Saturday, October 22, 2011

SPORTS - Donaire retains WBC and WBO bantamweight titles (AP)

SPORTS - Donaire retains WBC and WBO bantamweight titles (AP)

LONDON – Here's the scenario: Take a cramped, crowded, not-very-clean and none-too-modern subway system, add several hundred thousand tourists with the same destination in mind. Do what you can. Hope for the best.

Olympic planners are taking steps to keep London's creaking system from overloading during the 2012 Games. In some ways, this may prove harder than building the Olympic Park — with many who use the system daily expecting subterranean gridlock.

"It's hard enough today — and it's just a normal day," said Jenny Claydon, 67, from Essex, who paused last week at the cavernous Stratford station, the main transport link near the new park. "I think it's going to be terrible."

Less than 10 months to go before the Olympics, focus is shifting from building to delivering the games. With structures nearing completion, people are trying to see how they can eke out more capacity from the rails, roads and skies moving hundreds of thousands of spectators as well as athletes, officials and journalists.

The success or failure of the games will hang in part on whether the system can keep up with the increase in demand. If the plans fail, London will be remembered as the place where no one could get to the park, get to work or get home.

No one wants another Atlanta. The 1996 Games provided a cautionary tale of Olympic travel woes — with bus drivers getting lost, athletes arriving moments before their events and overloaded trains that couldn't get residents home. It prompted the International Olympic Committee to lay out demands to make sure it didn't happen again.

"Atlanta was an unmitigated transport disaster," rail expert Christian Wolmar said. "All the other Olympics — Beijing and Sydney — have learned their lessons."

London set its goals high, aiming to have 100 percent of the spectators arrive by public transport, foot or bike. Day passes for the subway are included in the package for ticket holders. A special train — the "Javelin" — will take spectators directly from central London's St. Pancras station to Stratford.

But there is the challenge of having so many tourists on the system, known here as the Tube, at the same time. The Tube can be confusing. Londoners accustomed to it learn the shortcuts — that hidden stairway that impossibly leads down a dark passage to a platform. But tourists can be utterly perplexed, and often stop in the middle of narrow platforms searching for a sign.

During normal times, London struggles with constraints on the Tube, which handles 12 million trips a day. The Olympics is estimated to add 3 million trips on the busiest days. And while the IOC officials have stressed that they are pleased with London's progress to accommodate the incoming masses, it is based on what critics see as overly optimistic goals — such as a drop in use of the Tube by ordinary commuters of about a third and a surge of people working from home.

London transport officials stress that they've been planning for this for years, that they often handle large events and that they are accomplished at managing London's daily traffic patterns.

Smoothly moving traffic was shown on computer screens everywhere during a tour this week of its hyper efficient control center in south London. Dozens of monitors and computers blipped and flashed — like something out of a movie showing the ops room at the Pentagon. A big board in the room's center shows a map of central London, together with traffic on surveillance cameras.

Peter Hendy, the Transport for London commissioner, is confident, almost cheerful. During an interview with The Associated Press, he suggested that even very small things will make a huge difference, such as asking some commuters to alter their habits to avoid the busiest times.

"Sometimes we'll ask people to go for a beer before you go home," Hendy said.

Transport for London has held seminars and tried to work with individual businesses in the city, whittling them down one company at a time, working with managers in hopes of changing work patterns. But not everyone can work from home. What about sales clerks, cooks or cops? Alicia Ng, 31, who lives in the London borough where the equestrian events will take place, is a health care worker at University College London. Staying at home from July 27 until Aug. 12 isn't an option.

"It's impossible," she said. "Especially for a month."

Worries about security could slow travel further. London was hit by transit attacks in 2005 that killed 52 commuters and four bombers — the day after London was awarded the games.

The city's powerful transportation unions argue the system is plagued by a long-standing failure to update and maintain infrastructure. They argue staff cutbacks have curtailed services, hurting disabled and blind commuters. Strikes are always feared.

Around 6.5 billion pounds ($10.2 billion) has been invested in upgrading and extending transport links. But that is money laid out on a transport system that creaks and groans with age. In the most glaring cases, passengers have been trapped in tunnels and forced to walk out by flashlight — not exactly a sparkling advertisement for London's image. Many here find irony in the fact it is necessary to point out with a public service announcement on any given day that "There is good service on all Underground lines!"

And though transport officials say they have great computer models, there is also no possibility to really test the plans — meaning it will be a massive and complex exercise where all the details aren't available.

"London is different to anywhere that the Olympics has taken place in modern times," said Tony Travers, a transportation expert at the London School for Economics.

Among the biggest problems are the streets themselves — laid out as they are in a pattern relatively unchanged since medieval times. That means only a handful of thoroughfares, and even those are nothing like the great boulevards that bisect cities like New York and Paris. Earmarking some lanes for Olympic traffic could cause disruption — because they are the main ones.

Mindful of Atlanta, transportation planners have identified lanes for use by Olympic VIPs, officials and athletes only. But such a system creates a built-in inequity, and London's famous black cab drivers are among those agitating for greater access to what is known as the Olympic Route Network. Wags have already given them the moniker Zil lanes, after the Soviet limousines that were granted exclusive use of the outside lanes of highways.

"Londoners won't take well to that," Wolmar said. "That's an issue that hasn't been properly thought out."

The skies will be busy, too. Heathrow, already Europe's busiest airport, is creating a special terminal for Olympic athletes, coaches and sponsor to fly out of Britain after the end of the games.

Airport officials say 10,000 athletes and support staff will go through the "Special Games Terminal" in the three days after the closing ceremony to process the exodus.

The day after the closing ceremony is set to be the airport's busiest ever.

Some Londoners are hopeful that chaos will be avoided. Clare Payn, 35, looked dubious at the notion that all would work smoothly, but tried to look at the bright side.

"When London gets it right, it does get it right," she said.

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SPORTS - Martin, JJ lead solid Hendrick effort at Talladega (AP)

SPORTS - Martin, JJ lead solid Hendrick effort at Talladega (AP)
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SPORTS - Nowitzki to work out in Germany if lockout drags (AP)

SPORTS - Nowitzki to work out in Germany if lockout drags (AP)
Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki reacts after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Michael Young, right, before baseball's World Series between t AP – Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki reacts after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Michael Young, …

ARLINGTON, Texas – Once the World Series is over, Dirk Nowitzki will start planning a trip back to Germany unless there's progress toward starting the NBA season.

The NBA finals MVP said Saturday that he wants to resume training with his personal coach if it seems unlikely he will be playing for the Dallas Mavericks any time soon.

"It's time to really get back in the routine," Nowitzki said after throwing out the first pitch for Game 3 of the World Series. "Got to keep the options open, maybe see what's going on overseas."

Nowitzki has become a baseball fan over his 13 years in the United States. Because the Texas Rangers are his local team, he roots for them, and even has a blue jersey customized with his name and number. He threw out the first pitch at a game this summer after leading the Mavs to their first title and attended Game 6 of the AL championship series. He wasn't able to make it to a World Series game when the Rangers made it last year, so he was eager to attend — and take part — on Saturday night.

"I'm really proud of obviously representing the (Dallas-Fort Worth) Metroplex," he said.

Nowitzki has said he would wait until early 2012 before considering playing for a European team. With only training camp and the first two weeks of the season scrubbed so far, he is keeping that timetable.

"If the lockout still stays strong, I've definitely got to look into something there January and February," he said.

Nowitzki is still wearing a splint on the middle finger of his left hand, a remnant of the torn tendon sustained during Game 2 of the finals against the Miami Heat. The injury was supposed to have healed by now, but it turns out that he aggravated it while playing for Germany in the European championships.

"I took a ball on it in the Euros this summer, so it was kind of like sagging again," Nowitzki said. "I've got to keep it straight for, whatever, four, six weeks. But it doesn't bother me at all. It doesn't hurt or anything."

He said surgery won't be necessary.

Germany was knocked out of the Euros before the quarterfinals, eliminating its chances of making the 2012 Olympics. Nowitzki said he hasn't even touched a basketball since then.

"I've just been keeping in shape, you know, working out, doing lots of cardio and lifting a little bit and running," he said. "If the season will start any time soon, I think I'll be ready."

Nowitzki hasn't attended any of the labor meetings, but he said he would consider it. He said it was very disappointing that the latest round of negotiations didn't produce a settlement.

