>>Six NFL Unbeatens Remain

(Undated)  --  There are still six unbeaten teams in the NFL.  The Chiefs, Seahawks, Broncos and Patriots all collected wins yesterday to improve to 4-and-0 on the season.  Week Four wraps up tonight in New Orleans when the 3-and-0 Saints host the unbeaten Miami Dolphins.  The Jaguars, Buccaneers, Steelers and Giants remain winless.

>>NFL To Consider Playoff Expansion

(Undated)  --  The NFL's postseason could be growing.  ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that the league is mulling a new schedule that would expand the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams.  The format would continue the 16-game regular season, but cut the preseason down to three games.  The move may not happen in time for the 2014 season.

>>Rays, Rangers To Meet In Game 163

(Arlington, TX)  --  The American League's Wild Card race will require one extra game this season.  The Texas Rangers will host the Tampa Bay Rays tonight for the right to play the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.  First pitch is set for 8:07 p.m. Eastern.  The NL Wild Card Game is tomorrow between the Reds and Pirates from Pittsburgh.

>>USC Fires Lane Kiffin

(Los Angeles, CA)  --  USC has answered the call of its fans and parted ways with head coach Lane Kiffin.  The Trojans suffered a 62-41 loss at Arizona State on Saturday night and upon arrival back in Los Angeles, decided to fire Kiffin in the midst of a 4-and-7 stretch.  Kiffin was in his fourth season and posted a 28-and-15 overall mark.

>>Heat Extend Head Coach Erik Spoelstra

(Miami, FL)  --  The two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat are locking up their head coach.  Erik Spoelstra has agreed to a multi-year extension with the team, according to multiple outlets.  Terms of the new deal were not disclosed.  The 42-year-old Spoelstra took over in April of 2008 after Pat Riley stepped down.

>>Johnson Grabs Record Eighth Win At Dover

(Dover, DE)  --  Jimmie Johnson conquered the Monster Mile for a record eighth time in winning Sunday at Dover International Speedway.  Kyle Busch moved to within 12 points of standings leader Matt Kenseth, who ended the day seventh.  The Chase heads to Kansas next week for the fourth race in the ten-event playoff format.


>>SUNDAY'S SCOREBOARD

NFL
------
Buffalo Bills 23, Baltimore Ravens 20
Cleveland Browns 17, Cincinnati Bengals 6
Arizona Cardinals 13, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10
Indianapolis Colts 37, Jacksonville Jaguars 3
Seattle Seahawks 23, Houston Texans 20 (OT)
Detroit Lions 40, Chicago Bears 32
Kansas City Chiefs 31, New York Giants 7
Minnesota Vikings 34, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
Tennessee Titans 38, New York Jets 13
Washington Redskins 24, Oakland Raiders 14
San Diego Chargers 30, Dallas Cowboys 21
Denver Broncos 52, Philadelphia Eagles 20
New England Patriots 30, Atlanta Falcons 23

MLB NL
------
Pittsburgh Pirates 4, Cincinnati Reds 2
New York Mets 3, Milwaukee Brewers 2
Atlanta Braves 12, Philadelphia Phillies 5
St. Louis Cardinals 4, Chicago Cubs 0
San Francisco Giants 7, San Diego Padres 6
Arizona Diamondbacks 3, Washington Nationals 2
Colorado Rockies 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

MLB AL
------
Tampa Bay Rays 7, Toronto Blue Jays 6
Baltimore Orioles 7, Boston Red Sox 6
Cleveland Indians 5, Minnesota Twins 1
Kansas City Royals 4, Chicago White Sox 1
New York Yankees 5, Houston Astros 1 (14 inn)
Texas Rangers 6, Los Angeles Angels 2
Oakland Athletics 9, Seattle Mariners 0

MLB Interleague
------
Miami Marlins 1, Detroit Tigers 0

NHL Preseason
------
New York Islanders 5, Ottawa Senators 2
New York Islanders 4, Ottawa Senators 1

NASCAR
------
AAA 400 (at Dover, DE)

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Joey Logano


###
Andrew Stetka/bg   SPT)


Copyright © 2013
Metro Networks Inc.
 

>>Niners Knock Off Rams

(St. Louis, MO)  --  Frank Gore ran for 153 yards and a touchdown to pace the 49ers in a 35-11 win over the Rams in St. Louis.  Colin Kaepernick tossed for 167 yards and two TDs for San Francisco, which moved to 2-and-2.  Sam Bradford was less than impressive, completing under 50-percent of his passes for 202 yards, a score and an interception for St. Louis, which slipped to 1-and-3.

>>Selig To Retire After 2014 Season

(New York, NY)  --  Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig [[ SEE-lig ]] is announcing his retirement, effective January 2015.  He issued a statement saying it has been his great privilege to serve the game he has loved throughout his life.  He also thanked baseball owners, players and fans for their support.  The 79-year-old took over from Fay Vincent on an interim basis in 1992 and became full-time commissioner in 1998.

>>Emotional Rivera Pitches In Final Home Game

(Bronx, NY)  --  Mariano Rivera's Yankee Stadium career is over.  The 43-year-old reliever retired all four batters he faced before an emotional farewell that overshadowed the Yankees' 4-0 loss to the Rays.  Rivera was removed from the game by Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte, who gave him a long embrace.  Rivera wiped away tears and blew a kiss to the crowd as he left the mound in the ninth.

>>Yankees' Cano Reportedly Seeking 305-Million-Dollar Contract

(New York, NY)  --  Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano [[ kuh-NO ]] is reportedly looking for a contract in excess of 300-million-dollars.  ESPN reports the free agent-to-be is looking for a 10-year deal worth 305-million this offseason.  That would equal the total value of the record-setting contract of teammate Alex Rodriguez should he reach all of his incentive bonuses.  The 30-year-old is hitting .313 with 27 homers and 106 RBI.

