SPORTS - Sharks beat Ducks 4-2 in possible playoff preview (AP)

SPORTS - Sharks beat Ducks 4-2 in possible playoff preview (AP)

AFP/Getty Images – Victoria Azarenka of Belarus serves against Maria Sharapova of Russia during the women's singles …

– Sat Apr 2, 5:55 pm ET

MIAMI (AFP) – Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 here Saturday to win the WTA's prestigious Miami hardcourt crown for the second time.

Azarenka, the 21-year-old eighth seed from Belarus, took full advantage of Sharapova's struggles, as the former world number one held serve just once and committed 43 unforced errors.

"I played real well the first set," said Azarenka, who matched Sharapova shriek for shriek in a battle of two of the WTA's loudest players.

"Maria is such a great fighter, I knew she was going to fight to the end. She came up with great tennis at the end, and I had to hang in there. That's what paid off."

Azarenka had won nine straight games to take control when Sharapova dug in, finally holding serve and breaking Azarenka twice to close to 4-3 in the second set.

Once again, however, Sharapova was broken, giving Azarenka a 5-3 lead with her seventh double fault of the match.

In the next game, Sharapova saved two match points before Azarenka double-faulted on break point.

"I didn't feel like I was doing anything wrong," Azarenka said. "She was just playing really good, so I just had to hang in there."

But Sharapova couldn't follow up. Azarenka gave herself a third match point with a backhand winner down the line, and Sharapova then belted a forehand into the net to give Azarenka a second Miami title to go with her victory over Serena Williams in the 2009 final.

"It's a little bit too late to pick up the pace when you're down a set and 4-love," Sharapova said. "I wish I picked it up earlier, obviously. She did many things better than I did today."

The two Miami titles are the biggest of the Azarenka's career.

With the victory, Azarenka is projected to rise to number six in the world, the highest ranking of her career.

Although both Serena and Venus Williams missed the tournament, Azarenka's path to the final included victories over Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva.

Known for her emotion on court, Azarenka stayed on an even keel on Saturday, and said she had reassessed her mental game after falling in the third round at Dubai in February.

"I changed my mentality a little bit," she said. "I'm enjoying myself so much on the court that there's no room for me for frustration.

"I just don't care if I lose - what I mean is not to create such a big drama out of it. If you lose the match, it's not the end of the world."

Despite her defeat, Sharapova is expected to return to the top 10 for the first time in two years.

She won three Grand Slam titles between 2004 and 2008, but has struggled to regain that form since surgery on her right shoulder late in 2008.

Since then she has won titles in Tokyo in in 2009 and Memphis and Strasbourg last year, but has yet to claim a major crown.

Sharapova also fell to 0-3 in Miami finals, adding another runner-up finish here to those in 2005 and 2006.

She has lost her last four finals appearances, yet Sharapova said the fact that she's reaching the title matches is encouraging.

"It means that I'm winning matches, and winning more of them," she said. "It has been a long road to get here. It's not over yet."

The men had the day off on Saturday, but will take center stage again Sunday when world number one Rafael Nadal takes on red-hot Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic, ranked number two in the world, is unbeaten in 2011, with 23 match victories and titles at the Australian Open, Dubai and Indian Wells.

The Serbian defeated Nadal in the final at Indian Wells two weeks ago, but insisted he'll be the underdog against the Spaniard on Sunday.

"I obviously wouldn't feel like a favorite," he said. "For me to win, I will be have to be on the top of my game."

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SPORTS - It's small school vs. big, bad Big East for title (AP)

SPORTS - It's small school vs. big, bad Big East for title (AP)

AFP/Getty Images/File – Champion cyclist, cancer survivor, and Livestrong founder Lance Armstrong addresses the media during …

– Fri Apr 1, 11:55 am ET

PARIS (AFP) – American football club Kansas City will name their stadium Livestrong, the foundation set up by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong to fight cancer, merchandising company Sponsoring.fr said Friday.

A six-year deal has been agreed under which Livestrong will not have to pay anything to have the 18,500-capacity venue bear its name while the foundation will receive a portion of gate receipts worth as much as 10 millions dollars (7.2 million euros) over the period in question.

Armstrong, 39, retired definitively from racing after the Tour Down Under last January.

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SPORTS - A step ahead: Stevens' cool gives Butler edge (AP)

SPORTS - A step ahead: Stevens' cool gives Butler edge (AP)

AP – Butler head coach Brad Stevens reacts to action against Virginia Commonwealth during the second half …

By JIM LITKE, AP Sports Columnist Jim Litke, Ap Sports Columnist – 1 hr 51 mins ago

HOUSTON – Butler and coach Brad Stevens had just shaken loose from Virginia Commonwealth, 70-62, Saturday night and booked a spot in the national championship for a second straight season. But even as stars Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack tried to keep their emotions under wraps explaining how the Bulldogs had accomplished something no mid-major school had done since UNLV's high-flying Runnin' Rebels in 1990-91, Stevens sat off to one side, already scribbling notes for the next game.

That comes Monday night against Connecticut, which beat Kentucky in the second semifinal Saturday night.

"We said coming into the game that it was going to be a possession game and something where we had to be great with the ball," he said, "which I thought we were."

Stevens also knew Butler was going to have to find a way to offset VCU's strength, a torrid 3-point shooting attack, especially after the Rams deposited three in a row a few minutes into the game. He accomplished that by opening up the middle of his defense and inviting VCU to drive to the basket. They were lulled into playing inside game, going nearly 18 minutes in one stretch without an attempt. Next, he went to work exploiting their weakness.

"We tried to get 80 percent-plus back on the defensive glass and 40 percent plus back on the offensive glass. And we were 83-38," Stevens added, "and that turned out to be good enough."

Translation: To have a chance, Stevens knew Butler would have to rebound the basketball like, well, Bulldogs.

For the record, the margins were 16-6 in Butler's favor under its own basket and 32-26 under VCU's. Because Stevens is as good at statistical analysis as any coach in the land, what often gets overlooked is how a coach motivates his kids to hustle and fight — which is basically what rebounding is — to pile up margins like that.

That part of his repertoire, the ability to motivate players, is often overlooked. That's because just a few games into his four-year career, Stevens worked the Butler sideline as nervous and fidgety as a young coach can be and quickly figured out that his own mood was reflected in his team's play. If he wanted them to show poise in the closing moments, he had to do the same.

From that day forward, Stevens often took to watching big chunks of the games from the far end of the floor, down past the end of his own bench, looking to all the world like someone studying the players instead of coaching them. He usually kept his glasses on and never shed his jacket. Butler's players are anything but buttoned-down, but they're almost never sloppy.

