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Wales beats Ireland in Six Nations

DUBLIN — Leigh Halfpenny kicked a last-minute penalty to snatch a dramatic 23-21 victory for Wales over Ireland in the Six Nations opening round on Sunday.

A thrilling test was settled in contentious circumstances after flanker Stephen Ferris was penalized for a dangerous tackle on Ian Evans, giving Halfpenny his chance.

"It was the hardest kick I've had to take in all my life," Halfpenny said. "As soon as it went over, the emotion came. Having to deal with the miss against France in the World Cup, putting that over makes it all worthwhile."

Halfpenny missed a late penalty attempt near halfway against France at the Rugby World Cup that would have sent Wales through to meet New Zealand in the final.

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LeBron shuts door on Raptors in fourth quarter

MIAMI — LeBron James took a hard foul and clearly was not happy. So the next time he saw the ball, he made sure no Toronto player could reach him.

Get after it: Raptors forward Jamaal Magloire (left) and the Heat's Joel Anthony vie for a loose ball on Sunday in Miami. The Heat won 95-89. AP

James' steal and dunk with just more than two minutes left gave Miami some breathing room, and the Heat held on to defeat the Raptors 95-89 on Sunday. James finished with 30 points and Dwyane Wade added 25 for the Heat (18-6), who won for the 10th time in their last 12 games and moved within one game of Chicago (20-6) for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

"We stuck with our principles," James said. "And that's to defend."

Chris Bosh scored 12 points against his former team, which saw a 15-point edge trimmed to three in the final minutes but never surrendered the lead. Mario Chalmers added 11 for Miami.

DeMar DeRozan scored 25 for the Raptors, who got 17 apiece from Jerryd Bayless and Linas Kleiza.

"I liked our disposition," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "I liked the way we approached it. I liked the way we competed."

Kleiza's 3-pointer with just under five minutes left got Toronto within eight, and another 3 from Bayless as the shot clock expired on the next Raptors' possession cut the Miami lead to 85-80 — the closest the game had been since early in the third quarter.

Bayless scored again to get the Raptors within three and cap a 12-0 Toronto run. And after Bosh missed a fadeaway from the right baseline, Bayless tried a 3-pointer to tie. It bounced off, and with the game in the balance, James went to work.

He was fouled by James Johnson and made two free throws with 2:20 left, not before letting anyone around him know he wasn't pleased with the physicality of the play. The next time James touched the ball, he didn't give the Raptors a chance to foul him — his steal and two-handed slam with 2:07 left gave Miami an 89-82 edge and all but ensured the win.

"Good back-to-back plays for our team and I was happy I was able to make them," James said.

Celtics 98, Grizzlies 80

In Boston, Celtics coach Doc Rivers could see that Kevin Garnett was looking and feeling spry.

Running the floor and looking strong on the glass, the 35-year-old Garnett matched his season-high with 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Celtics to their fourth straight win.

"He was feeling good. It's a still a kids' game. He was having fun," Rivers said of Garnett, a 14-time All-Star. "He was having a ball playing today and you don't want to tell him you have to come in because the lights are on, so we let him play in the dark a little bit."

Garnett was 9 of 12 from the field, including his third 3-pointer of the season on three tries. He hit one in Friday's win over New York.

"He's shooting it well," Rivers said, before joking about Garnett's recent 3-point success. "Gives us another option at the end of the game — don't tell him that."

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Tachimoto sisters capture judo gold

PARIS — Haruka and Megumi Tachimoto struck gold at the Paris Judo Grand Slam on Sunday, winning the women's 70-kg and 78-kg divisions, respectively.

Haruka, the younger of the Tachimoto sisters and ranked fourth in the weight class, stunned France's Lucie Decosse by decision 2-1 after extra time, denying the two-time defending world champion what would have been her eighth title in Paris.

"The biggest strength I've got is my heart," Haruka said after beating Decosse, the women's judoka of the year and the gold-medal favorite at this summer's London Olympics.

"I fought today not willing to give anyone an inch. I felt like I'd been gaining on (Decosse) recently. I stayed positive and confident throughout the match," she said.

Megumi also won by decision in the final, 3-0, over Russia's world bronze medalist Elena Ivashchenko after the golden score.

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Thomas guides Bruins to win in return to D.C.

