Today in Sports

Paint the town in pinstripes! Nearly a decade after their dynasty ended on a blooper in the desert, the New York Yankees are baseball's best again.

Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs, Andy Pettitte won on short rest and New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 on Wednesday night, finally seizing that elusive 27th title - the most in all of sports.

It was the team's first since winning three straight from 1998-2000.
Mariotti: Not the American Dream, but Give Yankees Props
Fletcher: Phillies Abdicate Throne | Moore: Yanks Quit Playing Games
Price: Uncertain Future for N.Y. Trio | Olson: Phillies Fade Into Night
Box Score | Matsui MVP | A-Rod Finally a Champ | Fans Rejoice in Victory

Matsui, the Series MVP, powered a quick rout of old foe Pedro Martinez. And when Mariano Rivera got the final out, it was ecstasy in the Bronx for George Steinbrenner's go-for-broke bunch.

What a way for Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and crew to christen their $1.5 billion ballpark: One season, one championship.

And to think it capped a season that started in turmoil -- a steroids scandal involving A-Rod, followed by hip surgery that kept him out until May.

"My teammates, coaches and the organization stood by me and now we stand here as world champions," Rodriguez said. "We're going to enjoy it, and we're going to party!"

During postgame ceremonies on the field, the big video board in center flashed: "Boss, this is for you." And commissioner Bud Selig dedicated the moment to Steinbrenner.

About 100 miles south, disappointment.

For Chase Utley and the Phillies, it was a frustrating end to another scintillating season. Philadelphia fell two wins short of becoming the first NL team to repeat as World Series champions since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds.

Ryan Howard's sixth-inning homer came too late to wipe away his World Series slump, and Phillies pitchers rarely managed to slow Matsui and the Yankees' machine.

Twenty-four hours later and Plaxico Burress is still dumb. Yesterday, we learned that he accidentally shot himself in the leg on Friday at a Manhattan nightclub. And while that's almost impossible to fathom -- billions of people manage to make it through life without ever putting a bullet into their thigh -- the details of exactly how it happened are, well, stupefying.

The New York Daily News reports that Burress, "who was sporting flashy jewelry and carrying loads of cash," was initially turned away from the LQ nightclub because he was packing heat, but explained that he needed the weapon for protection. Presumably because he was sporting flashy jewelry and carrying loads of cash.

[UPDATE: The Star-Ledger reports that Burress will surrender to authorities as soon as tomorrow. Hooray, U.S. justice system.]

And from there it just got worse:
The mercurial Giant was waved inside the crowded Latin-themed club on Lexington Ave. about midnight. He downed several drinks, making already jittery security guards more nervous about his weapon.

As Burress was being led into a VIP area, with a drink in his hand, the gun slipped down his pants leg. He reached for the weapon, but fumbled it and it went off, sources said. The bullet tore through Burress' already injured right thigh, police said.
Oh, and did I mention that linebacker Antonio Pierce was with Burress when he fired a bullet into his leg? And after ripping the Giants wideout for carrying a gun, he tried to hide the weapon somewhere in New Jersey.

So, to recap: Burress could face felony charges for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, and Pierce now also has own legal troubles:
Burress is expected to be arrested on felony weapons charges in the coming days, while Pierce's attorney was in frantic discussions with cops last night to stave off criminal charges, police sources said.
The Giants are 10-1 and have a huge division game against the Redskins today. Pierce will play while Burress, obviously, will not. In fact, his career in New York is probably over. And it only cost the organization $11 million for 13 weeks of mediocre football.

Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himslef in the right thigh and spent a night in the hospital, another dramatic turn in a tumultuous season for the New York Giants star receiver.

The Giants said the shooting happened Friday night and he was released from the hospital on Saturday afternoon. The team did not say where the shooting took place, what hospital Burress went to or how badly he was injured.

Plaxico Burress had been ruled out of Sunday's game with the Redskins due to a hamstring injury.

However, a team official told The Associated Press that Burress shot himself in a nightclub. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the team was still trying to sort out all the facts.

The Giants called the incident an "apparent accidental shooting."

"Our primary concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being, and given the circumstances, we are relieved to say he was released from a New York City hospital," the team said in a statement.

New York City police said they were investigating whether the incident took place at Latin Quarter, a sprawling 15,000-square-foot, two-story restaurant and club located in the Radisson Lexington Hotel in midtown Manhattan.

Phone messages and an e-mail left at the nightclub were not immediately returned.

Police added that they have not spoken to Burress or recovered the gun used in the shooting.

The NFL also is likely to investigate whether Burress violated its Personal Conduct Policy, which might lead to a suspension.

The Giants first confirmed the incident on Saturday morning, saying they had been in contact with the 31-year-old receiver since the shooting and have discussed the matter with NFL security.

"This incident could become a matter for law enforcement officials, and because of that we have no comment on any of the details," the team said.

Repeated phones calls to Burress' home and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were not immediately returned.

"We are gathering information, just like everyone else," NFL spokesman Joe Browne said.

Burress injured a hamstring two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens. The Giants said Friday he would not play Sunday against the Redskins in Washington.

Earlier this season, the 31-year-old receiver was suspended for a game and fined $117,500 for missing a team meeting and failing to notify the team of his absence. He said he had a family emergency.

He also was fined $45,000 by the NFL for his conduct during a game against the 49ers in October when he abused an official and tossed a ball into the stands.

Burress caught the winning pass in the Giants' Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. He signed a five-year, $35 million contract hours before the season opened in September.

The signing came after an unsettling offseason during which Burress was fined $25,000 for refusing to practice during a mandatory minicamp in June. He also missed most of training camp at the University at Albany with a sprained ankle. He insisted the injury -- not his contract -- kept him off the field.

Despite a lack of practice, Burress started in the opener against Washington and caught 10 passes for 133 yards. The following week, he had five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in a win over St. Louis.

The rest of the season has not been as productive. The most passes he has caught in any game since is four in a loss to Cleveland on Oct. 13, the game following his suspension.

Burress has 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns in a season in which he has constantly drawn double coverage. His streak of receptions in 115 consecutive games ended last week in Arizona. He aggravated his hamstring injury during the first series and did not return.

It was the sixth-longest active streak in the league, dating to Nov. 26, 2000 against Cincinnati, Burress' rookie season in Pittsburgh.

Signed as a free agent in 2005, Burress had caught a pass in all 56 previous games in which he had played for the Giants.

This isn't a good year to try to limp into the playoffs.

In most years, a 9-7 team has a very solid chance of making it to the playoffs. Since 2000, at least one team with a 9-7 or worse record has made the playoffs in five of the eight seasons. But this year, with four AFC and four NFC teams that are not leading their divisions sitting at 7-4 or better, it looks likely that 9-7 will not be enough to earn a wild card spot. To get in with a mediocre record, you need to be lucky enough to play in the AFC West.

So 5-5-1 Philly? The Eagles? Say sayonara. Not only did they get spit out by the Ravens and Andy Reid sparked a quarterback controversy by benching Donovan McNabb, but they have only one gimmee (a home game against Cleveland) left on the schedule. With the Cowboys, Giants and Redskins to play, the Eagles will help determine who wins the NFC East, but it won't be them. The Dolphins, Ravens, Patriots and Bills are all sitting at 6-5 or better, but it's likely that three of those four will be home for the playoffs, and even an 8-3 team like the Steelers can't be assured that its playoff ticket is waiting at will call.

But with five weeks left in the season, things are starting to clear up. Obviously it's too soon to feel very confident about what 12 teams will make it, but looking at everyone's upcoming schedule, here's a prediction as to how the playoffs will shape up. Now after some upsets over the next week, there will probably be a change or two next week, but this prediction was made by looking at each team's final five games on the schedule.

THE CRYSTAL BALL

AFC
Team W L
1. Tennessee 13 3
2. New York Jets 12 4
3. Pittsburgh 11 5
4. Denver
8 8
5. Indianapolis 11 5
6. New England
11 5
NFC
Team W L
1. New York Giants
13 3
2. Tampa Bay
11 5
3. Arizona 10 6
4. Chicago
9 7
5. Washington 11 5
6. Carolina
11 5
What jumps out when analyzing the potential outcomes of the final five weeks is how difficult it will be to make it as a wild card this year. Looking at the remaining schedules, it's highly possible that a 10-6 Dolphins team could lose out on a playoff spot, as could a 10-6 Falcons team, a 10-6 Ravens team and a 10-6 Cowboys team.

So here's how it stands with five weeks to go:

Print the Playoff Tickets

Tennessee (10-1, .450)
Yeah they may have lost to the Jets, but the Titans are still cruising to the No. 1 seed. With the Lions on Turkey Day followed by the Browns and the Texans, Tennessee should be deciding by by mid-December whether they want to rest their starters or keep up momentum for the playoffs.

New York Giants (10-1, .611)
The Giants face four playoff contenders (Redskins, Panthers, Cowboys and Vikings) in the final five weeks plus the rival Eagles, so it's there's not really a easy game left on the schedule. But the Giants have shown that there's not anyone who really scares them, and with a three-game lead in the division, the Giants should still roll to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Arizona Cardinals (7-4, .492)
Yeah, they lost to the Giants. Who cares? With the 49ers also losing, the Cardinals could clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Eagles this week and a 49ers loss to the Bills. For the Cardinals to not make the playoffs, they would have to go 0-5, while the 49ers would have to finish with a five-game winning streak, which won't happen.