"They've got smart players," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "They have guys that know how to execute. ... They're not going to beat themselves.

"As for Butler going back-to-back to the national championship game, I'm not surprised. Their program's rock solid. They've got a great coach and a great system. They have players that every time they take the floor, they do so with a clear head. And when you have a clear head for winning," he added, "you have a great opportunity to win."

Stevens is the equivalent of a third-degree black belt in that way. During the summer, he decided that practicing holding opponents to 12 points in the final 10 minutes of a game was too generous, so he set a goal of eight. That mindset came in handy as Butler won its four previous tournament games — in succession over Florida, Wisconsin, Pitt and Old Dominion — by three, seven, one and two points.

"We don't need to score 10 points in the last two minutes to win the game," center Andrew Smith said. "We'd much prefer to just get a few stops. That's kind of what we're made to do."

Yet there was a stretch in February when the Bulldogs couldn't do much of anything. They lost three straight league games to Milwaukee, Valparaiso and last-place Youngstown State. They were 6-5 in a mid-major conference. A return to the tournament looked out of reach, let alone zooming all the way back to the title game.

Instead of blistering his players, Stevens does what he often does in the huddle late in games. Coolly, he lays out the next task, tells them he's confident they can finish one task and then tackle the next. It sounds hokey, but he usually closes by simply saying, "We're going to win this game."

He turned out to be right on that night in mid-February, through most of March, and the Bulldogs haven't looked back. Optimism is one thing, having a plan is another. But getting a bunch of kids to put all those things together on the floor in the closing minutes of a basketball game is about belief as much as brains.

"That," Shawn Vanzant said, "is a tribute to our coach."

___

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org

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SPORTS - Mack gets Butler another shot at title (AP)

SPORTS - Mack gets Butler another shot at title (AP)

AP – Butler's Shelvin Mack reacts to action against Virginia Commonwealth during the second half of a men's …

By KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Apr 2, 9:51 pm ET

HOUSTON – Shelvin Mack wasn't daunted by playing on college basketball's biggest stage.

After all, this was nothing new for Butler.

Mack scored 24 points, including 10 straight in a key second-half run, and the Bulldogs beat Virginia Commonwealth 70-62 on Saturday night for their second straight trip to the title game.

"We're just looking forward to the game on Monday," Mack said with a huge smile.

The junior seemed perfectly comfortable from the start, then stepped up in the second half when most of his team was struggling on offense. Butler led by one before Mack outscored VCU 10-4 in a stretch covering just over 2 minutes, the lead swelling to 54-47.

He was 5 of 6 from beyond the 3-point line.

"He was a killer tonight," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "He stepped up and made some huge, huge shots, especially from beyond the arc."

Mack shared the spotlight with Matt Howard, who had 17 points, to give America's favorite underdogs another shot at the national championship.

The pair talked after the game about how it felt playing in the Final Four again.

"Tonight it's just like any game, weirdly enough," Howard said. "In our minds I don't think we let our surroundings get to us. It didn't feel like a national semifinal."

Butler lost to Duke in last year's title game when a half-court shot by Gordon Hayward bounced off the rim at the buzzer. Hayward left school early for the NBA, leaving Mack and Howard to lead the Bulldogs deep into this year's NCAA tournament.

The sting of that loss has stayed with this team.

"This is great, but we're not going not going to settle on just getting back," teammate Zach Hahn said. "I remember the sour taste it left in my mouth last year and I just think this group, we're here now and we have a chance. That's all you can ask."

Howard raved about Mack when asked to describe his teammate.

"An incredible basketball player," Howard said. "He has a will and determination that's unlike many guys."

Butler led by six at halftime, but saw its advantage slip away as during a slow start to the second half. The Bulldogs didn't score until Howard's layup almost 4 minutes out of the break.

Hahn, who has had a relatively quiet tournament, stepped up for Butler by scoring its next eight points — and Mack took over from there. He made two straight 3s for the Bulldogs before driving into the lane for a layup. He finished his run with a jumper with 9 minutes left.

"That's why we're here," Hahn said of the balanced offense, with everyone contributing key baskets down the stretch. "There's no other explanation. It's not one guy making plays. It's literally a collective effort, it's all 14 guys."

Howard had to sit out for a few minutes late in the game after picking up his fourth foul about the same time Mack was finishing his run. Once he got back on the floor, Howard hit a layup and four free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

Freshman Khyle Marshall said that Howard, Mack and the other veterans made it easy for the younger guys to deal with the pressure of the Final Four.

"We have 10 guys who were here last year and they know how to handle it and what they want to do," Marshall said. "Just mimicking what they do is pretty easy."

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SPORTS - UConn holds on for 56-55 win over Kentucky (AP)

SPORTS - UConn holds on for 56-55 win over Kentucky (AP)

AP – Connecticut's Kemba Walker falls away as Kentucky's Terrence Jones controls the ball during the second …

By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer Eddie Pells, Ap National Writer – 1 hr 2 mins ago

HOUSTON – When the options boil down to winning or heading home, nobody's better than Kemba and Connecticut.

Kemba Walker scored 18 points Saturday night to lift UConn to its 10th straight victory since finishing off a .500 Big East regular season, a 56-55 win over cold-shooting Kentucky that moved the Huskies a victory away from their third, and most improbable, NCAA title.

Walker, a quick-handed junior from the Bronx, added seven assists and six rebounds to help the young UConn team (31-9) extend a winning streak that started with a five-wins-in-five-nights leg-drainer at the conference tournament and now includes five more at the tournament that really counts.

The third-seeded Huskies — lowest seed left in a tournament that has been as unpredictable as any in history — will face No. 8 Butler, a 70-62 winner over 11th-seeded VCU in the first semifinal, on Monday.

"The guys decided they didn't want to go home; this is too much fun," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said.

But this win, which improved Calhoun to 5-1 in his four Final Four appearances, was not a work of art on either end.

Fourth-seeded Kentucky (29-9) shot 33.9 percent for the game and went 5:39 without a point late in the second half. UConn wasn't much better, but Walker, Alex Oriakhi and Shabazz Napier all made baskets to turn a 48-48 tie into a 54-48 lead with 2:29 left.

DeAndre Liggins made a 3-pointer for the Wildcats to cut the deficit to three, and Kentucky had its chances. But Brandon Knight, one of John Calipari's three sensational freshmen, barely drew iron on a 3-pointer. After Kentucky got the rebound, Liggins drew a foul but only hit one of two free throws.

Kentucky forced one more turnover and went for the win, but this time, it was Liggins whose 3-pointer was short.

"I should have drove it," Liggins said. "It was a good shot, but it fell short."

