Win or else! That was George Steinbrenner’s message to Joe Torre before the New York Yankees played the Cleveland Indians on Sunday night, and that’s what they did. With the Yankees trailing 2-0 in the best-of-five, first-round playoff series, Steinbrenner reverted to the blustering boss of old and said Torre likely wouldn’t return as manager unless New York reaches the AL championship series for…
The San Diego Chargers figured the formula for turning their season around included holding onto the ball and getting a tide-turning takeaway on special teams. They did all that and much more in handing the Denver Broncos their worst home loss since 1966 with a 41-3 drubbing fueled by reigning MVP LaDainian Tomlinson and his trusty backup, Michael Turner.
No Marvin Harrison and no Joseph Addai proved no problem for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Playing without five injured starters, including two key players in their high-scoring offense, the Colts dominated the clock and their improving defense never gave Tampa Bay a chance in a 33-14 blowout. Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning made it look easy by throwing two touchdowns, while first-time starter…
Kris Brown didn’t let one bad foot ruin what the other one could do. Brown kicked five field goals, including the winner on a career-long 57-yarder with a second remaining, to lead the Texans to a 22-19 victory over the Dolphins (0-5), losers of eight straight. Brown tied an NFL single-game record with three makes over 50 yards.
Brilliant as ever in the postseason, Curt Schilling helped give the Boston Red Sox some time off. The way they’re playing, maybe that’s the last thing they need. Schilling worked seven masterful innings, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez homered, and the Red Sox routed the Los Angeles Angels 9-1 Sunday to complete a three-game sweep of their first-round AL playoff series.
Despite winning 96 games this season, the Cleveland Indians didn’t have an obvious MVP candidate. That doesn’t mean everybody missed what catcher Victor Martinez accomplished. The switch-hitting slugger batted .301 with 25 home runs, 40 doubles and 114 RBIs while providing stability and leadership behind the plate.
Where in heaven did the real Los Angeles Angels go in the playoffs? You know, the ones who earned the AL West title with small-ball offense — hitting singles, drawing walks and running the bases with abandon despite a lack of home-run power. That team disappeared against Boston in the AL division series, losing 9-1 Sunday to close out a three-game sweep.
Paul Stastny put together an impressive rookie season, and now he is working on an even better sophomore campaign. Stastny had a goal and four assists, and Milan Hejduk scored twice and set up another tally as the Colorado Avalanche broke open a tight game with four third-period goals and beat the San Jose Sharks 6-2 Sunday night.
Center Richard Park signed a two-year extension with the New York Islanders through the 2010 season. Park had 10 goals and a career-high 16 assists last season, his first with the Islanders after attending training camp on a tryout. “To say I’m happy would be an understatement,” Park said in a release Sunday.
It took Erik Johnson just two games to make an impact in the NHL. Johnson scored his first goal on a power play with 7:17 left in the third period to give St. Louis the lead for good, and the Blues beat Los Angeles 5-3 Saturday night to spoil the Kings’ home opener. Johnson connected on a one-timer that deflected off Kings captain Rob Blake and past Bernier’s stick while defenseman Jaroslav Modry…
