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Dawson eager to finish business in Hopkins rematch

By Larry Fine NEW YORK (Reuters) - Evergreen boxing champion Bernard Hopkins will return to the ring in April for a rematch against Chad "Bad" Dawson, who vowed on Wednesday to finish the job...

Yang draws first blood, Tiger trails early on

By Mark Lamport-Stokes MARANA, Arizona (Reuters) - While three-times winner Tiger Woods was in early trouble, Yang Yong-eun drew first blood in Wednesday's opening round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship by beating Graeme...

PGA Tour's playoffs extended for five more years

By Mark Lamport-Stokes MARANA, Arizona (Reuters) - The FedExCup playoffs, the PGA Tour's lucrative four-event season finale, have been extended for a further five years, commissioner Tim Finchem said Wednesday. ...

London practices for underground terror attack

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of emergency workers and government staff began a two-day exercise on Wednesday to practice dealing with a major terrorism incident during the 2012 London Olympics. Volunteers posing as dazed travellers...

Brodeur still on guard as Devils launch playoff push

By Steve Keating TORONTO (Reuters) - For nearly two decades it was a question never asked but when the National Hockey League season began, the debate raged. Had the time finally come for a...

Super subs spark Heat to seventh straight win

(Reuters) - Miami's reserves starred in a critical late-game stretch that delivered the Heat their seventh straight victory with a 120-108 home win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. Following three tight quarters, the...

Bradley to hold fire after Twitter users left spitting mad

By Mark Lamport-Stokes MARANA, Arizona (Reuters) - A dumb-founded Keegan Bradley said even he was taken aback by his excessive spitting as he watched television replays of his play during the final round of...

Danica says winning Daytona 500 is possible

By Steve Ginsburg WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Danica Patrick is convinced that if "the stars are aligned" she can win the Daytona 500 in her first attempt on Sunday. ...

Woods says not fired up by talk of "Tiger taming"

By Mark Lamport-Stokes MARANA, Arizona (Reuters) - Tiger Woods has often been fired up by adverse comments in the past but appeared to shrug off claims by Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano that he was beatable at...

Red Wings' Datsyuk out two weeks after knee surgery

(Reuters) - Detroit Red Wings leading scorer Pavel Datsyuk is expected to miss the next two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday, the National Hockey League (NHL) team said. Red Wings head...

Masters win lived up to Schwartzel's conviction

By Mark Lamport-Stokes MARANA, Arizona (Reuters) - Charl Schwartzel has never had the feeling before or since but somehow he just knew he was going to win last year's Masters before teeing off in...

Yankees sign veteran outfielder Ibanez

(Reuters) - The New York Yankees have signed veteran outfielder Raul Ibanez to a one-year contract with an eye toward using the left-handed power hitter as a designated hitter, the Major League Baseball club said on Tuesday. ...

Klitschko wants to make Chisora pay in the ring

(Reuters) - WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko wants a rematch with Dereck Chisora to punish the Briton for his behavior before and after Saturday's title bout. "Common sense tells me that I don't need...

Former "slaves" build Brazil World Cup stadium

By Brian Winter CUIABA, Brazil (Reuters) - Nivaldo Inacio da Silva has a word to describe what it's like to wake up at 6 a.m., strap on a hardhat and endure suffocating 100-degree heat...

Melo, Lin partnership off to rough start

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Carmelo Anthony made his long-awaited return to the Knicks Monday but his partnership with Jeremy Lin failed to fire as New York fell 100-92 to the New Jersey Nets. Taiwanese-American...

Blazers' Oden lost for season after knee surgery

(Reuters) - Portland Trail Blazers centre Greg Oden underwent micro-fracture surgery on his left knee and will miss the remainder of the National Basketball Association season, the team said on Monday. Dr. Richard Steadman,...

Hard task for "Big Easy" Els at Match Play

By Mark Lamport-Stokes MARANA, Arizona (Reuters) - Ernie Els never expected it to be easy after being gifted a spot in this week's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship when Phil Mickelson withdrew from the event...

Celtics' Rondo suspended for throwing ball at official

(Reuters) - Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has been suspended two games for throwing a ball at an official and striking him in the chest, the National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Monday. ...

Former All-Star Manny Ramirez to join A's: report

(Reuters) - Manny Ramirez, a 12-times All-Star who retired last year rather than face a 100-game ban over a drug-policy issue, agreed to a deal with the Oakland Athletics, according to a report on Major League Baseball's (MLB) website on Monday. ...

Spezza, Karlsson lead surging Senators past Islanders

(Reuters) - Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson each scored two goals and Craig Anderson collected the shutout as the surging Ottawa Senators pounded the New York Islanders 6-0 on Monday, extending their winning run to three games. ...

Burnett eager for fresh start with Pirates

(Reuters) - Newly-acquired Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett hopes a change of scenery from pressure-packed New York to a smaller market will help revive his slumping career, the right-hander said on Monday. Burnett, who...

Haye wanted for questioning over brawl with Chisora

MUNICH (Reuters) - British boxer David Haye is wanted for questioning by German police over his brawl with fellow British heavyweight Dereck Chisora following a WBC title clash in Munich Saturday, a police spokesman said Monday. ...

Mickelson and Bradley fall agonizingly short at Riviera

By Mark Lamport-Stokes PACIFIC PALISADES, California (Reuters) - It was a case of so near yet so far for playing partners Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley after they lost to fellow American Bill Haas...

Lin pleads for consideration for relatives in Taiwan

By Larry Fine NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jeremy Lin, whose meteoric rise from obscurity to dazzling court general for the New York Knicks has become a global story, had a rare favor to ask...