Napier made two free throws to make it 56-52, then Knight ended the game with a 3-pointer at the buzzer — a meaningless make and a cruel close to what has otherwise been a remarkable season for Calipari and Co. — Kentucky's first trip to the Final Four since winning it all in 1998. The Wildcats, the nation's all-time winningest program, stayed stuck on 105 NCAA-tournament wins in the program history, still tied for first with North Carolina, the team they beat to get here.

"We held a pretty good team to 56 points," Calipari said. "I hate to tell you, we talked about if we defend them this way, they're going score around 56 points, maybe 60. I just didn't think we'd score 55."

The Huskies have won by one, by two, by three, by five and more on this unexpected postseason run. Before that, Calhoun's roster full of freshmen lived down to expectations by going 9-9 in their conference. But the Huskies haven't lost since falling to Notre Dame to close the regular season on Feb. 5.

UConn wasn't nearly as dominating here in Houston as in its 84-67 victory over Kentucky in November at the Maui Invitational. But a win's a win, and nobody does it better than UConn when it's all-or-nothing. Counting that relatively low-key get-together on the island, the Huskies are 13-0 in tournament games this season.

Next up: A meeting with Butler, the small school from Indianapolis that was last year's runner-up. But after this one, it was UConn sounding like the plucky underdog.

"We gonna shock the world," the Huskies chanted as they sprinted to their locker room.

Nobody's surprised by Walker anymore.

Kentucky did a decent job containing him with its zone, which forced the Huskies to be more patient and look for second options. Jeremy Lamb was the most obvious one. The freshman, whose father Ronaldo made a game-winning shot to knock Calhoun out of the tournament when he was coaching at Northeastern in 1984, had 12 points, including a fancy scooping layup with 2:29 left to put the Huskies ahead by six.

From there, it was a hectic, hard-fought finish that included few baskets and even fewer breaks. The teams played nearly five straight minutes without a whistle, and the 4-minute media timeout didn't come until there was a bit more than 120 seconds left.

The quick pace might have made some legs tired and had something to do with Kentucky coming up short on some of those key shots late. There wasn't much of an explanation, though, for the 9-for-32 shooting in the first half. The Wildcats trailed 31-21 at the break, their lowest first-half output of the season.

"I just think we missed a bunch of open shots," Kentucky senior Josh Harrellson said. "We had good looks, and we just weren't knocking anything down. ... We just couldn't make anything."

Knight finished 6 for 23 with 17 points, Doron Lamb had 13 on 5-for-10 shooting. But the Wildcats made only 21 field goals, only nine from 3-point range and shot 4 for 12 from the free-throw line.

Calipari barely lost this latest matchup against Calhoun — a showdown between a couple of coaches who haven't hidden their dislike for each other, dating to the day when Calipari was at UMass in the 1990s and moving in on Calhoun's turf.

"We had our chance to win the game, and as a coach, that's all you can ask of these young people," Calipari said. "Give us a chance, and we had an opportunity."

While Calhoun has become a fixture at UConn — in his fourth Final Four — Calipari has moved around. This year, he joined Rick Pitino as only the second coach to take three different programs to the sport's biggest stage.

He said he'd prefer talent over experience any day. His ability to bring this group of freshmen this far was remarkable, given that this was considered something of a rebuilding year for the Wildcats, who lost John Wall and four others to the NBA draft after last season.

Calhoun could tell the same story. He wasn't expected to do much this year and was depending mainly on his star, Walker, to shoulder the load. It worked early in the season, but teams figured out how to limit him in the Big East — as grueling a conference as there is.

Walker has been electric in leading the Huskies this far in the tournament, though, averaging 26 points a game on the road to the Final Four. Did he think something like this was possible?

"Man, probably not in the beginning of the season because I wasn't thinking about it," he said. "As the season went on in the Big East and the first game in the NCAA's, I saw the teams that we could possibly play, I knew we had a chance."

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SPORTS - Arsenal's title bid in tatters after Rovers draw (AFP)

SPORTS - Arsenal's title bid in tatters after Rovers draw (AFP)

AFP – Arsenal's Robin van Persie reacts after missing another chance during their English Premier League …

by Ben Hunt Ben Hunt – Sat Apr 2, 10:18 pm ET

LONDON (AFP) – Arsenal's title challenge is in tatters as the Gunners lost more ground on leaders Manchester United after being held to a 0-0 draw against Blackburn on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger's side went into the Emirates Stadium clash knowing that anything less than a victory would not be good enough to maintain their push for the title.

The north Londoners would have been delighted to hear that West Ham were beating United 2-0 at half-time earlier on Saturday.

However, United's ability to respond to a crisis is in stark contrast to Arsenal's mental lapses and the Premier League leaders came back to win 4-2, while Wenger's men were unable to see off 10-man Blackburn despite Steven N'Zonzi's late dismissal.

Arsenal are seven points behind United with one game in hand and the destiny of the title is now out of their hands.

It is an astonishing meltdown by an Arsenal side who just over a month ago went into the League Cup final against Birmingham with genuine hopes of winning a quadruple.

Instead, they lost to Birmingham and then crashed out of the Champions League to Barcelona and the FA Cup against United.

It has been a frustrating time for Wenger, whose wait for silverware has now reached six years.

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott was vocal in English press on Saturday as he claimed his team would win the Premier League this season.

Walcott looked as good as his word too, as he started this match at breakneck speed with some surging runs down the right.

Walcott's pace and delivery almost caused Ryan Nelsen to turn the ball into his own next inside the opening five minutes.

While Arsenal enjoyed the lion's share of possession in the early exchanges, Martin Olsson had a half-chance to give Blackburn the lead but under pressure from Sebastien Squillaci, he was unable to hit the target.

Rovers midfielder Brett Emerton then fired his free-kick wide after Laurent Koscielny made an unnecessary foul on David Hoilett on the edge of the box.

Arsenal quickly upped the pressure once again and Andrey Arshavin's effort stung Paul Robinson's palms.

Jack Wilshere squandered a great chance to put Arsenal in front when he fired wide from just six yards out after starting the sweeping move.

But Arsenal's problems have been in defence this season and in particular with their erratic goalkeepers.

Manuel Almunia has come in for fierce criticism in recent weeks and he did his battered reputation no good when he spilled Olsson's speculative long-range effort

The Spanish keeper them fumbled at Paul Robinson's long free-kick into the box.

The second-half introduction of Cesc Fabregas as a 58th minute substitute failed to spark Arsenal as the hosts lacked the composure to break down Blackburn's defence.

They were even given a helping hand when referee Phil Dowd sent off N'Zonzi with 14 minutes to go for a tackle on Koscielny.

