Comeback complete, Europe wins Ryder Cup

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) -- Europe buried the memory of that American comeback at Brookline in 1999 with one that was even better. Medinah was filled with sheer madness Sunday, the matches so close for so much of the day that even when Martin Kaymer stood over a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole to clinch it, the Ryder Cup was up in air. The putt was pure and the celebration was on. ''It will go down in the history books of the Ryder Cup,'' said European captain Jose Maria Olazabal. The size of the comeback was equal to what the Americans pulled off at The Country Club, but at least they had help from endless cheers of the home crowd. Not many gave Europe much of a chance until Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia turned what looked to be certain losses into improbable wins, filling the scoreboard with European blue. ''What you did out there today was outstanding,'' Olazabal told his team at the closing ceremony. ''You believed and you delivered. And I'm very proud that you have kept Europe's hands on this Ryder Cup. All men die, but not all men live. And you made me feel alive again this week.'' Then, Olazabal bowed his head and closed his eyes as they filled with tears, and the European fans sensed what was coming next. He didn't have to say a word. They said it for him. ''Seve, Seve, Seve,'' they began to chant. Seve Ballesteros. Olazabal walked down the row and hugged every player until he saved the longest embrace for Lee Westwood, the only player who was on that 1997 team when Ballesteros was the captain, the last visible role he played at the Ryder Cup. He died in May 2011 at age 54 of a brain tumor. Westwood, Garcia and Paul Lawrie were the only players on the '99 team that blew a 10-6 lead, and all of them won matches. ''We wanted to see how they would react, and see if they could hold it,'' Garcia said of the Americans. ''And it was a combination of playing great, and maybe then that little bit of pressure getting to them.'' The Americans were simply stunned. Three times they came to the 17th hole with a chance to win a match, only for Europe to deliver the key shots that win the Ryder Cup. Ian Poulter won the last two holes, and so did Rose, a birdie-birdie finish to beat Phil Mickelson. Garcia won the last two holes with pars to beat Jim Furyk. Furyk had beaten Garcia at Brookline in a pivotal match. ''That was fun,'' Furyk said. ''This was pretty miserable.'' If Kaymer had missed the putt and halved his match with Steve Stricker, the Americans would have been one point away from winning - with Tiger Woods in the fairway and 1 up over Francesco Molinari. Woods wound up missing a 3 1/2-foot par putt and conceded a par to the Italian from the same distance to halve their match. That extra half-point made it a clear-cut win for Europe, 14 1/2-13 1/2. Woods and Stricker, the anchors in the lineup, didn't win a single match at Medinah. ''This one is for all of Europe,'' Olazabal said. ''Seve will always be present with this team. He was a big factor for this event for the European side, and last night when we were having that meeting, I think the boys understood that believing was the most important thing. And I think they did.'' Poulter was the first to embrace Olazabal, which was only fitting. It was Poulter who gave Europe hope Saturday evening when he made five straight birdies to turn a loss into a win and swing momentum in Europe's favor. Poulter was up to his fist-pumping, eye-bulging tricks again on the final day, winning the last two holes in his match against U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson. And he had plenty of help. Europe's top five players in the lineup all won, including Rory McIlroy, who was lucky to be playing. McIlroy thought his match was at 12:25 p.m. - it was listed in Eastern time, not Central - and needed a police escort to get to the course with 10 minutes to spare. Then, he came up with key birdies to hand Keegan Bradley his first loss of the week. The biggest match might have belonged to Rose. He was on the verge of losing to Mickelson when Rose holed a 12-foot par putt to halve the 16th, made a 35-foot birdie putt from the back of the 17th green to win the hole, and then closed out Mickelson with a 12-foot birdie on the last hole. Six of the 12 matches went to the 18th hole on Sunday. The Americans won only one of them. ''Today was certainly not what we expect,'' U.S. captain Davis Love III said. Love became the first U.S. captain to sit every player at least once before Sunday, wanting them to be fresh for the decisive day. Instead, the Americans faltered at the end - especially Furyk and Stricker, two of his captain's picks. The only U.S. points came from Dustin Johnson, who went 3-0 in this Ryder Cup, Zach Johnson and unheralded Jason Dufner. ''We're all kind of stunned,'' Love said. ''We know what it feels like now from the '99 Ryder Cup. It's a little bit shocking. We were playing so well, we figured it didn't matter how we sent them out there. We got a couple of matches flipped there in the middle that cost us.'' Love thought all along the Ryder Cup would be decided in the ninth match by Dufner. It was most appropriate that Europe won the cup thanks to Kaymer. Kaymer gave German golf some redemption from Kiawah Island in 1991, when countryman Bernhard Langer missed a par putt from about the same length that allowed the Americans to win. ''I did think about him, especially when I walked around the hole and read the putt from the other side,'' Kaymer said. ''So I thought, 'OK, it's not going to happen again, it's not going to happen again.' And to be honest with you, I didn't really think about missing. There was only one choice you have. You have to make it.'' It was a collapse the Americans won't soon forget. Just 24 hours earlier, they had a 10-4 lead with two team matches still on the course - they were ahead in one of them, while Woods and Stricker were closing in on the other. It's hard to believe they would only win 3 1/2 points the rest of the way. Europe came out fast, and for McIlroy, that started at his hotel. He was leisurely heading out of the hotel - thinking that his tee time was an hour later than it was - when he got a frantic call to tell him his match was in 25 minutes. McIlroy was lucky to run into the police, who helped him get to Medinah with enough time to change his shoes, take a few putts and head to the tee box. He never trailed in his match, making two straight birdies late to knock off Bradley. ''It's my own fault,'' McIlroy said. ''If I let down these 11 other boys and vice captains and captains this week, I would never forgive myself. I'm just obviously happy to get the point and help the cause out a little bit today.'' Everyone pitched in. Luke Donald, who makes Chicago his home and had a small share of gallery support, overwhelmed Bubba Watson despite being some 50 yards behind him off the tee. Paul Lawrie, returning to the Ryder Cup after a 13-year absence, had the shortest match of the day against FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker. Poulter outlasted Simpson when the U.S. Open champion hit into a bunker on the 17th and made bogey, and then hit well long on the 18th when he needed a birdie to halve the match. Jack Nicklaus first suggested in 1977 that all of Europe be included in the Ryder Cup, which brought the great Ballesteros into the matches. He was determined to prove that Europeans were equal to the Americans, and they have shown to be every bit of that over the last three decades.

Bryant field goal leads Falcons past Panthers 30-28

ATLANTA (AP) -- Matt Ryan took an awful beating. Another win for the Atlanta Falcons will make the pain a lot easier to take. Shaking off a career-high seven sacks, Ryan completed a 59-yard pass to Roddy White with about a minute remaining, setting up Matt Bryant's 40-yard field goal that kept the Falcons perfect on the season with a wild 30-28 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. After squandering a 24-14 lead in the second half, the Falcons needed a crucial fumble by Cam Newton to even have a chance - and they still faced long odds when the Panthers downed a punt at the Atlanta 1 with 1:09 remaining. Ryan had no timeouts and surely some doubt about how much time his beleaguered offensive line would give him. But he dropped back about as far as he could, threw it about as far as he could, and relied on White to go up and make the catch. He did, between two defenders. Bryant's kick won it with 5 seconds remaining. ''We made the plays when we needed to,'' said Ryan, who passed for 369 yards and three touchdowns. ''That's what you need to do week to week in this league.'' The Falcons (4-0) are off to their best start since 2004, when they reached the NFC championship game. This was their stiffest challenge yet. ''That was exciting. Whew!'' said coach Mike Smith, finally able to exhale. ''Every time it looked bleak, every time it looked like we didn't have a chance, we were able to overcome it.'' Newton threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score. But he let the ball slip away when it looked as though he had clinched the victory for the Panthers (1-3). ''You have to protect the football,'' Newton said. ''That was a key focus going into this game, and I fumbled. There's a lot of guys that are trusting the ball carrier, and I was the ball carrier that particular play to get the job done. And I dropped the ball.'' On third-and-2 at the Atlanta 46, Newton took the snap and bulled his way over the left side, his body surging across the spot needed for the first down. On the sideline, several of the Panthers broke into a celebration. But John Abraham knocked it loose, the ball squirting backward. Fullback Mike Tolbert covered it for Carolina at the 45 - 1 yard shy of a first down. After attempting unsuccessfully to draw the Falcons offside, the Panthers punted it away. Ryan and White took advantage of another chance. ''I threw it high and far to the spot we talk about,'' Ryan said. ''Roddy went up and made a great catch. When you're in that situation late in the game, that's what you have to do.'' White was sandwiched between cornerback Josh Norman and safety Haruki Nakamura, but managed to leap over both of them to bring down the pass at the Carolina 40. A pass interference call and two short completions made things easier for Bryant, who had already connected from 41 and 33 yards to improve to 8 for 8 on the season. Make it 9 for 9. The kick was straight down the middle. With Julio Jones hindered by an injured right hand, White came up with a huge game for the Falcons. He had eight catches for 169 yards, including a pair of touchdowns. But his biggest catch was the final one. ''Matt told me he was going to throw it up there. Just make a play,'' White said. ''Not for one second did we think we were going to lose the game.'' Ryan credited his offensive line on the final drive, even though they struggled most of the day to keep him upright against Charles Johnson and the rest of the Panthers defense. Johnson spent so much time in the backfield he should've worn an Atlanta jersey, finishing with 3 1/2 sacks. Ryan was hit 12 times after throwing and hurried on at least a half-dozen other attempts. ''The offensive line did a great job,'' Ryan said, all evidence to the contrary. ''If you're going to throw the football that far down the field, you need some time. The guys did a great job of pass protection, giving us time to throw it down there.'' Newton's fumble ruined what had been a stellar performance. He threw for 215 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown to Greg Olsen early in the game, then a 36-yard scoring play to Kealoha Pilares that put the Panthers ahead 28-24 with 7:55 remaining. Newton also ran for 86 yards on nine carries, bulling his way into the end zone from 4 yards out late in the third quarter. The Panthers played much better than they did in their previous outing, a 36-7 home loss to the New York Giants, but it wasn't enough to prevent them from sliding a daunting three games behind Atlanta in the NFC South. ''I want to apologize to my teammates and the fans that were watching out there,'' Newton said. ''Everybody was doing their job. I clearly had the first down, but I've just got to hold onto the football.'' Ryan also connected on a 60-yard touchdown with Michael Turner, who took a screen pass right about the line of scrimmage and zigzagged down the field for the first scoring reception of his nine-year career. DeAngelo Williams scored Carolina's other TD on a 13-yard run. Notes: The Falcons failed to score a TD on their opening possession for the first time this season, going three-and-out. Also, it was the first time the Panthers did not allow a touchdown on their opponent's opening drive. ... Nakamura had an early interception, but it was largely a day to forget for the Carolina free safety. He was beaten on both of White's touchdown receptions, missed a tackle on Turner's scoring play and had the ball snatched away by White on the long pass that set up the winning field goal. ... Atlanta's only other 4-0 start came in 1986.

