Sports News

SAN FRANCISCO - Mark Sweeney wasn't about to sit back and ignore a situation dealing with his name in the same sentence as amphetamines and Barry Bonds. He wanted his message out: There were never any amphetamines in his locker for Bonds to take.

NEW YORK - Batting champions Joe Mauer and Freddy Sanchez and AL MVP Justin Morneau were among 106 players who filed Friday for salary arbitration, set to get big raises for next season.

NEW YORK - Jeff Nelson wanted to retire as a member of the New York Yankees, so he agreed Friday to a minor league contract and then said he wouldn't play anymore.

DENVER - The Colorado Rockies obtained right-hander Rodrigo Lopez from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday for minor league right-handers Jim Miller and Jason Burch.

Poor Barry Bonds.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - All-star tight end Tony Gonzalez has agreed in principle to a five-year contract extension, the Kansas City Chiefs said on Friday.

NEW ORLEANS - Sean Payton grew up rooting for the sports teams in Philadelphia, and got his first NFL coaching job with the Eagles. Since leaving Philadelphia, though, Payton has become quite a nemesis for Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. The two match wits again Saturday night when Payton leads the New Orleans Saints (10-6) against the Eagles (11-6) in an NFC second-round playoff game.

NEW ORLEANS - For years it was the most shopworn of jokes about the New Orleans Saints: They couldn't even beat the Little Sisters of the Poor.

CHICAGO - An impossible to miss, mysterious sign was planted near the driveway to the Chicago Bears practice complex this week, imploring a team desperate for a playoff victory: "Play Angry."

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Chargers have beaten the New England Patriots in September and October without any problem. Now they need to do it in January, when the Patriots really shine.

NEW YORK (AFP) - NBA official Rodney Mott has been suspended three games without pay for directing an obscene gesture and using inappropriate language toward a fan, the league announced.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dirk Nowitzki scored a personal season-high 43 points to help the Dallas Mavericks come from behind to defeat the Indiana Pacers 115-113 in overtime on Friday.

Ray Allen, Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant were at their best when their teams needed them the most.

SEATTLE - Ray Allen hit deep 3-pointers, flat-footed jumpers and scored on tough drives. He was also perfect from the free-throw line.

DENVER - With Tracy McGrady drawing all the attention, Shane Battier all too willingly knocked down the open shots. Battier scored 25 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and the Houston Rockets held off the Denver Nuggets 90-86 on Friday night.

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. - David Beckham's focus will be on the Los Angeles pitch, not the Hollywood glitz. Forgetting for the moment that Beckham's wife, Victoria, is a former Spice Girl, that they rank Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes among their best friends, and that one of Los Angeles' premier talent agencies negotiated his new contract with the MLS' Galaxy, Beckham is trying to concentrate on soccer.

MADRID, Spain - David Beckham won't play again for Real Madrid after announcing his departure at the end of the season for the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS, coach Fabio Capello said Saturday.

LOS ANGELES - David Beckham is big. But is he really $250 million large? Bigger at the bank than Shaq or Kobe or A-Rod?

INDIANAPOLIS - Maryland All-American Maurice Edu was taken by Toronto with the top pick at Friday's Major League Soccer draft as the David Beckham signing dominated the conversation.

People will read who's headed for Hollywood and assume they've seen this movie before.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Predators grabbed an early lead and then finished off the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was exactly what goaltender Tomas Vokoun wanted to see from his teammates.

EDMONTON, Alberta - Marian Gaborik has found his form. The Minnesota star posted his second straight two-goal game and the Wild beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on Friday night, earning their second consecutive road win.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Scott Gomez and the New Jersey Devils finally found a way to beat the Atlanta Thrashers. Gomez and Sergei Brylin scored power-play goals 28 seconds apart in the third period to lead the Devils to a 2-1 win that snapped New Jersey's six-game losing streak against the Southeast Division-leading Thrashers.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Los Angeles goalie Dan Cloutier underwent hip surgery in Colorado and will be out indefinitely, the Kings said Friday.

LOS ANGELES - Patrick Marleau now owns the San Jose Sharks record for career goals. It isn't a very lofty total at the moment, but he has a long way to go.

LOS ANGELES - Mario Danelo was remembered Friday as an upbeat person who enjoyed life to the fullest and left an indelible impression on those around him. An estimated 2,000 mourners gathered at Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church in suburban San Pedro to remember the Southern California kicker, whose body was found last weekend about 120 feet down a rocky cliff not far from his family's home.

RALEIGH, N.C. - As he aggressively pursued sexual assault charges against three Duke lacrosse players for nearly 10 months, Mike Nifong never wavered publicly in his commitment to take the oft-sensationalized case to trial.

NEW YORK - Jessica Adair scored 19 points and Kenan Cole added 12 to help No. 12 George Washington rout Fordham 77-51 on Friday night.

