WPPA/T102 Sports/Saturday

PENNSYLVANIA SPORTS

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Alfonso Soriano hit a leadoff homer, Ryan Zimmerman went deep and drove in a career-best five runs and the Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-to-4 last night. Soriano became the third player in major league history to have at least four seasons of 30 homers and 30 stolen bases. Tony Armas
Junior went five and a-third effective innings to even his record at 8-and-8 for the Nationals. Soriano led off the game with his 39th homer and stole his 30th base in the second inning. Only Bobby and Barry Bonds have reached those numbers five times.
Mike Lieberthal homered and had three R-B-I's for the Phillies, who remained two and a-half games back in the N-L wild-card race. Philadelphia has lost two in a row after three straight wins against the East-leading New York Mets. The three-game series continues tonight.

CINCINNATI (AP) - Xavier Nady hit his first home run for Pittsburgh, a three-run homer, and drove in four runs in the Pittsburgh Pirates' 7-to-3 win over Cincinnati last night. The last-place Pirates sent Cincinnati to its third loss in four games. The Reds began the day leading the N-L wild-card race. Nady tied his career high with four hits. He also did it in early August four days after the New York Mets traded him to the
Pirates for Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez. Jack Wilson homered for Pittsburgh and Freddy Sanchez raised his league-leading batting average to .351 with four hits.
Ian Snell is 11-and-8 with seven strong innings on the mound for the Pirates. The teams meet again tonight.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Steelers play a home game for the first time since winning the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh takes on the Minnesota Vikings tonight. It is the
first time the Steelers play at home since the end of the last regular season. they were on the road for each of their three A-F-C playoff wins and the Super Bowl. Ben Roethlisberger may not get on the field at all. On Wednesday, he sprained the right thumb he initially hurt late last season, so it seems unlikely he would play. The Steelers are coming off a 21-to-13 loss in Arizona in their first preseason game.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Juqua Thomas has a career's worth of sacks in the preseason for the Philadelphia Eagles. The reserve defensive end has solidified a roster spot with an outstanding performance in three exhibition games. He had two-and-a-half sacks against Baltimore on Thursday night. That raised his three-game total to four-and-a-half. After spending his first four seasons with Tennessee, Thomas signed with the Eagles last summerand finished with 19 tackles in 16 games. Instead of opting for free agency, he re-signed with the Eagles. Now, his emergence more depth on a line that struggled to generate a pass rush last season.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) - Dustin Pedroia hit a grand slam to lead Pawtucket past the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons 9-to-5 last night, giving the Red Sox a three-game sweep. Pedroia's blast capped a seven-run rally in the fourth inning that gave Pawtucket an 8-to-2 lead. Carlos Ruiz had a two-run homer for the Red Barons.
Pawtucket's Tyler Minges homered off losing pitcher Brian Mazone. The Red Barons open a series against the Rochester Red Wings tonight.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - The Little League World Series is under way, with three teams picking up wins on the first day of games. In the first set of games yesterday, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, beat Beaverton, Oregon, 6-to-1; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, shutout Surrey, British Columbia, 5-to-0; and Lake Charles, Louisiana,
needed nine innings to beat Columbia, Missouri, 1-to-0. Competition continues today with six games scheduled.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - Detroit Tigers coach Lloyd McClendon will be enshrined into the Little League Museum's Hall of Excellence next week, 35 years after putting on one of the top tournament performances in Little League history. In 1971, McClendon hit two home runs in each of his team's two first games for the Anderson Little League team from Gary, Indiana. He hit another homer in the first at-bat of his third game before being intentionally walked in his last three appearances at the plate.
McClendon, who stood an imposing 5-foot-8, played pitcher and catcher. Gary got to the title game, losing 12-to-3 to Tainan, Chinese Taipei, in nine innings. Baltimore Orioles executive Mike Flanagan will also be honored with the William A. Shea Distinguished Little League Graduate Award on August 27th, the final day of the tournament. Flanagan played Little League in Manchester, New Hampshire.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - The University of Virginia will open its new basketball arena for a telecast of the Cavaliers' season-opening football game. The university announced yesterday that the E-S-P-N-U broadcast of the September second game at Pittsburgh will be shown on the video boards at John Paul Jones Arena. U-V-A students will be admitted at 5:30 p-m with a valid student I-D ... and the general public will follow at six. Kickoff is set for seven.