"We're all hoping, I guess, with the mediator, that something was going to happen, and just talks broke off, so it's very unfortunate," he said. "Hopefully we can get something going here any time soon. But it doesn't look good. "

Nowitzki said there are several parallels between the Rangers' quest for their first championship and the Mavs' winning their first, such as a late rally to win Game 2 and tie the series at 1-1 before heading home. The Mavs won it all on their second try and this is the Rangers' second trip.

"Hopefully, they'll learn from last year like we did in '06 and just be able to close it out," he said. "That would be awesome for the Metroplex to do it in the same year, get a championship and have another parade."

Would he sing "We Are The Champions" in their parade like he did during his team's celebration?

"For sure," he said, smiling. "If they want me in it, I'm there."

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SPORTS - No. 1 LSU crushes No. 19 Auburn 45-10 (AP)

SPORTS - No. 1 LSU crushes No. 19 Auburn 45-10 (AP)
 Rueben Randle, Chris Davis, Neiko Thorpe AP – LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle (2) scores on a 46-yard pass play as Auburn cornerback Chris Davis (11) …

BATON ROUGE, La. – It didn't matter who was launching long passes to Rueben Randle and it certainly didn't matter that LSU was missing three key players.

Randle caught scoring passes of 42 yards from Jordan Jefferson and 46 yards from Jarrett Lee, and No. 1 LSU once again overcame off-the-field distractions in style with a 45-10 victory over 19th-ranked Auburn on Saturday.

"It just seems like no matter who goes down or who's out, we have guys who are ready to step in ... and not just to fill a spot but to go in and dominate," said LSU center T-Bob Hebert.

LSU was without star cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, leading rusher Spencer Ware and defensive back Tharold Simon — all suspended one game for violating the team's drug policy. They watched the game on TV, teammates said, after being told to stay away from Tiger Stadium.

Yet LSU continued to make team history with its eighth double-digit win in as many games this season, a streak that started with a season-opening triumph over Oregon without then-suspended Jefferson and receiver Russell Shepard.

"I almost feel like everybody else makes a bigger deal about it than we do," Hebert said of the periodic lineup upheaval, and the public scrutiny of the misbehavior that has caused it.

"It's not distracting to us. This team is so good about staying focused, one-track mind, not letting anything on the outside get to them because we don't want to have any regrets."

Off next week, LSU (8-0, 5-0 SEC) will be unbeaten entering what is bound to be a highly hyped showdown at No. 2 Alabama on Nov. 5. The Crimson Tide were playing at home Saturday night against struggling Tennessee.

The beneficiary of Ware's absence was freshman Kenny Hilliard, who scored the first two touchdowns of his career while rushing for 65 yards on only 10 carries.

Randle finished with five receptions for 106 yards.

"We all know our roles on this team and we know if we come out and do our jobs that we are going to be tough to beat," Randle said. "Kenny came in and really stepped up when we needed him."

Lee was 14 of 20 for 165 yards and two touchdowns, the second a 10-yarder to Shepard. Jefferson completed two of three passes for 54 yards.

"I feel really comfortable with the rhythm that I have with both quarterbacks," Randle said. "That was shown in both touchdown passes today."

With Michael Ford leading the way (12 rushes, 82 yards), LSU gained 174 yards on the ground.

Even without two key defensive backs, LSU held Auburn first-time starter Clint Moseley to 145 yards passing, sacked him six times and intercepted him once.

"It's really difficult to really assess how he did," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said of Moseley. "That was an anemic job of protecting the quarterback. We have a lot of work to do and a lot of research to do to figure out how to stop the bleeding in that regard."

If anyone questioned how deep LSU could really be at defensive back, it was none other than Mathieu's replacement, Ron Brooks, who made the interception and returned it 28 yards for a score that made it 42-3 only half way through the third quarter.

Shortly after Brooks scored, the message: "I see you Ron baby!!! THATS WHAT WE DO ..." appeared on Mathieu's Twitter page.

"I just tried to keep myself calm, not try to do too much and just play within the game plan and do what the coaches were asking me to do," said Brooks, a senior who has been part of LSU's six-defensive back formation for three seasons.

Auburn (5-3, 3-2) was held to 87 yards rushing, led by Michael Dyer's 60 yards.

"The reality of it is we got beat in just about every phase of the game," Chizik said. "They did a lot of whatever they wanted."

All season, LSU has appeared increasingly galvanized by each potential pitfall and coach Les Miles even mentioned several weeks ago that adversity seems to strengthen his tight-knit team's resolve.

"That is the mark of a great team," Miles said.

It's getting pretty hard to argue with that, considering LSU responded to its latest crisis with the most lopsided victory by either team in the 46-game history of the LSU-Auburn series. It was Auburn's worst loss since a 51-10 demolition at the hands of then-No. 1 Florida in 1996.

Wearing special edition uniforms, LSU defenders and coverage teams swarmed to the ball like blazing streaks of white, delivering crushing hits that provoked collective gasps from the Death Valley crowd.

One such hit was delivered by safety Eric Reid, who jarred the ball from kickoff returner Tre Mason. LSU's Tahj Jones found the football while losing his helmet, rising in celebration with his dreadlocks aflutter at the Auburn 22.

That set up Hilliard's second score on a 1-yard dive to make it 35-3.

Hilliard's first touchdown came on a 9-yard run on game's opening drive, giving LSU the lead for good. The Tigers still have not trailed since the second quarter of their season opener against Oregon.

Auburn was threatening to tie it at 7, but Barkevious Mingo's second sack of the game forced Auburn to settle for Cody Parkey's 42 field goal.

That was as close as it ever got.

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Yahoo News SPORTS + Image

Yahoo News SPORTS + Image Pipes Output
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SPORTS - Doege, Texas Tech upend No. 3 Oklahoma 41-38 (AP)

SPORTS - Doege, Texas Tech upend No. 3 Oklahoma 41-38 (AP)
Alex Torres, Seth Doege AP – Texas Tech wide receiver Alex Torres, right, carries a Seth Doege pass into the end zone for a touchdown …

NORMAN, Okla. – Seth Doege threw for 441 yards and connected with Alex Torres on three of his four touchdown passes, and Texas Tech snapped No. 3 Oklahoma's 39-game home winning streak with 41-38 victory Saturday night.

About 2 hours after No. 4 Wisconsin lost, a second top-five team went down on the first day of the college football season that really shook the rankings.

Doege carved up an Oklahoma defense missing three starters, guiding the Red Raiders (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) to their biggest win yet under second-year coach Tommy Tuberville. He pulled off a feat that Mike Leach couldn't accomplish in his 10 years in charge in Lubbock, Texas, and Tech became just the third team to beat OU coach Bob Stoops at home.

The Sooners are now 75-3 on Owen Field in Stoops' 13 years. Oklahoma State and TCU are responsible for the other losses.

Landry Jones ended up with 412 yards passing and five touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to rally Oklahoma (6-1, 3-1) back from a sluggish start and save its unbeaten season.

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SPORTS - Pujols hits 3 homers as Cards win 16-7 (AP)

SPORTS - Pujols hits 3 homers as Cards win 16-7 (AP)
St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols hits a three-run home run during the sixth inning of Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the Texas Rangers Sa AP – St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols hits a three-run home run during the sixth inning of Game 3 of baseball's …

Wow, what a night for Albert Pujols! He hit three home runs, joining Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit three in a World Series game.

Pujols also tied a World Series record with six RBIs in the game.

Ruth accomplished the feat in 1926 and 1928. Jackson did it in the clinching game of the 1977 World Series. Pujols and the Cardinals beat Texas 16-7 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

___

So much for Pujols struggling in the World Series. The three-time MVP went 5 for 6 with three long homers and six RBIs in Game 3 on Saturday night.

Pujols was 0 for 6 with a key error in the first two games before busting out in Texas. He became the first player in World Series history to get a hit in four straight innings, connecting for leadoff singles in the fourth and fifth and then homers in the sixth and seventh.

His sixth-inning drive was a three-run shot, followed by a two-run homer in the seventh. He added a solo shot in the ninth.

Pujols, who can become a free agent after the Series, was criticized for not sticking around in the clubhouse after Game 2 to answer questions about his ninth-inning error at first base that aided Texas' winning rally.

But on Saturday, the slugger did plenty of talking with his bat.

___

St. Louis got a great effort out of the bullpen from Lance Lynn, who allowed one run in 2 1-3 innings to settle things down in a slugfest.

