Tue Nov 27, 2012 1:01am EST (Reuters) - Tampa Bay cornerback Eric Wright has been suspended for four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing drugs. Wright, who was signed by the team in the off-season, had an appeal rejected by the league. Coach Greg Schiano confirmed the suspension."I am extremely disappointed that the suspension was upheld...

By Larry Fine NEW YORK | Tue Nov 27, 2012 12:44am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Brooklyn Nets beat the visiting New York Knicks 96-89 in an overtime thriller on Monday in the first battle for 'Big Apple' bragging rights between the city rivals. Brooklyn's victory at the new Barclays Center lifted the Nets (9-4) into a tie with the Knicks (9-4) for...

Mon Nov 26, 2012 10:13pm EST (Reuters) - Lee Westwood wowed the crowds at the Thailand Golf Championship last year by flirting with a 59 in the first round of the Asian Tour event and the world number six would be more than happy with a similar start to his title defense. Westwood had virtually wrapped up the title at the halfway mark at Amata Spring Country Club...

By Larry Fine NEW YORK | Mon Nov 26, 2012 9:54pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Giants rookie running back David Wilson, who has not been shy about touting his abilities, will have a chance to back up his boasts after a broken leg put Andre Brown on injured reserve on Monday. Wilson, a first-round draft pick from Virginia Tech, has been relega...

Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:47pm EST (Reuters) - The National Hockey League and locked-out players have agreed to allow U.S. federal mediators assist in negotiations when labor talks resume in hopes of ending a costly lockout in time to salvage what is left of the season. George H. Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), said on Monday he...

LONDON | Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:04am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Film director Danny Boyle won an Evening Standard Theatre Award late on Sunday for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, which was warmly praised in Britain but befuddled many overseas viewers. The ceremony, a kaleidoscopic romp through Britain's recent history packed with references to ...

Mon Nov 26, 2012 2:39am EST (Reuters) - Seattle Seahawks starting cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner are facing four-game bans for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drugs policy. The league's website (www.nfl.com) reported on Sunday that both players were appealing the suspensions, which would come as a huge blow to the Seahawks.Seattle (6-5)...

By Tony Jimenez DUBAI | Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:55am EST DUBAI (Reuters) - Rory McIlroy's rivals were in awe of his two-shot victory at the DP World Tour Championship and compared the world number one's form to the dominance 14-times major winner Tiger Woods displayed in his prime. The Northern Irishman landed his fifth title of the year on Sunday, c...

By Tony Jimenez DUBAI | Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:46am EST DUBAI (Reuters) - World number two Luke Donald is planning to have an operation in the off-season in an attempt to cure a lingering problem with his sinuses. "My sinuses are all completely clogged up and every time I get a little bit run down they turn into infections," the 34-year-old Briton t...

By Larry Fine EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey | Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:45am EST EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) - The New York Giants came out firing after a week off, routing the Green Bay Packers 38-10 on Sunday to break a two-game losing skid and strengthen their hold on the NFC East. Quarterback Eli Manning, who had thrown one touchdown pass a...

By Steve Keating TORONTO | Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:24am EST TORONTO (Reuters) - The Toronto Argonauts tamed the Calgary Stampeders 35-22 to claim the 100th Grey Cup on Sunday, allowing Canada's biggest city to shed its Loserville reputation and celebrate a Canadian Football League (CFL) championship. The week-long Grey Cup party reached a roaring cli...

Sun Nov 25, 2012 11:27pm EST (Reuters) - Kevin Garnett got hot at just the right time to score Boston's final six points of regulation and force overtime as the Celtics dug deep to beat the Orlando Magic 116-110 on Sunday. Garnett put up 24 points and had 10 rebounds, while Paul Pierce knocked down the go-ahead three-pointer in overtime to help deliver the road v...

By Mark Lamport-Stokes SAN DIEGO | Sun Nov 25, 2012 10:04pm EST SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The high-flying Baltimore Ravens broke San Diego Chargers' hearts and dealt a major blow to their playoff hopes when Justin Tucker kicked a 38-yard field goal to complete a hard fought 16-13 win in overtime on Sunday. While the AFC North leading Ravens improved ...