In truth the decision looked hard on the Rovers midfielder. But even with their extra man, Arsenal could not find a breakthrough as substitute Marouane Chamakh saw his late effort blocked.

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SPORTS - Kansas City name stadium Livestrong (AFP)

SPORTS - Kansas City name stadium Livestrong (AFP)

AP – Anaheim Ducks goalie Ray Emery (29) blocks a shot by a San Jose Sharks player in the second period of …

By JOSH DUBOW, AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow, Ap Sports Writer – 33 mins ago

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Devin Setoguchi scored the tiebreaking goal on the power play with 5:21 remaining and the San Jose Sharks rallied from an early two-goal deficit too beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Saturday night in a possible playoff preview.

Patrick Marleau scored twice and Dany Heatley added his 25th goal for the Sharks, who trailed 2-0 after one period before coming back for their seventh win in eight games. San Jose remained a point ahead of Detroit for second place in the Western Conference with four games remaining, reaching the 100-point mark for the fifth consecutive season. The Sharks can clinch the Pacific Division by beating Los Angeles at home Monday night.

Bobby Ryan and Lubomir Visnovsky scored for the Ducks, who had won seven of eight to move into seventh place in the conference. Anaheim can clinch a playoff berth by winning two of its final four games. Ray Emery made 29 saves for the Ducks, but lost for the first time in seven starts this season.

Setoguchi showed some patience on the game-winner as the Sharks put heavy pressure on Emery on their first power play. Setoguchi passed up a chance at a one-timer because he didn't have a clear path to the net, sending the puck to Dan Boyle at the point.

Boyle immediately returned the puck to Setoguchi, who rocketed a one-timer past Emery to give the Sharks the lead with his 21st goal. Setoguchi gave a big fist pump after the goal.

Marleau put the game away in the final minute with an empty-netter for his 37th goal of the season and 10th in eight games.

Antti Niemi made 20 saves to get the win in his 33rd consecutive start.

This was a tense meeting between two rivals who could meet again with much more at stake in a little more than a week. If the season ended Saturday, these teams would open the playoffs against each other.

There were few good scoring chances early in the third with no one wanting to make the mistake that could cost their team crucial points.

Heatley made a great end-to-end rush before being stopped by Emery. The Sharks couldn't knock in the rebound following a scramble in front but got their first power play when Jason Blake was called for holding with 6:22 remaining. That set up Setoguchi's goal.

The Sharks responded from a lackluster first period to erase a two-goal deficit in the second and send the game into the third period tied at 2.

Heatley got San Jose started when he skated in from the boards and tried to center the puck. But the pass deflected, and Heatley knocked the loose puck past Emery with his backhand 2:01 into the second.

Marleau got the equalizer midway through the period with help from a puck that deflected off Ryan's face. Marleau took a whack at a centering pass from Boyle, and the puck hit Ryan, sending him to the ice. Setoguchi centered the loose puck back to Marleau, who stickhandled past Emery.

After putting up a season-high 52 shots in a 6-0 win over Dallas on Thursday, the Sharks got only two on net in the first 18-plus minutes of this game.

The Ducks scored twice in that stretch, with the first coming from their top line when Ryan redirected a centering pass from Corey Perry into an open net just 3:21 in for his 34th goal. Visnovsky added a power-play goal midway through the period.

NOTES: The Ducks and Sharks are the only teams with five players with at least 60 points this season. ... Sharks coach Todd McLellan got his 150th career win, two behind Mike Keenan for the most in the first three seasons behind the bench.

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SPORTS - Azarenka beats Sharapova for Miami WTA title (AFP)

SPORTS - Azarenka beats Sharapova for Miami WTA title (AFP)

AP – Yani Tseng, of Taiwan, waves after a birdie on the fifth hole during the third round of the LPGA Kraft …

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham, Ap Sports Writer – Sat Apr 2, 9:58 pm ET

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Stacy Lewis' three-shot lead dwindled to a single stroke after just four holes, and it vanished entirely after the turn. Nearly every time Lewis missed an opportunity, Yani Tseng jumped all over her — to the delight of Tseng's sizable cheering section.

Lewis learned just how tough it'll be to get between the world's top-ranked player and a rare repeat victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Tseng roared into the lead with a third-round 66 Saturday, moving two shots ahead of Lewis in the LPGA Tour's first major of the year.

"I just want to keep smiling all day tomorrow and have a lot of fun," Tseng said. "I did it before, so I just want to do it again."

Tseng showed a defending champion's confidence with her aggressive, powerful play at Mission Hills, shooting the round's low score to move to 12-under 204. She erased playing partner Lewis' three-shot lead in the first seven holes before going ahead on the 11th.

After back-to-back birdies to open the back nine, Tseng went ahead for good with her sixth birdie on the 15th. She was a model of ruthless efficiency in a bogey-free round, looking more than capable of earning her second celebratory leap into Poppie's Pond.

"I played pretty aggressive because I wanted to get over to catch Stacy," Tseng said. "I love this course because you're not hitting driver every hole. You have to be smart."

The talkative 22-year-old from Taiwan also had the backing of about 300 boisterous fans from nearby Beaumont, Calif., where Tseng and her mother lived for about three years while Tseng practiced and attempted to qualify for the tour.

"It was really nice that they came out here and cheered for me," Tseng said. "I feel very appreciative, because I need a crowd. I need a big crowd here to make me more excited."

Lewis struggled to keep up in her quest for her first tour victory, managing just two birdies while repeatedly saving par with a steady short game and putter. Even after her lone bogey on the 16th hole, Lewis retained a measure of confidence simply by staying just two strokes back.

"I hit it in the rough all day, just struggling to make pars," said Lewis, who finished with a 71. "I'm just really glad for it to be over. I got some confidence from it, but it's really frustrating to be making those putts hole after hole."

Morgan Pressel (69) was four shots off the lead in third place. Michelle Wie (69) was six strokes back in fourth, staying in the hunt for her first major title.

Tseng is chasing her fourth major title after winning the Kraft Nabisco and the Women's British Open last year. She has already won four times worldwide this year, but a winning final round at Mission Hills would put her in historic company.

Annika Sorenstam (2001-02) and Canada's Sandra Post (1978-79) are the only previous back-to-back winners in the 40-year history of the former Nabisco Dinah Shore tournament — and only Sorenstam has done it since the event was designated a major nearly three decades ago.

"These four, five tournaments, I've really learned a lot," said Tseng, who recently bought Sorenstam's house in Orlando. "I'm not afraid that I'm leading right now. I don't think too much for tomorrow that I have to win. I just want to enjoy it."