Looking Good

New York Jets (8-3, .533)
By beating the Titans, the Jets finally proved to their skeptical fans that they are legit. They also gave themselves a very outside shot of finishing with the No. 1 seed in the AFC. If the Jets could catch the Titans, which is highly unlikely because of the Titans' easy schedule, the Jets would have the tiebreaker because of their head-to-head win. Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, the Jets aren't a sure bet to win their division yet. With a slumping Broncos team, the 49ers and the Seahawks left on the schedule, bet on the Jets to win the division and they likely will end up as the No. 2 seed because of the Steelers' tougher schedule.

Denver Broncos (6-5, .491)
Yeah, they're pretty putrid as they proved with a blowout loss to the Raiders, but who's going to catch them? The Chargers could have climbed back into the division race by beating the Colts, but that loss left them them still 2 1/2 games behind with five to play. In a nightmare scenario for the NFL, the Broncos could be 7-8 (thanks to games against the Jets, Panthers and Bills in the next four weeks) and playing the 6-9 Chargers for the division title in Week 17 while a 10-6 team or two fails to make the playoffs as a wild card.

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3, .491)
The Steelers' remaining schedule is pretty brutal. With the Patriots, Cowboys, Ravens and Titans coming up, it's still possible that the Steelers could finish the season 9-7 and wind up sitting at home. But considering that they are 2-2 against potential playoff teams this year, it's more realistic that the Steelers will split those four games, beat the soon-to-hire-Bill Cowher Browns in the finale and finish a solid 11-5.

Indianapolis Colts (7-4, .352)
In past years, the Colts have gotten into trouble because they rested their starters in the final weeks after wrapping up playoff spots early. While they won't have that problem this year, getting to finish the season by facing the Browns, Bengals, Lions and Jaguars may make the Colts feel like they are getting to take some time off. The Titans are the only remaining winning team on the schedule, and that game comes in Week 17, when the Titans will likely have wrapped up the No. 1 seed and will have nothing to play for. It's highly possible the Colts will finish at 12-4, while 11-5 looks extremely likely.

Washington Redskins (7-4, .448)
For a 7-4 team in a tough division, the Redskins are in pretty good shape. Their biggest asset is their schedule. The Redskins have the Giants and Ravens in the next two weeks, but if they can win one of those two games, they have a clear path to 11-5 thanks to wrapping up with the Bengals, Eagles and 49ers. Even if they do go 0-2 over the next two weeks, they still have a solid shot at a playoff spot because of a solid conference record.

In the Hunt

The NFC North teams: Chicago (6-5, .455), Minnesota (6-5, .545) or Green Bay (5-6, .400)
Only one team will make it out of the NFC North, but it's very hard to figure out which team that will be. The Packers would have put themselves in the driver's seat with a Monday night win against the Saints, but after their blowout loss, their schedule of cupcakes may not be enough. Green Bay has a likely loss this week against the Panthers, and a key game in Week 16 against the Bears, but they also have the Texans, Jaguars and Lions. The Bears have a one-game advantage and they control their own fate with games left against the Vikings (who they could wrap up a tiebreaker advantage with a win) and the Packers. The Vikings have the toughest path, as they still have the Falcons and Giants on the schedule.

New England Patriots (7-4, .473)
If the Patriots had lost to the Dolphins last week,. they likely would have been nearly finished. But thanks to that crucial win, New England is still in the thick of the race. This week's matchup against the Steelers will be crucial, but if New England can win that, the Seahawks and Raiders give New England a nice breather. The Cardinals and Bills finish up the schedule. All of those games are winnable, but if the Patriots could pick out a loss, going 4-1 with a loss to the Cardinals would be vastly superior than going 4-1 with a loss to the Steelers or especially the Bills, as conference and especially division losses could be costly in deciding tiebreakers.

Miami Dolphins (6-5, .364)
Yes, they have an easy remaining schedule, but at this point, it may be too late. Miami has gimmes against the Rams, 49ers and Chiefs, along with division games against the Bills and the Jets. The Jets game is helpfully in Week 17 where they can hope that New York has already wrapped up its playoff seeding. All that being said, the Dolphins are a game back of the Patriots and need New England to slip up at some point. But while the Dolphins are in a difficult spot, if they win out, they would still likely edge the Patriots for a wild card spot. In a head-to-head matchup, if the Dolphins win out (and assuming that the Patriots go 4-1), they would edge New England in the common games tiebreaker if Arizona beat New England or in the conference record tiebreaker if the Steelers beat the Patriots.

Dallas Cowboys (7-4, .593)
The Cowboys did what they were supposed to do by beating the 49ers, but that doesn't really do much to change their uphill battle. With the Steelers, Giants and Ravens on the schedule in the next four weeks, Dallas needs to play its best football of the season over the final month. The Redskins have an easier path to a playoff spot, but Dallas has the Seahawks next week and the Eagles in the finale, so it's not a hopeless cause by any stretch of the imagination.

Baltimore Ravens (7-4, .500)
The Ravens easy win over the Eagles was a key step in keeping them in the playoff race. Baltimore still has a decent shot of winning the AFC North if they can beat the Steelers in three weeks (especially since the Steelers have the Patriots and Cowboys to play before that), but if they don't beat Pittsburgh, they could end up struggling to make the playoffs at all. The Cowboys and Redskins give Baltimore two more difficult games. Win only one of those three and the Ravens still have a shot, but it would get down to tiebreakers that are too complicated to figure out this far out.

The NFC South Teams: Carolina (8-3, .636) and/or Tampa Bay (8-3, .509) and/or Atlanta (7-4, .473) and/or New Orleans (6-5, .515)
It's possible that three teams will make it out of the South, and it's likely that at least two will. New Orleans clearly is the longshot here, even if Drew Brees is threatening Dan Marino's passing yardage re

The fifth game of the World Series was suspended because of rain in the sixth inning Monday night with the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays tied 2-2 and the field already a sloppy, soggy mess.
"I can't tell you tonight when we'll resume," commissioner Bud Selig said. "We'll stay here if we have to celebrate Thanksgiving here." Not that anyone expects to still be waiting until the annual holiday in late November.

Rain was expected to continue into Tuesday, delaying the Phillies' chance to wrap up their first championship since 1980. Philadelphia leads the seven game World Series 3-1.
There has never been a rain-shortened game in the World Series, and this was the first suspension. Whenever this one resumes, it will pick up where it left off, with the Phillies about to bat in the bottom of the sixth.
"It was terrible. The field wasn't bad, but it was the worst conditions I've ever played in," Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria said.
Carlos Pena hit a tying, two-out single in the sixth for the Rays, and the umpires suspended play moments later. By then, every ball and every pitch had become an adventure because of the miserable conditions.
"The infield was tough. The ball would do funny things," Phillies second baseman Chase Utley said. "It was in bad shape. It was not playable."

"The fifth and top of the sixth innings were an absolute embarrassment for baseball ..."
Read the postIf Pena had not tied it, Selig said he would not have let the Phillies win with a game that was called after six innings.
"It's not a way to end a World Series," he said. "I would not have allowed a World Series to end this way."
Fine by the Rays.
"The World Series always should be decided by nine innings with somebody making the final out, not the weather or natural disasters or whatever," reliever Trever Miller said. "That's what fans pay to see. That's what we work hard for all year."
"We've got to look at it as a 0-0 game and come out and win it," added Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett.
Tuesday was supposed to be a travel day, if necessary. Instead, the teams will stay in the area and then head back to Tropicana Field if the Rays win.
The delay, however, forced the Rays to find a new hotel about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away.

About 10 minutes after the game was officially suspended, an announcement was made at Citizens Bank Park telling fans wrapped in plastic sheets they were done for the night.
Because it was only lightly raining when the game started, MLB hoped it could play a full nine innings. Quickly, however, the showers turned to a steady downpour and the field became a quagmire.
By the middle innings, the grounds crew was running shuttles onto the field, carrying bags of a drying agent - baseball's version of cat litter - to absorb the water.
No luck.
A puddle formed on home plate and umpire Jeff Kellogg resorted to using a towel rather than the usual whisk broom to wipe it clean.
Batters kept blinking back the rain drops and pitchers struggled with their footing. Strong gusts dropped the wind-chill factor and fielders covered their bare hands between pitches.
All-Star shortstop Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies chased a popup all over and dropped it for a tough error in the fifth. There were pools of water at every base.
B.J. Upton beat out an infield hit with two outs in the sixth on a ball that Rollins bobbled. Upton stole second and hustled home on Pena's hit, with left fielder Pat Burrell's throw home plopping into a puddle in the grass.

Fans showed up hoping they'd be witnesses to a World Series championship. Shane Victorino got them cheering with bases-loaded single in the first for a 2-0 lead off Scott Kazmir.
Rays manager Joe Maddon tinkered with his lineup, dropping the slumping Pena and Longoria one spot each - they were a combined 0-for-29 with 15 strikeouts after four games.
The Tampa Bay stars ended their hitless ruts in the fourth when Pena doubled off the right-field wall and Longoria followed with an RBI single up the middle that made it 2-1.
A few innings later, it was time to go.
"You couldn't do anything you normally do out there," Rays outfielder Carl Crawford said.

It didn't take Jeremy Hermida long before the 24-year-old had to address the first trade rumor of his three-year career.
Shortly after arriving in the Marlins clubhouse on Wednesday, Hermida was swarmed by media and asked about Boston and the Manny Ramirez rumors.

