Ramírez unloads on Yankees again
Boston Globe
NEW YORK – Had enough of the Yankees, having seen them five times in the last seven days? The sentiment is understandable, unless you’re Manny Ramírez, who has reason to mourn because he won’t see the Bombers again until Fourth of July weekend.

Bulls, Bucks drop ax
Boston Globe
The Chicago Bulls’ season was so disappointing, two coaches got fired. Interim coach Jim Boylan, who took over for Scott Skiles in December, took the fall yesterday for the team’s 11th-place finish in the Eastern Conference just one

Knuble KO’s Caps
Boston Herald
By Herald wire services PHILADELPHIA – Mike Knuble needed nearly 90 minutes to deliver Philadelphia’s biggest goal of the playoffs.

Pavelski helps give San Jose 3-2 lead as series returns to Calgary
San Francisco Chronicle
For at least one night, however, center Joe Pavelski played “Joe Cool” to Joe Thornton’s daily label as the best player in the world, scoring the Sharks’ first goal and assisting on another in Thursday’s 4-3 Game 5 win in the Stanley Cup playoffs at …

West Matchup: No. 1 Lakers vs. No. 8 Nuggets
SportingNews.com
The Lakers could not have asked for a better opponent. They owned the Nuggets in the regular season, sweeping three games by an average of 118.0-101.7.

Ducks down to last chance vs. Stars
SportingNews.com
The Anaheim Ducks have made many missteps in their defense of the Stanley Cup title. They know full well their next one could be their last in this postseason.

Silva strong on mound as M’s defeat A’s
Sports Network
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Carlos Silva pitched seven effective innings as Seattle swept a brief two-game set in Oakland with an 8-1 victory over the Athletics.

Bases-Loaded Wild Pitch in 14th Sends Nationals to Another Loss
Washington Post
By Barry Svrluga – It is not enough for the Washington Nationals to get a superbly pitched game from their starter, because they have a nonexistent offense.

Pound for pound
Boston Globe
NEW YORK – Were Josh Beckett to come into Yankee Stadium tonight, take the New Yorkers by storm, and pitch seven or eight innings, there would certainly be sighs of relief from Red Sox relievers.

Rookie Staal atones for Game 3 mistake in Rangers’ win
USA Today
By Tom Canavan, AP NEW YORK – The New Jersey Devils plan on getting even with the New York Rangers, and only part of that involves rallying from a 3-1 deficit in their first round Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series.

In sudden shift, he leaves UMass
Boston Globe
LSU had some interest; Providence had more. But for Travis Ford, the right fit is Oklahoma State. When Cowboys officials called this week to see if the University of Massachusetts men’s basketball coach would be interested in coming to Stillwater, …

West playoffs finally settled with games in Texas
SI.com
Three games in Texas on the last night of the regular season settled the final six spots in the Western Conference playoffs – and set up some intriguing first-round matchups.

Nellie still deciding about next season
SI.com
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -Don Nelson plans to take a couple of months before deciding whether he will return for a third season as coach of the Golden State Warriors.

Johnson still wants trade
Boston Globe
Responding to a statement made by Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer that suggested the receiver told Palmer he would be at the team’s minicamp in mid-June, Johnson told ESPN.

Felix goes distance, dominates Athletics
Seattle Post Intelligencer
By JOHN HICKEY Teammate Ichiro Suzuki said Hernandez represented the entire pitching staff when he threw 115 pitches over nine innings in a 4-2 win over the Oakland A’s.

Woods grabs momentum at end
San Jose Mercury News
Tiger Woods hits out of a bunker on the second hole during the second round of the 2008 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.

Rain doesn’t wash Red Sox win away
Boston Herald
By Jeff Horrigan Last week, construction workers building the new Yankee Stadium revealed that a colleague who roots for the Red Sox [team stats] secretly buried a Sox jersey in the concrete foundation of the $ 1.3 billion structure, hoping it would …

Freeze-frame
Boston Globe
DENVER – This time, it was not going to elude them. This time, it was not going to end in devastating disappointment. This time, it was going to be theirs.

