For one final game this season, the New York Yankees played with absolutely no pressure to win. Some of the players, most notably Alex Rodriguez and Bobby Abreu, achieved personal milestones in Sunday’s 10-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles. But the main objective of the regular season finale was to have some fun.
The Boston Red Sox finally took a breather, and a curtain call. A day after earning the best record in baseball and two days after clinching the AL East, Boston trotted out its substitutes on Sunday against the Twins. Torii Hunter’s RBI double started a three-run first inning and Minnesota held on for a 3-2 victory.
After a whirlwind week in London, where the Anaheim Ducks paraded the Stanley Cup and played back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Kings, the defending champions aren’t exactly getting a rest. Next up: a road game on Wednesday in Detroit. On paper that’s a much tougher challenge than playing the Kings on neutral ground.
Dimitri Patzold won the San Jose Sharks’ backup goalie job Sunday when the club sent Thomas Greiss to the minors. Greiss had better statistics than Patzold during the exhibition season, which the Sharks finished 5-0-2 with a 2-1 win over Calgary on Saturday night. The 21-year-old Greiss went 2-0 with a 1.45 goals-against average, while the 24-year-old Patzold had a 2.88 GAA and a meager .813 save…
As Carnell “Cadillac” Williams was being loaded onto a cart after injuring his right knee, every member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came onto the field to give him encouragement. Then they used the same teamwork to make up for his absence, sending the surprising Bucs to the top of the NFC South. Calling it the closest team he’s been on since Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl in the 2002 season, Michael…
The Pittsburgh Steelers were beaten Sunday at their own game by their old offensive coordinator and might-have-been head coach. Rookie Steve Breaston returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown and the Arizona Cardinals’ defense shut down Pittsburgh’s high-scoring offense most of the day to hand the Steelers their first loss, 21-14.
The Detroit Lions did it all in a record-breaking fourth quarter, scoring on the ground, through the air on defense and special teams. The new-look win took the place of a here-we-go again loss for a team that used to be the NFL’s laughingstock. “Luck is turning our way,” Roy Williams said after Detroit beat the Chicago Bears 37-27 Sunday.
ELMONT, New York (Ticker) – Curlin proved he could beat someone older.
English Channel squeezed through an opening along the rail and went to win the $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park on Sunday for the second straight year. The 2-length victory over Stream of Gold earned English Channel an automatic berth in the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at New Jersey’s Monmouth Park on Oct.
Unbridled Belle edged stablemate Indian Vale at the finish and won the $600,000 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park on Sunday, earning an automatic berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff next month. With Ramon Dominguez aboard, Unbridled Belle outdueled favorite Ginger Punch and then passed Indian Vale in the final strides to give trainer Todd Pletcher a 1-2 finish in the Grade 1 race for…
