Pascal Leclaire is refusing to give up his job. Jared Boll scored his first NHL goal and Leclaire picked up his second straight shutout to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets past the Phoenix Coyotes 3-0 on Wednesday night. Leclaire was injured most of last year and his replacement, Fredrik Norrena, came in to post the first winning record for a Columbus goaltender.
The Seattle Seahawks have found a replacement for Pro Bowl fullback Mack Strong. Among dump trucks. While placing Strong on injured reserve Wednesday, the Seahawks signed veteran Fred McCrary, who played with Atlanta last season. When McCrary, a 35-year-old former Super Bowl winner with New England, got the call Monday to come to Seattle, he was working with his fleet at Colonel McCrary Trucking,…
El Manuel edged Kapalua Bay by a nose in the closing strides Wednesday in the $50,400 feature race at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meeting. Ridden by Michael Baze, who had three winners on the card, El Manuel covered 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in 1:12.57 and paid $7.40, $3.40 and $2.60. Kapalua Bay returned $2.40 and $2.20, and Artist’s Tale paid $3.40 to show.
Rookie Yi Jianlian’s second exhibition game was a lot different from his first. The first-year forward scored 12 points — and committed just four fouls — as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Utah Jazz 90-81 on Wednesday night. Jianlian, who came off the bench in the second quarter, went 4-for-11 from the field, including 1-for-2 from 3-point range, for the Bucks (2-0).
Joey Crawford officiated his first NBA exhibition game Wednesday night after being suspended for the end of last season and the playoffs for improper on-court conduct. Commissioner David Stern suspended Crawford in April for his conduct toward San Antonio’s Tim Duncan. Crawford ejected Duncan from San Antonio’s loss to Dallas after calling a second technical foul on the Spurs star while he was…
They were called every vulgar name imaginable. They were booed, screamed at, ridiculed and treated rudely by rabid New York fans who never imagined the Cleveland Indians would be so good. But along with a champagne-soaked celebration, there’s something else the Indians will always cherish from their two-game visit to Yankee Stadium.
Julio Lugo has one of Manny Ramirez’s baseball cards hanging by his locker, only there’s something out of place: The slugger is wearing a Cleveland Indians uniform. It’s Ramirez, all right, the same guy now batting cleanup for Boston. He played his first 6 1/2 years for the Indians before signing with the Red Sox in 2000.
Deciding Joe Torre’s fate might take the New York Yankees longer than their playoff run. Meetings on the manager’s future won’t start until Friday at the earliest and might not even begin until next week. Even the site of the sessions hasn’t been definitely set, although they probably will take place at the team’s spring training complex in Tampa, Fla.
St. Louis Blues rookie defenseman Erik Johnson is day to day with a hairline fracture of his right foot, the team said Wednesday. Johnson, the first overall pick of the 2006 draft, was evaluated by team physician Dr. Rick Wright on Tuesday. The Blues recalled defenseman Micki DuPont from Peoria, Ill., of the American Hockey League.
This win seemed like the ones the Carolina Hurricanes enjoyed during their run to the Stanley Cup title two seasons ago. After missing the playoffs the year after winning the Cup, the Hurricanes have their sights set on a more successful season. Matt Cullen scored for the first time since returning to the Hurricanes, and six others added goals in Carolina’s 7-1 rout of the Toronto Maple Leafs on…
