KWBG Sports for January 31st

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The New York Giants and New England Patriots are about deal with the toughest part of Super Bowl week, the annual Super Bowl media day in Indianapolis. The league has issued around 2,000 credentials and is selling tickets to the public for the first time.  The Giants landed in Indianapolis yesterday, a day after the Patriots reached town.

     TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - NCAA President Mark Emmert has reiterated his support for a two-round, four-team BCS championship for college football. Emmert says there are ongoing discussions about what he described as a Final Four model, a scenario which would've matched LSU against Stanford and Alabama versus Oklahoma State last season with the winners advancing to the title game. He also notes the eventual decision for a playoff is in the hands of the BCS and not the NCAA.

     PISACATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Rutgers is expected to introduce Kyle Flood as the new head football coach at a news conference later today. Flood had been on former coach Greg Schiano's (shee-AH'-nohz) staff since 2005 and was promoted to interim coach last week.  Schiano left to become head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

     DETROIT (AP) - Detroit Tigers star Victor Martinez is recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee to repair an offseason-conditioning injury. The club also announced that Martinez needs ACL reconstruction surgery on the same knee in six to eight weeks and is expected to miss the entire 2012 season.  Martinez hit .330 with 103 RBIs in 2011, helping the Tigers win the division in his first season with Detroit.

     ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The Texas Rangers have given manager Ron Washington a two-year contract extension after he led the team to consecutive American League pennants. Washington is 427-383 in five seasons and is the first manager in major league history to increase his team's win total in four straight years after his initial campaign with a club. He's now signed through 2014.

KWBG Sports for January 30th

  UNDATED (AP) - The Miami Heat won a battle of the top two teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference yesterday as LeBron James scored 35 points in a 97-93 triumph over the Chicago Bulls. Chris Bosh added 24 points and 12 rebounds to help Miami improve to 15-5, one game behind the East-leading Bulls with two games in hand.  Bulls guard Derrick Rose had a team-high 34 points but missed two free throws in the final 23 seconds.

     DALLAS (AP) - Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says guard Jason Kidd will be out at least a week because of a right calf strain.  Kidd got hurt playing defense just more than 2 minutes into Friday's victory against Utah.  Carlisle made the announcement as the Mavs were about to begin a stretch of five games over a seven-day period.

     HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) - All six Pro Bowl quarterbacks threw for two touchdowns while the AFC was beating the NFC 59-41 at Honolulu. Brandon Marshall was the beneficiary of the passing attack, setting a Pro Bowl record with four touchdown receptions while grabbing six passes for 176 yards. The two teams combined for 51 first downs, 943 passing yards and 1,142 total yards.

     OTTAWA (AP) - Team Chara (CHAH'-rah) used a six-goal third period to defeat Team Alfredsson 12-9 in the NHL All-Star game at Ottawa. Game MVP Marion Gaborik (GAB'-uh-rihk) completed a hat trick early in the second period and set up Zdeno (zuh-DAY'-noh) Chara's game-winner with 7:40 remaining. The game was tied 8-8 until Marian Hossa (HOH'-sah) and Chara scored 16 seconds apart midway through the final period.

     SAN DIEGO (AP) - Brandt Snedeker parred the second playoff hole to complete an improbable victory over Kyle Stanley at the PGA's Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego. Stanley led Snedeker by seven shots entering the final round and was three ahead with one hole to play before carding a triple-bogey to force a tie. Snedeker closed with a 5-under-par 67 for a 16-under total.

KWBG Sports for January 27th

 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -The Boston Celtics have roared back from a 27-point first-half deficit to stun the Orlando Magic 91-83 last night. Even with injured starters Rajon Rondo (RAH'-zhahn RAHN'-doh) and Ray Allen on the bench, the Celtics had got 24 points and 10 assists from Paul Pierce to beat the Magic for the second time this week to go on a three-game winning streak.

     OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Patric Young scored 15 points, Kenny Boynton added 12 and 14th-ranked Florida rallied from a double-digit first-half deficit to beat Mississippi 64-60 last night.  Florida fell behind 20-4 in the opening minutes and trailed 38-28 at halftime before rallying with tough defense and clutch three-pointers from Boynton and Mike Rosario.

     ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - A person with knowledge of the process says the Oakland Raiders have agreed on a four-year deal to make Denver defensive coordinator Dennis Allen their new head coach.  The 39-year-old Allen would be the Raiders seventh head coach since 2003.

     TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Greg Schiano (shee-AHN'-oh) will officially be introduced as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers new coach today. The Bucs are counting on the 45-year-old former Rutgers coach to lead them back into respectability after a 4-12 campaign cost Raheem Morris his job.

     INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis Colts introduced former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano as their new coach yesterday following a disastrous 2-14 season cost coach Jim Caldwell, vice chairman Bill Polian and GM Chris Polian their jobs. Franchise quarterback Peyton Manning may not be long for Indy either after Colts owner Jim Irsay labeled him a "politician" for saying the team's atmosphere was dour.

KWBG Sports for January 26th

 CHICAGO (AP) - Danny Granger scored 22 points and the Indiana Pacers became the first visiting team to win on Chicago's home floor this season, beating the Bulls 95-90.  Roy Hibbert added 20 points for the Pacers, who rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit.

     AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - LeBron James scored 32 points, including the game's last six from the free throw line, to lead the Miami Heat to a 101-98 win over the Detroit Pistons. Chris Bosh hit his first seven shots and finished with 27 points for Miami - which was without Dwyane (dwayn) Wade, who sat out because of a right ankle injury.

     EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Draymond Green had 22 points, 14 rebounds and six assists to help No. 10 Michigan State beat Minnesota 68-52 and give coach Tom Izzo his 400th win. Earlier in the week, Izzo downplayed what the milestone meant to him, but was wiping tears off his cheeks during the final seconds of the victory.

     MONTREAL (AP) - David Desharnais (day-HAR'-nay) had two goals and an assist, and the Montreal Canadiens ended Detroit's seven-game winning streak with a 7-2 victory in the final NHL game before the All-Star break. Montreal scored four times in the opening period against Jimmy Howard, who will make his first NHL All-Star game appearance on Sunday in Ottawa.

     STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP)--Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno was laid to rest yesterday, not far from the stadium where he won many of his major college record 409 games, most ever. A memorial service commemorating the life and accomplishments of the 85-year-old coach will be held today.

KWBG Sports for January 25th

 ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - Several media outlets are reporting the Oakland Raiders will hire Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as their new head coach. Allen will be the first Raiders coach with a defensive background since late owner Al Davis hired John Madden before the 1969 season.

     DETROIT (AP)-  The Detroit Tigers are envisioning a middle-of-the-lineup power tandem of Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera as they try to dethrone the two-time American League champion Detroit Tigers this season. A person familiar with the deal say the Tigers and Fielder have agreed on a nine-year, $214 million contract.

     ST. LOUIS (AP) - Tony La Russa will become the second retired manager to lead an All-Star team next summer, joining Hall of Famer John McGraw.  La Russa retired after guiding St. Louis to its second World Series title in five years last October, but Commissioner Bud Selig (SEE'-lihg) announced the 67-year-old La Russa will manage the National League in this year's game July 10 in Kansas City.

     ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Sixth man Darius Miller came off the bench to score 19 points and Kentucky cruised in its first game since returning to No. 1 in the rankings, beating Georgia 57-44. The senior made 7 of 8 shots, including all four from 3-point range for the 20-1 Wildcats.

     STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - More than 10,000 free tickets made available to the public for a memorial service for Penn State football coach Joe Paterno were snapped up in seven minutes yesterday, with some offered for sale on eBay before the site pulled those ads.  The service will be held Thursday at the school's basketball arena, the Bryce Jordan Center, and be broadcast live on cable TV's Big Ten Network.

KWBG Sports for January 24th

  BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Celtics held Orlando to a franchise-low in points by routing the Magic 87-56 despite playing without star guards Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo (RAH'-zhahn RAHN'-doh). Dwight Howard had 18 points and 14 boards for the Magic, who made just 16 baskets all night.

