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.