On Wednesday, SI.com and Baseball Prospectus reported the Marlins had inquired with the Red Sox about the power-hitting Ramirez. Baseball Prospectus tossed out the names Hermida and pitching prospect Jeff Allison as being candidates to go to the Red Sox.
MLB.com has learned that a third team could be added to the trade. In this scenario, Ramirez would go to the Marlins, Hermida would end up in Pittsburgh, and Jason Bay would wind up in Boston.
Hermida had heard the rumor about an hour before arriving at Dolphin Stadium, where the Marlins were preparing to face the Mets in the series finale.
Asked about Boston, the 24-year-old right fielder said: "Never played there."
His reaction to being linked to a possible trade for Ramirez, Hermida added: "It's tough to have one."
The mere mention of the Marlins in the mix for Ramirez spawns disbelief considering the club's limited financial resources and $22 million payroll. On a number of levels, the rumor doesn't make sense: financially or personnel-wise.
Ramirez plays left field, which means the Marlins would then have to address right field, where Hermida plays, and Josh Willingham's status in left field.
Like the rest of the league, the Marlins front office has been working the phones, exploring a number of deals.
Catching and relief help are two areas of need.
So where Ramirez would fit into the equation is unclear, other than he is one of the true impact hitters in the game.
The Marlins had been exploring a deal for Giants catcher Bengie Molina, but that appears to be off the table. Toronto's Gregg Zaun may be in the mix.
The non-waiver Trade Deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Luis Gonzalez, who has 18 years of MLB experience, has seen everything in the game. But to a young club like the Marlins, the veteran notes that they may pay closer attention to the rumors.
"I think more of the guys in here, will be probably be more surprised or in-tuned with things," Gonzalez said. "For me, nothing shocks me any more in this game. I just take it was a grain of salt. I just kind of roll with the punches."

Fittingly, Mr. Marlin will ultimately retire as a Marlin.
According to a source, Jeff Conine, one of the most popular players in Florida history, will sign a one-day contract on March 28, and then retire as a member of the Marlins.

Nicknamed "Mr. Marlin," the 41-year-old was a member of the team's inaugural roster, and he enjoyed two stints with the organization. A versatile performer who mostly played first base and the outfield, he was a vital part of the franchise's World Series titles in 1997 and 2003.

Conine, who resides year-round in South Florida in Weston, is scheduled to sign his one-day contract March 28, when the Marlins play an exhibition game against the Yankees at Dolphin Stadium.

The team also plans on honoring Conine during an on-field ceremony before their March 31 season opener against the Mets.

The Marlins, however, are not planning on retiring Conine's number. He actually wore two. From 1993-97, he donned No. 19. When he returned in a trade from the Orioles on Aug. 31, 2003, he was given No. 18.

He remained with the Marlins through 2005.

Conine is currently training for an Ironman triathlon competition, which is consuming much of his time these days. The team is leaving open the option of bringing Conine back to the organization in an advisory capacity.

Conine enjoyed a 17-year big league career, breaking in with the Royals in 1990. He also played for the Marlins, Orioles, Phillies and Reds before he finished up last year with the Mets.

Respected for his hard-nosed style of play and his professionalism, Conine finished with a .285 career batting average. He added 214 home runs and 1,071 RBIs.

Conine ranks among the Marlins' leaders in a number of categories. He is second in team history in games played (1,014), total hits (1,005), singles (688), RBIs (553) and total bases (1,579). He is the franchise leader in grand slams with six.

Robby Gordon, NASCAR's last independent owner-driver, needs a near-miracle to prevent a season that started with so much promise from imploding.

Gordon goes before an appeals committee on Wednesday desperately needing relief from a recent penalty that could destroy his race team.

His odds aren't good: In the 96 hearings held over the past eight years, The National Stock Car Racing Commission upheld 66 decisions. In two instances, the original penalty was increased.

The original penalty was reduced 20 times and the penalties were overturned just eight times.

Gordon has a hard fight ahead over an un-approved front bumper on his brand new Dodge when he reported to the season-opening Daytona 500. The infraction cost him 100 points in the standings, while his crew chief was suspended six races and fined $100,000.

But Gordon insists the penalty hardly fits the crime.

"We're going to jail for a crime we didn't commit," he's steadfastly insisted.

The incident has marked a tough two months for Gordon, the stubbornly lovable lone wolf of NASCAR who insists on doing everything his very own way.

So when terrorist threats led to the January cancellation of the Dakar Rally, costing Robby Gordon Motorsports more than $4 million in personal losses, he had to scramble to get his race team on solid footing. It meant quickly putting an alliance together with Gillett Evernham Motorsports that required him to move from Ford to Dodge the week before teams reported to Daytona.

With just a few days to make the transition, his team scrambled to build him race cars and used whatever parts the manufacturer sent his way.

Gordon said the un-approved bumper came from Dodge, and with zero familiarity in the new equipment, the team had no way of knowing the part had yet to receive NASCAR's approval for competition.

"It was an unfortunate series of human errors compounded by the very short timeframe RGM had to get their car changed to Dodge Chargers in time for the Daytona 500," said Kipp Owen, director of SRT and Dodge Motorsports Engineering.

"Dodge has taken appropriate steps in the warehouse to make sure that prototype parts cannot be mistaken for approved parts in the future and hopes that the circumstances surrounding this error are taken into consideration."

NASCAR had little wiggle room on the issue. Since implementing a zero tolerance policy on modifications to the Car of Tomorrow, the sanctioning body has ruled with an iron fist on teams that run afoul of the inspectors.

Add in an increased effort to sweep the culture of cheating out of the sport, and penalties have been brutal of late. Suspensions are lengthy and fines, which averaged about $200,000 a year over the past decade, totaled almost $1 million in 2007 alone.

So for NASCAR, Gordon's infraction was a black and white issue. It doesn't matter why or how the bumper got on his Dodge. It was illegal and the sanctioning body reacted accordingly.

Gordon doesn't think every issue is always black or white.

"It was something that we didn't build, we didn't fix, we didn't supply," he said. "It was a clerical error from the manufacturer and all we did was install it actually on the race car ... it's almost like you put yourself in a position that if someone steals your car and robs a bank, but because it was your car, you're going to jail."

That's the case Gordon will make on Wednesday to a three-member panel that will hear his appeal. It's a tough process and teams very rarely prevail in getting penalties reduced, let alone overturned.

Although there is recent precedent - the panel last year threw out a $10,000 fine levied against a Hendrick Motorsports crew chief accused of modifying an intake manifold - Gordon has no way of knowing which way this is going to go.

If the panel gives him back his points, he'd jump all the way from 37th to 21st in the standings. If the deduction stands, then he heads into Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend below the all-important top 35 mark with just two events left to race his way back into a guaranteed spot in every race.

Gordon knows if he starts missing races, his days as a car owner could be numbered. He's worked too hard and too long to see it all crumble this way, something even NASCAR privately admits.

But personal feelings can't enter these proceedings, and that's sobering when Gordon's future is on the line.

"We don't want to fight NASCAR," Gordon said. "We want to participate in NASCAR, and we want to compete at this level. If this sticks, I don't know what our plan will be. I'll be honest with you.

"But there is . . . I think open wheel got back together, and I know I can drive one of those cars."

The Florida Marlins are looking for some footloose fat men. The National League team is creating an all-male, plus-size cheerleading squad to be dubbed the Manatees. Tryouts were scheduled for Sunday.

The team hopes to recruit seven to 10 tubby men to dance, cheer and jiggle during Friday and Saturday home games this season.

Real manatees, 1,200-pound mammals sometimes referred to as "sea cows," are not considered the most agile of creatures and often get caught in boat propellers.

The Marlins want their Manatees to have the same dimensions, but to be decidedly more agile. Men will be judged on how well they dance a choreographed routine.

FanHouse
Josh Alper says:

"What a glorious time to be a Marlin fan!"
The Marlins already have a cheerleading squad, the considerably more svelte Mermaids.

Men selected for the Manatees won't be paid. They'll get tickets to games they perform at, and the honor of dancing in front of crowds that have been smallest in major league baseball for the last two seasons.

The Marlins aren't the only pro sports team capitalizing on Americans' expanding waistlines. The Chicago Bulls basketball team have the Matadors, a big-man dance troupe that's entertained fans at home games since 2003.

And although cheerleaders might be an unfamiliar site in baseball, big men aren't, as fans have long cheered on the likes of Babe Ruth and Kirby Puckett.

Another thriller, another heartbreak at the Daytona 500. For the second straight year, The Great American Race came down to the last lap.
This time the drama rewarded Ryan Newman, who hadn't won in 81 races over more than two years, and team owner Roger Penske, long the king at Indianapolis but never a winner at Daytona.
Newman waited while the big stars fell back one by one. Then, with only Tony Stewart ahead of him, Newman got a "push from heaven" from teammate Kurt Busch to take the lead on the final lap.

"Kurt was the push from heaven that made it all happen," Newman said. "Without a doubt, he could have easily gone three-wide and split us through the center and made one heck of a mess there. But he chose to be a teammate, and that was the most honorable thing that he could do."

Penske, the most successful owner in open-wheel history with 14 wins in the prestigious Indianapolis 500, now has a victory in NASCAR's showcase event.

It only took him 24 years to get it.

And it came in the 50th running of the Daytona 500, in thrilling fashion, with a last-lap pass for the second consecutive year.

When the car owner finally made it to storied Victory Lane, he was met by Rick Hendrick, NASCAR's most powerful owner.

"I talked to Rick earlier today, and I said, 'You've been in the winner's circle so many times, if we win will you give me your hat?' He was the first one down here. So I thank him," Penske said while wearing that very cap.