The first day of the weekend in Palm Springs could evoke a depressingly familiar scenario for Lewis, who lost a second-round lead to Tseng at the Australian Masters just seven weeks ago. Tseng roared ahead Saturday on the Gold Coast and finished strong to win the title, beating Lewis by four strokes in the final round.

"It seems like every time I play with her, she plays like that," Lewis said. "It's hard because she seems like she has a chance to make birdie on every hole. It puts pressure on me."

Tseng, who hit a front-nine drive over 300 yards for the second straight day, and Lewis will be back together Sunday afternoon.

"I think she's got more pressure on her tomorrow," Lewis said. "I can just go out there and play."

After triple-digit temperatures weighed on players during the first two rounds, the heat dropped into the 90s with cloud cover and a mild breeze. Lewis still was sweating even before she removed her Arkansas Razorbacks head cover for her first drive, while Tseng certainly appeared cool and collected.

Wie had another solid day after her opening-round 74, although she also missed a 2-foot putt while making two bogeys. Win or lose, the former child prodigy will be back in class Monday for the spring quarter at Stanford.

"It's been a while since I've been in contention here," said Wie, who made four top-15 finishes at Mission Hills before she turned 17. "It's a lot of fun. I forgot how fun it was, and I'm really excited to play tomorrow."

Brittany Lincicome and Jane Park began the third round even with Tseng, but both struggled. Lincicome, the 2009 Kraft Nabisco champion, double-bogeyed the ninth hole in a 74 that put her eight shots off the lead, while Park fell into 10th place with a 76.

Pressel made three straight birdies on the back nine to stay in contention for the title she won in 2007. Hall of Famer and five-time major winner Se Ri Pak shot her second straight 71, putting her 11 strokes off the lead.

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SPORTS - Fuentes struggles in his first appearance with A's (AP)

SPORTS - Fuentes struggles in his first appearance with A's (AP)

AP – Dallas Mavericks' Tyson Chandler (6) dunks past Golden State Warriors' Ekpe Udoh (20) during the first …

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ, AP Sports Writer Antonio Gonzalez, Ap Sports Writer – 30 mins ago

OAKLAND, Calif. – Monta Ellis had 32 points, David Lee added 16 and the Golden State Warriors beat Dallas 99-92 on Saturday night to deliver a big blow to the Mavericks' chances of moving up to second in the Western Conference.

Ellis shook off the pain in his strained right ankle to score 18 points in a dominant third quarter that helped the Warriors pull away. Golden State avoided a four-game sweep against Dallas this season.

Shawn Marion had 21 points and Jason Terry added 17 in Dallas' second straight loss. Two nights after a crushing 28-point loss to the Lakers, the Mavericks' hopes of improving their playoff seeding took an even bigger hit. They trail the Lakers by 2 1/2 games for second place in the West with only six games left.

Things have quickly gone sour for the Mavericks.

They had a chance to pull even with the Lakers on Thursday night at Staples Center. Instead, they lost 110-82 in a game that had five players ejected, and their effort against Golden State might have stung even worse.

Dallas' defense was sporadic to start the third quarter, allowing Golden State to score 13 straight points during one stretch. Ellis had one more point than the Mavericks managed as a team in the quarter to help the Warriors go ahead by 12 points, dazzling with his spinning layups and driving dunks.

Dallas trimmed the deficit to three with 2:28 remaining in the fourth after Marion's dunk and Terry's 3-pointer. The teams traded baskets before Stephen Curry hit a 3-pointer to put Golden State ahead by six and seal the victory.

Dallas certainly had its chances.

Curry picked up his third foul late in the first quarter when he reached in on a driving Jose Barea, who converted a three-point play on the layup. Curry was forced to sit for the entire second period, and perhaps Dallas didn't take advantage enough in his absence.

The Mavericks scored 12 straight points and went ahead 40-30 early in the second quarter. The Warriors answered with a 15-4 run that was capped by Ellis' 3-pointer from the top of the arc, and they went to the half with Dallas leading 50-48.

NOTES: Warriors SF Dorell Wright made two 3-pointers to tie Golden State's single-season record with 183. Jason Richardon also made 183 in 2005-06. ... Warriors C Andris Biedrins missed his ninth straight game because of a severely sprained left ankle. Golden State is still hopeful he could return for one of its final five games. ... Referee Gary Zielinski tripped over a photographer sitting on the baseline near Dallas' bench in the first quarter. He was still able to blow his whistle, calling a foul on Curry for reaching in on Terry. Zielinski was not injured and laughed after the play.

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SPORTS - Warriors hand Mavericks second straight loss (AP)

SPORTS - Warriors hand Mavericks second straight loss (AP)

AP – Butler head coach Brad Stevens reacts during the second half of a men's NCAA Final Four semifinal college …

By NANCY ARMOUR, AP National Writer Nancy Armour, Ap National Writer – 46 mins ago

HOUSTON – The big, bad Big East stands in Butler's way.

OK, not the entire conference, trumpeted as the country's best when it sent a record 11 teams to the NCAA tournament. But the Bulldogs will face Connecticut, yet another of college basketball's blueboods, on Monday night as they try to make up for last year's last-second heartbreak against Duke.

The third-seeded Huskies (31-9) already have two national titles, and Kemba and the kids are on quite a roll, winning their 10th straight elimination game with a 56-55 victory over Kentucky on Saturday night. Eighth-seeded Butler (28-9) is on a pretty good run of its own, though, winning its 14th straight with a 70-62 victory over VCU in the first national semifinal.

"We've got a heck of a challenge on Monday night," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. "But the fact that we're playing Monday night, that's beautiful."

Though this will be the first meeting between the schools, Butler has played this game before. The school with just 4,200 students from the Horizon League came within a bounce of winning it all last year, nearly striking a blow for all those little guys out there who don't come from BCS conferences or have rosters loaded with All-Americans.

Gordon Hayward's half-court, last-second shot banged off the rim, however, and the Bulldogs had to watch Duke, perhaps the biggest of college basketball's big names these days, celebrate yet another national title.

"We've just got to be one shot better than last year," Butler coach Brad Stevens said.

The Bulldogs are the first national runner-up to return to the title game the following year since Kentucky in 1998, when it won its seventh — and most recent — championship. Butler is also the lowest-seeded team to play for the title since Villanova won it as a No. 8 seed in 1985.

"The way we look at it is we want to win. We don't look at it as it's a mid-major that wants to win," said Matt Howard, Butler's leading scorer and rebounder. "Honestly, we don't look at conferences. We don't think about what conference somebody's in."

Good thing, because UConn is from one of the best.

