SEATTLE (Reuters) - L.A Galaxy's turnaround from worst to best in Major League Soccer, which could be completed with a win in Sunday's MLS Cup final, has been largely due to David Beckham's change in attitude, captain Landon Donovan said Friday. Donovan made stinging criticisms of Beckham in a ...

BERNE (Reuters) - Asian champions Iraq have been suspended from international soccer because of political interference in the country's Football Association, world governing body FIFA said on Friday. It is Iraq's second ban in 18 months, the previous having lasted just three days, and comes only ...

International Association of Athletics Federations spokesman Nick Davies said on Friday the world governing body's ruling council had decided to introduce six to seven hammer competitions in 2010. The council also approved the retention of a nine-day format for its outdoor world championships with ...

LONDON (Reuters) - France captain Thierry Henry has agreed a replay against Ireland would be the fairest solution to the controversy surrounding the teams' World Cup playoff. The striker handled the ball in the buildup to William Gallas's goal in Wednesday's 1-1 second-leg draw in Paris, earning ...

LONDON (Reuters) - World number one tennis player Roger Federer believes his friend Thierry Henry should not be villified for the handball which helped France edge past Ireland into the World Cup finals Wednesday. Henry clawed the ball back with his hand and crossed for William Gallas to head ...

"The FIFA Emergency Committee has...decided to suspend the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) due to governmental interference," the world governing body said in a statement. FIFA said it learned earlier this week the Iraqi Olympic Committee had disbanded the IFA and government security ...

MONTE CARLO (Reuters) - The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is still seeking a resolution to South African runner Caster Semenya's gender case, spokesman Nick Davies said on Friday. Semenya, 18, underwent gender verification tests in South Africa and Germany after winning ...

DUBAI (Reuters) - Lee Westwood took advantage of a couple of putting errors by money-list rival Rory McIlroy to grab a two-shot lead after the second round of the season-ending Dubai World Championship Friday. Westwood birdied the 18th, a tough par-five, to shoot a three-under 69 for a nine-under ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Manny Pacquiao's desire to take on Floyd Mayweather may not be enough to persuade the American to climb into the ring for a dream fight against the Filipino, promoter Bob Arum said on Thursday. As Pacquiao returned to a hero's welcome in Manila on Friday following his ...

France sealed their place at the 2010 World Cup finals with a 1-1 draw against Ireland in Paris Wednesday after striker Thierry Henry handled the ball in the build-up to their goal. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has called for FIFA to order a replay and while French President Nicolas ...

Devin Brown and Marcus Thornton both added 19 points for the Hornets, who won for the second straight time under new coach Jeff Bower after he replaced the fired Byron Scott last week. The Hornets lost 124-104 when the teams met in Phoenix eight days ago, in a game that turned out to be Scott's ...

In a fight-filled first period, Rick Nash opened the scoring with a power-play goal before Kristian Huselius made it 2-0 for the Blue Jackets with a shorthanded marker. Huselius scored again at 10:23 in the second and Raffi Torres made it 4-0 20 seconds later to give Columbus their third win in a ...

Pacquiao, widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, has set his eyes on a seat in the lower house of Congress, a battle he lost in 2007 when he first attempted to climb into the political arena. "One of these days, I will file my certificate of candidacy," ...

SEATTLE (Reuters) - United States and L.A Galaxy striker Landon Donovan has been named Most Valuable Player in Major League Soccer, the league said on Thursday. Donovan received the most votes in polling of players, general managers, coaches and the media. FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham and New ...

Gay, winner of the award in 2007, has been overshadowed by Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt but improved the American 100 meters record three times in a three-month span. He lowered the mark to 9.71 seconds when finishing runner-up to Bolt, who set the world record of 9.58, in the 100 meters ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants claimed the National League Cy Young Award for the second successive year Thursday, winning in a close vote over Cardinals starters Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Lincecum, 15-7 with a 2.48 earned run average for the Giants, ...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Major League Baseball still faces an uncertain U.S. economy that led to lower attendance and financial losses at some clubs this year, the commissioner of the U.S. sports league said on Thursday. "I've said this all year and I'll say it again, we're living in the most ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will step on board the riverboat to the ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday with the world number one ranking in their sights. After a season that began with Federer in floods of tears at the Australian Open and Spain's Nadal seemingly on the verge of ...

