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The International team was scrambling to stay in contention at the Presidents Cup as Saturday's afternoon four-ball matches got underway. After sweeping all five of the alternate-shot matches in the morning, the Internationals were leading in two matches, the U.S. side led in one while the remaining two matches were all square. Mike Weir of Bright's Grove, Ont. and partner Ernie Els jumped to a 1-up lead against Charles Howell and Lucas Glover after five holes. Vijay Singh and ...

MIAMI (AP) _ Kyle Wright returned from an injury to throw a game-sealing touchdown pass to DajLeon Farr with 2:15 left, and Miami escaped an upset bid by Duke for the second straight year by beating the Blue Devils 24-14 on Saturday. Wright was 19-of-23 for 230 yards and two touchdowns for the Hurricanes (4-1, 1-0), who won their Atlantic Coast Conference opener for the first time in three years. Thad Lewis completed 18 of 27 passes ...

LONDON (AP) _ Benjani Mwaruwari scored a hat trick on Saturday to lead Portsmouth to a 7-4 win over Reading in the highest scoring match in the Premier League's 15-year history. Arsenal won 1-0 at West Ham to keep the lead of the standings from defending champion Manchester United, which won 1-0 at Birmingham. At Fratton Park, Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann made a string of saves but was still beaten seven times. Mwaruwari scored twice to put Portsmouth ...

LONDON _ The Los Angeles Kings were the forgotten team here this week, shunted to the background as their Southern California rivals paraded the Stanley Cup around London. Maybe they got tired of playing second fiddle. Mike Cammalleri scored twice and rookie Jonathan Bernier sparkled in his first-ever NHL start as the Kings dumped the defending champion Anaheim Ducks 4-1 ...

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed second-round draft pick Chris Richard. Terms of the contract were not disclosed Saturday. The six-foot-nine forward from Florida was the 41st overall selection in the 2007 draft. Timberwolves vice-president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said Richard will bring size and toughness to the team's frontcourt.

MONTREAL (AP) _ Tiger Woods said Monday anyone who tests positive under golf's new drug policy should pay a steep price. ``Given our reputation in our sport, how honourable our sport is and always has been and will continue to be, I think that the penalty has got to be somewhat significant,'' Woods said in a conference call to announce the field for his Target World Challenge. The World Golf Foundation, comprised of major golf organizations around the ...

Every two years, the United States fields a team of 12 players who produce some of their best golf. In one of the most nervous moments of his career, Tiger Woods showed why he is the best clutch putter of his generation. Chris DiMarco, after an unlikely escape from an awkward stance in the bunker, holed a 15-foot putt that set off a celebration of raw emotion. Jim Furyk has never lost in singles. Young or old, ...

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) _ Manager Bob Geren and second baseman Mark Ellis are staying with the Oakland Athletics for at least the near future. The A's picked up contract options for Geren and Ellis on Monday, locking up Geren through 2009 and Ellis for the 2008 season. Geren, who had extensive managerial experience in the minors and overseas and is a longtime friend of general manager Billy Beane, signed a two-year contract for his first managerial job ...

Tom Johnson has been named the head coach of Canada's swim team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The veteran coach has an extensive resume. He's been named to Canada's coaching staff for seven Olympic Games, nine world championships and eight Commonwealth Games and nationally his clubs have won 15 overall national team titles and 21 Canadian Interuniversity Sport titles. ``Tom has shown great leadership as head coach of the 2007 world championship team,'' Pierre Lafontaine, CEO and national ...

CHICAGO (AP) _ Lou Piniella called upon decades of baseball knowledge when the Chicago Cubs were scuffling for the first two months. He watched intently, took mental notes and then started swapping out the parts. Finally, he used some theatrics to literally kick-start his team. Turns out, a dirt-kicking temper tantrum against umpire Mark Wegner on June 2 was just what the Cubs needed, whether it was premeditated or not, whether it was the old Lou resurfacing ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ Minnesota Twins minor leaguer Eli Tintor was suspended for 50 games Monday following a positive test for a drug of abuse under the minor league program. The 22-year-old outfielder's suspension will take effect at the start of the 2008 season. There have been 27 suspensions this year under the minor league program and four under the major league drug plan. Tintor, of Hibbing, Minn., played for the class-A Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League. ...

