BOSTON (AP) — Daisuke Matsuzaka returned from a three-month stint on the disabled list and pitched six shutout innings on Tuesday night to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels, their likely first-round playoff opponent. David Ortiz hit his record-breaking 270th homer as a designated hitter and also […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Tuukka Rask made 31 saves in a rare complete-game preseason effort, and prospect Zach Hamill scored a first-period goal in the Boston Bruins’ 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Rask, who stopped 35 Rangers shots on Jan. 31 for a 1-0 victory in his only action with […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo probably will play again this season after hurting his knee in the opener, welcome news for a team that lost Tom Brady for the 2008 season to a knee injury in the first game. “I don’t think that’s what it is,” New England coach Bill Belichick said […]

BOSTON (AP) — Fred Cusick, the radio and television voice of the Boston Bruins for more than four decades, died Tuesday, his family said. He was 90. Cusick’s son, Ted, said his father died at his Barnstable, Mass., home after suffering from cancer. Cusick’s death came one day before he was scheduled to be inducted […]

SPARTA, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Speedway’s long wait for a coveted NASCAR Sprint Cup date will continue for at least one more year. NASCAR unveiled its 2010 schedule on Tuesday, and it does not include a stop at the 1.5-mile tri-oval located about halfway between Louisville and Cincinnati. The NASCAR Nationwide Series will run the […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Travel around this city and you’d think Jake Delhomme was not only a turnover machine, but responsible for the double-digit unemployment, the stalled condominium projects downtown and maybe even the relentless humidity. Radio talk show callers stay on hold for hours to spit venom at the Carolina quarterback. The Jake-hating message […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs coach Todd Haley says quarterback Matt Cassel remains a question mark for Kansas City’s home opener Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. Cassel missed last week’s season opener at Baltimore with a left knee injury he got in the third preseason game Aug. 29. He returned to practice last week […]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The NFL is investigating Browns coach Eric Mangini’s role in the New York Jets’ failure to list Brett Favre’s torn biceps on injury reports last season. Mangini was the Jets coach for Favre’s one season with the team. Spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail that Mangini’s actions will be examined as […]

SAGUENAY, Quebec (AP) — The son of NHL great Patrick Roy will stand trial Oct. 7 on charges he assaulted a goaltender during a game last year, an outburst that prompted a national debate on violence in hockey. Jonathan Roy had been trying to get the case thrown out, but his request was rejected by […]

 FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Back on center stage, Tom Brady acted like, well, the NFL’s biggest star. It seemed to take forever, though. A year after being sidelined with torn knee ligaments, Brady resembled a rusty game manager more than the invincible record-setting quarterback who guided the Patriots to a perfect 2007 regular season. Yet, […]