     CINCINNATI (AP) - Syracuse avoided its first losing streak of the season by bouncing back from its first defeat in 21 games to beat Cincinnati 60-53 last night. That's coach Jim Boeheim's (BAY'-hymz) 877th career win, moving him ahead of legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp into third place all time on the Division 1 coaching parade.

     DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit Red Wings are on the NHL's longest home winning streak in 36 years after beating St. Louis 3-1 last night for their 17th straight win at Joe Louis Arena. Pavel Datsyuk (PAH'-vuhl DAT'-sook) and Johan Franzen scored in the second period for the Red Wings, who've won seven in a row overall and lead the NHL with 67 points.

     NEW YORK (AP) - Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (oh-VECH'-kin) has been suspended for three games for a charging incident in which he launched himself to hit Pittsburgh defenseman Zbynek Michalek (zuh-BEE'-nihk muh-KAHL'-ihk) during Sunday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Penguins. Based on his average annual salary, Ovechkin will forfeit $154,677 for the three games he's out.

     NEW YORK (AP)- A New York Yankees mainstay for 17 seasons is hanging 'em up today. Catcher Jorge Posada (HOR'-hay poh-SAH'-dah), who helped the Yanks win five World Series titles, is retiring with a .273 career batting average with 275 home runs and 1,065 RBIs.

KWBG Sports for January 23rd

UNDATED (AP) - This year's Super Bowl will be a rematch of the 2008 title game when the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 17-14 to end the Pats' bid for an undefeated season. These two teams will meet in Super Bowl 46 in two weeks and oddsmakers in Las Vegas have installed the Pats early three-point favorites for the big game.

     SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Lawrence Tynes kicked a game-winning 31-yard field goal in sudden-death overtime to give the Giants a 20-17 win over San Francisco in the NFC championship for the Giants' fifth straight road victory in the playoffs. Devon (deh-VAHN') Thomas recovered his second fumble of the game when Kyle Williams muffed a punt to set up the game-winning kick.

     FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)- The New England Patriots won the AFC title game by holding off Baltimore 23-20 when Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff missed a potential game-tying 32-yard field goal with 11 seconds left. The Patriots will be chasing their fourth Super Bowl trophy in quarterback Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's tenure in New England.

     MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (AP) - Five-time champion Serena Williams is out of the Australian Open, losing 6-2, 6-3 to unseeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia on Monday. Williams had seven double faults and made 37 unforced errors that helped allow No. 56-ranked Makarova to notch one of the biggest victories in her career and advance to the quarterfinals.

     STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP)- Friends and colleagues are saying that the heartbreak and turmoil of Joe Paterno's 46th and final season at Penn State may have played a part in his death yesterday at age 85.  Paterno, a sainted figure at Penn State for almost half a century but scarred forever by the child sex scandal involving his one-time heir apparent Jerry Sandusky, won 409 games and leaves as the winningest coach in major college football history.

KWBG Sports for January 20th

MIAMI (AP) - LeBron James shook off flu-like symptoms to score 31 points, Chris Bosh scored 15 and the Miami Heat won their second straight, topping the Los Angeles Lakers 98-87.  Miami moved to 5-0 this season without Dwyane (dwayn) Wade, who missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle after missing three games earlier this season with left foot soreness.

     BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - Harrison Barnes scored nine of his 27 points during a 19-0 second-half run and No. 8 North Carolina bounced back from a 33-point loss at Florida State with an 82-68 victory over Virginia Tech last night. John Henson added 16 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks for the 16-3 Tar Heels.

     PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Evgeni Nabokov (nah-BAH'-kahv) made 40 saves and the New York Islanders snapped a 13-game losing streak in Philadelphia with a 4-1 victory over the Flyers, who had beaten the Isles 23 of the last 24 meetings.  The victory was the Islanders' third in their last four games, and it marked the first time New York won in Philadelphia since April 7, 2007.

     LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) - Shreveport's David Toms and Colombia's Camilo Villegas (kuh-MIHL'-oh vih-JAY'-guhs) shot 9-under 63 to top a leaderboard after the opening round of the Humana Challenge at La Quinta in the event formerly known as the Bob Hope Classic. Bob Estes, Ted Potter Jr., Sang-moon Bae and Brandt Snedeker were one stroke behind.

     LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Los Angeles judge has ratified a binding agreement between outgoing Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his former wife Jamie McCourt in their divorce case. The settlement reached in November calls for Frank McCourt to pay his ex-wife $131 million by the end of April.

KWBG Sports for January 19th

 MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - After taking a tumble on the next-to-last point of the match, Serena Williams got up and whipped a backhand winner down the line to finish off her second-round match at the Australian Open and her 500th career win. Williams defeated Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (zah-lah-VOH'-vah strihk-KOH'-vah) 6-love, 6-4 to run her Australian Open winning streak to 16 matches.

     ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Tony Parker scored 25 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter and overtime, and San Antonio held off Orlando 85-83 in overtime despite 24 points and 25 rebounds by the Magic's Dwight Howard. Tim Duncan added 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Spurs also snapped a streak of 10 consecutive road losses overall, dating to last season.

     WASHINGTON (AP) - John Wall scored 25 points, Nick Young had 24 and Jordan Crawford added 18 to lead Washington to a 105-102 victory over Oklahoma City. That ends the Thunder's seven-game winning streak and gives the Wizards just their second win of the season.

     MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) - The 12th-ranked Murray State Racers rallied from nine down with 13 minutes left to beat Morehead State 66-60 to improve to 19-0. Murray State and the top-ranked Syracuse Orange are the only two unbeaten teams in men's Division I men's basketball.

     DENVER (AP) - Jamie Moyer has agreed to terms on a minor league contract with an invite to the Colorado Rockies' spring training, pending a physical. The 49-year-old lefty didn't play last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow.

KWBG Sports for January 18th

 LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Freshman Anthony Davis scored a career-high 27 points and blocked seven shots to set a school season record in second-ranked Kentucky's 86-63 victory over Arkansas last night. The 18-1 Wildcats won their 10th straight overall and extended the nation's longest home winning streak to 46, including 45 straight at Rupp Arena.

     CHICAGO (AP) - Carlos Boozer scored 26 of his season-high 31 points in the first half in leading the short-handed Chicago Bulls to a 118-97 win over the Phoenix Suns. Chicago was playing without Derrick Rose for the second straight game because of a sprained left big toe.

     MIAMI (AP) - The Miami Heat roared back from a 14-point halftime deficit and topped San Antonio 120-98 in last night's NBA action. LeBron James led the Heat with 33 points and 10 assists while Chris Bosh had 30 points and eight rebounds.

     INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis Colts are the latest NFL team in the market for a coach after they fired Jim Caldwell yesterday following their 2-14 season, the franchise's worst record in two decades. He's the third high-profile dismissal in the Colts' offseason housecleaning following vice chairman Bill Polian and his son Chris, the team's general manager.

     MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Defending champion Kim Clijsters (KLY'-sturz) has cruised into the third round of the Australian Open in 47 minutes, beating Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-love, 6-1 on Wednesday. In men's play, second-seed Rafael Nadal (rah-fay-ehl nah-DAHL') breezed into the third round by straight-setting Germany's Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

KWBG Sports for January 13th

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Rudy Gay scored a season-high 26 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat New York 94-83 to end the Knicks' four-game winning streak. The Knicks played most of the second half without scoring leader Carmelo Anthony after he sprained his right ankle early in the third period.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brandon Jennings scored 27 points and Stephen Jackson added 25 to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 102-93. Bucks coach Scott Skiles became the 39th coach in NBA history to reach 400 victories.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Austin Hollins scored a career-high 18 points to help Minnesota upset No. 7 Indiana 77-74 last night. Rodney Williams scored 14 points and Julian Welch added 10 for the Golden Gophers, who had lost four straight.

