Sports News

NEW YORK - New players' union executive director DeMaurice Smith has met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he makes his transition into the job.

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Vikings have signed cornerback Cedric Griffin to a contract extension.

MIAMI - Authorities have yet to release blood tests for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who authorities say fatally struck a pedestrian in Miami Beach a week ago.

SAN ANTONIO - Kevin Garnett finally came back for Boston, but could only watch and writhe on the bench as the Celtics won a nail-biter.

SAN ANTONIO - Kevin Garnett swished a few jumpers, dunked one basket and put in another. Playing for the first time in a month, the Boston big man looked healthy and was on a roll in a tight game.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Brandan Wright scored a career-high 25 points, Monta Ellis added 21 and the Golden State Warriors got rolling right after a power failure during their 119-111 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea missed a gilt-edged chance to pile pressure on Manchester United in the English Premier League title race as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday.

LONDON (AFP) - Danny Murphy and Zoltan Gera struck to hand Fulham a shock win over nine-man Manchester United and throw open the Premier League title race.

BERLIN (AFP) - Defending champions Bayern Munich beat Karlsruhe 1-0 Saturday, without injured striker Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose, to close the gap behind league leaders Hertha Berlin who were humbled in Stuttgart.

NEWARK, N.J. - Martin Brodeur is closing in on another record.

CALGARY, Alberta - Andy McDonald and Jay McClement scored in a 51-second span midway through the third period, and Chris Mason made 33 saves in the St. Louis Blues' 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Friday night.

CHICAGO - Patrick O'Sullivan and Ales Kotalik scored in a shootout to give the Edmonton Oilers their third straight victory, 5-4 over the slumping Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Alexis Rack was perfect in eight trips to the foul line down the stretch, and Mississippi State was 19 of 20 as a team in beating Texas 71-63 Saturday in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

DULUTH, Ga. - Arizona State relied on its defense Saturday, holding Georgia to 20 first-half points to beat the Lady Bulldogs 58-47 in the NCAA tournament's opening round.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Southeastern Conference player of the year DeWanna Bonner and Auburn made Lehigh's second trip to the NCAA tournament just as short as the first one.

INDIAN WELLS, California (AFP) - Andy Roddick has ousted defending champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets to set up a semi-final clash with world number one Rafael Nadal at the Indian Wells hardcourt tennis tournament.

INDIAN WELLS, California (AFP) - Fourth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva reached the final of the Indian Wells hardcourt tournament on Friday with a straight-sets triumph over doubles partner Victoria Azarenka.

INDIAN WELLS, California (AFP) - 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.

PORTO SANTO, Madeira Islands - Estanislao Goya of Argentina shot a 2-under 69 to take a three-stroke lead Saturday after three rounds of the Madeira Islands Open.

GURGAON, India - Chapchai Nirat of Thailand made a birdie on the final hole Saturday for a 5-under 67 to win the SAIL Open by 11 shots and set an Asian Tour record by finishing at 32-under-par.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. - Steve Stricker finished lunch and headed back to the practice range at Innisbrook, where he grabbed two bags of balls and stood in the warm wind for nearly an hour to make sure his swing was where he wanted it to be.

SEBRING, Fla. - A pair of Peugeots set the pace in the first three hours of Saturday's Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

BRISTOL, Tenn. - A week away from the racetrack gave Mark Martin the break he needed from his disastrous start to the season. It certainly didn't slow him down.

BRISTOL, Tenn. - This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of the late Dale Earnhardt's first NASCAR victory, and his son wishes he had a video of the monumental race.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Olympic Committee has laid off 54 employees as a key part of its plan to trim its budget by 5 percent to deal with rough economic times.

Evgeni Plushenko is planning a comeback to defend his Olympic figure skating title at the Vancouver Games.

LONDON - The International Olympic Committee could end its revenue-sharing deal with the U.S. Olympic body unless the Americans agree to a revised formula and smaller share of the money pie, according to a top official involved in the negotiations.

DAYTON, Ohio - Siena strikes again. Ronald Moore hit a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in the second overtime — from the identical spot he made one at the end of the first OT — as the Saints beat eighth-seeded Ohio State 74-72 on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Whether they were relieved, tired or expecting it all along, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers didn't wildly celebrate their latest NCAA tournament upset. A.J. Slaughter was the most demonstrative, pumping his fist a few times after 12th-seeded Western Kentucky held off a late charge to beat fifth-seeded Illinois 76-72 on Thursday night in the South Regional.

PORTLAND, Ore. - An upset? Western Kentucky looked and acted like it was business as usual. Yes, these Hilltoppers are no one-year wonders. The party crashers of last year's NCAA tournament did it again late Thursday night. Scoffing at another No. 12 seeding, Western Kentucky booted fifth-seeded Illinois 76-72 behind 17 points from Steffphon Pettigrew and the workmanlike confidence of a major power.