___

Oh, boy. What a rocket! Pujols just hit a mammoth, three-run homer to give the Cardinals an 11-6 cushion in the sixth.

The shot on a high, 96 mph fastball from Alexi Ogando appeared to hit the facing of the third deck in left field at Rangers Ballpark before dropping into the crowd. It was estimated at 423 feet, but that seems cautious.

It was Pujols' 16th career postseason homer. The three RBIs were his first of the Series.

Pujols took a good look at it and so did his teammates from the top step of the dugout.

Yadier Molina added a sacrifice fly to make it 12-6. St. Louis has batted around twice in the game.

___

Ogando finally figured out how to get Allen Craig out. The skinny right-hander threw several tough sliders to Craig before striking him out with a fastball in the sixth.

Both of Craig's clutch pinch-hits off Ogando during the first two games of the Series came on fastballs low and away.

___

The Rangers won't go away. They scored three in the fifth to cut it to 8-6 and had the bases loaded when Ian Kinsler popped out to shortstop against Lynn to end the inning.

Michael Young had an RBI double and Adrian Beltre a run-scoring single. Mike Napoli capped the rally with a sacrifice fly.

The fourth and fifth innings combined to take 1 hour, 22 minutes.

___

The Cardinals caught a huge break on a blown call that led to a four-run inning.

With a runner on first base in the fourth, Matt Holliday hit a grounder to shortstop that should have been an easy double play. Second baseman Ian Kinsler, however, threw high to first and pulled Napoli off the bag.

Napoli jumped to make the catch and clearly tagged Holliday on the neck before he stepped on first. But umpire Ron Kulpa called Holliday safe. Napoli and Rangers manager Ron Washington protested, to no avail.

Kulpa appeared to tell Napoli that he saw the tag, but thought Holliday beat the play. Replays clearly showed Holliday should have been called out.

Instead of two outs and nobody on, the Cardinals had a runner on and one out. Lance Berkman singled and David Freese hit an RBI double, extending his postseason hitting streak to 13 games.

After an intentional walk to Yadier Molina, Jon Jay hit a slow bouncer to first and Napoli tried to go home with it. When he threw the ball away, two runs scored.

Ryan Theriot added an RBI single to make it 5-0. Before the inning was over, Matt Harrison was relieved by Scott Feldman.

Harrison was really let down by his defense.

Kinsler has been shaky at second. He made an error earlier in the game, his second of the Series.

Kulpa, by the way, also missed a call in the opener when he ruled that Beltre caught Pujols' smash to third on a fly even though the ball clearly bounced. It didn't matter much because Beltre threw to first anyway.

Kulpa also got an important call correct, signaling safe when Kinsler stole second on a bang-bang play in the ninth inning of Game 2.

___

The Rangers responded immediately in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff homer by Michael Young and a two-run shot by Nelson Cruz, his seventh homer of the postseason.

Both went to right field — the Texas hitters appeared to start looking to go the other way against Kyle Lohse, sitting back to drive outside pitches.

Lohse was pulled after Napoli's single in favor of Fernando Salas.

Texas had a chance for more, but Holliday threw out Napoli at the plate for an inning-ending double play on Kinsler's fly to medium left, toward the line.

With Lohse gone, will this be the latest big effort by the St. Louis bullpen in the postseason?

___

Feldman loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth on Pujols' single and two walks. Freese had an RBI groundout and Molina hit a two-run double to make it 8-3.

A graphic on Fox showed that the Cardinals have never blown a five-run lead in the postseason.

___

Lohse's stuff never seems all that impressive, at least on television. The Cardinals starter had a very solid season though, going 14-8 with a 3.39 ERA.

Lohse is throwing strikes early in this one, flashing an effective changeup and keeping the ball down. Texas put two runners on in the second, but Lohse got out of it.

That left the Rangers 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position during the Series.

___

First double play of the night — and it's no surprise. Harrison had a penchant for inducing DPs this season and the Cardinals hit into an NL-record 169 of them.

Moments after Theriot reached on an error by Kinsler, Harrison got Rafael Furcal to ground into a double play that was started by Kinsler.

___

Good sound on Fox broadcast picks up Kinsler telling the first base umpire that he thinks Lohse balked on a move to first.

Lohse is nearly impossible to run on. Only three players tried to steal against him this season. Nyjer Morgan and Rickie Weeks were thrown out by catcher Yadier Molina. The lone player to make it was Eric Fryer — a rookie catcher for Pittsburgh. Fryer swiped second with backup Gerald Laird catching.

You can understand Kinsler's point. Lohse appears to break his front knee first, moving it slightly toward the plate before whirling and throwing to first on his pickoff move. Probably borderline at best. No wonder he's so tough to run on.

Cardinals lead 1-0 after three innings.

___

Dirk Nowitzki from the stretch for the ceremonial first pitch. He's all arms and legs, even in that No. 41 Texas Rangers jersey.

Pitch appeared low, dug out by Michael Young.

We're under way in Game 3 — with a bang.

Craig, the second batter of the night, homered to left field off Harrison to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. What a World Series already for Craig, who is really making a national name for himself.

He came through as a pinch-hitter twice in St. Louis, putting the Cardinals ahead with a clutch single in each game. Craig got the start in right field tonight, with Lance Berkman serving as the DH in the American League ballpark.

It didn't take long for Craig to show off his power. He is really a good-looking hitter, and now 3 for 3 with three RBIs in the Series.

The Cardinals have scored first in 10 consecutive postseason games, one short of the big league record set by Detroit from 1972-84.

Lohse struck out his first two batters in a 1-2-3 first inning.

___

Maybe the bats will break loose in Texas.

After a couple of low-scoring games, the World Series shifts to Rangers Ballpark tonight for Game 3. Temperatures are expected in the 70s, much warmer than the first two games in St. Louis. But there's a possibility of an isolated shower or thunderstorm.

Just about everyone anticipated a few slugfests in this Series. Most of the big sluggers, however, were held in check during the first two games: Pujols (0 for 6), Josh Hamilton (0 for 7), Holliday (1 for 6), Cruz (1 for 6).

With the designated hitter in effect under AL rules, each manager made a change to his lineup. Theriot is starting at second base for St. Louis instead of Nick Punto. Berkman is the DH, as expected, with Craig in right field. Craig is batting second, with Jay dropped to eighth.

Yorvit Torrealba is behind the plate for the Rangers, batting ninth. Napoli moves to first base and Young is the DH. Hamilton is in center field and David Murphy in left.

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SPORTS - Edgar defends belt with TKO of Maynard (AP)

SPORTS - Edgar defends belt with TKO of Maynard (AP)
Mark Martin AP – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Mark Martin smiles after winning the pole for the Good Sam Club 500 auto …

TALLADEGA, Ala. – For the first time since Dan Wheldon's fatal accident, the focus was back on the race track.

Hendrick Motorsports proved Saturday it has the best superspeedway program in NASCAR with a sweep of the front row in qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway.

Mark Martin won the pole with a lap of 181.367 mph, just a tick faster than the 181.360 posted by five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson. Hendrick Motorsports now has won the pole at all four superspeedway races this season, and swept the front row in all but one.

"Our qualifying on (restrictor) plate tracks this season has just been amazing," said Johnson.

Martin began his post-qualifying news conference on a somber note, encouraging fans to visit the web site dedicated to Dan Wheldon. Sunday's race at Talladega is the first major event since the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner was killed in the IndyCar season finale at Las Vegas last Sunday.

The first of two memorials for Wheldon was Saturday, and the second is scheduled for Sunday in Indianapolis about the same time the NASCAR race will end. NASCAR is honoring Wheldon with decals on its cars that display the Lionheart Knight image that Wheldon affixed to the back of his helmets, as well as a moment of silence before the start of the race.

When the green flag drops, though, the drivers will have pushed Wheldon from their minds to focus on racing on NASCAR's fastest and biggest track. There's a championship on the line, too, and Johnson has a huge hole to climb from if he's have any shot at winning a sixth consecutive title.

A nasty accident last Saturday at Charlotte dropped Johnson from third to eighth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship standings, and with five races remaining, he's got to climb out of a 35-point deficit. But, Johnson won here in April, when teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. pushed him to the victory.

As Johnson made his victory lap that afternoon, his crew chief thanked Earnhardt over the team radio.

"Dale, thank you man," Chad Knaus radioed, "next one is on us, brother."

But the stakes are too high right now for Johnson to simply agree to pay back the favor: Earnhardt is a distant ninth in the standings.