>>Knicks Name Mills President, GM

(New York, NY)  --  Steve Mills is the new president and general manager of the Knicks.  He was named to the post Thursday after spending the last 10 seasons with the Knicks' parent company, Madison Square Garden.  Mills takes over for Glen Grunwald, who will remain with the organization as an advisor.  Mills first joined the Knicks in September 1999 as executive vice president of franchise operations.

>>EA Won't Producer NCAA Football Game Next Year

(Undated)  --  Video game publisher Electronic Arts won't be producing an NCAA football game next year.  It may stop producing the title altogether.  EA is mired in lawsuits over players' likenesses in the game.  EA general manager Cam Weber says the legal issues are leaving the company in a tough spot when it comes to its goal of delivering an authentic college sports experience.


>>THURSDAY'S SCOREBOARD

NFL
------
San Francisco 49ers 35, St. Louis Rams 11

MLB NL
------
San Diego Padres 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 2 (11 inn)
Atlanta Braves 7, Philadelphia Phillies 1
Milwaukee Brewers 4, New York Mets 2
San Francisco Giants 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 2

MLB AL
------
Baltimore Orioles 3, Toronto Blue Jays 2
Tampa Bay Rays 4, New York Yankees 0
Texas Rangers 6, LA Angels of Anaheim 5
Cleveland Indians 6, Minnesota Twins 5
Kansas City Royals 3, Chicago White Sox 2

MLB Interleague
------
No Games Scheduled

NHL Preseason
------
Carolina Hurricanes 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
New Jersey Devils 4, Philadelphia Flyers 1
Montreal Canadiens 3, Ottawa Senators 1
Boston Bruins 3, Winnipeg Jets 2 (OT)
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Florida Panthers 2 (OT)
Dallas Stars 5, Colorado Avalanche 1
Vancouver Canucks 5, New York Rangers 0

>>Tigers Clinch Third Straight AL Central

(Minneapolis, MN)  --  The Detroit Tigers are champions of the American League Central Division for the third straight season.  The Tigers defeated the Twins 1-0 in Minneapolis on Wednesday night to clinch.  Max Scherzer was credited with his Major League-leading 21st win of the season after seven scoreless innings.  The only other time the franchise has gone to the postseason in three straight years was from 1907-09.

>>MLB Postseason Picture

(Undated)  --  Baseball's postseason picture is becoming clearer.  The Indians were eliminated from the AL Central Division after the Tigers won 1-0 over the Twins.  Cleveland still holds the second AL Wild Card spot by a game over Texas.  The Rays are a game better than the Tribe.  In the NL, the Cardinals are one win or a Pittsburgh loss from clinching the Central Division.  The Cards are half a game ahead of the Braves for the best record in the NL.

>>Bucs Benching Freeman For Glennon

(Tampa, FL)  --  The Buccaneers are making a change at quarterback.  The Bucs are benching quarterback Josh Freeman and will start rookie Mike Glennon this Sunday against the Cardinals.  ESPN reports that giving Glennon the start on Sunday before the team's bye week will allow coaches to review his performance and make corrections.  Freeman has completed just 45.7-percent of his passes with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

>>Ex-Charger Oliver Dies At 29

(San Diego, CA)  --  Former Chargers safety Paul Oliver is dead at the age of 29.  The "San Diego Union-Tribune" reports Oliver committed suicide.  The Chargers selected Oliver in the fourth round of the 2007 supplemental draft out of Georgia.  He played in 57 games with the Bolts from 2007 through 2011, including 12 starts.  Oliver recorded 144 tackles, one sack and four interceptions.

>>NYC To Host 2015 NBA All-Star Game

(New York, NY)  --  The NBA All-Star Game is returning to the Big Apple.  The All-Star Friday and Saturday night events will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the All-Star Game itself on Sunday, February 15, 2015, at Madison Square Garden.  The last All-Star Game at MSG was in 1998.  This season's All-Star Game will take place in New Orleans.

>>Pacers Finalize Extension With George

(Indianapolis, IN)  --  A multi-year contract extension for Indiana Pacers forward Paul George is complete.  Financial terms were not disclosed, but the first-time All-Star was eligible to earn as much as 90-million-dollars on a five-year maximum deal through the 2018-19 season.  George averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 79 games last season.  He helped lead the Pacers to a Central Division title and the Eastern Conference finals.


>>WEDNESDAY'S SCOREBOARD

MLB NL
------
New York Mets 1, Cincinnati Reds 0
St. Louis Cardinals 4, Washington Nationals 1
Chicago Cubs 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 2
Miami Marlins 3, Philadelphia Phillies 2
Milwaukee Brewers 4, Atlanta Braves 0
San Francisco Giants 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 4
San Diego Padres 12, Arizona Diamondbacks 2

MLB AL
------
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3, Oakland Athletics 1
Cleveland Indians 7, Chicago White Sox 2
Baltimore Orioles 9, Toronto Blue Jays 5
Tampa Bay Rays 8, New York Yankees 3
Texas Rangers 7, Houston Astros 3
Detroit Tigers 1, Minnesota Twins 0
Seattle Mariners 6, Kansas City Royals 0

MLB Interleague
------
Boston Red Sox 15, Colorado Rockies 5

NHL Preseason
------
Washington Capitals 4, Nashville Predators 1
Buffalo Sabres 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
Ottawa Senators 5, Montreal Canadiens 2
Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Detroit Red Wings 1
Minnesota Wild 3, St. Louis Blues 1
Phoenix Coyotes 3, Calgary Flames 2 (OT)