"We've been working here for many years. Certainly Kurt and the teamwork was just unbelievable. It's a big day in our life and for our whole team."

The Penske cars were quiet for 199 of the 200 laps, letting Joe Gibbs Racing stars Stewart and Kyle Busch race each other in a battle of Toyotas. With one lap to go, it appeared Stewart finally would get his first Daytona 500 win in his 10th try.

Running out front in the high line, he held off the two Penske cars as they circled the famed speedway. But as the Penske teammates closed in on him, Stewart didn't feel safe running alone without any allies.

At the last second, he dropped low on the track to line up in front of Kyle Busch. The JGR teams had talked all week about the importance of teamwork, and Stewart thought he'd need Busch to make it to the checkered flag.

But the decision backfired in the blink of an eye.

Stewart couldn't hook up with Kyle Busch fast enough, and the two Penske cars steamrolled past him on the top.

Newman pulled away for his first win since New Hampshire in September 2005, while Stewart had to settle for third.

"I don't think there's too many people that would take the white flag and like finishing third," a dejected Stewart sighed. "We tried to win the Daytona 500. That's all I can say. I just made the wrong decision on the backstretch.

"My intention was to get in front of Kyle and pull Kyle along with us. It's hard to explain. It's probably one of the most disappointing moments in my racing career."

The disappointment was also evident on Greg Zipadelli, who starts his 10th season with Stewart in NASCAR's longest active driver-crew chief pairing.

"We've worked all winter, we've worked the last 10 years, I've worked my whole life," Zipadelli said. "It's just the way that it is. There's a lot of good people that haven't won this race. I'm not going to get hung up on it. I'm going to work as hard as I can, and when it's done, if we have our turn, we will.

"It won't be because we didn't work at it."

The failure was a setback for Toyota, which seemed destined to win its first points race in NASCAR's top series behind the strength of JGR.

"There's no doubt the Gibbs guys feel dejected tonight," Kurt Busch said.

The Gibbs organization joined Toyota this season, giving the manufacturer instant credibility after an embarrassing 2007 debut. Based on a strong month of testing and Denny Hamlin's win in one of Thursday's qualifying races, the JGR cars set the stage for an intense battle with powerful Hendrick Motorsports for the biggest prize in NASCAR.

But the Hendrick cars never challenged. Jeff Gordon dropped out with mechanical problems, Casey Mears and Jimmie Johnson both wrecked and, without any Hendrick help, Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't have the muscle to hold off the Gibbs entries.

It allowed Stewart and Kyle Busch to dominate the race, only to fade at the end. Busch, who led a race-high 86 laps, finished fourth, while Hamlin was 17th.

"Just frustrating to come home fourth, but that's part of the Daytona 500," said Kyle Busch, who joined Gibbs this season after Hendrick let him go to sign Earnhardt

"On the last lap, Stewart had a chance to go high to block (Newman) and (Busch), but they just had such a big run, I think he knew it was going to be a waste of time."

The disappointment was a stark contrast to the euphoria in the Penske camp, which finished 1-2 in NASCAR's Super Bowl and finally gave the storied car owner his first victory in a restrictor-plate race. Despite total domination in Indianapolis, Penske never could figure out how to win at Daytona.

He finally did it with teamwork - the same teamwork Gibbs and Hendrick preached all week - and a pair of drivers who share in each other's success. It took years for Penske to build this and make his teams even. Once they were, Newman didn't get along with Penske star Rusty Wallace.

But when Wallace retired after the 2005 season, Penske tabbed Busch, a former series champion, to replace him. He and Newman forged an instant working relationship that is finally paying dividends.

"I was very emotional crossing the line finishing second, because I know we did something very special for The Captain tonight," said Busch, the runner-up, who was near tears when he visited Victory Lane.

The win was the first for Dodge at Daytona since Ward Burton's win in 2001 and came hours after new chairman Bob Nardelli guaranteed the victory. Besides the win, Dodge drivers took six of the eight top spots.

Pledging his commitment to NASCAR despite sluggish car sales and just so-so on-track performance, Nardelli seemed certain he'd be in Victory Lane late Sunday night.

"A Dodge is going to win today. That's why I'm here," Nardelli boasted Sunday morning. "I told the pilots, 'Make sure you get 12 hours of rest because we're going to be here a while.' I'm looking forward to being in that winner's circle and having that champagne flowing."

The victory earned Penske a $1 million bonus from Nardelli, who had promised the payout to any Dodge team that won the Daytona 500. Penske vowed to pump the money right back into his race team, and the car owner already was thinking about the rest of the season.

"Comparing it to the Indy 500, as Ryan knows, we've been open-wheel guys and coming down here has been tough," Penske said. "This has got to go to the top of the charts here, this win. What I'm going to try to do this year is have them back-to-back, have one in May, too.

"That's my real challenge right now."

With the Super Bowl on the line, look who had the perfection thing down pat: Eli Manning and the road-conquering New York Giants.

And what a beauty their 11th straight road victory was, a 17-14 Super Bowl win Sunday that shattered the New England Patriots' unblemished season.
In one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history, Manning, New York's unlikely Mr. Cool, hit Plaxico Burress on a 13-yard fade with 35 seconds left.
It was the Giants' fourth consecutive postseason away win and the first time the Patriots tasted defeat in more than a year."There's something about this team," Manning said. "The way we win games, and performed in the playoffs in the stretch. We had total confidence in ourselves.
The players believed in each other."It was the most bitter of losses, too, because 12-point favorite New England (18-1) was one play from winning and getting the ultimate revenge for being penalized for illegally taping opponents' defensive signals in the season opener against the New York Jets.
"I don't rank them," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "It's disappointing."The Giants had the perfect answer for the suddenly imperfect Patriots: a big, bad defense and the improbable comeback led by Manning.
Yes, Eli Manning, who outplayed league MVP Tom Brady and furthered the family legacy one year after older brother Peyton led Indianapolis to the title."I talked to Peyton and he said, `Go in there, have some fun, you can do it."'It was how Eli and the Giants did it.

The New England Patriots' path to perfection has one last hurdle: a New York team of road warriors hoping for a Giant upset.

"We'll try to elevate our game for one last performance," said Tom Brady, the Patriots' dimple-chinned, record-setting quarterback with the model girlfriend.

Brady and the Patriots (18-0) will try to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to complete an undefeated season when they face Eli Manning and the Giants on Feb. 3 in the Super Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.

"I think you enter the season and you're hoping to put together a bunch of great wins and you realize there's challenges every step of the way," Brady said after beating San Diego 21-12 in the AFC championship game Sunday. "To not have a letdown like most teams have - we had a few letdowns or times where we didn't play our best, but we overcame them.

"Standing in the Patriots' way are the Giants (13-6) and Manning - Peyton's little brother, whose moxie and leadership abilities no longer can be questioned.

"We haven't been given a shot, but we're here," Manning said of his Giants, who have won 10 straight on the road - including a 23-20 overtime win at Green Bay in the NFC title game. "I think we're deserving of it.

"Las Vegas oddsmakers might think differently. They installed New England as a 13 1/2-point favorite in the big game, in which New York will get another shot at destroying the Patriots' path to perfection.

New England won 38-35 in its final game of the regular season, rallying from a 12-point second-half deficit against the Giants. The teams also played in the preseason finale, when New England won - with Brady sitting that one out.

Brady and the Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven years. A win in this one would rank the Patriots as perhaps the greatest champion in NFL history - Spygate a long-forgotten speedbump.

In that scandal, the Patriots were fined $250,000 and coach Bill Belichick $500,000 for violating league rules by training a sideline camera on New York Jets coaches in their season-opening win. New England was stripped of its first-round draft pick next season, but the team stood by its coach.

And the Patriots never wavered."I think there's special guys on this team that have stepped up all year when they needed to," Brady said.

Maybe none more than New England's record-breaking - and heartbreaking - quarterback.

Brady started this special season by becoming a father for the first time as his ex-girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan, gave birth to their son. Brady's now dating former Victoria's Secret model Gisele Bundchen, making them gossip fodder around the world.

When the football-hurling heartthrob got back to business, he became a cover story for other reasons.Brady threw an NFL-record 50 touchdown passes in the regular season, with 23 of those to Randy Moss, who topped Jerry Rice's record.

Brady was also the league's Most Valuable Player in helping New England score an NFL-record 589 points."They played great all year," Belichick said. "I'm very lucky to coach this team."Linebacker Junior Seau quickly returned the compliment: "Bill is definitely the best coach ever.

"And the Patriots are on the verge of making NFL history."Now we can look ahead," Belichick said.They sure can.

And they'll see a familiar foe in the Giants, whose run through the playoffs into their first Super Bowl since 2001 was jump-started by their valiant effort against the Patriots in the last week of the regular season."That got us going, momentum," Manning said.

This is the same New York team that gave up 80 points in its first two games and had fans calling for coach Tom Coughlin to be fired. Those same fans also wondered whether Manning, acquired in a draft-day deal in 2004, would ever become a franchise-type quarterback like his brother.

Little brother is now in the Super Bowl with a chance to bring home a title of his own."It's exciting, but it's not about me," Manning said in his typical aw-shucks manner. "It's about this whole team."

Sure, Manning had a big hand in the Giants' success, especially when the games took on greater meaning. He has been flawless in the postseason, completing a number of clutch throws without a turnover."It's just a matter of getting hot at the right time," Manning said. "It feels good because this is what you work for."