"I remember Chad saying it, and believe me, the Junior Nation has not forgotten," Johnson said. "We worked yesterday and we'll just have to see how things unfold in the race and where we feel we're the fastest. If we can't win the race, we certainly want him to."

It's going to be wide open, though, as drivers have spent the first two days at Talladega working on their strategy and picking drafting partners.

The Johnson-Earnhardt duo in April beat Richard Childress Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick in the push to the finish line. Bowyer, who settled for a very close second to Johnson, will start Sunday's race third.

Bowyer was followed in qualifying by Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne and Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon and Earnhardt Jr.

Paul Menard qualified seventh and was followed by David Ragan, Sprint Cup Series points leader Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman.

Because of the two-car tandem style of racing that has developed this season at Daytona and Talladega, the two fastest tracks require the use of horsepower-sapping restrictor plates, its essential for everyone to find a drafting partner. Tony Stewart has worked well this season with David Gilliland, but with the championship at stake, that's one of the alliances that's been dissolved.

Stewart, winner of the first two Chase races and only 24 points behind leader Edwards, can't get help again from Gilliland because Gilliland is a Ford driver with an allegiance to Edwards and Matt Kenseth, who is third in the standings.

"It is such a tight points battle right now and we are going to try to help the Ford guys out all we can," Gilliland said. "We are going to go that route. We are One Ford. That is the goal for this weekend. I feel good about it."

Stewart, who will start 12th Sunday, heard rumblings of the Ford pact when he first got to the track.

"We thought we had a plan and then it sounded like it got dismantled," he said.

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SPORTS - No. 2 Alabama rolls to 37-6 win over Vols, 37-6 (AP)

SPORTS - No. 2 Alabama rolls to 37-6 win over Vols, 37-6 (AP)
Tretn Richardson AP – Alabama running back Trent Richardson (3) stretches for extra yardage against Tennessee during the first …

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama fans could finally move on from the big rival to the really big game.

Most of the 101,821 stuck around until the end of Saturday night's 37-6 rout of Tennessee, happily starting up the "LSU" chants with a couple of minutes left and roaring when the announcer mentioned the next game in two weeks.

Maybe the Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) had LSU on their minds a little earlier than that.

AJ McCarron passed for 284 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score and led the Tide to a 31-0 second-half surge in a game that was tied at halftime.

"It was a little lackluster in the first half, which was a little concerning," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "There was a concern going into the game, and something we tried to fight all week in terms of guys being focused on what's happening right now and not being concerned about the future.

"And challenging them to play and have respect for the team that they're playing."

The Volunteers (3-4, 0-4) earned that respect by playing the title contender even in the first half.

Then the Tide scored on its first five possessions after halftime to set up a two-week bonanza of hype ahead of Alabama's showdown with No. 1 LSU, which routed Auburn 45-19 in a game that ended shortly before this one kicked off.

"We weren't aware of the score," insisted Tide guard Alfred McCullough. "It had no affect at all."

Now, both SEC powers head into an open date.

As for head-to-head comparisons, the game didn't settle much. LSU beat the Vols last week 38-7 for the same margin.

Saban went on to request everyone to "chill out" with the LSU buildup. That's probably wishful thinking.

Alabama had either first downs or touchdowns on its first 10 plays of the second half to bust open a 6-6 game and let the pre-LSU hype start anew.

The Tide outgained the Vols 280-41 in the second half and the nation's No. 1 defense didn't allow a first down.

"We had a ton of ball left and we lost our spunk," Tennessee coach Derek Dooley said. "That was disappointing to see. We did what we said we weren't going to do and that's get affected if something bad happens in the game, and we lost our fight.

"When you lose your fight against a great football team, what happened in the second half is what is going to happen."

Trent Richardson scored two touchdowns in the second half but finished with 77 yards, leaving him tied with Shaun Alexander for the school mark of six straight 100-yard rushing games.

This one was more about the Tide righting itself from early struggles and overpowering an opponent than boosting Richardson's Heisman credentials.

The offense that sputtered along in the first half exploded for 21 points in the third quarter. The defense that let Tennessee sustain a couple of drives of double-digit plays for field goals before the half put the clamps on emphatically.

The end result was a ninth straight win by at least 16 points and a fifth straight defeat of the Volunteers.

McCarron was 17-of-26 passing though a string of 152 passes without an interception — third longest in school history — ended on his second attempt.

It also halted Alabama's string of 50 possessions with no turnovers. Plus, the Tide failed to score on either of its first two possessions for the first time this season.

Those were just aesthetic matters given the final score.

Marquis Maze had five catches for 106 yards, including a 69-yarder.

Matt Simms completed 8 of 17 passes for 58 yards and an interception for Tennessee a week after facing LSU's defense. Tauren Poole managed 67 yards on 19 rushes.

"It's unfortunate the way the second half unfolded," Simms said. "It's just something we have to continue to learn from. We have to remember that the game's not over after halftime."

Whatever Saban told McCarron and the Tide at halftime, it clearly worked.

"He jumped our butts about it," wide receiver Darius Hanks said. "He said we had to come out and play better. I saw something different in all of us, the look in our eyes."

McCarron completed his first four passes of the second half for 73 yards, then covered the final 2 yards himself for the game's first touchdown.

Dooley then summoned one of his five fourth-down gambles, this one in Tennessee territory. Simms was stuffed inches shy on a sneak.

McCarron struck instantly, hitting Kenny Bell in the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown. There was little doubt after that.

Richardson got his 16th rushing touchdown by shrugging off a couple of attempted arm tackles for a 12-yard score. He added a 1-yarder with 9:27 left before heading to the bench.

The Vols cashed in on fourth-down gambles on each of their first-half field goal drives, including a fake punt that set up Michael Palardy's 52-yarder to tie it at 6-all. It was Tennessee's longest field goal since Jeff Hall's 53-yarder against Oklahoma State in 1995 and the first second quarter points the Tide had allowed all season.

It was the last big play for the Vols, offensively or defensively. Then, McCarron and the Tide defense took over.

"In the first half, they were trying to stop the run early," Richardson said, "and we just had to come back in the second half and punch them in the mouth."

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SPORTS - Quick gets 3rd straight shutout, 1-0 over Stars (AP)

SPORTS - Quick gets 3rd straight shutout, 1-0 over Stars (AP)
Justin Leonard AP – Justin Leonard hits a shot from the third tee during the third round of the Children's Miracle Network …

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Justin Leonard chipped in three times in a span of five holes Saturday to salvage a scrappy day at Disney with a 2-under 70 that gave him a share of the lead with PGA Tour rookie Kevin Chappell at the Children's Miracle Network Classic.

Chappell was much more consistent in a round of 66, overcoming a bogey on the opening hole and giving himself a steady diet of 10- to 15-foot birdie putts throughout the day on the Magnolia Course.

They were at 14-under 202, one shot ahead of 21-year-old Bio Kim, who needs at least a two-way tie for second to secure his tour card for next year.

The race for the PGA Tour money title had some possibilities, but only briefly.

Luke Donald, who trails Webb Simpson by $363,029, was tied for fourth when he reached the par-5 14th hole. Donald was only three shots out of the lead and three shots ahead of Simpson. When he walked off the green, Donald was in a tie for 14th, tied with Simpson and six shots behind.

Donald hit another shot into the hazard, and three-putted for double bogey, ending his PGA Tour streak of 483 holes without a three-putt. Donald wound up with a 70, while Simpson shot 69 to move one shot ahead.

Simpson is likely to win the money title at this stage, as Donald would need no worse than a two-way tie for second. He was tied for 14th, five shots behind.

"I'm a little more confident than I was two hours ago," Simpson said, not making it clear if he was talking about his 32 on the back nine or his chances of capturing the money list.

Leonard, who is No. 144 on the money list, is moderately surprised to be atop the leaderboard in the final tournament of his worst season on tour. Even though he already is exempt for next season, he has never finished out of the top 125 on the money list. And he hasn't been playing much golf late in the afternoon on the weekend.

This was the kind of round that could have easily gotten away from him. He opened with a sloppy bogey on the opening hole, and then some exquisite play with his short game.

The par-5 fourth hole won't get as much attention, but it might have been his best shot. From the back of a bunker, facing a shot in which the green ran away from him, it came out clean and stopped 2 feet away for birdie. On the fifth, he chipped in from 70 feet when he was hopeful of getting par.