Rodgers throws late TD, Packers beat Saints 28-27

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- As if bearing the brunt of the call that ultimately led to the end of the NFL's replacement officials wasn't enough, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers nearly had a big comeback win undone by a blunder from the regular refs. Rodgers threw a go-ahead touchdown to Jordy Nelson in the fourth quarter, and the Packers shook off a week's worth of controversy with a rally to beat the New Orleans Saints 28-27 on Sunday. With Lambeau Field fans howling about what appeared to be yet another bad call - this time by the regular officials, not the replacements - Garrett Hartley missed a 48-yard field goal attempt with just under three minutes remaining that cost the Saints a shot at the lead. ''We've probably had to deal with more adversity than most of the teams I've played with, especially early on we've had some interesting games already,'' Rodgers said. ''We're four games in. So, I think the character of this team is very strong. Winning games like this says a lot about the kind of men that we have.'' Rodgers threw for 319 yards with four touchdowns and an interception for the Packers (2-2). ''I'm very proud of our football team, especially the week we've endured,'' Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. ''We talk a lot about integrity and character, and I thought today's game had plenty of those types of situations where it showed up big.'' Drew Brees threw for 446 yards with three touchdowns for the winless Saints (0-4). ''It's going to hurt when you lose a game like this,'' Saints interim coach Aaron Kromer said. ''But I will not let them get down. We are too close.'' Brees now has thrown at least one touchdown in 47 straight regular-season games, tying the NFL's all-time mark set by Johnny Unitas. ''Yeah, it's disappointing,'' Brees said of the loss. ''It stinks. But despite where we're at, right now I think this team's going to do something.'' With the win, the Packers were able to put Monday night's controversial replacement official-driven loss at Seattle behind them. But even with the regular refs back this week, the Packers and their fans still nearly were dealt a crushing blow on a blown call. After Rodgers' touchdown to Nelson, Darren Sproles appeared to fumble the ensuing kickoff but officials ruled that he was down by contact. Replays showed that the ball clearly came out but the Packers were out of replay challenges, leaving Packers fans screaming at the officials for the second week in a row. ''You guys were all happy that the officials were back, and we tried to tell you that they'd still get booed,'' Nelson said with a laugh. Brees then led the Saints into field goal range, and Hartley hit a 43-yard attempt - but the Saints were called for holding, forcing Hartley to line up a 53-yarder. The Packers then were called for encroachment, leaving Hartley to try a 48-yarder and he missed it wide left. It was a sigh of relief for the Packers, who spent most of the week in the middle of a nationwide firestorm after a last-second decision by replacement officials cost them a game at Seattle on Monday night. It was a burden for the Packers to bear, but likely played a significant role in the NFL agreeing to a deal with its regular officials during the week. Referee Jeff Triplette struck a triumphant tone during the pregame coin toss Sunday, announcing that ''it's great to be back, gentlemen!'' A handful of Packers fans came to the game dressed as officials, and some brought signs showing support for the regular refs. The honeymoon didn't last long. Fans howled for an offensive pass interference call after Brees threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Marques Colston late in the first quarter, but no flag was forthcoming. With the Packers leading 21-14 in the third quarter, fans - and McCarthy - were on the officials again when McCarthy challenged a catch by Jimmy Graham but it wasn't overturned. A 20-yard field goal by Hartley cut the lead to 21-17 with 9:41 left in the third quarter. Rodgers responded with a drive but needed attention from the team's training staff after getting poked in the eye on a face mask by New Orleans' Malcolm Jenkins. ''I wanted to stay in the game - obviously, I don't like coming out for anything,'' Rodgers said. ''Just didn't have any depth perception immediately thereafter and so I figured we were a yard away and we could punch that thing in there. Unfortunately, didn't happen.'' Rodgers came out of the game for one play and backup quarterback Graham Harrell came in - then tripped and fumbled as he tried to hand it off, allowing the Saints to get the ball. Brees then found Joseph Morgan wide open behind the defense for an 80-yard touchdown and a 24-21 lead. Rodgers then threw an interception to Patrick Robinson and the Saints drove for a 27-yard field goal by Hartley to take a 27-21 lead with 13:04 remaining. With the Packers trailing by 6, Rodgers threw an 11-yard strike to Nelson as the Saints' Corey White tried to wrap his arms around the ball - briefly re-creating a scene eerily similar to the controversial game-ender in Seattle on Monday. This time, though, Nelson clearly came away with the ball and spiked it emphatically. NOTES: Packers S M.D. Jennings, who played a key role in the controversial play at Seattle, left the game with a shoulder injury. ... Packers WR Greg Jennings caught a touchdown in the second quarter but later came out of the game. Jennings has been struggling to stay healthy with a groin injury.

Eagles beat Giants 19-17

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Lawrence Tynes' kick sailed wide left and a sellout crowd broke into a wild celebration that quickly halted when they realized it didn't count. Lucky for the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans, Tynes missed again. Tynes was short on a 54-yard field goal attempt with 15 seconds left and Philadelphia held on for a 19-17 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday night. ''When you're surrounding by 66,000 people that probably wanna rip your head off, yeah,'' Eagles coach Andy Reid said when asked if he regretted calling a timeout to ice Tynes on his first try. With LeSean McCoy leading the way on the ground, Michael Vick guided Philadelphia (3-1) to their third comeback win. The Eagles became the first team in NFL history to have each of their first three wins by two points or less according to information provided to the Eagles by the Elias Sports Bureau. Alex Henery kicked a 26-yard field goal with 1:49 left and the Eagles overcame two pass interference penalties on New York's final drive. The defending Super Bowl champion Giants (2-2) have struggled against Philadelphia, losing eight of the last nine meetings. ''We knew it was going to be a game that was going to come down to the fourth quarter,'' Eli Manning said. ''We knew we were going to have to earn every yard. They're a good defense, they're a good team. We had opportunities, we were close.'' McCoy had 121 of his 123 yards rushing in the second half. The All-Pro had six carries for 2 yards at halftime. ''It's just the Giants and Eagles, this is what it comes down to,'' McCoy said. ''Eventually our running game would crack it and that's what we did.'' Vick threw TD passes in the final two minutes in consecutive 1-point wins over Cleveland and Baltimore the first two weeks before a 26-7 loss at Arizona. After Manning tossed a go-ahead 6-yard TD pass Bear Pascoe, Vick drove the Eagles to the Giants 2 before Osi Umenyiora sacked him for a 6-yard loss on third down. Henery then hit his fourth field goal to put Philadelphia ahead to stay. Henery also connected from 48, 35 and 20 yards. A pass interference penalty on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie kept the Giants' last drive alive and put the ball at the Eagles 35 after Manning threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1. Another pass interference call on Nnamdi Asomugha on third-and-10 moved it to the Eagles 27. Then Ramses Barden got called for offensive pass interference to move it back to the 36. ''I thought it was on him,'' Barden said of Asomugha. ''But I know he's a competitor, and he came to play tonight. We were both fighting for position and it's just one of those things.'' After an incomplete pass, the Giants sent out Tynes to try for the winning kick on third-and-18 because they didn't have any timeouts remaining. ''I don't believe in icing the kicker,'' Vick said. ''You let him kick it and if it's in, it's in. You can't play games. I don't know where that started. We got to end that tradition.'' Vick was 19 of 30 for 241 yards and the turnover-prone Eagles protected the ball. The Eagles led the NFL with 12 turnovers through three games, but didn't commit any. Manning completed 24 of 42 passes for 309 yards, two TDs and one crucial interception. He threw a pick in the end zone after a 30-yard pass to Victor Cruz on fourth-and-1 got the Giants to Philadelphia's 10 on the final play of the third quarter. Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted Manning's underthrown pass into triple-coverage and returned it 14 yards to the Eagles 9. The Eagles slowly moved the ball on the ground to set up Henery's 35-yarder that made it 16-10. Manning redeemed himself on New York's next possession. He completed passes of 31 yards to Barden and 41 yards to Domenik Hixon. He then found Pascoe wide open over the middle for a 17-16 lead with 6:45 left. McCoy finally broke loose by running for 56 yards on consecutive carries in the third. He was stopped at the 1 on a 22-yard gain, and then couldn't get in on three straight carries. The Eagles settled for a 20-yard field goal by Henery that made it 10-3. ''The O-line found themselves as the game wore on,'' Reid said. ''They were able to block well enough to where McCoy had big yards.'' The Giants answered after David Wilson ran the kickoff back 45 yards to the 43. Mixing run and pass effectively, the Giants moved to the 14. On third-and-3, Manning threw a TD pass to Cruz, who celebrated with his trademark salsa dance in the stadium where it all started. Cruz burst on the scene with a breakout performance in a 29-16 win at Philadelphia last September. Vick threw a 27-yard pass to Brent Celek and then scrambled 18 yards to set up Henery's 48-yard field goal late in the third that made it 13-10. Hoping to establish the run early, the Eagles had no success giving the ball to McCoy in the first half. But Philadelphia used a no-huddle offense to drive 70 yards on 11 plays for the only TD. The Eagles converted three third downs on the series, including Vick's 19-yard TD pass to DeSean Jackson on third-and-9. Before the game, the Eagles retired the No. 20 worn by Brian Dawkins for 13 seasons from 1996-2008. The hard-hitting safety went to eight Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro in 16 years with Philadelphia and Denver. Dawkins, one of the most revered athletes to play in this sports-crazed city, sent the sellout crowd at the Linc into a frenzy when he ran out of the tunnel during pregame introductions. Wearing his green No. 20 Eagles jersey, Dawkins did his unique, crawling, gyrating entrance. He then joined the captains at midfield for the coin toss. Dawkins changed back into his navy blue pinstriped suit and led the crowd in signing ''Fly! Eagles! Fly!'' at halftime. Notes: The officials got a standing ovation when they walked onto the field an hour before kickoff. ... McCoy has four 100-yard games vs. the Giants. ... Manning wasn't sacked. ---