By Simon Evans Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:09pm EST (Reuters) - Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons kept pace with the 10-1 Houston Texans after a scrappy 24-23 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The Cleveland Browns took advantage of the Pittsburgh Steelers' injury problems to record a 20-14 win over their old rivals while Peyton Manning threw for 285 yards...

By Simon Evans MIAMI | Sun Nov 25, 2012 6:12pm EST MIAMI (Reuters) - A last-second, 43-yard field goal from Dan Carpenter gave the Miami Dolphins a surprise 24-21 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive. After three successive defeats the win was much-needed for a Miami team which is not yet totally out of ...

By Tony Jimenez DUBAI | Sun Nov 25, 2012 8:56am EST DUBAI (Reuters) - World number one Rory McIlroy picked up $2.33 million worth of desert treasure after repelling a record-breaking charge from Ryder Cup team mate Justin Rose to win the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday. Rose almost spiked the guns of the Northern Irishman, who shared the ove...

By Tony Jimenez DUBAI | Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:00am EST DUBAI (Reuters) - South Africa has replaced Spain as the jewel in the European Tour crown after being given six tournaments on the 2012-13 schedule released by officials on Sunday. The new campaign kicks off with the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship in Durban from December 6-9 before moving...

Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:45pm EST (Reuters) - The NBA champion Miami Heat have staged a thrilling fightback to keep their unblemished home record alive, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-108 on Saturday. The Heat, down by 11 at halftime and by seven with just under two minutes remaining, stormed home thanks mainly to Ray Allen who scored the last seven points to pus...

Sat Nov 24, 2012 9:31pm EST (Reuters) - Center Andrew Bynum would be out indefinitely due to continued problems with his knees, the Philadelphia 76ers said on Saturday. Bynum has bone bruises in both knees and a "weakened cartilage state", according to doctors and is yet to play for Philadelphia after being part of a four team, 12-player trade that moved him from...

Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:16pm EST (Reuters) - Britain's Ricky Hatton announced his retirement from boxing for a second time after his comeback ended in a ninth-round knockout defeat by Ukrainian welterweight Vyacheslav Senchenko in Manchester, England on Saturday. Britain's 34-year-old two-weight former world champion had lost 4-1/2 stone in preparation for his first f...

By Manuele Lang ASPEN, Colorado | Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:51pm EST ASPEN, Colorado (Reuters) - With most of her rivals in the doldrums, especially Lindsey Vonn, Tina Maze found herself in the pole position of the early World Cup season thanks to her victory in the Aspen giant slalom on Saturday. The discipline's world champion has now won two out of t...

By Patrick Lang Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:16pm EST LAKE LOUISE, Alberta, Nov 24 - Aksel Lund Svindal made the most of his experience and terrain knowledge to clinch his fourth World Cup victory in Lake Louise, this time in a downhill, on Saturday. "To me, it's like home here. The snow, the cold, the landscape, it's very similar to Norway and I've always had good...

By Alan Baldwin SAO PAULO | Sat Nov 24, 2012 3:56pm EST SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton grabbed pole position in Brazil on Saturday for his last race with McLaren while Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel took a big step towards becoming Formula One's youngest triple champion. Championship leader Vettel will start Sunday's season-ending race in four...

The logo and mascot of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2014 have been unveiled at the official presentation to launch the fourth edition of the tournament. Costa Rica’s political and sporting leaders were present at the event, which took place on Wednesday 21 November in the capital San Jose. Costa Rica is the first Central American country to host a FIFA women’s tournament of any ag...

Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:21pm EST (Reuters) - The road troubles for the Los Angeles Lakers continued as they were beaten 106-98 by the Grizzlies in Memphis on Friday. The Lakers dropped to 0-4 on the road and 6-7 on the season as the Grizzlies (9-2) continued their early season impressive form.The Grizzlies, who are the top team in the Western Conference, were ruthles...

Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:00pm EST (Reuters) - The pressure mounts this week for the rejuvenated New Orleans Saints as they top a list of teams facing crunch time in their bids to secure a spot in the National Football League (NFL) playoffs. The Saints, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers are among the teams that can...

