NEW YORK (AP) - A former U.S. attorney hired by the NFL to evaluate its investigation of the New Orleans Saints' bounty program said Thursday the evidence shows players received payments for hits on targeted opponents.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The life-sized statue sits at the front gate of Churchill Downs, a magnificent bronzed Barbaro in full stride, all four hooves off the ground and heading toward his greatest victory.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Bryce Harper made a tumbling barehanded catch in centerfield and then led off the ninth inning with a double to set the stage for Ian Desmond's two-out game-ending home run that gave the Washington Nationals a 5-4 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Giancarlo Stanton homered off Santiago Casilla in the 10th inning, and the Miami Marlins beat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 on Wednesday night after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Marian Gaborik scored at 14:41 of the third overtime, and the New York Rangers outlasted the Washington Capitals in a 2-1 victory early Thursday morning to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - O.J. Mayo scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and the Memphis Grizzlies bounced back to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-98 on Wednesday night.
ANAHEIM (AP) - Jered Weaver pitched the second no-hitter in the majors in less than two weeks, completely overmatching Minnesota and leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 9-0 win over the Twins on Wednesday night.
Hoping to close the book on bounties, the NFL suspended New Orleans Saints defensive captain Jonathan Vilma without pay for all of next season Wednesday and gave shorter bans to three other players for their leading roles in the team's cash-for-hits system that knocked key opponents out of games from 2009-11.
OCEANSIDE (AP) - Junior Seau, a homegrown superstar who was the fist-pumping, emotional leader of the San Diego Chargers for 13 years, was found shot to death at his home Wednesday morning in what police said appeared to be a suicide. He was 43.
SAN JOSE (AP) - The owners of the San Jose Sharks gave general manager Doug Wilson a vote of confidence to make changes after a disappointing early playoff exit.
BOSTON (AP) - Brandon McCarthy just followed the blueprint that his rookie teammate provided one night earlier.
DENVER (AP) - Ted Lilly threw six solid innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers got home runs from Dee Gordon, Andre Ethier and A.J. Ellis in a 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
NEW YORK (AP) - Buck Showalter got his 1,000th victory as a major league manager, Brian Matusz ended his 11-month losing streak and the Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 7-1 Tuesday night.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Matt Cain used to be San Francisco's hard-luck loser, seemingly never getting the run support he needed. He had finally begun to shed that stigma this season and had a nice new contract as a vote of confidence - not to mention 18 straight scoreless innings over his first two home starts.
BOSTON (AP) - As hard as he tried, Jarrod Parker couldn't quite stop a grin from coming to his face in Oakland's locker room.
SANTA CLARA (AP) - Several years back, Eric Reid shunned Jim Harbaugh and Stanford to stick close to home at LSU.
ALAMEDA (AP) - D.J. Hayden's remarkable comeback from a near-death experience has taken him to the first round of the NFL draft.
STOCKTON - The Stockton Thunder used a three-goal first period to take an early lead and held on for a 5-3 win over the Alaska Aces in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, taking a 2-1 series lead in front of 3,297 fans at Stockton Arena on Thursday.
SEATTLE (AP) - Microsoft Chairman Steve Ballmer, part of the group attempting to purchase the Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle, said Thursday he believes "there will never be a better opportunity" than now to bring back professional basketball to the Puget Sound.
OAKLAND (AP) - Nate McLouth's patience as Baltimore's leadoff hitter is paying off nicely so far.
BOSTON (AP) - David Ortiz went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs, boosting his batting average over .500 as the Boston Red Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-2 Thursday night to win their eighth straight series opener.
MIAMI (AP) - Luis Valbuena hit a tie-breaking solo home run in the ninth inning to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday night.
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Ray Allen scored 23 points and broke the NBA career playoff record for 3-pointers, and the Miami Heat used another of their patented runs to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-91 on Thursday night for a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
Natalie Prins and Kaylie Colyn each netted two goals apiece for Ripon Christian during Wednesday's 8-0 Southern League victory over visiting Delhi.
OAKLAND (AP) - Sleep deprived but back in the Bay Area, the Golden State Warriors returned to work Wednesday calm and confident that their Mile High City masterpiece will be no fluke.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Brandon Crawford saved the day twice with late-inning offensive heroics. He never got a third chance, resting in the on-deck circle when the final out was recorded.
BOSTON (AP) - Oakland's Jed Lowrie rounded first base, reached second and immediately raised his arms in the air.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Coming off a dramatic victory in their home finale, the San Jose Sharks had a chance to move closer to earning home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Proposed changes to California environmental protection law unveiled Wednesday could help Sacramento's effort to keep its professional basketball team, according to the leader of the state Senate.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Yadier Molina hit a two-run single off Stephen Strasburg during St. Louis' three-run first inning, and the Cardinals beat the Nationals 4-2 Wednesday to complete a sweep and give Washington's All-Star ace the only four-start losing streak of his young career.