PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that sports betting in Delaware would violate a 1992 federal ban on such wagering, essentially halting the state’s plans to start taking bets next month. The plan was opposed by the professional sports leagues and the NCAA, which claimed it violated the federal Professional and Amateur […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch deviated from his traditional victory celebration when he spotted a crying fan in the grandstands and tried to hand her the checkered flag through the fence at Bristol Motor Speedway. He was at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville the next day for a late model race sponsored by the Kyle […]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The competition to play tight end for the New England Patriots remains pretty tight. With the release of Tyson DeVree on Sunday, four veterans — Benjamin Watson, David Thomas, Alex Smith and Chris Baker — are battling for what could be three slots on the final 53-man roster. Patriot coach Bill […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Billy Wagner wants to be a closer next season, regardless of which team he’s on. That’s why the New York Mets reliever says Boston must guarantee it will decline his contract option for 2010 before he would approve a potential trade this week to the Red Sox, who already have an […]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Rachel Alexandra is taking on a new challenge: racing against older horses in a bid to become the first filly to win the Woodward Stakes. After dominating the 3-year-old filly division with romps in the Kentucky Oaks and the Mother Goose, and beating the 3-year-old boys in the Preakness and […]

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had 75,000 paying guests and a few dozen freeloaders over to his new house the other night to watch football. Punters for the visiting Tennessee Titans immediately showed their gratitude by using his $40 million TV set for target practice. “I hit it probably a dozen times in pregame,” veteran kicker […]

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have signed former AL MVP Jason Giambi to a minor league contract. The 38-year-old Giambi will report to Triple-A Colorado Springs, hoping for a September call-up to help the Rockies with their pennant push. Colorado went into Monday with a three-game lead in the NL wild-card race. Giambi was […]

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress said Monday he expects quarterback Brett Favre to play the entire first half in their next exhibition game at Houston. Favre was signed last Tuesday, so he missed the first preseason game against Indianapolis. He played two series against Kansas City on Friday night. The […]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Carson Palmer is expected to miss another preseason game because of a sprained left ankle, leaving the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback with little playing time before the season opener. Palmer didn’t participate in practice Monday and is expected to sit out Thursday night against the St. Louis Rams. That would leave only one […]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Trucks are on their way to Target Field with the grass for the Twins’ new ballpark. According to the team, workers will begin laying large rolls of dark green Kentucky Bluegrass and finish the installation by Friday morning. The grass was grown at Graff’s Turf Farms in Fort Morgan, Colorado, and sent […]