DETROIT (AP) — In the NHL, Pavel Datsyuk (PAH'-vuhl DAT'-sook) and Henrik Zetterberg scored in the shootout, and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 for their 13th straight home win. Jimmy Howard stopped 25 shots to earn his 100th career NHL win.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryan says he's confident of signing Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish by next Wednesday's deadline. The Rangers, who have won consecutive AL pennants, put in a record bid of about $51.7 million for the right to negotiate with Japan's best pitcher.

KWBG Sports for January 12th

 LOS ANGELES (AP) - In a game that had playoff intensity to it,
the L.A. Clippers handed the Miami Heat their second straight
overtime loss, 95-89. Chris Paul led the Clippers with 27 points,
11 assists and six rebounds.
   
     SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Kobe Bryant is on one of his scoring
tears. He has 88 points the past two nights with 40 of those coming
in last night's L.A. Lakers' 90-87 overtime win over Utah that ends
the Jazz's five game win streak.
   
     NEW YORK (AP) - Carmelo Anthony had 27 points and nine rebounds,
and the New York Knicks snapped the Philadelphia 76ers' six-game
winning streak, 85-79. Amare Stoudemire (ah-MAR'-ay
STOW'-duh-my-ur) added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks,
who've won four straight.
   
     PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Top-ranked Syracuse is 18-0 for the second
straight season. Dion Waiters scored 20 and James Southerland added
18 as the top-ranked Orange cruised to a 79-66 win at Villanova,
which has lost four of its last five to fall to 8-9.
   
     SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Baseball owners are expected to offer
Bud Selig (SEE'-lihg) a contract to stay on as commissioner another
two years during meetings today. That would keep Selig in office
until after he turns 80, and replace Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis
as baseball's longest-serving commissioner.

KWBG Sports for January 11th

  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)- The Atlanta Falcons have suffered one
more loss in addition to that 24-2 wild-card playoff drubbing by
the Giants last Sunday. The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Falcons
offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey as head coach, and he will be
formally introduced today.
   
     OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - The Oakland Raiders are in the market for
a new coach. Hue Jackson, who paid the price for the Raiders losing
four of their last five games and missing the playoffs for the
ninth straight year, was fired yesterday in Reggie McKenzie's first
big move since being named Raiders GM.
   
     CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Brandon Paul poured in a career-high 43
points, including a 3-pointer with less than a minute to play, to
help Illinois upset No. 5 Ohio State 79-74. Paul's 43 points was
the third-highest scoring performance in Illini history.
   
     MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) - Perry Jones scored 17 points and
fourth-ranked Baylor held No. 18 Kansas State to one basket over
the final 5 minutes for a 75-73 win on the road last night. Quincy
Acy and Brady Heslip added 13 points apiece for the 16-0 Bears, one
of three unbeaten Division I men's teams including top-ranked
Syracuse and Murray State.
   
     UNDATED (AP)- The next snap that Heisman Trophy winner Robert
Griffin III takes in earnest will most likely be in an NFL uniform.
A source familiar with the decisions tells the AP that Griffin is
bypassing his senior season at Baylor to enter the NFL draft.

KWBG Sports at a Glance for January 10th

 NEW ORLEANS (AP)- The Alabama Crimson Tide won the BCS national
championship with a stunning defensive effort in blanking
previously unbeaten and top-ranked LSU 21-0. Jeremy Shelley booted
five field goals, Trent Richardson scored on a 34-yard TD and
Alabama's defense held LSU to 92 total yards and five first downs.
   
     NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Alabama split the games and swept the titles.
The Crimson Tide was voted No. 1 in the final AP poll for the
eighth time, tying Notre Dame for the most of any team in college
football, after winning last night's rematch with LSU in the BCS
championship.
   
     KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP)- Steve Stricker has gotten his PGA Tour
season off to a rousing start with a three-shot victory over Martin
Laird at the winners-only Tournament of Champions on the island of
Maui. Stricker has 12 career victories, with eight of those coming
in the past 33 months.
   
     OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) - Investigators searching for Green Bay
Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin's missing son say they
will not publicly identify a body found in a Wisconsin river until
today. Divers recovered the body of a man between the ages of 20
and 25 from the river yesterday afternoon, and Packers officials
are bracing for bad news.
   
