CYCLING • MARTIN WINS LIEGE-BASTOGNE-LIEGE CLASSIC: BRUSSELS (AP) - Daniel Martin of Ireland won the hilly Liege-Bastogne-Liege race Sunday, pulling away from Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez in the uphill stretch to the finish to take cycling's oldest classic. Martin made sure he wouldn't be beaten by Rodriguez's sprint and made his move at the right moment with such a strong kick he had time to look back and celebrate by waving arms before crossing the line. ...
OAKLAND (AP) - David Lee has worked for eight seasons to be in the NBA playoffs. The last time he even attended a postseason game was between the Bulls and Wizards in Chicago before the 2005 draft. "It's been a long time to wait," said Lee, who spent his first five seasons with the New York Knicks. "I'm having to do more to calm myself ...
SACRAMENTO (AP) - After three stints as an interim coach, this season was supposed to be Keith Smart's first real chance to show what he could do on the NBA sidelines with a full summer and training camp to prepare. Instead, the pending sale and relocation of the Sacramento Kings to a Seattle group became a daily distraction for Smart's squad. The Kings finished 28-54, ...
SANTA CLARA (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers have signed tight end Cameron Morrah to a one-year contract, helping fill a void left by Delanie Walker's departure to the Tennessee Titans. General manager Trent Baalke also might use one of his 13 picks in next week's draft to bolster the position for the NFC champions, who regularly use two tight end sets with Vernon Davis and another ...
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Marty Havlat scored twice against his former team and the San Jose Sharks closed in on a ninth straight playoff berth, beating the Minnesota Wild 6-1 on Thursday night for their most lopsided win of the season. Logan Couture added two goals and two assists, and Raffi Torres and Joe Pavelski also scored for the Sharks, who have won three straight games to remain tied for fourth place ...
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Matt Cain's struggles continued against the Milwaukee Brewers. Yovani Gallardo homered and struck out six in his first start since being arrested on a drunken driving charge, and the Brewers beat San Francisco 7-2 Thursday for a three-game sweep. "We knew how good these guys are," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "They will get back on track. It's baseball. We came in here and (Milwaukee) played well. ...
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - The Oakland Raiders spent this offseason getting rid of almost all of the remaining high-profile players brought in by the previous regime. One of the few still around in Oakland is running back Darren McFadden. McFadden is entering the final season of his rookie contract hoping a new offense that better suits his talents will help revive his game after a disappointing 2012 season. General manager Reggie McKenzie ...
CLEVELAND (AP) - Jon Lester pitched seven strong innings, Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a tiebreaking home run in the fourth and the Boston Red Sox earned their sixth straight win with a 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night. The Red Sox return home to play Kansas City on Friday night, their first game at Fenway Park since Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon. David Ortiz is expected back in the lineup ...
DENVER (AP) - It was 28 degrees when Jon Garland threw the first pitch Thursday, and he worked seven solid innings to give the Colorado Rockies an 11-3 win over the New York Mets in the wrap-up of a wintry series at Coors Field. The crowd was announced at 18,341 as the Rockies matched a team record for the coldest home start. A game against the Montreal Expos on April 12, 1997, was ...
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Stephen Curry set a NBA single-season record for 3-pointers with 272 and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 99-88 on Wednesday in the season finale for both teams.
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, including several big shots down the stretch, and the Los Angeles Clippers locked up home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, holding off the Sacramento Kings 112-108 on Wednesday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Was this the end? The chatter around Sleep Train Pavilion centered on that question Wednesday night. With NBA owners debating whether to approve the franchise's sale and relocation to Seattle, the ever-faithful fans of the Sacramento Kings pushed the uncertainty aside and did what they have done for parts of four decades during a 112-108 loss in the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers. They rallied. Maybe for the last time. ...
OAKLAND (AP) - While his former team is struggling through the rebuilding process, Athletics infielder Jed Lowrie is relishing life on the West Coast.
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Rarely used, Blake Lalli quickly showed he was totally prepared. On the first pitch, the pinch-hitter lifted a long single in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday night that sent the Milwaukee Brewers over the San Francisco Giants 4-3. "He was in looking at videos, he was looking at the pitcher throw and he knew what he wanted to do with the first pitch," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said. "Lalli is ...
SANTA CLARA (AP) - San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith and linebacker Aldon Smith are working back from offseason surgeries, and general manager Trent Baalke expects each to be at full strength and ready for the start of training camp this summer.
SEATTLE (AP) - If this is Chris Hansen's final salvo in his attempt to purchase the Sacramento Kings, it's coming with an additional $75 million price tag to what already could be the richest franchise sale in NBA history.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Matt Cain pitched eight strong innings and San Francisco beat Tim Hudson for the first time in seven years in the Giants' 8-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
SEATTLE (AP) - Bob Melvin is still trying to figure out what happened to the consistency Oakland had the first month of the season.
SANTA CLARA (AP) - Lawrence Okoye was one of the last players to leave the "pitch" Friday afternoon - one of several things that set the big Brit apart from other newcomers at the San Francisco 49ers' rookie minicamp.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Dustin Penner scored the tiebreaking goal in the final second of the second period, and the Los Angeles Kings advanced to the second round with a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 on Friday night.
• Garcia goes 1 up on Tiger at Players Championship: PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Sergio Garcia had one of those stretches where it felt like every putt was going to drop. He needed every one of them Friday for a 7-under 65 to match his best score on the TPC Sawgrass and take a one-shot lead over Tiger Woods among early starters at The Players Championship.
OAKLAND (AP) - The confident aura the Golden State Warriors are giving off right now might be the only thing brighter than those yellow shirts every home fan is expected to be wearing again for Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night at ear-piercing Oracle Arena.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Brian McCann spent the first month of the season in Florida rehabilitating his surgically repaired right shoulder. He hardly watched the Atlanta Braves play.
CLEVELAND (AP) - Everything is going the Indians' way. There's no dispute or debate about that.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Tiger Woods was nine shots out of the lead, not the best position at The Players Championship, especially since he had not even started his round. Perhaps the bigger surprise was the guy who posted the record-tying round Thursday.
CHICAGO (AP) - Marian Hossa scored twice to back a strong effort by goalie Corey Crawford, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Minnesota Wild 5-1 Thursday night to win their first-round playoff series 4-1.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Klay Thompson scored 34 points, Stephen Curry added 22 and the Golden State Warriors withstood another furious rally by the San Antonio Spurs for a 100-91 victory Wednesday night to even their series at one game apiece and snap a 30-game skid in the Alamo City.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The future home of the San Francisco 49ers will be called Levi's Stadium.
SAN JOSE (AP) - A year after being among the main perpetrators of another playoff failure in San Jose, Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski are leading the Sharks back to the second round.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Buster Posey and Andres Torres waited three hours before making their contributions to yet another walkoff win for the San Francisco Giants.