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Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
ReutersAfter Jones struck out, Cox began pulling his starters. Rookie Kelly Johnson pinch-hit for Andruw Jones. Little-used Brayan Pena batted for Brian McCann.
After Pena came through with a bases-loaded double, pushing the lead to 12-3 before he was thrown out at third, Cox cleared his bench. Starting pitcher Tim Hudson (14-9) was replaced by Jim Brower. Rookies Pete Orr, Wilson Betemit and Andy Marte entered the game.
Even Eddie Perez, who missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, got in as a pinch hitter — his first appearance since May 18. The Braves came out of the dugout to clap for one of the team’s most popular players. The crowd chanted, “Eddie! Eddie!”
“A lot of people ask me what was my best moment in baseball,” said Perez, who was MVP of the 1999 NL championship series. “This was it. This was No. 1.”
The Braves overcame all sorts of adversity to do what they always do — win the East.
When pitchers Mike Hampton and John Thomson went down with injuries, Atlanta dipped into its bullpen for journeyman Jorge Sosa, who had a career record of 11-26. He’s 13-3 this season.
When aging outfielders Raul Mondesi and Brian Jordan failed to recapture their past form, the Braves turned to Francoeur and fellow rookies Johnson and Ryan Langerhans.
When Chipper Jones was sidelined by a foot problem, Betemit filled in ably. When new closer Dan Kolb didn’t work out, the Braves traded for Kyle Farnsworth. When catchers Johnny Estrada and Perez were ailing, McCann came up from the minors.
If nothing else, this season showed off the philosophy that has carried the Braves to one of the most remarkable streaks in any sport. It’s all about scouting and player development, which was evident in the clinching game.
Atlanta’s lineup included three rookies and eight homegrown players, the only exception being Hudson. And even he grew up a Braves’ fan in neighboring Alabama.
The youngsters were right in the middle of a four-run fifth, which essentially finished off the Rockies. Francoeur beat out a bases-loaded dribbler to third, driving in one run. Langerhans and McCann followed with bases-loaded walks to make it 7-1.
Aaron Cook (6-2) took the loss, giving up eight hits and six earned runs in 4 2-3 innings.
“This is pretty special,” Cox said. “When the rookies came up, the veterans turned it up a notch.”
Together, they knew how to celebrate.
Notes: The Braves have already cleared space on their left-field facade to add another pennant. They likely will unveil it Wednesday before finishing up with the Rockies — the final regular-season home game. ... A heavy but brief rainstorm delayed the game for 47 minutes after the second inning. ... Hudson improved to 87-4 in his career when given at least four runs to work with. ... Garrett Atkins drove in two of Colorado’s three runs.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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