Sports News

LOS ANGELES - Jimmy Rollins got the Phillies rollin' with a leadoff homer and they kept right on going. Next stop, the World Series.

LOS ANGELES - Cole Hamels dominated the Dodgers in winning the opener and clincher of the NL championship series.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Philadelphia Phillies advanced to their first World Series in 15 years after wrapping up the National League Championship Series with a 5-1 Game Five win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.

IRVING, Texas - Not far from the unoccupied locker of suspended cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, receiver Roy Williams talked excitedly Wednesday about coming home to play for the Dallas Cowboys.

LOS ANGELES - Chris Mims, a former defensive lineman for the San Diego Chargers beset by legal problems, was found dead in his downtown apartment Wednesday. He was 38.

INDIANAPOLIS - Defensive tackle John McCargo wanted a fresh start.

CLEVELAND - Cavaliers guard Delonte West returned to practice Wednesday after missing nearly two weeks to address a personal matter.

BEIJING (AFP) - The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Golden State Warriors 98-94 in southern China Wednesday, in an NBA pre-season match marking the league's further expansion into the world's most populous nation.

GUANGZHOU, China - Andrew Bogut scored 18 points and Luke Ridnour added 16 Wednesday night, leading the Milwaukee Bucks past the Golden State Warriors 98-94 in an NBA exhibition game.

LECCE, Italy (AFP) - Alberto Aquilani netted a brace as unconvincing Italy edged out Montenegro 2-1 in World Cup qualifying group 8 here on Wednesday.

DUBLIN (AFP) - Robbie Keane scored his 35th international goal to give Ireland an unconvincing 1-0 World Cup qualifier win over Cyprus here Wednesday that owed too much to the towering defending of centre back Richard Dunne.

MINSK (AFP) - Another Wayne Rooney double fired England to a 3-1 win over Belarus as Fabio Capello's squad made it four wins out of four on the road to South Africa 2010.

DALLAS - Fabian Brunnstrom scored three goals in his NHL debut to match the league record, Mike Modano had two goals and the Dallas Stars beat the Nashville Predators 6-4 on Wednesday night for their first victory of the season.

CHICAGO - Nikolai Khabibulin made 29 saves and Martin Havlat, Patrick Sharp, Brian Campbell and rookie Colin Fraser scored to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to their first victory of the season, 4-1 over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night.

MONTREAL - Alex Tanguay scored the shootout winner to give Montreal a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night in the Canadiens' first home game in their 100th year.

INDIANAPOLIS - Bob Knight, the winningest coach in Division I history, left the door ajar to a return to coaching college basketball during a wide-ranging television interview broadcast Wednesday night.

LOS ANGELES - Southern California guard Jacki Gemelos injured her knee again and the highly touted prep star will miss her third straight season with the Trojans.

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Chase Daniel surrendered the Heisman spotlight with three interceptions in an upset loss to Oklahoma State. Now Missouri's quarterback will get a quick opportunity for redemption — and a homecoming against the top-ranked school that didn't push hard to recruit him.

MADRID (AFP) - Roger Federer kick-started the final leg of his long 2008 season as he pegged back exuberant Czech Radek Stepanek 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) to advance into the third round of the Madrid Masters on Wednesday.

ZURICH (AFP) - Venus Williams began her bid to re-capture the Zurich Open title she last won in 1999 by defeating Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4 here on Wednesday.

MADRID (AFP) - Andy Murray stormed into the third round of the Madrid Masters with minimal effort as good fortune ran out for Italian lucky loser Simone Bolelli 6-0, 2-1 on Tuesday.

KAPALUA, Hawaii - Annika Sorenstam's storied career is quickly coming to a close and the 72-time LPGA Tour winner has no second thoughts about her decision to retire at the end of the season.

TUCKER'S TOWN, Bermuda - Jim Furyk won the PGA Grand Slam of Wednesday on Wednesday, birdieing the final hole to force a playoff with Padraig Harrington and winning with an 8-foot eagle putt on the first extra hole.

MADRID, Spain - Seve Ballesteros was in stable condition Wednesday after the 51-year-old golf great had surgery on a brain tumor a day earlier.

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. - The long blonde hair hanging over the back of a racing suit covered with sponsor logos makes it apparent that Kristin Bumbera is not your average racer.

OYAMA, Japan - Fernando Alonso won Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix for a victory that was almost a sideshow to a breathless race that provided another twist in the title fight.

CONCORD, N.C. - Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson. Those were the three guys everyone picked to win the Sprint Cup title. Nobody gave Jeff Burton a chance. And that's exactly how Burton likes it.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Peter Ueberroth took a swipe at international officials critical of the money the U.S. Olympic Committee receives, setting up some possibly uncomfortable moments for the Chicago group trying to land the 2016 Games.

MOSCOW - Alexi Prokurorov, a Russian cross country skier who won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics, died Friday after he was hit by a car while crossing a road. He was 44.

NORFOLK, Va. - Former track star Tim Montgomery is due in a Norfolk courtroom to learn his punishment on a heroin conviction.

IRVING, Texas - Roy Williams headed home to Texas on Tuesday in the NFL's biggest trade before the deadline, giving the struggling Dallas Cowboys another proven receiver opposite Terrell Owens.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended for at least four games by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's personal conduct policy. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will then determine the full length of the suspension following the Cowboys' game in Washington on Nov. 16.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones once again must earn his way back into the NFL, and it likely will take more than being on his best behavior.