DUBAI (Reuters) - Lee Westwood's six-under-par 66 at the season-ending Dubai World Championship gave him a first-round advantage over money-list rival Rory McIlroy on Thursday. Former European number one Westwood shared second place with Colombian Camilo Villegas and Briton Chris Wood, one stroke ...

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has agreed that South African runner Caster Semenya will keep her 800 meters world title, the country's sports ministry said Thursday. The 18-year-old Semenya, who stormed to victory in August's world ...

PARIS (Reuters) - Thierry Henry was compared to the great Diego Maradona, although not the way he may have wished, and coach Raymond Domenech faced further criticism after France controversially scraped past Ireland to make the World Cup. While Ireland were understandably devastated, France were ...

Jarret Stoll scored to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead with seconds remaining in the first period before Mika Pyorala and Mike Richards put the Flyers up 2-1 in the second. Flyers rookie James van Riemsdyk put in a backhand to give the visitors a 3-1 lead in the third, but Drew Doughty scored on a ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Washington Wizards overcame a 34-point performance by LeBron James to crush the Central Division-leading Cleveland Cavaliers 108-91 on Wednesday and snap a six-game losing streak. Antawn Jamison, who hurt his shoulder during pre-season and missed the first nine games, ...

Having missed the team's first 11 games because of a hamstring ailment, the seven-foot Spaniard trained Wednesday and declared himself fit for his first regular season game on the Lakers website (http://www.nba.com/lakers/) said. "I felt great today and don't see any reason I shouldn't be ...

LONDON (Reuters) - The final lineup of teams for next year's World Cup in South Africa was settled on Wednesday after six drama-charged playoffs on three different continents. France, with a controversial extra-time goal, joined Slovenia, Greece and Portugal as the last four qualifiers from Europe.

Should the 21-year-old go on to seal the deal at The Houstonian Golf and Country Club, she would become the first player to complete the rare double since Nancy Lopez in 1978. "Now that we have just one tournament left and I'm still on top, I really want it," Shin told reporters on the ...

The three-times Pro Bowler suffered the injury when Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn struck him with an illegal low block during Baltimore's 16-0 win on Monday. Suggs, 27, will be replaced on Sunday by 23-year-old rookie Paul Kruger who will have his hands full against Peyton Manning and ...

A former World Series-winning player with the Orioles and manager of the Mets, the 66-year-old Johnson joins the Nationals after managing Team USA to a semi-final berth in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The Nationals had a major league-worst 59-103 record in 2009.

The season tees off in Thailand from February 18-21 and stays in Asia a week later with an event in Singapore. "We have made great strides in our long-term goal of building an intelligent and sustainable schedule for the LPGA Tour," acting commissioner Marty Evans told a news conference ...

LONDON (Reuters) - World number one Roger Federer will face his U.S. Open conqueror Juan Martin del Potro in the round-robin stage of the ATP Tour finals after getting the rough end of Wednesday's draw for the season finale. The Swiss, still not guaranteed to end the year on top of the rankings, ...

Tracy, who took over the Rockies in late May when they were in last place, led Colorado to the National League wild card berth. Scioscia, who also received the award in the Angels' 2002 World Series title season, guided them to a third straight AL West title.

The teenaged Semenya, who stormed to victory in the women's 800 meters at August's world championships, underwent gender verification tests this summer in South Africa and Germany after questions about her gender, and a panel of experts has been studying the results for the IAAF. "There will ...

DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Bahrain's Olympic 1,500 meters champion Rashid Ramzi has been stripped of his gold medal for doping at the Beijing 2008 Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday. "The IOC today announced sanctions against five athletes who participated in the ...

"Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse have filed appeals at CAS against decisions taken by the Vlaams Doping Tribunal of Gand, Belgium, in which they were found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation," a CAS statement said. Wickmayer, a U.S. Open semi-finalist this year, was ...

DUBAI (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy has revealed a conversation with Jeev Milkha Singh swayed his decision to join the U.S. PGA Tour next season, despite advice from Ernie Els, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke to stay in Europe for another year. The European Tour's money-list leader, speaking on the eve ...

The 24-year-old won a championship ring last season but was released by the Lakers at the end of July before again being waived by the New York Knicks on October 7. "I wasn't happy being in a high-level basketball league but not having a chance to play," he told Wednesday's Titan Sports ...

Bryant, who struggled with an injured leg during the Lakers' loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday, posted the 100th 40-point performance of his career. "I did therapy around the clock just trying to get as healthy as I can to be productive," Bryant told reporters after notching 40 ...

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has already begun to throw the considerable weight of its state-run sports system behind the game of golf after it won a place at the 2016 Olympics last month. With the Soviet-inspired system almost single-mindedly dedicated to Olympic success, the Copenhagen vote was ...

Milan Hejduk's scored with 54 seconds left in the second period to break a 2-2 deadlock, while Craig Anderson proved rock solid at the net to deny the Flames an equalizer in the scoreless third. Cody McLeod converted a snap shot for Colorado at 18 minutes in a frenetic second period in which four ...

BEIJING (Reuters) - Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue have returned to the ice with a vengeance with their eyes set firmly on winning China's first Olympic figure skating gold medal in Vancouver early next year. The married couple, bronze medalists in the pairs event at the 2006 Winter Games, retired after ...

Ovechkin's one-timer past Henrik Lundqvist at 15:06 in the first period tied the game at 1-1 and was his NHL-leading 15th goal of the season. New York Rangers right wing Marian Gaborik has also scored 15 goals. "It's always nice when you get hurt and you come back and you score in the first ...

"We entered the season knowing that we would have to go through some growing pains with Steve," Ravens' general manager Ozzie Newsome said on the team's website (http://www.baltimoreravens.com). "That happens with most new kickers in the NFL.

Johnson was released by the Kansas City Chiefs eight days ago after being suspended for "conduct detrimental to the club." "He's starting from scratch," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis told a news conference. "He knows what he has at stake and at risk. He gets an opportunity to ...

MIAMI (Reuters) - David Beckham, booed on his return to the United States, has silenced his critics by helping the L.A Galaxy to the MLS Cup final, his coach Bruce Arena said on Tuesday. Beckham, who missed the first half of the MLS season while he played for AC Milan, was abused and taunted in ...

"I'm really disappointed ... I love playing in London and I've heard so many good things about the venue," Roddick told the ATP website (www.atpworldtour.com). "However, I have not fully recovered from my knee injury and I won't be able to compete. One of my goals in 2010 will be to ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals, who overcame anxiety and depression to dominate on the mound, was the overwhelming choice for the 2009 American League (AL) Cy Young Award as best pitcher. The right-hander, playing for a 65-97 Royals team that was next to last in the AL ...

Shanahan, a fierce competitor, left the New Jersey Devils during training camp and on Tuesday announced his retirement as the 11th leading goal scorer on the all-time list with 656, three Stanley Cups and a trophy case full of individual honors. The second pick in the 1987 draft by the Devils, ...

"I am announcing today that I am relieving Dick Jauron from his duties as our head coach, effectively immediately," said Bills owner Ralph Wilson in a team statement. "I have tremendous respect for Dick and thank him for all of his efforts during these past four years.

The 25-year-old, who leads the 2-7 Chiefs with 33 receptions, will be eligible to return to the active roster after the December 13 game against the Buffalo Bills. Kansas City's first-round selection in the 2007 draft, Bowe has 189 catches for 2,483 yards and 16 touchdowns in 40 career games.