He used the belly of his wedge to roll in a shot from just off the eighth green, and he hit a flop shot from 35 yards that dropped in for the most unlikely birdie on the ninth.

At the time, Leonard was swapping spots atop the leaderboard with Henrik Stenson, who even traded some short-game magic by holing out from a bunker on No. 6, right after Leonard's long chip-in for birdie. When Leonard rolled in the shot from off the eighth green, Stenson poked him in the behind with his putter and said, "That's two, now."

"The strength of my round was definitely from off the green," Leonard said, smiling. "I certainly didn't play great today, and to be able to hole ... really the two shots, 5 and 9, from off the green certainly is a huge boost. There are days when those things don't go our way, and the round can get away from me.

"Today, I scored. And it's something I have not been doing at all this entire year."

There is plenty of work ahead. Leonard is atop the leaderboard going into the final round for the first time since Disney two years ago, when he lost in a playoff to Stephen Ames. Sunday will be only the third time he has been at least tied for the lead going into the last round in the last six years. He didn't win the other two.

Eleven players were within four shots of the lead, a group that includes Simpson and five players who are trying to get inside the top 125 on the money list to secure their tour cards for next year.

Kim is at No. 168 and appeared to fall from the pack when he drove into the woods on No. 5 and wound up with a double bogey to fall three shots behind. That was the last mistake he made, however, and with three birdies on the back nine, he is only one shot behind going into Sunday.

Nick O'Hern had a 70, while Stenson dropped two shots over the last five holes for a 72. They were at 12-under 204.

Chappell gives himself a C-plus for his rookie season. He played well down the stretch at the Texas Open only to finish second behind Brendan Steele, and a solid weekend at Congressional gave him a tie for third in the U.S. Open. That puts him in the Masters for next year, so Chappell has few complaints.

He is No. 83 on the money list and is only playing Disney to try to end the year on a good note. Winning would be ideal, and he looked comfortable throughout the day as he worked his way into a share of the lead.

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SPORTS - Column: Polamalu fine for phone call out of bounds (AP)

SPORTS - Column: Polamalu fine for phone call out of bounds (AP)
Troy Polamalu AP – Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu sits on the bench during the fourth quarter of an NFL football …

Roger Goodell had some work to do before jetting off across the pond to try and convince the British that they really do need more American football.

There was a letter to write to Congress on plans for HGH testing, a suspension to hand down to Bengals running back Cedric Benson. And, of course, there were the usual weekly fines to lighten the pockets of players who just can't seem to abide by league rules.

Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk got hit for $10,000 for making an obscene gesture during a win over St. Louis that was caught by television cameras. Teammates Clay Matthews and Tramon Williams received notice they would have to pay $5,000 each for wearing yellow shoes with their throwback uniforms in the same game.

Michael Vick's one-man campaign against violence in the NFL was rewarded when Goodell fined Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo $15,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on the Eagles quarterback.

And Troy Polamalu was fined $10,000 for making a phone call.

OK, not just any phone call. The Steelers star was on the sidelines late in the game against Jacksonville when he decided to ring his wife for a brief chat that was also caught by those ubiquitous TV cameras.

That's a no-no in the NFL, where cell phones are prohibited in the bench area before and during games. Probably a good thing because you never know when a player might decide to use speed dial to order a pizza or call his agent.

Polamalu, though, wasn't hungry. And he wasn't trying to get a new endorsement deal.

He was doing what millions of men do every day. Calling his wife from work to let her know everything was OK.

"He wasn't checking on his bank account," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

If Polamalu wasn't thinking clearly when he borrowed a phone from a team doctor to make the call, he's hardly to blame. He had just been forced out of the game after experiencing concussion-like symptoms after stopping Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew on a critical third down to help preserve a 17-13 Pittsburgh win.

His wife presumably was watching when it happened. She surely knows better than anyone that her husband has a history of concussions in his nine years in the league.

Polamalu wanted to ease her worries. And it ended up costing him $10,000.

Polamalu probably considers it money well spent. And, between his NFL salary and his shampoo commercials, money is one thing Polamalu has plenty of.

Goodell's decision to fine Polamalu came as a surprise, at least to his coach. It shouldn't have, considering Goodell's history with the team, which included a four-game suspension for Ben Roethlisberger and $100,000 in fines for hits by James Harrison last year. Indeed, a lot of Steeler fans — and a lot of Steelers themselves — believe the commissioner has it out for their team.

Laying down the law is one thing, though. Enforcing it in such an arbitrary manner is another.

This wasn't Joe Horn pulling out a phone after scoring a touchdown for New Orleans in 2003 and calling from the end zone to tell his wife and kids about it. That act — part of a string of over-the-top touchdown celebrations that the NFL promptly cracked down on — cost Horn $30,000 and may have been the most expensive phone call ever.

This was simply a player wanting his family not to worry.

Sure, Polamalu should have gone somewhere else to make the call. He wasn't returning to the game anyway, so the locker room would have been the more appropriate place to let his loved ones know he was fine.

But in a league that has been patting itself on the back recently for taking steps to prevent concussions, the NFL sent out the wrong message by disciplining a player who had just had his bell rung. It was a rare misstep for the NFL, which has been on a public relations roll ever since proving it can be flexible in reaching a 10-year labor agreement with players.

Polamalu will play Sunday against Arizona after passing a series of concussion tests. It's a safe bet he stays off the phone, no matter how hard he's hit.

Because in the NFL, as Polamalu found out, talk isn't cheap.

____

Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or follow at htttp://twitter.com/timdahlberg

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SPORTS - Londoners fear transport chaos at games (AP)

SPORTS - Londoners fear transport chaos at games (AP)
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SPORTS - Papp's lifetime ban reduced to eight years (Reuters)

SPORTS - Papp's lifetime ban reduced to eight years (Reuters)
Jonathan Quick, Jarret Stoll, Jamie Benn AP – Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, left, makes a save as Kings center Jarret Stoll, middle, and …

LOS ANGELES – Jonathan Quick became the first Los Angeles Kings goalie to record three consecutive shutouts and defenseman Jack Johnson scored in the third period of a 1-0 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

Quick, who had three shutouts last December, joined Felix Potvin as the only Kings goalies with three shutouts in two months. Potvin had a club-record four in March 2001.

Coming off victories against St. Louis and Phoenix, Quick made 28 saves to help extend the Kings' winning streak to four games and end Dallas' at five.

Andrew Raycroft stopped Los Angeles' first 23 shots before Johnson got a cross-ice pass from Rob Scuderi and took a one-timer from the right point that beat Raycroft to the glove side at 15:02 of the third while Dallas' Steve Ott was screening his goalie.

The closest the Stars came to scoring was when Michael Ryder hit the crossbar with a 30-foot wrist shot over Quick's left shoulder early in the third period.

Quick extended his scoreless streak to 188 minutes and 10 seconds, breaking the club mark of 185:55 by Rogie Vachon during the 1975-76 season.

The Stars, coming off a 3-1 victory at Anaheim, had a 21-19 shots advantage through two periods against the Kings with Raycroft making his second start of the season.

Notes: Dallas RW Radek Dvorak, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract as a free agent in July, hasn't scored a goal in eight games with his new club. ... Kings C Anze Kopitar played in his 400th regular-season game and Stars LW Steve Ott appeared in his 500th. ... Among the sellout crowd of 18,118 was Dodgers first baseman James Loney. ... The Kings are 16-2-2 against Dallas since Jan. 12, 2008. ... Raycroft was in net for a 5-2 loss at Chicago on Oct. 8 before Kari Lehtonen started the next five games — winning them all and allowing eight goals during that stretch.

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SPORTS - Leonard, Chappell tied for Disney lead (AP)

SPORTS - Leonard, Chappell tied for Disney lead (AP)
UFC 136 AP – Leonard Garcia, right fights Nam Phan in a featherweight bout where Phan won in three rounds before the …

HOUSTON – Frankie Edgar was in trouble again in the first round against Gray Maynard, shaken by a hard right upper cut.

Just like he did on New Year's Day, Edgar rallied and this time, left no doubt to the outcome.

Edgar beat Maynard by technical knockout to defend his lightweight championship on Saturday night, finishing the challenger with a flurry of punches late in the fourth round.

The two were waited nine months for their third meeting. Maynard beat Edgar by unanimous decision in April 2008, and they dueled to a draw on New Year's Day, a match Maynard insists he won.

