CINCINNATI (AP) — Offensive tackle Andre Smith signed a contract Sunday with the Cincinnati Bengals, ending an impasse that dragged on a month into the preseason. The Bengals originally planned to have Smith start at right tackle, but he has missed all three preseason games. He was in Cincinnati and agreed to the deal shortly […]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Randy Johnson believes he will pitch again this season for San Francisco, albeit as a reliever. The 45-year-old Big Unit is on the 60-day disabled list and has been sidelined since July 6 with a strained left shoulder. He acknowledged pitching more than five innings and being effective would be tough […]

BOSTON (AP) — Clay Buchholz’s curveball was so sharp that he threw it for a strike when he didn’t even try. Buchholz allowed just three singles in 8 1-3 innings, and Alex Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia’s RBI singles made up for a Boston offense that sputtered in the early innings as the Red Sox beat […]

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (AP) — Zimbabwe forward Kheli Dube scored a hat trick to give the New England Revolution a 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer on Sunday. Dube scored his first goal in the ninth minute, when he converted a low cross from midfielder Mauricio Castro. He followed 20 minutes later […]

NEW YORK — Sergio Mitre shook off the rust and pitched sharply before getting struck by a line drive in the seventh inning, combining with Chad Gaudin on a one-hitter as the New York Yankees routed the slumping Chicago White Sox 10-0 Saturday. Working for the first time since a relief outing eight days ago, […]

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Paul Goydos figured Liberty National at least would look good on television, with the Statue of Liberty and so many other New York landmarks serving as a spectacular backdrop at The Barclays. Inside the ropes is starting to look pretty good to him, too. Goydos put together three straight birdies […]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Coming into the third exhibition game, the New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders talked about how this game would be a dress rehearsal for the season. Consider Drew Brees and the Saints’ first-team offense ready, while the Raiders may not have enough time to fix what’s wrong in Oakland. Brees completed […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel left the field favoring his left leg after being sacked on the third play of Kansas City’s game against Seattle on Saturday night. Cassel was sacked by Brandon Mebane on the first passing play. He appeared to have a problem with his left leg, but came […]

NEW YORK (AP) — As last year’s U.S. Open began, plenty of people were wondering what was wrong with Roger Federer. Feeling sorry for the guy, even. Federer arrived at Flushing Meadows in 2008 ranked No. 2, not No. 1. He arrived with — gasp! — zero Grand Slam titles for the season, having lost […]

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Here’s the story behind Joe Paterno’s rolled-up pants: Back in the late ’60s, his wife, Sue, suggested he raise the cuffs so mud wouldn’t get on his wool slacks while coaching. That was no longer a worry once JoePa switched to his trademark khakis. “Then it became superstitious,” she said. […]