Orioles beat Red Sox 6-3, clinch playoff berth

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The champagne was on ice, plastic shields were in place above the cubicles in the Baltimore clubhouse and couches were removed to accommodate a celebration 15 years in the making. The party never happened - at least not at the ballpark after the Orioles beat Boston 6-3 Sunday. Baltimore ultimately clinched its first playoff berth since 1997, but not until late Sunday when the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-7 in the finale of a day-night doubleheader. The Orioles are assured a wild-card berth, but they're looking to get into the postseason as AL East champions. Upon arriving in Tampa area, where the Orioles open a season-ending series at the Rays on Monday night, manager Buck Showalter said, ''I think everybody knows where the finish line is, and we're not there.'' He added, ''There are steps to it. One is assuring yourself of getting a chair at the dance. And then we'd like to figure out a way to play some games at our park in front of our fans. It's in our court.'' The Orioles remained tied atop the division standings with the New York Yankees, who rallied to beat Toronto 9-6 and also clinched no worse than a wild-card berth. Both contenders have three games left. New York begins a season-ending series against visiting Boston on Monday night, and the Orioles face the Rays. ''We'll see where the next three games take us,'' Showalter said. After the final out of their win over the Red Sox, around two dozen players and coaches took scoreboard watching to a new level by staying on the field at Camden Yards and rooting for the Rangers to win the opener, Orioles players exchanged high-fives and fist-bumps following their fourth straight victory, then gathered along the first-base line to watch the scoreboard telecast of the ninth inning, which began with Texas winning 4-3. Many in the crowd of 41,257 stood and watched, too. But a two-out, two-run double by Torii Hunter put the Angels in front and ruined the fun. As the Orioles walked off the field, Showalter waved to the crowd and offered a fist-pump of encouragement. Sitting in front of his locker with a beer in his hand, first baseman Mark Reynolds said, ''It would have definitely been cool to celebrate with our fans. They've been supporting us all year. To be able to celebrate out there with them and take in the moment, it would have been pretty neat.'' Baltimore held out hope of cracking open a few cases of champagne in Florida. ''I take particular enjoyment in ruining someone else's clubhouse,'' reliever Darren O'Day said. Shortstop J.J. Hardy added, ''I'm not going to say there's no disappointment, but we all understand we need to keep playing good baseball to get where we want to be. We'll just worry about ourselves and win the next three games.'' Who'd have thought the Orioles would be talking about division titles, playoff berths and champagne after 14 consecutive losing seasons and four straight last-place finishes? The Orioles (92-67) already have 23 more wins than a year ago. ''Our goal now is try to figure out a way to play some more baseball games here at Camden,'' Showalter said. ''Hopefully, it's see you later.'' Hardy, Nate McLouth and Chris Davis hit solo homers, and Jim Thome drove in two runs for Baltimore. The Orioles completed a sweep and went 13-5 against Boston, their most wins in a single season versus the Red Sox since 1970 (13-5). Joe Saunders (3-3) allowed three runs, eight hits and no walks in 7 1-3 innings for Baltimore. Obtained in a late-August trade with Arizona, Saunders has yielded a total of 12 earned runs in his last six starts. Jim Johnson worked the ninth for his 50th save. Cody Ross and Daniel Nava homered for the last-place Red Sox, who have dropped five straight and 16 of 22. Boston (69-90) last lost 90 games in 1966. ''We haven't had a good season,'' manager Bobby Valentine acknowledged. Zach Stewart (0-2) gave up five runs and seven hits, including two homers, in 2 2-3 innings. In three starts this season he's surrendered eight home runs. After being beaten and bashed by the Orioles, who hit seven homers in the three-game series, the Red Sox now head to Yankee Stadium. A sunny, breezy fall afternoon couldn't have started much better for the Orioles. After the video board showed the Yankees and Angels losing early, McLouth hit the fourth pitch from Stewart over the left-field wall. ''After that just trying to do damage control,'' Stewart said. ''Try to keep it at that score. Obviously I didn't do that.'' Hardy and Davis followed with singles before Stewart hit Jones with a pitch to load the bases. After Matt Wieters bounced into a run-scoring 4-6-3 double play, Thome followed with grounder up the middle that beat the shift and rolled into the outfield, scoring Davis for a 3-0 lead. Boston wasted doubles in the second and third innings before Hardy led off the bottom of the third with his 22nd home run. Jones singled with one out, and Thome chased Stewart with an RBI single. Ross homered in the fourth to get the Red Sox to 5-1. Davis connected off Clayton Mortensen in the fifth, his 31st homer of the season and fourth in four games. Nava homered in the seventh with a man on. NOTES: Jones was chosen Orioles MVP in a vote among media covering the team, the second straight year he's won the award. ''It is given to me, but I think the whole team deserves it,'' he said. ... Boston hit three doubles and now has a major-league leading 214 for the season. ... Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz, who's 2-4 with a 5.84 ERA lifetime against the Yankees, starts Monday night against CC Sabathia. Rookie Wei-Yin Chen (12-10) starts for Baltimore in Tampa Bay against Alex Cobb (10-9). ... The top three players in the Baltimore lineup - McLouth, Hardy and Davis - combined to go 6 for 10 with three HRs and five runs.

Brady leads Pats to 52-28 rout of Bills

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- There's nothing wrong with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots that a game against their familiar AFC East patsies - the Buffalo Bills - can't fix. Not even after Brady and Co. spotted them a 14-point, third-quarter lead. Brady responded by directing six straight touchdown drives in the second half on Sunday en route to a 52-28 blowout. It was a game in which the Patriots (2-2) produced 580 total yards, forced six turnovers and avoided their first three-game losing streak in 10 years. ''Down 21-7 and on the road, backs against the wall, and I thought we showed a lot of heart,'' Brady said. ''That's what this team is made of. And we're going to battle until the end, I know that.'' Brady finished 22 of 36 for 340 yards and three touchdowns, plus one rushing. The 580 yards was the fourth-most in team history. Cornerback Devin McCourty had two interceptions in keying a defense that forced six turnovers and had three sacks. Running back Stevan Ridley scored twice. Wes Welker had nine catches for 129 yards, and tight end Rob Gronkowski had five for 104 yards and a touchdown as both players bounced back from first-half fumbles. ''You can't panic,'' Gronkowski said. ''When you panic, nothing good happens from there. We just stuck to the game plan.'' The comeback began immediately after Ryan Fitzpatrick hit Donald Jones for a 68-yard touchdown pass on the Bills first possession of the second half. Brady responded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive by hitting Danny Woodhead for a 17-yard touchdown. After tying the game with a 4-yard run, Brady capped a five-play 63-yard drive by hitting Gronkowski with a 28-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots scored 35 points in a span of 12:41 in building a 42-21 lead on Brandon Bolden's 7-yard run. ''We just played and executed better,'' coach Bill Belichick said. ''It's no magic.'' Magic no. Familiar, yes. New England improved to 17-1 in its past 18 meetings against Buffalo, and 22-2 dating to the 2000 season. The Patriots lost their last trip to Orchard Park, 34-31 after blowing a 21-0 lead. This time it was the Bills turn to unravel. After Jones' scored, nothing else went right. Buffalo combined for two first downs and 31 yards on its next four drives, two of which ended with turnovers. Bills coach Chan Gailey was embarrassed. ''I don't like to play like that, and I don't like to think that's who we are,'' Gailey said. ''But that's who we were today. You can't sugarcoat it.'' The news gets even worse as Buffalo enters a stretch in which it will play four of its next five on the road. Starting left tackle Cordy Glenn and starting right guard Kraig Urbik both hurt their right ankles and did not return. Gailey said both could miss games. The Bills offense sagged despite the return of its two top running backs. Fred Jackson had 29 yards rushing and 50 receiving in his first game back since spraining his right knee in a season-opening loss. Spiller had 33 yards rushing and 5 receiving after hurting his left shoulder in at Cleveland last weekend. Both also fumbled, with Spiller's coming on a goal-line plunge late in the first quarter. It was a dreadful outing for Mario Williams - who signed a six-year, $100 million contract in March - and the Bills high-priced defensive line. Buffalo managed one sack. Otherwise, the defense gave up the second most yards in franchise history, and most points since a 56-10 loss to New England on Nov. 18, 2007. ''A loss is a loss. I don't label it anything,'' Williams said, when asked if it was embarrassing. He placed the blame on the Bills inability to stop the run. Bolden had 137 yards rushing and Ridley 106. ''When you have two guys rushing for 100 yards, something's up,'' Williams said. ''We have to have a reality check and see what's going on.'' Fitzpatrick finished 22 of 39 for 350 yards and four scores - including two to Scott Chandler. The game had additional significance to the Patriots, as it featured the return of the NFL's regular officials after they reached a new eight-year agreement on Thursday. It came after Belichick was fined $50,000 by the NFL for grabbing an official's arm to question whether Justin Tucker's 27-yard field goal would be reviewed following a 31-30 loss at Baltimore last weekend. Patriots owner Robert Kraft made sure to welcome back John Parry and his crew, by waiting in the tunnel following the game and attempting to shake each of the officials' hands as they made their way off the field. Kraft then waited for Brady's arrival, and shook the quarterback's hand, as well. The two then smiled and chatted in making their way to the locker room. NOTES: Brady improved to 19-2 against the Bills, a stretch in which he has 49 touchdowns and seven 300-yard games. .... Buffalo's 4-22 in its last 26 games against division opponents. ... The win was the 194th of Belichick's career, moving him into eighth place on the NFL list, one ahead of Chuck Knox.