BORDEAUX, France _ Canada faces Japan at the Rugby World Cup on Tuesday with only pride at stake _ and the chance to preserve its record of having won at least once at every World Cup it has contested. ``I read that this morning,'' Japan's coach John Kirwan said of Canada's record. ``Like I said yesterday, they are a proud nation and a good rugby country.'' Canada and Japan have both been eliminated from Pool B, but ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Remember all those great players Ohio State lost from last season's team? They're not missed as much as everyone thought. The Buckeyes routed Northwestern 58-7 Saturday to go to 4-0, successfully opening their defence of the Big Ten title they've won the last two years. ``It's a good start from a defensive standpoint, but there are always things you can get better at,'' linebacker James Laurinaitis said after Ohio State limited the Wildcats to ...

A hole-by-hole look at Royal Montreal's Blue Course, where the Presidents Cup will be played from Thursday to Sunday: 1st Hole, 444 yards, Par 4 A tough but indicative welcome to the Blue Course. The landing area on this uphill dogleg left is protected by bunkers on the left. The green narrows at the front and is also protected by sand, while a devilish slope at the back offers a range of difficult pin positions. 2nd Hole, 385 ...

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) _ The Golden State Warriors signed Troy Hudson on Monday, adding a veteran free-agent guard to their young roster. Hudson played 34 games last year in his fifth season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who paid more than US$12 million to buy out his contract Aug. 3. He struggled with ankle injuries for nearly three years in Minnesota before getting stuck behind Mike James and Randy Foye on the bench last year. Golden State waived guard ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ The New York Yankees took a day off Monday. At least, that's how it looked. The Yankees' drive for a playoff spot paused, with Andy Pettitte falling behind early and a smallish crowd watching Toronto rookie Jesse Litsch pitch the Blue Jays to a 4-1 victory. New York could've clinched a post-season berth with a win, coupled with a Detroit loss later against Minnesota. Instead, the Yankees never quite woke up in their ...

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) _ Spain's government and the national federation are not doing enough to contain cycling's drug culture, the leader of the sport's world governing body said Monday. ``The biggest problem we have in doping and cycling comes from Spain,'' UCI president Pat McQuaid said in an interview with The Associated Press. ``There seems to be a reluctance to completely clean the problem out in Spain.'' Speaking two days before the start of the world championships ...

SEATTLE (AP) _ Seattle city officials filed a lawsuit Monday to keep the SuperSonics from leaving town. The lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court was a counter move to a Sonics' attempt to be released from their lease on KeyArena. According to the complaint, ``The Sonics promised to `play all home games ... exclusively''' at the arena at the Seattle Center through Sept. 30, 2010. ``The city, with the help of some fine lawyers, is standing up ...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ The tension in this Chase for the championship was evident after the first pit stop at Dover, where title contender Tony Stewart angrily bumped Paul Menard because the rookie crowded him. By the time Round 2 was over, an incensed Denny Hamlin wanted to fight Kyle Petty after an on-track accident led to an off-track confrontation. Emotions nearly erupted at Dover International Speedway, where the top half of the Chase field left Sunday's race ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ Major League Baseball set a record for total attendance and is on track to break its mark for average attendance. With one week left in the regular season, major league teams drew 76,215,082, the commissioner's office said Monday, topping last year's 76,042,787. The average of 32,710 was up four per cent from last year's final average of 31,423 and on pace to top the record of 31,632 set in 1994 before a strike ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ A Madison Square Garden executive who says New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas showered her with profanities was unsparing in her own foul language to describe fellow executives, a former colleague testified Monday. John Cudmore, a senior vice-president of finance, told a federal jury that the executive, Anucha Browne Sanders, on numerous occasions referred to others with the f-word and ``bitch,'' a word she says Thomas frequently hurled at her. Cudmore was called as ...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ A terrible start and a slew of injuries couldn't keep the Philadelphia Phillies out of the playoff race. For the third straight year, Philadelphia's post-season hopes will come down to the final week. Six games remain and each is at home. It's almost do-or-die every night, starting Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. Can the Phillies finally end a 14-year playoff drought? Considering the obstacles they've overcome this season, anything is possible. This is a resilient ...

