PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Steelers got by for one night, barely, without a running game. What could be more difficult: getting by the first half of the season without All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu. Polamalu, a game-changing talent who might be one of the NFL’s most irreplaceable players, sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left […]

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild’s transformation into a more aggressive, faster-paced team has begun. Mikko Koivu is at the forefront of this, just as new coach Todd Richards wants him to be on the ice this season. “He’s probably in the top three among two-way centermen in the game,” Richards said. “The […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Forty-eight hours before the Kansas City Chiefs launch their season in Baltimore, coach Todd Haley says quarterback may not be the only position where the starter is not set in stone. Matt Cassel, still wearing a knee brace, worked again at practice on Friday. But the first-year head coach said […]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jeff Reed kicked a 33-yard field goal with 4:32 gone in overtime and the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers again relied on Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to lead clutch scoring drives to beat the Tennessee Titans 13-10 in the NFL season opener Thursday night. The Steelers, their running game stuffed by Tennessee’s defense, […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — As he enters just his second season in the NFL, linebacker Jerod Mayo has been elected by his teammates as a defensive captain. The designation shows the level of respect Mayo has earned as he prepares to take on a greater leadership role in a defense that has lost several veterans, […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Martin del Potro’s first match inside Arthur Ashe Stadium produced his second trip to a Grand Slam semifinal. The sixth-seeded del Potro overcame a sluggish first set Thursday and figured out the blustery wind inside the cavernous stadium to defeat No. 16 Marin Cilic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in the […]

SYDNEY (AP) — The IAAF declined to confirm a Sydney Morning Herald report that world 800-meter champion Caster Semenya has male and female sex organs. IAAF spokesman Nick Davies says the group has received the results of Semenya’s gender tests, but he would not discuss the findings. “I simply haven’t seen the results,” Davies wrote […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Helmets and shoulder pads — and hand sanitizer. College football players are protecting themselves from more than bruising hits and tackles this season. Swine flu can flatten them, too. With outbreaks reported at the universities of Mississippi and Wisconsin, players are under orders to wash their hands and cover their mouths […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals starter Gil Meche is probably done for the year with a shoulder problem, and fellow right-hander Brian Bannister is flying to New York for a second opinion on his shoulder. Royals manager Trey Hillman said on Thursday that Meche would most likely be shut down for the final weeks […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Winning streaks and World Series titles. Those are the only things Derek Jeter ever talks about chasing, the only achievements he seems comfortable celebrating. And for most of his career, Jeter has been lauded mainly for those sort of selfless attributes. He’s the guy who makes the clutch play, who’s always […]