New York became the first NFC wild-card team to reach the Super Bowl since Dallas in 1975. And the Giants did it the hard way, winning all their road games after dropping their season opener at Dallas."We're going on the road again," Coughlin said. "That's good."New York visited Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay in the playoffs and went home winners. Next up is the biggest game of them all and a chance to make history by ending New England's attempt at football immortality."We have a lot of faith and trust in ourselves," Manning said.

At least neither team will have to worry about a frigid forecast in Arizona. On Sunday, New England beat San Diego in 23-degree temperatures at Foxborough, Mass., while New York edged Green Bay in subzero conditions at Lambeau Field.

"I'm glad it's warm weather," Brady said, flashing that familiar smile. "Weather won't be a factor. It should be exciting."

Too easy. No. 2 LSU danced, dodged and darted its way into the end zone Monday night, turning the BCS national championship game into a horrible replay for No. 1 Ohio State. It was over early, with Matt Flynn throwing four touchdown passes in a 38-24 win.

Playing at their home-away-from-home in the Big Easy, LSU (12-2) became the first two-loss team to play for the title. Shouts of "SEC! SEC!" bounced around the Superdome as the Tigers won their second BCS crown in five seasons. They are the first school to win a second title since BCS rankings began with the 1998 season.
And in a season of surprises, this was hardly an upset: Ohio State once again fell apart in college football's biggest game. A year after the Buckeyes were routed by Tim Tebow and Florida 41-14 in the Arizona desert, they barely did better.

Jacob Hester bulled for a short touchdown, Early Doucet wiggled loose for a touchdown and All-American Glenn Dorsey led a unit that outplayed the top-ranked defense in the nation. Ohio State (11-2) had little to celebrate after Chris "Beanie" Wells broke loose for a 65-yard TD run on the fourth play of the game.

Yet while LSU got to hoist the $30,000 crystal trophy, certainly many fans around the country were peering into their crystal balls, wondering if someone else was worthy of the title. Southern California, Georgia, West Virginia, Kansas and Missouri all put on impressive shows in bowl games, and will be among the favorites in 2008.

The final Associated Press poll was to be released early Tuesday.

The record was perfect, but the New England Patriots weren't.
They missed tackles. They committed stupid penalties. And they hemorrhaged points. But, in the end, they won, and their come-from-behind 38-35 defeat of the New York Giants tells us something about the Patriots we shouldn't forget now that they're in the playoffs.

The Patriots are hardly flawless against the Giants, but still end up perfect. (AP)
They're resilient.
New England didn't become the NFL's first 16-game regular-season winner by just lapping the field. The Patriots had to overcome occasional lapses and a little adversity here and there -- and there was plenty of both down the stretch of this remarkable season.
The envelope, please. They fought off an upset against Philadelphia in late November. Then they rallied to nose out Baltimore. They held off the New York Jets. Finally, on the field where their 16-game run began in September, they scrambled to overcome the playoff-bound Giants.
No victory was more memorable than their latest. The Patriots were forced to produce 22 straight second-half points to erase a 12-point deficit -- their largest of the season -- to become the first club since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to make it through the regular season undefeated.
The Dolphins were 14-0. The Patriots are 16-0. I don't know which team is better, and I don't care. What I do care about is that despite the blemishes that were exposed again Saturday night, the Patriots somehow found a way to win.
And, yes, we have heard this before.
They trailed in the first half against Indianapolis in early November, but they won. In fact, in that game they trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter. They trailed against Baltimore, too, in early December, yet squeezed out the game-winning touchdown just when it looked as if they were finished.
And they trailed early in the fourth quarter against the Giants before turning to a couple of familiar names to bail themselves out of trouble. Yeah, that was Randy Moss and Tom Brady who hooked up for the go-ahead touchdown, and more on that later.
The bottom line is that the Patriots won a game they could've lost.
"These guys have made plays when they need to make them," said coach Bill Belichick. "Everybody's come through at one time or another this season, and that certainly was true today. When we had to make (plays) we made them."
But that's been true all season.
Remember that Indianapolis game? The Patriots were toast until Brady dialed Moss for a fourth-quarter bomb that began the game-winning comeback. Against Philadelphia the club struggled the entire evening until Laurence Maroney's touchdown run capped a 69-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter. Then there was Baltimore, a game that appeared lost until Brady hit Jabar Gaffney with 44 seconds left.

"What I'm most proud of," said Brady, who set a single-season touchdown record with 50, "is playing a playoff team (the Giants) on the road where we were down by (12) at one point and finding a way to come back.
"We did the same thing in Dallas this year and in Indy. We've been in some tough games. It's going to hopefully prepare us for what we face next month."
It should. Because what the Patriots face next month will be tougher opponents than the New York Giants. Let's face it, the Giants never played their best football at home. At least not until Saturday night they didn't. They finished 3-5 there, with four straight losses, and until Saturday Eli Manning had been positively dreadful.
Then he erupted for four touchdown passes and the Giants put up more points on New England than any of its previous 15 opponents.
Yet they lost, and they lost because the Patriots made the critical plays when it mattered most. There was a fourth-quarter interception. There was a Maroney touchdown run. And there was that Brady-to-Moss scoring pass.
That last one deserves special mention because on the previous play Moss botched a sure score, dropping an under-thrown pass after safety Gibril Wilson had fallen. No problem. Brady returned to Moss, this time with the Giants trying to trap the Patriots' Wes Welker -- the intended receiver -- with double coverage.
With one catch, the Patriots' season was complete. Moss hauled in his 23rd touchdown reception, a single-season record. Brady had his 50th TD pass, passing Peyton Manning for the NFL high. And the Patriots moved on to a record-setting 16-0 finish.
"I'm happy," said Belichick. "You work all year to try to win every game, and to be able to win them all is great."
Oh, sure, there were flaws. The pass defense was punctured by a beleaguered quarterback who threw as many TDs in one evening as he had the previous five starts. There were too many mistakes on both sides of the ball, especially in a first half where they trailed 21-16. And the poise that is characteristic of this team was missing, with defensive tackle Vince Wilfork poking running back Brandon Jacobs in the eye, and Moss and safety Rodney Harrison assessed personal fouls that contributed to Giants touchdowns.
But the Patriots overcame it all, and they did it with the right side of their offensive line missing. Keep that in mind, people: They faced the league leader in sacks, yet protected Brady while playing with a backup right guard and tackle.
"They came through like they have all year," said Belichick. "I don't think that was our best football game out there. There are a lot of things we could do better. Hopefully, the next time we play we'll have some of those things improved."
They better. Because the road will get steeper for the Patriots. Sure, they're the favorite to make it to the Super Bowl and win, but look at the minefield they face: Indianapolis, San Diego and Jacksonville are on the horizon in the playoffs, and each can make a case for beating these guys -- especially after what happened Saturday.
But New England knocked off Indianapolis this season and overwhelmed the Chargers. More important, tell me the last time the Patriots lost a playoff game at Gillette Stadium. They haven't.
In short, this team finds it impossible to lose -- and we just got a reminder why.
"The first half we stunk it up," said Harrison. "But I never doubted this team. I never doubted this team for one moment. In fact, I told Sam (Madison, Giants cornerback) at halftime, 'We're still going to win,' and he said, 'No, you're not.'"
Well, yes, they did. Just as they have all season.
"How could you ever think that something like this was possible?" said Harrison. "There are so many teams and so many games. All the competition. All the injuries. The emotional roller coaster of a football season ... I mean, you're happy to lose just one game, let alone not lose any. I never imagined that this was possible."
I didn't, either. But it happened, and it happened for a reason. The New England Patriots are better than everyone else, and the record proves it.

Roger Clemens turned out be Exhibit A in the long-awaited Mitchell Report, an All-Star roster linked to steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs that put a question mark - if not an asterisk - next to some of baseball's biggest moments.
Barry Bonds, already under indictment on charges of lying to a federal grand jury about steroids, Miguel Tejada and Andy Pettitte also showed up Thursday in the game's most infamous lineup since the Black Sox scandal.

The report culminated a 20-month investigation by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, hired by commissioner Bud Selig to examine the Steroids Era.

Seven MVPs showed up and in all, 80-some players were fingered, enough to put an All-Star at every position.

No one was hit harder than Clemens. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner was singled out in nearly nine pages, 82 references by name. Much of the information on Clemens came from former New York Yankees major league strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee.

"The illegal use of performance-enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game," the report said. "Widespread use by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of baseball records."

While the records will surely stand, several stars could pay the price in Cooperstown, much the way Mark McGwire was kept out of the Hall of Fame this year merely because of steroids suspicion.

"If there are problems, I wanted them revealed," Selig said. "His report is a call to action, and I will act."

Mitchell said the problems didn't develop overnight and there was plenty of blame to go around.
"Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades - commissioners, club officials, the players' association and players - shares to some extent the responsibility for the Steroids Era," Mitchell said. "There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged and to deal with it early on."

Mitchell recommended that the drug-testing program be made independent, that a list of the substances players test positive for be listed periodically and that the timing of testing be more unpredictable.

Eric Gagne, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Troy Glaus, Gary Matthews Jr., Paul Byrd, Jose Guillen, Brian Roberts, Paul Lo Duca and Rick Ankiel were among other current players named in the report - in fact, there's an All-Star at every position. Some were linked to Human Growth Hormone, others to steroids.

Only Bonds was mentioned more than Clemens, 103 times, most of it recounting previous reports.

More than a dozen Yankees, past and present, were identified. Players were linked to doping in various ways - some were identified as users, some as buyers and some by media reports and other investigations.