NATIONAL SPORTS

SAPPORO, Japan (AP) - The road to redemption has begun for U-S-A basketball. Carmelo Anthony's 21 points led a powerful opening-game performance in Team U-S-A's 111-to-100 win over Puerto Rico in the World Basketball Championships. The hot-shooting Americans shot 67 percent from the field. The Americans shot 68 percent in the first half in building a 57-to-51 lead over Puerto Rico, a team that has given the U-S-A fits in past international tournaments. U-S-A outscored Puerto Rico 10-to-2 at the start of the second half. That lead grew to 94-to-74 after three quarters before Puerto Rico made it respectable at the end. The U-S-A is looking to regain world dominance in the sport the Americans invented. The U-S is coming off a third-place finish in the 2004 Olympics and a sixth-place finish in this tournament in 2002. There's little rest for the Americans. They next play China early Sunday morning.

SENDAI, Japan (AP) - San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker will not play for France in the world championship after being diagnosed with a broken finger. Parker was injured Tuesday during an exhibition game against Brazil in China. France opens the world championship later today against Argentina.

UNDATED (AP) - Free agent Scot Pollard has signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The veteran forward averaged just under four points and five rebounds a game in 45 outings last season for the Indiana Pacers. The Cavs are hoping the six-foot-eleven, 265-pounder will give them more muscle inside.

In another N-B-A note, Alonzo Mourning will return to the Miami Heat next season after re-signing with the team. The seven-time All-Star center averaged seven-point-eight points, five-point-five rebounds in filling the role as Shaquille O'Neal's backup last season.

UNDATED (AP) - The New York Yankees swept a doubleheader with Boston by crushing the Red Sox 12-to-4 and 14-to-11. In the first game, Chien-Ming Wang (wahng) earned his 14th win of the year, while Jason Johnson got the loss. Derek Jeter hit a bases-clearing double in New York's seven-run seventh inning as the Yankees rallied from a three-run deficit to win the nightcap, 14-to-11. The sweep gives the Yankees a three and a-half game lead in the A-L East. This begins a five-game showdown in Boston between these teams.

Washington built a six-run lead in four innings and held off Philadelphia, 6-to-4. Alfonso Soriano hit his 39th home run and stole his 30th base. Ryan Zimmerman went deep and drove in a career-best five runs.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Marion Jones failed an initial doping test at the U.S. national championships in June. That's what people familiar with the results are telling The Associated Press. The five-time Olympic medalist's "A" sample tested positive for a banned performance enhancer at the event in Indianapolis. Testing on Jones' second urine sample has not been completed, the sources told the paper. Jones would only be charged with a doping violation. She faces a two-year ban from track and field if the "B" sample also turns up positive.

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) - Asafa (A'-suh-fuh) Powell has done it again. The Jamaican sprinter equaled his 100-meter world record at a Golden League meet in Zurich, Switzerland. It's the third time Powell has covered that distance in nine-point-77 seconds. He set the mark in Athens in 2004 and it was equaled by Justin Gatlin in May. Powell matched the mark again a month later in Gateshead. Gatlin did not attend this week's meet after testing positive for doping following a relay race in April. If Gatlin is found guilty, his share of the world record would be stripped.

DALLAS (AP) - Evander Holyfield (HOH'-lee-feeld) began his latest comeback with a second-round T-K-0 over Jeremy Bates, an insurance salesman. The end came with four seconds left in the second round. That gives Holyfield, a four-time heavyweight champion, his first win since June 2002. The 43-year-old Holyfield showed flashes of his old skills in ending a string of three straight losses since his victory over Hasim Rahman (hah-SEEM' RAHK'-mahn). This was Holyfield's first fight in 21 months. Holyfield turns 44 in October but insists: "I am not old."

