TORONTO (AP) -- Evan Longoria was activated off the 15-day disabled list Saturday after the Tampa Bay slugger said he felt "almost 100 percent" following 30 swings with a regular bat.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna washed away the Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets game Saturday afternoon and left in her wake one intriguing day-night doubleheader.
JOLIET, ILL. (AP) -- Dario Franchitti can hardly wait to get back in an IndyCar.
Shaun Alexander isn't bitter at being unemployed.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton clinched pole position for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix ahead of main challenger Felipe Massa.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Arizona's Randy Johnson, six wins shy of 300 career victories, was scratched from Sunday's start against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a sore left shoulder.
Breaking down Monday night's Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers game (7 p.m., ESPN) ...
Dave Trembley was certain he would be asked to return as manager of the Baltimore Orioles in 2009, an expectation that was fulfilled Friday.
The Bengals' surprising decision to release former Pro Bowler Rudi Johnson means they are relying on former top pick Chris Perry to shoulder the bulk of their running game. Though Perry has averaged 4.6 yards per carry throughout his career, he has only played in 22 of a possible 64 games in four seasons, and hasn't played in a regular season game since November 2006 due to an assortment of leg and ankle fractures. Thus, scouts are unsure if Perry is durable enough to handle the responsibility of being the Bengals' workhorse.
A contrite Mario Chalmers spoke out about his banishment from the NBA's rookie symposium Friday, acknowledging that he made an error in judgment but denying numerous reports that he was using marijuana.
TORONTO (AP) -- Evan Longoria was activated off the 15-day disabled list Saturday after the Tampa Bay slugger said he felt "almost 100 percent" following 30 swings with a regular bat.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna washed away the Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets game Saturday afternoon and left in her wake one intriguing day-night doubleheader.
JOLIET, ILL. (AP) -- Dario Franchitti can hardly wait to get back in an IndyCar.
Shaun Alexander isn't bitter at being unemployed.
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton clinched pole position for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix ahead of main challenger Felipe Massa.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Arizona's Randy Johnson, six wins shy of 300 career victories, was scratched from Sunday's start against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a sore left shoulder.
Breaking down Monday night's Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers game (7 p.m., ESPN) ...
Dave Trembley was certain he would be asked to return as manager of the Baltimore Orioles in 2009, an expectation that was fulfilled Friday.
The Bengals' surprising decision to release former Pro Bowler Rudi Johnson means they are relying on former top pick Chris Perry to shoulder the bulk of their running game. Though Perry has averaged 4.6 yards per carry throughout his career, he has only played in 22 of a possible 64 games in four seasons, and hasn't played in a regular season game since November 2006 due to an assortment of leg and ankle fractures. Thus, scouts are unsure if Perry is durable enough to handle the responsibility of being the Bengals' workhorse.
A contrite Mario Chalmers spoke out about his banishment from the NBA's rookie symposium Friday, acknowledging that he made an error in judgment but denying numerous reports that he was using marijuana.
Ian Kinsler's breakout season is done.
American League home run leader Carlos Quentin has a broken right wrist stemming from his own temper, and the Chicago White Sox left fielder will have surgery Monday that could sideline him for the rest of the season.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- New York Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said on Friday that Washington Redskins tackle Chris Samuels made a dirty play when he fell on the back of his ankle after being beaten on a pass rush on the final play of the NFL season opener.
The film was cut at a small school.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- When No. 5 Florida hosts Miami on Saturday night, several dozen athletic young men will sit in the bleachers behind the south end zone as guests of the Florida football program. They all want to examine the Gators, but more than a few will pay close attention to the team on the visitors' sideline.
Third baseman Mike Lamb was signed Friday by the Milwaukee Brewers, who hoped to bolster their roster for the final month of the season.
The Cavaliers signed center Lorenzen Wright on Friday to help offset the loss up front of forward Joe Smith.
The following data is a sample of what will be available in the 2009 Bill James Handbook from Baseball Info Solutions, published by ACTA Sports.
With all the excitement surround the first weekend of fantasy football, AP has this buzzkill report:
With training camp coming up fast, it's time to look at the big questions that confront every NHL team. So far, I've taken a look at the Northeast Division and the Pacific. Now, let's turn the spotlight on the Southeast, where the Lightning sport a dramatic new look.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Eagles could play the season opener without their two top wide receivers after Reggie Brown missed his second straight practice Friday.
There is nothing better than the start of "real football," but with the beginning of the NFL season comes the usual predictions of which teams will get to the Super Bowl. And with all due respect to my colleagues here at SI.com, 99.9 percent of the time those predictions are wrong.