Lutai, 23, who finished 9th in the figure skating world championships in March, was stopped by police about 11 p.m. on Sunday in Lake Placid, New York, about 290 miles north of New York City. He had been in Lake Placid for a Skate America competition. "The defendant was stopped operating a ...

"FIFA has learnt that the Iraqi Olympic Committee announced the dissolution of the governing board of the Iraqi Football Association (IFA)," a FIFA statement said. "The basis on which such a decision could be taken is incomprehensible to FIFA. This stands in total contradiction with ...

The Browns (1-8) replaced Derek Anderson with Brady Quinn at starting quarterback as they desperately sought to revive their flagging season, but it was tough assignment for the 25-year-old, who was sacked four times and intercepted twice. The third-year player finished 13-for-31 passing with 99 ...

James van Riemsdyk scored the decisive third goal in the final period to ensure the Flyers snapped New Jersey's eight-game winning streak overall and halted a run of nine successive road victories for the Devils (14-5-0). "Well, it (was) going to happen one day," New Jersey coach Jacques ...

Joe Johnson had a game-high 35 points, including eight in overtime, as the Hawks won their fifth game in a row. "Two, three, four years ago we'd have lost a game like this," Johnson told reporters after the Hawks moved into a tie for the league's best record at 9-2.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday denied American golfer Doug Barron's request to lift a 12-month ban for a doping violation, saying it would be unfair on other golfers trying to qualify for next year's events. Barron, a 40-year-old journeyman on the U.S. PGA and Nationwide tours, ...

Iverson, 34, had been on a leave of absence since November 7 to deal with an undisclosed personal matter. "The Grizzlies and Allen Iverson have come to a mutual agreement that because of personal matters that forced him to leave the team on November 7, Allen will step away from the game at ...

A league spokesman said the fine was for "conduct detrimental to the NFL." Prior to the announcement of the fine, Adams had apologized for his actions which were captured in video and accessible on the internet.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber believes the sport is finally catching on in the United States and Canada with the emergence of a true soccer fan culture. Organized fan groups have sprung up at clubs across North America in recent years, adopting colorful styles of ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oakland Athletics closer Andrew Bailey was named American League Rookie of the Year while Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan won the National League award announced Monday. Bailey, 25, emerged as Oakland's closer early in the season and registered 26 saves with a 1.84 ...

"Bobby Frankel was one of the greatest trainers in thoroughbred racing history," National Thoroughbred Racing Association President and CEO Alex Waldrop said in a statement. "His outstanding horsemanship, coupled with a keen insight into the game, made him a force in the sport for ...

Jackson, 31, has averaged 16.6 points and 3.9 rebounds for the Warriors (3-6) this season. Last summer, the 10-year NBA veteran had demanded the Warriors trade him. "I know Stephen, he loves to play, and we've got to make it work out -- and I'm confident it will," Charlotte coach Larry ...

Paul suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Friday's game against Portland when he landed on Joel Przybilla's ankle. A two-time All-Star, Paul is averaging 23.8 points, 9.2 assists and 1.7 steals this season. He leads the NBA in three point percentage (.655).

LONDON (Reuters) - Mercedes' decision to buy Formula One champions Brawn and sell their stake in McLaren is good for all those involved, according to McLaren co-owner and former team head Ron Dennis. "This is a win-win situation, for both McLaren and Daimler," Dennis said in a McLaren ...

"Ross Brawn is the boss of the team and it would not be smart for us to dictate to him anything like a driver decision," Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Mercedes' parent Daimler, told reporters Monday. "We will talk and listen to what he wants to do and typically agree."

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court said on Monday that it rejected an appeal by six American Indians in their long-running legal challenge of the Washington Redskins' name, which they find racially offensive. The justices declined to review a U.S. appeals court ruling that held the ...

MADRID (Reuters) - Top 10 duo Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco have returned to the Spain side for next month's Davis Cup final against Czech Republic, captain Albert Costa said on Monday. David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez complete the four-man team for the December 4-6 tie in Barcelona where ...