By Julian Linden EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey | Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:50am EST EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) - The Patriots were in a festive mood following a Thanksgiving Day battering of the New York Jets on Thursday with quarterback Tom Brady devouring a turkey drumstick during an interview after New England's emphatic victory. Brady coul...

Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:10pm EST (Reuters) - Robert Griffin III tossed four touchdowns for the second straight game to lead the surging Washington Redskins to a 38-31 road win over the fading Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. Griffin put on a Thanksgiving Day clinic, completing 20-of-28 passes for 311 yards with touchdowns to Aldrick Robinson, Santana Moss, Pierre Garcon a...

Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:24pm EST (Reuters) - Shayne Graham booted a 32-yard field goal in overtime as the Houston Texans tamed the Detroit Lions 34-31 with the help of a bizarre touchdown on Thursday for the Motor City's Thanksgiving Day misery to continue. Playing their second overtime game in five days, the Texans improved to a league best 10-1 when Graham redeemed ...

Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:35pm EST (Reuters) - Ailing two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger had a special reason to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday after his wife Ashley gave birth to their first child the previous evening. Benjamin Jr. weighed 7 lbs. and 1 oz when he was born at 10:06 p.m. local on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said on his o...

Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:33pm EST (Reuters) - Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook stepped up in overtime to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-111 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. After the Clippers went on a fourth-quarter run to force overtime, Durant and Westbrook combined to score all 15 Thunder points in the extra session to keep last season's W...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico | Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:23pm EST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) - Three-time world boxing champion Hector "Macho" Camacho is brain dead following a drive-by shooting in Puerto Rico, a doctor said on Thursday. Camacho, 50, whose speed and flamboyance made him a top attraction in the 1980s and 1990s, is in a coma and unresponsive, said ...

By Alan Baldwin SAO PAULO | Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:50am EST SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Coca Cola will enter Formula One with its burn energy drink brand after announcing a deal with Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus team on Thursday. Lotus said in a statement that the deal was a multi-year agreement with more details...

By Tony Jimenez DUBAI | Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:22am EST DUBAI (Reuters) - World number two Luke Donald made a flying start in his bid to record back-to-back victories by snatching the first-round lead at the DP World Tour Championship on Thursday. Donald fired a seven-under 65 to move one stroke ahead of top-ranked Rory McIlroy, Briton Marc Warren an...

LONDON | Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:59am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney has joined the lineup for a Christmas single raising money for the families of those who died in the 1989 Hillsborough soccer stadium tragedy in northern England, organizers said on Thursday. Already committed to the song are artists including Robbie Williams, ex-Spice G...

By Tony Jimenez DUBAI | Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:23am EST DUBAI (Reuters) - Padraig Harrington was performing metaphorical handstands after shooting a five-under-par 67 at the DP World Tour Championship on Thursday despite frittering away a host of birdie chances in the opening round. The triple major winner found the Greg Norman-designed Earth layout ...

By Tony Jimenez DUBAI | Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:55am EST DUBAI (Reuters) - Shane Lowry has been so badly affected by a virus he can barely stand up, the Irishman said after pulling out of the European circuit's season-ending DP World Tour Championship ahead of Thursday's opening round. The winner of last month's Portugal Masters was taken to a Dubai h...

SEOUL | Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:51am EST SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's chances of winning the World Baseball Classic (WBC) next year have suffered a major blow after key pitcher Bong Jung-keun was forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury. Team officials said on Thursday the 32-year-old, who had spells with the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, was set to...

Thu Nov 22, 2012 1:34am EST (Reuters) - Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook stepped up in overtime to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-111 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. After the Clippers went on a fourth-quarter run to force overtime, Durant and Westbrook combined to score all 15 Thunder points in the extra session to keep last season's W...

By Julian Linden NEW YORK | Wed Nov 21, 2012 4:18pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The National Football League is as much a part of the Thanksgiving tradition in the United States as roasted Turkey and cranberry sauce. With hundreds of millions of people at home for the annual feast, American football has been played on the holiday for their captive a...