Cespedes hits go-ahead homer as A's beat Mariners

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Another dramatic win in hand, the Oakland Athletics gathered around the big screen clubhouse TV and began feasting on Mexican food while watching the Angels and Rangers play the second game of their Texas doubleheader. The upstart A's are still chasing an AL West title with three games to go. And that's about as ideal a scenario as anyone around here could have envisioned in a season full of injuries, sweeping changes and even a drug suspension for key starting pitcher Bartolo Colon. ''Oh, we're pumped,'' third baseman Josh Donaldson said. Yoenis Cespedes hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning to move Oakland a win closer to the club's first playoff berth in six years, and the A's beat the Seattle Mariners 5-2 on Sunday to stay right on the heels of Texas in the AL West race. Cespedes also hit an RBI triple and Brandon Moss had a sacrifice fly in the first inning for the A's (91-68), who are two games behind Texas (93-66). The two-time reigning AL champion Rangers come to the Coliseum for the final three games starting Monday with the division crown still up for grabs. ''It's our choice,'' closer Grant Balfour said. ''If we go out there and win, good things are going to happen. The way we're playing right now I feel like we've got some good momentum going. We want to keep it rolling all the way through October.'' Oakland leads the Los Angeles Angels (88-71) by three games for the second AL wild card. Cespedes sent a 1-2 pitch from Shawn Kelley (2-4) towering into the left-field seats for his 23rd homer. He keyed another dramatic victory for the A's a day after Moss hit a three-run drive in the 10th inning of Oakland's 14th walkoff win. Josh Reddick connected with a two-run shot for his team-leading 32nd homer two batters later as the A's made it a sweep. Surprising Oakland, with its energetic roster of rookies, has hit 20 home runs in its last nine games and has a majors-best 110 since the All-Star break. But the A's will have to wait at least one more day to secure a playoff berth. The Angels kept their hopes alive by rallying in the ninth to win the opener of the doubleheader at Texas. Oakland dropped its magic number to one for clinching the club's first playoff berth since 2006. The A's were swept that year by the Tigers in four games of the AL championship series. ''We're just going to try to win tomorrow,'' manager Bob Melvin said. ''I think we're best suited to just do that and not worry about all the different variables. We're in the dugout today and all of a sudden the Angels score went up and it's so emotional this time of year. Your thoughts can go back and forth based on one scoreboard change. It is exciting, it is fun. It's a bit of a rollercoaster at times.'' Sean Doolittle (2-1) pitched a perfect eighth for the win, and Balfour finished for his 22nd save. Kyle Seager and Justin Smoak each hit RBI singles in the third as Seattle tied it. The Mariners were 0 for 17 with runners in scoring position this series before Carlos Triunfel's second-inning single. But Smoak was thrown out at home as the A's saved a run. Milone gave way to Pat Neshek with two outs in the fifth and Casper Wells on third with a triple. But Neshek was done after walking Jesus Montero on four pitches. Jerry Blevins relieved and retired Smoak on a grounder in which Donaldson made a lunging, run-saving stop. All-Star Ryan Cook allowed Trayvon Robinson's leadoff single in the seventh, then struck out the side. The tough losses keep piling up for the Mariners. ''It's definitely been pretty crazy. I've never seen anything like it,'' Kelley said. ''You don't like to lose but to keep losing in this fashion is not fun.'' A's starter Tommy Milone allowed a leadoff double to Franklin Gutierrez to start the game but got out of it unscathed. The left-hander, whose 13 wins are already an Oakland rookie record, allowed two runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings. He struck out three and didn't surrender a walk. ''We feel like we can win every game,'' Milone said. ''That's how we're playing right now.'' Gutierrez, the Seattle center fielder, left the game before the bottom of the third with tightness in his left groin after batting in the top half. Gutierrez, who missed Friday's series opener after crashing into the wall a day earlier at Anaheim, hit a pair of doubles and scored a run following an 0-for-5 day Saturday. He is day to day. When Coco Crisp drew a leadoff walk in the third, it ended a 16-inning streak without a free pass for Ramirez. The right-hander walked four to double his total in eight major league starts. NOTES: Cespedes hit his fifth homer vs. the Mariners in the seventh inning or later. And Oakland won the season series 12-7. ... Mariners manager Eric Wedge rested 2B Dustin Ackley for most of the day and got a second straight look at Triunfel, who played SS on Saturday. ... RHP Jarrod Parker (12-8) pitches for the A's in Monday night's series opener against LHP Martin Perez (1-3) and the Rangers. Melvin said struggling LHP Travis Blackley - with two wins in his last seven starts - is still down to start Tuesday night against Texas. ''I don't know that we have any other options, to tell you the truth,'' Melvin said. ... LHP Brett Anderson, who is nursing a strained right oblique but could return to pitch a one-game wild card playoff, played light catch and is set to throw off a mound Monday.

49ers run all over Jets in 34-0 romp

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- The New York Jets were a delicious treat for the San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco used a solid running game, a smothering defense, a little bit of the wildcat-style offense and even blocked a punt to cruise to a 34-0 victory. That romp came a week after a loss at Minnesota in which the 49ers were just as outclassed as the Jets were Sunday. ''For sure, the whole week there was more of an edge; it was just a bad taste in your mouth,'' Alex Smith said. ''I don't think that goes away in one day. We wanted to be 3-1 and got it done.'' They got it done so emphatically that Jets coach Rex Ryan was visibly shaken by the lopsided defeat, so much so that he struggled to describe how poorly his Jets (2-2) performed. ''It's obviously unacceptable,'' Ryan said. ''It starts with the coaches. The players ... they've got to dig deep, look down at the themselves.'' Ryan took no solace from his team losing to one of the NFL's best. San Francisco (3-1) has everything Ryan wishes his team did. The 49ers ran for 245 yards and Carlos Rogers returned a fumble 51 yards for a touchdown. Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick - on a wildcat-like option - all ran for scores. The defense had an interception and three fumble recoveries, and special teams blocked Robert Malone's punt to set up the final touchdown. Defensive end Aldon Smith called it a statement win. ''Yeah, that's right,'' he said. ''After the last game, some people were questioning us and we knew what we were capable of. We played all together as a unit and proved what we are as a defense.'' And as an offense. And on special teams. Rather than head back to the West Coast after the Minnesota loss, coach Jim Harbaugh chose to have his team stay in eastern Ohio and practice at Youngstown State all week. Last season, the 49ers did the same thing and won both games, in Cincinnati and then at Philadelphia. The 49ers wound up going to the NFC championship that season, and if they play anything like they did against the Jets, they could very well find themselves advancing deep into the postseason again. ''This is more the way we are accustomed to playing,'' said Harbaugh, the 2011 Coach of the Year. It was San Francisco's first shutout since beating the St. Louis Rams 26-0 last December. Meanwhile, the Jets lost top wide receiver Santonio Holmes to what appeared to be a serious left foot injury. It was the first time New York was shut out since losing 9-0 to Green Bay on Oct. 31, 2010, and the Jets' biggest shutout home loss since falling 37-0 to Buffalo in 1989. If Holmes misses significant time, the Jets would be without their two biggest playmakers after All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis was likely lost for the season with a torn ligament in his left knee last week at Miami. ''We got to play with who we've got,'' Mark Sanchez said. ''None of those guys are going to get better overnight.'' On the first play of the fourth quarter, Holmes caught a pass from Sanchez for 4 yards, but his left leg appeared to go out on him. The ball flew out of his hands, and Rogers picked it up and returned it for a score. Holmes left the stadium in a golf cart, holding crutches, his left foot in a boot. Ryan said Friday that the Jets would wait to put Revis on injured reserve until he has surgery in a few weeks, keeping him available in case New York goes to the Super Bowl. If the Jets play like this the rest of the way, getting to the playoffs will be a tall task. Alex Smith was efficient, going 12 of 21 for 143 yards and no touchdowns, but more importantly, no interceptions. Sanchez had another poor game, going 13 of 29 for 103 yards and an interception. ''We knew Sanchez holds the ball a little longer and we felt we could get after him,'' Aldon Smith said. ''We pretty much did.'' New York finished with just 45 yards rushing. The wildcat-style offense worked early - but for the 49ers and not Tim Tebow and the Jets. Kaepernick put the 49ers up 7-0 early in the second quarter, taking a direct snap and running untouched off left end for a 7-yard touchdown. Kaepernick also had a 17-yard run earlier in the game. On the Jets' next possession, Tebow threw his first pass with New York, a short one over the middle to tight end Dedrick Epps, who was upended immediately by Dashon Goldson as the ball came loose. Rogers recovered, and the fumble call was upheld by video review. Epps injured his right knee on the play. With just over a minute left in the first half, the 49ers were aggressive despite starting the drive at their 26. A 23-yard catch by Vernon Davis on first down got things rolling, and San Francisco ended the half on David Akers' 36-yard field goal. Boos and some chants of ''Tee-boww! Tee-boww!'' rang out as the Jets went three-and-out for the second straight possession in the second half. It never got any better for New York. NOTES: Mario Manningham, a Super Bowl hero with Giants before joining the Niners as free agent, returned to the Meadowlands and had three catches for 47 yards, plus a 28-yard gain on an end-around ... Akers also missed from 55 and 40 yards wide right ... New York lost fullback John Conner with a hamstring injury ... San Francisco got 62 yards rushing from Gore, 56 from Hunter and 50 from Kaepernick. ---