The new rule states that any past champion finishing in the top 10 in any of the five previous years gains a five-year exemption, meaning the 60-year-old American's runner-up finish this year guarantees him entry until 2014. Watson would have been spared from qualifying next year anyway under the ...

The Thai added the 2009 honor to the 2001 and 2004 crowns when he fought off China's Liang Wenchong at the Hong Kong Open Sunday. Liang had needed at least a second place finish to retain hope of a second order of merit title but he finished tied for 11th along with Thongchai.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Mexican international Antonio de Nigris has died of a suspected heart attack, his club Larissa confirmed on Monday. The 31-year-old striker, who signed for Larissa in August, was rushed to hospital in the early hours of Monday morning but was pronounced dead on arrival at ...

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - The Indianapolis Colts capitalized on a failed gamble by the New England Patriots to retain their unbeaten record with a stunning 35-34 comeback victory in the dying seconds on Sunday. Clinging to a 34-28 lead with the ball on their own 28 and just over two minutes ...

Nash scored 23 points and had nine assists but his most telling contribution came with 38.9 seconds remaining, when he tied the score at 100-100 on a driving layup and added the winning free throw off a Jose Calderon foul on the play. "Steve's play was a big play," Suns coach Alvin ...

Brent Sopel, Patrick Kane and John Madden also had goals for the Blackhawks, who overcame a 3-1 deficit to win the clash of Western Conference division leaders. "That was huge for us," Seabrook told reporters after scoring his second goal for the season, the other also falling in ...

The 20-year-old Hawaiian, who first qualified for an LPGA event when she was 12, closed with a three-under par 69 for a 13-under 275 total to collect a $220,000 cheque. "It feels, it sounds cliche, but it feels awesome," Wie told the LPGA website (www.lpga.com) after her round.

Speights was injured in Saturday's game at Chicago, the team said on its website (www.nba.com/sixers). He had been averaging 13 points and 6.4 rebounds this season.

Jussi Jokinen delivered the game winner as Carolina won for the first time since October 9. Jokinen also scored in regulation time along with Joe Corvo, Ray Whitney and Brandon Sutter for the Hurricanes (3-12-4), who led 3-0 in the second period. Robbie Earl had two goals for Minnesota (7-11-2).

Leonard was close to winning the tournament on the final hole. He needed a birdie to clinch the victory but his 16-foot birdie putt spun out of the cup to send the event into a playoff. Although McNeill found the rough with his drive on the first playoff hole, the par four 18th, he recovered ...

Scott's run was the game's only touchdown in Cincinnati's (7-2) second win over Pittsburgh (6-3) this season. Cincinnati's Shayne Graham kicked four field goals, two in the fourth quarter, after Pittsburgh's Jeff Reed had leveled the score at 12-12 with a field goal with 11:20 to play.

At a memorial service at the Hanover 96 ground where Enke played his club football, 45,000 people, including Germany team mates and coaches dressed in black, watched as Enke's coffin was placed in the middle of the pitch. "Robert Enke will never come back to this stadium where he conquered ...

PARIS (Reuters) - Serbia's Novak Djokovic shrugged off a brave challenge from crowd favorite Gael Monfils to claim the Paris Masters title with a 6-2 5-7 7-6 win on Sunday. World number three Djokovic, who had outclassed Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals and had dropped only one set en route to the ...

Biedermann set his second short course world record in as many days, clinching victory with a new best time of 1:39.37 on a day when many more records fell. Phelps, eight times gold medal winner at the Beijing Olympics, finished with only the 12th fastest time in the preliminaries after opting not ...

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Tiger Woods celebrated his first visit Down Under in 11 years with a win at the Australian Masters Sunday, the world number one banishing his swing demons in time to hold off a dogged local field by two strokes. Woods, joint leader overnight with Australia's James Nitties and ...