The Hot Pass: Johnson leads Hendrick revival
FOXSports.com
by Lee Spencer AVONDALE, Ariz. – It was never a question of if, but when Hendrick Motorsports would break through and visit Victory Lane this year.

Warriors still alive in the playoff chase
San Jose Mercury News
By Geoff Lepper The sellout crowd of 19706 dutifully roared Saturday night when the final score of the Denver Nuggets’ loss to Utah was shown on the scoreboard at Oracle Arena late in the second quarter of the Warriors’ game against the Los Angeles …

Padres vs. Dodgers – Preview – April 13, 2008
ESPN
AccuScore has powered more than 10000 simulations for every MLB game for ESPN.com, each simulated one play at a time and minimum of 10000 times.

Cotto punishes Gomez – Margarito crushes Cintron!
EastsideBoxing.com
By Mike Indri, Retired Boxers Foundation – April 13, 2008 — Atlantic City, NJ – With the Boardwalk Hall filled, and HBO broadcasting to millions at home, Miguel Cotto tore into Alfonso Gomez and in the same ring where the “Contender” fighter enjoyed …

Monba surprises field in Blue Grass
Baltimore Sun
By Sandra McKee | Sun reporter April 13, 2008 Trainer Todd Pletcher was cool yesterday, refusing to show too much emotion when a one-two finish by his entries in the Grade I, $750000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland assured him of at least one runner in …

Lakers go from new rivals to old
Los Angeles Times
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will try to fly past the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday in a Western Conference showdown with plenty of playoff implications.

American League Roundup No-Hit Bid Is Stopped, but White Sox Are Not
New York Times
By AP Gavin Floyd lost a no-hit bid when Édgar Rentería singled with one out in the eighth inning Saturday as the Chicago White Sox beat the visiting Detroit Tigers, 7-0.

Crosby powers win over Indians
San Francisco Chronicle
Without a lot of power and without two of their top three starters, the fresh-faced A’s are somehow the American League’s best team.

Angels roll over against Seattle
Los Angeles Times
Chone Figgins is out at second base as the Mariners completed a double play to end the third inning Saturday. Matthews hits into three double plays and makes a costly error to help the Mariners prevail.

Green’s Storm Before Calm
Washington Post
By Tarik El-Bashir Mike Green, like many of his teammates, was nearly overcome with nerves early in his NHL playoff debut Friday night.

Brewers’ Sheets puts Mets to bed
Boston Herald
By Herald wire services / NL Roundup Ben Sheets ruined Johan Santana’s Shea Stadium debut, outpitching the Mets’ new ace in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 5-3 win yesterday in New York.

No-hit bid crashes for Cain, Giants
San Jose Mercury News
By Daniel Brown Nobody said a word to Matt Cain. There were no apologies, no encouraging pats on the back, no words of consolation.

Fortune shines on Montreal
Boston Globe
MONTREAL – The deciding overtime sequence – an Alex Kovalev screamer that skimmed off Zdeno Chara’s stick and over Tim Thomas’s shoulder at 2:30 – was an unfortunate end to the Bruins, not just because they ended up on the wrong side of a 3-2 decision.

RSL’s history-making win
Salt Lake Tribune
By Michael C. Lewis * IN SHORT: Real Salt Lake enjoys the biggest victory in its history, blasting DC United 4-0 for its first win of the season.

Ochoa expands lead to 7 strokes
San Jose Mercury News
Lorena Ochoa closed in on the last point she needs to qualify for the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, shooting her third consecutive 7-under 66 Saturday to take a seven-stroke lead in the Corona Championship in Morelia, Mexico.

Hoops finish the job this time
MLS – Major League Soccer
By Steve Hunt / MLSnet.com Staff FRISCO, Texas — After starting the 2008 season with a pair of disappointing draws, FC Dallas finished the job with a 2-0 win against the New York Red Bulls at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday night.