WASHINGTON — Tim Thomas' return to the nation's capital was less political and more successful.

Playing about 10 blocks from the White House — a place he famously avoided two weeks ago — Thomas carried a shutout deep into the third period Sunday as the Boston Bruins snapped a two-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals.

Thomas' no-show, accompanied by a Facebook post about a federal government that he said was "out of control," overshadowed his teammates' day of celebration when the reigning Stanley Cup champions were honored by President Barack Obama on Jan. 23. He didn't play the next day, when the Bruins lost 5-3 to the Capitals.

But last year's Vezina Trophy winner and playoff MVP was in fine form for a Super Bowl Sunday matinee, the first time all season he's played on back-to-back days. Among his 35 saves was a quick reflex stop against Alex Ovechkin when the Capitals forward had an open look after a rebound.

"Tim's capable of doing that for us, and he's done that a lot in the past," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "And I thought he was on top of his game today."

Thomas was booed pregame, but there's no telling how much of it was the standard disdain shown by Washington fans for any opposing star player.

"I think I'm pretty much booed at every arena, wouldn't you say?" Thomas said. "Even before anything happened?"

Still, he acknowledged it was good to have a trip back to Washington that was all about hockey.

"Yeah, yeah, it was. This is more normal," he said. "This is what I'm used to, that's for sure."

Canadiens 3, Jets 0

In Montreal, Carey Price made 23 saves for his third shutout of the season, Tomas Plekanec had a goal and an assist and the Canadiens ended a three-game losing streak.

Max Pacioretty scored his 19th goal in the first and Alexei Emelin made it 2-0 with a short-handed goal 7:20 into the second. Plekanec, who set up Emelin's goal, was credited with his 11th goal on a power play at 11:28.

Rangers 5, Flyers 2

In New York, Artem Anisimov had a goal and two assists, Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves and the Rangers continued their recent success against the Flyers.

Devils 5, Penguins 2

In Newark, New Jersey, Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists, and the Devils extended their winning streak to four.

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Giants edge Pats in Super Bowl XLVI

INDIANAPOLIS — Elite and Eli. One and the same.

New York Giants Deon Grant, Jacquian Williams and Kenny Phillips prevent New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez from making the game-winning catch on the final play of Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday. The Giants won 21-17. AP

And now there are two Super Bowl championships and two MVPs to prove it.

Eli Manning is the big man in the NFL after one-upping Tom Brady and leading the New York Giants to a 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Sunday's Super Bowl — in older brother Peyton's house, at that.

"This isn't about one person," Manning insisted. "This is about a team coming together."

A team led by a quarterback who months ago claimed — to snickers throughout the league — that he belonged in the same stratosphere as Brady, and then proved it.

Just as Manning did four years ago when the Giants ruined New England's perfect season, he guided them 88 yards to the decisive touchdown, which the Patriots didn't contest as Ahmad Bradshaw ran 6 yards with 57 seconds left.

"Certainly Eli has had a great season. He made some great throws in the fourth quarter, and they deserved to win," Brady said.

They got some help from Patriots coach Bill Belichick, whose late-game risk didn't turn out as he planned. Belichick reasoned the Giants would run the clock down and kick a short field goal, so he gambled by allowing the six points.

"Ball was inside the 10-yard line, a 90 percent field goal conversion," he said. "Sure, could have done a better job in a lot of things."

Manning did everything asked of him in the final minutes, a habit for the eight-year veteran. He's beaten the Patriots in two thrilling Super Bowls. The Giants (13-7), who stood 7-7 in mid-December, now own the football world, and Manning owns two Super Bowl MVP awards, the same number as Brady.

It was a classic I-can-top-that showdown with the outcome in doubt until the last desperation pass fell to the turf as the last second ticked off the clock. Manning started the game with nine straight completions, a Super Bowl record; Brady hit 16 straight over the second and third quarters, breaking Joe Montana's Super bowl record of 13.

Manning finished 30 for 40 for 296 yards and one touchdown, while Brady was 27 for 41 for 276 yards with two TDs and one interception.

Manning led six comeback victories during the season and set an NFL record with 15 fourth-quarter touchdown passes. He showed that brilliance in the clutch on the winning drive, completing five passes, starting with a sensational 38-yard sideline catch by Mario Manningham.

