Sports News

PHOENIX - Reed Johnson had three hits, including a grand slam in the eighth, and the Chicago Cubs routed the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-6 on Wednesday night.

SAN FRANCISCO - Rich Aurilia lined a go-ahead two-run double to center field in the eighth inning and the San Francisco Giants rallied to beat the Washington Nationals 6-4 on Wednesday night.

ST. LOUIS - CC Sabathia threw a three-hitter, his third straight complete game for his new team, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 on Wednesday night.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. - Tackle Gosder Cherilus agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Detroit Lions on Wednesday night. Cherilus was the 17th pick in April's draft out of Boston College.

ALLEN PARK, Mich. - Caleb Campbell was a day away from practicing with the Detroit Lions and taking a step toward his dream of playing in the NFL. "He was issued a helmet, ready to go," coach Rod Marinelli said Wednesday.

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - New Orleans wide receiver Marques Colston has signed a three-year extension to remain with the team until 2011, the Saints said on their website on Wednesday.

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Forward Josh Childress has signed a three-year, $20 million deal to play with Greek club Olympiakos after turning down an offer to stay with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

ATLANTA, Georgia (AFP) - Josh Childress turned his back on the National Basketball Association's Atlanta Hawks and signed a three-year deal worth 20 million dollars on Wednesday with the Greek club Olympiakos.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant, who sparked the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals, smiled when asked about his summer plans following the playoffs.

GUANGZHOU, China (AFP) - Luiz Felipe Scolari refused to be drawn into a war of words with Manchester United's Alex Ferguson over the age of his squad, but insisted Chelsea's experience could win them the Premiership.

ROME (AFP) - Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle insisted on Wednesday that star Romania forward Adrian Mutu will be staying at the club despite interest from AS Roma.

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) - Barcelona on Wednesday dismissed a FIFA statement calling on clubs to release players under 23 for the Olympics, saying it will not reverse its decision to prevent Argentine striker Lionel Messi from competing in the Games.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Randy Carlyle, who coached the Anaheim Ducks to the Stanley Cup championship in 2007, signed a two-year extension Wednesday. Financial terms were not announced.

BUFFALO, N.Y. - After watching Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Brian Campbell leave over the past year, the Buffalo Sabres were determined to keep Ryan Miller off the list of high profile departures.

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins' march to the Stanley Cup finals has paid off for coach Michel Therrien, who agreed to a new three-year contract on Friday.

GREENSBORO, Ga. - For the 17th straight year, a Bowden-coached team is the preseason favorite in the Atlantic Coast Conference. For the first time in that span, it isn't Florida State.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Steve Spurrier laughed off questions about speculation that he's grown frustrated with trying to build South Carolina into a championship contender and could walk away from the Gamecocks before his contract runs out.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A University of Central Florida football player who died after spring drills had a pre-existing medical condition worsened by physical stress, autopsy results released Thursday showed.

TORONTO (AFP) - Roger Federer's number one ranking slid into the danger zone as the Swiss suffered an opening-match loss to Gilles Simon 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the ATP Masters Series event.

TORONTO (AFP) - British football icon David Beckham provided an unscheduled rainy Wednesday's entertainment for Britain's Jamie Murray as the Scottish tennis player watched a Major League Soccer All-Star Game workout.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Japan's Ai Sugiyama upset Swiss seventh seed Patty Schnyder while Russian fourth seed Dinara Safina ousted China's Peng Shuai in second-round matches here on Wednesday at a 600,000-dollar WTA event.

Fresh off a disqualification on the LPGA Tour, Michelle Wie has decided to tee it up against the men, again. Wie will play next week in the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, the first time she'll play on the PGA Tour this year, tournament organizers said.

SOUTHPORT, England - Padraig Harrington never tires of reading the fine print on the silver claret jug, and as he stood up from a table Monday morning at Royal Birkdale, he slowly turned golf's oldest trophy to see his name on consecutive rows.

SOUTHPORT, England - Padraig Harrington enjoys few moments more than the walk down 18th fairway of a century-old links course, especially with a four-shot lead in the British Open and the engraver putting the final touches on the oldest trophy in golf.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - NASCAR tried to even out the competition in the Nationwide Series on Wednesday by ordering all teams using Toyota motors to squeeze down their horsepower before this weekend's race in Indianapolis.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - If Ryan Newman is indeed in line to join Tony Stewart's new team next season, neither driver is saying.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The biggest domino in NASCAR's free agency season fell when Tony Stewart decided to bolt from Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the year. It opened up a seat in the coveted No. 20, a ride loaded with a two-time championship winning team that will stay behind crew chief Greg Zipadelli.

LOS ANGELES - Jessica Hardy's first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games begin.

LAS VEGAS - U.S. forward LeBron James likely will miss Friday's exhibition against Canada as he recovers from a mild right ankle sprain. James shot baskets on the sidelines but was held out of a scrimmage at Valley High School on Wednesday.

Eric Shanteau, who decided to put off surgery for testicular cancer until after the Olympics, has been cleared to head to Beijing with the U.S. swim team.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - NASCAR tried to even out the competition in the Nationwide Series on Wednesday by ordering all teams using Toyota motors to squeeze down their horsepower before this weekend's race in Indianapolis.

MILWAUKEE - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is monitoring the ongoing rift between the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre. A person with direct knowledge of Goodell's interest said the commissioner has spoken with Packers management several times recently as tensions mounted between the three-time MVP and his team.

WASHINGTON - The new leader at USA Track and Field sent a letter to President Bush asking him to deny Marion Jones' request to commute her six-month prison sentence for lying to federal agents about her use of performance-enhancing drugs and a check-fraud scam.