Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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.
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. APJames' 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 80In 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."
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. APJames' 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 80In 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."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.
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 0In 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 2In 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 2In Newark, New Jersey, Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists, and the Devils extended their winning streak to four.
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. APAnd 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.
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. APAnd 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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