"According to McNamee, from the time that McNamee injected Clemens with Winstrol through the end of the 1998 season, Clemens' performance showed remarkable improvement," the report said. "During this period of improved performance, Clemens told McNamee that the steroids 'had a pretty good effect' on him."

McNamee also told investigators that "during the middle of the 2000 season, Clemens made it clear that he was ready to use steroids again. During the latter part of the regular season, McNamee injected Clemens in the buttocks four to six times with testosterone from a bottle labeled either Sustanon 250 or Deca-Durabolin."

Former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski also provided information as part of his plea agreement in a federal steroids case. Jose Canseco's book "Juiced" also was cited.

Mitchell urged Selig to hold off on punishing players in the report "except in those cases where he determines that the conduct is so serious that discipline is necessary to maintain the integrity of the game."

Selig said discipline will be determined in case by case basis, and actions will be taken "swiftly."
"Former commissioner Fay Vincent told me that the problem of performance-enhancing substances may be the most serious challenge that baseball has faced since the 1919 Black Sox scandal," Mitchell said in the 409-page report.

"The illegal use of anabolic steroids and similar substances, in Vincent's view, is 'cheating of the worst sort.' He believes that it is imperative for Major League Baseball to 'capture the moral high ground' on the issue and, by words and deeds, make it clear that baseball will not tolerate the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs."

Rafael Palmeiro, who tested positive for steroids, was among the former players named. So were Kevin Brown, Benito Santiago, Lenny Dykstra, Chuck Knoblauch, David Justice, Mo Vaughn and Todd Hundley.

Mike Stanton, Scott Schoeneweis, Ron Villone and Jerry Hairston Jr. were among the other current players identified.

"We identify some of the players who were caught up in this drive to gain a competitive advantage," the report said. "Other investigations will no doubt turn up more names and fill in more details, but that is unlikely to significantly alter the description of baseball's `steroids era' as set forth in this report."

"The illegal use in baseball of these substances also victimize the majority of players who don't use them. We heard from many former players who believe it was grossly unfair that the users were gaining an advantage," Mitchell said.

The report took issue with assertions that steroids were not banned before the 2002 collective bargaining agreement.

They had been covered, it said, since the 1971 drug policy prohibited using any prescription medication without a valid prescription, and were expressly included in the drug policy in 1991.

"Steroids have been listed as a prohibited substance under the Major League Baseball drug policy since then," the report said, although no player was disciplined for them until the 2002 labor agreement provided for testing.

Mitchell is a director of the Boston Red Sox, and some questioned whether that created a conflict, especially because none of their players were in the report.

"Judge me by my work," Mitchell said. "You will not find any evidence of bias, special treatment, for the Red Sox or anyone else. That had no effect on this investigation or this report, none whatsoever."

Giambi, under threat of discipline from Selig, was the only current player known to have cooperated with the Mitchell investigation.

"The players' union was largely uncooperative for reasons that I thought were largely understandable," Mitchell said.

The Detroit Tigers reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday to acquire All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins for a package of six players, an unexpected blockbuster trade that developed quickly at the winter meetings.
In a huge deal that took the spotlight away from Boston's pursuit of Johan Santana, Florida gets lefty Andrew Miller, outfielder Cameron Maybin and four other prospects from the Tigers, a baseball official with knowledge of the talks said on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been finalized.
Willis was on vacation when he heard the news.
"I'm in Mexico right now with my family. I'm kind of busy," he told the Associated Press.
The Marlins also receive catcher Mike Rabelo and right-handers Burke Badenhop, Eulogio De La Cruz and Dallas Trahern. The players involved must pass physicals for the deal to be completed.
"It's very serious, but nothing is finalized yet because some issues need to get worked out," Tigers manager Jim Leyland told the AP.
Florida didn't even approach the Tigers until Tuesday morning. The Marlins told the Tigers they could have both stars for those six players, then Detroit called back about two hours later and agreed, the baseball official said.
"If it does happen, obviously they're getting two very good players," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who managed the Marlins in 2006. "Miguel Cabrera is one of the finest hitters in the game. He can do so many things with a bat, whether you want him to hit a home run for you, you want to hit and run, work the count, get on base. And Dontrelle Willis has been one of the premier lefties in the National League."
Cabrera, an All-Star in each of the last four seasons, would join an imposing lineup that already includes Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Ivan Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco. The Tigers also acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria, a five-time All-Star, in a trade with Atlanta this offseason.
Willis, the 2003 NL Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, is coming off a down year in which he went 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA. He will be part of a solid rotation with Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman as Detroit tries to reach the World Series for the second time in three seasons.
Cabrera and Willis were the last players left from Florida's 2003 championship team. Unable to secure a new ballpark, the Marlins keep shedding players when they are due to earn huge salaries. Cabrera made $7.4 million this year and Willis $6.45 million. Both were eligible for arbitration and likely to receive raises.
In return, the Marlins get a pair of highly rated prospects: Maybin was the 10th pick in the 2005 amateur draft and Miller was selected sixth overall the following year.
To make room, it appears Detroit would likely have to trade third baseman Brandon Inge or left fielder Marcus Thames. Cabrera played the outfield in 2004 and 2005.
The Los Angeles Angels had pursued Cabrera for weeks. The Marlins didn't give the Angels one last chance.
"The deal they appear to have reached, they felt was a better fit for them," Angels general manager Tony Reagins told a pool reporter.

IRVING, Texas -- Tony Romo took a knee, sealing a playoff-clinching, record-setting victory against the team he grew up rooting for and the quarterback he has obviously patterned himself after. So when it was time for hugs and handshakes, the kid from Wisconsin went looking for Brett Favre.

He had to settle for Aaron Rodgers.

Favre was already in the locker room getting treated for a banged-up right elbow and a separated left shoulder. Besides, the graying icon already had seen enough from Romo and the Dallas Cowboys.

For all his denials about Favre's influence on him, Romo sure played a lot like a young No. 4 on Thursday night -- full of moxie and joy, but needing a bit of a high-wire act to send the Cowboys past the Green Bay Packers 37-27 and into the lead for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

What everyone seems to be missing is that this happens every week to millions of football fans. If you don't have Directv, you must watch whatever game the networks decide you should watch.

If you live in a market that has a team, 32 different cities, odds are you are not going to get a Green Bay vs Dallas type game anyway.

Lets look at this weeks schedule for example...I see Atlanta vs St Louis, Jets vs Miami, San Francisco vs Carolina at 1pm. Millions of fans have to watch these games in these cities when also at 1pm Jacksonville plays Indy and Seattle plays Philly (contending teams, and for the NFL fan, much more entertaining). Now I understand die hard fans want to watch their team play, but what about the rest of the football fans in those cities? If you are an NFL fan living in NYC and you want to see the Jags vs Colts in your own home, without Directv, you can't. You have to watch Jets vs Miami......and oh....next week at 4pm PIttsburgh plays New England...now 8 other cities won't be showing that game...millions of fans won't be able to see it. Let's all riot....

The point is this type of thing happens every week. Much better games go unseen by millions of NFL fans, regardless of whether it is the NFL network, or Fox, or CBS. I have no problem with the NFL and their network trying to make as much money as they can. We live in a capitalist society. If you don't like it, move.

And by the way, alot of sports bars have Directv. If it is that big a deal to you, go to one of them. I bet the game will be on.

He became a football legend in Miami and has met his end in the same city. Redskins safety Sean Taylor, shot during an alleged home invasion robbery, never recovered and died early Tuesday at age 24.

Jimmie Johnson's sixth season -- and his second consecutive Cup title campaign -- can be broken down into six six-race intervals, each (almost) as impressive as the one before it.

How dominant was Johnson down the stretch? Over the final six races, he out-pointed runner-up Jeff Gordon by 86 points -- the largest margin among the top 25 drivers in Races 31-36 -- en route to winning the title by 77 points.

"We're in elite company winning two championships, winning back to back championships is something I'm very, very proud of," Johnson said. "The good thing, I feel, is we're just really hitting our stride. I think we have a lot of good years ahead of us, and we'll be fighting for more championships and certainly winning more races as years go by.

"Hopefully we can be a three-time champion in the near future."

Clearly Johnson was the best of the best in 2007. After crashing-out of the season opener at Daytona and posting a 39th-place finish. He bounced back to win three of five starts between California and Martinsville and for all intents and purposes the race to the Chase was on -- despite Gordon's points-leading performance through the first 26 races.

After winning at Martinsville, Johnson was third in points, 60 behind leader Gordon and Jeff Burton (-28). However, a 38th-place showing at Texas, the result of a crash and another DNF, did little to deter the No. 48 team; Johnson reeled off five consecutive top-10s and moved into second in points, 132 behind Gordon.

A 15th-place run at Dover in Race 13 ended Johnson's run of top-10s and was a harbinger of things to come during the middle 12 races of the season. He was 42nd at Pocono and back-to-back DNFs at Chicago and Indianapolis dropped Johnson to ninth in points, 607 behind Gordon, with six races remaining until the Chase field was set.

And then there were the Car of Tomorrow infractions at Sonoma. NASCAR issued penalties and fines to the Nos. 24 and 48 after the cars were found to be in violation of rule book sections:

%u2022 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing);

%u2022 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules);

%u2022 20-2.1E (parts or components of the car not previously approved by NASCAR that have been installed or modified to enhance aerodynamic performance will not be permitted);

%u2022 20-2H (fenders may not be cut or altered except for wheel or tire clearance which must be approved by the Series Director).
As a result, Gordon and Johnson were penalized 100 points and their crew chiefs, Steve Letarte and Chad Knaus, were fined $100,000, suspended for the next six races and placed on probation until the end of the year.