     NEW YORK (AP) - Barry Larkin, the former Cincinnati Reds
shortstop, was the only former great to receive at least 75 percent
of the vote and received his ticket to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
On July 22, Larkin will be inducted along with the late Ron Santo,
who was elected last month by the Veterans Committee.

KWBG Sports for January 9th

 DENVER (AP) - The Denver Broncos have advanced to the AFC's
divisional playoffs by outlasting the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in
overtime. The Broncos blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter
before Tim Tebow (TEE'-boh) threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to
Demaryius (deh-MAR'-ee-uhs) Thomas on the first play of OT. Tebow
threw for two touchdowns, ran for another and finished with 316
passing yards despite completing just 10 of his 21 throws.
   
     EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - The New York Giants dominated the
Atlanta Falcons 24-2 to earn the right to face the Green Bay
Packers in the NFC's divisional playoffs. Eli Manning threw for 277
yards and three touchdowns while the Giants were gaining 172 yards
on the ground. The Falcons gained just 247 total yards and were
stopped on a pair of fourth-down plays.
   
     UNDATED (AP) - No. 12 Indiana and No. 16 Michigan were winners
yesterday. Jordan Hulls hit seven of the Hoosiers' 16
three-pointers in an 88-82 win against Penn State. The Wolverines
hammered 18th-ranked Wisconsin 58-41 as Tim Hardaway Jr. finished
with 17 points.
   
     CHICAGO (AP) - The Detroit Red Wings are within two points of
Vancouver the NHL's Western Conference lead following a comeback
win at Chicago. Pavel Datsyuk (DAHT'-sook) scored an unassisted
goal at 3:08 of overtime to give the Red Wings a 3-2 triumph over
the Blackhawks. The Hawks owned a 2-1 lead until Henrik Zetterberg
tallied with 4:45 left in regulation.
   
     KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) - Steve Stricker will carry a five-stroke
lead into the final round of the PGA's Hyundai Tournament of
Champions. Stricker stretched his team with yesterday's 4-under-par
69 that left him 19-under for the tournament. Martin Laird, Webb
Simpson and Jonathan Byrd share second.

KWBG Sports for January 6th

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Sacramento Kings changed coaches,
and it paid immediate dividends. Keith Smart replaced Paul Westphal
just seven games into the season as coach and the Kings improved to
3-5 by winning their first game under Smart, 103-100 over Milwaukee
last night.
   
     ATLANTA (AP) - There was a triple-overtime thriller in the NBA
last night. Chris Bosh scored 33 points and the Miami Heat, playing
without injured stars LeBron James and Dwyane (dwayn) Wade,
outlasted the Atlanta Hawks 116-109 to improve to 7-1.
   
     BOSTON (AP) - The defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins
routed Calgary 9-0, handing the Flames their fifth straight loss.
Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron (pah-TREES' BEHR'-zhehr-ahn)
each had two goals and an assist for the B's, who've won nine of
10.
   
     KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP)--The PGA Tour tees off today with 28
winners from the 2011 Tour playing in the Tournament of Champions
at Kapalua, Hawaii. The season starts with Tiger Woods and Phil
Mickelson no longer part of the top 10 in the world rankings, and
neither is playing in this event.
   
     STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Multiple media reports say New England
Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien has agreed to suceed
legendary Joe Paterno at Penn State. JoPa was fired two months ago
in the aftermath of child sex abuse charges against retired
defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

KWBG Sports for January 5th

  MIAMI (AP) - Geno Smith tied a record for any bowl with six TD
passes -- four to Tavon (TAY'-vahn) Austin -- in West Virginia's
record-setting 70-33 rout of 14th-ranked Clemson last night in the
Orange Bowl. The Mountaineers' 70 points is a record for any bowl
game.
   
     PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)- Brandon Triche scored 16 points, hitting
three straight 3-pointers early in the second half, and No. 1
Syracuse pulled away from Providence to win 87-73. It's the second
straight season the Orange have opened with 16 straight wins.
   