Maynard knocked Edgar down three times in the first round of their previous meeting, but Edgar managed to survive and earn the draw. This time, Maynard staggered Edgar with a vicious upper cut, then landed a flying left knee that cut open Edgar's nose.

"I don't plan it, believe me," Edgar said. "If I could walk away unscathed, I'd rather do that."

Maynard was frustrated that Edgar survived the early onslaught.

"He's a tough kid," Maynard said. "If there was a bat there, I would've hit him with a bat."

Edgar instantly recalled their last meeting, and that fueled his gradual comeback. Maynard seemed to back off in the second round, and Edgar started landing left-right combinations to climb back into the fight.

"That last fight we had, he hurt me in that first round," Edgar said. "I don't know, man, maybe I just want to make it exciting. Who knows?"

Edgar continued to land the combos at the start of the fourth round. Maynard went for a takedown and slipped, and Edgar took advantage, landing a hard right upper cut.

With Maynard off-balance, Edgar kept landing right hands and Maynard staggered backward. One more right dropped Maynard to the mat, and Edgar hammered him with left hooks until referee Josh Rosenthal stopped it with just over a minute left in the round.

Maynard vowed victory in August while sporting a T-shirt that read "Dethrone" across the front. Edgar also had a score to settle, looking to avenge his only professional loss.

Afterward, UFC president Dana White called Edgar the best pure boxer in the league.

"He moves well, he moves his head," White said. "He's a phenomenal athlete. He's got a huge heart and an incredible chin. What he pulled off was amazing."

In the other title fight on the card, Jose Aldo defended his 145-pound belt with a unanimous decision over Kenny Florian. Aldo (20-1) won his 13th straight bout and denied the 35-year-old Florian (16-6) his first UFC championship.

"I had to pace it a little bit," Aldo said through an interpreter. "I couldn't be as explosive as I wanted to be in the fight."

The 35-year-old Florian went the distance with Aldo, who's 10 years younger.

In June, Florian became the first UFC fighter to compete in four different weight classes when he beat Diego Nunes in his 145-pound debut.

Florian shoved Aldo into the cage in the first round and scored a takedown with about two minutes left. Aldo took control in the third round, hobbling Florian with a sharp kick to Florian's right knee. Aldo landed two punches as Florian limped away.

Aldo, a Brazilian expert in jiu-jitsu, started the fourth round with two hard punches, but Florian drove Aldo into the cage again. Florian missed on a kick and fell in the fifth round, and Aldo maintained top position for most of the rest of the match.

Before the decision was announced, Aldo climbed the cage and back-flipped off the top. All three judges scored the fight 49-46.

"It played out great," Aldo said. "He's a very strategic fighter, so he's a very smart and experienced guy. I just had to go in there and impose my game."

Also Saturday night:

_Joe Lauzon (16-5-1) got Melvin Guillard (46-10-3) to tap out only 47 seconds into the first round of their lightweight bout. Lauzon stunned Guillard with a left hook, knocked him down with a quick left jab and put Guillard in a decisive headlock.

_Featherweight Nam Phan (17-10) earned a unanimous decision over Leonard Garcia (19-8-1). Phan opened a cut under Garcia's right eye in the second round. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Phan, who avenged a loss to Garcia in December.

_Chael Sonnen (27-11-1) forced a submission from Brian Stann (11-4) in the second round of their middleweight bout. Middleweight champion Anderson Silva was sitting ringside, and Sonnen challenged Silva to a rematch. Silva beat Sonnen by submission last August.

The professional mixed martial-arts circuit returned to Houston for the first time since UFC 69 in April 2007. The event drew an announced crowd of 16,164.

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SPORTS - Stanford runs wild in 65-21 win over Washington (AP)

SPORTS - Stanford runs wild in 65-21 win over Washington (AP)
Jamaal Kearse, Tyler Gaffney AP – Stanford running back Tyler Gaffney (25) runs in front of Washington linebacker Jamaal Kearse (58) in …

STANFORD, Calif. – Stepfan Taylor knew it would take quite a performance for his fellow running backs to ever overshadow Andrew Luck. Maybe even one for the record books.

With a wild first half that might have been satisfying enough for most teams, Taylor turned to teammate Tyler Gaffney in the locker room and issued a challenge.

"I told Gaffney," Taylor said, "let's try to get 500 out here."

Almost.

Taylor, Gaffney and Anthony Wilkerson powered seventh-ranked Stanford to a school-record 446 yards rushing to blow past No. 22 Washington 65-21 on Saturday night in the Cardinal's most impressive victory all season.

The running backs gave the Heisman Trophy hopeful some rest as Stanford (7-0, 5-0 Pac-12) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 15 games. Taylor ran for 138 yards, Gaffney 117 yards and Wilkerson 93 yards to break the previous team mark of 439 in a victory over Oregon State in 1981.

"We were very aware of it when we broke it," Luck said. "What a testament to the o-line, to the coaches, to the tight ends, to the receivers. It was a total team effort on the ground, and most of all to the backs making it happen."

Facing the first ranked opponent of the season, Stanford pounded the Huskies (5-2, 3-1) in a critical Pac-12 North matchup.

Chris Polk ran for scores from 46 and 61 yards in the first half to keep Washington close early. He finished with 144 yards rushing as the Cardinal's defense clamped down.

Luck threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns and completed 16 of 21 passes but took a back seat — for once — to a running game that has quietly been among the nation's best the last few years. No matter what happens next week at Southern California, the victory almost guarantees that the Nov. 12 matchup against Oregon at Stanford Stadium will decide the North's representative in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game.

Not a bad time for the Cardinal to fly south to the Coliseum.

"They are a good football team for a reason and why they do what they do and have been on a run they're on," Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian said. "They wear you out and they wear you down."

With three running backs leading the way, Washington couldn't stop any of them.

Taylor and Gaffney each ran for a touchdown and Wilkerson had two, including a 38-yard scamper with 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter that snapped the record set back when John Elway was the Cardinal's quarterback.

Stanford coach David Shaw practically apologized for the late score, admitting he just hoped to run out the clock with the backups in the game.

"You can't tell a runner not to run," Shaw said.

A week after a poor first-half showing at Washington State, Stanford started with a 76-yard drive on six plays capped by Jeremy Stewart's 2-yard TD run. Jordan Williamson kicked the first of his three field goals from 39 yards to put the Cardinal ahead 10-0.

Polk broke two tackles up the sideline on 41-yard touchdown run for his first score. Then he sprinted untouched through the middle for 61 yards to bring the Huskies within 17-14 early in the second quarter.

Just when it seemed the Cardinal might finally be tested, they ran away from yet another opponent.

Taylor ripped through a seem on Stanford's next play from scrimmage, running 70 yards for a touchdown without receiving so much as a hand swipe. Luck followed by connecting with Drew Terrell from 5 yards out for his second touchdown pass to give the Cardinal a 31-14 lead.

"They left a guy open. I just missed him. It was kind of just unfortunate," Price said of the interception. "It's embarrassing anytime you lose like this."

In a half where the offenses ran wild, the biggest play might have come on defense.

Michael Thomas broke the game open when he stepped in front of a receiver over the middle and picked off a pass from Price. He raced 62 yards down the sideline, stepping over the diving quarterback to put Stanford ahead 38-14 at the break.

The Huskies, who were shutout 41-0 by Stanford last year in Seattle, had entered the Top 25 for the first time in two seasons this week behind Price, who entered game tied with Boise State's Kellen Moore for second in the country with 21 touchdown passes. Price's 2-yard TD pass to Evan Hudson that came early in the third quarter came with the game already a blowout.

Stanford still led 48-21 after the score, which was Hudson's first career reception. While Price was sacked only twice, he was under constant pressure. The sophomore finished with 247 yards passing.

Gaffney, anchoring the wildcat formation, had runs of 14 and 34 yards before capping off Stanford's first drive of the second half with a 4-yard TD. Taylor and Gaffney became the 10th running back duo in school history to rush for 100-yard running games.

"I think that will be something special down the road for guys to look back on," Luck said. "Hopefully it's broken next week."

___

Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: http://www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

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SPORTS - 1B umpire Kulpa misses call, starting Cards' rally (AP)

SPORTS - 1B umpire Kulpa misses call, starting Cards' rally (AP)
Texas Rangers' Mike Napoli reacts after umpire Ron Kulpa called St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Holliday safe at first during the fourth inning of Game 3 of AP – Texas Rangers' Mike Napoli reacts after umpire Ron Kulpa called St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Holliday safe …

ARLINGTON, Texas – All these years later, a blown call by a first base umpire actually helped the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

While it remains to be seen whether Ron Kulpa will be as vilified by Texas Rangers fans as Don Denkinger is by Cardinals fans, there's no doubt this mistake was as bad or worse — perhaps enough to revive talk of expanding video replay in baseball.

