NBA Capsules

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Pau Gasol had 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Kobe Bryant's absence to beat the New Orleans Hornets 93-91 on Monday night.

National League Capsules

CINCINNATI (AP) - Matt Holliday, David Freese and Yadier Molina homered during the St. Louis Cardinals' big first inning, and Jake Westbrook found his control after a rough start, beating the Cincinnati Reds 7-1 on Monday night.

American League Capsules

BALTIMORE (AP) - The New York Yankees finally won their first game of the season, using four hits by Derek Jeter and an effective pitching performance by Ivan Nova to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 6-2 Monday night.

Tommy Milone shuts down Royals in strong A's debut

OAKLAND (AP) - Tommy Milone experienced a most unusual wait to make his debut with the Oakland Athletics.

Sports News Brief

SWIMMING OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST DIVER MARK LENZI DIES AT 43: BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Mark Lenzi struck gold when he switched from wrestling to diving in the mid-1980s. Over the next decade, he became the 1992 Olympic 3-meter springboard champion, earned a bronze medal four years later in Atlanta and became the first driver to score 100 points on a single dive. <p ...

SKI REPORTS

Gemologist unbeaten, stays as No. 2 Derby contender

Zito tosses 4-hitter as San Francisco avoids 0-4 start

69-yr-old woman hit in head by ball at Coors Field

Red Sox ready to celebrate Fenway's 100th birthday

Guillen to return to Florida for Castro apology

Sharks enter playoffs as underdog

Goodell upholds penalties in Saints bounty case

NEW YORK (AP) - Roger Goodell sent a message to every coach and player in the NFL: safety first. The league commissioner stuck with his punishments for New Orleans' pay-for-pain bounties on Monday, rejecting Saints coach Sean Payton's appeal of a season-long suspension. An NFL investigation found that, under Payton's watch, an assistant ran a program offering cash payouts for hits that ...

Blue Jays limiting beer sales at home opener

TORONTO (AP) - The beer taps weren't turned off this time, but fans in the upper deck at Monday night's Toronto Blue Jays home opener found it harder than usual to get their hands on some suds. With a sellout crowd of 50,000 expected at Rogers Centre for the game against Boston, the Blue Jays limited beer sales to one per customer, ...

Sports News Briefs

CYCLING TOM BOONEN WINS PARIS-ROUBAIX FOR 4TH TIME: ROUBAIX, France (AP) - Belgian rider Tom Boonen has won the Paris-Roubaix race for a record-tying fourth time, successfully breaking away from the pack about 35 miles from the end of Sunday's one-day classic. The 2005 world champion crossed the finish line alone, before five chasing riders had reached the velodrome in the northern French town of Roubaix. <p ...

Giants rally again, beat Diamondbacks 9-6

PHOENIX (AP) - Brandon Belt hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and the San Francisco Giants rallied against Arizona's bullpen for the third straight game, beating the Diamondbacks 9-6 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep. Belt hit a two-run single off Brad Ziegler in the opener and Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run homer off Arizona closer J.J. Putz on Tuesday. Belt finished off the series of comebacks with his ...

Cespedes' gaffe costs A's in 5-4 loss to Angels

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Oakland Athletics slugger Yoenis Cespedes didn't have a problem beating Hank Conger's throw to second in the ninth inning.

NBA capsules

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - James Harden scored 31 points and sank seven 3-pointers while fighting through flu-like symptoms, and the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-100 Wednesday night to pull within 3-2 in their first-round playoff series.

Nuggets, Warriors ready for physical Game 6

OAKLAND (AP) - Kicks in the ankles. Forearms to the throat. Elbows at the head. Illegal screens. Hard shoves. Bloody lips. Puffy eyes. Body bruises. Some even done by "hit men." Denver Nuggets coach George Karl thought the reaction to his team's Game 5 win over the Warriors sounded like a "different movie than I'm watching." Golden State's Mark Jackson defended his accusations of dirty play Wednesday, and players on both sides practically ...

Guerrero likes chances of giving Mayweather loss

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Floyd Mayweather Jr. admitted this week what many have long suspected - that he hand picks every opponent who enters the ring with him. He also decides how much they get paid and what the contract details will be. So Robert Guerrero was somewhat prepared when Mayweather picked him to be the opponent for his first fight in a year Saturday night at the MGM Grand hotel. What ...

Damian Lillard is NBA Rookie of the Year

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - It's unanimous: Damian Lillard is the NBA's Rookie of the Year. No, it never was in question. Lillard, the sixth overall pick in last June's draft out of Weber State, led all rookies with a 19-point scoring average. He also averaged 6.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds, playing in all 82 games this season. He broke Stephen Curry's rookie record for 3-pointers in a season, finishing with 185, ...

Earthquakes' Lenhart suspended 2 games by MLS

NEW YORK (AP) - San Jose forward Steven Lenhart was suspended two games and fined an undisclosed sum by the MLS disciplinary committee on Wednesday for his violent play in last weekend's game against Chivas USA. Lenhart was penalized for cleating Chivas' Mario de Luna in the face and nearly stepping on it after the defender had slid to to knock the ball away from him in the 68th minute of the teams' ...

Warriors upset with dirty play in loss to Nuggets

DENVER (AP) - Mark Jackson is standing up for his smooth-shooting guard who's constantly getting knocked down.

Pokulok’s OT goal sends Thunder to Western final

NCHORAGE, Alaska &ndash; Defenseman Nik Pokulok parked a centering pass by Shawn Weller at the left post to lift the Stockton Thunder to another memorable, come-from-behind victory, 4-3 in sudden death overtime over the Alaska Aces in Game 6 to win the Western Conference Semifinal before 4,868 fans at Sullivan Arena on Tuesday.

Cespedes drives in 4 runs, A’s beat Angels

OAKLAND (AP) - Yoenis Cespedes drove in four runs, Seth Smith knocked in three with a bases-loaded double and the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Angels 10-6 on Tuesday.

Tired tale: A’s beat Angels 10-8 in 19 innings

OAKLAND (AP) - An exhausted Brandon Moss threw a pie in his own face after hitting the home run that ended the major league's longest game this season.

Sandoval’s 2-run HR leads Giants past Diamondbacks

PHOENIX (AP) - A sore elbow couldn't slow Pablo Sandoval.

Hansen has ‘no plans to give up’ fight for Kings

The recommendation has been made, the vote is set and the Sacramento Kings seem all but assured of staying in California's capital city.

NHL capsules

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Alex Steen stole the puck from goalie Jonathan Quick behind the net and scored a short-handed goal to give the St. Louis Blues a 2-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.

MLB capsules

ATLANTA (AP) - Tim Hudson was a dual threat in his 200th career win, combining with Anthony Varvaro on a three-hitter while adding a homer and a double to lead the Atlanta Braves to an 8-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.