Peering into my Roger Goodell-autographed crystal ball -- it's actually more oblong-shaped -- just hours before the NFL kicks off its regular season with the Redskins-Giants showdown at the Meadowlands, here are 10 things I foresee unfolding this year.....
The Mets could collapse again. They could take another huge lead into the second half of September and totally gag it away, placing another division title on another silver platter and handing it directly to the Phillies. Everybody knows it's possible.
The National League favorite Cubs are currently missing the top 40 percent of their rotation. And while this team with a storied past and a stacked present retains hope for an intact rotation come playoff time, if they are still without their dynamic duo of Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden in October, 90 percent of the Cubs' chance to break their 99-year losing streak could be lost in the wind.
Forgive me if this is a mumbling, disjointed mess. Check that... if this is a column not quite up to its piercing penetration, and uh... folks, it is late at night and I just did the 30-mile number from Giants Stadium west on Route 3, thence US 80, Cherry Hill Road, Rte. 46 and Lakewood Drive, where a candle and holly wreath were waiting in the window. Oh yes, got stopped on good old Rte. 46 in Wayne.
Musings, observations and the occasional insight from the Giants' season-opening 16-7 throttling of the low-octane Redskins, which strangely had all the intensity of a preseason game after the first half ...
LOS ANGELES -- It is a prerequisite of every pennant race, even in the National League West, that the participating teams spend a great deal of time watching their competition on television. So on Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers assembled around two TVs in their clubhouse and queued up the St. Louis-Arizona game. After Arizona's Adam Dunn pulled a game-winning double down the right-field line in the bottom of ninth inning, the Diamondbacks mobbed Dunn behind second base, their celebration spilling into the outfield at Bank One Ballpark. One incredulous Dodger supplied his own commentary: "Damn. Did they just make the playoffs?"
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- A Penn State football player has been kicked off the team for an undisclosed violation of team rules, and three others will miss this weekend's game against Oregon State because of a separate, off-field issue coach Joe Paterno said Thursday.
The Washington Nationals, who rank in the bottom half of Major League Baseball in attendance despite a new ballpark, are lowering some of their season ticket prices for next season.
Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio laughed Thursday when asked if he's got $200 million in a suitcase for CC Sabathia.
For the second weekend in a row, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a chance to take command of the NL West.
The Baltimore Ravens agreed to terms with former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Willie Anderson on a three-year, $11 million contract.
KENTON, Ohio (AP) -- Former Cincinnati quarterback Ben Mauk's legal Hail Mary for another season with the Bearcats is in the hands of a judge in the small town where he set national passing records in high school.
Todd Cruz, an infielder with the 1983 world champion Baltimore Orioles, has died. He was 52.
Daunte Culpepper summed up his thoughts Thursday in two words, which ushered in the start of a new era for the former Pro Bowl quarterback.
David Ortiz remembers visiting Fenway Park with Minnesota and seeing empty seats.
Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress is finally going to be paid like one of the NFL's top receivers.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Despite a torn ligament in his right knee, Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday is not planning on surgery anytime soon.
A newly formed Russian hockey league accused the NHL of poaching two of its players when the Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms with two draft prospects last week.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Despite Super Bowl expectations for Southern California's only NFL team, San Diego hasn't exactly been overtaken by Chargers fever.
Breaking down Saturday's nonconference clash in Gainesville.
RYE BROOK, N.Y. (AP) -- Former Kansas stars Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were sent home Wednesday from the NBA's mandatory rookie transition program for violating unspecified league rules.
BEREA, Ohio (AP) -- Around this time last year, Browns rookie linebacker Alex Hall played his season opener against Mars Hill, a tiny Baptist school in North Carolina.
Are we witnessing the end of NASCAR's open-wheel era? Just one season after Juan Pablo Montoya electrified the racing world by moving from Formula 1 to NASCAR, the whole experiment seems to be stumbling towards a ghastly conclusion.
NEW YORK -- Run ragged from chasing her older sister into the Flushing Meadow night, Serena Williams finally relented, craning her neck to take a look back.
It's only fitting that new Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro spent the Labor Day weekend back in Phoenix with his wife, packing up belongings for the move to their new residence in Chicago. Since his surprise hiring in June as the Bulls' new coach, the former NBA guard and Suns assistant GM has barely stopped moving as he goes about getting ready for his first season as a coach at any level.
Opening day is the most serious time for upsets. Everyone knows that because I just made it up myself. The only form chart is what's been scraped together from the results of the exhibition games. No one knows whether or not the hotshot rookies can really play, or if they've just been making their reputation against reserves.