TUCSON, Ariz. - Five days after its 12-game winning streak ended, No. 10 Arizona wanted to start another roll. Enter Oregon State, winless in Pac-10 play.

BERKELEY, Calif. - Washington State is serious about staying ranked, not just making a brief appearance in the poll like Cougars teams of the past.

SYDNEY, Australia - James Blake won the Sydney International for the second straight year, beating Carlos Moya 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 in Saturday's final.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Andy Roddick snapped his losing streak against Roger Federer. Unfortunately for him, the result of the exhibition match doesn't count on their official records.

HOBART, Australia - Top-seeded Anna Chakvetadze beat fellow Russian Vasilia Bardina 6-3, 7-6 (3) to win the Hobart International Friday.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Top-seeded Tommy Robredo and No. 3 seed David Ferrer will meet in an all-Spanish final to the Heineken Open after winning rain-delayed semifinals Friday.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova topped the lists of seeded players at the Australian Open, with organizers sticking to the world rankings.

BANGKOK, Thailand - Europe took a commanding 6 1/2-1 1/2 lead over Asia on Saturday after dominating the four best-ball matches in the Royal Trophy.

HONOLULU - Tadd Fujikawa keeps stealing the spotlight from Hawaii's other teenage golf star. A day after Michelle Wie gave it a good run at Canoe Brook last summer in her bid to become the first woman to qualify for the U.S. Open, Fujikawa made it to Winged Foot by winning the sectional qualifier in Hawaii.

WAILEA, Hawaii - Jack Nicklaus is making a rare competitive start this weekend in the Champions Skins Game.

HOUSTON - Tiger Woods picked up another award, this time for his work off the golf course.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico - Lorena Ochoa reached the pinnacle of women's golf and plans to leave on her own terms.

PHOENIX - Former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson has been indicted on charges of drug possession and driving under the influence of drugs.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - James Toney removed his nylon running suit, walked by the row of cameras and strode confidently to the scale.

PHOENIX - Former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson was charged Wednesday with drug possession and driving under the influence of drugs, and the Maricopa County prosecutor says he wants to send him to prison.

I need to call my agent. Actually, I need to get an agent. Here I am in "Rocky Balboa," pretty much carrying the movie at its most crucial point despite being typecast yet again as a sportswriter. And what do I get for my efforts? A case of Sly water.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - NASCAR and country music. Cars and guitars. Gasoline fumes and heartbreak. The combination is irresistible: Two industries with Southern roots that have grown into national institutions.

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano criticized the Dakar Rally as "a bloody race of irresponsibility" after a motorcyclist died in a crash.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Greg Biffle was cruising around Las Vegas Motor Speedway at 204 mph when his tire exploded, sending him crashing into the wall. Knocked unconscious, he dislocated his right shoulder and briefly had blurred vision.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Ricky Rudd might end up being exactly what Robert Yates needed to save his struggling race team.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The all-star International Race of Champions will not run at Daytona next month, because series officials have not secured sponsorship.

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. - David Beckham may be a fading sports megastar, hoping to someday top a marquee on the Sunset Strip. Or he might still create magic with a soccer ball, trying to make his new team better and popularize the game in America.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Facing ethics charges that could lead to his disbarment, the embattled district attorney in the Duke lacrosse sexual assault case has asked the state attorney general's office to appoint a special prosecutor to take over the case.

PHOENIX - Former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson has been indicted on charges of drug possession and driving under the influence of drugs.

PHILADELPHIA - The daily strolls are out for now, replaced with several hours in a sling. It's a setback, for sure, but Barbaro's outlook is not as grim as it was six months ago.

SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds came out publicly to make it clear his teammate and good friend Mark Sweeney had no involvement in the latest allegations against the San Francisco slugger. He insists he didn't get any amphetamines from Sweeney. He also didn't deny using them.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - Keba Mbaye, a Senegalese judge who held several high-ranking positions in the International Olympic Committee, has died at 82. The IOC said he died Thursday night at his home in Dakar, Senegal, after a long illness.

OBERHOF, Germany - Two-time Olympic luge gold medal winner Sylke Otto retired Friday, saying she didn't want to risk injury during her pregnancy. The 37-year-old German, ranked among the greatest women lugers, pulled out of a World Cup competition scheduled for this weekend.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland - The three cities vying for the 2014 Winter Olympics submitted their final bid documents to the IOC before the midnight Wednesday deadline.

DENVER - Confident Chicago or Los Angeles can earn the international support needed to land the 2016 Summer Games, the U.S. Olympic Committee will move forward with plans to put one of America's iconic cities on the ballot later this year.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The inflated roof at a 60,000-seat stadium where the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics will be held collapsed Friday under the weight of heavy, wet sleet.