WPPA / T-102 SPORTS / Friday

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Ben Roethlisberger completed 8 of 12 passes
for 125 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers
cruised by the Philadelphia Eagles 24-14 last night. Roethlisberger
directed the defending AFC champions to touchdowns on both drives
he played, hitting Antonio Brown for a 29-yard score in the first
quarter and veteran Hines Ward on a 20-yard strike in the second.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Michael Vick is glad he chose the Philadelphia
Eagles, even if he had more attractive options. After telling GQ
magazine he didn't want to come to Philadelphia to be a
third-string quarterback following his release from federal prison
two years ago, Vick clarified his remarks yesterday.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - David Akers is still trying to get
comfortable in his new surroundings after 12 seasons in
Philadelphia, and coming to the San Francisco 49ers doesn't exactly
make that adjustment any easier. Even for a five-time Pro Bowl
kicker, there might not be a tougher NFL stadium for field goals
than Candlestick Park with its swirling wind.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - John Mayberry Jr. hit a two-run homer, David
Herndon tossed three scoreless innings in relief and the
Philadelphia Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 last night
in a matchup of division leaders. The major league-leading Phillies
took two of three in a potential playoff preview, improving to
14-1-1 in their last 16 series.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Phillies All-Star center fielder Shane
Victorino's suspension for his part in a benches-clearing brawl at
San Francisco on August 5th has been reduced and he will miss the
next two games. Victorino appealed the original suspension of three
games and it was dropped to two games. He wasn't in Philadelphia's
lineup against Arizona yesterday and won't play at Washington
today.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The Texas Rangers have acquired
right-handed pitcher Tim Wood from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a
waiver deal. The Rangers got Wood yesterday for either a player to
be named or cash. Texas optioned Wood to Triple-A Round Rock.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh outfielder Jose Tabata grew up in
Venezuela listening to his father tell stories about former Pirates
great Roberto Clemente. Tabata admired the Hall of Famer for his
fearless play on the field and selflessness off it, values the
23-year-old says he wants to emulate during his career.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Seven former players have sued the NFL in
Philadelphia over concussion-related injuries, the first potential
class-action lawsuit of its kind. The players accuse the league of
failing to protect their health and of trying to conceal any links
between football and brain injuries. The players include former
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion
Jim McMahon.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Pittsburgh freshman wide receiver Darius
Patton was hospitalized yesterday after collapsing during practice.
Coach Todd Graham says the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Patton was
participating in a non-contact drill when he fainted. Patton was
taken to the hospital. He will be held overnight for observation,
but Graham says Patton was awake and alert.

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) - Villanova forward Isaiah Armwood has
decided to transfer. Armwood would have been a junior this season
for the Wildcats. He says he wants to find a program that better
suits his style of play. He played 60 career games for the
Wildcats. Last season, he averaged 2.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and
17.4 minutes.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - Reliever Haden Erbe got out of a
bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the sixth and Lafayette, La.,
held on for a thrilling 2-0 victory over Warner Robins, Ga., last
night in the Little League World Series. Georgia broke through
against Louisiana starter Ethan Hines, who struck out six before
getting lifted in favor of Erbe.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - Yoshiki Suzuki hit a grand slam
in the second inning and Mitsuhiro Uchida added three hits and
three RBIs to lead Hamamatsu City, Japan, to a 12-1 victory over
Oranjestad, Aruba, in the Little League World Series. Leading 1-0
heading into the top of the second, Japan sent 10 hitters to plate
and scored six runs.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - Jorge Jacobo struck out 12 and
tossed a two-hitter yesterday to open the Little League World
Series and lead Mexicali, Mexico, to a 3-0 victory over Kaoshiung,
Taiwan. The 12-year-old, right-hander pitched a gem and struck out
the final five hitters. It was the first time a Taiwan team had
been shut out in 55 games at the series.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - Cole McKenzie had a two-run
double and Billings, Montana, overcame three solo homers by Rapid
City, South Dakota, in a 6-4 victory yesterday in the Little League
World Series. The boys from Billings won in the first appearance by
a Montana team on Little League's biggest stage.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Thursday's Games
Boston 4, Kansas City 3
Cleveland 4, Chicago White Sox 2
N.Y. Yankees 8, Minnesota 4
L.A. Angels 2, Texas 1
Toronto 7, Oakland 0
Friday's Games
Cleveland (Tomlin 12-5) at Detroit (Scherzer 12-7), 7:05 p.m.
Seattle (F.Hernandez 11-10) at Tampa Bay (W.Davis 8-7), 7:10
p.m.
Boston (A.Miller 4-1) at Kansas City (Francis 4-13), 8:10 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees (P.Hughes 3-4) at Minnesota (Slowey 0-0), 8:10 p.m.
Texas (M.Harrison 10-8) at Chicago White Sox (Peavy 5-5), 8:10
p.m.
Baltimore (Jo-.Reyes 6-9) at L.A. Angels (Haren 12-6), 10:05
p.m.
Toronto (Cecil 4-5) at Oakland (Harden 3-2), 10:05 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Thursday's Games
L.A. Dodgers 5, Milwaukee 1
Philadelphia 4, Arizona 1
Washington 3, Cincinnati 1
Atlanta 1, San Francisco 0
San Diego 3, Florida 1
Friday's Games
St. Louis (J.Garcia 10-6) at Chicago Cubs (R.Wells 4-4), 2:20
p.m.
Cincinnati (H.Bailey 7-5) at Pittsburgh (Correia 12-11), 7:05
p.m.
Philadelphia (Oswalt 5-7) at Washington (L.Hernandez 7-11), 7:05
p.m.
Milwaukee (Marcum 10-3) at N.Y. Mets (Pelfrey 6-9), 7:10 p.m.
Arizona (D.Hudson 12-8) at Atlanta (D.Lowe 7-11), 7:35 p.m.
San Francisco (Vogelsong 10-2) at Houston (W.Rodriguez 8-9),
8:05 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers (Kuroda 8-14) at Colorado (Hammel 7-11), 8:40 p.m.
Florida (Volstad 5-9) at San Diego (LeBlanc 1-2), 10:05 p.m.

NFL PRESEASON
Thursday's Games
New England 31, Tampa Bay 14
Pittsburgh 24, Philadelphia 14
Friday's Games
Washington at Indianapolis, 7 p.m.
Carolina at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Detroit at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
Kansas City at Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.
Arizona at Green Bay, 8 p.m.
Atlanta at Jacksonville, 8 p.m.
Saturday's Games
Oakland at San Francisco, 8 p.m.
Tennessee at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
New Orleans at Houston, 8 p.m.
Buffalo at Denver, 8:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Seattle, 10 p.m.
Sunday's Games
Cincinnati at N.Y. Jets, 7 p.m.
San Diego at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Monday's Game
Chicago at N.Y. Giants, 8 p.m.

WNBA
Thursday's Games
New York 84, Connecticut 81, OT
Minnesota 81, Washington 62
Los Angeles 75, Indiana 70
Friday's Games
Connecticut at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

MLS
Thursday's Games
Chicago 1, D.C. United 1, tie
Saturday's Games
New York at New England, 7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Houston, 8:30 p.m.
Seattle FC at FC Dallas, 9 p.m.
Chivas USA at Colorado, 9 p.m.
Vancouver at Portland, 10 p.m.
San Jose at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.