Roy, Blazers snap Mavs’ streak
Sports Network
Portland, OR (Sports Network) – Brandon Roy scored 23 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers past the Dallas Mavericks, 108-105.

British players succeeding at Augusta
FOXSports.com
by ALISTAIR TAIT, Golfweek.com A green-jacketed member didn’t exactly ride around the verdant expanses of Augusta National warning fellow members and countrymen of an impending British invasion, but it might just have been in order on opening day.

Self staying at Kansas
Sports Network
Lawrence, KS (Sports Network) – Bill Self will remain as Kansas’ head basketball coach, ending speculation he would depart for the vacant job at Oklahoma State.

Boston College, Notre Dame to meet in final
Sports Network
Denver, CO (Sports Network) – Calle Ridderwall scored the game-winner 5:44 into overtime, as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to the first championship game in the program’s 40-year history with a 5-4 win over the Michigan Wolverines in the …

Bush Under More Pressure to Skip at Least the Olympic Opening in …
Washington Post
By Dan Eggen CRAWFORD, Tex., April 10 — President Bush says the Summer Games in Beijing are about sports, not politics, but much of the rest of the world seems to think otherwise.

Sharks win 2-0, square series
San Jose Mercury News
By David Pollak San Jose Sharks’ goalie Evgeni Nabokov (20) makes a save against Calgary Flames’ Calgary Flames’ Jarome Iginla (12) in the second period of Game 2 of the quarterfinals of the NHL Playoffs at HP Pavilion in San Jose Calif.

Yankees 6, Royals 1 Pettitte Helps the Yankees Avoid a Sweep
New York Times
By TYLER KEPNER KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fans at Kauffman Stadium had more on their minds than Andy Pettitte on Thursday night. There was the threat of rain and the possibility of a series sweep by the upstart Royals.

Sharp Curb on Salmon Season
New York Times
By FELICITY BARRINGER Faced with the collapse of the fall Chinook salmon run in the Sacramento River, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted Thursday to cancel all commercial salmon fishing this year from the California coast to north-central …

The Hot Pass: Newman wins pole, but Sadler surprises
FOXSports.com
by Lee Spencer Elliott Sadler qualified so well at Phoenix International Raceway on Thursday that he surprised even himself. For the 18th time in Sadler’s career, he will start on the front row for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Rangers’ bats afire in nightcap
MLB.com
By Ken Daley / Special to MLB.com ARLINGTON — Apparently, all it took was a night of rain to cool off the sizzling Baltimore Orioles.

Ford parked at UMass
Boston Herald
By Rich Thompson UMass men’s basketball coach Travis Ford ended speculation about his possible departure from the Pioneer Valley with an announcement during the team banquet last night.

=== Hendrickson tosses seven strong innings as Fish complete sweep …
Sports Network
Washington, DC (Sports Network) – Mark Hendrickson threw seven solid innings, and Jorge Cantu went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, as the Florida Marlins topped Washington, 4-3, to sweep a three-game series at Nationals Park.

Nuggets power past Warriors to gain vital edge in playoff race
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) – Allen Iverson poured in 33 points and shared the wealth with nine assists, as Denver moved one game ahead of Golden State for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 114-105 victory over the …

Teammates of Jones Stripped of Medals
New York Times
By KATIE THOMAS Marion Jones’s relay teammates will lose the medals they won in the 2000 Sydney Olympics because of Jones’s admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs, the International Olympic Committee announced Thursday.

Stewart, Johnson among those asking for drug tests
FOXSports.com
by Lee Spencer AVONDALE, Ariz. – Tony Stewart announced on Friday at Phoenix International Raceway that Subway would be the primary sponsor on the No.

Red Sox down Tigers in series finale at Fenway
Sports Network
Boston, MA (Sports Network) – Sean Casey drove in three runs as Boston doubled up Detroit, 12-6, in the finale of a three-game set at Fenway Park.

