Showing newest 27 of 52 posts from March 2009. Show older posts
Showing newest 27 of 52 posts from March 2009. Show older posts
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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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