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) - David Gilliland is replacing Nextel Cup veteran Elliott Sadler and will be behind the wheel in Robert Yates Racing's Number-38 Ford. The first test for the 30-year-old driver will be Sunday's G-F-S Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Gilliland caught everyone's attention in June when he won a Busch Series race with an underfunded team. Gilliland will work with veteran crew chief Todd Parrott, who guided Dale Jarrett to the championship in 1999. Parrott recently returned to the team after a stint with Petty Enterprises.

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) - Jeff Burton won the pole and spoiled Elliott Sadler's debut for Evernham Motorsports. Sadler had the fastest lap time before Burton knocked him out of the top spot for Sunday's G-F-S Marketplace 400. Sadler, who left Robert Yates Racing to replace fired Jeremy Mayfield, was qualifying for the first time in the Number-19 Dodger on the two-mile Michigan International Speedway oval. The pole was Burton's fourth of the season and the sixth of his career. He enters Sunday's race in fourth place in the NEXTEL Cup standings. Matt Kenseth qualified third with Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick rounding out the top five. There are only four races left before the start of the NASCAR ten-race, ten-man Chase for the Championship.

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) - Henrik Stenson, Luke Donald, Billy Andrade (AHN'-drayd) and Tim Herron are the surprise foursome that's tied for the lead halfway through the 88th P-G-A Championship. They're all at eight-under for the tourney. That's one better than Tiger Woods, Davis Love the Third and Geoff Ogilvy. First round co-leader Chris Riley, David Toms, Fred Funk and Billy Mayfair are at six under par. Phil Mickelson is four shots off the lead after matching Woods with a birdie on the final hole. It's really anybody's golf tournament. All 70 players who made the cut are within eight shots of the top spot. Only three shots separates the top 13 players on the leader board.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Rookie Jee Young Lee birdied seven straight holes to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Safeway Classic. Lee shot an eight-under 64. Christina Kim and Jenna Daniels are two shots back.

NEW YORK (AP) - Ohio State is the preseason number one in The Associated Press college football poll after being named first on 35 of the 65 ballots cast by a nationwide panel of media members. The Buckeyes are also number one in the coaches poll. Number-two Notre Dame received ten first-place votes in the A-P balloting, while defending national champion Texas is third after garnering eight first-place mentions. Auburn got three first place votes and checks in at number four. West Virginia is next, even though the Mountaineers received three more first-place mentions than the Tigers. Three voters liked Southern California as number one, but the Trojans will start their 2006 campaign sixth in the A-P rankings. Florida, L-S-U, California and Oklahoma round out the top ten. The second ten consists of Florida State, Miami, Louisville,
Michigan and Georgia, followed by Iowa, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Penn State and Nebraska. The 21st through 25th spots belong to Oregon, T-C-U, Tennessee, Arizona State and Texas Tech, respectively.

UNDATED (AP) - Less than a week after announcing his retirement from the N-F-L Junior Seau (SAY'-ow) figured life without hitting somebody wasn't for him. Seau will be in pads this season after agreeing to a contract with the New England Patriots. The team did not disclose terms of the deal. The 37-year old retired on Monday after three disappointing seasons with the Miami Dolphins, but the 12-time Pro Bowler said he could still play.

Wide receiver Charlie Adams failed his physical with the Dallas Cowboys, voiding a trade with Denver. The Broncos sent Adams to Dallas for a sixth-round draft pick. Adams played in all 16 games for the Broncos last year in his third season in the N-F-L. He caught 21 passes for 203 yards while also returning punts and kickoffs.

It turns out that Koren Robinson's arrest this week for drunken driving wasn't his first scrape with the law since training camp opened. The Vikings receiver was ticketed August tenth for driving a 2003 B-M-W 760 sedan without a valid Minnesota driver's license. The license he had, from his home state of North Carolina, was suspended, according to the police report. Robinson's status with the Vikes is uncertain.