NBA Roundup Nowitzki Buries Jazz With 3-Pointer
New York Times
By AP Dirk Nowitzki swished a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left, breaking a tie and giving the Dallas Mavericks a 97-94 victory against the visiting Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

Gauging the Arenas Factor
Washington Post
By Michael Lee Three times in the second quarter of the Washington Wizards’ 109-95 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Gilbert Arenas stole the ball and was out front all alone on a fast break, and in none of those instances did he attempt to …

Reyes sneaks home on Pagan’s single in 12th as Mets edge Phillies
Sports Network
Flushing, NY (Sports Network) – Angel Pagan’s two-out single scored Jose Reyes with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th, as the New York Mets edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, in the rubber match of a three-game set at Shea Stadium.

Inglese resigns from BC women
Boston Herald
By Rich Thompson Inglese’s sudden departure came on the heels of one of her finest efforts on the bench, as she guided the Eagles to a 21-12 mark and a fifth-place finish in the ACC despite low preseason expectations.

Cubs finish sweep of Pirates
Sports Network
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) – Mike Fontenot and Geovany Soto both hit two- run home runs and Jon Lieber provided 4 1/3 innings of scoreless long relief, as the Chicago Cubs finished a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 7-3 victory at PNC Park.

Another NASCAR win for Carl Edwards
Los Angeles Times
He races to his NASCAR Sprint Cup series-best third win of the season, holding off Jimmie Johnson on a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish to win the Samsung 500.

Beckett: ‘I felt good’
Boston Herald
By Rob Bradford TORONTO – The pitching line didn’t tell Josh Beckett [stats]’s story yesterday. His words following his 2008 debut did.

Last-Second Score Lifts Tennessee
New York Times
John Raoux/AP By JERÉ LONGMAN TAMPA, Fla. – It was one of the ugliest game played this or any season, and Tennessee did not so much win against Louisiana State in the national semifinals on Sunday as it did survive.

Stanford women stop UConn, vaults into NCAA final
San Francisco Chronicle
No more tears, no more dog piles at center court, no more Geno Auriemma and the Connecticut Huskies.

Backcourt is front and center for Memphis
USA Today
By Marlen Garcia, USA TODAY SAN ANTONIO – Chris Douglas-Roberts gets teased relentlessly by his Memphis teammates for the unorthodox way he breaks down defenses.

Sox polish off sweep of Tigers
MLB.com
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com DETROIT — Sweeping the Tigers at Comerica Park shouldn’t be thrown into the category of unexpected news where the White Sox are concerned.

Raucous Protests Greet Olympic Flame
Washington Post
By BRYAN MITCHELL AP LONDON — Demonstrators grabbed at the Olympic torch, blocked its path and tried to snuff out its flame Sunday in raucous protests of China’s human rights record that forced a string of last-second changes to a chaotic relay …

Rockets clinch playoff berth with drubbing of Clippers
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – Aaron Brooks tallied 18 points and four assists off the Houston bench, and the Rockets secured a playoff berth with a 105-79 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.

NBA: LA Lakers 114, Sacramento 92
United Press International
SACRAMENTO, April 7 (UPI) — Kobe Bryant, Vladimir Radmanovic and Paul Gasol combined for 70 points Sunday, carrying the Los Angeles Lakers past Sacramento 114-92.

Keeping Score Woods’s Success Starts With Finishing Touch
New York Times
By MARK SWEENEY When Tiger Woods tees off in the Masters on Thursday, he will be in the all-too-familiar position of the heavy favorite.

Steady Play at Sony Ericsson Yields Unsung Russian’s 12th Career Title
Washington Post
By Amy Shipley KEY BISCAYNE, Fla., April 6 — So much for putting pressure on Roger Federer, the world’s top-ranked male tennis player.

