Detroit Tigers designated hitter Gary Sheffield was in the starting lineup Thursday after missing two weeks with a shoulder injury. Sheffield was activated from the disabled list before Detroit played Chicago. He last played Aug. 21. “It’s been frustrating — that’s why I left for rehab,” he said. “If I had been here, it would have affected me even more.
Rex Grossman sounded almost defiant. After an offseason in which he heard calls for a change, the inconsistent Chicago Bears’ quarterback had a message for his critics: Bring it on. “It doesn’t hurt when people doubt me,” Grossman said on Wednesday. He could be excused for feeling as though he is stuck in a time warp as the Bears prepare to defend the NFC championship.
For an organization that prides itself on secrecy, the Oakland Raiders are having a fun time keeping their starting quarterback from the public. Coach Lane Kiffin said Wednesday he will keep the Detroit Lions guessing whether Josh McCown or Daunte Culpepper will start in the opener Sunday. “It’s simply a matter of always trying to gain a competitive advantage,” Kiffin said.
David Garrard’s last game against Tennessee was memorable for all the wrong reasons. He threw three interceptions and fumbled once, a turnover-filled performance that prompted Jacksonville to give Byron Leftwich another chance at the starting job. Now, after a surprising turn of events, Garrard gets another shot at the Titans.
The European Basketball Championship is living up to its billing as one of the most competitive in history. Thank its NBA players for that. After a first round of buzzer-beaters, comebacks and surprising exits, the 12 remaining squads travel to Madrid on Thursday to prepare for the second stage of group play, vying for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Phillips is among the guests at the wedding of her ex-boyfriend in Herefordshire.
A knotted rope dangles from the ceiling just inside the glass front doors of Cleveland’s team headquarters, a symbolic reminder for the Browns to hang on tightly as they climb together. Romeo Crennel better grip it with both hands. And feet. Just 10-22 in his first two seasons as Cleveland’s coach, Crennel, who came to the Browns with a handful of Super Bowl rings he won as a defensive assistant, is…
Thomas Jones looks and sounds ready to play in the New York Jets’ season opener against the New England Patriots. The running back, acquired from Chicago in the offseason, has been practicing this week for the first time since straining his right calf on Aug. 12. “I feel a lot better than I felt the past couple of weeks,” Jones said Wednesday in his first public comments since Aug.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has no knowledge that any other NFL personnel are involved in an Internet drug operation being investigated by the Albany (N.Y.) District Attorney’s office. The investigation led to the recent suspensions of New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson.
By Keith Hamer Special to PA SportsTicker