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Manny Pacquiao enhanced his status as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world with a commanding win over holder Miguel Cotto to claim the WBO welterweight title Saturday. The Filipino southpaw stopped his bigger opponent 55 seconds into the 12th and final round at the ...

LONDON (Reuters) - France, Portugal and Russia all moved closer to next year's World Cup finals with first leg playoff wins on Saturday, although none of them did enough to take victory for granted in the second legs next week. France, runners-up in Germany in 2006, beat Ireland 1-0 in Dublin with ...

James, who finished with 21 points, a game-high nine assists and six rebounds, personally outscored the Jazz 8-4 in the final 52 seconds to spark Cleveland to its fourth consecutive victory. "The way he's closed these last couple games has been remarkable," Cleveland coach Mike Brown ...

DETROIT (Reuters) - Henrik Zetterberg scored a third period hat-trick as the Detroit Red Wings signaled their Central division reign is far from over with a 7-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. Off-season defections and a trip to Sweden to open the season contributed to a sluggish 3-4-2 ...

Tinsley, 31, who averaged a career-high 8.4 assists in 39 games with the Indiana Pacers in 2007-08, his last season in the NBA before he was released by the team in July. "We are pleased to add a veteran playmaker with Jamaal's credentials to the team," Grizzlies general manager Chris ...

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Five-times world champion Shane Mosley will return to the ring after an absence of almost a year when he takes on fellow American Andre Berto in a non-title welterweight bout in January. Mosley, 38, has not fought since he claimed the WBA welterweight crown with a stunning ...

The Eagles, who have played at all the World Cups, ran in four tries, two in each half, and looked to be running away with the match when they led 27-6 with 15 minutes remaining. However, a fine second half performance from Uruguay fullback Jeronimo Echeverry, who scored a try and 14 points from ...

The quartet head into Sunday's final round on 13 under-par at 203 but the competition is wide open with a total of 13 players within three shots of the lead. Of the leading four it was Gronberg who delivered the most impressive round on Saturday with a six under 66.

PARIS (Reuters) - Serbia's Novak Djokovic praised his "perfect" performance after outclassing world number two Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-3 to set up a Paris Masters final against local hope Gael Monfils on Saturday. World number three Djokovic, who beat world number one Roger Federer in the ...

Biedermann, who was doubtful due to the muscle injury that had hampered preparations, shaved almost two seconds off Australian Hackett's world record, set seven years ago, to clock 3:32.77 minutes. "I thought it was going to be really bad today," said the 23-year-old, who will clash with ...

LEVI, Finland (Reuters) - Germany's Maria Riesch edged out arch-rival Lindsey Vonn to win the season's opening women's World Cup slalom in Levi on Saturday. World champion Riesch posted a combined time of one minute 48.71 seconds in her favorite discipline, 0.08 ahead of the American Vonn.

Maradona, who will appear before a FIFA disciplinary committee in Zurich Sunday over his foul-mouthed rant after last month's World Cup qualifier in Uruguay, told Spain's Marca newspaper that many people were out to get him. "Much worse things have been said and there are people who do ...

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - An out-of-sorts Tiger Woods battled to a share of the lead after the third round of the Australian Masters Saturday, as his rivals failed to capitalize on an off day for the world number one. Woods held a three-stroke lead going into the third round and seemed set to charge ...

The Galaxy will meet the winner of the Eastern Conference final on Saturday between Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake City in next Sunday's final in Seattle to determine the MLS champions. The floodlights went out in the 18th minute, causing an almost 20-minute break, and the same happened again six ...

Paul landed awkwardly on the foot of a Portland player before falling to the court and writhing in pain. Paul had rolled the same ankle against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. "I know I'm out tomorrow," Paul told reporters, adding that the extent of the injury was still unknown.

In a rematch of last season's Western Conference finalists, the Nuggets shut down the Lakers in the third quarter where they outscored last season's NBA champions 29-8 to open an 87-64 advantage. "I think our defense motivated everything," Nuggets coach George Karl told reporters. ...