Perkins' Black Eyed Peas St Pete Times Forum presence also has been very important-

Perkins' outline presence also uncovers has been very important- as shown by his absence in the game that cut Boston' s lead in the series to 3- 2. Colletti, hired as the Dodgers' general manager last month, said he' s been speaking with Mueller' s agent, Ron Shapiro, for weeks. Loney hit a shot up the middle that struck Cain on the lower right leg before bouncing into foul territory for a single with one out in the fourth. Cleveland won the series 4- 2 and heads to Detroit on Monday night for its third appearance in a conference finals and the first since 1992.

It was his third three- homer game, his second of the season . Cellular Field, Zambrano( 7- 3) had to be restrained after A J . 298 with eight home runs and 49 RBIs last season for the Phillies . He will go into spring training getting a shot( at the rotation " Texas scored twice in the third on Michael Young' s two- run single Metcalf barely slid under the tag of Johjima . The Diamondbacks answered quickly against Mike Pelfrey( 2- 2, who opened the second by walking Conor Jackson and Justin Upton.

Associated PressSALT LAKE CITY( AP- If the opening round of the playoffs comes down to reserves, the Utah Jazz just might have an edge against the Houston Rockets . The Bills defense could be further depleted for Sunday' s game at Miami with linebacker Takeo Spikes listed as questionable because of a right hamstring injury . C Guillermo Rodriguez started the second game of his career in Molina' s place Bonds will take Wednesday off Brewers SS J J Hardy was a late scratch with tightness in his left hip Counsell started in his place . Either Rhoden or defending champ Dan Quinn has won the tournament each of the past four years and six of the past eight .

He died at his home on New Year' s Day of complications from prostate cancer, son Chris Karvellas said . But the thing sold me, the team that showed me more love was the Royals . Chavez had family issues to deal with, while Payton dashed out of the clubhouse trying to beat the sellout crowd there for fireworks " Payton is leading our team in hitting right now " A' s manager Ken Macha said " I' d say he' s been doing well . The right- hander struck out seven and allowed seven hits over six innings to win for the first time since April 9 . It was his career- high 20th homer and it gave the Yankees six players with 20 home runs for the third time in team history( 1961, 2004. But to protect those who are involved and the integrity of the whole deal, I' m not going to say too much about it " The 34- year- old Martin, who' ll be honored by the Jets during a halftime ceremony Sunday against Pittsburgh, believes he' s the perfect type of owner for today' s NFL " I want to become a new image of what a professional athlete is " Martin said " I think presently in sports, you have the whole bravado, bling- bling, and it seems that that' s the image that most of us look up to, and I don' t know who set that image I want to be a different image I want to be an image that' s positive for you long- term.

All that was more important to Boston than the final score, a 9- 7 loss to Tampa Bay, which hit three homers while the Red Sox had four . Another run scored when Lowell grounded into a double play, and Alex Gonzalez followed with a two- run homer, his fifth, after a walk to Coco Crisp . But not today " Arizona' s Livan Hernandez also went seven innings, allowing five hits and one run He walked five, struck out two and threw 118 pitches Arizona scored an unearned run in the third for a 1- 0 lead . PETER GAMMONS: Everyone cares about what other people think ALEX RODRIGUEZ: Uh- huh . Some combinations of players and salaries would require the Rockets to wait until after June 30 for Francis' base- year status to expire.

You don' t know what the ball is doing " Carpenter struck out seven, walked two and gave up four runs off seven hits in 4 2- 3 innings " My command wasn' t as good as I would have liked " Carpenter said " As long as I' m healthy and I keep getting my pitch counts up, the stuff is there " Carpenter had reconstructive elbow surgery in July 2007 . Kristek recently signed a contract to play with Sparta of the Czech Elite League . It is a puzzle that is rather impressive, especially with the signing of Adalius Thomas in the offseason . Jones led Syracuse with 23 points, Nicole Michael had 20, and Morrow 16 . Game notesThe Reds snapped their longest homerless streak of the season at five games.

Updated: February 1, 2008, 8: 20 PM ET Casey gets deal from Red Sox Comment Email Print Share ESPN news services BOSTON- Free agent first baseman Sean Casey has reached an agreement a one- year$ 700, 000 contract with the Boston Red Sox, ESPN' s Peter Gammons reports Friday' s deal was made pending a physical . The Phillies battled the Mets to the final day of the regular season last year, overtaking New York to win their first division title in 14 years . Schobel said last week he expected to play through the injury despite difficulty pushing off his left foot He was initially hurt during a 31- 14 win at St Louis on Sept 28 . Updated: January 22, 2004, 4: 47 PM ET Pitcher progressing post- Tommy John surgery Email Print Share Associated Press MIAMI- Florida Marlins right- hander A J . Sabathia, who allowed eight hits and five runs in 3 2/ 3 innings but felt good about his performance " It was the best I' ve felt as far as my stuff goes " said Sabathia, unconcerned about an 8. He made two starts for Washington early this season, but he was sent down to the minors after giving up four runs in 1 1- 3 innings on April 25. APDye' s eighth- inning single gave the White Sox the only run they needed.

Associated PressANAHEIM, Calif- Clayton Kershaw was pulled 2½ weeks ago after giving up three runs and throwing 83 pitches in his worst outing of the season . Igor Petrov, spokesman for the tycoon' s investment vehicle Onexim, told The Associated Press on Friday that " there is a possibility " that Prokhorov would participate in the construction of the new arena for the NBA team Petrov declined further comment . OTL As incentive for Vick to consider a leave, the union is hopeful that Blank will offer to guarantee the player' s$ 6 million base salary for 2007 That could be a sticking point in negotiations . It happens every year around this time in NFL locker rooms and NFL stadiums So don' t tell me it' s just a game My favorite day was Monday, September the 25th, 2006 New Orleans, Louisiana, site of the Superdome .

He later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a property damage accident, a misdemeanor, and failure to report an accident, which is punishable by a fine . Sampson went six innings Monday, allowing three runs- one earned- and five hits . She had been pulled over for DUI in that Escalade two days before the Fourth of July . The art of route running is what separates the great receivers from the good ones, and these five players are the best at it Comment Email Print Share By Keith KiddScouts Inc . 1973 Los Angeles RamsLawrence McCutcheon( 210 carries, 1, 097 yards, 5. Esteban Loiaza of the Chicago White Sox and Rod Beck of San Diego won the comeback player awards in their leagues Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. I felt strong today and I was hoping to go seven or more innings " Matt Chico( 1- 2) allowed five runs and six hits in 4 2- 3 innings.

Lewis' new agent, Tony Dutt, said the forward will likely reject the offer, opt out of his contract on July 1 and test the free agency waters " We' ll make a decision soon, but we are leaning toward opting out " Dutt told the Tacoma News Tribune . That allowed Memphis to close the quarter with a 13- 5 surge and carry a 78- 70 lead into the fourth . Losing Kerney is the most serious blow yet for a unit that was already missing three starters Sunday, including three- time Pro Bowler John Abraham . New England has been unable to generate any heat on opposing quarterbacks, and losing Asante Samuel to the Eagles in the offseason left the team with Ellis Hobbs and Deltha O' Neal as the primary cornerbacks . but you could probably count on one finger how many times you' ve seen him get a lead and give it back " But the Blue Jays took the lead back in the seventh when Overbay doubled off Keith Foulke with two outs and Hillenbrand hit his fourth homer.