That proved to be a speed bump for the No. 48 juggernaut. After finishing 21st at Bristol in August, Johnson's 10th finish outside the top-10 in 24 races, he flipped the switch for the stretch run.

With little fanfare before his entry to Cup and now with back-to-back championships, David Caraviello says Jimmie Johnson may be the sport's most impressive discovery.

Complete story, click here
Estes: From the champ's pit
Cross: Face of Nextel Cup era
Johnson was mired in sixth place exiting Thunder Valley but was solidly positioned to be one of the 12 drivers in the playoffs. He took solace in knowing that the Chase would give him an opportunity to race for the title.

"I'm optimistic what the future has for us," Johnson said before California. "I feel that my team's matured, I've matured as a driver, and we should be in this position for many years to come -- in the position of fighting for a championship -- and that's all can you ask for."

Johnson won at California and Richmond and entered the Chase with momentum on his side -- and the points lead, thanks to a change in the Chase system that rewards drivers with 10 bonus points for each victory during the first 26 races.

Johnson entered Richmond sixth in points, 420 behind Gordon -- but he left the Cap City 20 points ahead, based on six victories compared to Gordon's four. And as one of only two drivers who had made the Chase in each of the past four seasons, Johnson was geared for another title drive.

"The pressure and intensity really ramps up in the final 10 [races]," Johnson said. "Your whole season, everything that you've done, was to get in position to race in those 10 races, to make the Chase.

"The one thing that I've learned is you look at it on paper and you think, 'Ten races, that's a short period of time.' But when you're living it day-to-day, that's a long 10 races. It's two, three months of racing. So it's long, and you've got to set a pace that you can maintain and keep. And I think that's something that the 48's good at doing."

During the 10-race Chase, Johnson finished 14th twice (Dover and Charlotte) but also strung together four consecutive wins. After finishing sixth at Loudon to open the playoffs, Johnson was tied with Gordon for the points lead. Gordon took the lead after Dover and had built up a 68-point bulge after Charlotte.

It proved to be short-lived. Johnson began his win streak at Martinsville and eventually wrestled the points lead from Gordon after Texas, Johnson's third victory during the streak. After winning at Phoenix the following week, the penultimate race in the Chase, Johnson had an 86-point advantage and Gordon conceded in Victory Lane. "It's over," the four-time Cup champion admitted with Homestead on the horizon.

"I don't want to act like it's our championship yet," Johnson said after Phoenix. "We have a nice margin in the points right now. But 400 miles, that's my goal. I have to run 400 more miles, and we'll get nuts after that."

Needing to finish 18th or better in the finale, Johnson big-picture raced and never mounted a serious challenge to winner Matt Kenseth (all the while keeping Gordon within sight and at arm's length) and settled for a seventh-place finish -- and a second consecutive Cup championship.

"We outscored and earned more points [6,723] than any other year. Jeff, being in second, earned more points [6,646] than any other champion in the Chase," Johnson said. "So we really had to go out and race for this thing and fight for it.

"That's why we kept that perspective, and tried to keep ourselves in line and not let our minds get ahead of ourselves. We needed to go out there and get the job done.

"I feel last year we were very proud of what we did, and this year we're even more proud of what we've done to be back-to-back."

SAN FRANCISCO (Nov. 15) - The home run king wasn't home free after all. Bonds, baseball's home run king, was indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice Thursday and could go to prison instead of the Hall of Fame for telling a federal grand jury he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs.

The indictment came just three months after the San Francisco Giants star broke Hank Aaron's career home run record, and it culminated a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes.

But for all the speculation and accusations that clouded his pursuit of Aaron, Bonds was never identified by Major League Baseball as testing positive for steroids, and personal trainer Greg Anderson spent most of the last year in jail for refusing to testify against his longtime friend.

Then came the indictment - four counts of perjury, one of obstruction of justice; a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison - and Bonds' lawyers seemed caught off guard.

The 10-page report mainly consists of excerpts from Bonds' December 2003 testimony before a grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, or BALCO. It cites 19 occasions in which Bonds allegedly lied under oath.

"I'm surprised," said one of his lawyers, John Burris, "but there's been an effort to get Barry for a long time. I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before."

Burris said he didn't know of the indictment before being alerted by The Associated Press. He said he would call Bonds to notify him.

Anderson was ordered released from prison shortly after the indictment was handed up, but his attorney, Mark Geragos, said the trainer didn't cooperate with the grand jury.

"This indictment came out of left field," Geragos said. "Frankly, I'm aghast. It looks like the government misled me and Greg as well, saying this case couldn't go forward without him."

Bonds is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Dec. 7.

Defense attorney Mike Rains said he spoke briefly with Bonds but did not describe his reaction. At an evening news conference, he read a statement accusing federal prosecutors of "unethical misconduct" and declined to take questions.

"Every American should worry about a Justice Department that doesn't know if waterboarding is torture and can't tell the difference between prosecution on the one hand and persecution on the other," Rains said.

In August, when the 43-year-old Bonds became the career home run leader, he flatly rejected any suggestion that the milestone was stained by steroids.

"This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period," Bonds said.

But while San Franciscans cheered his every swing and fans elsewhere scorned every homer, a grand jury quietly worked behind closed doors to put the finishing touches on its report.

"During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes," the indictment said.

Bonds is by far the highest-profile figure caught up in the steroids probe, which also ensnared track star Marion Jones. She pleaded guilty in October to lying to federal investigators about using steroids and faces up to six months in prison.

The Giants, the players' union and even the White House called it a sad day for baseball.

"This is a very sad day. For many years, Barry Bonds was an important member of our team and is one of the most talented baseball players of his era. These are serious charges. Now that the judicial process has begun, we look forward to this matter being resolved in a court of law," the Giants said.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has decided to reinstate Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams after a suspension that lasted 18 months because of Williams' violation of the league's substance abuse policy

The Dolphins have been notified of the commissioner's decision. It is unknown if the team will welcome him back but it is expected they will have a two-week roster exemption to make that decision.

Williams met last week with league administrators who had raised concerns even though doctors at a Boston-area treament center where Williams spent a good portion of four months were very supportive for his reinstatement, sources said.

The administrators of the substance abuse policy were satisfied with Williams' response to their concerns, sources said, clearing the path for Goodell to reinstate him.

Williams also had written Goodell a personal letter of appeal that accompanied the medical data regarding his treatment since he had a positive test in April, which extended his one-year suspension.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Once they stopped beating themselves with penalties, the Dallas Cowboys took command of the NFC East by riding their biggest stars: Tony Romo and Terrell Owens.

Romo hit Owens on two of his four touchdown passes and Dallas opened a big lead in the division by ending the Giants' six-game winning streak with a 31-20 victory on Sunday.

"If you want to call it swagger, yes we have the confidence that we know we can go out and beat teams," said Owens, who broke the game open with second-half TD catches of 25 and 50 yards. Owens finished with six catches for 125 yards, his third straight 100-yard game.

"Obviously today, we had more penalties than we would like and we have to eliminate those," T.O. added. "That was everybody's emotions running high. There was a little trash-talking by them. We came here. The game was played and I feel like we made a statement."

With the win, the Cowboys (8-1) opened a two-game lead over the Giants (6-3), a three-game edge on Washington (5-4) and a four-game margin on Philadelphia (4-5). Dallas also swept the season series with New York, so it has the tiebreaker should they finished tied.

"It's another step along the journey that we're trying to go through to get where we want to go," said Romo, who completed 20-of-28 for 247 yards. "A win like tonight just adds to your confidence. When you do something like this, you have a chance to do something special."

The last time the Cowboys started a season at 8-1 was 1995, the last time they won the Super Bowl.

With seven games left, the Cowboys also are tied with Green Bay for the best record in the conference. The two will play in Dallas on Nov. 29.

For the Giants, their best hopes for a playoff berth seemingly are a wild-card spot.

"It does put us behind the 8-ball," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "If you ever play pool, I've seen people make shots from behind that 8-ball. That's what we are looking at."

Romo also threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tony Curtis in the first quarter and a 20-yarder to Patrick Crayton just before halftime, starting a string of three straight touchdown drives.

Nick Folk added a 44-yard field goal.

Eli Manning threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey, who tied his career high with 12 catches for 129 yards. Reuben Droughns scored on a 1-yard run and Lawrence Tynes kicked field goals of 40 and 26 yards.

The second field goal came after New York had Brandon Jacobs' potential tying touchdown run early in the fourth quarter nullified by a questionable holding penalty on guard Chris Snee against Roy Williams.

"I didn't think I held him, but you have to go with the call," said Snee, who originally thought Dallas was being called for a penalty.

Until that point, the Cowboys were the ones hurting themselves with undisciplined errors. Four penalties in the first half gave New York 10 points and had Dallas heading to the locker room tied at 17.

The Cowboys were called for three penalties on the Giants' opening TD drive. The one everyone will remember was a taunting call against linebacker Kevin Burnett with the Cowboys ahead 17-14 in the waning seconds.

Jacobs had just been stuffed on a run from his 35 and Burnett yapped at him. The 15-yard walkoff moved the ball to the 50 with 12 seconds to go. Manning found Shockey for 29 yards to set up a 40-yard field goal by Tynes that tied the game.

"Once it's over, you have to learn from your mistakes," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "We couldn't harp on that. We just told them it was nothing-nothing. We've done it all year. The second half is ours."