In the top of the fourth inning Saturday night, St. Louis was leading only 1-0 when Matt Holliday hit a grounder to shortstop Elvis Andrus that normally would start a double play. Andrus got the force out at second base with a throw to Ian Kinsler, but Kinsler's throw pulled first baseman Mike Napoli off the bag and into Holliday's path. Napoli caught the ball and slapped a tag across Holliday's left shoulder a step before he reached first base.

Kulpa was in decent position to make the correct call — but didn't. The Cardinals took advantage, scoring four runs that inning on their way to a 16-7 victory and a 2-1 lead in the series.

Kulpa acknowledged he blew it. He told a pool reporter the same thing he told Napoli at the time: he thought Holliday already had stepped on the bag when the tag was made.

"I saw a replay when I walked off the field and the tag was applied before his foot hit the bag," Kulpa said. "I called what I saw."

Crew chief Jerry Layne defended Kulpa, noting that the wide throw made it "a very tough call." He also cut off questions to Kulpa before he could be asked about the Denkinger comparison, a subject he certainly knows well.

Kulpa is a St. Louis native and lifelong Cardinals fan who was 17 when Denkinger made the mistake that triggered a collapse by the Cardinals that cost them the 1985 World Series to the neighboring Kansas City Royals. Asked about his St. Louis ties, Kulpa said, "It has nothing to do with it."

Kulpa is in his 13th year in the majors and this is his first World Series. He was picked before it was known the team he grew up dreaming of playing for would be involved.

While conspiracy theories are sure to abound, it's important to note that Kulpa made the correct call on perhaps the most difficult play yet of the World Series, a steal of second base by Kinsler in the ninth inning of Game 2, with St. Louis trying to protect a 1-0 lead. Kulpa called him safe and Kinsler went on to score the tying run and Texas went on to win 2-1.

If there's any backlash against Kulpa, it probably won't be traced to the Texas clubhouse — certainly not Napoli, Kinsler or Rangers manager Ron Washington, who briefly argued the play at the time.

"I knew he missed the play when I went out there," Washington said. "We still had an opportunity to get off that field with maybe them just pushing one run across the plate. We just didn't make the plays. I mean, I don't think you can just start all of a sudden making excuses about things. We had a chance to get off the field with them scoring one run in that inning right there, and we just threw the ball around."

Napoli repeatedly emphasized that the Rangers "had a chance to minimize that inning and we didn't really do that." He said he didn't know the Denkinger story and, when told about it, dismissed any similarity with Kulpa's gaffe.

"He's human," Napoli said. "People make mistakes. He's trying his best out there and we're trying our best. You've got to just move on from things like that."

Kinsler wondered why he was even being asked about that play, noting that Texas lost by nine runs. Reminded that it was 1-0 at the time, he still said, "That's not the turning point."

"You can go through a lot of things in this game, a lot of ups and downs and different things that happened," Kinsler said.

While absolving Kulpa, Kinsler also said, "The game's not played in slow motion, so it's pretty difficult to make that call." That brings up the seemingly annual question about why officials can't use replay to make certain calls in games as important as this are always correct. It's already been added to determine whether balls clear the fence for a home run.

This wasn't the first missed call this series, either. In the ninth inning of the opener, which Texas lost 3-2, Adrian Beltre fouled a ball off his foot but umpires called it a fair ball, keeping him from getting at least one more swing.

Also in the opener, Kulpa missed a call at third base, ruling a ball was caught in the air when it actually bounced. That mistake did not lead to any runs.

Kulpa's every move the rest of this series is certain to be scrutinized — especially Sunday, when he's scheduled to be behind the plate.

Denkinger was behind the plate, too, the night after his crucial mistake in the '85 World Series.

The play that made Denkinger infamous came in the ninth inning of Game 6, with the Cardinals up 1-0 and leading the series 3-2. Leadoff hitter Jorge Orta hit a grounder to first baseman Jack Clark, and he tossed it to pitcher Todd Worrell covering first base. Replays show that Worrell beat Orta to the bag, but Denkinger insisted he was safe.

The Royals went on to win that game 2-1, then won the decisive seventh game 11-0, with St. Louis manager Whitey Herzog and pitcher Joaquin Andujar getting ejected by Denkinger in the fifth inning.

Until this series, Kulpa — who happens to have a Herzog-esque brush cut — was probably best known for being head-butted by Carl Everett in 2000. He's worked an All-Star game and was behind the plate for Justin Verlander's first career no-hitter, in 2007.

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SPORTS - Sparty shocker: Mich St beats Wisc on last play (AP)

SPORTS - Sparty shocker: Mich St beats Wisc on last play (AP)
Keith Nichol, B.J. Cunningham AP – Michigan State's Keith Nichol, center, and B.J. Cunningham celebrate following a 37-31 win over Wisconsin …

EAST LANSING, Mich. – A heave. A carom. A desperate struggle for the last few inches.

And after further review, another extraordinary final play by Michigan State.

The team that shook up the 2010 season with an overtime fake field goal came up with another astonishing way to win Saturday night. Keith Nichol caught a 44-yard pass from Kirk Cousins on the game's last snap for a tiebreaking touchdown, giving the 15th-ranked Spartans a 37-31 victory against No. 4 Wisconsin.

"We knew we had a chance," Cousins said. "There's always a chance."

Nichol scored into the same side of the same end zone as Michigan State's winning touchdown against Notre Dame last year, which came on that fake kick in overtime in another memorable night game at Spartan Stadium.

That play was called Little Giants. This one was Rocket — and the Spartans were sky high when it actually worked.

With 4 seconds left, Cousins rolled out to his right and threw the ball about as far as he could. It went into the end zone but caromed off Michigan State receiver B.J. Cunningham's facemask back to Nichol, who caught it just outside the end zone, then fought two Wisconsin defenders and just barely broke the goal line.

The former backup quarterback was initially ruled short of the end zone, but officials overturned the call after a review, giving the Spartans (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten) the win and knocking the Badgers (6-1, 2-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten.

"It was just a feeling that I went across the line for a second. I had the ball in my upfield shoulder, and there was no way I felt I could've been denied," Nichol said. "I don't think anybody coming out of high school when they're a quarterback envisions winning the game as a wide receiver."

Russell Wilson had led the Badgers from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to tie the game with 1:26 left on a 2-yard touchdown pass to Montee Ball.

The wild game — in which both teams blew two-touchdown leads — featured an even more memorable finish. Wisconsin trailed 31-17 in the fourth quarter before Wilson ran 22 yards for a touchdown and made several spectacular throws on the move to set up the TD pass to Ball to tie it at 31.

Michigan State then survived a harrowing moment when Cousins fumbled deep in his own territory. Offensive lineman Dan France fell on the ball with 42 seconds left.

At that point, Wisconsin was eager to use timeouts, trying to get the ball back, but on second-and-20 from his own 24, Cousins found Cunningham for a 12-yard gain. The Spartans then picked up a first down on an 11-yard shovel pass to Keshawn Martin.

"If we get the ball back with less than 30 seconds we were going to go for a block (punt)," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. "We were going for the win."

Michigan State's last drive appeared to stall at the Wisconsin 44, but the Spartans had time for one more play — one that will go down in Michigan State history, right next to Little Giants.

Cousins was able to buy enough time for receivers to get down the field. Wisconsin's 6-foot-2 receiver Jared Abbrederis was in on the last play to try to defend against the miracle play, but he jumped a beat too soon and the pass sailed over his outstretched arms.

"It's a play that everybody practices," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "You never know when it's going to come to fruition."

Cunningham was in the end zone, and the ball bounced off his helmet and into Nichol's arms. After Nichol caught the pass, Michigan State players immediately started spilling onto the field, even though officials ruled that Abbrederis and linebacker Mike Taylor had stopped him short. When the call was reversed and a touchdown was awarded, the celebration began again.

"I kept saying, 'Focus!'" Dantonio said. "But the guys upstairs were saying, 'He's in! He's in!'"

Dantonio had a mild heart attack after last year's thrilling Notre Dame game and ended up having to miss Michigan State's win over Wisconsin two games later. He was on the sideline for this one.