On second down at the Patriots 6 and with only one timeout remaining, Belichick had his defense stand up as Bradshaw took the handoff. Bradshaw thought about stopping short of the end zone, then tumbled in untouched.

"I was yelling to him, 'Don't score, don't score,' " Manning said. "He tried to stop, but he fell into the end zone."

Brady couldn't answer in the final 57 seconds, although his heave into the end zone on the final play fell just beyond the grasp of lunging All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski. New England (15-4), winner of 10 straight since a loss to the Giants in November, was done.

"Certainly it wasn't one play that was the reason we lost," Brady said. "Everybody feels they could do a little more. I'd rather come to this game and lose than not get here."

All around him was the wild celebration by the Giants, NFL champions for the eighth time.

Weight of the world: Giants defensive end Justin Tuck sacks Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday in Indianapolis. New York won 21-17. AP

"Great toughness, great faith and great plays by a number of guys today," Manning said, deflecting some of the attention. Still, he beat Brady. And he went one better than Peyton, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback who has one ring of his own but didn't play this season as he recovered from neck surgery.

"It just feels good to win a Super Bowl. It doesn't matter where you are," Manning said.

The Giants are the first Super Bowl winner that was outscored during the regular season. They were 6-2 after that 24-20 victory at New England, then lost four straight and five of six.

Coach Tom Coughlin insisted "the prize" was still within reach. Now the Giants are holding tight to that Vince Lombardi Trophy.

"What I was concerned with was these guys making their own history," Coughlin said. "This is such a wonderful thing, these guys carving their own history."

Coughlin got his own piece of the record book as the oldest coach, at 65, to win a Super Bowl.

It was the Giants' fourth Super Bowl victory, and they became the first team to finish the regular season 9-7 and win the title.

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Contador gets two-year doping ban, loses 2010 Tour title

MADRID — Alberto Contador was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title Monday and banned for two years after sport's highest court found the Spanish cyclist guilty of doping.

Fallen idol: Alberto Contador has been stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title and banned from cycling for two years. AP

The Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the three-time Tour champion after rejecting his claim that his positive test for clenbuterol was caused by eating contaminated meat.

The three-man CAS panel upheld appeals by the International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency, which challenged a Spanish cycling tribunal's decision last year to exonerate Contador.

"The presence of clenbuterol was more likely caused by the ingestion of a contaminated food supplement," CAS said in its ruling in Lausanne, Switzerland.

CAS backdated Contador's ban and he is eligible to return to competition on Aug. 6. That ban means Contador will miss the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the London Olympics, but he would be eligible to ride in the Spanish Vuelta, which begins Aug. 18.

Contador becomes only the second Tour de France champion to be disqualified and stripped of victory for doping. The first was Floyd Landis, the American who lost his 2006 title after testing positive for testosterone.

Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, who finished second at the 2010 Tour, stands to be elevated to victory.

Contador blamed steak bought from a Basque producer for his high reading of clenbuterol, which is sometimes used by farmers to fatten up their livestock.

CAS said both the meat contamination theory and a blood transfusion scenario for the positive test were "possible" but "equally unlikely."

"The panel found that there were no established facts that would elevate the possibility of meat contamination to an event that could have occurred on a balance of probabilities," CAS said. "Unlike certain other countries, notably outside Europe, Spain is not known to have a contamination problem with clenbuterol in meat. Furthermore, no other cases of athletes having tested positive to clenbuterol allegedly in connection with the consumption of Spanish meat are known."

CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb said the doping offense was "not contested," only the explanation for how the clenbuterol got into Contador's system.

"It is just the application of the rules, the fact that there was a positive test," Reeb told reporters. "In the end, it is not so spectacular. There is a clear decision based on a positive test. There was no reason to exonerate the athlete, so the sanction is two years."

Contador continued racing since his positive test on a 2010 Tour rest day, and will be stripped of all results from races in which he participated since Jan. 25, 2011, which includes his Giro d'Italia victory last season.

"This is a sad day for our sport," UCI president Pat McQuaid said. "Some may think of it as a victory, but that is not at all the case. There are no winners when it comes to the issue of doping: every case, irrespective of its characteristics, is always a case too many."

Contador tested positive on the July 21 rest day. The positive results were not confirmed publicly until September 2010, when the UCI announced it had provisionally suspended him pending an investigation by Spain's cycling body.