MIAMI (AP) _ Short on pitching all season, the Marlins are now looking for a pitching coach. The organization sought to retain Rick Kranitz for next season, but he wanted to explore other options, general manager Larry Beinfest said Monday. Kranitz won't be with the team for its final six games. Bullpen coach Steve Foster will be pitching coach for the final week. The rest of manager Fredi Gonzalez's staff will return next season, Beinfest said. Florida is last ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) _ One swing at a time, Albert Pujols closed in on another career milestone. Pinch-hitting success had the St. Louis Cardinals' star, hobbled by a strained left calf muscle, one RBI away from becoming the first player to get 100 RBIs in his first seven seasons entering Monday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Pujols had missed five straight starts entering the team's season-ending seven-game trip, but went 2-for-2 with a bases-loaded walk and four ...

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) _ Energie Cottbus lost its last game and dropped to the bottom of the Bundesliga, then fired the coach. Now comes a trip to Bayern Munich. Maybe best to head straight for the Oktoberfest. Even in the best of times, there was not much for Cottbus to hope from a trip to the Bavarian capital. In four games against Bayern, the club has four defeats, with only two goals scored and 13 conceded. That record ...

MADRID, Spain (AP) _ Ronaldinho's muscle injury may be the least of his problems. The FC Barcelona midfielder has come under scrutiny after supposedly staying out late and breaking curfew, leading the Spanish media to doubt the legitimacy of the strain that will likely sideline him from the team's Spanish league game against Zaragoza on Wednesday. ``He spoke with the coach, who believed him,'' said Ronaldinho's brother and agent, Roberto de Assis. ``From here on, there's nothing more to ...

LONDON (AP) _ Arsenal's move to a bigger stadium has paid off, with turnover increasing by almost 50 per cent to a club record 200.8 million pounds (C$406.6 million) and giving manager Arsene Wenger a healthy transfer budget. Arsenal Holdings PLC said Monday its record results, for the year ending May 31, came as a result of the move to the 60,400-capacity Emirates Stadium in July 2006. The Gunners had played at the 38,500-seat Highbury Stadium for the ...

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Washington Wizards guard Roger Mason re-signed with the team on Monday, agreeing to a one-year deal. The six-foot-five Mason averaged 2.7 points in 62 games as a reserve last season. ``My heart is in D.C.,'' Mason said. ``I feel like I can have a great role with the Wizards and that we have a chance to be a great team this year.'' The former Toronto Raptor signed with the Wizards as a free agent before ...

TORONTO _ Here's some simple advice for CFL fans trying to figure out the league's muddled playoff picture heading into the final third of the regular season. Don't bother. Seven of the CFL's eight teams remain in serious playoff contention, with six being separated by just five points. What's more, the club not expected to make the post-season _ the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-10) _ showed with last weekend's win over Calgary it's more than capable of being a ...

PARIS (AP) _ Avram Grant has only just settled into the Chelsea hot seat vacated by Jose Mourinho. He must wonder how long he'll be there. The former Israel coach watched the Blues lose his first game in charge _ 2-0 to rival Manchester United _ to slide to sixth in the Premier League. During Sunday's game at Old Trafford, Grant heard the Chelsea fans chant the names of Mourinho and his assistant, Steve Clarke, who was sitting ...