"My heart's racing," Dantonio said after another amazing finish.

Wisconsin had won its first six games of the season, all by at least 31 points. The Badgers entered the game leading the nation in scoring offense, and Michigan State was ranked second in total defense.

Michigan State handed Wisconsin its only loss of the regular season last year, but the Badgers went to the Rose Bowl anyway, emerging from a three-way tiebreaker with the Spartans and Ohio State atop the Big Ten.

Michigan State looked overmatched early on Saturday, allowing a pair of first-quarter touchdowns and struggling to hold off Wisconsin's powerful offensive line. The Spartans turned the game around in the second quarter with some impressive work on special teams.

Mike Sadler's nice punt pinned Wisconsin back at its own 5-yard line, and two plays later, Wilson threw the ball away under pressure in the end zone for an intentional grounding call and a safety that made it 14-2.

Michigan State scored its first touchdown on a slow-developing reverse. Martin avoided a tackler in the backfield and found room to the outside for a 34-yard scoring run.

Wisconsin responded with an impressive drive but ended up settling for a 30-yard field goal attempt on fourth-and-1. Darqueze Dennard blocked it, and the Spartans capitalized with an 80-yard scoring drive. Cousins found Cunningham over the middle on fourth-and-2, and the senior receiver turned the catch into a 35-yard touchdown, giving Michigan State a 16-14 lead with 1:20 left in the half.

The Spartans weren't done. They used timeouts to stop the clock and forced a punt, which Kyler Elsworth blocked. The ball bounced back to the end zone, where Michigan State's Bennie Fowler was credited with the recovery amid a pile of bodies with 37 seconds to play.

After a Wisconsin field goal in the third quarter, Michigan State made it 31-17 when Cousins threw over the middle to Martin, who outran the defense to the sideline and turned up the field to the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. Cousins then threw to Cunningham for a 2-point conversion.

Wisconsin missed a chance for a big play when Wilson's deep pass was dropped by Abbrederis, but the Badgers later scored when Wilson scrambled to his right, faked out safety Isaiah Lewis with a pump fake and ran up the sideline for a touchdown that made it 31-24.

Michigan State won despite playing without defensive lineman William Gholston, who was suspended for a game after he was shown on video taking a swing at a Michigan player last weekend. The Spartans managed to sack Wilson three times — he'd been sacked only five times in the first six games.

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SPORTS - Pujols hits 3 HRs, Cards romp to 2-1 Series edge (AP)

SPORTS - Pujols hits 3 HRs, Cards romp to 2-1 Series edge (AP)
St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols hits a three-run home run during the sixth inning of Game 3 of baseball's World Series against the Texas Rangers Sa AP – St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols hits a three-run home run during the sixth inning of Game 3 of baseball's …

ARLINGTON, Texas – Albert Pujols began the game hoping to shake his slump and maybe get a hit.

He did that, and a whole lot more: He produced the defining game of his monster career, and perhaps the greatest hitting performance in World Series history.

Pujols launched three long homers, drove in six runs and finished with five hits — tying Series records with each accomplishment — as the St. Louis Cardinals romped past the Texas Rangers 16-7 on Saturday night for a 2-1 edge.

"Just pretty special," he said.

The three-time NL MVP matched Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson for the most home runs in a game, connecting on fastballs from three different pitchers. Pujols added two singles and set a Series mark with 14 total bases.

"Hopefully, at the end of my career, I can look back and say, 'Wow, what a game it was in Game 3 in 2011," Pujols said.

And to think, his night began with a groundout that left him 0 for 7 against Texas

"I mean, with Babe and Reggie, that's pretty good company right there," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

The outburst by Pujols came a day after he was barbed by the media for not sticking around to talk about a Game 2 error and loss. This time, everyone was talking about him.

"When the opportunity presents itself to put him on the bag, I'm not going to let him swing the bat," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "But tonight, we just couldn't get the ball out of the middle of the plate and up, and he just didn't miss.

"I saw him on TV but I'll tell you, tonight was something special."

The Cardinals mashed their way to the highest-scoring game in their storied postseason history, breaking away after first base umpire Ron Kulpa's admitted blown call.

After two taut games in St. Louis, this suddenly turned into a messy slugfest. Pujols, the most feared slugger in the majors, was right in the middle — he became the first player in Series history to get hits in four straight innings.

So much for any worries about Pujols making a dent.

"I was hitting the ball hard, but I wasn't getting any hits," he said. "But all it takes is one good game. I got five hits, what are they going to say about it?"

Texas fans booed after Kulpa's miss helped the Cardinals score four times in the fourth for a 5-0 lead. The crowd at Rangers Ballpark went silent when Pujols started swinging for the fences, and beyond. His three-run shot in the sixth rattled the windows of the club level high above left field.

Game 4 is Sunday night, with Derek Holland starting for the Rangers against Edwin Jackson. It will be the back half of a St. Louis-Texas style doubleheader — earlier in the day, the Rams play the Dallas Cowboys right across the parking lot.

This game had an NFL score, too. The teams combined for 23 runs and 28 hits — at Busch Stadium, they teamed for eight runs and 23 hits in two games.

"You leave a ball up in this park it's going to carry a little more than it does in St. Louis," Pujols said.

Pujols joined Ruth, who hit three homers in games against the Cardinals in 1926 and 1928, and Jackson's three-homer show against the Dodgers in 1977.

"It's an honor to be named in the same category as those guys," Pujols said.

Pujols' six RBIs matched Bobby Richardson in 1960 and Hideki Matsui in 2009. He tied the Series mark for hits in a game set by Paul Molitor in 1982.

Good-luck charm Allen Craig homered for St. Louis and Yadier Molina drove in four runs. The Cardinals broke it open by scoring four times in the fourth, three more in the fifth and four in the sixth.

Adrian Beltre kept delivering for Texas, getting four hits.

Pujols, however, showed exactly why he is the most prized free agent of all going into this winter.

The big slugger connected off Alexi Ogando in the sixth, hit a two-run drive to left-center off Michael Gonzalez in the seventh and tagged Darren Oliver for a solo shot to left-center with two outs in the ninth.

"When Pujols is at the plate, that's the first time he did damage. We fought back pretty good, the next thing you know he's up there batting with guys on base and brings them in," Oliver said. "That's what he does. That's why he's the hitter he is."

By the end, Rangers president Nolan Ryan was rubbing his forehead and it was hard to keep track of all the hits. Balls were rolling into the corners, sailing over the fence and going most everywhere.

In the seventh, a fan wearing a Rangers shirt threw a Wiffle ball toward St. Louis left fielder Matt Holliday as he was preparing to catch a routine fly. The Rangers said the young man and his friend were ejected.

Early in the game, it appeared Kulpa's call would be the focal point.

The Cardinals led 1-0 when Pujols led off the fourth with a single. Holliday followed with a perfect double-play ball, but was ruled safe by Kulpa at first. Replays clearly show part-time first baseman Mike Napoli caught second baseman Ian Kinsler's high toss and slapped a tag on Holliday before he reached the bag.

Kulpa said he thought Holliday beat the tag. The Rangers argued, to no avail.

"Well, he missed the play and I knew he missed the play when I went out there," Washington said.

After the game, the umpire issued a Mea Kulpa.

"I saw a replay when I walked off the field, and the tag was applied before his foot hit the bag," he said.

The Cardinals quickly scored four times, helped when Napoli threw wide to the plate for an error that let two runs cross. Texas fans booed as replays of the bad call circulated — they won't be happy to learn, either, that Kulpa was born, raised and lives in the St. Louis area.

"Has nothing to do with it," Kulpa said.

For the Cardinals, perhaps it was a little evening up, albeit many years later. The call came four days before the anniversary of umpire Don Denkinger's missed call at first base in the 1985 World Series that severely cost St. Louis.

Starters Kyle Lohse of St. Louis and Matt Harrison were both pulled in the fourth inning. Soon after, it was clear that no pitchers were going to be too effective.

Lance Lynn earned the win with 2 1-3 innings of relief and Harrison took the loss.

NOTES: La Russa earned his 68th postseason victory. He moved ahead of Bobby Cox into second place. Joe Torre leads with 84. ... Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki threw out the first ball. The 7-foot Nowitzki fired a fastball from the mound that Young scooped. There has never been a 7-foot major leaguer, though 7-1 pitcher Loek Van Mil is in the Angels' system.

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