National Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Now that the Anaheim Ducks have that elusive road win, they are ready to do what they do best: close things out at home.

CLEVELAND — When the older kids in his Houston neighborhood would pick on him or beat him up, little Daniel Gibson would run home crying to his mother. She gave him a nickname for not fighting back.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — No one in Tampa Bay’s clubhouse is ready to declare James Shields the ace of the Devil Rays’ young pitching staff. But he just might be the most consistent starter.

OTTAWA — Andy McDonald bailed out Chris Pronger and set up Southern California for a playoff party like never before. The Anaheim Ducks are within a win of their first Stanley Cup championship.

For Bill France Jr., it was never about fame or fortune. Everything he did — helping build Daytona International Speedway, moving the annual awards banquet to New York City and negotiating the first billion-dollar TV contract — he did with NASCAR’s best interests at heart.

In the 30 hours Creighton went without a men’s basketball coach, fans on Internet message boards buzzed that athletic director Bruce Rasmussen was taking too long to make a hire.

J.P. Howell was one of Tampa Bay’s final cuts at the end of spring training. Now, he’s determined to make the most of his latest chance in the major leagues.

The Anaheim Ducks will have to play without Chris Pronger again.

Albert Pujols hit two home runs on Sunday and nearly had two more, an encouraging sign for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Of all the fearsome players the Eastern Conference has sent West to do battle with the game’s most established stars, who would have figured on ’Bron-Bron and Boobie?

Upon further review, the Ottawa Senators are right back in the Stanley Cup finals.

Crown them one and all, the kid called King and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Carl Edwards’ hard push to the finish line was slowed only by the caution flag.

During a sports summer camp in 2005, Dena Muskopf said two unspeakable words. “I can’t.”

The Houston Astros broke out of their hitting slump on Saturday and extended Kip Wells’ misery in the process.

All the Kansas City Royals needed to end a long losing skid was a road trip. It helps that it led off with Tampa Bay.

A state investigation found no evidence that workers at Mike Shannon's restaurant knew Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was drunk as they served him alcohol in the hours prior to his fatal accident.

The need for volunteers at the Special Olympics Missouri 2007 State Summer Games has decreased by half since Friday.

Taylor Stadium and Simmons Field are undergoing subtle, yet necessary, changes in preparation for the weekend’s regional baseball tournament.

KANSAS CITY — A little extra work between starts helped Steve Trachsel pitch an unusual complete game.