Rangers earn split with Angels to get playoff spot

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Closer Joe Nathan got the quick redemption he hoped for, and the two-time defending AL champion Texas Rangers are back in the playoffs. They're still trying to win another division title. Nathan ended a long day with his 37th save, after blowing a chance in the opener, and Mike Napoli homered twice while driving in six runs as the Rangers won 8-7 Sunday night for a doubleheader split against the Los Angeles Angels. ''Any reliever would ask to get out there and try and put this afternoon's game behind them,'' Nathan said. ''The team over there is playing great, pushed us right the limit again. We've still got some work to do.'' While overcoming an quick 4-0 deficit in the nightcap to assure themselves a playoff spot - and postseason berths for Baltimore and New York Yankees, as well - the Rangers (93-66) have to win at least once during their season-ending, three-game series at second-place Oakland for the AL West title. ''You would think there would be a letdown, but because these guys take each game for what it is, there is no letdown,'' manager Ron Washington said. ''Yes, it was a tough loss the first one. ... Fell down 4-0, it was no big deal. They went out there and put some good at-bats together and they played with a lot of energy and Joe got a chance to redeem himself.'' Los Angeles (88-71) , which won the opener 5-4 on Torii Hunter's two-run double with two outs in the ninth off Nathan, trails the A's by three games for the AL's second wild card with three games left. The Angels have to sweep their three-game series in Seattle and have Texas do the same against Oakland to force a tiebreaking 163rd game between the A's and Angels for the second wild card. ''These guys played their hearts out,'' manager Mike Scioscia said. ''I don't know that you can ask much more than that.'' After only his third blown save for Texas in the opener, Nathan worked through the heart of the Angels lineup in the nightcap. Los Angeles led 4-0 after only five batters off Derek Holland (12-6) in the second game, but Ervin Santana (9-13) quickly squandered after his former teammate went deep on him twice. David Murphy and Napoli hit back-to-back homers in the second as Texas closed to 4-3. Josh Hamilton had a double in the first for his 127th RBI. Napoli's 23rd homer an inning later made it 6-4 and chased Santana, who has given up a majors-high 39 homers. Napoli drove a two-run double into the left-center gap in the fifth to make it 8-4. It was Napoli's 10th career multihomer game, four of them against his former team the past two seasons. Napoli played five years for the Angels before being traded twice in five days before the 2011 season, to Toronto and then Texas. ''Sometimes there's going to be that hitter you don't match up well against,'' Scioscia said. Mike Trout, who in the opener became the first major league rookie to reach 30 homers and 40 stolen bases in the same season, struck out to start the second game against Holland. But the Angels then had four straight hits. Albert Pujols had an RBI double and scored on a single by Hunter before Mark Trumbo's 32nd homer, a two-run shot. Nathan took over after Koji Uehara struck out the side in the eighth. Uehara has retired all 23 batters faced his last nine games, with 15 strikeouts. Holland managed to get into the seventh inning, and didn't allow any more runs until a three-run homer by Howie Kendrick, the last batter he faced. The left-hander, who made it only three innings his previous start, struck out five while allowing seven runs and 12 hits. Hunter, who lives in nearby Prosper, had seven hits in the doubleheader. He is hitting .350 (98 of 280) since the All-Star break, and his game-winning double into the left-center gap came right after Nathan (3-5), his former teammate in Minnesota, struck out Trout. The Angels are still trying to make up for two bad slumps. After adding slugger Pujols and left-hander C.J. Wilson this winter, they were 8-15 in April. They had a 4-13 slide to start August. But they still have a chance to make the playoffs after winning 11 of their last 16 games, if they get a lot of help from the Rangers. So what do the Angels do now? ''We go to Seattle and fight like hell,'' Trumbo said. NOTES: Rangers 3B Adrian Beltre came out in the seventh inning after aggravating a strained left shoulder while leaping for a ball with his arm fully extended. He said he's fine and should play Monday. ... Garrett Richards (4-3) retired Nelson Cruz with two runners on in the eighth in the opener, and Ernesto Frieri pitched a perfect ninth in the opener for his 24th save in 26 chances. ... Yu Darvish struck out seven in 6 2-3 innings in the opener, when Cruz hit his 24th homer and also threw Trout out on the bases from right field. ... Texas ended with a regular-season attendance of 3.46 million, an average of 42,720 per game - both franchise records. ... Holland and Santana was the scheduled matchup for Saturday's game, which was called off four hours after its scheduled start because of rain. ... The 21-year-old Trout is the youngest player with a 30-30 season. He needs two stolen bases to become only the third player ever with 30 homers and 50 stolen bases. The others? Eric Davis (1987) and Barry Bonds (1990).

Keselowski emerges late to win at Dover

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- Brad Keselowski had fuel to spare for a couple of victory burnouts. Those few splashes of gas left down the stretch were just enough for a checkered flag - and a sign Keselowski is a championship favorite. With other contenders battling fuel woes and limping toward pit road, Keselowski had enough gas in the No. 2 Dodge to win Sunday at Dover International Speedway for his second victory in three weeks. Keselowksi's stout start to the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship allowed him to swipe the points lead from Jimmie Johnson. Keselowski holds a five-point lead over Johnson as the Chase shifts to Talladega Superspeedway. Keselowski, who won the Chase opener at Chicagoland, has deftly avoided the famed Big Ones that strike the Alabama track to win twice there in seven career starts. He held off a late push from runner-up Jeff Gordon to match Denny Hamlin for the season victory lead with five. ''I can't state loudly enough how much longer this battle is,'' Keselowski said. Keselowski, Johnson and Hamlin have staked their claim through the first three of 10 Chase races as the drivers to beat. Johnson and Hamlin each led a chunk of laps on the mile concrete oval, but failed to stretch their fuel to the end. Johnson, who has seven career wins at Dover, was ordered to back off the gas and salvaged a fourth-place finish. Hamlin pitted with 10 laps left, opening the door for Keselowski, and denying him his first win at the Monster Mile. Hamlin faded to eighth after starting from the pole. ''They're not going to beat us on the track, that's just plain and simple,'' Hamlin said. ''We're just too fast right now and I feel like everything is going well. These strategy games, and the way these cautions are falling, it's ill-timed.'' There was a caution at the end of a cycle of green-flag pit stops only 69 laps into the race that quickly dropped drivers a lap back. Amazingly, most of the field couldn't ever get that lap back, and only six drivers finished on the lead lap. Non-Chase drivers Mark Martin finished third and Carl Edwards was fifth. Kyle Busch led a race-high 302 laps until his own battles with the pump cost him what would have been a nice victory in a season where he failed to make the Chase. He finished seventh. There were some rough finishes for the rest of the Chase field. Martin Truex Jr. was sixth, Clint Bowyer was ninth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 11th, Kevin Harvick 13th, Kasey Kahne 15th, Greg Biffle 16th, Tony Stewart 20th, and Matt Kenseth was knocked out of the race and was 35th. There are seven races left in the Chase. ''By no means, do I feel like we're the favorite,'' Keselowski said. ''Certainly, we're not the underdog.'' Nope, not with a complete team effort turning the No. 2 Dodge into a regular contender to win. Keselowski joked he had about another ''100 miles'' of racing left in his tank. While crew chief Paul Wolfe didn't want to reveal too much of his fuel-saving strategy, he conceded the car was ''within a lap or two'' or running on fumes. Keselowski raced the last 89 laps without a stop. ''There's always some risk in calls like that,'' Wolfe said. ''We know where we stand. We know what we need to do. We know the guys are racing right now for the championship. I felt like we were as good as anybody on mileage.'' Johnson had his record eighth win at Dover in sight until he was forced to start saving fuel with about 15 laps left. Crew chief Chad Knaus told Johnson to yield the lead so the No. 48 could at least salvage a top-five. ''I wish we could have raced for it,'' said Johnson, a five-time Cup champion. ''We finally got control of the race late. But it just didn't unfold like a normal race here.'' Hamlin had talked this week about embracing Dover after calling the mile concrete oval his least favorite one on the circuit. He won the pole and seemed in position to pull off a breakthrough win until fuel issues forced him down pit road behind Busch, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. That left it to Gordon and Keselowski with 10 laps left to duel for the lead over the closing laps. Gordon hoped Keselowski's No. 2 Dodge would run out of gas. Instead, Keselowski ran off with the victory. Gordon followed his third place last week at New Hampshire with another strong run at Dover. He needed it after a 35th-place finish in the opener at Chicagoland buried him in the standings. Gordon is 10th in points. ''We're not going to continue in this championship against those guys up front if they keep running the way they're running,'' he said. ''The only way we're going to get a chance at them is if they have a problem like we had (in the opener). If we keep running like this, we'll get the wins.'' Keselowski had four career wins coming into the season. He had his career breakthrough at Talladega in 2009 when he raced to his first career victory. He won there again this season in May and knows a season sweep will give him a nice cushion in the standings. ''He didn't make a mistake. We didn't lose any time on the track,'' team owner Roger Penske said. ''He's doing a terrific job and I love the position we're in.''