After getting 11 teams into the tournament, four of which were seeded third or higher, the league's reputation took a bit of a beating when only two, UConn and Marquette, made it through the first weekend.

The Huskies may not have seemed like the pride of the Big East, picked to finish 10th in the league when the year began and seeded ninth in the conference tournament. But they won five games in five nights to capture the Big East tournament title, and haven't slacked off since.

"My assistants kept telling me, 'We're this close,'" Calhoun said, "and I think we closed that gap in the Big East tournament."

It helps when you have perhaps the best player in the country.

Kemba Walker was only 6 for 15 against Kentucky, but he finished with a game-high 18 points and also had six rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Jeremy Lamb added 12 points, including a fancy scooping layup with 2:29 left to put the Huskies ahead by six.

"It's a little surreal right now," Walker said, "but hopefully we can bring it back to Storrs."

The Big East hasn't won a national title since UConn claimed its second in 2004. Since then, the ACC has won three, the SEC two and the Big 12 one.

One of these days, a little guy is bound to add its name to the list. Even Calhoun acknowledges that.

"I think starting in 2012, 2013, it would be a wonderful idea," he said.

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SPORTS - John Force tops Funny Car qualifying (AP)

SPORTS - John Force tops Funny Car qualifying (AP)

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SPORTS - Tseng roars past Lewis in Kraft Nabisco 3rd round (AP)

SPORTS - Tseng roars past Lewis in Kraft Nabisco 3rd round (AP)

• Play Video Olympics Video:Olympic Medalist Apolo Anton Ohno FOX News
• Play Video Olympics Video:Testimony ends in murder trial of Olympic cheerleader WCNC Charlotte
• Play Video Olympics Video:Jury hears confession of man accused of killing cheerleader girlfriend WCNC Charlotte

– Fri Apr 1, 4:06 pm ET

NEW YORK – The international federations for softball and baseball are working on a joint proposal in hopes of getting both sports back into the Olympics for the 2020 Games.

The federations issued a joint statement Friday that they were analyzing potential savings that could come from sharing an Olympic venue and housing at the Olympic Village in 2020.

As a result of a 2005 vote, both sports were dropped from the Olympics and won't be part of the 2012 Games in London or the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The International Softball Federation and the International Baseball Federation said they could meet again next week at the SportAccord convention in London to discuss their proposal.

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SPORTS - Jets respond to lawsuit over alleged Favre texts (AP)

SPORTS - Jets respond to lawsuit over alleged Favre texts (AP)

AP – Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki, of Japan, follows through on a base hit off Oakland Athletics' Brett …

– 27 mins ago

OAKLAND, Calif. – Brian Fuentes would have preferred a different outcome. He wanted to make a good first impression on his new Oakland teammates.

Instead he watched Ichiro Suzuki set a Seattle franchise record for hits.

Fuentes allowed three runs and three hits in the ninth inning of the Athletics' 5-2 loss to the Mariners on Saturday night.

"It wasn't any more difficult than I made it," Fuentes said. "I wasn't consistent enough in the strike zone. It's always frustrating to come out and pitch poorly."

Fuentes (0-1) gave up Suzuki's record-breaking hit, an infield dribbler that drove in the go-ahead run. First baseman Daric Barton tracked it down but couldn't nail Jack Wilson at the plate.

Suzuki has 2,248 hits, one better than Edgar Martinez. The milestone came on the 10th anniversary of Suzuki's major league debut.

A's starter Brett Anderson allowed one run and five hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked one while throwing 108 pitches.

"I got my pitch count up fairly quick," Anderson said. "They wanted to get into hitter's counts and then try and take advantage of that. It's frustrating but there are 160 games left."

Chris Ray (1-0) earned the win despite giving up the tying run, and Brandon League pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save.

Barton had three hits for the A's, who are off to an 0-2 start for just the second time in the last 13 years.

The Mariners nearly wasted a solid effort by starter Jason Vargas, who pitched five-hit ball into the seventh inning. But Jack Wilson and Milton Bradley had two hits apiece and Suzuki came up with another clutch play.

Chone Figgins added a sacrifice fly as Seattle broke it open with three runs.

The Mariners scored in the sixth and seventh to take a 2-1 lead. Jack Cust drove in fellow former Oakland slugger Bradley with an RBI single and Michael Saunders had a tiebreaking sacrifice fly.

One day after 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez handcuffed the A's with a five-hitter, Vargas departed with two outs in the seventh and a 2-1 lead. The left-hander struck out six and walked one.

David DeJesus had a run-scoring grounder in the third, but Vargas responded by retiring 12 of the next 14 hitters.

Oakland tied it at 2 in the eighth. Coco Crisp reached on an infield single off Ray and moved to second on Barton's third hit of the night. He then stole third before scoring on Josh Willingham's single.

NOTES: A's closer Andrew Bailey (strained forearm) had another pain-free throwing session from 120 feet but the team isn't certain when he'll return from the disabled list. "All the news has been very, very encouraging," manager Bob Geren said. "Everything has been either right on or even above our expectations." Bailey and RHP Rich Harden (strained lat muscle), who is also on the DL, will accompany the team on its road trip beginning Tuesday at Toronto. ... Oakland C Kurt Suzuki was back in the lineup after leaving Friday's game with a sprained left ankle following a mild collision with Seattle's Miguel Olivo. Suzuki went 1 for 4. ... Figgins was almost hit by Cust's foul liner in the top of the first and had to fall on his back to avoid it. ... Anderson had seven wins last season, three of them against the Mariners.

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SPORTS - Mack leads Butler back to national title game (AP)

SPORTS - Mack leads Butler back to national title game (AP)

AP – Butler's Shawn Vanzant shoots as Virginia Commonwealth's Brandon Rozzell (32) and Bradford Burgess, left, …

By NANCY ARMOUR, AP National Writer Nancy Armour, Ap National Writer – 2 hrs 18 mins ago

HOUSTON – "We're not done yet! Unfinished business, baby!"

That was the rallying cry from the Butler Bulldogs, who are headed back to the title game, not as lovable underdogs but a team intent on making up for last year's heartbreak.

Maybe this time that final, riveting shot will go in.

Maybe this time Butler won't need it.

"We're not going to settle on just getting back," said Zach Hahn, who came up big off the bench in Butler's 70-62 victory over VCU on Saturday night that gave the Bulldogs a do-over and ended the warm-and-fuzzy story of this year's NCAA men's tournament.

"I remember the sour taste it left in my mouth last year, and I just think this group, we're here now and we have a chance. That's all you can ask."