Contador was originally cleared last February by the Spanish cycling federation's tribunal, which rejected a recommendation to impose a one-year ban. Days earlier, then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Twitter that there was no reason to punish the rider, who is a sports icon in his home country.

"The fault is with the institutions that haven't served their purpose and who haven't been able to review a case like this," Contador said of his case, nearly one year ago. "It's been six months of sleepless nights, pulling your hair out — there are times when I cried."

After the UCI and WADA appealed the Spanish verdict, a twice-postponed hearing was eventually heard by CAS in November.

The four-day session almost ended in chaos as lawyers for the UCI and WADA considered walking out when the panel chairman, Israeli lawyer Efraim Barak, prevented one of their expert witnesses from being questioned about the science of blood doping and transfusions.

The complex 18-month legal case has also raised questions about the status of clenbuterol in anti-doping rules and the honesty of Spanish farmers. The drug is banned in Europe.

Contador is one of only five cyclists to win the three Grand Tours — the Tour de France, the Giro and the Spanish Vuelta. He also won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009.

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Pakistan whitewashes England

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Pakistan recorded its first ever clean sweep against England with an emphatic 71-run victory in the third and final test on Monday.

England — chasing an imposing 324-run target — was dismissed for 252 on the fourth day with fast bowler Umar Gul grabbing 4-61 and offspinner Saeed Ajmal 4-67.

Matt Prior delayed the inevitable with an unbeaten 49 off 58 balls before he ran out of partners.

Pakistan won the first test by 10 wickets and the second by 72 runs when it bowled out England for 72 while chasing 145 runs.

The whitewash has now put England in danger of losing the ICC's jackpot of $175,000 which is awarded to the top test team until the Apr. 1 cutoff date every year — if South Africa beats New Zealand 3-0 in March.

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United salvages point with furious fightback

LONDON — Three goals down after 50 minutes at Chelsea, Manchester United produced a trademark comeback to draw 3-3 on Sunday and stay within reach of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

Get a leg up: Chelsea's Jose Bosingwa attempts to kick the ball in front of Manchester United's Antonio Valencia on Sunday in London. The match ended in a 3-3 draw. AP

But even though a point had appeared an unlikely prospect early in the second half, manager Alex Ferguson was still aggrieved.

"It's two dropped points because we played so well," Ferguson said. "Apart from a period of 10 minutes after halftime when we got off to a terrible start and lost two goals, I thought we were the far better team.

"It's not easy coming back from 3-0 and it was a massive effort from our players."

United had inadvertently given Chelsea the lead when Jonny Evans turned the ball into his own net in the first half, and Juan Mata and David Luiz found the net at the start of the second half.

"A lot of teams would have found it easy to put their heads down and accept defeat," Wayne Rooney said. "But we never put our heads down."

The fixture between England's two most successful sides of recent years was marred by some Chelsea fans jeering every touch of United defender Rio Ferdinand, who is black. Chelsea captain John Terry, who was sidelined through injury, is facing a trial for allegedly racially abusing Ferdinand's brother, Queens Park Rangers defender Anton, during a match in October.

"Rio, Rio what's the score?" some Chelsea fans chanted after their third goal came off Rio Ferdinand before going into the net.

"You don't expect opposing fans to cheer your players," Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas told reporters. "This is a normal situation in the Premiership. You have to condemn it when there is discriminatory, aggressive behavior . . . If you want to give importance to situations like this, it's up to you."

Responding later on Twitter to the booing, Ferdinand said: "Well done guys thanks for inspiring me & the lads! That's like fuel to me!"

Evans inadvertently put Chelsea in front in the 36th minute. After racing past Patrice Evra on the right flank, Daniel Sturridge's chipped cross hit United goalkeeper David de Gea's boot and rebounded off Evans' chest into his goal.

De Gea has looked shaky since arriving in the offseason, but was not culpable for Chelsea surging further in front after the break.

After 25 seconds, Mata powered a first-time volley into the net after meeting Fernando Torres' pinpoint cross from the right.

Mata turned provider five minutes later. A free kick from the Spain winger skimmed off Luiz's head and came off Ferdinand's shoulder before landing in the net.

The Blues were cruising — but not for long. The reversal of fortunes came following Hernandez replacing Ashley Young and two penalty decisions.