Dwight Howard aiming to play in Lakers' opener

Five months after back surgery, All-Star center Dwight Howard has targeted his Los Angeles Lakers debut for opening night of the 2012-13 season, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Dwight Howard had back surgery five months ago that forced him to miss the playoffs. (Getty Images) Howard is determined to play against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 30 at Staples Center, and his progress in recent weeks has strengthened the possibility, sources said. Howard has privately indicated his back has returned to 85 percent strength, sources said. He had surgery for a herniated disc in April and still needs doctor's clearance to engage in full training-camp activities with the Lakers. Los Angeles opens its training camp Tuesday. The Lakers have been reluctant to make public a timetable on Howard's return, and have maintained a cautious approach to protect his long-term health. Howard has been working with Lakers coaches and trainers at the team's practice facility, and has shown an increased range of motion, but has yet to engage in five-on-five or significant contact situations. [Also: Rasheed Wallace returning to NBA] The Lakers' coaching staff is implementing a hybrid of the Princeton offense and has shown Howard how the system will open up fresh avenues of scoring possibilities for him. Howard, 26, underwent surgery in April, and missed the final weeks of the season and the playoffs for the Orlando Magic. After Howard insisted he wouldn't re-sign a long-term contract, Orlando traded him to Los Angeles as part of a four-team deal in August

To heck with etiquette, Ryder Cup golfers encourage fans to cheer loud and long

MEDINAH, Ill. – Ryder Cup rivals Bubba Watson and Ian Poulter might have created a new tradition for the event by encouraging the crowd to break golf's strict rules of etiquette. After Watson urged the gallery to cheer all the way through his opening tee shot on Friday afternoon, Europe's Poulter followed suit during the Saturday morning foursomes, when he and Justin Rose took on Watson and Webb Simpson. Watson, teeing off second, had little choice but to gleefully tell the crowd to keep cheering right afterward. Golf decorum usually dictates that fans should remain totally silent during shots; the sport's traditions are firmly enshrined. However, the remarkable scenes where both Poulter and then Watson were given a rousing sendoff met with the firm approval of United States captain Davis Love III. Love was stationed close to the first tee when the incident took place and was caught by TV cameras laughing and smiling. "Davis thought it was awesome," a U.S. team official said. "You wouldn't see any complaints from him if it were to continue, as long as it is done respectfully." [Related: Keegan Bradley finds starring role at Ryder Cup] Europe's Ian Poulter also did his best to fire up the fans. (Reuters) While there is nothing in golf's rules that relates to the conduct expected of the crowd, officials hold up signs requesting quiet before each shot. There is no question, though, that the scene at the first hole added extra edge and spectacle to the matches and was greeted with delight by fans of both teams. "I didn't think there was any way I would be cheering Ian Poulter today," U.S. fan Jim McMahon said. "He is one of those players you love to hate, but when someone goes out of their way to involve the crowd like that and generate atmosphere you have to respect it. It was pretty electrifying to see and be a part of." Poulter conferred with European team captain Jose Maria Olazabal and his teammates before making the decision to fire up the crowd in hopes it might shift some momentum in his team's favor. Indeed, Poulter and Rose won the first hole with a birdie, but little else went right for the visitors at the start of the second morning. Competition officials confirmed to the BBC they would have no problem if the first tee cheering was to become commonplace at every Ryder Cup match. [Related: Day one rules controversy at Ryder Cup] Despite the absence of Tiger Woods on Saturday morning – he rested after his mixed performance on Friday – the Medinah crowd was again in fine voice, boosted by the excellent opening match where both Poulter and Watson shined. Woods' benching appeared to matter little as the Americans took an early lead in all four matches, prompting 2010 European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie to suggest the 14-time major champion was not much of an asset at this event. "The last time the Americans won it and the only time this century was without Tiger in 2008," Montgomerie said on NBC. "It's amazing how they do as well without as with him, and all credit to Davis for leaving him out. It was the right decision to leave him on the bench."

Patience with late-blooming Homer Bailey pays off in form of Reds' first no-hitter since 1988

Ever a season away from his potential, or a game away, even a pitch away, Homer Bailey on Friday night in Pittsburgh became something like the pitcher the Cincinnati Reds always believed would come with that talented right arm. On a cool night at PNC Park, near the end of a season in which he became a consistent contributor to – and 13-game winner for – the NL Central-leading Reds, Bailey threw the modern day record-tying seventh no-hitter of 2012. After the Pirates' Alex Presley popped out on Bailey's 115th pitch, securing a 1-0 win and the Reds' first no-hitter since Tom Browning's in 1988, Bailey thrust his arms straight over his head and welcomed his onrushing teammates. The Reds' Homer Bailey celebrates after notching the final out in his no-hitter against the Pirates. (AP) "It's really surreal," Bailey told reporters afterward. "I can't believe it's happening." In spite of a generation of futility, the Pirates had not been no-hit since 1971 against Bob Gibson. The last Reds right-hander to throw a no-hitter was Tom Seaver, 34 years ago. [Related: From prospect to priest, ex-A's farm star Grant Desme searches for peace] Bailey rode his fastball, particularly in Friday night's late innings. His strikeout of pinch-hitter Brock Holt to open the ninth (on a 93-mph fastball) was his 10th, tying his career best. Bailey walked one batter – Andrew McCutchen in the seventh inning – and had another batter reach on Scott Rolen's fielding error in the third inning. The rest saw Bailey hammer the strike zone with fastballs and bury his slider. Noting the cooler temperatures and the guidance of catcher Ryan Hanigan, Bailey said, "We didn't have our best stuff, but somehow we were able to go out and make some good pitches." The seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft, Bailey reached the major leagues three years later, as a 21-year-old. He did not pitch a full season, however, until this one. His career ERA was nearly five when, in April, he began to approach the promise of his early years. Friday's was his 32nd start, during which he surpassed 200 innings for the first time. As a result, pitching behind Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos and Bronson Arroyo, Bailey is among the reasons the Reds – for all intents and purposes – finished the NL Central race weeks ago and remain in a fight with the Washington Nationals for the league's best record. Presumably, the Reds are fully recovered from their last postseason experience, in which the Philadelphia Phillies swept them in the division series two falls ago. They were no-hit by Roy Halladay in Game 1 of that series, and in 2011 finished 17 games behind the division-winning Milwaukee Brewers, primarily because of the pitching staff. They will be among the favorites this October, because they sheared about three-quarters of a run off both their overall ERA and starters' ERA. Rarely has that been more evident than Friday night in Pittsburgh, site of a second-half collapse by the Pirates and Bailey's nine-inning excellence. Homer Bailey got a Gatorade bath for his efforts on Friday. (AP) Bailey said he kept the later innings as simple as he could. By the ninth inning, he inhaled deeply between pitches and exhaled sharply. He shrugged his shoulders to stay loose. And then he went after the Pirates with his fastball, many of them up in the zone. A.J. Burnett, who started for the Pirates, allowed a run in the first inning. Bailey protected that run for more than two hours. "You know what?" he said. "I just kept trying to put up zeroes. We're trying to get the best record in the National League. That was my focus." [Related: Rays unveil plans for proposed new stadium] Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips smiled broadly when the final out of the game settled into his glove. Bailey celebrated with Hanigan and the rest of the Reds, during which he was doused with water. He smiled almost sheepishly on his way off the field. When Bailey disappeared into the dugout he passed acting manager Chris Speier, who was carefully removing the lineup card from the dugout wall. Presumably, the card soon would belong to Bailey. Only hours before, Speier, who is covering for the ailing Dusty Baker, had marveled at Bailey's growth as a player. "It's just been a real pleasure to watch the maturation of Homer Bailey becoming a pitcher," Speier had told reporters before the game. "He's always been a good thrower. Now he's got the whole package. It's been really good." The no-hitter joined a cluster of them over the past five months. Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox, Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels, Johan Santana of the New York Mets, Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners and six Mariners pitchers combined threw no-hitters since late April. Three – Humber's, Cain's and Hernandez's – were perfect. Sixteen no-hitters have come since the start of 2010. And how would Bailey finish his evening? By calling his parents in Texas.