Shelvin Mack scored 24 points, Hahn scored all eight of his points during a 90-second span in the second half that gave Butler control of the game for good and the Bulldogs shut down hot-shooting VCU with their trademark unforgiving defense. The eighth-seeded Bulldogs (28-9) will face Connecticut on Monday night, the lowest-seeded team to play for the national title since Villanova won it as a No. 8 seed in 1985.

"We've just got to be one shot better than last year," coach Brad Stevens said.

VCU (28-12) sure didn't look like a team critics dismissed as "unworthy" — and a whole lot worse — after it skidded into the NCAA tournament with five losses in its last eight games. But Butler's stifling defense was too much for the Rams, only the third No. 11 seed to reach the Final Four.

"Butler was the aggressor for the majority of the game," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "We had our runs."

But not enough of them.

Jamie Skeen scored 27 and Bradford Burgess had 15, including three 3-pointers before the game was even seven minutes old. But Stevens is known for his tactical acumen, and this game was no different. He tweaked Butler's defense, and Burgess had just one more three the rest of the night.

VCU had always managed to find a shot when it needed it in its first three games, but Butler simply wouldn't allow it. VCU was just 8 of 22 from long range, though that was still enough to set the NCAA record for most 3s in a tournament with 61. But Brandon Rozzell, who tied his career high with six treys against Georgetown, was 0 for 3. Slippery point guard Joey Rodriguez didn't make a shot until 8:30 left in the game, finishing with only three points on 1-of-7 shooting.

Butler also dominated the boards, outrebounding VCU 48-32.

"Some of our shots didn't fall. Open shots, shots we'd been making," Rodriguez said. "I think if you go back and look at the tape, you'll see some of them were in and outs. Almost felt like it wasn't supposed to happen or something."

The defense — and the big night by Mack — made up for a lackluster showing by leading scorer and rebounder Matt Howard. The senior had 17 points, but shot just 3-of-10 and picked up his fourth foul with 9:22 left.

"It's not one guy making plays," said Hahn, whose total Saturday was one point less than he'd had in Butler's previous four tournament games combined. "It's literally a collective effort; it's all 14 guys."

The Bulldogs came within a bounce of winning it all last year. But Gordon Hayward's last-ditch, half-court heave caromed off the rim, and Butler had to watch Duke celebrate the title with a 61-59 win.

"Last year we didn't get it done, so that's in the back of my mind," Mack said.

That the Bulldogs are playing for the title again is maybe even more impressive than the first trip, having lost Hayward, their leading scorer and rebounder, to the NBA lottery. Butler also lost two other players who made significant contributions, Willie Veasley and Avery Jukes.

But it took Butler a while to get to this point. When the Bulldogs skidded through four losses in five games, including three straight, midway through the Horizon League season, many wondered if they'd even make the tournament, forget about the Final Four.

But they've reeled off 14 straight wins now and are playing with the cool determination of guys that don't want to be "first losers," as Mack called them earlier this week, ever again.

About all they need to do now is practice those half-court shots — Hahn missed one at the halftime buzzer that looked eerily like Hayward's last-ditch effort last year.

Every other part of their game, the Bulldogs are set.

"We want to win. We don't look at it as it's a mid-major that wants to win," Howard said.

After falling behind 34-28 at the half, the first time in the NCAA tournament they trailed at halftime, VCU reeled off five quick points to take a 35-34 lead. Then it was time for a little game of "Can you top this?", starring Hahn.

Skeen made a 3 and Hahn answered back with one that didn't even rustle the strings of the net. Skeen converted a three-point play, and Hahn made another 3. Rozzell showed he can score from inside, too, with a layup, only to have Hahn — who else? — make a reverse that put Butler in front 44-43 with 12:20 left.

Butler clamped down on the Rams, not allowing another field goal for more than three minutes. Meanwhile Mack, who earned most outstanding player honors in the Southeast Regional, showed off his dazzling skills yet again. He made back-to-back 3-pointers and then a layup to give Butler a 52-45 lead with 9:41 to play, and the game was all but over.

"We're a defensive team, so we don't need to score 10 points in the last two minutes to win the game," said Andrew Smith, who had seven rebounds. "We'd much prefer to just get a few stops. That's kind of what we're made to do."

Butler's run last year inspired mid-majors everywhere, including VCU. The Rams had won a grand total of five games in the NCAA tournament before this year, never more than one at a time.

But led by Smart, their cool and charismatic 33-year-old coach who is sure to be seen on the big stage again, they showed the little guys can play with anybody, anytime.

After VCU missed its first five shots of the game, Burgess drilled a 3 to spark an 11-0 run that gave the Rams an 11-5 lead with 15:38 left in the first half. Another 3 by Burgess about 2 1/2 minutes later put the Rams up 15-7, and Stevens had had enough.

Burgess didn't score again the rest of the half, and had only one more 3 the rest of the night.

"Of course it's not a once in a lifetime run. We're going to try to do this every year," said Smart, in his second year at VCU. "It's not easy, there's no question about it. ... If we're capable of coming together as a group and playing aggressive, confident, loose basketball, and we have the right guys out there, it's certainly possible."

Just look at Butler.

Butler was an adorable story last year, a 4,200-student school playing for the national title just six miles from campus. That the Bulldogs play in the same arena where "Hoosiers" was filmed only added to the sweetness.

Although Butler has shown it has more substance than a movie sequel, consider this: that 1954 Milan team that was the basis for Hoosiers? It didn't win the title on its first trip to the Indiana state finals.

It did it the second time around.

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SPORTS - Depth helps UConn reach NCAA title game (AP)

SPORTS - Depth helps UConn reach NCAA title game (AP)

AP – Connecticut's Kemba Walker shoots as Kentucky's Josh Harrellson defends during the second half of a men's …

By JOHN MARSHALL, AP Basketball Writer John Marshall, Ap Basketball Writer – 47 mins ago

HOUSTON – Dribbling the ball near midcourt, Kemba Walker lingered for a few seconds. Legs tired, chest heaving, he looked at the Kentucky defenders almost as if he was trying to convince himself to go on.

After all those carry-the-team moments during an improbable run to the Final Four, Walker was worn out. He got his points, was a pretty good facilitator, too, but none of it came easy.

That's where his teammates came in.

In the background for good chunks of Walker's scene-stealing season, Kemba's contributors made sure their star teammate didn't have to carry the load himself in the brightest spotlight, giving Connecticut a chance at its third national title with a 56-55 win over Kentucky in the national semifinals Saturday night.

Freshman Jeremy Lamb provided the shooting, Alex Oriakhi did the dirty work inside and Shabazz Napier hit the clinching free throws after grabbing the game's biggest rebound, sending the Huskies (31-9) into Monday's NCAA title game against Butler.