LONDON (AP) _ Arsenal can make its good start to the season even better when it enters the Carling Cup against Newcastle on Tuesday. The Gunners are top of the Premier League, have tied manager Arsene Wenger to a new contract and have been confirmed as England's most profitable club. They now enter a competition in which they were runners-up last season. In one of eight matches Tuesday, Arsenal meets a Newcastle side enjoying its best start ...

MESA, Ariz. (AP) _ Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson pleaded guilty Monday to charges of drug possession and driving under the influence stemming from a traffic stop last year as he was leaving a nightclub. Tyson quietly acknowledged to a judge that he had cocaine and was impaired when he was stopped for driving erratically in Scottsdale on Dec. 29. He pleaded guilty to a single felony count of cocaine possession and a misdemeanour DUI count and faces ...

NEW DELHI (AP) _ India will hold its first Formula One race in 2010, the head of the Indian Olympic Association said Monday. ``Formula One's architects visited New Delhi and saw several sites in the National Capital Region. They did an aerial survey and selected two sites _ in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Sohna in Haryana,'' IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi told reporters. Both areas are suburbs of New Delhi and it's been left to ...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) _ Patriots coach Bill Belichick will comply with the NFL's latest request in its spying investigation and provide any notes or tapes made from video recordings similar to those that drew a stiff penalty against him and the team. ``Of course,'' he said, when asked about the request for materials. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Belichick US$500,000 and the team $250,000 on Thursday for violating a league rule that prohibits clubs from using a sideline ...

OTTAWA (CP) _ The Ottawa Senators locked up one of their best two-way players to a long-term deal Monday, signing centre Mike Fisher to a five-year extension. Fisher had 22 goals and 26 assists for 48 points last season, his seventh with the Senators. The 27-year-old Peterborough, Ont., native played a key role in Ottawa's run to the Stanley Cup final last spring. He supplied plenty of grit at both ends of the ice and recorded 10 ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ NBA referee Joey Crawford was reinstated by commissioner David Stern on Monday, five months after he was suspended indefinitely for improper on-court conduct. San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan contended that Crawford challenged him to a fight during a game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 15. Crawford ejected Duncan while the player was laughing on the bench. Stern cited a pattern of similar acts in suspending Crawford. ``Based on my meeting with Joey ...

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) _ Frank Hadden wants his Scotland lineup to take the high ground against Romania. Scotland coach Hadden picked his biggest forward pack, wanting to match muscle with Romania, and recalled goalkicking utility Chris Paterson for Tuesday's World Cup Group C match at Murrayfield. He wants to avoid the stuttering form of Scotland's Six Nations contemporaries, who have been unconvincing so far in the tournament. ``Romania will be tough and dangerous opponents. We've seen great improvements ...

SEATTLE (AP) _ Defensive end Bryce Fisher, who had been benched by Seattle after starting for two seasons, has been traded to Tennessee. Fisher's agent, Peter Schaffer, confirmed the deal Tuesday. Fisher, a seven-year veteran, had been replaced as a starter with the faster Darryl Tapp, the Seahawks' second-round draft choice in 2006. He is the second former Seattle player the Titans have added since June under new general manager Mike Reinfeldt, who joined Tennessee after working as a ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ The former Knicks executive who filed a US$10 million sexual harassment lawsuit against Isiah Thomas was a rising star forced to fend off the NBA great's clumsy advances, her lawyer told a jury Tuesday. But defence lawyer Kathleen Bogas described Anucha Browne Sanders as a liar who made up charges against Thomas to mask her incompetence. Browne Sanders was ``a woman who was fired from her dream job because she dared to complain about ...

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) _ Strikers Lukas Podolski and Patrick Helmes will start in Germany's friendly against Romania on Wednesday, while goalkeeper Jens Lehmann will rest because of an elbow injury. The Arsenal goalkeeper had pain in his elbow after Germany's 2-0 win over Wales in a European Championship qualifier Saturday in Cardiff, coach Joachim Loew said Tuesday. His place will be taken by Timo Hildebrand, who has been only a reserve after moving to Valencia in the off-season. Podolski ...