     MIAMI (AP) - A person familiar with the negotiations says the
Chicago Cubs have reached a deal to trade pitcher Carlos Zambrano
to the Miami Marlins for pitcher Chris Volstad, pending physical
and approval by MLB. Zambrano wore out his welcome with the Cubs
after repeated meltdowns.
   
     MIAMI (AP) - LeBron James had 33 points and 13 assists, Chris
Bosh added 22 points and the Miami Heat hardly missed Dwyane
(dwayn) Wade in a 118-83 rout of the Indiana Pacers. Wade sat out
with a sore foot.
   
     MONTREAL (AP) - Lars Eller had four goals and an assist and the
Montreal Canadiens bounced back from a 1-5 road trip with a 7-3
rout of the Winnipeg Jets. Eller scored his fourth goal on a
penalty shot 11 minutes into the third, and afterward did a
backward somersault over the Winnipeg goalie to celebrate.

KWBG Sports for January 4th

 CHICAGO (AP) - Luol Deng's (LOO'-ul dehngz) 's layup with 3.7
seconds to play lifted the Chicago Bulls to a 76-74 victory over
the Atlanta Hawks last night. Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose scored
17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Bulls from a
19-point deficit.
   
     NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Brendan Gibbons drilled a 37-yard field goal
down the middle in overtime to lift 13th-ranked Michigan to a 23-20
victory over 17th-ranked Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl last
night. The victory capped an impressive 11-2 debut season for head
coach Brady Hoke (hohk), who has led the Wolverines back to
prominence with a BCS bowl victory.
   
     UNDATED (AP)-The Associated Press and the NFL will announce the
annual league awards, including Most Valuable Player, in a two-hour
prime-time special "NFL Honors" to air on NBC on Super Bowl eve,
Feb. 4. All seven AP NFL awards will be presented live from the
Murat Theater in Indianapolis during a show hosted by Alec Baldwin.
   
     UNDATED (AP) - San Diego's Norv Turner got a job reprieve, Lovie
Smith is safe in Chicago and Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey
Lurie says Andy Reid will be back for a 14th season as coach. But
changes are coming to the Bears, who fired GM Jerry Angelo and said
offensive coordinator Mike Martz and QBs coach Shane Day won't be
back.
   
     BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Gene Bartow, who succeeded John Wooden
at UCLA and later began UAB's program, died last night at 81 after
a nearly two-year battle with stomach cancer. Bartow was one of the
winningest NCAA Division I basketball coaches with 647 wins over 34
seasons, but may be best known as the man who succeeded legendary
John Wooden as UCLA's coach in 1976.

KWBG Sports for January 3rd

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Third-ranked Oklahoma State won on its first trip to a BCS bowl by outlasting fourth-ranked Stanford 41-38 in overtime on Quinn Sharp's 22-yard field goal on the Cowboys' first possession of overtime to win the Fiesta Bowl. It's the first time in school history that Oklahoma State has posted a 12-victory season.

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Oregon's incredible offense busted up Wisconsin and the record books on the way to the Ducks' first Rose Bowl victory in 95 years. Darron Thomas passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns as the sixth-ranked Oregon outscored ninth-ranked Washington 45-38 in the highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A couple decades ago, few in college football would have dreamed of placing Virginia Tech in the same elite class as Michigan. Tonight, the 11-2 Hokies, who've won no fewer than 10 games in eight straight seasons, play in their 19th straight bowl game when they take on the 10-2 Wolverines in the Sugar Bowl.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The fifth annual NHL Winter Classic goes to the New York Rangers, who rallied from a two-goal deficit to nip host Philadelphia 3-2 on the outdoor rink at Citizens Bank Park. Henrik Lundqvist stopped Danny Briere's (bree-AYRZ') penalty shot with 19 seconds left to save it.

UNDATED (AP)— Two more job openings in the ranks of NFL coaches. The St. Louis Rams fired Steve Spagnuolo (spag-NOH'-loh) and general manager Billy Devaney following their 2-14 season and the 4-12 Tampa Bay Bucs fired Raheem Morris and his entire staff.