MONTREAL (AP) - Martina Hingis held off the power shots of fourth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova (kooz-NET'-suh-vuh) in a 7-6, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup.
Hingis, the former No. 1 in the world and seventh seed, advanced to one of today's semifinals against 19-year-old Russian Anna Chakvetadze, who eliminated Shahar Peer of Israel. Dinara Safina, the ninth seed from Russia, and 13th-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia will meet in the

Today's pitching probables and records (all times EDT)

AMERICAN LEAGUE
New York Yankees (Randy Johnson 13-9) at Boston Red Sox (Josh
Beckett 13-7), 1:20 p.m.
Toronto Blue Jays (Shaun Marcum 1-2) at Baltimore Orioles
(Daniel Cabrera 5-8), 4:35 p.m.
Texas Rangers (John Koronka 7-7) at Detroit Tigers (Nate
Robertson 11-8), 7:05 p.m.
Oakland Athletics (Barry Zito 12-8) at Kansas City Royals (Mark
Redman 7-7), 7:10 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Jon Garland 13-4) at Minnesota Twins (Brad
Radke 12-8), 7:10 p.m.
Cleveland Indians (Jeremy Sowers 4-3) at Tampa Bay Devil Rays
(Tim Corcoran 4-4), 7:15 p.m.
Seattle Mariners (Jarrod Washburn 6-11) at Los Angeles Angels
(John Lackey 10-9), 10:05 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis Cardinals (Jeff Suppan 9-7) at Chicago Cubs (Carlos
Zambrano 13-5), 1:20 p.m.
Arizona Diamondbacks (Claudio Vargas 9-8) at San Diego Padres
(Clay Hensley 7-10), 4:05 p.m.
Atlanta Braves (Chuck James 5-3) at Florida Marlins (Ricky
Nolasco 11-7), 6:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh Pirates (Paul Maholm 5-10) at Cincinnati Reds (Eric
Milton 8-7), 6:10 p.m.
Houston Astros (Roy Oswalt 9-8) at Milwaukee Brewers (Dave Bush
8-9), 7:05 p.m.
Washington Nationals (Ramon Ortiz 9-10) at Philadelphia Phillies
(Cole Hamels 5-6), 7:05 p.m.
Colorado Rockies (Jeff Francis 9-9) at New York Mets (Dave
Williams 2-3), 7:10 p.m.
Los Angeles Dodgers (Greg Maddux 10-11) at San Francisco Giants
(Brad Hennessey 5-2), 9:05 p.m.

Here are the latest scores from yesterday's sports events:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Final N-Y Yankees 12 Boston 4 (first game)
Final N-Y Yankees 14 Boston 11 (second game)
Final Kansas City 7 Oakland 1 (first game)
Final Kansas City 5 Oakland 3 (second game)
Final Texas 2 Detroit 1
Final Baltimore 7 Toronto 2
Final Tampa Bay 6 Cleveland 5
Final Minnesota 7 Chi White Sox 3
Final L.A. Angels 3 Seattle 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Final St. Louis 11 Chi Cubs 3
Final Washington 6 Philadelphia 4
Final N-Y Mets 6 Colorado 3
Final Pittsburgh 7 Cincinnati 3
Final Atlanta 6 Florida 1
Final Milwaukee 3 Houston 2
Final San Diego 8 Arizona 2
Final San Francisco 7 L.A. Dodgers 3

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON

Final Cincinnati 44 Buffalo 31
Final Cleveland 20 Detroit 16
Final Chicago 24 San Diego 3

Today's Games

Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars, 7:30 p.m.
Miami Dolphins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7:30 p.m.
Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots, 8 p.m.
Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers, 8 p.m.
Houston Texans at St. Louis Rams, 8 p.m.
Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8 p.m.
New York Jets at Washington Redskins, 8 p.m.
Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos, 9 p.m.

WNBA BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

Final Connecticut 76 Washington 61
Final Seattle 84 Los Angeles 72


(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-08-19-06 0214EDT