseball early Monday. "I do not see it as being fair to my USA teammates, my Blue Jay teammates or myself to try to compete when my mechanics and delivery are not where they need to be in order to perform at the highest level."
Nathan also called the decision a hard one.
"It's going to be difficult to watch it, for sure," Nathan said of the Classic. "At some time, I have a responsibility for the Twins. It was a decision everybody agreed upon. It was a tough decision to make."
With a deep bullpen, the U.S still has several experienced closers available, including Brian Fuentes of the Los Angeles Angels, Jonathan Broxton of the Los Angeles Dodgers and J.J. Putz of the New York Mets.
Outfielders Grady Sizemore and Brad Hawpe also have been removed from the U.S. squad since final rosters were announced last week. Picked as replacements were outfielder Shane Victorino, outfielder-first baseman Adam Dunn and right-hander Joel Hanrahan.
The 34-year-old Nathan was 1-2 with a 1.33 ERA and 39 saves last season. He has averaged 39.8 saves over the past five years.
Nathan said he felt fine after a bullpen session Sunday morning before the Twins played the Boston Red Sox in a Grapefruit League game. But he said he wanted to be extra cautious, and playing in the WBC wouldn't allow him to do so.
"That's the one advantage I have of being here," Nathan said. "If there's a day I can back off, I can. Being there wouldn't allow me to stay on the schedule I need. I think I'm on the right track now. If things go well, I can be in a game on Thursday."
After missing nearly all of 2007 with an arm injury that required surgery, Ryan saved 32 games last year and went 2-4 with a 2.95 ERA in 60 appearances.
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MLB: Rodriguez 'cooperative' in 2-hour interview
Alex Rodriguez packed up and headed off to the World Baseball Classic, hoping he was done answering steroids questions for a while.
The New York Yankees slugger had a two-hour meeting Sunday with Major League Baseball officials, who had sought to interview Rodriguez about his admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-03 with Texas.
How much he told them is a secret so far.
The commissioner's office released a statement saying Rodriguez was "cooperative" in an interview with officials from baseball's Department of Investigations and Labor Relations Department. No further details were revealed, and the statement said MLB would have no additional comment at this time.
Earlier in the day, A-Rod hit a pair of RBI doubles during New York's spring training game against Cincinnati in Sarasota, Fla., but afterward he wouldn't say whether he was on his way to the meeting with MLB.
He did say he planned to be in Jupiter, Fla., by Sunday night to join the Dominican Republic team for World Baseball Classic preparations. He said the squad had a meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday.
"I'm only talking about baseball," Rodriguez said. "Opportunity of a lifetime playing in the WBC. I'm excited about that."
Rodriguez had two lawyers, Jay Reisinger and James E. Sharp, with him at the meeting in Tampa, Fla. Also present were union general counsel Michael Weiner, MLB vice president of investigations Dan Mullin, MLB executive vice president for labor relations Rob Manfred, and senior vice president and general counsel for labor Dan Halem, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss details.
MLB wanted to speak with Rodriguez about security issues involving a trainer from the Dominican Republic and the cousin the three-time MVP said injected him with a banned substance called "boli."
After being lifted from Sunday's game for a pinch runner in the fifth inning, Rodriguez spoke with reporters but declined to discuss when or if the MLB meeting would take place. Then he got into a car with teammates Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira and left the ballpark.
Before the game, New York manager Joe Girardi declined to talk about Rodriguez's meeting with Major League Baseball, saying it was up to Rodriguez or MLB to discuss specifics.
"I'm just excited that I have a game every day. That's where I belong. It's fun to be back out there," Rodriguez said.
A-Rod worked out at Steinbrenner Field for about 90 minutes before boarding the team bus Sunday, which left Tampa at 9 a.m. He didn't talk to reporters after taking batting practice before New York's 13-11 loss to the Reds. He went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
"I get to see my family tonight," Rodriguez said. "I'm excited about that. My two beautiful girls."
Rodriguez, after receiving a mixed ovation that had more boos than cheers, hit a run-scoring double in the first off Reds starter Aaron Harang. Rodriguez fouled out in the third and had another RBI double against Arthur Rhodes in the fifth.
To get ready for the WBC, Rodriguez and the Dominican Republic will play three pre-tournament games against major league teams starting Tuesday against Florida.
"He's going to have to go through traveling and be on road trips eventually," Girardi said. "So, this can be a helpful thing in a sense. The fact he's going to play in different ballparks might give us an idea of what's going to happen during the year, and it may not. It also might be a good thing for him to go through."
Girardi thinks the support system Rodriguez has with the Yankees also will be in place during the WBC.
"It's my belief that playing for his country, those players are going to build that same wall," Girardi said. "It might take a couple days, but I have a feeling a lot of those players have come out and are behind Alex. I'm hoping that takes place. We'll have to see if that's the case."
Girardi thinks Rodriguez has been able to handle the situation so far.
"I think he's come through it very well," Girardi said. "I see him more relaxed every day. Really, the last five, six days I don't think he's changed a bit. Pretty much the same relaxed guy. The first couple days you could tell it was weighing heavily on his mind, and I'm sure it's still weighing on his mind, but time helps everything. Probably knows how to approach it better now. I think he has done very well."
Rodriguez, who played for the United States during the inaugural WBC in 2006, said he has received phone calls and letters of support heading into this year's event.
"I've gotten tremendous support from not only the Dominican community but the Hispanic community all over," Rodriguez said. "I think overall it's going be very positive."
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