Penguins denied top seeding with loss
Los Angeles Times
Biron stops 20 shots in the Flyers’ 2-0 victory, which leaves Pittsburgh second in the Eastern Conference behind Montreal. * at Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 0: Martin Biron stopped 20 shots in his second straight shutout and led the Flyers to a victory …

Padres’ Peavy denies using pine tar on hand
Los Angeles Times
By Dylan Hernandez, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer SAN DIEGO — Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt was handed a picture of Jake Peavy, the image showing a dark substance on the thumb, forefinger and middle finger of the San Diego Padres ace’s …

In Relief Pitching 101, Chamberlain Aces a Test
New York Times
By JACK CURRY Chien-Ming Wang was a few steps from the Yankees’ dugout, still soaking up the fading applause for holding the Tampa Bay Rays without a run into the seventh inning.

With Every Triumph, Ochoa Is More of a Major Player
Washington Post
By Leonard Shapiro RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif., April 6 — Lorena Ochoa said earlier this week she long ago had forgotten her weekend failures in the past two Kraft Nabisco championships.

Durant lifts Sonics over Nuggets in 2-OT affair
Sports Network
Seattle, WA (Sports Network) – Kevin Durant poured in 37 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers that forced two different overtime periods, and the Seattle SuperSonics put a dent in the Denver Nuggets’ playoff hopes by winning a 151-147 …

Texas assistant Ken McDonald to become coach at Western Kentucky
SI.com
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) -Ken McDonald spent most of his final season as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky in 2002-03 working inside a cramped trailer outside EA Diddle Arena while the university gave the aging facility a makeover.

Report: Houston vs Dallas – USA Major League Soccer
ESPN
Despite two goals by Kenny Cooper, the Hoops settled for a 3-3 tie with the Houston Dynamo on Sunday at Robertson Stadium when Geoff Cameron netted a goal in the 91st minute.

Devils Gain a Victory and Retain Home Ice
New York Times
Neither Devils defenseman Colin White nor Rangers center Martin Straka was in position to control the puck during the second period Sunday in Newark.

An Era Begins Without Walsh, but With a Supportive Thomas
New York Times
By HOWARD BECK The first home game of the Donnie Walsh era took place Sunday without Donnie Walsh, or his new employer James L. Dolan, or any overt sign that anything has changed at Madison Square Garden.

Giants edge Dodgers after rain delay
Sports Network
Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – Tim Lincecum came out of the bullpen to work four innings and earn the win, and Randy Winn’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly proved to be the difference in the San Francisco Giants’ rain-delayed 2-1 victory over the Los …

Daily Dime: Surprise! Nowitzki Suits Up, Leads Mavs – NBA
ESPN
After missing four games with a high ankle sprain, the reigning league MVP made a triumphant return. By Marc Stein DALLAS — It would not have been Resurrection Wednesday in the NBA without multiple resurrections.

Berkman’s blast leads Astros to win
MLB.com
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com SAN DIEGO — PETCO Park is supposed to be a pitcher’s haven, but on Wednesday, it served as a bandbox for both teams’ hitters.

Las Vegas’ slate of Final Four wagers grows
USA Today
By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY The sports books of Las Vegas are offering another way to gamble on the NCAA men’s Final Four: “prop bets” on the game performances of individual players such as Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina.

Walsh Will Take Control of Knicks
New York Times
By HOWARD BECK Donnie Walsh, who has been quietly negotiating with Madison Square Garden officials for at least two weeks, will be introduced Wednesday as the Knicks’ president of basketball operations.

Mets’ Martinez out with hamstring injury
Philadelphia Daily News
Pedro Martinez will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks with what the New York Mets said was a mild strain of his left hamstring. The three-time Cy Young Award winner was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday.

Andy Roddick tries again against nemesis Roger Federer at Sony Open
The Canadian Press
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Andy Roddick’s winning percentage against Roger Federer could be worse. Instead of .063, it could be .000.

Gasol returns in Lakers’ victory
Los Angeles Times
Center has 10 points, seven assists in first game since March 14. Bryant has 36 points and 13 rebounds. By Jonathan Abrams, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Most eyes were front and on the center.