"It's just different guys every day doing big things for us and that's what we need," said Walker, who played all 40 minutes.

Walker had been a one-man show for most of the season, carrying Connecticut to its fourth Final Four by scoring in bunches, hitting the big shots seemingly every time the Huskies needed one.

But one reason UConn has made it this far is the contributions it's gotten from Walker's helpers over the final month of the season.

And they came up big when it mattered most.

Inconsistent early in the season — he played eight minutes when UConn faced Kentucky in Maui — Lamb has turned into a clutch shooter, his biggest points coming during a decisive run that pushed the Huskies past Arizona in the West regional.

Lamb's emergence has given his coach a bit of payback for his father, Rolando, who knocked Jim Calhoun's team from the 1984 NCAA tournament with a last-second shot for Virginia Commonwealth.

He played the sidekick role nicely again, spotting up for jumpers and driving hard to the basket, scoring eight points in the first half. Lamb had just four in the second — two on a nifty reverse in traffic that put the Huskies up 54-48 — but also grabbed nine rebounds and had four assists.

"I had a good first half," Lamb said. "I knocked down a couple of shots."

Oriakhi has become a different player late in the season as well.

The powerfully built sophomore forward frustrated Calhoun with his inconsistency during the regular season, but has transformed into a dirty-work demon over the past month, boxing out hard for rebounds, setting big screens, scrapping for loose balls.

Oriakhi was at it again, shaking off a bloodied elbow and sore hip from a hard fall in the first half to knock the Wildcats around inside. He set massive screens for UConn's shooters throughout the game, played solid defense, grabbed 10 rebounds and hit the shots when he got them, going 4 of 6 from the floor for eight points.

"Alex just brings the energy, he brings that presence in the post, in the paint," Walker said. "As long as Alex is having a big-time game rebounding the ball, stopping the other team's best big men, we always seem to come out on top."

Napier shot just 1 of 7 and had three turnovers, but played great defense throughout and had the clinchers, sneaking in among the giants to snare a rebound after DeAndre Liggins' last-second 3-pointer clanged off the rim, then calmly sinking two free throws with 2 seconds left to get the Huskies into the title game.

"I thought Shabazz missed shots, but played terrific," Calhoun said.

Walker got the Huskies to this point by putting on one of the best carry-the-team shows in recent history, leading a bunch of underclassmen who were picked 10th in the Big East into the Final Four.

Starting with his single-handed dismantling of a strong Maui Invitational field, the jet-quick junior has been nearly unstoppable despite facing nearly every kind of defense imaginable.

Walker started his final remarkable run with a virtuoso performance in the Big East tournament and has been just as electrifying in the NCAAs, accounting for 37 percent of UConn's points and over half its assists through it first four games.

The junior All-American had his way with Kentucky the first time these teams met in Maui, leading a spirit-crushing run just before halftime on his way to 29 points in UConn's 17-point win.

Kentucky and Liggins, who took the brunt of Walker's outburst in Maui, looked forward to getting another shot at Walker and figured to have a better game plan to stop him with more time to prepare.

The Wildcats did, with Liggins and Doron Lamb taking turns single-covering him, while getting plenty of help when he got to the lane or off a screen at the arc and mixing in some lane-clogging zones.

Walker fought for nine points in the first half and tried to take over the game after Kentucky trimmed away a 10-point deficit in the second, but couldn't quite get it going.

Walker still finished with 18 points and helped in other ways, getting seven assists, six rebounds and a big blocked shot from behind, but was drooping over the final few minutes.

"Fatigue was definitely a factor at that point," said Walker, who finished 6 for 15 from the floor. "I usually won't tell you guys I was tired, but I actually was."

He's got one day to rest before the biggest game of his career, thanks to a lift from his teammates.

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SPORTS - SF Giants fan hospitalized as LA cops seek 2 men (AP)

SPORTS - SF Giants fan hospitalized as LA cops seek 2 men (AP)

AP – This artist sketch provided by the Los Angeles Police Department shows one of two suspects wanted in …

– 1 hr 3 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – A savage beating by two men outside Dodger Stadium left a San Francisco Giants fan in a medically-induced coma as police on Saturday urged any witnesses to help identify the attackers.

The assault after Thursday's season opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the rival Giants left a 42-year-old paramedic from Santa Cruz in critical but stable condition.

Police released composite sketches of the two suspects, who were wearing Dodgers clothing.

Detective Larry Burcher said security cameras had yielded nothing of great value, but investigators were confident there were many witnesses with valuable information. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of the suspects.

The two suspects cursed and taunted three men in Giants gear as thousands of fans left the stadium after the 2-1 Dodger victory, Detective T.J. Moore said.

The Giants fans ran and two got away, but the assailants caught up to one in the parking lot, struck him on the back of the head and as he fell, he hit his head on the asphalt, Moore said.

Both attackers then kicked the victim, then ran, Moore said. They fled in a four-door sedan driven by a woman with a boy, Moore said.

The victim's friends returned and found him on the ground.

Police have not released his name, but friends and family told his hometown paper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel, that his name was Bryan Stow, a married father of two who works for a San Jose ambulance company.

Family members were at County-USC Hospital, where doctors put him in a coma to deal with his brain injuries, according to City News Service.

Rebecca Mackowiak, Stow's co-worker at American Medical Response, started a fund to help pay his medical bills.

"He is a really friendly guy and easygoing," she told the Sentinel. "There's not one person in this world who knows him who would think of him as a fighter."

The Dodgers said they were co-operating with investigators and wished the victim a speedy recovery.

After offering the reward, Antonovich called for enhanced security and strict limits on alcohol sales at Dodger Stadium, which is owned by the team and regulated by Los Angeles and the state Alcohol Beverages Control Board.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt defended the organization, saying the violence was awful but that it can't always be stopped.

"I'm quite confident that all of our measures were in place, and it's just one of those things that you could have 2,000 policemen there and it's just not going to change that random act of violence. It's a sad, sad thing," McCourt said at the dedication of a Dodger-sponsored Little League field in South Los Angeles. "Let's keep in mind that opening day is 56,000 people, it's a lot of people, and the incidents we had relative to that were very, very few. But, that said, one is too many."

Southern California ballparks have seen violence in recent years. In April 2009, a man stabbed his friend in the Dodger Stadium parking lot after the team's home opener. Arthur Alvarez said he acted in self-defense and was acquitted by a jury.

Two months later at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, an off-duty police officer shot and wounded two men who assaulted him in the parking lot after a game.

The West Coast rivalry began on April 18, 1958, the first game played in California after both teams had moved from New York. The Dodgers beat the Giants 6-5 in a game played before nearly 79,000 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

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