In the end, it's probably self-defeating to play the "If he's in, then HE should be in" Hall of Fame Game. It's fun to play, no doubt, and it allows us Frank White fans to unleash all sorts of moral indignation because his career is virtually IDENTICAL to that of Bill Mazeroski*, and yet Maz is in the Hall while Frank never even got close. There's something unfair about it all.
The best part of watching a sports miracle, for me anyway, is that precise moment when everyone realizes, "Hey, this thing really could happen." During the last Super Bowl, that moment hit America precisely .03 seconds after Giants quarterback Eli Manning tore away from the army of the living dead, heaved the football downfield and David Tyree somehow clamped it against his helmet.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili had arthroscopic surgery to repair a ligament injury in his left ankle.
Fittingly for an area that encompasses the San Andreas Fault, the Pacific Division experienced a series of jarring tremors this past summer. Baron Davis left the Warriors. Elton Brand bolted the Clippers. Ron Artest was dispatched from the Kings.
Upon further review, the play stands.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Just 72 hours before its season opener, Florida State has finally named a starting quarterback: Christian Ponder.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- After Carolina Panthers backup quarterback Matt Moore injured his left leg in the final preseason game last week, he had two X-rays and an MRI that revealed no broken bones.
I'm excited to introduce a new column this week on SI.com. Starting with these preseason predictions, I will be following the top five candidates for the following awards on a weekly basis: MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
The Boston Red Sox sold out 96-year-old Fenway Park for the 455th consecutive regular season game on Wednesday, tying the Cleveland Indians' Major League Baseball record.
SIGNED: Corey Perry (Ducks), Brendan Morrison (Canucks), David LeNeveu (Rangers) Steve Montador (Panthers), Brennan Evans (Sharks). Josh Green (Canucks)
A quick baguette before Williams-Williams. But if you haven't checked out Andy Roddick's transcript from last night, do so now.
John Barnes has an eye for talent. There is no denying that. As for a hand for holding on it ... that was in need of a little work.
As training camp approaches, every NHL team is facing a pressing question. Last week, I looked at the Northeast Division. This time, let's lightly turn our thoughts to the Pacific.
With players he inherited from predecessor Walt Harris, Jim Harbaugh has turned Stanford into a potential bowl team. But what Harbaugh has done for the Cardinal on the field is only half the story. Between practices and games, Harbaugh has worked to stock Stanford's roster for an even brighter future.
For about 90 percent of the nation's major football schools, opening weekend went off without a hitch. The fans of those few that didn't wasted no time going into full-out panic mode.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) -- Kyle Boller was placed on injured reserve Wednesday by the Baltimore Ravens, ending his season and raising the question of whether the quarterback will throw another pass for the team.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington Nationals catcher Jesus Flores had an MRI exam Wednesday that confirmed he sprained his left ankle during a collision with Philadelphia's Chase Utley.
Maykel Galindo won't be here on Saturday for Cuba's historic World Cup qualifier against the United States. The former star forward of the Cuban national team defected to the U.S. in 2005, boarding a bus in Seattle during the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
LOS ANGELES -- Hitting savant Manny Ramirez got a quick glimpse of Dodgers teammate Andruw Jones' failing batting technique and is said by intimates to have opined that Jones' backside (not to mention his career) was obviously collapsing and that it should be an easy fix.
September 1 is the day that rosters expanded from 25 to 40, and hundreds of players from the minors get the call to spend the final month of the season in the big leagues. While plenty of top prospects won't get that call because such a move requires placement on the 40-man, there have still been many interesting names -- both new and old -- on the transaction wire over the last 48 hours, and here are ten story lines of note.
With no football to play for the first time in 18 years, former pro Ross Tucker is passing the time reading about his favorite sport. What follows are a few links to NFL-related articles he found and his take on them.
The most famous of major league baseball's September call-up heroes was neither called up nor a hero. In September, at least.
In this Week's Diamond Digits you'll find a main reason why the Twins are hanging in the race, an Angels rookie finally living up to his potential, two Phillies on opposite sides of the Spectrum and the possible farewell to a famous second fiddle.
The New Orleans Hornets are looking forward to getting back to the Big Easy after receiving reports that their suburban training center in Westwego, La., survived both Hurricane Gustav and a reported tornado nearby Tuesday evening, general manager Jeff Bower said.
