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Denny Hamlin was released from a hospital Monday, a day after a tire failure led to a hard crash at Talladega Superspeedway. More...

Francisco Rodriguez's biggest save of a record-breaking season came in a tie game. Rodriguez wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th inning to save the Angels' season, Mike Napoli hit two early homers before scoring the go-ahead run in the 12th and Los Angeles avoided another playoff sweep by beating the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Sunday night in a game that lasted 5 hours, 19 minutes....

Mike Napoli hit two homers and the Los Angeles Angels, trying to avoid another first-round playoff sweep by Boston, were tied with the Red Sox 4-all after nine innings in Game 3 on Sunday night. The Angels had lost their last 11 postseason games against the Red Sox, including three-game sweeps in the AL division series in 2004 and 2007. More...

Big Ben's big night gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a big boost in the AFC North. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Steelers overcome their offensive woes and leading them to a 26-21 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night. Pittsburgh (4-1) snapped a four-game losing streak against Jacksonville and stretched its division lead over Baltimore ...

Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns to help the Steelers take a 20-14 lead into the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night. Roethlisberger shrugged off an interception that Rashean Mathis returned 72 yards for an early TD to lead first-half scoring drives of 71, 59, 82 and 66 yards as the Steelers outgained the Jaguars 300-162 through...

Thanks to John Danks and the White Sox, Chicago still has one team standing. Danks pitched another big game to save the season and well-traveled DeWayne Wise delivered a two-run double as the White Sox beat Tampa Bay 5-3 Sunday, trimming the Rays' lead in their AL playoff series to 2-1. Game 4 in the best-of-five matchup is Monday in Chicago, with Gavin Floyd facing Tampa Bay's Andy ...

Katie Smith missed almost the entire second quarter because of foul trouble. Cheryl Ford has been out since the summer with a knee injury. And the Detroit Shock had to play in a college gym half the size of their regular home court. In the end, none of it mattered. The Shock overcame all of that in winning their third WNBA title in six seasons on Sunday, beating the San Antonio Silver Stars...

With every rock-solid read and on-target spiral, Matt Ryan takes another step toward making everybody forget Michael Vick, Bobby Petrino and everything else in the Atlanta Falcons' ugly recent past. The rookie quarterback turned in another sharp performance as the Falcons beat the Green Bay Packers 27-14 at Lambeau Field on Sunday, upstaging a gritty showing by Packers quarterback Aaron ...

Denny Hamlin was taken to a Birmingham hospital Sunday after a tire failure led to a hard crash at Talladega Superspeedway. More...

J.D. Drew, who hit the decisive home run for Boston in the second game of the playoff series against the Los Angeles Angels, was not in the lineup for Game 3 on Sunday night because of his ailing back. Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell returned to the lineup after missing Game 2 with a hip injury. But Drew, who did not play from Aug. More...

Former NFL draft bust Tony Mandarich says he used steroids at Michigan State and faked a drug test before the 1988 Rose Bowl. He also said during an interview on "Inside the NFL" that will air Wednesday on Showtime that he did not use steroids in the NFL but was addicted to alcohol and painkillers. Mandarich, whose autobiography will be released in March, said he provided a fake urine sample to...

Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell left Tuesday's workout because of discomfort in his lower back, a day before Philadelphia opens the NL playoffs. The Phillies and Milwaukee play Game 1 on Wednesday afternoon. Burrell will be checked before the game. Burrell exited after taking a swing in batting practice. More...

The Washington Redskins likely will be without two defensive starters for Sunday's NFC East game against the Philadelphia Eagles: Shawn Springs and Jason Taylor. Cornerback Springs didn't practice Thursday because of a strained calf muscle. He joined defensive end Taylor as players receiving a pessimistic assessment from coach Jim Zorn. More...

The New York Mets have given general manager Omar Minaya a new contract that runs through the 2012 season. The deal contains club options covering 2013 and 2014. Minaya became general manager in 2004 and was signed to a five-year deal. The Mets made it to Game 7 of the NL championship series in 2006 but were eliminated from postseason contention on the last day of the regular season in 2007 and ...

The winless St. Louis Rams fired coach Scott Linehan on Monday, the day after a fourth straight lopsided loss to start the season. Rams spokesman Rick Smith also said that defensive coordinator Jim Haslett will replace Linehan on an interim basis. The Rams scheduled a news conference later Monday. Linehan had an overall 11-25 record in his first head coaching job. More...

Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, who was shot earlier this month, is paralyzed below the waist and has had his left leg amputated, his doctors said Monday. They said Collier, who had 14 bullet wounds, is now in stable condition after being previously listed in critical condition. More...

Pat White has a bruised thumb, but West Virginia coach Bill Stewart says his quarterback will play Saturday in the Big East opener against Rutgers. White went to the sideline after being tackled in the third quarter of a 27-3 win over Marshall on Saturday. White said after the game he could have continued to play if needed. More...

A 19-year-old Worcester man has pleaded not guilty in connection with the fatal stabbing of a college student who was the nephew of University of Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith. Andre Thompson was arraigned Monday in Worcester Central District Court on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, and armed assault with intent to murder. ...

Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy says quarterback Aaron Rodgers sprained his shoulder but intends to play against Atlanta on Sunday. McCarthy says Rodgers intends to play, but he will have a better idea if that's possible after Wednesday's practice. The Packers will monitor Rodgers' progress in practice and prepare rookie backup Matt Flynn to start if needed. More...

Heat general manager Randy Pfund, who helped Miami win the 2006 NBA championship as the highlight of his 13 years with the franchise, resigned Monday. Pfund has chosen to pursue "other business opportunities," the Heat said in a release, without detailing any specifics of what that meant. Team president Pat Riley -- who already had final say on virtually all personnel moves -- will assume at ...