No. 9 West Virginia beats No. 25 Baylor 70-63

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- No. 9 West Virginia and the Big 12, perfect together. Geno Smith and the fast-moving, high-scoring Mountaineers proved they fit right in with their new conference, outracing No. 25 Baylor 70-63 on Saturday in the Big 12's highest-scoring game ever. Smith tied a conference mark with eight touchdown passes and narrowly missed another one with 656 yards passing. ''It did feel like one of those classic Texas shootouts,'' said Smith, whose school moved over from the Big East this season. ''That's kind of what the Big 12 is about.'' Smith outdueled Baylor's Nick Florence, who broke Heisman Trophy-winning predecessor Robert Griffin III's school record with 581 yards. Florence threw for five TDs. School, conference and FBS marks all got rewritten in this one. The game also set a new record for the most points scored in a game involving a team ranked in The Associated Press poll. The previous mark of 124 was set in No. 12 Oklahoma's 82-42 win over Colorado in 1980. How wild was it? Smith, the early Heisman front-runner, had more TD passes than incompletions (six). He finished 45 of 51 and still doesn't have an interception this season. ''Can you please tell me how you can improve on that?'' West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. Maybe not on offense, but both defenses have plenty of work to do. West Virginia amassed a school-record 807 yards and the teams combined for 1,507 yards of offense and 67 first downs. Six receivers had at least 100 yards receiving. The Bears' Terrance Williams set a Big 12 record with 314 yards receiving. The old mark was set minutes earlier by West Virginia's Stedman Bailey, who had 303 yards and a school-record five TDs. Williams' 8-yard scoring catch brought Baylor (3-1) within 70-63 with 3:08 left. But Dustin Garrison ran for 17 yards on third down and the Mountaineers ran out the clock to snap Baylor's nine-game winning streak, the second-longest in the nation. ''We expect to score that many points a game,'' Florence said. ''But the goal is to score more than our opponent and we came up a little short today.'' The combined 19 touchdowns tied an FBS mark, last reached when Navy beat North Texas 74-62 in 2007. That matchup set the FBS record for most points in a regulation game at 136. Baylor, meanwhile, tied an FBS mark for the most points scored by a losing team. Among the other records, Smith set school single-game marks for completions, yards and touchdown passes. Bailey and Tavon Austin became the first FBS teammates with 200 yards receiving since 2007. Going back to the Orange Bowl, West Virginia has scored 10 touchdowns three times in its last five games. ''Statistically, it's my best game ever,'' Smith said. ''But I think it's more about the team, and I think it just lets us know that we're going to have to battle it out every week against some really tough teams in the Big 12. ''I could care less about a Heisman Trophy. The big thing for us what that we won the game today. We're on a mission, and we want to win them all.'' West Virginia went ahead for good early in the third quarter, but Baylor almost always had an answer. Austin made long touchdown grabs three minutes apart while Baylor punted and missed a long field goal. Smith stayed in a groove, throwing three passes of 45 yards or more in the third quarter alone. His 47-yarder to Bailey set up Andrew Buie's second short TD run for a 56-35 lead. The way this game was going, though, no cushion was safe. Williams caught a 37-yard scoring pass from Florence and, after Baylor's defense forced a rare punt, Florence's sneak brought the Bears within 56-49, and there was still 14:14 left. But Bailey scored on TD grabs of 87 and 39 yards after that. ''We fought hard,'' said Baylor coach Art Briles. ''But we didn't respond well enough to win the game.'' Holgorsen talked at length about how impatient he got watching Maryland's offense run the clock down before each snap last week. There was no chance of a slowdown from Baylor. The teams scored on 10 of their final 13 possessions of the first half. Seven of those drives lasted under two minutes. Smith, whose passing yardage total was 5 yards shy of the Big 12 mark, completed a school-record 14 straight passes at one point. After a dropped pass, Smith completed 12 more in a row. Smith's fourth TD pass came with 29 seconds left until halftime, but that was more than enough time for Florence. On second down he threw down the left sideline to Lanear Sampson, who juked two defenders and went 67 yards untouched to tie the score at 35-35. The Mountaineers now must hope they can generate points on the road when they head to No. 12 Texas and Texas Tech over the next two weeks. ''Not every Big 12 game is like this,'' Holgorsen said.

No. 5 Georgia holds off Tennessee, 51-44

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Mark Richt looked past the mind-boggling offensive statistics to find the most important fact for his Georgia team. When the game was on the line, Georgia made the plays. Even on defense. Todd Gurley ran for three touchdowns and Keith Marshall added two as No. 5 Georgia recovered after blowing a 17-point lead to beat Tennessee 51-44 on Saturday in the highest-scoring game ever between the SEC rivals. Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC), which had never scored more points against the Volunteers in 41 previous meetings, needed three takeaways in the final six minutes stay unbeaten. Twice Sanders Commings intercepted Tyler Bray's passes and in between the Tennessee quarterback was stripped from behind and the fumble was recovered by Georgia's John Jenkins. ''You can get into statistics, but the bottom line is a lot of games are going to come down to the end where somebody has to make a play,'' Richt said. ''It's nice to have a gut-check and come out on top.'' The Bulldogs' defensive plays in the closing minutes followed a game packed with offense. The previous high for points in the series was 84 in Tennessee's 51-33 win in 2006. On Saturday, the teams combined for 60 points in just the first half. Georgia had 282 yards rushing as its two freshmen each topped 100 yards. With former Georgia standout Herschel Walker watching, Gurley had 24 carries for 130 yards. Marshall had 164 yards on only 10 carries. Asked if he anticipated the high-scoring pace, Gurley said ''Probably not.'' ''We know what we're capable of,'' said Gurley, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in four of his first five games. ''We did our thing. We executed.'' Aaron Murray threw two third-quarter touchdown passes to Michael Bennett for the Bulldogs. Georgia led 27-10 early in the second quarter before Tennessee took the lead with 20 unanswered points.

Orioles beat Boston, gain tie for AL East lead

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Baltimore Orioles are tied atop the AL East with the New York Yankees with four games left, a scenario that might cause a team unaccustomed to being in a pennant race to stumble under pressure. Not these guys. After Baltimore beat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 Saturday night to earn a share of first place, Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds described the mood of the team as ''a quiet confidence.'' ''Calmness,'' Reynolds said. ''We're playing with house money. We're not supposed to be here. We're just a bunch of kids having fun. We go out every night believing we're going to win the game, no matter what the situation and no matter who we're facing. It's just fun to be a part of.'' Chris Davis hit his 30th home run and rookie Manny Machado lined a go-ahead shot in the seventh inning for the Orioles. After finishing in the division cellar in each of the previous four seasons, Baltimore (91-67) is tied with a team very much accustomed to finishing in first place. The Yankees lost to Toronto before this game started, so the Orioles knew they would earn a share of the lead with a win. Baltimore went ahead 3-0 in the fourth, then let Boston pull even before Machado homered, a liner into the second row of the left-field seats off Felix Doubront (11-10). Machado has been a major leaguer for all of 47 games after being summoned from Double-A Bowie on Aug. 9. ''I'm just trying to play the game,'' he said. ''Obviously, it's bigger than any other games I've played before. I'm just going to try and go out there and give everything I can to help this team win.'' It was another tight victory for the Orioles, their trademark in this unimaginable season. Baltimore is 28-9 in one-run games and 72-0 when leading after seven innings. ''It's an honor to sit there and watch it and marvel at what these guys can do, especially when certain things start snowballing,'' manager Buck Showalter said. ''And you create your karma. These guys have done a good job of doing that, and they're expecting good things to happen.'' Tommy Hunter (7-8) pitched two innings, Brian Matusz and Darren O'Day shared the eighth and Jim Johnson got three outs for his 49th save. A sellout crowd of 46,311, a majority of them clad in Oriole orange, brought Camden Yards back to a time when the home team was a force in the AL East and the ballpark was packed on a nightly basis. The fans got to cheer a Baltimore great before the first pitch, too. A statue of Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson was unveiled during a ceremony in the flag court beyond the center-field wall. The Orioles' goal is to capture the division, but if they win two more games they are at least assured of their first trip to the playoffs since 1997 - their last winning season before this year. Baltimore now is 41-27 in the division and New York is 37-31, so if Baltimore wins one more game, it will have home-field advantage if there's a playoff to decide the AL East title. ''The pressure's on both of us,'' Reynolds said. ''Four games left, dead heat. I guess there's a possibility of two playoff games. It's what we play for, and it's fun.'' In addition to hitting two homers and limiting Boston to five hits, Baltimore also played well defensively. Machado, the third baseman, ranged far to his right in the fourth inning to start a double play, and Reynolds tumbled over the tarp roll and got wedged behind it after catching a foul pop. Endy Chavez, who entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth, made a sparking diving catch of a sinking liner to right field. ''They just keeping doing what they have to do,'' Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said of the Orioles. ''Buck knows what he's doing. He puts in a defensive replacement and he makes a diving catch. They've done a great job with that young third baseman. He beat us tonight. He played excellent defense all year.'' Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered for the Red Sox, who fell into last place with their 15th loss in 21 games. Boston has not finished in the cellar since 1992. Doubront allowed four runs, three earned, and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out 10, walked one and hit a batter. Red Sox leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury went 1 for 4 after being sidelined since Sept. 20 with an unspecified injury. Ellsbury has only four homers and 26 RBIs after finishing second in AL MVP voting last season. ''I didn't see him play that way this year,'' Valentine said before the game. ''He did not quite hit his stride this year.'' Orioles rookie Steve Johnson took a three-hitter and a 3-2 lead into the sixth inning but was lifted after giving up a single and a walk. Hunter got Dustin Pedroia to hit a force at second, but a run came home when Cody Ross hit a sacrifice fly to right field that Davis dropped after Adam Jones drifted over from center and called for the ball. Hunter avoided further damage by getting Mauro Gomez to bounce into a double play. Baltimore went up 1-0 in the second when Machado singled in a run after Doubront hit Davis with a pitch and Reynolds reached on a slow roller to third. In the fourth, after Jones reached on a throwing error by shortstop Mike Aviles, Davis drove a 1-0 pitch far over the right-field wall for a 3-0 lead. Saltalamacchia hit his 25th homer in the fifth after Gomez drew a leadoff walk. NOTES: The Robinson statue stands alongside the team's five other Hall of Fame members, all of whom were in attendance: Earl Weaver, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. ... Joe Saunders will pitch for the Orioles in the series finale Sunday. Zach Stewart will pitch for Boston. ... Baltimore claimed OF Steve Pearce off waivers from the Yankees. He will join the team in Tampa Bay on Monday. ... Boston has lost 17 of 24 to Baltimore since September 2011.