AMMAN — Japan hit a roadblock on its path to the London Olympics as Takashi Sekizuka's side lost 2-1 to Syria on Sunday, dropping to second in Group C of the Asian zone.

The young Blue Samurai thought they had escaped with a point after Kensuke Nagai equalized in first-half stoppage time, canceling Mohammed Fares' goal.

Syria, though, had saved the best for last as defender Ahmad Al Salih won it on the stroke of the 90th minute with an awesome effort from midfield.

"It's obviously hugely disappointing," Sekizuka said. "I thought both teams did very little in the first half and that the game would come down to the second half — and it did."

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Capello says Terry should be captain

ROME — Four months before he is due to coach England at the European Championship, Fabio Capello publicly criticized his employers on Sunday for going against his wishes and removing John Terry as captain.

Terry was stripped of the armband by the English Football Association on Friday, two days after his trial for racially abusing an opponent was scheduled to be held after the European Championship.

Capello told Italy's state broadcaster RAI that he "absolutely" did not agree with the decision to dump Terry before the Chelsea defender had his day in court.

F.A. chairman David Bernstein fired Terry because of the difficulty in holding the high-profile captaincy role at Euro 2012 — which runs from June 8 to July 1 — when the player's fate on criminal charges won't be known until after his trial starts on July 9.

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Giants may live to regret letting prolific slugger Ramirez leave

The Yomiuri Giants hit fewer singles, doubles, triples and home runs in 2011 than they did in 2010. The Kyojin also drove in fewer runs and struck out more.

Being that the Giants are the Giants, it was hardly surprising they would, fairly or unfairly, find someone to shoulder all the blame, and amiable slugger Alex Ramirez was the fall guy.

Ramirez had his worst season in Japan, but he wasn't the sole reason for the Giants' struggles. But with a contract due to expire, he was an easy target.

Changes after such a down season are understandable, but it's possible the Giants jettisoned the wrong player.

With Ramirez left unsigned, the Kyojin essentially swapped him for a younger, less productive version of himself during free agency, signing former Yokohama BayStars slugger Shuichi Murata, as Ramirez headed to the BayStars.

Defensively, the move was fairly savvy.

Murata isn't the best fielder in the world, but he's durable and should hold down third base, which allows Michihiro Ogasawara to focus on first base and solidifies the NPB's most fluid corner infield situation. There may also be gains made in the outfield, depending on who replaces Ramirez in left field.

But is the slight bump in run prevention Murata offers more valuable than what Ramirez could produce with his bat?

Both sluggers had down years in 2011, though Ramirez was slightly better, hitting .279, with an on-base percentage of .322, slugging percentage of .453, 23 home runs and 73 RBIs. Murata put up a 253/.321/.423 line, going deep 20 times and driving in 70 runs. Ramirez also posted a superior 5.13 runs created per 27 outs to Murata's 4.39.

Ramirez's higher rate of production holds up over a larger sample size. Over the past five seasons, Ramirez (in 56 more games) has more extra-base hits (384 to 286), more homers (177 to 153) and more RBIs (552 to 442). He also holds a .404 to .375 edge in weighted batting average, which takes all the aspects of hitting and weighs them in proportion to their actual run value.

Murata's last big year was in 2008, when he posted a .323/.397/.665 line, with 46 homers and 114 RBIs. But career numbers of .274/.325/.545 suggest that was somewhat of a positive aberration.

Star is born: A big season by Alex Ramirez in his first season with the BayStars might leave Giants fans scratching their heads. KYODO

Both players suffered with the introduction of the NPB's new ball in 2011, which dulled offensive production around Japan.

But Murata hit just .257 with 26 homers and 88 RBIs in 144 games in 2010, and wasn't much better last season. Considering the drop Ramirez took from 2010 (.304, 49 homers, 129 RBIs) to 2011, he may far outpace Murata by just approaching his usual rate of production, especially with a year adjusting to the new ball already under his belt.

Murata is a fine player, but with the upgrades the Giants made on the mound, coupled with the NPB's new offensive environment, one could argue Yomiuri would be in a better position with Ramirez — unless of course Murata has another big year.

With Shinnosuke Abe and Hisayoshi Chono in the lineup, the Giants should be strong whether Murata produces or not.

But if the Kyojin fall short of the pennant again, they may regret it if the missing piece has a resurgent year in Yokohama.

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