The Cowboys' defense, which sacked Manning five times and intercepted him twice, stopped the Giants on the opening possession of the half and then Romo and company took over.

The go-ahead 25-yard touchdown pass came on a play where T.O. ran past cornerback Sam Madison and was wide open. It capped a 12-play, 86-yard drive on which the Cowboys converted three 10-plus-yard situations, the last a 13-yard pass to Crayton on third-and-11 from the New York 38. Owens scored on the next play.

Owens ran by safety Gibril Wilson on the long pass.

"If he gets moving, he's tough to catch up to," Romo said. "I just tried to give him some air and let him go get it."

Romo's other touchdown passes were just as easy against an improved defense that gave up 45 points in Dallas in the opener.

His 15-yard pass to Curtis on the opening series came after he broke containment on a pass rush. Just before reaching the line of scrimmage, he saw a wide-open Curtis in the corner of the end zone.

Manning, who was 23-of-34 for 236 yards on a day he threw mostly short passes, tied the game with his TD pass to Shockey.

Folk's field goal gave Dallas a 10-7 lead before Wilson's interception set up a 60-yard drive Droughns capped with his run.

Crayton gave the Cowboys a 17-14 lead with 20 seconds to go with a 20-yard catch and run after breaking a tackle by cornerback Aaron Ross.

Notes
Line judge Jeff Seaman pulled a hamstring in the second quarter and referee Jeff Triplette's crew worked the rest of the game with six officials.
Corey Webster, who started at cornerback for the Giants in the season opener and lost his job in Game 3, was inactive.
The Giants are now 1-3 wearing red jerseys.
Giants RT Kareem McKenzie suffered a bruised back in the second half and was replaced by Guy Whimper.
Dallas DT Tank Johnson had three tackles, a sack and a penalty in his first action since serving an eight-game NFL suspension for off-field problems.

Tony Romo didn't have to wait until the offseason to get his big payday from the Dallas Cowboys after all.

The Cowboys and their quarterback have reached an agreement on a six-year, $67.5 million contract extension, $30 million of which is guaranteed. The deal includes an $11.5 million signing bonus. "Right now, we're just talking, but it's closer than it was before," Romo said late Monday. "I feel like I'm going to be with the Cowboys the rest of my career, definitely. I love it."

DENVER (Oct. 28) - Perched high above his raucous teammates, David Ortiz sprayed bottles of bubbly in every direction, dousing everyone in sight, including himself.

The Red Sox are back on top of the baseball world. After breaking the 86-year-old Curse of the Bambino in 2004, Boston completes a sweep of Colorado to win its second World Series in four seasons

Then it was time to deliver a message.

"When you wear Red Sox on your shirt," he hollered from atop a clubhouse table, "you're good at something."

There's a new monster, and this one's in Boston, too.

Overwhelming in every way, the Red Sox swept to their second title in four years Sunday night. Jon Lester, Mike Lowell & Co. left little room for drama with a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies in Game 4.

Then again, no NL team could have blocked Boston this October.

This was hardly a repeat from 2004, when the Red Sox ended their 86-year championship drought by beating St. Louis. Boston is a major league bully these days, playing in rarefied air before crowds who demand to win.

"It doesn't get old," manager Terry Francona said.

Gone are those pleading, pathetic days when the Red Sox were practically begging to win a title. They've got this down pat now.

At this rate, New England fans might get spoiled. Francona's team has become a perfect counterpart to coach Bill Belichick's bruisers on the Patriots.

DENVER -- Because of the incredible demand for World Series tickets, the Rockies on Wednesday announced a change to the way fans can purchase tickets for World Series games at Coors Field.

The World Series tickets for Games 3, 4 and 5 will only be available online at ColoradoRockies.com beginning Monday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. MST.

The team is doing away with the lottery system so fans won't have to wait in line at the ticket office or the Rockies' Dugout Stores.

"It's our attempt to get as many tickets to as many Rockies fans as possible," said Rockies President Keli McGregor. "After consulting with Major League Baseball, we felt this was the best way to create a fair and equitable distribution of tickets for the first-ever World Series in Colorado."

Some fans are disappointed about the decision.

"By making this change, we must now compete with thousands and thousands of scalpers all over the country who have just as good of a shot at getting tickets as we do, possibly better," one fan tells 7NEWS.

Several teams conducted Internet-only sales for their postseason tickets, including the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres.

"After our experience with the Wild Card tiebreaker game, as well as Division Series and Championship Series games, we came to the conclusion that no other method of ticket distribution is quicker or more efficient than the Internet," McGregor said.

There will still be a limit of four tickets per person per game. Service charges will apply to all sales. Prices range from $65 for Rockpile tickets (401-403) to $250 for Infield Box (119-142) and the Club Level (214-247).

The Miami Dolphins today acquired 13-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a conditional fifth-round draft choice in 2008.

The 36-year-old Green has spent the last six seasons in Kansas City, where he has enjoyed some of the most productive seasons of his NFL career. He started all 16 games each season over a five-year period from 2001-05, throwing for more than 4,000 yards the final three years of that stretch. He was voted to the AFC Pro Bowl squad following the 2003 season when he threw for 4,039 yards and had a passer rating of 92.6, and again in 2005 when he amassed 4,014 yards passing and a 90.1 rating. Overall in his career, Green has played in 112 regular season games, including 107 starts. He has completed 2,143 of 3,527 passes (60.8%) for 26,963 yards with 157 touchdowns and 101 interceptions. His career passer rating of 87.5 is tied for the ninth-highest in NFL history.

Mears Upsets Field to Win Coca-Cola 600

CONCORD, N.C. (May 27) - Casey Mears looked wide-eyed around Victory Lane, astounded by the celebration surrounding him. He gambled his way to his first Nextel Cup win, stretching his fuel to the finish line in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night.

Wild Night at Lowe's

It put a Mears back in Victory Lane on the biggest day in racing for the first time since 1991, and the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rick Mears was overwhelmed by the moment.

"My uncle won four races on this day, and what a special day just because of that," Mears said with tears in his eyes.

"My family has had an unbelievable history of racing, and I've always wanted to make my mark with my family. We've got a long ways to go, a long ways to go, and a lot of races to run, but it sure feels good to win today."

Struggling through his first season at elite Hendrick Motorsports, Mears ran strong all night at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but only took the lead when others ducked onto pit road for a splash of gas.

The No. 25 team - considered the weakest of Hendrick's four-team fleet - pushed its Chevrolet to the finish, finally running out of gas moments after Mears took his first checkered flag. It was Hendrick's fifth straight win and the ninth in the past 10 Nextel Cup races, but came from the unlikeliest driver.

Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch have all won races this season, but Mears came into the race 35th in the standings with only one top-10 finish.

So when Mears reached the Victory Lane celebration - where his parents were sobbing with pride, and Johnson, his best friend, joined the party - he needed a moment to make sure it was real.

"Actually, let me look at this for a second," he said, turning to look at the scoring tower.

J.J. Yeley, like Mears considered one of the drivers in jeopardy of losing their ride to make room for free agent Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished second for the first top-five finish of his career.

"This is probably the first time in two years of Cup racing I didn't catch the bad break," Yeley said. "I've always run into bad luck."

Kyle Petty was third - his first top five in 10 years - and quickly praised Mears, who was friends with Petty's late son, Adam.

"I couldn't be more excited for Casey Mears if his name was Adam Petty," Petty said. "I am tickled to death for Casey Mears. I want to tell you something: That kid got what he deserved tonight. I want to say, on t

Hendrick Motorsports Has No Room for Earnhardt

Childress, Gibbs Racing Still Interested in Junior
By JENNA FRYER

CONCORD, N.C. (May 19) - Cross Hendrick Motorsports off the list of teams interested in signing Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Junior's New Path

Although he's spoken to Earnhardt, car owner Rick Hendrick said Saturday "there's no room at the inn" for NASCAR's most popular driver.

Earnhardt is leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc., his late father's company, at the end of the season. He wants to stay with one of the top Chevrolet teams so he can contend for championships, and Hendrick is the best in NASCAR right now with eight wins in the past nine Nextel Cup races.

Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing are the next best Chevy teams, and both owners have indicated they are interested in speaking with Earnhardt. Only Hendrick had been silent on the issue, but as he walked toward pit road before Saturday night's Nextel All-Star Challenge, he said he was maxed out with four drivers right now and couldn't fit Earnhardt in his stable.

"We're good friends and I've talked to him, because I really want him to make the best decision and do the best thing for himself," Hendrick told The Associated Press. "But right now, I'm full."

Hendrick fields Cup cars for four-time series champion Jeff Gordon, defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Casey Mears. All are under contract through at least 2008, and Hendrick is currently trying to extend Busch's deal.

Hendrick said he's offered to help Earnhardt if he elects to field his own Cup team.

Family Feuds

"I've talked to him about doing motors and cars if he wants to do this himself," Hendrick said. "But that's really all we've discussed."

Earnhardt owns JR Motorsports, which fields a Busch Series team and several late model cars. He hasn't ruled out running his own team, but Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, his sister and business manager, said Friday that expanding JRM to the Cup Series was their last option.

In his seventh season with DEI, Earnhardt is frustrated by his inability to win a championship and his difficult relationship with his stepmother, Teresa. He asked for 51 percent ownership during contentious contract negotiations, and walked away from the table last week because the two sides "were never in the same ballpark."

It made him the most coveted free agent in NASCAR history, but getting a deal done might not be so simple, after all.

JGR president J.D. Gibbs