Eleven months after defiantly resigning as UFC heavyweight champion over a perceived lack of respect from the company's executives, as well as the inability to get a fight with top-ranked Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, Randy "The Natural" Couture ended his embittered court battle with Zuffa LLC Tuesday, signing a new three-fight contract moments before it was officially announced to the media.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday morning and might be able to return to action this month.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot and critically wounded outside an apartment building early Tuesday as he and a former teammate waited for two women they had met at a nightclub, police said.
TORONTO (AP) -- Bryan McCabe already has a new home in South Florida, where his 3-year-old daughter started pre-kindergarten classes in a new school Tuesday and he spent part of the day unpacking moving boxes.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Travis Hafner was left in the minor leagues Tuesday when the Cleveland Indians didn't make him one of their September callups.
CC Sabathia has been a season-changing acquisition for the Milwaukee Brewers, going 9-0 in his 11 starts since being acquired from Cleveland. But let's cool the Cy Young Award talk. Remember, Brandon Webb also went 9-0 for the Diamondbacks this year -- then has added 10 more wins and 129 more innings. Sabathia is not even in the discussion with Webb and Tim Lincecum of the Giants, who have shouldered more than twice the workload for their NL teams as has Sabathia.
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) -- If not for the patience of the Colorado Avalanche, Joe Sakic could have become the NHL's version of Brett Favre.
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets, pulled from Monday's game after five innings because of slight tightness in his left groin, is expected to make his next scheduled start on Saturday against San Diego.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- The Canucks traded forward Ryan Shannon to the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Lawrence Nycholat on Tuesday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Even though he missed almost all of training camp, rookie Branden Albert may start at left tackle Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs open their season as 16 1/2-point underdogs at New England.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded backup guard Dan Buenning to the Chicago Bears for an undisclosed draft pick Tuesday, then replaced the fourth-year pro by acquiring center-guard Sean Mahan from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) -- Rudi Johnson didn't need long to find a new home.
BOSTON (AP) -- Red Sox ace Josh Beckett is set to rejoin Boston's rotation on Friday night in Texas.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Dario Franchitti is returning to the IndyCar Series after a fruitless one-year effort in NASCAR. The 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner and '07 IndyCar Series champion will move over to Target/Chip Ganassi Racing, replacing Dan Wheldon, who has been signed by Panther Racing, the team he made his IndyCar Series debut with six years ago.
With the Labor Day holiday passed and the kids off to school, the only ones left waiting are the nine new NHL coaches who are raring to go. As Tom Petty sang years ago, the waiting (as in the way-ay-ting) is the hardest part. That certainly is the case for three: Scott Gordon on Long Island, John Anderson in Atlanta and Barry Melrose in Tampa.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Dario Franchitti will leave NASCAR and return to IndyCar in 2009 as the replacement driver for Dan Wheldon at Chip Ganassi Racing.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -- The Denver Broncos traded versatile defensive back Domonique Foxworth to the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday for a conditional seventh-round draft choice in 2009.
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) -- The Auburn Tigers are switching starting quarterbacks, but coach Tommy Tuberville has hardly declared a winner in the Kodi Burns vs. Chris Todd duel.
I'm boring, I'm bland, I'm predictable.
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- Call it immersion therapy, delving back into a hurtful event to prevent its recurrence.
The takeover of Manchester City by an Abu Dhabi group is further evidence that soccer clubs have become a hot buy
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The New Orleans Saints are returning to the Superdome for their NFL season-opener Sunday, The Associated Press has learned.
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot and critically wounded outside an apartment building early Tuesday as he and a former Jacksonville teammate waited for two women they had met at a nightclub
Musings, observations and the occasional insight as we count down the hours until the NFL's regular-season opening kickoff on Thursday night in Giants Stadium.....
TORONTO (AP) -- The Blue Jays activated outfielder Brad Wilkerson off the 15-day disabled list Tuesday and recalled right-hander Shaun Marcum, outfielder Kevin Mench, right-hander Scott Richmond, catcher Curtis Thigpen and right-hander Brian Wolfe from Triple-A Syracuse.
Everyone already knows about the man-crush* I have on Twins manager Ron Gardenhire.
These early-season Heisman Watches are always the most difficult to do. Candidates have such a small sampling of games, and most of those are against a slew of Directional State U nobodies. For that reason the Watch will wait to drastically move contenders up and down the list. That's not to say, however, that the opening week of games was without its share of Heisman developments, beginning with one from the Watch's preseason favorite, Beanie Wells.
These days, there's not much to cheer for right now in places like Texas and Atlanta, Cleveland and San Francisco. Unless, that is, you're into counting down the final days of an utterly fruitless, stingingly depressing baseball season.

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