No. 14 Ohio St holds off No. 20 Michigan St 17-16

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Urban Meyer's first Big Ten game as Ohio State coach turned out to be a classic welcome to the conference. His quarterback got shaken up twice, but Braxton Miller kept coming back on the field, and in the end the Buckeyes played just well enough defensively to come away with a bruising victory. ''This was a war. This was two sledgehammers going at each other,'' Meyer said. ''I know the Big Ten has taken some heat. That was a great game. Great atmosphere, a bunch of great players on the field that are going to be playing at the next level, and that was good for college football and good for the Big Ten.'' Miller threw for 179 yards and ran for 136, and No. 14 Ohio State held off No. 20 Michigan State 17-16 on Saturday. Miller put Ohio State ahead 17-13 with a 63-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith in the third quarter, and the Buckeyes' maligned defense held Le'Veon Bell and the Michigan State running game in check. Meyer becomes the third coach to start 5-0 in his first season at Ohio State. Carol Widdoes and Earle Bruce also did it in 1944 and 1979. Michigan State (3-2, 0-1) has lost four home games in a row against Ohio State. The Buckeyes (5-0, 1-0) aren't eligible to win the Big Ten title because of sanctions, but they handed the Spartans an early loss. Michigan State took a 13-10 advantage in the third on a terrific individual effort by Keith Mumphery. With the ball on the Ohio State 29 after a personal foul call on the Buckeyes, Mumphery took Andrew Maxwell's short pass and eluded four tacklers before dragging a couple more Buckeyes into the end zone. The lead didn't last long. Miller managed to pick up a first down, just barely, with a run on third-and-1, then lofted a deep pass on the next play to Smith, who beat Johnny Adams along the right sideline to put Ohio State ahead to stay. ''We hook up all the time,'' Miller said. ''That's one of my favorite receivers, so I'm always going to look for him.'' Miller turned the ball over three times in Michigan State territory, including a fumble early in the fourth - but the Buckeyes actually caught a break on that play. The ball bounced right to Kurtis Drummond of the Spartans, who began running down the right sideline before the play was blown dead and Miller was ruled down. The call was reversed after a review, giving Michigan State the ball at its own 32 - but the Buckeyes were saved from a big return that would almost surely have followed if the call had been correct to begin with. The Buckeyes then appeared to have stopped the Spartans when Maxwell underthrew a pass on fourth-and-1 from the Ohio State 44, but Travis Howard was called for defensive holding on the opposite side of the field, keeping the drive alive. Dan Conroy's 48-yard field goal pulled Michigan State within a point with 7:07 remaining. Miller remained down holding his left knee after his fumble but was able to come back the next time Ohio State had the ball. The Spartans forced a three-and-out anyway and took over at their own 20 with 5:39 left, down 17-16. They could manage only one first down before having to punt, and they never got the ball back. Miller was 16 of 23 with an interception. Maxwell went 22 of 42 for 269 yards. ''Braxton Miller is a very exciting player,'' Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. ''We knew that coming into the game. He took a lot of bad plays and made them good ones. ... I thought Maxwell played well enough to win. He threw the ball very effectively.'' Bell came in with 610 yards on 117 carries, but he ran for only 45 yards against Ohio State. The Buckeyes' defense was ranked last in the Big Ten before the game. ''A great team win,'' Meyer said. ''We found out something about our team today, to go on the road in a hostile environment against a quality, quality football team and find a way to win.'' Ohio State drove 75 yards in eight plays to open the game, taking a 7-0 lead on Jordan Hall's 1-yard scoring run. Miller had runs of 20 and 13 yards on the drive, but he was hit along the sideline at the end of the latter one and was shaken up. He had to leave the game but was back for his team's next possession. The Spartans answered immediately with a 34-yard field goal by Conroy, and that was all the scoring for the half. Miller threw an interception and lost a fumble in second quarter, but Conroy missed a 42-yard attempt in the final minute.

NFL refs approve deal, ready for Sunday games

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- NFL officials ended their labor dispute with the league by approving a new eight-year contract with a 112-5 vote Saturday, then hustled off to the airport to get to work. Next stop, stadiums around the country. And, the officials hope, anonymity. ''The last Super Bowl that I worked, when we got in the locker room, I said, 'You know, the best thing about this game, nobody will remember who refereed this game,''' said Scott Green, president of the referees' association. ''That's how we like to work.'' The vote ended a labor spat that created three weeks of increasingly chaotic games run by replacement officials who drew criticism of everyone from the average fan to President Barack Obama. ''It was pretty much 'Come on in and vote,''' Green said. ''We're going to talk football now. We're going to stop talking about CBAs and lockouts and now we're going to talk about rules and video and getting ourselves ready to work football games.'' They may get ovations similar to the one bestowed on the crew that worked Thursday's Cleveland-Baltimore game with the tentative deal in place. The referees met for about an hour and a half Friday night to go over the contract, then gathered for another 30 minutes Saturday morning before approving the contract. ''We are obviously pleased to hear it,'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email to The Associated Press on Saturday. Because they were aware of the financial parameters, most of the discussion by the referees involved non-economic issues such as year-round work and developmental squads, said Tim Millis, the association's executive director. The deal came together quickly this week after an increasing chorus of complaints became impossible to ignore when a disputed touchdown call on the final play gave the Seattle Seahawks a victory over the Green Bay Packers on national television Monday night. Many thought the ruling of a Seattle touchdown instead of a Green Bay interception was botched, and the labor dispute drew public comments from Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney. By late Wednesday, the sides had a contract calling for refs' salaries to increase from an average of $149,000 a year in 2011 to $173,000 in 2013, rising to $205,000 by 2019. The current defined benefit pension plan will remain in place for current officials through the 2016 season or until the official earns 20 years' service. The defined benefit plan will then be frozen. Retirement benefits will be provided for new hires, and for all officials beginning in 2017, through a defined contribution. Beginning with the 2013 season, the NFL will have the option to hire a number of officials to work year-round. The NFL also can retain additional officials for training and development and assign those officials to work games. The number of additional officials will be determined by the league. The officials that worked Thursday's Ravens-Browns game were cheered from the moment they walked onto the field. The difference between the regular crew and replacements was clear. The officials kept the game in control, curtailing the chippy play and choppy pace that had marred the first three weeks of the regular season. ''I think the thing we're most proud of is the lesson that we all learned,'' Green said. ''If you're going to be in a professional league, you've got top-notch coaches, you need professional officials as well.''

Cabrera ties Hamilton in HRs; Tigers beat Twins

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Miguel Cabrera's line drive home run in the eighth inning against Minnesota moved him into a tie with Texas star Josh Hamilton for the AL lead, bringing the first triple crown since 1967 that much closer to reality. The blast may have been even bigger for Detroit's playoff chances. Cabrera's home run gave the Tigers a five-run cushion they would end up needing and Justin Verlander struck out eight in seven innings in a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday that gave them a two-game lead in the AL Central. Cabrera's blast in the eighth inning off Casey Fien was his 43rd home run for the year. He also leads the AL in batting average (.327) and RBIs (136) as he looks to become the first player since 1967 to lead the league in all three categories. ''It's unbelievable what he's done this year,'' said Verlander, the reigning AL MVP who was wearing a dark blue t-shirt with the message ''Keep the MVP in the D'' and Cabrera's name on the front. ''It's amazing to me how he keeps getting better. He's already the best hitter in the game and he keeps taking it to another level.'' Verlander (17-8) allowed four hits and one unearned run to drop his ERA to 2.64 for the Tigers, who had to sweat out another close one. Cabrera's homer proved to be a big one after Ryan Doumit hit a grand slam off of Joaquin Benoit in the eighth. Al Alburquerque helped the Detroit bullpen do what it couldn't do against the lowly Twins on Friday night - finish the game. Jose Valverde picked up his 33rd save. Prince Fielder and Andy Dirks also went deep for Detroit. Chicago lost to Tampa Bay 10-4 moments before the final out of the Tigers game. ''I want to talk about the team,'' Cabrera said respectfully. ''There's too many distractions right now and been talking too much about triple crowns. I pull too much attention. I don't want to do that. I want to go out there and play my game.'' P.J. Walters (2-5) gave up two runs on four hits with five strikeouts in five innings for the Twins. Joe Mauer went 0 for 3 with two walks, dropping his average to .320. One day after Detroit lost a game of cushion to the White Sox when reliever Brayan Villarreal couldn't find the plate in the eighth inning of a 4-2 loss to the lowly Twins, Verlander came out determined to make sure the Tigers kept the pressure on Chicago. ''That was a huge game for us,'' manager Jim Leyland said. ''You look at the scoreboard and see the White Sox most likely are going to lose. That's a game you've got to win.'' With a free and easy delivery, the right-hander kept his fastball at 93 or 94 mph while keeping the Twins off balance with an array of off-speed pitches. He started to ramp things up in the fourth when he blew Justin Morneau away with consecutive fastballs of 98 and 99 and hit 100 later in the inning. It wasn't just Verlander's dazzling stuff that gave the Twins hitters problems. The afternoon shadows at Target Field make it very difficult for hitters to pick up the ball coming out of the pitcher's hand and often contributes to slow days for the offense. That appeared to be the case early for Cabrera as well, who was befuddled by Walters. The slugger struck out in his first two at-bats and flew out to right in his third. Cabrera entered the day leading Mauer by five points in the batting race, Hamilton by eight in the RBI race, but trailing Hamilton by one in homers. So will he be watching Hamilton down the stretch? ''I'll let you guys keep Hamilton in your eyes,'' Cabrera said. ''I'll go to the hotel and get some breakfast tomorrow and try to win tomorrow.'' The bigger prize, of course, is the division title. Neither the Tigers nor the Sox will qualify for one of two wild cards in the American League, so their only way in is through the division door. ''The last couple weeks, there's too much attention right now,'' Cabrera said of the triple crown. ''I don't like too much of that stuff. But it's always good. You've got to feel comfortable with that. You've got to feel positive and be ready to play.'' NOTES: Verlander left with nobody out in the eighth after Denard Span reached on an error, marking just the fourth time all season he's been taken out in the middle of an inning. ... One night after making a costly error late in a 4-2 loss to the Twins, Fielder was sharp at 1B, making a quick decision on a hot grounder from Jamey Carroll in the fifth. Fielder threw to third base and Cabrera chased Trevor Plouffe down to get the lead runner. ... Plouffe snapped an 0-for-18 skid with a double in the fifth inning. ... The Tigers will send RHP Anibal Sanchez (4-6, 3.95) to the mound for the series finale against Twins RHP Liam Hendriks (1-8, 6.09). Sanchez is coming off of his first shutout in more than a year, a three-hitter against Kansas City that put the Tigers into a tie for first place.